He was in shock! Eyes wide, hands frozen against her body, he stared at her. Not only did she want to be with him and love him but it was the reason she'd been allowed to return! He had felt his heart simply stop with her declaration, it was like time had stood still around him. She loved him enough that some Kami had heard them across time! His heart gave a leap in his chest like it was a young pup getting a present for the first time and began a thundering beat.
Suddenly he realized her soft lips were pressed to his and had been for a few seconds because her scent had changed from one of love and desire to confusion and doubt. Knowing it was his lack of response that had worried her he reached both hands up to her face and deepened the kiss. Stroking her cheeks with his thumbs he tilled his head slightly to change the angle and took control of the kiss.
Her hands, having drifted back to rest in his hair, clenched where his human ears would have been. He could smell her desire spike. Parting his lips he stroked his tongue along her bottom lip seeking entrance to the depths of her mouth and she eagerly complied, their tongues touching, stroking each other in a mating dance all their own. She tasted sweeter than any fruit or futuristic candy he had ever had. She moaned as his tongue delved into the recess of her mouth. She pushed his tongue back so she could follow it and licked him along a fang making him growl in desire.
InuYasha's demon was rising, roaring for him to take their female. She'd left them once before and they needed to claim her, mark her as their mate forever so she couldn't escape them again! Feeling himself start to lose his control, he struggled against his instincts and softened the kiss, pulling back slightly and placing a much less passionate one on her bruised and swollen mouth.
Kagome's eyes were glowing with want as she sighed and in her desire pressed her body back against his massaging his scalp with her nails before running her tongue up the side of his neck. InuYasha almost lost the battle within himself to stop and explain what he truly desired of her. His demon was raging at him, causing his fangs to lengthen but he knew she'd want to know these things first. She always had been a talker he smirked in remembrance. "We need to talk wench." He managed to grown out before pushing her lightly away from him.
Kagome's eyes finally cleared enough to focus on InuYasha's golden ones. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips red and swollen from his as she panted slightly trying to catch her breath. She looked at him in confusion and gripping the hair at his nape so he couldn't leave her. InuYasha, smirking wider at her actions, leaned in and licked her lips before nipping her softly under her chin, eyes glowing, showing her that he desired the same things she did. "Kagome I love you so much. I have for a very long time but I need to explain a few things before this gets out of hand."
He wasn't sure she fully understood what becoming his mate entailed and he wouldn't take away her right to choose. Cupping her face in his hands he ran a thumb across her beautiful lips, soothing where he'd drug a fang a little to roughly. "Kagome I…I want to ask…would you be my mate?" Pressing his thumb to her lips to still her answer he couldn't miss the light that jumped in her eyes. "Inu males mate for life. We have one soul-mate and when we find our mate we can bind them to us and if done correctly to our life line." Running his hands through her hair, he gently massaged her scalp, needing the contact with her. "That means you'd age like I do. Any children we have would also be hanyou so they too would age very slowly." He was watching her closely, waiting for her to react negatively to anything he was saying, his smirk having been replaced by a look of complete honesty and sincerity.
"In order to bind you to me we'd have to exchange both blood and power during the first mating. Afterwards you'd have increased senses like I do but everything else stays the same. Physically you wouldn't change, your appearance I mean. But you'd be more youkia than human in your senses." He shifted closer to her, dropping a kiss on her shoulder before sliding his fangs up her neck. "We also become very possessive of our mates, especially in the first few years. I will need to be near you and will want to mate with you often." This he whispered in her ear before licking then sucking the lobe into his mouth.
Kagome had blushed as his whispered words registered in her brain, tongue darting out to moisten suddenly dry lips. "I might get excessively dominant with you and you'll have to show me submission in order to stop my instincts from running away with me but I can teach you what you'll need to know later." Sitting back, he stared deeply into her eyes once again cupping her cheeks, "I want you to know all these things before you make any sort of commitment that you may regret in the future, because koi, if you say yes to being my mate, I will never let you go!" InuYasha finished with a passionate growl and tightened his grip on her slightly showing her how serious he was.
Kagome stared into the eyes of her beloved and tried to take in everything he told her, watching his eyes tint red around the edges as he got to the end of his passionate tale of inu youkai mating. Listening to him talk only made her want him more. "InuYasha, I want nothing more than to be with you forever. Take me home and make me your mate and your wife. In my heart you've been my husband for almost three years already." Kagome, blushing deeply at her own forwardness, watched his eyes flash red at her words before coming back to molten gold.
"Kami Kagome! What you do to me!" He cried as he drew her fully against him. Standing up without letting her go he hooked an arm under her legs and ran through the tree tops with her before landing on the ground in front of a well-appointed home.
Centered in a clearing near the edge of his forest the house was surrounded in trees. The grass was high near the edge of the forest but towards the house it gave way to wild flowers and then pounded earth. There were no other buildings nearby and no garden, but as Kagome couldn't see around the back of the house she couldn't be sure. For the era the house was large. Not quite a castle but big enough to belong in a headman's compound. It was near enough to the village to be any easy walk but far enough to give InuYasha the privacy he desired. Plus, it was set in the one area the village watch wasn't able to patrol reliably. Nerves fluttered in InuYasha's stomached when he set Kagome down at the bottom of the stairs.
"InuYasha? Whose house is this?" Kagome asked, both nervous and excited for his answer. She turned into his embrace, resting her hand against his heart, feeling the rapid beating and knowing it had nothing to do with the run through the trees.
"It's mine." He was unsure how she'd react. It was so different to how she'd grown up. "After Naraku was finished and Sango and Miroku married they chose to stay here near Kaede. The villagers wanted to build them a hut as thank you for everything they had done. When their home was complete Miroku persuaded me to let them build me one too." He told her as he watched her look longingly at his home.
Dragging her gaze from the large building with the open wraparound porch she looked up at him with tears of joy saying only "Show me."
InuYasha looked at her in wonder then smiled and led her closer. "It ain't much to look at yet," he started to explain. "The villagers decided that since this was my forest and as I was now considered the youkai protector of the village that I needed my own home. And I thought… well hoped… that is if you managed to come back to me… Feh! I said yes so they could build it for you ok!" He grumbled, embarrassed by his words, a little flush appearing across the bridge of his nose. Not sure how she'd take this news he turned his face away from her but didn't let go of her hand.
Kagome tugged him to a stop and reaching up with her free hand she grabbed a forelock and tugged his face back around to hers. "Thank you." Was all she said before she kissed him softly on his mouth. Grabbing her around the waist he pulled her into his chest and a deeper kiss before nipping her bottom lip lightly, a soft rumble formed deep in his chest before he released her and led her up the steps to the door.
Sliding the door open he quickly crossed to the center of the raised wooden platform to light the fire that was prepared there. Once the fire was burning and a few lamps were lit, enough for Kagome to be able to see clearly, she found she was in a large central room with kitchen area and enough space to sit and host a good number of guests. She thought how nice it would be to have their friends over for dinner. There was more than enough space.
The kitchen prep area was large but mostly empty as if InuYasha hadn't spent much time there, which he probably hadn't. It looked like it was waiting for a woman's touch, her touch. Smiling she slipped off her shoes before stepping up on the raised platform. She moved around the home as InuYasha showed her the separate sleeping areas, a small room for meditation, another larger space for a dojo and finally a room with a large bathing tub. Kagome gasped in delight and turning to InuYasha she hugged him tight. He knew her love of bathing and though she'd have been happy with a hot spring, this surprise delighted her greatly. As he led her away from the bathing room and down one last corridor she couldn't stop the happiness that flowed from her very soul.
She was curious though. "InuYasha, why is this house so big? Not that I don't love it, it's just a bit surprising is all." She glanced up in time to see his face really reddened as he mumbled something about baka monks who can't keep private stuff private. Grinning Kagome laughed "Well now you have to explain!" The light dancing in her eyes and the smile radiating from her face made InuYasha melt a little.
"Feh! The baka Miroku made a comment to the head builder Ryoji about my lineage." He said with a sarcastic snarl. "Then that baka just had to go tell the headman Tsuneo. Once he figured out I was technically a prince on both sides they went nuts on the house." Sighing a little he shook his head sending his silver hair swirling, "At least I've gotten them to stop all the bowing and the Ouji-sama nonsense." Kagome, mouth slightly ajar, just stared at him with her big eyes wide. "What wench?" He asked, her awed expression making him uncomfortable.
"You mean I get to be a princess?" She asked him, eyes wide, hands clasped in front of her heart. At the look of horror he gave her she burst into laughter. Clutching her sides she gasped and sputtered "Your face! Oh Kami your face!" Realizing she'd been teasing he harrumphed at her before grabbing her elbow and dragging her laughing butt down the corridor.
They stopped in front of one last door. This one was different already as this was no shoji door but a true wooden door complete with metal handle and hinges. Finally able to control her laughter she glanced at InuYasha and noticing how nervous he looked, felt her own smile faultier. Looking to him for direction, InuYasha crossed his arms firmly before growling out "Wench! Open the damn door already will yah!" She reached for the handle hesitantly, took a deep breath and not knowing what to expect she pushed it open and gasped.
A/N: I'm sure some of you won't like InuYasha's change in 'status' but it makes it more fun for me to write. Creative license and all that jazz! Thanks for R&R in advance!