Under The Cherry Blossom

( *_____* = thoughts )

( ***** = change of scene/p.o.v )

It was a beautiful summer day in Feudal Japan, so Kagome and her friends decided to spend the day at the river; to which even Inu-Yasha agreed, having surprised the hell out of everyone, especially Kagome. She knew how much the jewel meant to him.

Inu-Yasha sat in a nearby tree and watched his friends play with some kind of ball that Kagome brought from her time. It felt good to finally relax without having to worry about Naraku, who had been defeated earlier that year. Inu-Yasha smiled as he watched Kagome. He knew that he loved her, but hadn't worked up the courage to tell her. Inu-Yasha didn't like it when things didn't go the way he planned because he thought that is made him look weak, and being weak, or at least looking that way, wasn't something he particularily enjoyed.

*****

Deciding that she finally had enough of playing with the ball, Kagome got out of the water, grabbed her towel and began to dry off. Once she was done, Kagome grabbed a rather large leather bound book and a pen from her bag, and went to sit under a cherry blossom tree which wan't too far from the river, but far enough away so she could still have some privacy.

Kagome settled herself under the tree, then opened her book and began to write, all the while unaware that a certain hanyou was watching her. *I hope that Inu-Yasha never gets to see this* Kagome thought as she wrote in her book *I would just die of embarrassment if he did* Kagome stopped writting and looked down at what she had written. On the page, was a poem expressing her feelings to Inu-Yasha about how she felt about him and how much she needed him in her life. Kagome read the poem over in her mind, and was about to to close her book, when she heard the branch creak softly above her head.

Kagome looked up and saw Inu-Yasha sitting there, staring into her beautiful cobalt blue eyes. She snapped the book shut and said "Inu-Yasha, what are you doing here?"

Inu-Yasha jumpped down from the tree and sat infront of Kagome. He looked at the book in her hands and asked "What's that?"

Kagome looked into Inu-Yasha's hansome amber-coloured eyes and blushed. "It's a book where I write different things that pop into my head, but my last musing is a little embarrassing....."

"Why is that?"

Without a word, Kagome opened her book to the poem she had just finished writting, and handed it to Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha took the book from Kagome's trembling hands and began to read:

-----

My Sweet Hanyou - By: Kagome H.

I have fallen

Fallen in deeply in love.

Who have fallen for?

Well, his looks, his eyes

Are what truely captured my heart.

He may act all tough

And seem uncaring,

But I know that he has

A very kind and gentle heart.

-----

Although I must admit

I thought

Inu-Yasha was a complete ass

When I first met him

But as time went by,

I grew to love him,

Love him with all my heart

And my soul.

-----

Inu-Yasha, he means

The world to me

And it would break my heart

If something were to happen

To him.

He means the world to me,

And I need him by my side.

Although Inu-Yasha may not show it,

I know that he feels the same.

I can tell,

Because his cute little ears

Twitch and a cute blush

Crosses his cheeks.

One thing I know for sure

Is that if Inu-Yasha

Doesn't feel the same way,

He will always be

My sweet hanyou.

-----

( A/N: Just to let you know, I made this poem up as I went, so please, no flames! )

-----

Inu-Yasha looked down at the book then back at Kagome. He closed the book. "Kagome, can I ask you something?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome folded her hands in her lap and said "Sure, what is it?"

"Is it true? About how you feel about me?"

"Are you talking about what I wrote in my book?"

"Yes."

"It's true. I've been waiting so long to try and tell you, but I never had the nerve."

Inu-Yasha stood up and pulled Kagome to her feet. "Don't be nervous Kagome. I have been trying to tell you the same thing for the longest time. I was just so scared that you would reject me because I'm a half breed."

Kagome looked at Inu-Yasha, then pulled him into a hug. "I love you so much Inu-Yasha." she said softly as he stroked her cheek, "I would never reject you. I love you for who you are. You don't need to change because you're perfect the way you are."

"That's all a matter of opinion."

Inu-Yasha and Kagome turned around and saw Koga standing behind them. Inu- Yasha let out a low growl. "What do you want you mangy wolf?"

Koga crossed his arms and smiled. "I've come for my woman mutt face."

Inu-Yasha put his arm around Kagome's waist. "She's not your woman Koga!" he growled as he brushed the hair off Kagome's left shoulder.

"Alright then mutt face, if she's not my woman, than just who's woman is she?" Koga sneered.

"I'm Inu-Yasha's woman!" Kagome shouted as she turned in Inu-Yasha's arms to face the shocked hanyou, "I've have been for a while."

Koga stared at Kagome with a look of disbelief on his face. "How can that be? He hasn't marked you."

Inu-Yasha looked at Kagome, who gave him a reassuring smile, and slowly bit down on her neck. Kagome let out a small gasp. *By the gods!* Kagome thought as Inu-Yasha bit her neck, *I can't believe it! I'm gonna be with him forever.*

Koga couldn't believe his eyes! "Kagome!" he screamed "How could you!"

Inu-Yasha released Kagome's neck and unsheathed Tetsuiaga. "She was never yours to begin with you mangy wolf, so leave before....."

Inu-Yasha stopped in mid-sentence and stared at Kagome, who had somehow pulled a bow and arrow out of nowhere. He stared at his new mate; her eyes were starting to turn a deep blood red and had a white light surrounding her body.

The light shone brightly for a few mpments, then it was gone. Inu-Yasha and Koga both stared at Kagome, and were surprised by what they saw. Her entire appearence had changed. Her hair had grown to her knees and had blood-red and silver streaks, her eyes were a deep saphire blue, she also had claws and fangs longer than Inu-Yasha's, but to top it all off, she had two silver inu ears on top of her head, and a black tail with silver highlights coming out of the base of her spine.

"Kagome," Inu-Yasha whispered, "What...happened to you?"

Kagome ignored him and turned her attention to Koga, who was paralyzed with fear and stood with his back to a large tree, She slowly raised her bow and aimed her arrow at his heart. "Good-bye Koga, see you in hell." she growled, blood and venom dripping heavily from her words.

Kagome released the miko energy-infused arrow. It pierced Koga's body, pinning him to the tree. Koga let out a small gasp and went limp. Kagome's bow disappeared from her hands and she slumped to the ground. Inu- Yasha looked over at Kagome, then at Koga's now limp form. He sat down next to Kagome and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome," he asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha and smiled. "I'm alright." she said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Are you sure? Cause after what I just saw, I find that hard to believe."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well for one, you've become a hanyou, and two, you just pinned Koga to a tree with an arrow."

Kagome lifted her head and looked at her hands; she had claws! *How can this be* she thought at she looked herself over, *What happened to me?*

Kagome quickly jumpped to her feet and backed away. She looked down at her hands, then back up at Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha stood up and looked into Kagome's eyes, which were quickly turning blood red. He backed away and was about to say something, when all of a sudden, she ran towards him with blinding speend shouting "Burning Blades of Blood!"

Inu-Yasha quickly jumpped out of the way, barely dodging Kagome's attack. Kagome turned around and glared into Inu-Yasha's eyes. *Oh Gods!* Inu- Yasha thought as he continued to dodge Kagome's attacks *What happened to her? How coul she become such a monster?*

All of a sudden, a large boomerang came out of nowhere and hit Kagome squarely in the back, knocking her into the tree where Koga was pinned. ( A/N: Koga is in an enchanted sleep, just like Inu-Yasha was when Kagome first met him . Just thought I would point that out. ) Kagome let out a shriek, then fell unconsious to the ground.

Inu-Yasha turned around and saw Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala running towards him. "Inu-Yasha!" Sango shouted "We heard fighting, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Inu-Yasha said as replaced Tetsuiaga in its sheath, "But Kagome and Koga could be a whole lot better."

Sango looked behind her and saw Koga pinned to a tree with an unconcious hanyou at his feet. "Where is Kagome?"

Inu-Yasha pointed to the hanyou at Koga's feet. "Right there."

"What are you talking about?"

Inu-Yasha walked over and sat down next to the hanyou at Koga's feet. "She's right here."

"How can....that be.....what..."

"I'm not sure, but when she wakes up, I have the feeling all hell's gonna break loose."

Miroku sat down next to Inu-Yasha. "Why do you say that? What happened to her?" he asked, staring at Kagome's unconsious form.

"I'm not sure how it happened, but Kagome's become a hanyou and she doesn't seem reconize me at all. It was like she became this evil monster who wanted nothing more than to see me dead."

"Don't worry Inu-Yasha" Miroku said as he got to his feet, "I'm sure that once she wakes up, she'll be ok."

"You better be right monk." Inu-Yasha growled as he got to his feet and grabbed Kagome's unconious form, "We'd better get to Kaede's so we can try to figure out what happened."

"Then let's go." Sango shouted as she and Miroku got onto Kilala's back.

"Wait!" Shippo cried, "What about Koga's shards? Shouldn't we get them?"

"Touch those shards and I'll kill you all!"

Inu-Yasha looked down at Kagome, who still had her eyes closed, but was talking in her sleep. "She'll wake up soon," Inu-Yasha said as he looked at the others, "Shippo, grab Koga's shards, then follow Sango and Miroku to the village. I'll meet you there."

Shippo nodded and Inu-Yasha took off towards the village, in hopes that Kaede could figure out what happened.

*****

".....and that's what happened." Inu-Yasha said as he finished his story and continued to stare at the fire.

Kaede stared at Inu-Yasha for a moment, then asked, "Ye say she changed after Koga saw ye mark Kagome, is that right?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and continued to stare at the fire.

The old miko looked at Kagome who was sleeping on a futon in the corner, but had her hands and ankles bound, in case she went crazy when she woke up.

"All this started when she showed me a poem in that book." Inu-Yasha said, breaking the silence, and pointing to Kagome's leather book.

Sango retrieved the book and opened the front cover. "Oh Gods." Sango gasped as she read the first page.

"What is it?" Inu-Yasha asked with worry.

"According to this," Sango read, "Kagome isn't only Kikyo's reincarnation, but she's also the daughter of the god of war and power. It also says that her demon, not hanyou, but her full demon self would emerge when she felt both hers and her mates life were endangered, and that once the threat was gone, she would attack her mate with what is described here as the gods mating marks with an attack called the "Burning Blades of Blood" and will not stop until these marks have been made in the exact place where her powers were first awakened."

"That means under the cherry blossom tree where Koga is pinned!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed as he got to his feet. "But, Sango, does it mention where on my body that the marks have to be made?"

"Well, in the book it says the first three marks must be made on your back starting at your left shoulder and go to your right hip, then she's supposed to make four more marks, starting at your right shoulder and going to your left hip. After these marks have been made, she'll take a clipping of each of your hair, tie it in a knot, and burn it in a fire."

"Alright then, I'm gonna take her back to the tree. It shouldn't be long until she wakes up, but when she does, there's gonna be hell to pay, so to speak."

Inu-Yasha walked over to Kagome and gathered her in his arms and took off into the forest, without saying a word.

*****

Inu-Yasha arrived at the clearing and discovered something shocking. *Oh s**t!* he thought as he set Kagome on the ground, *Koga! He's awake! But how can this be?*

"I'm gonna kill you mutt face!" Koga screamed as soon as he saw Inu-Yasha come into view, "What the hell did you do to my woman?"

"She's not your woman you mangy wolf!" Inu-Yasha screamed "She's mine, and she always will be. Kagome is the daughter of the god of war and power, and she's been marked as mine, and as soon as she wakes up, she'll mark me as her own."

As if on cue, Kagome opened her eyes and broke her bonds. She jummped to her feet and stared into Inu-Yasha's eyes. "Run.....now!" she growled, venom dripping off her words.

Inu-Yasha quickly removed his outer kimono and undershirt and tossed them to the ground at Koga's feet. He turned around and saw Kagome walk towards his clothes. She picked up his outer kimono and sniffed it. Inu-Yasha looked into Kagome's eyes and took off into the forest at full speed.

*****

Kagome held Inu-Yasha's kimono in her hands. The thrill of the chase starting to course through her veins. *Good, he's running.....more fun for me.* she thought as she took off after Inu-Yasha. *Soon he'll be mine.*

*****

Inu-Yasha soon entered the clearing in which the God Tree stood. He jumpped up into the branches only to find Kagome there waiting for him. "Not good to try and hide." she hissed as she sat on her haunches, "Makes you look weak in the eyes of others."

Kagome scooted back and looked into Inu-Yasha's eyes. "You know what I have to do right?"

Inu-Yasha nodded, then turned to face the tree. "Do it." he said as he gripped the branch above his head.

Kagome extended her hand and stuck three of her claws into Inu-Yasha's left shoulder. She paused for a second as she felt him wince in pain, then slowly ran her fingers down his back stopping at his right hip. Kagome slowly pulled her claws out and said "Are you alright?"

Inu-Yasha nodded. "I'm fine." he said, pain evident in his voice.

Kagome nodded and put four claws in Inu-Yasha's right shoulder, pausing again as he winced. She ran her claws down his back, this time stopping at his left hip. Kagome pulled her claws out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Inu-Yasha, are you alright?" Kagome whispered.

Inu-Yasha let go of the branch and looked at Kagome, and gave her a weak smile. "I'm alright. I just need to rest for a minute."

Kagome smiled. "I'm glad." she said as she moved to sit down properly, "I'm glad you're taking.....Inu-Yasha!"

Kagome screamed as Inu-Yasha fainted and fell out of the tree towards the ground. She jummped out of the tree and caught Inu-Yasha before he hit the ground. Kagome gently laid Inu-Yasha down and began to shake him. "Inu-Yasha wake up!" she cried with worry.

Inu-Yasha slowly opened his eyes and sat up. "Wha...what happened?" he moaned, putting his head in his hands.

Kagome threw her arms around her neck. "I'm glad you're ok." she whispered, "I was so worried when you fainted."

"Is that what happened?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I was about to take a clipping of your hair when you passed out."

Inu-Yasha nodded and laid down on his stomach. "You better get the hair before I pass out again."

Kagome nodded, then took a claw and clipped off a small bit of hair. "There's something else I have to do before I burn the hair."

"What else do you need to do?"

"I need to soak each hair clipping in a mouthful of our blood, then I need to tie then together and burn them. Once that is done, we must mate in the place where we first met."

"So that means under the tree here?"

"I guess so."

"You better hurry up and get the blood, otherwise I'm gonna pass out."

"Alright, but you have to lye on your back. I need to have easy access to your chest."

Inu-Yasha rolled over ( no pun intended ) onto his back and looked up at Kagome. "Why my chest?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"The blood needs to come from above your heart."

Inu-Yasha nodded and closed his eyes. Kagome put her hands in Inu-Yasha's and slowly bit down on the left side of his chest. Inu-Yasha let out a loud, almost sensual cry as he felt Kagome bite his chest. As Kagome sucked out the blood, Inu-Yasha let go of Kagome's hands and started to rub her ears, causing her to let out a low growl.

After a minute or so, Kagome let go of Inu-Yasha's chest, being careful not to swallow the blood. She pulled a small wooden bowl out of her pocket and gently spit the blood out. She smiled gently at Inu-Yasha. "Now, you have to take a mouthful of my blood and add it to the bowl." Kagome said as she helped Inu-Yasha sit up.

Inu-Yasha nodded and slowly unbuttoned Kagome's shirt. He gently pushed the shirt off her shoulders and bit down just above her left breast, causing her to gasp loudly.

After a minute or so, he let go and added Kagome's blood to the bowl.

Kagome slowly buttoned up her shirt and put Inu-Yasha's hair clipping into the bowl. She then took a claw and cut off a small clipping of her own hair, then handed it to Inu-Yasha. "You must be the one who adds the hair to the bowl, then I have to burn them." she said as she built a small fire.

Inu-Yasha silently added the hair to the bowl and mixed it with the blood. He handed the bowl to Kagome and said "Here you go."

"Thanks Inu-Yasha." Kagome smiled as she took the bowl from his hands.

Kgome held the bowl in both hands, then slowly poured it into the fire, causing a deep red smoke to eminate from the flames. Inu-Yasha was about to ask about the red smoke, but before he could, Kagome put the bowl down next to the fire and pulled Inu-Yasha into a passionate kiss.

Inu-Yasha immediately melted into the kiss, He placed one hand gently on the small of Kagome's back and slowly put the other in her hair. They kept each other in thier embrace for a few minutes before breaking apart for air. "Gods Kagome," Inu-Yasha whispered, while he tried to regain his breath, "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that."

Kagome looked into Inu-Yasha's hansome amber-coloured eyes. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to do that," she whispered "But this is only the beginning."

Inu-Yasha gave her a sly smile, took her hands in his, and walked slowly to the tree. He put Kagome against the tree and began to unbutton her shirt. Once it was off, Inu-Yasha pulled Kagome into another passionate kiss while slowly pulling her down to the ground.

*Oh Gods* Kagome thought as Inu-Yasha slowly kissed her neck, but just as she was about to continue her train of thought, she felt Inu-Yasha's lips leave her neck and slowly work their way down her stomach. She gently put her hands on his ears and slowly began to massage them, knowing full well the pleasure he would get from it.

*****

Inu-Yasha stopped kissing Kagome's stomach as she began to massage his ears and began to purr softly. He rose up to his elbows and gazed into Kagome's beautiful saphire blue eyes, and saw it, pure and simple love. No one, except his mother, had ever looked at him like that. People had always teased and tormented him as a child, and he ended up spending every day since alone.....that was until the day he met Kagome. She showed him that he didn't have to spend every day of his life alone, that he did have friends and that he could trust people. He loved Kagome so much for all that she had shown and taught him, but most of all he loved her for accepting him for who he is. "Kagome, can I ask you something?" Inu-Yasha whispered.

Kagome looked into his eyes and smiled. "What is it?" she asked.

"Why do you love me?"

"Because, since the first day I met you, I knew deep in my heart and that we were meant to be together. I love you so much, and it feels like.....well I can't exactly tell you what it feels like, but I can tell you that I never want this feeling to go away because I love it."

"Thanks, I needed to hear you say that."

Kagome smiled and pulled Inu-Yasha into another heated kiss, silently thanking the gods that she, at long last, found her soul mate, and that she was going to be with him forever.

( You can pretty much guess what is about to happen, so I'm not gonna bother to write it in. I'm not ready to try and write lemons or limes yet, but I might try to write one soon, so please be patient and understanding. Thank you. )

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The End