What Was Expected by emmaren

Miai

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA AND CO.

AN: This is the story that is clogging my mind making it hard to write on YBR right now. I am working YBR, and hope to get the next chapter out in the next week or so.

This chapter is un-betad. Please, if you are a grammar buff and have the time to review, could you point out my weak areas? I hope that you like this story. Thank you to taixi to pointing out specific errors, and for stating the need for definitions.

Chapter 1: Miai

Kagome had always done what was expected of her, well for her family in any case. She had gotten excellent grades, performed in extracurricular activities, worked in the shrine, avoided dating anyone, and list went on.

It was in her first year of college that a selfish wish seduced her. She had studied and worked to obtain it, and then she fought with her family for it to become reality. Higurashi Kagome was going to leave Japan. No, this was not a permanent departure, only a year, but it was monumental.

The girl who knew five languages, the girl who never ventured beyond the limits of Tokyo, was going to spend a year of her college life in the United States. She was thrilled and scared out of her mind as she boarded the plane. Tears had poured down her cheeks as she said her good-byes to her family. She was going to do this; she was going to stand on her own for the first time.

Kagome learned that before one could stand, one needed to crawl first especially when going into a completely foreign environment. All her friends had always commented on how outgoing of person she was, how friendly and open she could be. However, she quickly learned that most in this new land reviewed her as a reclusive prude.

Her focus was her studies. It had been her academic achievement that allowed her to be in this new place. Hard work and determination, her sheer will, had allowed her to do this amazing thing with no expense to her family beyond her absence. She was determined not to let anyone down.

The first three months of her stay Kagome learned very little of the American College life, if it existed beyond her classes, the library, her dorm, or the cafeteria she had not see it. Her roommate, Sango was the one to point out the flaw in her plan.

"You came here to experience a different way of life, right?" Sango was rummaging through her closet to find something to wear to the party.

"Hai." Kagome had been trying to finish a paper when her brown haired roommate came flying into the room causing the once quite sanctuary to erupt into the realm of utter chaos.

Stopping her search, Sango looked at her mousey roommate and questioned, "What are you doing now that is so different from what you did in Japan?"

Kagome blinked. That was a good question. "Speaking in English?"

Sango just sighed and returned to her closet. "Do what you want, but in twenty years you will look back and know you wasted this." Pulling out a black halter top and dark navy denims, Sango proceeded in getting dressed for the night's adventure. The brown-haired girl was practical; one should never wear a skirt to a party where alcohol was likely to be consumed, it was just tempting fate. "Seriously Kagome, when else in your life are your parents going to pay thousands of dollars for you to party?"

"I am here on a scholarship."

"That is not the point. Look," Sango pressed as she put on her make-up, "come with me for one hour. One hour is not going to kill you, and think of all the things you could learn."

With a defeated nod, Kagome set into motion some of the happiest and heart breaking events of her young life.

It was at that party that she met Liam, or rather was insulted by Liam. He was a brash male, drinking with his buddies and decided that making fun of her was good for a laugh or two. At his cutting words and his friends' snickers, she held her head high and turned to leave the abomination of the party behind.

Kagome had bid Sango good night, along with her boyfriend, Miroku. Stalking past the drunken classmates, Kagome exited the small house on the out skirts on the campus and headed towards her sanctuary. She had made it to the sidewalk before she was halted by the one that had run her out.

She shied from his touch, but accepted his apology. He walked her to the safety of her dorm, bidding her goodnight, and the next morning he was there to take her to breakfast. The next day he was there again, and the next, and the next, until she could not remember a day when he was not there waiting for her. Slowly, they progressed beyond simply friends to being an item. She loved him, and was sure that he loved her. She had met his family, tried to mingle with his friends, she did everything that a girlfriend did expect consummate their relationship.

Liam understood her, he supported her, and knew that she was not willing to move to that serious of a relationship without her family's approval, the approval that would never come. Therefore, Kagome spent nine months with him, falling farther in love with him, but knowing that there was a choice to be made. She could stay with the man she loved or she could return to her family and home.

The choice was taken from her. Instead of Liam being the one to bid her farewell, she cried her heart out at his grave. The sparkle of her sapphire orbs was no more. It was a shell that boarded the plane to go home, it was a shell that met her family at the airport, and it was a shell that resumed her life back in Japan.

The days turned into weeks, weeks became months until it had been more than a year since she had returned to the Shrine of the Rising Sun. Old friends came and went trying, hoping to bring the once sparkling girl to her former self, but none managed. Her family watched as she did everything that was expected of her, everything except let go of the pain.

Her mother was at a loss, she wanted her daughter back. Hiromi knew the pain that her daughter was experiencing, but also knew that there was nothing to pull Kagome back from her wallowing. It was one night, dead of night that her mother began to understand why this had pulled her daughter so far into herself.

"I loved him, mama. I loved him, but I denied him all for the sake of family honor. Was I right?" the tears trailing down her cheeks, "Was I right?"

Her mother just held her daughter close, in their kitchen. It was with a heavy heart that Hiromi approached her father-in-law; it was time that they forced Kagome to move beyond the redheaded foreigner that took her heart with him to the grave.

Kagome was young to solicit the service of an omiai, but her grandfather was old fashioned and believed that all should be married by 25. His granddaughter was rapidly approaching her twenty-second year and obviously showed no inclination to find a husband herself. So, when his daughter-in-law came to him for help, the eldest Higurashi set up an appointment with the matchmaker the next day.

Kagome had no want to go on this miai, but both her grandfather and mother cornered her, telling her that it was her duty to do as her elders bid her. Kagome wondered if this was their way of punishing her for her selfish desire to see the world beyond the city of her birth. It did not matter; she had complied with their wishes.

She stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing her appearance. The kimono was confining, she dreaded the decent down the shrine steps, but it was beautiful with lilac and silver fading in and out of each other in the background of perched and in flight sparrows. The sparrows were a deep rich blue, complementing her eyes, while the lighter background colors accentuated how much of a pale ivory her skin actually was. It was three layers, an extravagance that few still went to the effort for, but her mother had learned that the potential husband was from a wealthy family.

The Higurashis were not rich, nor were they poor. Extravagance was not beyond their reach, but every time it was obtained, something had to be forgone. Such was the life of the shrine maiden; such was the life that had taught her the value of hard work and caring for the needs of others. Such was the reason why her mother looked on her with pleading eyes as she prepared for the dinner in an exclusive restaurant that none of her family could ever hope to dine in again after tonight.

Kagome would do what was expected.

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Sesshoumaru sat stoically on the cushion. He drowned out his family around him with thoughts of the past. This was not what he wanted to be doing, but it fell on his shoulders as the only single male in the family.

He had been mated three times, never lasting more than a quarter of a century and done for political reasons. He would still be attached now if his mates had been more intelligent and less power-hungry, but he did not bemoan their loss, it was the loss of his pups that caused him to refuse any more offers. His first mate was a weak bitch that should have never thought herself capable of being with one such as he. Her flawed logic, and her father's, was proven when she did not survive the birth of their pup, their stillborn pup. It was his father that ended Sesshoumaru's bloodlust, by engaging him in battle for more than a fortnight straight.

His second mate, Kai, was the mother on his only surviving pup. Sesshoumaru's son, Iwao, was full grown now with a mate of his own. Iwao was not present at this meeting because it would be too difficult to explain how a "man" of only thirty years had a grown son.

Sesshoumaru itched within his own skin, they were youkai, and yet they were the ones forced to hide. It had been a matter of numbers. The youkai did not breed as fast as the humans and while the human lifespan was much shorter, by the time youkai realized that they should join to fight against the humans, too many ningens existed with weapons that more than made up for their lack of strength. It had been the fight against the humans that had cost Sesshoumaru his last two mates and the rest of his pups.

Sesshoumaru was brought out his depressing thoughts by his father; he met the old inu's gaze. Sesshoumaru had always played the role of dutiful son, from the time when he aided his father in securing Izayoi to now. Sesshoumaru was searching for a human mate, all for the sake of his family.

The youkai had learned the benefits of mating with miko when Inuyasha had secured Kikyou. Actually, his hanyou brother had fallen in love with the shrine maiden and the two had been mated for over three hundred years. In that time, it was discovered that reiki could be harnessed to help aid the youkai in blending with humans more effectively. While youkai could make themselves look human to most of the population, those with holy power could see through the illusions.

Kikyou was a powerful miko and was able to aid any in their illusions that were related by blood to Inuyasha. However, since Inuyasha was only hanyou he could not truly aid her in this process causing her to become over taxed and weak. In the day and age where privacy was almost impossible to ensure, the great and terrible Inu no Taisho decided that another miko must be acquired for the western dog clan.

Toga came to his eldest son with his solution to their increasing problem. As he explained the necessity of it all, if had finally ended with a "Whose knows, you might even enjoy this female." This was the seventh miai that they had been to, and so far, none had come close to the miko of old. It was almost as if miko no longer existed, yet what was more frustrating was that you could not state that you wanted one with holy powers as a requirement to the omiai.

Toga hoped that Sesshoumaru would be kinder to this woman if she turned out to not be of use, the old dog did not want to have to find yet another matchmaker.

The air shifted in the private dining room as the prospective bride to be entered behind the host and her family. She was a beautiful woman, or would be if she smiled, and judging by the clothing the family wore they were traditionalist. Sesshoumaru noted that her kimono was made of fine silk instead of newer cheaper materials that would explain why she only wore three layers verses more. Her steps were small and graceful, her skin was pale, and her hair black to the point where it almost shimmered with blue and her face was appealing. This small woman would not be hard to look at for the next several centuries if she proved useful.

Kagome could only hear her heart pounding within her ears as she approached her "date." For some reason the omiai had not allowed her to look at the man's picture, so she had no idea what he looked like and as she approached the low table. She was struck by his features when she saw him. Why would a respectable businessman have facial tattoos? He was handsome to be sure; in fact, she had a hard time recalling any that she thought was more physically attractive. However, his features were just bizarre.

What person had amber eyes? Also, why did the pupil not look round but slitted in a cat like fashion? His features were sharp and framed perfectly by his ... his stripes on his cheeks while silken tresses of silver cascaded from his head. His posture seemed a bit stiff. It could be that she had yet to make any move to bow or sit.

Kagome offered a small apologetic smile as she bowed to the man before her, "Sato-san."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head and gestured to the cushion across from him, "Higurashi."

Kagome quickly knelt on the appointed pillow, making sure to keep the proper position with her heels supporting her rear. She took the teapot and poured the hot liquid into his empty cup and then her own. She watched as an oddly manicured hand reached forth to claim the cup. Were those claws? Kagome shook her head slightly, not believing what her eyes were telling her.

"Higurashi, tell me about yourself." It was a rich baritone that reached her ears.

She looked up into his hypnotizing, yet cold eyes. "I prefer to be called by my given name, Kagome. Whenever someone calls me Higurashi, I automatically assume it is a teacher trying to prove I have not prepared correctly for class."

"Very well, if we are going to be familiar with each other, then you may call me Sesshoumaru."

"That is an intriguing name. May I ask you a personal question, Sesshoumaru?"

"The purpose of this meeting is to get to know the other person better is not?" She was not at all, what he expected. She was young to be using the service of an omiai.

"Is the reason you do not want an exchange of pictures before the meeting because of your facial tattoos?" Sesshoumaru heard both his mother and father stiffen at the other table. Kagome noticed the tightening of his jaw and immediately went about rectifying her blunder. "I am sorry, that was too forward of me. I did not mean offense."

Toga had heard the innocent question, and he wondered how strong this woman's power was. Kikyou was extending her powers throughout this meeting to shield all in the room from being detected, but this Kagome had seen through the illusion.

"No offense was taken; it would surprise you to learn that many do not even notice them." At her disbelieving stare he continued, "They are also not the reason why I decline the exchange of photographs. Now, I would like to know more about you beyond your preference of the name that you are called."

Bowing her head again in apology for ignoring his previous question she began, "I do not know what would be of importance to you, but I grew up on the Sunrise Shrine and have helped in all festivals and rituals every year expect one since I was eight. I will graduate from Tokyo University in the spring."

"Hn, why did you miss the one year?"

"I was afforded the opportunity to study abroad for one year."

"Where did you go?"

"The University of California San Diego."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"It was..." wonderful, amazing, painful, heartbreaking, "enlightening. I am curious as to why you would seek the services of an omiai."

"I am approaching..." my seven hundredth year, "my thirtieth year."

"Oh."

"And you, Kagome, why would a woman exposed to the West seek an omiai?"

"It was my grandfather and mother who approached the omiai. This is the first meeting that I have gone to, though I am still not understanding why we were paired together. I would assume that social difference in our families would not be favorable."

Kagome was confused, actually that did even begin to cover the flustered thoughts running through her brain. One word kept popping up in her mind's eye, youkai. Surely, she had just taken too many mythology classes; her grandfather's stories probably didn't help either. All she wanted to do was go home and crawl into her bed.

Sesshoumaru was impressed that the slip of a woman in front of him was not screaming hysterically considering that she could see through the illusion. She must not believe what she was seeing. If she was seeing through Kikyou's ability to shield then it was quite possible that she saw must youkai and learned to keep her mouth shut.

"There are several qualities I require in a wife that the women in my social circle seem to be lacking. For the honor of our name, my family wishes to only welcome a woman who can up hold the values of old." He wanted to see what she would do if he pressed the issue of his inhumanity, so with that goal in mind he pressed on her with his youki.

It was becoming hard to breath and cold, so very cold. Kagome looked up at her partner across the low table to see if he felt it as well. What she saw was an undeterminable gleam in his eyes, those emotionless orbs. He was the source. He had to be the source, but the question was the source of what?

The Satos all stilled as they noticed Sesshoumaru release more of his aura than he ever had in more than a hundred and fifty years. What was he thinking? Why were none of the girl's family members reacting to the increase of youki? Toga caught the eye of his first mate and then looked towards the girl herself. This Kagome was palely glowing in a shimmering pink pearlescence. They had finally found a miko, and by the looks of things, a miko who still held a large amount of reiki.

Kagome wanted to breathe, but she couldn't seem to be able to get her body to cooperate with this essential activity. Then the cold was being overtaken by a warmth that began somewhere deep inside of her. She had felt this once before and only around Liam and his family, she just hoped that she had enough inner warmth to get through this dinner.

Throughout the diner Sesshoumaru continued to press the miko in front of him with his aura, he was trying to gage how powerful she actually was. The interesting thing was that not once did she ever move to provoke him, just insulate herself from his youki. As the evening drew to a close, he reigned in his aura and stealthily left a fan on the table as he stood.

Kagome followed suit and bowed to the esteemed businessman in front of her. She watched as he left the private room along with his father, mother, aunt, brother, and sister-in-law. It was not until her mother came to her side that she noticed the fan. He thought that she would be a good wife?

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Definitions

Omiai (お見合い, literally "looking at each other") or miai (the "o" is honorific) is a Japanese custom whereby unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage (quoted from Wikipedia). The actual matchmaker is called nakōdo.

Miai: The first meeting between the potential couple, usually down on mutual ground with both participants' families present.

The fan is sign of the man's interest in the woman.

A man who does not marry by about 30 is considered untrustworthy by colleagues and employers, who believe that such men have not been conditioned to learn the fundamental principles of co-operation and responsibility (quoted from Wikipedia).

AN: Okay, I know it is kind of a slow start, but there was a lot of background that I wanted to cover to give an understanding to where these characters are starting out. Please if you have the time, review.

emmaren