Untying the Knot.

Disclaimer; I do not own InuYasha or affliated characters. All rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi and her subsidiaries.

AN: I originally wrote this for the LJ iyfic_contest. I took it down and edited it and just decided to share it completely. If there are still errors, my apologies. I really like this piece and will most likely write a few one shots in this universe.

Please let me know what you think. I love hearing from you guys, as always.

Feedback is appreciated, never expected.

- Oh Jiru

How glorious the billowing warmth of the breeze was that kissed her skin as she ran through the busy streets to pick up her dress. The days that stood in between her and the ceremony she had so longed for, were only mere moments away.

Her best friend's hand linked with hers, slicking their palms with sweat. Kagome, the overly exuberant of the two, was gritting her teeth to prevent her voice from erupting from her throat.

To the other half, this entire ordeal was surreal. He had promised to come with her. This was one of the few times he regretted saying those words. His body was tense, burning to the gills with upset and lack of breath.

Kagome was getting married to a kendo instructor from Sendai.

Koga. Kitagawa Koga.

That name was bitter in the pit of InuYasha's stomach as he was jerked to a halt infront of a small store in Shibuya. The glass windows were slick, lacquered with glossy paint and frills.

When his amber eyes hit caught sight of the plethora of white, lush gowns, he held back the bile that rose in his throat. He didn't want to let her go through with this. Every fiber in his being had begged his pride to at least tell her how he felt.

Truth be told, as he looked down at her nervous hands ripping the door open excitedly, he lost his conviction. If she was this happy with her choice, what say did he have in the matter?

When they entered, the fresh smell of flowers and perfume permeated like a bomb in his face. Kagome seemed to be immune, as she bounding towards the counter. Her face was flush, rosy on her pallid cheeks.

InuYasha brushed a hand through his dark hair and let out a sigh as he looked around at the other women fauning over the shop's extensive collection of bridal gowns. He looked back to Kagome and caught her gray eyes beaming at him.

His cheeks lit ablaze with heat, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. She was trying on the dress today. The elderly woman behind the counter gestured in InuYasha's direction, obviously telling her groom to stay put.

The lanky boy grunted and felt a wave of sadness wash over him. This was the most uncomfortable day of his life. It was all he could do to stay in that spot. He wanted nothing more than to leave and throw himself in traffic.

He mused about it for a moment or two when Kagome's soft hands grasped at his bare elbow. She looked up at him, brushing her dark hair from her eyes and nudged her head in the direction of fitting room. "I need your opinion," She said. "I had it altered, but I want to make sure it's perfect."

The boy feigned a cordial smile and rolled his eyes as they headed deeper into the throngs of plastic covered fabric. The old, grayed headed woman staggered near the mirror filled room.

Her knobby hands held out the garment, covered in a plastic bag. Kagome knelt down and helped the woman unzip the dress and held it high over her head. InuYasha winced at it as though it was blinding.

It was plain, stapless, slight billow to the train...

Kagome had never been one for flamboyance. She was excited about the damn thing, he scowled and turned away as she slipped behind a curtain with the attendant. A moment or two later, she came out admiring the way the fabric clung to her frame.

Her mouth was wide, glistening with a smile. She turned around on the box and shook with delight. "InuYasha, isn't this perfect?" Kagome chimed, smoothing her hands down her hips.

InuYasha's face was flush as he inspected her. Her dark hair tumbled in waves down her back, over her bare shoulders. He couldn't place an opinion on the garment, for he was too focused on her as a whole.

Mustering the courage to speak up, he nodded idly and smirked. "Yeah. I think that he'll like it."

Kagome's hands clenched and she stepped down from the box, walking over towards him. Those same hands that held his so many times, cupped his face as she looked the boy dead in the eye. "Tell me," She said softly, trying to keep the conversation just between the two of them. "Do you think I'm making the right decision?"

InuYasha's eyes radiated with hope. This was his chance wasn't it? He could place the seed of doubt in her head and she would end it! But, as he withdrew from her hands, he gripped them with his own.

The words that barreled off his tongue weren't the ones that he wanted. Instead, they were the worst combination that he had ever had the misfortune of uttering.

With a gracious grin, he lowered his tawny eyes to the floor. "I think that if he makes you happy, then that's all that matters."

Kagome chewed at her lip and gave him a reassuring nod. As the leggy woman headed back behind the curtain, she felt her mood sour as soon as she was hidden from his view.

She hadn't known what had hit her so suddenly. It was like a plague had eaten the very source of her enthrallment with today. Koga would be returning to whisk her away on his metaphoric white horse.

She looked at herself once over in the mirror and grasped to the image of her dejected expression. If someone had doused a fire, she was sure she was the remaining embers; damp and belittled by the cool of the water.

The older woman hobbled when she re-entered to help her out of the gown. "Did everything work out for you?" She grinned, her wrinkles creasing around her eyes.

Kagome nodded and gave the woman a questioning look. It wasn't intentional, but the lingering doubt still clung in her eyes. "Yes," The girl breathed, feeling relieved when the fitted dress was unzipped, allowing her to breathe freely. "I love the dress."

"Do you love the groom?" The cheeky old woman whispered, keeping her tone quieter than a zephyr of wind.

Kagome's stomach tingled as it dropped. She gasped slightly as she pulled her sundress back over her head. "Wh-what makes you say that?" She stammered, furrowing her brows in awe.

The woman chuckled, raspy and thick. Her weak hands raised to touch Kagome's ruddy face, marring the smooth skin with her brittle palms. She smiled wide, exposing the shiny dentures behind her lips, "I see the way you look at that boy out there."

"Oh?" Kagome batted her eyes anxiously. She lolled her head back slightly and shook her head. "InuYasha and I never had a relationship." Those words stung. They had grown up together. He was her best friend nothing more. Hell, she was closer to him that she was to Sango, his sister.

The attendant wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes knowingly. She released Kagome's face and zipped up the dress before handing it to her. "Advice is how you take it, you don't look like you're ready to settle down. I see a hundreds of girls each year, that want to be women."

Kagome's thin brows laced. Her temper had always been a flaw, and she sure as hell felt like her judgment was being taken in to account. "I don't think that I'm making the wrong choice for myself. I love my fiancee, and I want to marry him."

Oh, conviction, conviction, conviction.

The old woman shrugged her shoulders, and adjusted the obi on her kimono before sliding a hand to open the curtain. "Like I said, take this for whatever you'd like, but I believe that you need to look at that man out there. He's lost. I can see it all over his face. Whether you choose to see it, is your choice."

Kagome's heart fluttered as the woman slinked out, giving InuYasha pat on the arm as she walked by. "That one in there's got a fiery spirit, ne? I don't think a man could tame her." She chided, her raspy voice catching InuYasha off guard.

She shakily reached into her obi, and pulled out a satchel of peppermints and gave him one before heading back to the counter.

He waited a little longer before Kagome came out, holding the dress lackadaisically over her arm. The plastic clung to her warmth like cellophane as she silently breezed past him, shedding only a smile.

He arched a brow at her and followed close behind her, his hands returning to the denim of his pockets. The girl took the long way through the store, to avoid the woman any further, and burst out into the heat of the afternoon.

InuYasha looked back at the woman waving a hand at him as the bell chimed upon his exist. When the balmy air hit him, he felt ill. Kagome was staggeringly odd as she walked in her quiet state.

After a while, he reached down and touched her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

"Oi, Kagome, are you okay?" He rasped, weaving through a thrust of teenage girls giggling at him.

The petite woman nodded and pressed on her most impressive smile. "I'm just nervous," she said, keeping her thoughts to herself. "Koga's supposed to be back this week and I'm going to be married. I just...I just can't believe I'm finally settling down." She said.

InuYasha bit the inside of his jaw before letting out a sigh. "Then, you'll move away and never return to Tokyo." He said, as if it had been a dirty, small town in the middle of nowhere.

Kagome punched his arm. "How dare you say that! You know this is my home. I have to come see my family."

When she looked up, her glassy eyes caught the hint of hurt that struck across his features. A frown tugged at her lips as they made it to the small apartment complex near the end of the street.

Her hands idly fumbled with her purse, until she found the keys that were evading her. When they made it to the entrance of the building, InuYasha stood like a monolith above her.

His hair caught in the breeze and tousled as it ventured in its haste. Kagome lowered her gaze to the dress in her arms and the shuffling of her feet. Her body reminded her that she couldn't relax, and riddled itself with nervous gooseflesh.

InuYasha tried to think of something to say before he finally looked off into the distance, seeing a couple with their hands linked. He had only had that once, and never really had it again.

He had forgotten the girl's name, because he had been so blinded by Kagome. The thread that held them together was untethering as she said goodbye that afternoon.

She looked up to him with a tempestuous glare. There was a desperation riddled in those fathomless eyes that he saw far too often. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to be the man that dress was for.

He had always been waiting for her. No matter how closely knit they were, she was still thousands of miles away, untangible to his grasp.

His lung expelled and his heart failed to keep its rhythm. This was it. He didn't care the outcome, because she was lost to him anyway. His hands, as if he had given up control, jutted out and grasped the sides of her face, twining within her gossamer hair.

Kagome barely had time to process what had struck her so violently, as he crushed his mouth against hers, tasting the sweetness on her tongue. She had dropped the dress upon the ground, along with her rattling keys as they hit the pavement.

Every shroud of diginity he had left in his body was gone as he let the overwhelming sensation guide his limbs. Kagome stiffened, trying to keep her wide eyes open. She wanted to push him away but felt the intensity carve out burn marks in the back of her mind.

Abruptly, as soon as she relented, he pulled away. Her mouth tingled, feeling as though it would never feel something as soft, gentle. Her fingers absently ran across the length of damp lips and looked up at his flushed face.

He swallowed hard before his breath hitched in his throat. The shadow of the building cascaded over them, clutching them in the cool air.

Kagome parted her mouth to say something. Anything. She couldn't force her voice to become anything more coherent than a crackle.

InuYasha turned away from her and began to walk away. His arms crossed upon his chest, quelling the voracious beating of his heart. Before her legs would let her move, he had become lost in the sea of people upon the busy street.

She ran after him, her heart coursing in her throat, pounding so hard it was barely possible to breathe. It hadn't dawned on her that she had left all of her belongings laying infront of her building.

The girl rudely grazed businessmen and girls leaving the shops. He was getting on the train to go back to Tsukiji-mura.

By the time she had made it to the train station, she stood on the platform as the Shinkansen had left for the mura. Her heart sank and tears pricked like needles in the corners of her eyes.

She felt as if the world had crushed upon her. How had she been so blind? Her hand coiled over her mouth and held herself with her free arm. How had the woman in the shop known?

Kagome meandered back to her complex to find her belonging still laying in disarray on the pavement. Her heart wretched when she thought of what had transpired in that very spot.

She winced when she bent to pick up her things. When she finally forced herself to stop crying, she made her way inside, wiping away her ruined make up.

Her body relaxed when she stepped in the elevator and stared vacantly at the dress in her arms. This is what she really wanted. She found a man that loved her. She found a partner. Koga was a good, strong, hard working man.

Had she always felt this unsatisfied? Closing her eyes, she heard the chime ring for her floor and walked down the breeze-way to her unit. Upon opening the door, she found Koga eating a container of her yogurt.

She froze, dropping all of her things on the floor before frantically trying to scoop them back up in arms.

His dark hair was pulled over his shoulder, and he had a grin firmly placed on his scruffy face. "Surprise." He said, sitting the empty container on the counter to help his woman.

Kagome's face contorted and a guilty blush set on her face. He eyed her strangely before looking away from her dress. "Are you alright, baby?" He asked, furrowing his thick brows.

The girl nodded and tried her best to not snivel. "I'm fine. I've just had a rough day." She said, forcing a smile on her face as he embraced her.

She laid her head on his chest and listened to the beating of his heart.

God, she hoped she was making the right decision.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The week had past by, smothering Kagome with the thought of the boy. She laid in her restless bed, tossing and turning as Koga tried to soothe her aches. She couldn't tell anyone what had happened, and it had been all she could think about.

Those warm lips on hers, drawing her deeper into him. It was like time had stopped and the muttering sounds on the street had dissolved into static. There was an electricity that surged magnificently through her charred veins.

She had never felt that with Koga.

As she laid on her side, looking at the alarm clock on the dawn of the Big Day, she was taunted by the illuminated numbers. Every inch of her was stiff, tired. She questioned everything so many times over the week she doubted she could have even counted.

The girl had deduced, after much dilberation, that she was going to go through with it. Koga had been a wonderful boyfriend, friend, and lover. Looking over her shoulder, she watched his body rise and fall with his slow, sleeping breaths.

Guilt had eaten her to the gills. It had been innocent, set in stone. That day that InuYasha kissed her had changed everything. That lingering doubt seemed to permeate in the back of her head. Her fingers, including the one that housed a simple diamond ring, coiled in the edges of her pillow.

Her heart burned, stomach knotted up - it was like being pulled apart while looking for the one correct answer.

With a sigh, she flopped on her back and relished the grip of her blankets as she stared vacantly at the ceiling. It was probably better that he had left her alone, anyway, she scowled. Every time she had made love to Koga, she had thought about him since the incident.

She'd called him a thousand times to have no answer. The only hint of his voice was the recording that picked up until his inbox was full. If he had gone to sea, she would never see him in time.

Closing her eyes, she attempted to sleep off her nervousness and put on her big girl facade for today. All of this was probably just nonsense anyway, she thought as she drifted back to sleep hazily.

In Tsukiji-mura, Sango was sitting on her older brother's porch with her nails dragging down her face in horror. She hadn't been able to get ahold of him in nearly a week and worry bedraggled her like the rain outside.

Kagome's wedding was this afternoon. Time had flown by and she had scarely heard from her friend. Miroku, her boyfriend, was sitting on the swing that Sango's mother was occupying.

She held her head high, finding the entire situation to be annoying. Her son was a handful, she knew, but to up and leave was out of his character. Looking towards the pier, which rested an earshot away from their house, she let out a sigh.

"Sango, did your brother say anything about going to sea?" Izayoi asked, smoothing out the wrinkle in her yukata. She was such a formal woman, even these busy times.

Her daughter shook her head and nervously bit her lip. "Kagome said that he went with her to pick up her dress, and that was the last time she saw him."

Miroku looked down at his tennis shoes, knowingly hiding something. Izayoi and Sango shot looks at the dark headed boy before the older woman pursed her lips.

"I feel like this one is going to cave under pressure." She said, waving a fan to keep the humidity away from her face.

Sango knelt in front of Miroku, her eyes alive with anger. "What did you do?" She bit, finding it hard to keep his attention focused on her.

The small shanty house was stagnant with silence, save for the pattering rain that trickled over the koi kite on the porch. The boy's dark eyes danced with different emotions as he looked up at the crack in the porch ceiling. "He told me something that I'm sure all of us already know, but I felt badly for him..."

Sango slapped his arm and held back the yell that was brewing in her throat. Her mother had raised her to be a lady, not a man. Izayoi chastised her with a mere look before turning to face Miroku's round, flushed face.

"Why did you feel badly?" She asked, patting the boy lovingly on the back.

Miroku raised his head and shed a quirky smile. His hands latched onto the rim of the wooden swing and he winced. "Because, InuYasha is my best friend. Kagome has always been a sore subject." He shrugged.

Sango rolled her eyes, "Duh. He's been in love with her since he was like, what, 14." She hissed, "Kagome's been in love with him since the moment she met him. It's not like I didn't have to hear about it almost everyday growing up."

Izayoi huffed, "Your brother is just like your father." She shrugged. "It's best to let him make his own choices, whether they're wrong or not. In the end, the outcome will steer him in the direction he needs to go."

"Does Kagome really want to marry Koga?" Miroku asked, his gaze falling on his t-shirt.

Sango shook her head. "I think that she just wants someone to come home to." Her thin shoulders shrugged as she looked down at her watch with a grunt. "Ugh, I have to go ahead leave to get ready."

"I'll talk to you about this later," The dark headed girl frowned and waved herself off before grabbing her umbrella. "I think that she's being stupid, because what's obvious to everyone else, she is completely oblivious to. Nothing I've said has sank in, anyway." She muttered before heading out into the gray thicket of rain.

Miroku was about to excuse himself when Izayoi caught his arm. "Please tell me what you said to him. My daughter, as you know, has a one track mind, just like InuYasha."

Looking away from her, he let out a sigh before returning his attention to the middle-aged woman. "I told him, that if he really loved her..." He paused for a moment. "...that he'd let her go."

"So he listened?" Izayoi sounded a bit surprised.

Miroku's broad shoulders fell slack. "I don't know if he really did or not, it was really terrible advice, anyway."

"Well, we all have to put on our best faces and show Kagome respect." The woman cooed, disappointed that her son was going to miss her day, regardless of the circumstance. She would be crushed if he didn't attend. "He was supposed to walk her down the aisle, wasn't he?"

Miroku stood on his feet and grabbed his coat from the swing. "Kagome asked me to do it last night, since no one has heard from him. Her grandfather isn't capable, and I've been so close to her she thought it would be for the best." He feigned happiness for Izayoi's sake and waved off, leaving her on her porch swing.

She ruminated for several moments before heading inside to make herself presentable for the occasion. A sadness etched itself on her face as she thought of the unfortunate will that her son had carried with him.

Time wasn't on his side, should he have chosen not to be by her side today.

She looked at the window that rested outside of her traditional kitchen. It directed her attention to the sea with a heady force. InuYasha had always been as willful and free as the bay had been.

He was a fisherman like his father and it broke her heart to see him so dismantled by his pride. Her fingers ran along a box on the counter and she aptly opened it. Her lithe hands pulled out her mother's ceremonial kimono and she headed off to her room.

In the downtown districts of Tokyo, Kagome sat with her veil pinned in her hair. She had been so hopeful to have a universal, white gowned wedding. Her reflection was stunning, reflective of what she had always dreamt of.

Her skin looked like porcelain and her hair was curled back in a loose bun. She wore only a plain necklace with one solitary pendant. InuYasha had given it to her on her 16th birthday when the necklace her father gave her broke and was lost.

A frown reached her eyes as Sango's tall body loomed next to her, finishing the final touches on her hair. When she looked up at her friend, she scowled. "No one has heard from him, have they?"

Sango let out a sigh as she shifted around in her red, strapless dress. She pulled a pin from her mouth and placed a white chrysanthemum above her ear. "You know I would have told you if we had. I don't even know what happened. It just baffles me that he would just up and leave for no reason," She rambled.

Kagome looked away, her make up threatening to fall with the tears that rested on the tips of her lashes. If she moved, they would fall, smearing all of the artwork created on her face. "I-I need to tell you something." She swallowed. Dread swelled inside of her stomach as she snapped her head around to face Sango as she walked away.

"What is it?" She asked, brushing back a free strand of her curled hair.

Kagome's body went limp as she slumped in the vanity chair. Her eyes scanned the room to make sure no one else was close enough to hear. Koga's mother had been hovering all morning and it had been unnerving.

When she realized it was safe, she extended a hand to grab Sango's wrist with an anxious quiver. Sango knelt down and looked up into her gray eyes. Kagome's jaw was clenched as she tried her best to brave the words that were about to spill.

"Th-the day that InuYasha came with me to pick up my dress," She whispered, her eyes falling on the pale carpeting. "He kissed me and ran off when he dropped me off at my apartment. I ran after him, but he was gone by the time I made it to the train."

Sango's mouth fell ajar and she lolled her head back in aggrivation. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that sooner?" She hissed under her breath. "You know that would have helped about a week ago, Kagome. I'm not trying to get on your case because you're getting married today."

The bride's face contorted as she forced herself to her feet, dragging the chair across the floor until fell behind her. Sango's dark eyes were lit with fury. "I'm sorry. I haven't had a moment away from Koga to tell you." Kagome said apologetically before moving across the room to grab her shoes.

"Do you really want to do this?" Sango said, crossing her arms across her chest. She'd asked her a million times before, but this time was definitive. It was sink or swim from here on out for her.

A friendship was far less important than a marriage, she sighed.

Kagome looked out the window, her lashes laying heavily upon the very highest point of her cheek. Sango's arms linked around back and held her close. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I didn't even let myself think of him like that. I refused to." She murmured.

Sango looked out the window with her at the guests talking downstairs. "I know. I've always known. If Koga is going to make you happy, then go through with it. If not, you need to leave him now. I know it's not the best timing, but what good are words when your feelings are what's important?"

Kagome nodded and let the warmth of her friend's arms leave her cold in the air conditioned room. Her bare shoulders felt like ice as she flicked her hands to loosen them. She rolled her neck and pulled in the tightest breath she had ever taken.

Sango put on a game face and squealed when she opened the door to see familiar faces. They were just barely familiar, but still, it was a kind gesture on her part. Kagome headed to the back of the small room, that lead to a small kitchen.

It had one table, two little white chairs and coffee counter. It looked more like a break room, but they were bound to have crackers to calm her nervous stomach. Before she had time to look, a shaky hand gripped her shoulder.

She gasped and turned around, seeing InuYasha's panting body in front of her. He knelt down, hand clasping to his knee for balance so he could catch his breath. His suit was disheveled and his hair askew.

He had slipped climbed in the window to sneak in. It had been pretty lucky of him to find her before the ceremony, something he graciously accepted. Any opportunity to be near her was a blessing at this point.

She finally let the tears erupt from their sockets as she lunged forward, her arms wrapping around him. He fell with her, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

The bottom of her dress tore as she climbed on him, pressing her forehead to his. He smiled crookedly at her and ran his hands down her sides, gingerly. Her body fell with the unsteady breaths he took.

The hum of the lights was the only sound that she could hear as she stroked his bangs from his eyes. "Where have you been?" She cried softly.

InuYasha smirked toothily, taking in how beautiful she looked. "Trying to let you go." He said in earnest. Kagome screwed her eyes closed and let out a stifled sob.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha." She choked, feeling his calloused hands search the length of her arms. "I shouldn't be doing this. I can't marry him. I just wanted to have something that was mine, that I could always have." Guilt was laced on her voice as he bit his lip, trying to find the correct words.

Truth be told, he had none.

But he sucked up his pride and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry I didn't ever tell you how I felt."

Kagome rubbed her eyes with back of wrist, smearing the make up across her dress and hands. "I've always loved you," She whispered, lowering her head on his chest. "I do love Koga. I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to be out there in a few minutes and I've ruined everything."

InuYasha raised up, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He looked at her flushed face and smiled the best he could. "Let me go, Kagome." He whispered into her hair, nudging her face with his nose.

The girl stood up, feeling nothing left inside of her. She looked at her reflection in the snack machine as he helped her clean up her face. "We've been through so much together, InuYasha." She whined, trying to calm herself down.

She rolled her cuffs back to hide the smudging on her dress and pulled the train in a ruffle to hide the tear. She looked less perfect than she had earlier, but she didn't care as his arm linked with hers.

It felt as though he was walking her to the gallows, each step slow and methodical. Her her heart was in her throat, tensing up the very breath that she took. The world was strained and as she looked at his stoic facade, she leaned into him.

He stroked her hand with his lanky fingers and lead her to the doorway. She gave him one last look before she shutdown. Sango flung the door open, her face horrified when she saw her brother standing beside the girl.

She slammed the door behind her and immediately started to yell. "I can't believe that you left! Where the hell have you been?" She yelped, narrowing her eyes as her hands flew around her.

"Miroku knew, why didn't you ask him?" InuYasha scoffed, looking down at Kagome's veil, slumped lazily over her pallid face.

"Look," Sango pinched the bridge of her nose. "It doesn't matter. Are you walking her down or is he?"

"I am." InuYasha said bravely, pushing aside every shroud of his pride. Kagome tensed beneath his touch and Sango looked to her solemn expression.

She would have turned and ran off into the street with InuYasha beside her. If it hadn't been for that gathering of people outside, she would have. Koga was so happily waiting for her and all she could do was think of the man beside her.

Closing her eyes, she heard music playing and her life flashed before her in vibrant hues of golds and silvers. Each memory involved InuYasha. Good, bad, in between, the tether that threading through their hearts must have been golden.

A sigh escaped her as she saw the man she was to marry standing at the end of a long row. Her heart, her soul broke the moment she passed by the first row of people. They watched her in awe, ready to congratulate her fortunate union.

InuYasha was quivering from the inside out as he held his breath. He looked under dressed and far less handsome than the man that awaited her.

He saw his distressed mother, looking in disappointment. His father was standing beside Miroku along the aisle as they passed by, as well. He felt like crawling within himself as Kagome looked towards her friend, flowers gathered in her hand. She was the maid of honor, and the only bridesmaid.

Those dark eyes of hers bore holes into them. Kagome quaked as she walked, finding it incredibly difficult to move much further. InuYasha tugged on her a few times before she raised her head up as if something inside of her snapped.

Shhe looked towards her mother and small family. Each one seemed to be thrilled, but it wasn't real. None of this was. She had been with Koga for two years. Two measly years. InuYasha had been hers almost her entire life.

What the hell was she doing?

Violently, the girl stopped in her tracks. InuYasha stumbled forward. The entire wedding party, Koga included, looked perturbed. He wanted to run from his spot on the platform, but held his ground.

He kept his hands clasped together, politely keeping a gracious smile on his face. Perhaps she was just nervous? He mused. The minister kept his eyes trained on the girl.

Kagome had caught sight of the elderly woman from the dress shop, sitting on a fold out chair near the minister. It must have been her husband, the girl thought as her eyes darted in ten directions.

It was like her skin was crawling. All of her life she had waited for a moment like this one. She'd talked about it with InuYasha, of all people. She wanted a small outdoor wedding, in the summer.

Every imprint was fresh on her mind as realized Koga was a blip on the radar in comparison. He had never wronged her, never taken her for granted. Shaking her head of everything, she drew a blank to pursue forward and felt InuYasha's hands let go of her.

Kagome's head turned abruptly to see him stand behind her, hands locked below his waist, being as orderly as possible. She could see the yearning in his tawny eyes as she turned to face the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

Mustering the strength to smile, she pressed her best one on. The facade was shallow, so easily to see through. Sango chewed at her lip nervously when Kagome got close enough to really see.

Koga pulled back her veil, eyes electrified with excitement.

The minister moved closer to them, yet Kagome's eyes drifted to the eldery woman looking at her lovingly. Her knobby hands waved happily. Her gray hair was twisted in a bun with one flower in her hair.

She looked at the thin, gangly man in between she and Koga.

Kagome's hands shuddered when Koga grabbed them, forcing her tired eyes to look at him. His face was clean for a change, rather handsome and rugged. He had pulled his hair back and cleaned himself up the best he could.

Miroku stood silently beside Koga, pretending to be valiant in his efforts as the best man. How he had pulled off the position, he'd never know.

Kagome felt the intensity of the gathering collapse upon her and she couldn't take it anymore. Koga furrowed his brows when he saw his bride shake her head as the minister spoke.

She was hurting all of the people that came to this joyous event. She was hurting the man that she had spent the past two years with, herself, their families.

It was like a light switch flipped on and as the minister's voice rumbled low and steady. "Do you take this man to be your husband?" He grinned toothlessly, wrinkles pursing around his mouth and small eyes.

Kagome parted her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Fear struck her like lightning as she read Koga's upset expression. Her eyes shimmered with tears that wouldn't fall. Those same eyes searched the crowd for InuYasha, who was nowhere to be found.

A part of her was lost in that moment as she lowered her head.

InuYasha leaned against a tall light-pole an earshot away from the wedding. He had haphazardly undone his tie and left his breath with a cigarette he pulled from his slacks. A hand ran through his gossamer hair.

The summer air didn't feel the same on his skin. A soft smile hit his lips and his eyelids fell closed. The sound of the thunder in the distance soothed the ache in his bones as he reopened them to see rain pattering lightly.

A few drops kissed his nose as he flicked cigarette out into the damp street. He tossed his black coat over his shoulder and shoved his hands into his pockets. Maybe she wasn't supposed to have been with him. He told himself.

They had grown up side by side, closer than close. If she was happy, then he could set his feelings aside to still be in her life, after all. He'd never have the chance to hold her, make love to her, anything that he had silently dreamt about all of those years.

Any chance he had had been dissolved somwhere along their timeline. He gave one last look over his shoulder before he walked away in the rain soaked streets of Tokyo.

It wasn't long before he heard the clattering of feet, chasing past the parked cars, breath so erratic it wasn't being absorbed. He turned around to see Kagome running on burning legs. The once white dress was hitched around her thighs, dirtied from the muddy puddles she trampled.

The woman's hair was trailing behind in her mussed rivulets on the wind she created. Her skin was slick from the rain as it began to pour, drenching her so profusely her dress had gripped to her like a second skin.

Her heart was thunderous, rupturing the skin with her blood, staining her skin red. She was always his. She didn't give it a second thought as she thrust her body forward, legs latching around his slender waist.

"Ka-go-me?" The boy gasped. His arms hadn't the time to grasp her before she crashed her lips upon his. The contact took them to the pavement, drenched with the dampness of the afternoon.

"Letting go of you was the worst advice you've ever given me." Kagome whispered, rain clinging to her lashes as he cleaned up, winding his hands in her hair.

Instinctively, he pulled her into him, devouring her in a grateful kiss. Whatever happened to change her mind, he was selfishly proud that she had returned to him. The man she left at the alter was probably astounded, speechless.

The wedding guests, the party, the cruelty of her actions, lead to her own happiness. It had been an instant in which her heart had been too big for her body. The only person she had ever wanted was laying beneath her as the rain cooled their skin.

Whatever tomorrow brought, it would be well worth it. The needles that threading through their hearts, pulled the strings together, binding them to one another.