Sand: I’m soo sorry this chapter came out so late. 

Jeff: This isn’t late. This was presumed dead.

Sand: You’ll be dead too if you don’t shove it. 

Jeff: Oh. Stop. You’re making me tremble. Look at me be all trembling.

Btw: This chapter takes place five months after the last. (In the story it does. I know that it does in real life too, but bear with me here.)

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Fidelity

Chapter Four

Beg Pardon?

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Tina Fey: More and more co-workers are falling in love with each other. Do you believe that Jimmy?

Jimmy Fallon: (very passionate) with ever fiber in my being.

-Weekend Update, SNL

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She was wondering idly if a man was supposed to sweat that much, and if Miroku would need a glass of water, since by all means he should have dehydrated himself a long time ago.

“Do you take this woman…” the priest started, looking levelly at Miroku.

I wonder if they’ll like my wedding present, Kagome thought.

“…to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish…”

Lord knows that I would love to own a waffle iron.

“…to have and to hold, in sickness and in health…”

A Martha Stewart one to boot.

“…in good times and in bad, for richer or poorer…”

Hmm. There seems to be a puddle forming around Miroku’s feet.

“…keeping yourself solely unto her…”

Where is that handkerchief of mine?

“…for as long as you both shall live?”

Miroku started to wheeze.

Answer yes you dummy.

“Yes. For all I’m worth, yes,” Miroku finally sputtered out, his words jumbled together to sound like, Yes Mrs. Butterworth, yes!

As the priest continued on, Kagome looked over at the best man whom had stiffly walked her down the aisle, looking uncomfortable in a scintillating black tuxedo. As if he could feel her eyes on him, Sesshoumaru looked across at Kagome, giving her a disapproving glare, which she returned with a scowl.

“I do,” came Sango’s voice, drawing Kagome’s mind back to the wedding at hand.

The priest smiled, making the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes crinkle up. “If there be anyone present who may show just and lawful cause as to why this couple may not be legally wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”

Quiet. Quiet enough to hear the slight squeak of someone’s polished shoe sliding on the old church floor.

“Since there are no objections, you may both now exchange rings.” The priest motioned for the ring bearer to come forward, little Kohaku trotting over, careful not to drop his important load.

“Thank you,” Sango and Miroku intoned, each with a stupid smile on his/her face, the bride practically giggling.

After a quick struggle with rings—Miroku dropped his twice before managing to get it on Sango’s finger—the priest declared them man and wife, and Miroku elegantly dipped Sango backwards and kissed her, causing Kagome to jump quickly out of the way to make room.

Feeling a tugging at her skirt, Kagome looked down to see Kohaku staring at her with an exasperated face. “Will they be doing this all the time now?” the boy asked, sounding a bit disgusted at his sister’s public expression of love.

Stifling a snort of laughter, she patted the boy on the head, sadly informing him that it would be so.

“Figures,” Kohaku said, crossing his arms. “At least you don’t go around kissing and hugging, do you Auntie Kag?” the boy continued, addressing her as an aunt even though technically she wasn’t. “I mean, good thing there aren’t men trying to marry you.”

This being said from such a sweet face made the realization that Kagome was thirty and single made it all the more horrible. 

I’m going to die alone. All alone…with my cat. They won’t even find my body till many weeks later, when it has already been ravished by wild raccoons.

“Yeah Kohaku honey. Good thing. Me marrying would…suck,” she said, her voice falsely cheerful.

Giving his auntie a dazzling, freckly smile, Kohaku gave her dress one last tug before running off to play with Souta, Kagome’s younger brother.

Staring around dazedly, Kagome was then suddenly assaulted and hugged by the bride. Upon being released, she could see tears in Sango’s eyes as the older girl muttered words between fits of happiness.

“I’ll see you real soon!” she said, leaving Kagome for the arms of her new husband.

“Wait! Sango, wait—”

People started to mill about, blocking the couple from view and leaving Kagome standing awkwardly in a pale yellow dress—the color of the dress for the maid of honor.

“—I have to talk to you…” she finished lamely, suddenly feeling uprooted and out of place. She sighed, gave up, and walked outside.

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Kagome sat quietly reflecting to herself on the church steps, looking up at the azure sky, a steady breeze blowing softly against her side. On this particular day, she felt happy, yet sad. She felt wanted, yet not loved. On this very day, she was feeling quite a lot of things, and though she would have greatly appreciated some privacy and alone time in order to mull out her thoughts, there was just one problem, and that problem happened to be standing in front of her going Hmm and tut-tut ting while tapping a wristwatch.

Her problem wore Armani.

“Sesshoumaru, dear, you’re blocking my sunlight. You’re probably soaking up all the sunshine with that black suit of yours. You’re going to take over the world, aren’t you? You’re going to suck in all the daylight and form a giant bomb of light and the earth and its cute creatures will die and then people will eat each other—”

“You don’t know when to stop, do you? The only thing I’m sucking up is toxic city air and UV light, which you should be grateful for, since I’m saving that beautiful skin of yours from the prospect of skin cancer.”

Sesshoumaru moved to sit next to her, and from far away, one would think them cute together.

“Now, do tell me, why on earth are you angry on your friend’s wedding day? Don’t say that you’re regretting not claiming Miroku for yourself,” Sesshoumaru remarked, placing a hand underneath his chin and looking over at his secretary, who sullenly looked back. She’s got the poutiest lips, he thought to himself, not particularly caring that it was inappropriate to think such a thing about your employee. And she’s got the biggest—

“Sesshoumaru, are you listening to me?”

—eyes. She’s got the biggest…eyes. “Of course I’m listening.”

Kagome narrowed her eyes, for she suspected the opposite to be true, but pressed on anyways. “Sesshoumaru,” she sing-songed, grabbing his arm with both her hands, causing him to futilely try to beat her off. “I’m feeling lonely…”

“My god, what for woman? Get—get—get off!”

“No. I’m feeling—No!—sad because I’m thirty and I’m still single. C’mon, be a pal and take me somewhere fun to get rid of my woes.” She gave him lost puppy eyes. “Pweseee…”

“Are you insane? The reception is in two hours!” Sesshoumaru, uncaring, continued to bat away her hands.

“What kind of horrible friend are you? I’m in need and you won’t even make me feel better!”

“I’m not your friend, I’m your employer! Get off already!”

“I won’t get off until you say you’ll take me somewhere.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!! RAPE! RAPE! RAPE!”

Many people looked over with raised eyebrows at the woman sitting in front of the church screaming of sexual abuse.

Sesshoumaru mentally counted to ten. “Alright! FINE! I’ll take you somewhere! Just quit making such an awful racket.”

Kagome quieted and smiled demurely. “Where shall we go?”

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Kagome couldn’t believe she was doing this.

Was she really about to sing a duet with Kariudo in a Korean karaoke bar on the day of her best friend’s wedding?

“Alright – choose between the songs Come Fly with Me or I Got You Babe,” Sesshoumaru called from the couch, the large book of karaoke song selections placed in his lap. “Either way we’ll regret it afterwards.”

Apparently she was.

“Er, let’s go with Come Fly with Me,” she replied, plopping down next to him with the two microphones the man at the front desk had given them – Super Singers 2000! Sing with electrically stimulated ease! “That way I won’t have to imagine you as Sonny and me as Cher.”

“Yes…Let’s be an old dead man instead. Now, how do I work this thing?”

“You have to press that button.”

“Which button? There’re millions of them.”

“Quit exaggerating…there’s only…erm, one, two, three…”

“They’re charging us by the hour.”

“Ok then Mr. Grouchy. Press that button right there, I think…the one with the happy face.”

Sesshoumaru pressed down on a large yellow button on the corner of the remote, the T.v. instantly blaring on with what looked like the Asian version of the Backstreet Boys.

“What on earth is this?” Kagome asked, eyes wide and looking at the screen with morbid fascination as the boys in the video donned baseball caps and their clothes morphed into multicolored leather pants. “Well…You don’t see this everyday.” And for that, the world is lucky, she thought to herself.

Sesshoumaru looked distastefully at the screen and pressed a random button, Celine Dion suddenly appearing in a negligee and Power of Love replacing the Asian boys. “My goodness. Karaoke is even worst than I thought it would be.”

Kagome ignored him and took a deep breath, preparing to sing her heart out in true Celine style.

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“Toast! Toast! Kagome is giving a toast!” Souta screamed, his little boy lungs straining. “EVERYBODY! LOOK AT MY BIG SISTER KAGOME ‘CAUSE SHE’S ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT!”

“Souta, shut up. I’m not going to—”

“Kagome! You’re giving me a speech?” cried Sango, tears in her eyes. “Oh, oh—EVERYONE QUIET!”

Kagome, who was in the process of killing her nearest and dearest brother, stopped mid-strangle and smiled an embarrassed smile towards all of the staring eyes in the tent. “Oh, yes! Of course Sango!” She patted Souta on the shoulder as he straightened himself. “Go off you little sweetie you,” she said between gritted teeth.

Souta ran off with a girlish squeal as his sister slowly walked up to the makeshift stage, totally freaking out about not having a speech prepared. 

Fuck. FUCK. What am I going to say?

“Ahem.” The microphone made the high-pitched sound all microphones seemed to make, and Kagome smiled shyly again, looking around and setting her eyes on Sango, suddenly getting inspiration. She started:

“Sango and I…Wow. We’ve been together since seemingly forever. She and I exchanged friendship bracelets when we were five—I still have mine (the audience chuckled)—and we swore to always be friends, and to never be married, except to possibly each other. (more chuckling) However, when we grew up, and boys became an important a part of our lives, Sango would always come to me and tell me she was in love with this guy or that, and I would nod, because at that age we believe ourselves to know what love truly was…”

Kagome went on to tell of their college days together, when Sango would come home in tears after a bad breakup, and shout “WHO WILL TAME MY WILD HORSES?” (The audience laughed at this, and Sango blushed and glared at Kagome halfheartedly.)

“But then Miroku came along, and he made Sango whole.”

Sango smiled and reached out for Miroku’s hand, grinning from ear to ear.

“Miroku is the man that Sango didn’t even know existed. He’s the man who really loves her.”

The room seemed to slow, and everyone simultaneously raised their glasses.

“…And I wish them the best in all they do,” Kagome finished, really truly meaning every word. A waiter handed her a champagne glass, and she raised it. “Here’s to the happy couple.”

“To the happy couple,” the guests intoned, taking sips from their drinks.

Kagome gave a longing look at Sango in all her joy, and then diverted her eyes towards where she knew Sesshoumaru to be seated, almost gasping as she caught him staring at her with such an unwavering intensity that it made her blush. She lamely stared back, suddenly too tired to do much anything else.

Sesshoumaru seemed to understand, and diverted his gaze, but not before tipping his glass towards her and taking a slow drink.

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“Do you really feel that lonely tonight?” Sesshoumaru asked, sitting next to Kagome on the lawn of the country club’s golf course, the music of the wedding drifting down to them from the pitched up tents.

Kagome sighed from her prone position on the grass, not bothering to look at him. “More than you can believe,” she whispered, barely audible. “More than you can believe…”

The sounds of This Magic Moment started to play, and Sesshoumaru hummed along.

“Don’t you feel lonely sometimes?” Kagome asked, staring at the sky, trying to make out light in the pitch black sky.

“Sweeter than wine…”

“Sesshoumaru?”

“Softer than the summer night…”

“Sesshoumaru, quit singing and talk to me.”

“You’re just jealous because I sing better than you do,” Sesshoumaru replied breezily, stretching down to lay next to her.

“That karaoke machine was crap,” Kagome snapped back, miffed.

“Hmm…This Magic moment, when your lips are close to mine…”

Kagome gave up at conversation and just closed her eyes, listening to Sesshoumaru sing, and reluctantly admitting to herself that he sounded rather nice.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, right there at hole number six at the Las Palmas Grande golf course, she felt Sesshoumaru slip her hand into his, and she didn’t question it. Instead, she just scooted over and wrapped her arm around him in a loose hug, giving him a kiss on the cheek before settling her head on his chest, feeling the pleasant vibration of his body as he continued to sing…Sing about kisses sweeter than wine.

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“I told you I could do it,” Kohaku said smugly, looking over at Souta. “I told you I could get them together.”

Souta stood on a hill overlooking the golf course and watched as the sprinkler system came on and started to douse his big sis and her boyfriend. 

“You owe me six X-men comics,” Kohaku continued, poking his friend.

Sesshoumaru had gallantly picked Kagome up and set her down in a golf cart, driving the cart at the speed of ten miles per hour towards the direction of the parking lot.

“How did you do it?” Souta asked, scratching his head at Kagome’s antics. “I mean, I’ve tried to get them to get together forever.”

Kohaku grinned and cracked his knuckles, looking slyly at his friend. “I implied that aunt Kagome was old. She went nuts like those women on T.v. and started to practically freak out in front of me. The rest of it was all up to her and uncle Sesshoumaru.”

Souta pouted and kicked at the grass. “Why didn’t I think to call Kagome old?”

“Because you’re too young to contemplate such things,” Kohaku replied, in all his nine year old wisdom.

“Yeah, well, I’m gonna only give you three comics—you’ll get the rest when they marry each other.”

“Yeah whatever. I’m gonna go eat cake. You coming?”

Souta took one last long look at the golf course, and then replied with an “OK.”

Somewhere, out there in the vast world, Kagome was with the guy she didn’t even know existed.

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Author Note: I finished. Muahahaha. So…did you all like? Please review me! I haven’t had any for a long time—all my own fault, of course—so I’ll really really really like some.

Okies…BYE!

Happy summer everyone! (Remember to put on sun block!)

PS: I didn’t really revise it, so sorry if it kinda…sucked. ;