Bachelor's Blues, Bachelor's Bliss.

By Midoriko-sama

14th February 2005

During his improvised and private little bachelor's party, Inuyasha slips away do to something important.

Inuyasha winced, but the smile just remained plastered on his face. He truly was happy; happier than he'd been since he was 12.

Another high note - off key and totally whacking the rhythm of the song into the after world- tortured his ears as both his severely drunk brother Sesshoumaru and Mr Higurashi- who still had the wine bottle in hand- insisted on improvising an 'I did it my way' sing along.

Inuyasha had sung along to all previous songs none withstanding, and his father had just dragged him into the middle of the loft's den whenever his son had tried to shimmy away. Tai had even wheedled an improvised, personalised and rather scandalously brutalised version of tea for two out of Sesshoumaru, which alone made the night totally worth it for Inuyasha, even without counting the rest of the happy mayhem.

The last notes of the song strung out of the stereo, and he was suddenly very glad that he'd warned the neighbours away when both his brother and his father-in-law-to-be fell down on their knees in a would be dramatic pose. Inuyasha could see the camera flashes going off to his right, and knew that he would prise those photos of his usually serious, finance-oriented, no nonsense brother hollering into a wine cup turned microphone. Even as he watched and covered his ears, Inuyasha doubled over with laughter as the two drunken men toppled on top of each other, still milking the last notes of "my way" with a top-lunged, off tune obstinacy.

"Come on son, it's our turn now" laughed his father. Inuyasha turned around to look at Tai to see him put down the camera, laughing at the two men who had ended up tangled in one another's limbs.

"In a minute, Dad" Inuyasha answered. Upon his father's raised eyebrow, he continued, indicating the bedroom"I just need to go to the restroom, you know. My alcohol limit .."

"Yeah, yeah" smirked the older Inui"but be quick about it. You're not worming your way out of having fun tonight."

"Wouldn't dream of it" chuckled Inuyasha, walking hastily to his room. He looked back over his shoulder just before he quietly inched the door shut to see his father trying unsuccessfully to pull Mr Higurashi up, and then huffing out his usual comment about how he was too old for that sort of shit, even as he kept heaving.

Laughing to himself behind closed lips, Inuyasha secured the door and then rested his back against it. He blinked a couple of times until his eyes adjusted to the room's darkness, the only light being the one filtering from the cracks of the door to the next room. Inuyasha had no idea how he'd let himself be swindled into this whole bachelor's party idea, but honestly, he didn't mind his father and Kagome's bullying him into it as much as he'd thought he would. Kagome, being dragged away by the girls herself, had blown him one last kiss and told him to enjoy himself - which he was doing so much that it surprised him.

With a small contented smile and a sigh through his nose, he pushed off the door and walked across the room to sit on his bed, switching on the bedside lamp. Passing a finger over the three smiling faces of Kagome in each framed picture, he finally let his fingers curl around the small drawer of the bedside table and pulled it open. From there, he pulled out another frame, holding it in both hands and looking at the photo with both sadness and adoration. He closed his eyes, letting out a breath he'd been keeping since the drawer had opened, and when he opened his eyes again, he was smiling.

"Ciao mamma,(1)" he whispered, and then stalled. He knew that later tonight, Tai would give him one of her letters, and he wanted to do this before, tell her what he thought and felt, for once, before he receiving her comfort and love. He swallowed and continued.

"Scusami se ti ho svegliata" he said with a shy smile tugging the corner of his mouth"ma stanotte ... stanotte e' importante mamma. E domani .. non hai idea da quanto sto' aspettando quello che sta' per succedere domani. Oh forse no', probabilmente lo sai e' come.(2)"

He brought the frame to his forehead, taking an unsteady breath while trying to fight the lump in his throat.

"Lei e' bellissima mamma. Dovresti vederla ... l'ameresti anche tu', ne' sono cosi' sicure che'- ... qualche' volta credo che' Kagome sia un regalo tuo, sai? Quasi come se me' l'avessi mandata tu'; un angelo che manda un angelo ...(3)"

He pulled the frame away from his face and wiped meticulously at the condensation his breath had caused on the glass just below his mother's happy face, holding his three-year-old self, a smile on his face.

"La amo mamma, lo sai vero? Lo sapevi anche' quando lei era cenerentola e io ero il principe ... ci hai messi insieme apposta in quel pezzo, non e' vero ..?(4)"

The lump came back to block his words with a vengeance, and he brought the frame to his cheek again, squeezing his eyes shut and swallowing it down again.

"Vorrei tanto che tu' fossi' la' domani, mamma. Piangeresti di sicuro... come una fontana, ma' .. saresti felice. Perche io lo sono.(5)"

He put the frame down, swiping his cheeks with his palms and then lovingly dabbing the tears off the glass with a corner of his pillow case.

"Ti viglio bene mamma. Guardaci domani, miraccomando, e prova a non piangere troppo" he let out a little laugh"altrimenti piove, e' poi la mia Cenerentola mi uccide.(6)"

Just as he kissed the glass and fingered it lovingly, the door to his room opened, flooding him with light.

"Hey Inuyasha, you're alright" he father asked softly, spotting his sitting position. Inuyasha smiled at his father and then down at his mother.

"More alright than I've ever been" he said with happy honesty.

"Then get your ass in here. You have no idea what you've missed. I've finished the camera film, and I'll rue it all my life that I don't have a spare."

The first notes of 'Nine and a half week's "You can leave your hat on" filtered into the bedroom, causing Inuyasha's eyes to widen in unbridled amusement.

"They aren't ..."

"They ARE. Your brother is already pulling his shirt off himself."

Inuyasha let out a hearty laugh and put the frame on the bedside table, then quickly shot to his feet and rummaged in one of his drawers, coming up with a fresh digital camera.

"This" said Inuyasha"I'm going to bless my agent for buying me as a birthday present last year."

Tai grinned back at his son in an uncharacteristically boyish manner. Both their eyes glinted as they guffawed, exiting the room to find both Sesshoumaru and Mr Higurashi already half clothed while they performed a would-be choreography. Inuyasha spared one last look at the still lighted bedside table, with all it's photos and memories, before joining the mirth prepared just for him in the next room.

Translations:

(1) "Hi mum."

(2) "I'm sorry if I woke you up but tonight ... tonight is important, mum. And tomorrow .. you have no idea how long I've been waiting for what is going to happen tomorrow. Or maybe not; probably you know, and how."

(3) "She is beautiful mum. You should see her ... you'd love her too, I'm so sure that- ... sometimes I think that Kagome is a gift from you, you know? Almost as if you were the one who sent her; and angel that sending an angel ..."

(4) "I love her mum, you know that right? You knew that even when she was Cinderella and I was the prince ... you put us in that dance piece together on purpose, didn't you .."

(5) "I wish you could be there tomorrow so much, mum. You'd cry for sure ... like a fountain, but .. you'd be happy. Because I am."

(6) "I love you, mum. Look at us tomorrow eh, and try not to cry too much" he let out a little laugh"otherwise it will rain, and then my Cinderella will kill me."

This is a little one shot that Mr Inuyasha Himes decided to bully me into writing this afternoon after I read his first birthday party. It's a present to Mrs DelKaidin and Kriscynical, who own the Broadway universe, Mr Himes, and all the dancers and psychologists and finance-oriented people in it. I hope you enjoy it, Del + Kris!