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Kagome continued to pace inside the bridal suite, managing to keep her thumbnail out of her mouth so she didn't ruin her polish. There would be photos of her hands later to show off the rings; she didn't want to look back on them and see teeth marks.
Pausing in the middle of the room, she forced herself to take a deep breath. She'd done this before. The rehearsal had been flawless; everyone had shown up and played their part.
Everyone except Inuyasha.
Her heart clenched, and she blinked away tears. If she ruined her makeup, Kagura would kill her. Kagome still wasn't sure how the wind youkai had survived Naraku's reign, let alone become a makeup artist, but they'd somehow become friends, and now she was part of her wedding party.
That might've been due more to Kagura's connection to who was about to be Kagome's mother-in-law, but her connection with Kagome was different. She could be herself in a way she couldn't with her other friends. She still hung out with Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, but there was a wall there that she'd never be able to tear down.
Kagura also had a level of snark that kept Kagome on her toes. When she'd returned to her own time, her confidence had been on its way up, but being separated from her friends had tanked it instantly, and the wind demon had a natural skill with pushing Kagome to be better while still having a good time.
She also grounded her—ironic, considering she was a wind demon—reminding her that all the fighting happened while keeping her focused on the future. When they'd first crossed paths, Kagome had assumed Kagura would brush her off or treat her like a child, considering she was over 500 years old, but since Kagura had been one of Naraku's creations, she'd never experienced a childhood.
Childhood was a relative term because Kagome could say the same about herself. Kagura's thrill-seeking was so far outside Kagome's comfort zone that it took her some time before she could catch up. Her final years in high school had seen a side of herself that took few risks. She attended class, studied diligently, and kept to herself.
The first time she'd met up with Kagura, they'd gone to an archery range. It had taken a solid fifteen minutes before Kagura convinced her to pick up a bow, but the peace that had settled over her when she'd touched the bowstrings still resonated to this day.
As Kagura had put it, she'd needed a kick in the ass to get her life back on track. She'd been right, and Kagura would be—and still was—the first to rub it in her face, but that was beside the point.
The door to the suite opened, and Kagome whirled around, mind spinning as she was brought back to the present. Kagura didn't say anything, looking her over before shutting the door behind her.
Kagome blinked in surprise. "Aren't we doing the first look photos?" she asked.
Kagura backed her up onto a bench so it didn't ruffle the bottom of her dress. "You need a breather first." Ruby lips curved up into a smirk. "Or a drink."
Kagome gave her a guilty smile. "Am I that obvious?"
"Only to me." She opened a palette of powder, dusting more colour over her cheeks and forehead. "So what's up? I half expected you to be beating down the door to get to the aisle."
Kagome's shoulders sunk, her gaze drifting to the floor. "He didn't make it."
Kagura sighed. "You knew it was a possibility."
"I know. And I understand how important this trip was for him." She swallowed again. "It's just hard to think I'm still going through with this without him here."
A chuckle escaped her lips. "I'm going to tell Sesshoumaru you said that." Kagome smacked her, some of the light returning to her eyes. "Don't worry, he's too busy warding off Kimi and the dark lipstick she's wearing."
Kagome let out a bark of laughter. "You said it would be smudge-proof!"
"I said I would give her smudge-proof," Kagura replied. "I never guaranteed she'd wear it." She leaned closer, curling some of Kagome's hair away from her face. "Between you and me, she is wearing it but has conveniently forgotten to tell Sesshoumaru that." They both dissolved into laughter, the weight on Kagome's shoulders slowly receding.
Casting a final glance toward the mirror, she let Kagura lead her down the hallway and to the appointed corner where the first set of photos would take place. Sesshoumaru had no qualms about any of the modern-day traditions when it came to their human ceremony. He'd been thoroughly involved in the planning, but it mostly involved Kagome voicing an opinion and him agreeing to it.
Hence, the first-look photos.
It wasn't even a Japanese tradition, but Kagome could count the number of times she'd been able to surprise the daiyoukai on one hand, so she'd kept her dress under strict lock and key, giving away no hints to the style or colour so she could surprise him.
Kagura lined her up against the corner of the house, keeping her face level to prevent her from peaking at her groom. Kagome breathed deeply. Even without Inuyasha here, it was going to be an amazing day.
It had been a long time coming, and Mama was ecstatic to host it at the shrine. Gramps was a little harder to convince, but that was due to the intense meditation he had to do beforehand to keep all of the demonic auras from colliding. Even now, Kagome could feel the low buzz of power from Goshinboku, the silent but steadfast guardian, as the erratic spurts were syphoned and sent back into the earth.
Kagura tapped her nose with one of her brushes. "Knock 'em dead."
Her smile was reassuring, but truth be told, her knees were close to buckling. She wasn't sure she'd remember this moment after it was done, but at least the photographer would capture it.
There was a soft tapping on the wall, and she moved her hand, searching for his. She breathed a sigh of relief when their fingers intertwined. They stood in silence for a moment, her heart jumping into her throat when he squeezed her hand three times.
Sesshoumaru never did that. Sesshoumaru rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb before kissing her knuckles. The only person who squeezed her hand like that was—
There was a flurry of silk and lace as she turned around, almost tripping over her train as she yanked him into the light. His white shirt was rolled up to the elbows, the lavender vest distracting her momentarily. She was so used to seeing him in red that the cool shade left her spiralling until she met his gaze.
Silver ears twitched, colour blooming over his cheekbones. "Damn. You look beautiful."
Kagome let out a warbled laugh. "You made it." She grabbed his arms, knees shaking. "You really made it."
Inuyasha gathered her close. "I wouldn't miss it."
"You almost did!" she wailed, punching him in the shoulder. "Kimi threatened to take away your spot at the altar!"
A sheepish grin lit up his features. "She also threatened to remove some important body parts if I didn't get here in time." Tears overflowed as she hugged him, nails digging into broad shoulders as she kicked him in the shin for good measure. "Oi, you're supposed to be happy to see me, not causin' me physical damage!"
"You deserve it for making me worry so much," she shot back.
"Will you forgive me if I keep tellin' ya how pretty you look?"
"Maybe," she mumbled.
He chuckled, stepping back to keep her at arm's length. Her makeup was probably a wreck, but he gave her that boyish grin, twirling her around. "You clean up nice, K'gome."
She should really kick him again, but she was too happy to see him. "Does Sesshoumaru know you're here?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Who do you think forced me into this monkey suit?" A kick wasn't going to be enough. She had so many questions to ask him, so many things she wanted to catch up on, but the tap of Kagura's brush on her shoulder reminded her of the task at hand, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Save me a dance later?"
Kagome pulled him back for one more hug. "I'm going to make it a really cheesy song."
"You would too, wench."
One more squeeze. "I really missed you."
"I missed you, too."
Her eyes fluttered closed, taking in the calming moment with her best friend before Kagura's tugging became more insistent. "Hug him later. We need to redo your makeup before the dog you're actually marrying sees you and decides letting his brother go first was a bad idea."
Kagome's laughter was still warbled but lightened with each breath, and she gave Inuyasha a final wave. "Did he really suggest Yash go first?"
Kagura smirked. "It was his one brilliant moment," she replied. "He knew the waterworks would erupt, so he wanted to give you time to recover before the ceremony started."
Kagome smiled through her tears. "I love him so much."
"I know," Kagura said. "Now stop talking so I can fix this mess."
In the end, Sesshoumaru was the one to get emotional, Mama walked her down the aisle, and Inuyasha kept track of how many dances each of them got, making sure to grab her each time she finished with Sesshoumaru in a subtle sibling rivalry. She didn't remember what the cake tasted like or even what the speeches entailed; all she knew was that she was happy.
It was the best day of her life.