InuYasha was trudging his way up the stairs, his hands in his sleeves, still a little out of sorts after the evening meal, when he felt a tugging at his sleeve.

'Hey, InuYasha? Can I talk to you?' said a voice from by his elbow, and he hesitated, looking down.

Souta was looking troubled, and InuYasha paused. 'Fine.' He said, turning to face him.

'Good.' Souta replied, then headed back down the stairs, through the house, and through the back door and into the warm evening.

They stepped outside, and sat down on the back step, Souta was looking decidedly uncomfortable.

'What do you want to talk about?' InuYasha asked him, a true example of the tact that this hanyou possessed.

'Well,' Souta laced his fingers in his lap, looking away. 'I just wanted to ask you something.'

InuYasha said nothing, however he watched the boy carefully.

'Um,' Souta started, clearly looking uncomfortable. 'It's just, well,'

'Spit it out,' InuYasha said shortly.

'It's just this time,' he said looking back around, 'there's something different.'

'What are you talking about?'

'I mean, this time that Onee-chan's come back, she's really distracted. And there's something that's bothering you, but I can't figure out what it is.'

InuYasha frowned at the boy, but was silent.

'I just wanna know, did something happen? Was it something to do with what happened last time you came here? Are you okay, InuYasha?'

InuYasha was a little surprised as to the conclusion the boy had drawn. 'I'm fine. Nothing's wrong.'

'Oh, okay then. But something's definately happened.' Souta's gaze did not lift from its level of seriousness that defied his age, but he did blink. 'Did you tell Onee-chan?'

'Tell her what?'

'You know,' he hesitated, looking a little embarrased. 'Tell her that you love her.'

InuYasha went bright red so fast he was nearly dizzy, looking away. 'I, er,' was all he could manage.

'Or did she tell you? Because she does, you know.' Souta added, not looking the least bit embarrased.

'I, I know that.' He said in an attempt of his usual bravado.

It was Souta's turn to look surprised. 'Really? So she did tell you? Did you tell her too? Who told who first?'

InuYasha was fidgeting greatly, looking anywhere but at the boy, still the same colour as his haori.

'You did?' Souta said, then paused, looking surprised. 'You did?'

InuYasha made an uncomfortable noise, looking precisly like he wanted to flee.

'What happened?'

InuYasha continued his embarrased silence, decidedly both unwilling and unable to answer the boy.

'Come on, tell me,' Souta complained, tugging on his sleeve again.

'Why?' InuYasha shot.

'Because I want to know.' Souta shot back.

InuYasha pulled his sleeve free from the boy, looking thoroughly disgruntled, muttering darkly.

'Please?'

'If all you're going to do is talk nonsense, then I'm going back inside.'

'No! Don't! Just tell me!'

InuYasha stood, a little overwhelmed, muttered something about a waterfall, and fled inside, leaving Souta, looking a little stunned, and very confused.

InuYasha rushed upstairs, nearly broke Kagome's door as he barged inside, and almost slammed it shut behind him, leaning against it, grumbling darkly and profusely, crossing his arms, clearly not noticing the occupant he nearly scared the living daylights out of.

'What are you doing, InuYasha?' Came a familiar voice and he looked up, to see one bright red Kagome herself, a brush halfway through her hair, and wearing nothing but a towel, still slightly damp from her bath. 'Sit!'

InuYasha spontaniously headbutted the floor, but did not look up when he could.

'What's wrong?' She asked him, removing her hairbrush from her hair and setting it down.

'You sat me.' He muttered darkly.

'Well, apart from that. You look a little upset.' She pulled on her pyjama top around her shoulders, over top of the towel, and sat down.

'Your brother wanted a, talk.' He said, looking up, but his eyes were examining the corner of her bedpost.

'Oh? What about? Not girls, hopefully. I think he learned his lesson last time.'

'N-, well, sort of,' InuYasha corrected himself, 'he was worried about you.'

'Me?' She paused. 'I don't think I've done anything to cause him to worry, have I?'

The spell released him and he sat up, but turned away, facing the door.

'No, he noticed what was going on.'

'What do you mean; "what's going on"?' Kagome said curiously.

'I mean,' he was obviously embarrassed, but her eyes went wide.

'Did he figure out,' she hesitated, 'you know, that you, well, what you asked me? The last, um, new moon?'

InuYasha turned blotchetty, his attempt to go both bone white and brick red at the same time, leaping to his feet. 'No!' He nearly exclaimed, turning to face her. 'Just, just, just that, that, uh, that I, told you, that, I, love you.' He was still thoroughly embarrassed over his far more naturally open human self, unbelieving that it would cause him to ask such an unbelievably mushy question, despite him being glad about it nonetheless.

'Oh!' She looked relieved, letting out a sigh, still turning red.

'He said you were distracted about something.' InuYasha said, looking slightly more serious. 'Is something wrong?'

Kagome looked a little caught out. 'Well, no, nothing all that important.'

He frowned at her, however. 'What?'

'Just something that Takara-chan said to me, and all this stuff about weddings had me thinking.'

'What did she say?'

'Uh,' She looked at him for a long moment, before she looked away, turning a darker shade or red. 'Nothing.'

He frowned at her. 'You want to,' the blotchetty-ness deepened, red winning out over white.

'Well, I,' she turned beetroot, and turned away, 'uh,'

He was looking like he itchingly wanted to start pacing, but did not. 'I thought, that,'

'That what?'

'That, well, that, was, uh, part of, the, deal?' He said to her doorknob.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, standing. 'Really?'

He span to face her, looking nervous.

'It's just, I wasn't,' she hesitated, then nodded. 'Sure! Yes, of course! I just, wasn't, sure.'

He grinned at her, still a deep shade of red, as she stepped over.

'I love you.' She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, and resting her head against his clavicle.

'I, love you too.' He replied, slipping his own arms around her waist, hunching over a little to rest his face against the side of her neck, but she froze instantly as his movement dislodged the corner that held her towel in place, and it seemingly sprang open under her pyjama shirt that was loosely hanging around her shoulders.

Carefully, she unpeeled herself, holding her rather bare outfit up with her hands, bright red, as InuYasha leapt back, his hands raised surrenderingly, catching only a glance at underneath before fixing his gaze at the far corner of the ceiling.

'I'll go.' InuYasha said, flaming the colour of his haori, before disappearing through the door behind them before she could say a word.

Again, one of my favourites to write. My god, Souta is hilarious :3

Wedding itself is next chapter, and then some very interesting events happen! No spoilers :P

Please review!