Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, characters, set props, or anything else. Just really enjoy it immensely.

A/N thanks for the wonderful, wonderful reviews. Hope the following fluff and humor can give you a good laugh.

Chapter 11: It's all your fault, you know…

Inuyasha scuffed his toes in the dirt as he walked and grumbled under his breath. "I don't know why we couldn't have stayed a little longer." he mumbled.

"Because we'd never make it to the next village before nightfall." Miroku said from behind him.

"So?" Inuyasha said without turning around, "It's not like we haven't slept out in the open before. I just wanted to stay until Kouga agreed to mate with her …"

Miroku sighed, "Inuyasha, Kouga is almost as stubborn as you are. And while I applaud your restraint in not attacking him, or us, once you were freed, it could still be days before he gives in, and none of us wants to sit around for hours on end watching Kouga being slammed repeatedly into the ground."

"I did." He muttered mutinously. " I don't know why Myouga gets to stay and watch the good stuff when I don't get to." He glanced back at Miroku. "Where'd you get those beads for him, anyway? I thought they were pretty rare."

"They are. We gathered up the remains of your necklace before we even returned to Kaede's the night you lost them. Kaede just finished enchanting them again before this trip."

Inuyasha stopped and turned around completely. "Say again?"

"They were your beads."

"…so why exactly did you gather them up? You weren't expecting to put them back on me, were you, Houshi?" he asked, starting to scowl.

Miroku smiled briefly, "It never even occurred to me." he lied smoothly. "I simply felt that they might be of use sometime in the future. Once Sango and I determined a course of action regarding Kouga, we felt that we had the perfect use for them, that's all."

Inuyasha glared at him suspiciously, sniffing the air as he did so. "Well, you don't smell like your lying."

I better not, thought Miroku, I've had enough practice at it. "Ahem, yes, well, we'd better catch up to the others Inuyasha." he said, pointing ahead to where the women and demons were walking quickly towards the next village.

"I don't know why they're in such a hurry." Inuyasha said as he started after them.

"They're women, Inuyasha. They like their creature comforts in the evenings, like warm baths, soft beds, good food. Actually, I wouldn't mind having those tonight as well." he said, considering. "Hurry up, Inuyasha." he ordered as he passed the hanyou.

"Oh, right, like you could beat me." he retorted.

"You might be surprised!" Miroku said, and took off running after the women, leaving a surprised Inuyasha to scramble after him.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha called out, "Heh, sorry Miroku, didn't see you there!" and Miroku's dust covered figure could be seen laying in the middle of the trail as the hanyou continued on. Miroku shook his head and muttered to himself as he rose and walked after him, trying to dust off his robes as he went.

xxxxxxxx

When they arrived at the village, they were all surprised to find the small place brimming with people. Sake flowed freely, everyone was smiling and laughing; it was obvious that a huge celebration was going on.

"I wonder what's happening." Kagome said thoughtfully.

"Wait here a moment, I'll see what I can find out." said Miroku, ambling up to a promising group of young men.

"Did he just not find a bunch of women to talk to?" said Sango in an aside to Kagome.

"Yeah. Wow, I wonder if he's feeling all right." she responded, and Sango laughed shortly.

Miroku returned with a smile on his face. "I'd forgotten what day it was! Next to this village is the only Shinto Shrine for miles, and today is the year's most auspicious day for a wedding, so couples from all over have been getting married today at the shrine. It's become one enormous festival at this point. Although, " he said, his smile fading, "it also means that there's no possible way we can find somewhere to stay: everything's full. The locals have also been charging much larger amounts of money for their goods to take advantage of the unusual crowds. I'm afraid we're still going to have to rough it tonight." he said sadly.

"Oh no." groaned Kagome. Sango sighed loudly, rubbing at her slayer's outfit to try and get a bit of the trail dust off. How irritating.

"Eh, excuse me?" Kagome and Sango turned around to see a handsome young man in a decorative kimono standing hesitantly behind them. "I couldn't help notice you attire, Madam. Would you happen to be a demon slayer?" he asked Sango, looking at her outfit as though he couldn't quite believe a young woman was wearing it.

"Yeeees." Sango answered slowly, "Why do you ask?"

"My bride and I...well, our village… I mean… sorry, I'm a little nervous." he said, blushing slightly. "I came over to ask if you would care to join my family's camp to celebrate my wedding? We married this morning, and my wife would take it as a very good omen if there was a taijiya involved in the celebrations today."

Sango looked at him as though he was one chopstick short of a set. "I'm honored by the request, but I don't understand why my presence would be so valued, honestly."

"A demon slayer was responsible for saving my mother-in-law as she gave birth to my wife. Taijiya have saved 2 of her siblings, as well. She's come to consider demon slayers as, well, a personal sign of luck and good fortune. It would mean so much to her if you would agree to come over. We could provide you food and a place to sleep!" he added a little desperately, as Sango looked about to refuse.

At the mention of a place to sleep, Sango paused and looked at him considering. "I'm here with some companions. If they are welcome as well, I would be happy to come to celebrate with you."

He nodded vigorously. "Of course, of course! Any friend of the slayer is wel-come." he faltered to a stop as Inuyasha stepped up behind Sango and grinned, baring his fangs. "A…demon?" he said faintly.

Kagome smacked Inuyasha on the back of the head.

"Ow, hey!"

"Quit trying to scare him." she ordered quietly, "I want a place to sleep!" she smiled at the young man. "Don't worry, he's harmless."

The groom nodded, staring at them with wide eyes, but finally decided that the slayer's companions must be all right. They were with the slayer, after all. "Fine then, fine then… please, follow me! My wife will be so happy! Please, come this way! Thank you!" And he led them off towards the edge of the village where a number of awnings and large tents had been set up around a campfire in the middle.

xxxxxxxxxx

"I don't like this." growled Inuyasha, slumped next to the fire with food remains littering the ground around him.

"The situation is not that unredeemable." Miroku said.

"Yeah, this food is great!" Shippou said, smiling happily as he patted his round little belly.

Inuyasha scowled. "You two are just saying that 'cause no one's afraid of you! Why are you even over here, anyway? Why aren't you off celebrating with Sango and…Kagome." he asked, looking across the fire to where Sango and Kagome were surrounded by the newlywed's family and friends, regaling them with exaggerated stories of some of their demon encounters.

Miroku glanced at the women and tsked sympathetically. "We're over here because we're your friends, Inuyasha." he said, frowning slightly as one of the men leaned in as he talked with Sango. The oily looking man was awfully close to her.

"Anyway, you know Sango and Kagome are over there making sure that these good people will have no reservations about hosting us tonight. We'll all be back together by the end of the night." he said soothingly, knowing that the hanyou was having a hard time watching Kagome surrounded by numerous young men. Sango seemed to be attracting quite a bit of attention as well, he thought, noticing another young man invading her space. What did she think she was doing, letting them get in close like that? She never let him sit that close to her, he thought, a little irritated.

Of course, it must be even more difficult for Inuyasha when Kagome was the one who had asked him to sit on the opposite side of the fire. She said it was because no one was coming near Sango with him around, and if they weren't careful their invitation might be taken away. Miroku thought she was simply tired of hearing his constant growling every time another young male came over. As more of the self-same young men flirted with Sango, however, Miroku felt the urge to growl himself. Maybe Inuyasha had the right idea, these men looked awfully shady to him. Could they really trust them around Sango and Kagome?

There was yet another yell of 'Banzai!' from across the way and Sango and Kagome once again downed a cup of sake. Miroku's irritation faded somewhat and he smiled to himself as he watched Sango. Her cheeks were flushed, her smile was big and rather silly, and he could see her hand fumble a bit as she tried to place her empty cup on the tray. His eyes took on a slightly wicked sparkle. Tonight might be the perfect time to answer the question that still continued to plague him: what would Sango's mouth taste like? Considering how much sake she was consuming, this could be a very good night.

It wasn't long before the wedding party drifted off to their respective tents. The newlyweds were seen off with laughter and rather lascivious advice, and the rest of the family paid their respects to Sango and Kagome before leaving. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Shippou headed over to their ladies soon after, as the two seemed happy to stay seated.

Inuyasha peered down at Kagome, who leaned back to look up at him, and fell over onto her back. She and Sango both started giggling as Inuyasha reached down to pull her back up to a sitting position by her arms.

"Kagome?" He asked, a lilttle worried.

She stared at him owlishly. "You know what, Inuyasssssha? I love you hair. It's sho- it's pretty. Isn't it pretty, Sango." she asked, her head wobbling as she turned away from Inuyasha's suddenly bright red face to ask the slayer.

Sango gave her an exaggerated nod. "Pretty. I like brown hair though." They both looked to Miroku and started giggling wildly while Miroku rolled his eyes and tried to ignore his own red face.

"And your ears are so cute!" Kagome went on, turning back to Inuyasha again. "I love your ears soooo much. Just so cute I could eat them up!" her wide eyes dropped to his face. "Did you know your eyes are the same color as gold coins? How did your mom do that?" she asked, confused for a moment. He blinked at this and then almost flinched as she focused on his lips and sighed. "But you almost never kissh me." Tears welled up in her eyes and Sango clumsily patted her back. "He's so mean." she wailed. Sango glared at him for her friend.

"Why don't you kissh her? That'sh not very consid- condisher- conshire- not very nice!"

Inuyasha stared at them both in shock, his face flaming. "Miroku?" he asked in a strangled voice. "What the hell's wrong with them? Are they drunk?"

"It's not that difficult to ascertain, is it?" said Miroku wryly. Then he grinned. "Of course, you know what they say: what a man says drunk, he has thought sober. Or in this case, a woman."

"Shut up, Houshi!" Inuyasha said fiercely, still blushing.

Miroku got a rather evil look in his eye. Inuyasha was so obviously embarrassed by the whole thing, he just couldn't resist. "Kagome, "he said sweetly, "would you like Inuyasha to kiss you?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Miroku!" Inuyasha bit out, just before Kagome nodded decisively.

"He's really good at it." she said with a sappy little smile, and Miroku raised an eyebrow at Inuyasha.

"Really? Well, well, will wonders never cease."

"SHUT UP, Houshi!" Inuyasha said even more fiercely. He forgot to keep an eye on Kagome, however, and stumbled back as she stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She looked up him and smiled sweetly. "Aren't you going to kiss me again?" she asked in a plaintive voice. "Don't you like me?" A tear slowly trailed down one smooth cheek and he gulped.

"No…I mean, yes…I mean. Miroku, you started this! Help!" Inuyasha held onto Kagome's shoulders and tried to keep her mouth away from his own. She'd kill him in the morning if he let her do this in front of everyone!

"You damn houshi, don't just stand there with that stupid grin on your face, help me with Kagome!"

Miroku chortled.

"Why won't you kiss me?" Kagome asked, staring up at him. "You don't like me, do you? " she said sadly, more tears winding down her cheeks. She sobbed once.

"You ssshould've said yes." Sango slurred out.

Inuyasha looked at her in surprise. "What? How can you-"

"I'm - not – talking – to – you." Sango said to him slowly. "I was talking to Kagome. She should have said yes to the men." Kagome unwound her arms from Inuyasha's neck and looked at Sango.

"Really?"

"Uh huh. How many of them asked you to marry them, five?" Kagome's eyes grew blurry as she tried to remember. She nodded and Sango sighed. "I only got 3 proposals."

MIroku and Inuyasha suddenly straightened up.

"What?" they both blurted.

"Wow, both of you, huh?" Shippou asked.

Sango and Kagome didn't even notice as Sango continued. "If Inuyasha doesn't want you, you should marry one of them. It'shhh no use being miserable waiting all the time for some faithless man who will never commit."

"Hey!" Miroku and Inuyasha echoed again.

"You sshould get married and be happy." Sango concluded, closing her eyes and laying back in the grass. Kagome nodded to herself so hard she almost fell over and turned away from Inuyasha.

"Maybe tha' tall one." she said to her self, before Inuyasha grabbed her around the waist from behind and yanked her back.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" he growled.

"Le' go!" she tried to push at his arm, but her eyes couldn't quite seem to tell exactly where his arm was.

"I asked where you were going." Inuyasha repeated.

"I'm going to go be happy, like Shango said." she explained.

"Be happy? What the hell does that mean?"

"I'm going to marry the tall one." she said slowly, as though explaining things to a small child. "Didn't you lishten? He didn't have pretty eyes, but I guess…"

"You're not going to get married to anyone!" Inuyasha yelled as Miroku chuckled slightly.

"I wanna get married! Everyone else is getting' married today, and I wan' to get married too! Lemme go!"

"If you were getting married to anyone, it'd be me, dammit!" Inuyasha yelled again. Kagome stopped her rather feeble struggling and turned her head slightly to look back at him.

"Really?"

"Uh…" Why the hell had he said that?

"You want to get married?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she turned to face him.

"Uh…"

"Oh, Inuyasha…"

Miroku started sniggering into his hands as Kagome hugged Inuyasha tightly. The Hanyou held her gingerly, panicking.

"No, wait!" Inuyasha sputtered frantically, finally letting go of her waist. "That's not what I meant! I just meant….I just meant that you shouldn't be getting married, that's all! Kagome, you're drunk, you don't know what you're doing!" She scowled at him and started crying again.

"I – "she sniffled, "am NOT drunk. And I wanna get married. So there." She turned away from Inuyasha. " Sango, help me find the –the…that guy. Can't remember where he went…" Sango looked up blearily from the ground and pushed herself up to a stand, wobbling dangerously.

Miroku continued to chuckle loudly as Inuyasha grabbed Kagome around the waist again. "You are not marrying some strange guy, Kagome! Not if I have to pick you up and take you out of here myself!" he sighed to himself. "Anyway, you wouldn't want to marry me, really. You know you wouldn't even be thinking this way if you hadn't soaked up all that sake."

She sniffled some more and shook her head, trying to figure out why she wasn't still walking forward. "Yesh, I would. Everyone wants to marry the person they love, don't they?" she mumbled.

"Well, yeah, but…." his brain stopped for a moment as her words penetrated. "You- you want to marry the person that …you…love?"

She nodded, still trying to get her feet to move forward. "uh huh. But if you don't wanna get married, then I'm gonna go marry someone else. And be happy, like Sango said. Do you think that would make me happy?" she asked in a confused voice, turning around again to look up at him. He was staring down at her, flabbergasted. "Inuyasha? Are you all right?" she waved a hand in front his face and accidentally slapped him instead.

He blinked, trying to force his brain to keep working. Had she just said…?

I think so, big boy, said his conscience.

She loves me?!

Don't let it go to your head.

She loves me! She thinks I'm great…

Excuse me, what did I just say? Don't get too carried away here.

SHE LOVES ME!

A huge smile broke over his face. His arm tightened and he hugged her close, breathing her in. Standing there embracing her for a moment, he was startled to feel his eyes getting moist. He blinked rapidly.

Shippou stared at them both with his mouth open and Miroku had finally stopped laughing. He simply stood there and grinned happily at them, noting Inuyasha's eyes pointedly.

"I got somethin' in my eyes, Houshi, that's all." Inuyasha growled, and Miroku nodded fondly.

"Of course."

Kagome rested the back of her head on Inuyasha's chest, seeming to have forgotten about going off to marry 'the tall guy,' and Inuyasha stood there, thinking.

Should I do it?

Don't be an idiot, his conscience chimed in immediately. She's drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying. Well, not enough to get married, anyway.

What if she does, though? She said she loves me. That means she'd be happy if we were married, right? She said she loves me…

Okay, whoopee, one point for your side. But think about it, do you really think she was planning to marry you today when you broke camp this morning? Again, don't be an idiot.

If we got married, though, she'd stay here longer. And I wouldn't have to worry about Hojo and those other bastards anymore. And we'd finally be together…

Did you hit your head on Shippou's boulder one too many times? You CANNOT marry Kagome right now! She does NOT want to marry you. All you two do is fight all day long and order each other around…and you suddenly want to get married? Get a clue!

Hey, that's right, she wouldn't be able to order me around as much anymore, once I'm her husband…

HEY! HEY, DUMBASS! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME! OY! DOGBOY! Aw, crap. Honestly, why do I even bother…

Inuyasha scooped Kagome up into his arms and took a deep breath. "All right, then. I'll do it. Me and Kagome are gonna go get married."

Miroku started choking. "Wha-what did you say?"

"Congratulations, Inuyasha! "Shippou said happily, "Wow, what luck. You'd never get someone like Kagome if she was sober."

"Shut up, pipsqueak." Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha, you can't really mean to…" Miroku stopped briefly as Inuyasha stared at him. "Inuyasha, this is serious. You'll be taking advantage of her if you do this when she's in this condition. How can you…"

"Hey, aren't you the one who's always telling me to express my feelings and court Kagome?"

"Not when she's inebriated, you fool!" Miroku said in exasperation. "It's something completely different if you do this when she's not herself."

"Oh, you mean it's more like what you'd do?" Inuyasha shot back.

Miroku glared at him. "That's beneath you."

"But not beneath you, huh?"

"Inuyasha…."

"Hey, if you have such a problem with me refusing to – to respect Kagome's declaration, let's see how you like it, Houshi!" He turned to Sango, who was still wobbling precariously as she hung onto her Hiraikotsu. "Oy, Sango. Miroku here was just saying how much he wishes you and he could get married, too. Whaddaya say?"

"You evil little…" Miroku said with murder in his eyes, just as Sango looked over at him. "Oh damnation, she's going to kill me." Miroku muttered to himself as Sango launched herself at him. He flinched, ready to be knocked flat, and grunted as she fell awkwardly against his chest. He grabbed her arms and opened his eyes to look at her. "Sango?"

Her head lolled back and forth and she smiled goofily up at him. "I would love to get married." she said happily, and now Inuyasha started to snigger as Miroku's face burned hotly.

"Sango?" he asked in a voice that cracked with strain. What in the name of all the Gods was she doing?? "Eh…Sango, really, uh, you're not yourself. I think maybe you should…" he stopped as Sango scowled at him.

"You don't want to?" she asked sadly.

"It's not that, exactly." Just not yet…

"Then let's get married with Inuyasha and Kagome."

"Well, now, let's not be hasty." Why couldn't Inuyasha have asked her if she wanted to kiss him instead?! He could have handled that! As well as finally getting to taste Sango as well, dammit, if she was feeling this amorous. But now…

"Hasty? You're the one who asked me in the first place!" she said, starting to get angry. She stood back from him, and he watched warily as she fingered the handle to her hiraikotsu. How she could be this drunk and still hold that damn thing, he had no idea.

"If you recall," Miroku said, adopting a reasonable tone, "Inuyasha was the one who…"

"Fine! Fine then. I'm fed up with this, Houshi! I'm not watching you flirt and…and womanize anymore! I'm gonna get married and raise babies and stay right here in this stupid little village and you can just…shove off!" she yelled, crying. Miroku watched her with huge eyes, reaching out for her arm. What in the world was going on with her?

"Sango, you know you don't mean that. This isn't like you at all."

"Why? I can't want the same things other women want? I can't be sad? I can't want to have b-b-babies and m-marriage?" she kept crying and Miroku frowned.

"Sango" he said sympathetically. He'd never really thought those things even crossed her mind, in all honesty. She was so driven when it came to finding Kohaku and avenging her family, he'd never really considered too deeply what she might wish for afterwards. "Come along, why don't we find the tent they set aside for us all and you can sleep this off…"

"Get away from me!" Sango yelled, and Miroku ducked to the ground with a very unmanly squeak as she swung the hiraikotsu at his head. "I am going to find one of the men who proposed to me and I'm going to get married! Inuyasha! Kagome! You wait for me right here!" she tried to turn around, losing her balance and almost falling over as she did so.

Miroku had managed to stand at this point and started to scowl. She was going to what? "Sango, you know you don't wish to get married! Calm down and think about this rationally." He reached for her arm again and this time didn't manage to dodge in time. The hiraikotsu caught him in the shoulder and sent him flying.

"NO! I'm getting married! If you're too…too cowardly to stick to your word when you ask someone to marry you…"

"It was Inuyasha!" he yelled, still flat on his back.

"…then just stay away from me, Houshi!"

Miroku scrambled up as she started stumbling away from them. Fists clenched, he stared after her. If she thought he was going to let this stand for one more moment, she was in for a rude surprise. "SANGO! You will NOT do this! I forbid it!" She ignored him and kept on walking.

Inuyasha smirked at Miroku, although he felt just a little guilty. He hadn't honestly thought it would turn out quite the way it had. A little yelling, Miroku getting beat into a pulp, and his litlle bit of revenge..that's what he'd expected. Who knew Sango was drunk enough to actually want to marry the hentai?

Miroku scowled over at Inuyasha. "I'm going to make you regret this, Inuyasha." he threatened. "You realize I can't stop her!"

"Yeah, she can pretty much take you in a fight, can't she?" Inuyasha taunted.

"It's not that, you idiot. I just…I could hurt her in this condition, if we were to fight over this!"

"Okay, I can see that being a problem." Inuyasha admitted.

"So, why don't you put Kagome down and help me!" Miroku asked through gritted teeth.

Inuyasha grinned. "Honestly? Because this is a hell of a lot more fun." he watched Miroku's face go red with anger. "So it's…marry her or watch her marry someone else. Huh." He paused and then asked slyly, "How do you think it'll feel, being married to a woman who can kick your ass?"

"Inuyasha…" he said, warning.

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you before we head to the shrine." Inuyasha said lightly, and Miroku looked behind him to see Sango already out of the center camp and almost out of sight.

"Damn." Miroku swore and took off after her. "Sango, wait! You don't want to do this…"

Inuyasha stayed behind and simply held Kagome, who seemed to be almost asleep in his arms at that point. After about 20 minutes, a frazzled Miroku returned arm in arm with a beaming, inebriated, Sango. He glared at Inuyasha.

"Not one word, Inuyasha. Not. One. Word." He scowled and then smiled as he turned to look at Sango. "All right, my dear. We're here. Are you sure you won't wait until tomorrow? I'm sure it would be lovely to " he choked, "marry when the sun is higher in the sky."

"No. I want the most auspicious day of the year, and that's today!"

"Me, too" chimed in Kagome sleepily.

Inuyasha grinned down at Kagome and nodded. "Good. C'mon, monk, we're going to the shrine." he said happily, and pointedly ignored Miroku's continued glare as he headed over to the shrine on the hill above the village.

xxxxxx

Inuyasha and Miroku walked out of the temple in a daze, each supporting a womanly picture of drunken stupor, while Shippou bounced excitedly behind them.

"I can't believe I'm married." Inuyasha said quietly.

"YOU can't believe you're married?" Miroku asked sharply. "What of me? I'm a MONK! I shouldn't even be able to GET married." Inuyasha started to laugh as Miroku shook his head, obviously still in shock.

"Yeah, but you have to admit, it was worth it to see how fast that damn Shinto Priest started talking once Sango threatened him with the hiraikotsu. Man, some humans are really cowardly."

Miroku smiled weakly. "They were more afraid of you than they were of Sango." Miroku said, color slowly starting to leach back into his pale face. "How often does one encounter a half-demon, let alone perform a marriage for one?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Stupid idiots, think they'd never seen a wedding before, the way they acted."

Shippou preened behind him. "They all loved me, didn't they, Miroku?" Shippou asked, smiling happily as he sucked on a sweet he'd received from another admiring couple at the shrine.

Miroku nodded, breathing deeply as he tried to regain his equilibrium. He was married! Dear Gods above, what the hell was he going to do now?

Married. He looked down at Sango's head, lolling against him as they walked, and took a deep breath. He had not planned on this. Some day in the future, maybe. In the far future, when Naraku and his Kazaana were gone and he could take a moment to think about what he wanted out of life. Still staring at her soft hair, he swallowed slightly. One thought wormed its way up from somewhere deep inside and sprouted, refusing to go away.

What if this marriage didn't work?

How idiotic. He didn't even wish to be married, and he was worrying about the success of it? Ridiculous. But still, this was Sango…

What if this marriage didn't work?

Of all the women he'd ever known, and truly lusted after, Sango was the only one that he still wanted to spend time with. He couldn't imagine not fighting by her side, not traveling with her during the day, not speaking with her in the evenings by the firelight, not touching her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like once Naraku was defeated and they all went their separate ways. How would she survive without someone to care for her when she pushed herself too hard? Who would make sure she that remembered to leave some of the sorrow of the past behind, that she remembered to relax and laugh and find joy in the world again?

He felt a small shock go through his body at the thoughts pouring through him. Had the idea of marrying Sango been hiding itself in the back of his mind, waiting for the right opportunity to show itself? Just how long had he been thinking of Sango as someone to hold onto and care for? How long had he been thinking of her, however slightly, as someone he had a claim to? How long had he been lying to himself?

How long had he been in love with Sango?

He stared down at her, eyes wide. He was in love with Sango. Violent, angry, dedicated, beautiful, sensuous Sango, the woman who was going to beat him to within an inch of his life the moment she overcame whatever odd flight of fancy the sake had induced. What in the world was he going to do? Was there any way he could keep this from turning into an unmitigated disaster? When it came down to it, was there anything that would make Sango amenable to marriage to him?

And almost as important, was there anything that he could do to be allowed near that fantastic body of hers without suffering extreme amounts of pain?

This was going to take some serious thought…

xxxxx

Continuing to walk down the path from the shrine in silence, Inuyasha and Miroku picked their way carefully in the dim twilight. Kagome's legs went boneless after a few minutes and Inuyasha had to heft her into his arms, but Sango managed to stay on her feet, even though her gaze had taken on a death-like stare. Wrapped in his own thoughts, Miroku was now trying to control his wandering hand's impulses once he'd started thinking about Sango's body. Inuyasha was just trying to figure out what to do next. A rustling in the bushes brought both of them to alert, but turned out to be a couple kissing passionately in the shadows. Inuyasha and Miroku looked down at the women, glanced at each other, and blushed furiously.

Miroku cleared his throat, feeling Sango slump even further against him. "I suppose it's not going to be much of a wedding night." he said sadly.

Looking at Kagome, Inuyasha grunted.

Miroku went on. "Probably not much of a morning after the wedding either. They're really going to be miserable tomorrow."

Inuyasha nodded to himself, watching Kagome's face as he held her. She looked so peaceful and unaware…and it made him feel like a bastard. He'd been rather happy until near the end of the ceremony, when Kagome had started to essentially collapse against him, having a hard time understanding what they were there for and what they were doing. At that point, he'd finally realized just how far gone she actually was. She's going to be pretty pissed at me in the morning he thought, grimacing. As far as he was concerned, the human marriage wasn't the core issue of a mating, although his human half of it still viewed it as an important step. Still, they weren't really mated completely until they, well…actually mated. But he had the sneaking suspicion that Kagome was going to be upset no matter what he did now.

Told you not to do it, his conscience piped up. Didn't I tell you not to do it? Didn't I say she didn't know what she was doing?

Shut up.

And now it's too late and what're you going to do? Make love to her while she's passed out cold?

Of course not! he thought in surprise. Man, his conscience had a really dirty mind sometimes. I'll just…I'll just… He paused, thinking hard. What the hell am I going to do? She's going to kill me when she wakes up!

Exactly. Dead hanyou walking, that's you. Kiss future peace goodbye, because your WIFE is going to make your life a living hell. And don't forget, this is Kagome…she is damn scary when she's pissed. Oh, don't expect me to save you, either. There's only so much violence I can watch without getting sick, and I have a feeling Kagome's going to go over my limit. I'm getting the hell out of here until Kagome calms down…

Coward.

Inuyasha stopped, noticing that Miroku had paused a few feet before him, trying to juggle Sango, the hiraikotsu, and now Shippou, who was leaning on him rather sleepily.

"They're going to kill us when they wake up, aren't they." he said glumly.

Miroku nodded faintly, still trying to get a hold on Sango that wouldn't topple himself and the hiraikotsu over on top of her. "Quite definitely." They both stood there silently, imagining what the next day would bring.

"It's all your fault, you know…" they both accused, and continued to stare at their new wives.