A/N: I don't usually reply to reviews because I don't want to waste your time but I want to thank you all for the love you give this story. Thank you for reading and being patient with my slow ass.
Once again - a thousand thanks to Cstorm86 for defeating a thousand typo.
Never A Dull Moment
A new day rose over the expanse of Inuyasha's Forest, golden rays shining down between the lush leaves and swaying branches of the trees to the ground covered by grass, flowers and old leaves. Deer and boar. hare and bear walked the meandering paths under the whispering canopy of the trees, where birds sang their morning songs. Foxes and badgers enjoyed the new day as well, lazing in their favorite spots. Colorful fish swam in the river and streams feeding it, glistening in the sunlight, as fast and agile as the birds dancing in the branches overhead.
Above all this the Sacred Tree, ancient and wise, stood tall like the general of an army, like a living mountain, a kami among the common meadow surrounding it was basked in dappled light filtered through its massive branches, air smelling sweet and the atmosphere serene. Yet, a keen nose could still pick up the faint smells of the evening before, the blood, the fright, the tears and the canine that claimed this forest as his. The Tree knew him well, after his long slumber against its trunk. In a way he was its impersonation, overseeing the woodlands, protecting those living there. In a way it was as if the Tree had been the plant side and the canine the animal side of the same idea, of the forest spirit that stood guard over all in the forest's shade. In the minds of many of the humans living in the villages scattered in the forest, they were as one, especially after past half a century. The Tree was much older than the canine and wasn't conscious in the same manner, but it didn't mind, content to provide shelter, grant peace of mind and serenity of the soul.
And from the lower branches of the Sacred Tree a chime of bells could be heard on the wind. Bells that gentle hands had tied for the new inhabitant of the forest.
The one, who was currently standing in the doorway of her new room and rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. yawning and telling herself that it was the dawn of the new day, the start of a new chapter in her life, the beginning of something exciting and amazing.
Well, until her eyes landed on the overthrown laundry basket zig-zagging down the corridor and bleeding dirty clothes along the way.
Curious and bewildered, Kagome followed the lasket, stepping over a kosode and a few changes of... other underwear... until she reached the basket,.She tapped the top of it and the container stopped on its way from under one wall to another.
"Um... Excuse me?" she asked.
"Shhhh!" the basket hushed her in a muffled voice. She smirked when she recognized Shippou.
"But you're making sort of a mess all over the corridor," she pointed out. "Inuyasha won't be pleased when he sees it."
"What the dog can't see the dog can't bark about," the fox said in a tone reserved for proverbs.
"You never met Sakura's family dog. He can bark at the wind," she giggled.
"Keh! Wind is something you can see! I mean it's more like smelling... Or touching... You get the idea, right?" the basket argued loudly.
And it was its undoing, because a group of dogs rounded the corner and ran towards them, yipping happily. Kagome managed to duck under the opposite wall, avoiding being pounced on by the happy pups, that followed the kitsune, that ran from under the basket and dashed away. Kagome looked after the tornado of hanging tongues, glimmering eyes, perked ears and wagging tails, before she leaned towards the discarded basket and put the laundry back in, shaking the dust off of it. It had been clean before Shippou'd decided to use it as his hiding spot, and it still smelled of fresh air, so she guessed Inuyasha wouldn't mind it not being in pristine condition.
Basket in hand, Kagome walked towards Inuyasha's room, tapping at the door before she slid it open. The hanyou was gone, the shoji to the engawa left partially open to let in some fresh air. The girl put the basket by the door and walked to the engawa, Inuyasha rarely used it, outside of the part outside of the common room. It was the first time she had a chance to check out the view from Inuyasha's room, but as she looked outside, she saw that it wasn't any different from her own room - a wall of the forest, tinted by the barrier surrounding the den.
It was clear that Inuyasha's father had chosen this location not for the views, but for the safety, because as much as the forest was a lovely view, the den was built not on a hill to provide some elevation, nor near a river or a lake. It was akin to the mansion of Hojo family in its simple grace of build and pretty wood, but it wasn't in a spot where many could admire the building.
Kagome pondered that as she walked towards the kitchen, happy barks and shrieks coming from where Shippou's room was located. When she stepped in the kitchen, she found Myouga there.
"Good morning, my lady!" the flea greeted from where he sat on the low table used to prepare - and often eat - food. It was located near the shoji to the engawa, opposite to the cabinets and cupboards. The flea had a tiny cup of tea in his hand and seemed to be enjoying a break from all the ruckus the pups made. "Master Inuyasha went on a patrol but he will be back around midday. Which is not that far. I hope you restored your strength and feel well now."
Kagome blushed, realizing that she had overslept her first day in her new home.
"Good morning, Myouga." she greeted. "And you don't have to use titles for me, I am no longer a village miko."
These words were bittersweet, but true. She wasn't sure how her interactions with the villages would be now, but she didn't want to think about that right now.
"Oh, no, I must!" the flea chuckled. "You are my master's chosen and if you accept his... mark and youki, you will become the wife of my lord. Don't forget, despite his rough demeanor, he is of noble blood."
"Uh..." Kagome remembered the previous evening when Inuyasha had this air of authority about himself. "Mark and youki, what do you mean?"
"Make yourself a cup of tea, my lady," the old youkai gestured to the kettle hanging over the embers. "Youkai customs are unlike human ones and, knowing master and his... way with words... he'd only confuse you if he tries to explain."
Kagome giggled and hurried to make herself some green tea before she joined Myouga at the table.
"I'm all ears," she announced with a smile.
"Alright," he sat more comfortably and took a sip from his cup. "As you know, youkai are beings who rely on their instinct. These who can override it and act more like humans are commonly referred to as higher youkai, the lower youkai are mostly like animals and their mating rite is beastly - they bite and scratch each other, sometimes making irreparable damage."
Kagome's smile was long gone when he paused. He offered her a soothing smirk. She had seen those lower youkai, since they were usually the ones attacking the village, brutal and ruled by insatiable hunger and desire to destroy.
"Yet, as you know, my master - and by the way Shippou and I as well - are of higher rank. Our society is akin to yours in many ways. We might get... a tad rough with our partners, but never beyond the limits. We can feel and act upon our feelings, social expectations and tradition, along with our animal instincts. We mark our mates, but never by scarring them and never as a sign of ownership. It has more to do with accepting to the tribe, pack and house. Having a mating mark is akin to a human custom of exchanging oaths in marriage."
"So, how do you do that?" she asked when he hummed to himself. It was a rare treat, a real lecture on youkai customs by one of their kind and obviously enjoying the sound of his own voice.
"When the pair is arranged or desires to wed, the courting starts. It starts with scent marking for most animal youkai," he said. "The intended partners during their courtship imprint their scent on each other. They exchange gifts to prove their dedication, groom each other and often... explore each other. Then, if they decide to mate, they will... pass some of their youki to each other. It's commonly accepted to do so during their mating," he grinned when Kagome's cheeks flushed. "But it is not required. Lord Inuyasha will draw his sigil on your skin with his youki, repeatedly."
"Uh, but why?" she blinked. She had been thinking that the mark was a one time thing. Her cheeks remained flushed, but she wasn't going to let her shyness stop her from getting answers, especially since the source wasn't teasing her.
"Well, the more times it's drawn, the more youki you will absorb. You will be the one to judge how much you wish to acquire. In matings by two youki users, both draw their sigils, but as you are not only a human, but a reiki user, I'm not certain drawing a sigil on my master will beget any results"
"Oh," Kagome lowered her head. "Will he get weaker if he shares his youki with me?"
Myouga shook his head. "Not really. His body will replenish what it will give away. And you will be granted some of his powers as the result of housing his youki - the bigger amount, the more. Lady Izayoi got three repetition marks and she was able to reach her ear with a foot."
Kagome laughed at the mental image of a princess in multi-layered kimono sitting on the floor and performing the act. It was even more amusing by the fact that she'd seen Inuyasha scratching his ear with a foot many times.
"And she was still basically a human," Myouga chuckled himself. "But this will be a thing of the future for you, my lady. First we must survive the courting."
"Should I be prepared for something specific?" she asked,, sobering a little.
"Gifts of meat you should accept as a sign of accepting his advances." he put a finger to his mouth, thinking. "Random introductions to play, chase or be chased. As the time progresses he might want to brush your hair or nibble at your ears or neck," he chuckled again. "Inu youkai can be amusing to watch as they approach their intended mates and try to woo them. I sure will stick around to... oversee the process."
Kagome flushed and somehow managed to knock her cup over. She gasped and hurried to wipe the spilled tea, Myouga leaping to the safe distance from the flooding liquid. He sat on her shoulder, sharing more tips with her.
Kagome, still a tad flushed, opened the shoji to hang the damp rag on the engawa railing, just to reveal Inuyasha landing there, a few paces away.
"Uh... Inuyasha," she greeted awkwardly, her fingers playing with the edge of the rag in her hands. He stood and turned to look at her, his eyes oddly vacant. He moved with less grace, his movements sharp and stiff.
"Oh, my most beloved pickled plum," he uttered in a dreamy voice.
"Eh?" the healer blinked in surprise, then blushed hot red. Myouga had told her he was going to be affectionate, but she'd never expected such a drastic change. Gone was her usual nickname of wench, now the forest spirit - his ears lax and his smile a bit dopey - gave her a new one. Was it wrong of her to miss being called a wench? He took a step towards her, moving like a sleepwalking person and she found herself taking a step back. After all the information dumped on her by Myouga she wasn't yet ready to be that close to him without looking like a flustered maiden.
"Are you trying to run away again, my love? It's futile, you know," he murmured in a seductive tone. "There's nowhere to run to anymore. I waited for so long..."
"Um, Inuyasha, can you..." she started. His words and the way he was looking at her shoulder were unnerving, to say the least. Was he expecting her to run, so he could chase her?
"I can sense you," he almost sang and that made her frown. He was right in front of her, there was no need for 'sensing' her when he could just see her.
"Flee, my lady, flee!" Myouga's voice shrieked beside her ear and Kagome reacted without actually thinking. The amount of sheer terror in Myouga's voice made her body move without her actually giving it a command.
She ran to a pantry and slammed the wooden door behind herself just in time before Inuyasha could grab her. He wasn't moving as fast as usual and his aim was a bit off. She managed to close the lock with shaking hands.
Kagome rested her back against the door and slid to sit under it. She reached to her shoulder and picked up Myouga, pale and motionless, and looked at him shaking where he sat in her palm.
"Myouga? It wasn't a... normal... courting thing, right?" she asked. Not even once she thought about an imposter using an illusion of Inuyasha, the barrier wouldn't let in such a person. "What's wrong with Inuysha?"
From the other side of the door she heard a distinct sound of scratch.
"My dearest, resistance is futile! Just give in and let's retire to your room to make clouds and rain until we pass out!"
Myouga's complexion took on an unhealthy hue and he swayed as on the brink of passing out there and then. Kagome covered her mouth with her free hand, her cheeks almost getting on fire. She was innocent, yes, but she knew what that phrase meant.
And sure as hell she wasn't ready to do that with the man making a longing puppy noises behind the door.
"Go away! I'm too young to chain myself like this!" Myouga yelled.
"Too young for this?!" Inuyasha roared in agitation. "You scoundrel! I wilted away waiting for you to come back and finally wed me, like you promised!"
Kagome came out of her daze when Inuyasha's fist hit the door behind her, enough to make it vibrate, but not to shatter it.
"Myouga, what's going on? What's wrong with Inuyasha?" she demanded.
"It's not Inuyasha," he uttered. "I mean... it is him, yes, but... she had to possess him to get inside the barrier..."
"She?" Kagome asked. The riddle had some pieces missing
"Shouga, my fiancee," Myouga whispered in a voice filled with dread. "Our parents arranged our marriage a long time ago."
"That's me, my beloved!" hollered the hanyou behind the door. "And you better stop leaving me to run after some pretty girls!"
Kagome's eyes narrowed. She remembered Inuyasha once or twice uttering this name to scare the old flea. And now, now it seemed the forest spirit's retainer had been stringing the poor lady along for so long, that she finally snapped and possessed the poor Inuyasha to get to her groom.
Kagome's fingers curled around Myouga like petals of a deadly plant, so gently that he didn't notice until it was too late.
"Lady Shouga?" she uttered, causing their argument to stop abruptly. "I will hand over your fiancee, but you have to release mine. Deal?"
"You're not one of Myouga's pretty friends?" Inuyaasha's voice carried a heavy weight of surprise.
"What? No, of course not!" Kagome shook her head. "I mean, I am his friend, but nothing more. So, do we have a deal?"
"Oh, sorry, dear. Yes, we have a deal," Inuyasha agreed, a hint of shame in his voice for assuming something that wasn't true.
"What?" Myouga gasped and tried to run away, but Kagome held him firmly as she stood up. "No! Lady Kagome, how can you do that to me?"
Kagome glared down at him. "You can't break a girl's heart and run away when you promised to marry her," she said and opened the door.
Inuyasha stood there, his arms hanging at his sides, one ear cocked sideways as he blinked like a person woken from a deep slumber.
"Kagome?" he asked. "What's going on?"
She let out a sigh of relief and stepped out into the kitchen. She showed him Myouga, still struggling to get free.
"His fiancee possessed you," she explained.
"Master, have mercy!" Myoga cried. "As a fellow young hunk, you..."
"Psh! A young hunk?" came a shrill voice from Inuyasha's collar and a new flea, this time dressed in pink robe and with long gray hair, jumped to land on Kagome's wrist. "I gave you the best years of my life, you ungrateful male! I got tired of waiting and came looking for you! And I had to use this poor boy to finally get to you!"
Inuyasha's puzzled expression turned into a deep scowl.
"You possessed me?" he asked, his voice low. "Explain yourself, old woman."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome admonished him in a whisper. "Don't call her that."
"Oh, it's alright," the flea lady shook her head, smoothing her hands down the front of her kimono. "When a flea reaches my age, she wants to settle down and have a family... And you know my Myouga, always running away to flirt with young girls. I finally had enough and swore to hunt him down and marry him, even if by using underhanded methods."
"No, I don't want to!" Myouga cried out, but no one listened to him.
"How did you find this place?" Inuyasha asked the female flea.
"Oh, this was easy. Myouga left a pretty easy to follow train leading from the nearest teahouse back here," she glared at her groom, still in Kagome's hand. "I didn't mean any harm to you or to frighten your fiancee."
That made Inuyasha look up at Kagome, his eyes piercing. She bit her bottom lip, remembering all what he'd said - well, it had been Shouga, but it had been Inuyasha's voice. Her cheeks flushed crimson and she looked away.
"Kagome...?" he asked and scowled at the other female, who bowed her head.
"I... Uh... I was a bit startled... that's all," she mumbled.
"I apologize and I promise it wasn't anything frightening," Shouga assured him, but the lowered ears on top of his head showed he wasn't convinced. Nor pleased. Kagome guessed Myouga was in deep trouble, Inuyasha was very strict when it came to the secrecy of the location of his den.
"Myouga..." he growled.
"Master,it was an accident! Please, don't let the days of my precious freedom come to an end!" Myouga cried.
"Hey, guys! What's up?" Shippou bounced in the kitchen, his kimono and hair showing signs of a long roughhousing with the pups. Kagome got distracted just for a moment, her fingers twitching just a fraction as she shifted her attention to the kit to smile at the boy.
It was enough.
"Oh, you slippery rascal!" Shouga's voice cut the air before Kagome could say anything to Shippou.
She just saw a crow landing on the engawa, a small person jumping on its back before it took off. Shouga jumped after the escaper, ordering him to land and face his wedding. Before she could reach the barrier and get stopped, Inuyasha waved a hand.
"Shouga can pass," he declared aloud and the barrier shimmered, allowing the flea bride to pass. "Good hunting, old lady!"
."Who was that?" Shippou asked casually as he climbed to sit on Kagome's shoulder.
"Myouga's fiancee." she explained. "She came here looking for him."
"I see. Fiancees are true demons," Shippuu nodded sagely. Kagome gave him a sideways glance and shook her head.
"Not true. They just want to become wives at some point," she said instead of reminding him that she was a fiancee - of sorts - as well.
Inuyasha, standing in the shoji and looking after the crow disappearing into the distance, tuned to look at her. He dug one hand in his sleeve to produce a small skin bag. He hung the string tying it closed on Kagome's still raised hand.
"Here. For you," he said, carefully not looking in her face. Kagome blushed and carefully undid the ties to reach inside and...
"Uh..." she grunted.
"What? What is it? Show me!" Shippou pawed at her shoulder with his tiny hands, curious. She winced and pulled out of the bag Inuyasha's gift.
A - still warm - liver.
"Wow, neat!" Shippou grinned and gave Inuyasha an appreciative glance, but Inuyasha's attention was focused elsewhere. Kagome gulped - he wasn't looking her way, but his ears were pointing at her. 'Wait, Myouga said I should accept Inuyasha's food gifts, right...? Now I understand why he said I have to survive the courtship...'
"Um, thank you, Inuyasha," she forced a smile on her face. Then a sudden idea came to her mind and her smile turned genuine. "Say, would you like me to prepare it for you?"
"Feh! It's for you, wench!" he grumbled, his cheeks covered in light dusting of pink, his body relaxing from the tensed waiting for her reaction.
"Oh, of course, but I want to share some with you, too. And with you," she tilted her head to rub her cheek against Shippou's, causing the boy to make a small pleased noise. "It goes both ways, you give me food and I give you."
Shippou snickered when Inuyasha turned away, but she noticed the dusting of pink getting darker on his face. "Feh, do as you want!"
"Does it mean you will eat it with me, Inuyasha?" she pressed, finding it amusing that she found a way to escape eating the liver raw and make Inuyasha blush
"Keh!" he scoffed. "Of course I will! I eat all the food you make, unless the brat steals some!"
"Oi! I'm just taking my fair share! I'm still growing, you know!" Shippou defended himself as she turned to put the liver in an empty pot. Inuyasha snorted, but didn't argue with the boy.
Silence lingered just for a moment.
"Kagome... What did the old hag made me say?" Inuyasha asked in a tone of voice indicating he both wanted and didn't want to know.
The miko almost dropped the pot on her feet. Stiffly, she placed it on the counter and reached to relocated Shippou from her shoulder to the spot next to it.
"I remembered I was going to wash my hair," she said and dashed towards the door, both hands covering her flaming cheeks, leaving two confused youkai in her wake.
.
A golden circlet landed on silver hair of a female, who raised her eyebrows before she reached to remove it from her head. She tilted it as she inspected the object. It pulsed with magic, but not strong enough to charm her.
"What was this toy supposed to do?" she asked and tossed the circlet back at the huge male sitting on the tatami mat of her audience room. She herself lounged on a wide throne, resting her elbow on an armrest as she watched the male blink his black eyes at her.
"It was... supposed... to charm you, silver lady," he confessed and she wondered if he was simply an honest man or just that stupid. "It seems the rumors of your power being second only to your beauty are true."
"You barely arrived from the continent and you already know the rumors? she shook her head, het twin ponytails fanning out behind her.
"Well, I asked who was the most beautiful woman in the land and everyone said that the Lunar Akita Alpha. So I came to you to offer you my own immense power and alliance sealed by marriage."
Her golden eyes widened just a fraction as she looked at the man. He was... not appealing, to say the least. But at the same time he was of high birth, being a descendant of great sage from China. She supposed laughing him off wouldn't be polite.
She smirked and hid her smile behind her hand.
"The offer is... intriguing. But I don't know your might. You will have to complete a task to prove you're worthy to stand Alpha over the Lunar Akita and Lord over the Western Lands at my side."
"Yeah, I heard females in this land like to do that," he said in his booming voice, too loud for the refined room he was sitting in. "I'm ready to prove myself to you and your court."
He made a wide gesture to indicate the handful of court members lucky enough to be in the audience room to witness his boldness.
"Alright. Here's your task. In a human village to the east, surrounded by a forest called Inuyasha no Mori, lives a miko."
"A miko?" he grunted in surprise. She confirmed with a nod.
"You will bring her to me, unharmed and in good mood," she said.
"May I ask... why?" he frowned, still confused.
"It's simple. I want to keep her. Any youkai can slay a miko or kidnap a human girl - the difficulty is in bringing her here without causing her any distress, harm or other discomfort. Do it and I shall pick up an auspicious day for the union of our houses."
The wanna-be suitor grunted like a pig again and ran out of the room. The crowd stared at her, mouth agape, as she hid her giggles behind a sleeve, her shoulders shaking.
"Alright, what's on the agenda next?" she asked after a long while of laughing. Her attendant turned at her his huge, unblinking eyes.
"Honorable lady..." he whispered, She waved a hand dismissively.
"Do not fret. He has no chance to complete this task," she assured him, thinking about the tiny human girl she'd met last winter. She'd been carrying the scent of Izayou's pup and Kimiko knew that the boy blessed with Touga's looks and attitude wouldn't wait long to make her his mate.
And there was no way a silver inu would allow a pig steal his mate.
A/N: And here it is. Finally introducing my mating mark heacanon.
Will Kagome survive the courtship? Will the Chinese boar get Sesshy's mom's paw in marriage? Will Sesshy get a stroke when he hears the news?