AN: This is the first chapter of the sequel to my story All Youkai Aren't Evil. You might not understand some things in this story if you haven't read the other one. Sesshoumaru might sound a bit OOC if you haven't read the AYAE, yet.

I've rated this T, but especially this first chapter has part (heavy fluff) that might be above that. If you think this should be rated M, please tell me, and I change the rating.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Kagome looked around her in the not-so-small dining room she's currently in, sitting while waiting for the first course to be served. She was sitting in the middle of one of the sides of the long table. On her right there was Inuyasha, and on her brother was seated to her left.

She glanced across the table, meeting Aurora's amused gaze, before she turned to look at the ryuu taiyoukai's sides. Kagome's and Souta's mother was seated on Aurora's right hand side, while Sesshoumaru was sitting across from his half brother, on Aurora's left hand side.

Grandpa Higurashi and Touga inhabited the table's ends, the youkai in between his sons, and the elderly human on the other end.

Kagome's eyes had barely went to her grandpa, when a group of servants including Miroku's and Sango's descendant -Takai, as she now knew him- brought them the first course of this dinner. The dinner was a bit western style, since Touga himself had visited London a century back and adopted some taste from there. According to Inuyasha, the older taiyoukai visited London every year.

Kagome had just enough time to glance at her cup of good smelling soup, when she heard Touga's voice. "The reason for this dinner is that we have something to celebrate." He glanced at Sesshoumaru, who looked unemotional as usual. Aurora, on the other hand, was slightly blushing.

He grinned before continuing. "It seems that the older of my two sons has finally come to his senses and asked the last of the Eastern bloodline to marry him. She said yes, so we celebrate their betrothal and incoming wedding."

He lifted his glass to toast to the engaged couple, and the others followed his example. After the toast he turned to his younger son. "Well, Inuyasha, it's been three years since you were reunited with the priestess. When are you going to ask her to marry you?"

It was difficult to say which one was blushing more, the puppy eared hanyou, or the miko, since they were both apparently trying to imitate beets, making a competition of it. It took a while before either of the two was able to say a word.

Inuyasha found his voice first, still blushing. "I'll ask when she grows up."

He turned to look at Kagome who now had a very familiar sweet, yet deceiving look in her eyes. "Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha grinned, but then remembered something, and reached his hand to his throat, to find that the subjugation necklace was still in place, after five centuries. His grin disappeared and he gulped. "Kagome…" His ears flattened against his skull. That girl could be scary!

Just before Kagome would've said the s-word, Aurora spoke. "Now, now, Kagome. You don't want him to be smashed against the table and to ruin the dinner, now do you?"

Kagome glanced at the ryuu, and sighed. "Fine, I will s-i-t him the moment we are far enough from any objects that might get damaged." She glared at Inuyasha. "You're the one who haven't matured during these centuries."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but his father was faster. "You two sound like you would be married already…" His words are met by two blushing people, a hanyou and a young human female. "So, shall we eat before the soup gets cold? It's made of artichoke, and is my favourite."

So, without more ado, the group began to eat, serving after serving, and only chattering was about the food, Feudal time stories, some politics, and weather.

After the dessert the guests and hosts had been divided into groups. Inuyasha and Kagome had gone to the living room to have a discussion. The moment they had entered the living room word 'sit!' had been heard, spoken with Kagome's voice, and it was followed by a 'crash' and a loud 'ow!'

Touga and the rest of the Higurashi's had gone to the library, which also doubled at times as Touga's study, because Souta and grandpa Higurashi had asked the taiyoukai to tell more stories about the Feudal times, but also of the five centuries the three youkai and one hanyou had lived before the present day.

Sesshoumaru had slipped into garden with Aurora, and the two were sitting on a rim of the big fountain with a statue of a dolphin pouring water from the hole in its neck. The two were side by side, watching the blooming sakura trees on the other side of the garden. The mansion was behind their backs.

They sat in silence for a moment before Aurora leaned on to his upper arm, startling him, and spoke. "This is the very place you proposed to me."

He glanced at her, before turning to look at the trees again. "So it is."

She rubbed her forehead to his sleeved upper arm, glad that she hadn't put on any of those tinted foundations, because otherwise his white button-up shirt's sleeve would be stained. "Do you regret, Sesshoumaru?"

He raised his right hand and cupped her left cheek with it, raising her face so that their eyes would meet. "Is there something I should regret, Aurora?" Then he lowered his face closer to hers, until their lips nearly touched. "I try not to have regrets."

Then he closed the distance between them, and kissed her. She didn't hesitate for long until she responded, and their lips were moving slowly against each other, locked in a sweet, gentle kiss.

Aurora began to feel heat rising from her abdomen, and she deepened the kiss. He responded by lowering her to the rim of the fountain, his lips becoming more demanding, and her hands moved to the back of his head and neck, pressing him closer to her.

Sesshoumaru moved his lips from her lips, and began to trail a path of kisses from her mouth, to her chin, and from her chin he began to trace her jaw line, then down her neck to the junction of her neck and shoulder.

Aurora's breathing got heavier as she realised what he was doing. Her hands went to his back, resting on his spine, as her closed eyes flew open. She knew this tradition. Dragons had a different one, but she had heard from Sesshoumaru himself what the inu version of the same tradition was.

She tensed, not sure if she was ready yet. This was supposed to perform at the time of the actual wedding, as a part of the ceremony, or soon after it. She knew he was going to mark her, even though they were only engaged by now.

Sensing her tensing Sesshoumaru let out a low growl, that almost sounded like purring. She responded as he had hoped, relaxing in his hold, and he began to nuzzle the spot he had found at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

Aurora's eyes closed as she recognized his acts as what they were. He was soothing her with his low growling, and the nuzzling was his way to request permission to mark her as his. Both knew what the mark would mean.

Aurora hesitated for a moment. Engagement just basically meant that the two had an intention to marry each other, but the mark would mean that they would have to marry each other, even though one of them would have second thoughts about it.

When she would have one of her fertile days, the mark would drive the two to sleep together in to make sure she would get pregnant as soon as possible. Of course the two, especially Sesshoumaru, had self control, and they should be able to resist it.

To help them to resist the mark's effect, she could do her part of the tradition later; this would mean that also his part would have to be renewed, though.

Her hesitance was broken when he lifted them back to sitting position, still nuzzling her neck. He wouldn't ask the permission, or even be patient with her if he wouldn't mean it.

So, she tilted her head to one side, and leaned her right cheek against his left shoulder, exposing her neck to him completely, and thus giving permission for him to mark her.

He nuzzled the spot for a moment longer, before he raised his head a bit, and then sank his fangs to the spot. She winced as the sharp fangs pierced her skin, but he rubbed her back comfortingly as he took his fangs off of her and licked the blood that came from the wounds he had made.

When having licked the blood from her skin, he lifted his head and looked at the wounds, noticing that her youkai blood was already healing them. Soon all that was left was two tiny dots. A human wouldn't notice them, but a youkai could at least smell that her scent had changed, and was now laced with his.

She slowly lifted her head from his shoulder, and their eyes met. They stared each other in silence for a moment before he spoke. "Do you wish to complete the ritual now?" She shook her head slightly. "Do you regret?"

Aurora's arms wrapped around his neck, and she smiled. "No, no regrets." Then she proceeded to pull him closer and drew him into another kiss.

Inuyasha and Kagome were sitting on a couch, side by side. Kagome was leaning to the hanyou's shoulder, and his left arm was wrapped around her. After she had 'sat' him, they had gotten to the couch and Inuyasha had apologised, reluctantly though, for saying that she should grow up, and Kagome had apologised to him for being so harsh on him.

After that they had shared a sweet kiss, and after they had ended the kiss, they had just been like this, enjoying each other's company.

Takai had checked on them once, telling that the two 'young' taiyoukai had gone to the garden, alone, and in true Miroku style, had insinuated that they went there alone to do 'stuff'. Kagome had blushed to this statement, while Inuyasha had commented that his half brother 'would never do anything like the lech would'.

Kagome didn't notice that they had company, before Touga's chuckling filled the room. "So, Inuyasha, are you still planning to wait? You two seem to have made up like an old couple would."

Kagome blushed and lifted her head to look at him, and her family that had come to the room with him. Inuyasha was the one to respond, before she could even open her mouth. "Keh! We're not an old couple!"

Touga only chuckled. "You act like one, all right. But enough of that, for now. Where is your brother?" He looked around the room, as if looking for his missing son.

Inuyasha frowned, and was about to answer, when Kagome beat him to it. "Takai told us that he had gone to the garden with Aurora." Her cheeks turned pink. "He insinuated that the two wanted to be alone to… Uhh…"

Everyone in the room looked at her expectantly, but she couldn't continue. She didn't have to, since a familiar cold voice was heard to speak. "Takai inherited more from the houshi than just his looks."

All gazes were turned to one of the entrances of the room, and they noticed Sesshoumaru stepping in, carrying drowsing Aurora in his arms. Her arms were around his neck, and her head was leaning against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed and there was a faint smile on her face.

Kagome startled as Inuyasha sniffed the air and then stared at the two. "You didn't…"

Touga grinned widely when he smelled the same thing Inuyasha had. Aurora had his scent on her, but that could've just meant that the two had been in close physical contact, like they were now. However, he also saw something the humans probably wouldn't; two tiny dots of lighter skin on the junction of her shoulder and neck.

Sesshoumaru glanced at his brother. "We did not do anything that could be considered improper before we were married." Then his golden eyes found his father. "I shall take her to her room to rest. I will return shortly."

Touga merely nodded, still grinning, and Sesshoumaru left the room, leaving the Higurashi's and his family to gape after him.

Inuyasha was the first to break the silence. "What were those things on her neck?"

The non-youkai turned to look at him, all curious, but Touga grinned, still looking at the doorway. Inuyasha was about to repeat his question, but closed his mouth when his father finally turned to face him. "Have you heard of youkai marking tradition?"

Inuyasha shook his head, prompting his father to continue. "When youkai decide to 'marry', they mark each other. First the male asks permission by nuzzling the spot on the junction where her neck and shoulder meets, and after she gives it by baring her neck to him, he bites the female to that spot. Then he licks the wounds, not just to ingest her blood, but also to apply his saliva in her bloodstream via the wound.

"After he has finished, the female's youkai blood heals the wounds, leaving only the partially healed scars. To bare human eyes, the scars are invisible, but to youkai they are clearly seen, or at least scented."

Kagome had become interested. "Is it just that, or does the female, err woman, do something?"

He grinned. "Yes, the female part is also there, but I can tell she didn't do it yet. After male has done his part, he pulls the female at him so, that her back is against his chest. Then he nuzzles the mark he made, to give her permission to mark.

"If she decides to do it, she takes his arm at her mouth, before sinking her fangs to his wrist, and begins to drink. While the male just licks her blood the female will actually drink. Usually she can't stop drinking and the male won't let her to stop, until he can feel her youki beginning to meld with his own.

"At this point he more or less has to force her to stop drinking. When she stops, she licks the wound, and leaves similar scars on his skin. This would be the case if both would be inu, but since she is not, she might either do it differently, or add the ryuu version of marking."

Kagome had turned a bit paler. "Sounds vampiric… And what if one of the two is human?" She blushed as she saw Touga grinning again, and she realised what she had said.

He glanced at his younger son, who had pink cheeks, before turning to look at the girl. "Human scars wouldn't heal as fast, and the lack of fangs of the human party would mean that the non-human would have to assist by using claws."

Kagome opened her mouth to ask something else but closed it when she noticed Sesshoumaru returning. "Only my part of marking was completed. She wishes to wait until we are married."

Touga inclined his head, understanding her reason, as he knew pretty well what the mark tended to do, or rather, what it tended to push the marked ones to do. "I see."

The others in the room stared at the two taiyoukai, dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"

The two turned to look at Kagome who had spoken. Sesshoumaru responded instead of his father. "Even one-sided mark tends to drive the two involved into bed as soon as the female could conceive. This 'drive' is only effect during her fertile days until the day she gets pregnant. This is to ensure offspring as soon as possible.

"However, since we are only engaged, and not married yet, it would be improper for us to share a bed, so we have to maintain control. Only partial marking helps with this."

Kagome looked at him curiously. "If it's so demanding, then why not wait?"

Now everyone was looking at Sesshoumaru, who had his normal uninterested expression on his face. "To make sure our past does not come to haunt, and would cause one of us to have second thoughts."

Kagome blinked. "I thought she wanted to marry you, and you wanted to marry her…"

Sesshoumaru allowed a tiny growl to escape his throat, startling everyone, even his father. "This is true, however our past might just as well to return to prevent the marriage. Neither of us wishes this to happen."

After this he left the room, leaving gaping people to stare at the place he had stood only moment earlier. The silence lasts for five minutes, before mama Higurashi reminds her children that it's getting late. After a chaste kiss between Inuyasha and Kagome, and 'arigato's and 'sayonara's the Higurashi's leave the mansion. Of course not before they promise to meet again the next day.