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“He’s never going to do it,” Kagome muttered glumly, staring down at the murky green depths of her tea. “I’ve tried dropping hints but that hasn’t helped at all.”
“Of course it has not,” lady Sae scoffed. “Males are hopeless with hints – my son included.”
“I just feel like I’m at the end of my rope with him,” she sighed.
Lady Sae’s painted lips quirked and she shrugged her slender shoulders. “Even a rabbit will attack when cornered. Perhaps you should to take matters into your own hands.”
“Can I do that?” Kagome gaped at lady Sae. “Wouldn’t it be… unconventional, for the female to propose?”
“Strict traditionalists would disapprove, but a precedent does exist. Besides, you two are hardly the conventional match to begin with; a bond between a miko and a daiyoukai is nothing short of preposterous.”
“Well, that’s true,” Kagome agreed with a small smile. “Do you think he’d mind?”
“Hnn. He certainly has his pride, but if you follow tradition as closely as you can, it should serve to mollify his sense of propriety – as well as his ego.”
Kagome bit her lip in hesitation. “I don’t know much about the youkai tradition.”
“Worry not, my dear,” lady Sae purred, her golden eyes flashing. “I shall teach you everything you need to know.”
Despite lady Sae’s support, Kagome didn’t feel fully confident in their plan. She was fairly inexperienced in the matters of the heart; there’d only been one other before Sesshoumaru… And though she and Inuyasha had parted as friends, their relationship had been a disaster.
If she were back home in the 21st century, perhaps it would be a different story, but since she had returned to the Sengoku jidai for good she was all the more aware of all the implicit expectations of the society. Inuyasha had frequently complained that she was too independent, had expected her to rely on him. It had been one of the reasons that had driven them apart.
Knowing that Sesshoumaru was respectful towards tradition did little to calm Kagome’s nerves. He probably assumed he’d be the one popping the question, and she just wasn’t sure how he would react to the role reversal. A heavy lump of anxiety persisted in the pit of her stomach despite lady Sae’s constant reassurances.
But it was too late to get cold feet now. After all of lady Sae’s help and support, Kagome simply couldn’t back down and call it quits. Besides, they’d been seeing each other for almost a year, and Sesshoumaru had not approached the topic of mating once. She wanted to be with him and she wasn’t getting any younger. Life was short – hers was, at the least – and she was tired of waiting for him to come around.
Sitting on the lip of the Bone Eater’s Well, Kagome looked up at the night sky. The courting would last one moon, lady Sae had told her. She’d present him a different gift each night until the moon would complete its cycle. On the final night came the final gift: a bolt of silk for the wedding kimono. Accepting this last present equalled acceptance of the suitor’s claim.
According to lady Sae it’d be the most auspicious if Kagome started courting Sesshoumaru on the night of the waning crescent. Judging by the pale, waning moon, that was only a few nights’ away.
She sighed. She only wished Sesshoumaru would not think her too presumptuous or straightforward.
“You seem worried.”
Kagome yelped and jumped – and would have fallen backwards into the depths of the empty well had not a pair of strong hands grabbed her and pulled her to safety.
“Forgive me, I did not intend to frighten you.”
“It’s all right,” Kagome stammered, flushing from her sudden and unexpected proximity to Sesshoumaru. She sat back down on the rim of the well and, to her surprise, he took a seat beside her.
“It’s late,” she said to fill the silence, “I didn’t expect you.”
“An urgent matter prevented me from coming earlier. Regardless, I wished to visit you today.”
“That’s sweet.” Kagome smiled. “But I could’ve waited until tomorrow.”
“I could not.” Sesshoumaru’s piercing eyes pinned her down. “On this day, eighteen months ago, you parted your ways with Inuyasha.”
“Oh.” Kagome blinked in surprise. She hadn’t really been keeping count.
“I had judged that to be a sufficient period of time,” Sesshoumaru continued.
“Sufficient for what?” Kagome asked, confused as to where he was going with all this.
“For observing propriety before I could declare my intentions towards you.”
Kagome’s jaw slackened, but before she could formulate a coherent response, Sesshoumaru’s warm hand engulfed her own, and she found herself a recipient of an intense golden stare.
“Kagome, it is my wish to take you as my intended mate. Do you consent to my suit?”
“Wait. Are you proposing? Now?”
Sesshoumaru nodded.
“Shouldn’t there be this whole courting thing? Presenting a different symbolic gift every night for the length of one moon cycle?”
“Since you are not youkai, I did not think it necessary to adhere to our customs.” Sesshoumaru frowned. “In fact, I did not believe you were aware of them. But if you wish to be courted in the youkai fashion, of course I shall comply.”
“No. No, that’s not necessary.” Kagome snorted, the absurdity of the situation sinking in.
Everything had been ready, the traditional gifts for each night of the moon of courting prepared with lady Sae’s help. And only days before she was to start, Sesshoumaru had come and rendered weeks’ worth of careful planning obsolete.
Kagome burst into laughter.
“I am afraid I do not see what is so amusing,” Sesshoumaru spoke, sounding stiff and sullen.
“Because you just ruined everything,” Kagome giggled, squeezing his hand. “I feel sorry after all of lady Sae’s trouble…”
“What has Mother done now?”
Kagome shook her head. “I’ll explain later.”
Then, she looked at him, her blue eyes alight. “Yes.” She smiled. “I do consent.”