Till Death Do Us Part

 

“Do you, Sesshoumaru Taisho, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

The tall white-haired demon turned toward his bride briefly then turned back to look at the minister. With an impassive face, he gave his answer, “I do...”

Now it was the bride's turn. The minister looked straight at her and recited those words that the young brunette had been dreading.

“Do you, Sango Higurashi, take this youkai to be your lawfully wedded husband?” She looked at Sesshoumaru, his impassive face was no help at all. She knew he didn't want to marry her and was just obeying his father so he didn't care if she said 'I do'. However, she had to consent to this farce of a marriage, the shrine that her adoptive family owned was in jeopardy and the eldest Higurashi had been promised to the eldest Taisho son. Even if she wasn't a Higurashi by blood... she was one by adoption. She was one year older than her sister Kagome and that gave her the 'privilege' of being married to this man... youkai... she didn't even know. Sometimes Kagome got all the luck.

Sango returned her attention to the minister who was patiently awaiting her answer. Behind her, she could just feel the tense stares of the neatly dressed guests, especially that of her grandfather, begging her not to back down or it would mean the end of the shrine as they knew it. That meant they would have to move... and she couldn't do that to her family... not when that shrine meant so much to them.

She gulped and nodded her head. Her lips parted and out came the words that would bind her in holy matrimony to her new husband, “I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife!” he smiled warmly. “You may now kiss the bride!”

Sango turned to her new husband and stood still awaiting for him to remove her veil. Once it was removed, she could have sworn she saw his eyes widen for a brief moment before they regained their usual calm state. It was then that she remembered... this was the first time they had seen each other. Was she pleasing to his sight even though she was human and she had heard that he hated humans? Most importantly, why did she care?

Sesshoumaru gently cupped her cheek and brought his face down to meet hers. He brushed his lips over hers in a quick chaste closed-lipped kiss. She was thankful for that because she just wasn't ready to be even that intimate with her new husband.

---

 

“Come on Sango... you gotta throw the bouquet!” hollered the best man Inuyasha. She barely knew him either. She had only seen him a few times at school, but they never took the time to talk. Still, she seemed to like him. He was her groom's half-brother and they looked alike. Both were handsome with mid-back length white hair and both wore their hair in a low ponytail. However, since Inuyasha was a half-demon... a hanyou... he had two puppy ears on the top of his head. After a while of getting to know him, something that she had yet to do with her groom, she noticed that he was a boisterous and outgoing fellow. She could tell that even if this would be a loveless marriage, she would have a friend in her groom's half-brother.

Sango gripped the bouquet tightly in her hands as she turned around. Not once saying a word, she threw the brightly colored bouquet over her head silently awaiting the commotion that would unfold behind her. She turned around and had to smirk at the scene of her best friend and adoptive sister, Kagome Higurashi, snatching the bound flowers away from a middle aged lady. Kagome huffed in triumph as she held the bouquet up in the air.

Suddenly, there was a slight pressure on her bare upper arm. She turned around to look into Sesshoumaru's dark amber eyes.

“Come, we must go...” he spat.

Her eyes narrowed in anger once again, but she complied. After all, she was now his wife and unless she wanted to make a scene in the church, she would have to obey him... for the time being of course. “Yes... my wonderful... husband...” she said through clenched teeth.

Shesshoumaru said nothing but grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly letting her know that he was opposed to this union just as much as she was.

 

They were now both in the limo sitting as far away from each other as possible. Not a word was said from either of them nor the driver Jaken until Sango cleared her throat. “You do know that once your father pays our defaulted bills... I'm out of this marriage.”

Sesshoumaru continued to look out the window as if he were truly enthralled with the scenery. “You will risk you or your family not being cared for financially for the rest of the marriage just to get away?” Sesshoumaru opened the window. He wouldn't tell her... he had too much pride, but her scent was getting to him and he needed the fresh air. “I do not see why you are so opposed. It is not as if there have been men lining up at your door.”

Sango's eyes flashed with anger. "First of all, I've had lots of men "lining up at my door"... second of all, I'm beginning to see that you're a jackass. And third... when the time came to really get married, I would have wanted it to be for love!"

Sesshoumaru smirked, “Humans and their trivial emotions...” he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was a beautiful girl despite being human. Her porcelain skin was flushed with anger, a frown marred her beautiful face. Her chest heaved in barely controlled anger, giving him a nice view of her ample cleavage in the tight off white dress she wore. He would enjoy consummating their marriage... human or not... but he would not mark her, he had no intentions of taking her or anybody as his mate.