Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the anime and/or manga. The little girls and the monk are mine, though :)

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all well. There is a lemon in the last section (because Inuyasha and Kagome can't help themselves, haha), so consider yourselves warned ^_^

That being said, I really hope you enjoy! Lots of fun little things happening in this (extended!) chapter to move along the plot and characters.


Inuyasha should have expected Kagome to be up with the dawn the day after their wedding. He heard her before he saw her; he felt her bouncing around on the bed as she tossed and turned; he felt her hands moving gently up and down his back and around to his front; he heard the hitch in her breath as she tried to roll him over; and he saw her face, peering down at his expectantly, as he slowly opened one golden eye.

"Mate," he grumbled, "what in blazes are you doing?"

Her fingers traced his shoulder blades. "Nothing." Her voice was light.

He reached up and wrestled her over him. "It's not nothing, woman." He was waking up more quickly than he had anticipated as she continued to ghost her fingers over his back and chest. She kissed him, again lightly, and nuzzled his cheek.

"Are you looking for a repeat of last night?" he asked huskily.

She pulled back a little. "Maybe."

Inuyasha propped himself up on his elbows. "Maybe?"

Kagome's fingers didn't stop moving. "I wanted—to talk to you first."

"You don't need to tempt me with sex to get me to talk to you, 'Gome," he said. He paused. "Unless…unless something's wrong."

Now she stopped touching him. "Something is wrong?" he asked, horrified.

"I'd—like to start looking for Shippo," she said. "As soon as possible."

He sighed. He'd expected this discussion last night, not this morning. "Koishii, I don't know if there's anything we can do," he said softly. "If the runt doesn't want to be found, we're not gonna be able to find him."

"I know that," she answered stubbornly. "But we left him, Inuyasha. He was like our son. And we left!" Her voice wobbled.

"It's not like we had a choice, mate," he said flatly. "Don't try to make this out to be something we did to him. We all went into that final battle together, and we all knew the risks."

"He was just a little kid!" Kagome protested.

"That doesn't matter," Inuyasha replied harshly. "He knew what we were up against. He knew the risks, mate," he said again, then softly repeated, "we all knew the risks."

"I still want to look for him," she said.

Inuyasha sat up fully and took her into his arms. "Then we will," he promised. "But, you have to let me do this my way."

She snorted. "And what does that mean? Are you going to sniff him out?"

He rolled his eyes. "Funny from someone who likes to call me 'dog boy.'" He kissed her forehead. "I'll ask my bastard brother for help."

Now it was Kagome's turn to roll her eyes. "Sesshomaru won't help us."

"I'm the Prince of the West, mate," he said, his eyes sparkling, "I think that he owes me. Basically forever."

She squealed and kissed him. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

He flipped her over and licked her mark. She moaned. "Oh, you're gonna thank me for this one, mate." His voice was husky and his eyes dropped to a dark, burning amber. "Over… and over."


True to his word, as soon as they came back from their mini honeymoon, Inuyasha shut himself in Sesshomaru's study and began the search for Shippo. He quickly learned that Sesshomaru had a team of private investigators with links to the human police, demonslayers, and the seedy underbelly of youkai life. He spent several days talking with them, going over particulars of Shippo's case and seeing if there was any news of a kitsune matching his description popping up over the years. The first trails they found ran cold, and the investigators told him the same thing Miroku had said in his letter: if a kitsune doesn't want to be found, it's virtually impossible to find him. Sesshomaru allowed Inuyasha to put two of his investigators on the case fully, but only for a few weeks. If they couldn't find anything, Sesshomaru would consider the case cold and pull his people.

Kagome took the news as well as could be expected. Truth be told, she had secretly wondered why no one had told Shippo of their arrival on the other side of the well, in this time, or why he hadn't come seeking them out. Now she knew: it was because no one knew where he was to tell him. She thought about asking Kouga if he could help—Shippo had always liked Kouga, once he got over the fact that Kouga once tried to feed him to his wolves—but she also knew that might destroy the fragile truce between the Lord of the North and the Prince of the West.

No, she told herself at kyudo practice as she let arrow after arrow fly, I've got to let this play out. I've got to be smart, if I want to find Shippo.

"Higurashi-kun!" came the familiar snarky call from across the field. Kagome looked up to see Suzuki-sensei scowling at her. Practice was outside, and Inuyasha was lounging against a tree on the other side of the field, absently scrolling through his phone. Kagome smiled at the sight of her Feudal Era husband doing something so 21st century, then snapped to attention when Suzuki-sensei called her again.

"Yes, sensei?" Kagome asked politely, lowering her bow.

Suzuki-sensei stalked over to her, her glasses slightly askew. "Your technique is slipping," she said brusquely, looking Kagome over carefully. "Anything on your mind, Higurashi-kun?" She smirked. "Or is Fujimura-san too much of a distraction?"

Kagome lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, sensei. I've had a lot on my mind. It won't happen again."

Suzuki-sensei reached out and patted Kagome awkwardly on the shoulder. Kagome nearly flinched at the surprisingly kind gesture from her gruff sensei, but managed to relax under Suzuki-sensei's touch.

"If you need someone to talk to, Higurashi-kun," she said, "I could be a good, objective ear."

Kagome smiled. "Thanks, sensei. Maybe I'll take you up on it."

Suzuki-sensei's face twisted into something Kagome could almost call a smile. "Get back to your practice, Higurashi," she said, dropping the honorific. "I expect you to place higher than sixth in the hassetsu this time around."

Kagome's grin grew wider. "Yes, sensei."

After practice was over, Kagome gestured to Inuyasha that she'd be back shortly, and followed Suzuki-sensei into the gym and back to her office. "Suzuki-sensei?" she asked tentatively. "Can we talk now?"

Suzuki-sensei chuckled and pushed her glasses up on her nose. "I didn't think you'd want to talk today, with your boyfriend waiting for you." She gestured to the seat by her desk; Kagome sat there, and Suzuki-sensei sat behind her desk, clasping her hands together and leaning forward on her elbows.

"He'll wait," Kagome replied shortly. Suzuki-sensei looked at her expectantly. Kagome took a deep breath.

"Have you ever lost someone important to you, sensei, and not even realized it until it was too late? Until you couldn't do anything to help them or find them? Or maybe…" Kagome paused. "Maybe they're gone and there's nothing you can do about it at all?"

Suzuki-sensei's face was impassive. She sighed, and took her glasses off; she slowly cleaned them on the hem of her shirt, then slipped them back on, peering at Kagome through the clean lenses.

"Yes, Higurashi-kun," she replied. "I have. I know exactly what you mean."

"It's just been on my mind a lot," Kagome said, thinking of Shippo. "How can I put it out of my mind? How do I focus? How do I move on?"

"Those are deep questions, Higurashi-kun," Suzuki-sensei replied. "Are you sure you want me to be the person you discuss them with?"

Kagome thought about Inuyasha. What would he say? She knew he was fond of Shippo, but she also knew that he thought of the kitsune as an annoying runt and wasn't as attached to him as Kagome was. He would just tell her that he'd try to find Shippo, but if he couldn't, then they would simply keep going with their lives. That what happened wasn't their fault, even if it felt that way.

"I'd like to hear your opinion as an objective outsider, sensei," Kagome said simply.

Suzuki-sensei leaned forward on her hands a bit, staring at Kagome intensely. It was a little intimidating; Kagome wasn't going to lie. She maintained a level gaze at her kyudo coach.

"I think that you seem to be holding a lot of feeling about this person," Suzuki-sensei said carefully. "I think that you maybe even blame yourself for what happened to this person?" Kagome nodded slightly, her breath catching. "I don't think you should do that. Was there anything you could have done to help this person?"

Kagome swallowed hard. "No, sensei. It was a situation that was out of my control, that we knew might not end the way we expected."

"Then you need to stop beating yourself up, Higurashi-kun. We all make our choices in life. If this person did something, and you couldn't help them, because the situation was beyond your control, then how can you blame yourself?"

Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of her sensei, but she couldn't help it. "I feel like I let this person down, sensei."

"And you don't want to let anyone down," Suzuki-sensei finished. Kagome nodded.

Suzuki-sensei lowered her arms flush with her desk and flexed her hands together. "You're a good person, Higurashi-kun," she said finally. "You are. You cheer on your teammates, you listen well, you try hard, you are focused and ambitious. I know why you would feel like you want to help everyone. But the truth is that you can't. You can't fix everyone. You can't save the world, Higurashi-kun."

Shows what you know, Kagome thought dryly.

"But you can work with what you can control," Suzuki-sensei added. "You can control your bow. You can control the aim of your arrow. You can control your schoolwork, and getting into college. You can control how you interact with your family, your friends, even your bonyari of a boyfriend." Kagome stifled back a laugh. Suzuki-sensei leaned forward. "Keep your eye on what you can control. And try not to fret about the things you can't. It's the only way you won't waste all your energy on things that you can't fix." She reached out and took one of Kagome's hands, patting it awkwardly. "You've gotten very good at focusing your energy, Higurashi-kun. I don't want to see all your hard work go to waste, either. Keep focusing on the things you can control. I can't stress that enough."

Kagome stood and bowed. "Thank you for taking the time, Suzuki-sensei."

Suzuki-sensei nodded in reply. "I meant what I said. You've worked hard. You're becoming strong. I don't want to see you throw that all away over something you can't fix."

"I won't," Kagome promised, leaving the office and closing the door behind her softly.

Kagome padded down the hall to the locker room to change back into her uniform. She thought about what Suzuki-sensei had said…what Inuyasha had said. It wasn't her fault; it really wasn't. She had no control over what happened. Shippo had seen her get pulled into the Meido, and had seen Inuyasha go in after her. There was nothing anyone could have done. Just like there was nothing they could have done when Shippo left. She realized this; she wasn't a fool. But her feelings were overwhelming.

You're just going to have to get over this, girl, she told herself. It hurts; that's okay. It's okay to feel sad, to feel pain. But…it's not okay to let this dictate your life.

Now back in her school uniform, she took her duffel and her equipment bag and left the locker room. She crossed the gym, and exited the building. Inuyasha was pacing outside; even though he was wearing his cloaking bracelet, she could almost see his ears twitching madly with impatience.

"Oi, Kagome!" he exclaimed when he saw her come through the double doors. "What took you so long?"

Kagome crossed to Inuyasha and kissed him on the lips. He put his arms around her. "You can't just disappear on me, mate," he said roughly. "I don't wanna lose you again."

She dropped her bags and embraced him tightly. "You're not going to lose me, mate," she said softly. His chest rumbled pleasantly at her use of the word "mate." "I'm not going anywhere."

"Then don't wander off on me, please," he said desperately.

She pulled away from, picked up her bags, and handed them to him. He took them in one hand and hefted them over his shoulder. "How was practice?" he asked her as they started to walk home.

Kagome sighed. "I was distracted. Suzuki-sensei called me out on it. That's what I was talking to her about."

"Distracted?" Inuyasha was understandably surprised. He didn't think Kagome was ever distracted by anything.

"My mind has just been full of Shippo lately," she admitted.

Inuyasha growled lightly, but not at her. "I'm working on it as best I can, wife," he said.

She smiled at him tightly. "I know you are, Inuyasha. But it doesn't change how I feel."

"So you had to talk to your sensei about it?"

His face was crestfallen; her heart grew tight at the sight.

"She offered to be an objective ear, and I kind of needed one."

He was clearly struggling to not lose his shit that she wanted to talk to someone other than him. Kagome gave him credit. She slipped her hand into his; he squeezed it.

"Did…it…help?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yeah," she said softly. "It did, actually." He looked down at her, his golden eyes gentle. She took a breath. "I can be sad about Shippo, and we can try to find him. But I can't fix everything. If it doesn't work out…if you can't get a lead on him…then I have to accept it and move on."

Inuyasha sighed, clearly collecting his thoughts slowly. "You can still love Shippo," he told her. "You can still feel sad that he's gone. But you can't. Let. It. Consume. You. Understand?" He squeezed her hand gently with each word.

"I do." She smiled. "I really do."

"Good." He pulled her close as they walked. "Do you think your mom made ramen for dinner tonight?"

Kagome laughed. "If not, I'll make you some, okay?"

They arrived at the shrine just before dinner; Inuyasha was thrilled to see that Mrs. Higurashi had, indeed, made ramen just for him. Kagome rolled her eyes; honestly, her mother spoiled him so much. Dinner was fairly subdued. Souta jabbered on about soccer practice, but Jii-chan seemed to be dozing at the table. Kagome and her mother exchanged worried glances.

"Jii-chan?" Kagome asked. "Busy day?"

Jii-chan shook his head. "It was, granddaughter. We had a lot of visitors today."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "Maybe you should take it easy for a few days, Jii-chan."

"Great idea, Mama," Kagome said immediately. "Why don't Inuyasha and I take over for a few days? I'm sure we can handle things around here."

"You have training and practice, granddaughter," Jii-chan replied sulkily.

"My brother will give us the time off, I'm sure," Inuyasha said.

"There," Mrs. Higurashi said before Jii-chan could protest, "It's settled. Now, let's finish our dinner."


When Inuyasha called Sesshomaru to let him know that he and Kagome would be taking a few days to work at the shrine, Sesshomaru of course offered an alternative: he sent his daughters and Hideaki to the shrine to help. The Lord of the West also came to the shrine himself, to inspect the grounds and the surrounding land that was part of the property. He and Inuyasha were beginning to make plans to build a small home for the Prince and his bride.

Inuyasha took Sesshomaru to the forest beyond the fence that marked the shrine grounds. This was all that was left of what was once the Forest of Inuyasha, where he had once been sealed to the Goshinboku that stood on the shrine's very grounds. It seemed fitting that, if Sesshomaru and Mrs. Higurashi agreed, they would build Inuyasha's home for Kagome there.

Sesshomaru stood in the forest, his silver ponytail blowing gently in the breeze. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the pine trees and the maple trees and the earthiness of the forest floor. He turned to shift his gaze from the forest to his brother. Inuyasha stood, perfectly still, his hands clasped behind his head, eyes closed, ears twitching in response to the sounds of the forest, his long silver hair free and blowing about his face. His face was one of pure serenity and calm. Sesshomaru could not remember when he'd seen his brother so at peace.

He was sure that the miko had something to do with his brother's newfound placid demeanor. While it was true that his brother still maintained a foul mouth and generally bad attitude, the bad attitude was at least somewhat diminished in the miko's presence, making him almost downright pleasant. While mating her had brought about a new confidence in his brother, marrying her had indeed given Inuyasha the comfort and constancy he'd never had, at any time during his life, even when he was very young. Sesshomaru could see that they both took their marriage seriously. Inuyasha was tender with his wife and mate, much more so than before they were married. He exercised great patience with himself and with her. Sesshomaru internally rolled his eyes at the whole Shippo affair; he'd personally always found the kitsune to be a bit of a brat, but he knew that the miko had saved the kitsune's life on more than one occasion, and before she and Inuyasha had left Sengoku Jidai, she and the kitsune were bonded as closely as mother and son. But Inuyasha had made a promise to his wife and mate, and Sesshomaru could not deny that Inuyasha asked so little in return for what he had given his brother.

And, truth be told, Sesshomaru liked the miko. He liked the changes that had come over his brother the past few years, especially in the months they'd spent here. He was secretly pleased that they continued to maintain their truce. And the miko had a lot to do with that. From the first time he'd met her—when she took the Tetsusaiga from its place in his father's grave, and he'd tried to kill her—she'd never been afraid of him. She always believed that Inuyasha would protect her, sure, but even from the early days, she'd operated under the pretense that he, the Lord of the West, would never harm her. She had often interfered in his battles with Inuyasha, and protected him from Inuyasha's demon side. And with Mukotsu, he'd certainly protected her. Then, inside Naraku, he'd done it again. Despite his cold demeanor towards her, by the time Kagome and Inuyasha left Sengoku Jidai, he'd grown, if not fond of her, at the very least, ambivalent towards her. He knew that it was because of his acceptance of the miko that he'd been able to reconcile his own feelings towards Rin and take her as his mate.

In a weird way, Sesshomaru owed Kagome everything.

He intended to keep paying it forward as much as he could.

"So, what do you think, Sess?" Inuyasha said suddenly, drawing the Lord of the West out of his reverie. Sesshomaru looked in the direction Inuyasha was pointing. "I thought we'd put the house over there, in that little clearing. We could install a gate in the fence, and cut a path leading back here. The clearing is big enough to give us a decent-sized house, don't you think?"

Sesshomaru crossed to the clearing, and slowly walked around it. "This is acceptable," he said. "The architect will come out in the next few days and we will begin planning."

Inuyasha grinned. "I think she will love it." His eyes were downcast; his grin turned bashful. "Thanks, Sess," he said simply.

"Come," Sesshomaru replied, "let us return to the shrine grounds. This Sesshomaru needs to check on his daughters, and the miko will be looking for you." He set off for the gate that linked the shrine to the forest, Inuyasha following like a puppy, his ears twitching with happiness before he slipped his bracelet back on to hide them.

When they crossed through the gate, they could hear the sounds of fighting taking place in the shrine courtyard. Hideaki was sparring with Kagome; she was using her knife to deflect his staff. A small group of shrinegoers had paused to watch the match. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha also watched in awe as Kagome successfully parried Hideaki's thrusts, ducking and dodging out of the way. When he lunged at her, she rolled under the reach of his staff and sideswiped his leg, causing him to fall. She immediately leapt on top of him, pinning his legs, and used one hand to pin his arms over his head, and the other to hold the knife to his throat.

"Do you yield, Nephew?" she hissed, reminiscent of Sayua all those months ago.

He struggled against her hand holding his arms, but she was much stronger than she'd been in the past. He could not break free without hurting her, and he couldn't do that with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru watching. His head fell back against the packed dirt of the courtyard.

"I yield, Auntie," he said.

Kagome rose and held out her hand. Hideaki took it and she helped him to rise, shaking the dirt from his clothes as he stood. The shrinegoers applauded and slowly dispersed, eventually going about their business.

"You've improved much, little miko," said Sesshomaru blandly, moving to stand beside his daughters, who had observed the entire match.

"Her strength has come a long way," said Asuka approvingly. "Our workouts are showing significant results."

"They really are," Sayua agreed, moving beside her mate and checking him over for any injuries.

"I'm fine," said Hideaki, a little surly from losing to an 18-year old girl. Sayua laughed and kissed him.

"Your body might be fine," she said, still giggling, "but I think your pride's been hurt."

"It's not every day he loses to a teenager," Asuka agreed, bursting into laughter at Hideaki's red face.

Eyes downcast, sensitive to Hideaki's embarrassment, Kagome smiled slightly. She had improved a great deal over the last few weeks. Sayua, Asuka, and Hideaki were taskmasters; that was for sure. But the results were clear. She was faster, stronger, and more confident in her abilities, both physical and spiritual. She felt…good…about her ability to protect herself and her family. And, she felt better about her ability to stand beside Inuyasha as an equal, not as a helpless miko in need of protection.

Inuyasha watched his mate and wife with pride. She'd taken down his nephew like he was nothing, instead of a strong man and mildly powerful monk. She stood off to the side alone, her ponytail mussed, her gym shorts and tank top dusty, but pleased with her victory, a small smile flitting across her lips. The confidence was rolling off her in waves, and it hit his youki, which became laden with a ferocious spike of arousal. He openly stared at her, tongue practically hanging out of his mouth.

"Do you need something?" she asked him, her eyes twinkling.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, the muskiness of her scent almost silencing him. "You—did—well," he managed to choke out.

Her giggles drove him even crazier. She crossed to him; he watched her take every step carefully, as though she had planned each one. Her chocolate eyes held him in a steady gaze; he couldn't look away if he tried. His youki was chafing, desperate to escape and to claim her again, over and over and over. She reached his side, lightly touching his arm. It felt like fire. A sound rumbled deep in his chest. Kagome looked at him, surprised.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, "what's gotten into you?"

He suddenly realized they weren't alone, and that his bastard brother and his nieces were looking at him strangely. The girls had goofy grins on their faces, while his brother looked annoyed and bored. Sayua nudged Hideaki, and his face changed from embarrassed to amused. Inuyasha's youki slowly dissipated, leaving him sour. He scowled and took his arm away from Kagome's grasp, crossing it with his other arm angrily. His nieces and Hideaki burst into fits of laughter.

"I think Uncle wants to have a little post-sparring session with you, Auntie," Asuka snickered. Kagome's eyes went wide and she turned bright red. Inuyasha growled.

"Decorum, younger daughter," Sesshomaru intoned. "Your uncle cannot help but desire to take his mate after such a display of power."

"Sesshomaru!" shouted Inuyasha, pushing Kagome aside and cracking his claws. Since he couldn't show Kagome how proud he was, he felt an incredible desire to smash something. He moved to a fighting stance, red seeping into his eyes. "You wanna go?"

"Careful, little brother," Sesshomaru replied easily. "We cannot fight in the middle of the shrine courtyard, in the middle of the day."

Growling, Inuyasha stood down, a deep scowl now crossing his face. The hints of red in his eyes remained, though.

"Inuyasha."

He looked down. Kagome stood beside him, her hand gripping his arm a little more firmly. She met his gaze, then turned to her nieces and nephew.

"Can you watch the shrine for a bit? My mate and I need to talk."

They nodded, and she took Inuyasha firmly by the hand and dragged him into the house. When the door slammed shut, the girls and Hideaki once again dissolved into fits of laughter, Sesshomaru looking at them all with disgust.


"What the actual fuck?" Kagome hissed, practically throwing Inuyasha through the door to their room, her aura crackling madly around them both. He staggered a bit, unprepared for her display of raw, angry power. He held onto the bed to balance himself.

"Mate?" he said tentatively.

Kagome leaned forward and poked him in the chest in frustration. Her finger sparked, leaving a smoking mark on his shirt, but nothing on his chest. Even as angry as she was, she still couldn't hurt him. "What's with the display of crazy masculinity?" she demanded.

His bewilderment turned to amusement. "It's fucking hot when you beat the hell out of someone, mate," he said. "And extra hot when you know that you beat the hell out of them."

Now it was her turn to be confused. "Really?"

He removed her finger from his chest and kissed it. "Really."

She paused. "You…like?...when I'm badass? I thought you wanted me to stay helpless and in need of protection."

Now he burst out laughing. "So did I. But I really like when you're badass."

Then she was on him, kissing him and licking his mark like a woman possessed. He growled and nuzzled her neck, his hands roaming freely over her body. She pushed him down on the bed, and he flipped her over so he was on top of her. As much as she'd dominated Hideaki in the match, he wanted to dominate her in the bedroom that much more.

She reached up to pull him close. "How much do you like it?" she purred in his ear.

He sat up and pulled off his shirt, then hers, breathing in her scent and shuddering with desire. "Wait and see, mate," he said roughly, his fangs dipping below his lip, his eyes tinging with red.

Kagome shivered and yanked him close to her, kissing him softly, but tonguing his fangs. He growled and nipped at her lip, pricking it and causing a droplet of blood to form. He licked it away; she sighed and opened her mouth to grant him entry. He took it brutally, charging in and exerting his dominance over her tongue, her teeth, her mouth. She responded in kind, growling her own little growls and raking her blunt nails over his back.

All his instincts were screaming at him to take her from behind, to show true dominance, but the thought of his dream inside the cave gave him pause. His human side was fighting back; he couldn't do that to her. Not after what he'd seen and felt.

Instead he ripped off her shorts and underwear with one harsh thrust from his claws, leaving her completely nude. He ignored her protests about how those were her favorite gym shorts, and instead removed his own jeans. Her arousal was so thick in the air that he was almost suffocating in it; a delightful drowning in her scent and her desire. It told him all he needed to know about her preparedness. With one great roar that told everyone in the house what they were doing, he hiked up her legs and plowed into her, and she bellowed her pleasure in return.

And then it was all bodies slapping and sweating and crying out for more of each other. With the shred of his human side that was still intact, Inuyasha thought he must be hurting her, but she continued to meet him eagerly as their bodies smacked together with love, lust, and desperation. She needed him as much as he needed her, and it was driving him wild. He drove into her over and over, soaking in her cries and her deep, musky scent.

What did he need?

He needed to mark her, to claim her again, to show her that she was his. Forever.

And so he did.

"I'm gonna mark you again, mate," he whispered hoarsely, his voice no longer functioning as all of his bodily efforts were going elsewhere.

She grunted an assent. "Where, anata?" she whispered back, just as hoarse, her body twitching under his, desperate for release.

"You might not like it," he warned her. "It's just for us."

"Do it," she said. She let loose a little bit of her aura; it sparkled around them both, bright and pink and bubbly. "I'm ready," she added.

He let loose his youki and thundered her name, releasing himself with a giant plunge into her depths as he bit into the top of her breast. The sudden feelings of pleasure, pain, and desire that wound around them in that moment caused her core to vibrate and Kagome to scream his name as she came apart around him. He crushed her to his chest and rolled to his side, pulling her with him so that he wouldn't squash her. Together they sighed as they came down from their mutual high.

Eventually, hesitantly, Inuyasha began to lick at her new mark. It wasn't exactly as pretty or pleasant to look at as the other one, but as he soothed it with his tongue, the bleeding stopped and the swelling began to go down. This one would take awhile to heal, and might not ever go away entirely. As his youki receded, he felt overcome with what he had done.

"Fuck, Kagome, I'm sorry," he said, holding her close to him, tears prickling his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you at all. I promise."

She giggled and pulled his face up to meet hers. "That was…intense, mate," she said teasingly, giving him a small kiss and nibbling at his lower lip.

"Does it hurt?" he asked frantically. "Did I hurt you? Fuck," he said again.

She pressed one of her fingers against his lips. "Hush," she replied sweetly. "It's all part of being mated to you. I get it. And you know I love you…all sides," she added with a devilish smile.

He was about to press his lips to hers again when there was a sharp rap at the door.

"Whoever that is, I'm gonna fucking kill them," he said savagely, pulling away from his mate and wife and turning towards the door.

"If you're both quite finished in there," said Sesshomaru, "there are some boxes that need moving and despite his insistence, the monk is not strong enough to move them on his own. And little miko, your mother is looking for you to help with dinner."

"Don't!" whispered Kagome desperately, hanging to Inuyasha as he went to break the door down. She turned bright red and clung to his arm. "Please!"

Inuyasha luckily took a moment to glance down at his mate, who had the look of a woman who had been thoroughly fucked, and was therefore in no way fit for anyone else's eyes but his own. Her deep brown eyes pleading with him, her small hand tugging on his elbow, she whispered again: "Please."

Growling, Inuyasha nodded at her once, then shouted back through the door. "We'll be right there, you bastard! And don't let the monk move anything. Kagome just kicked his ass and he might have internal injuries."

Inuyasha shook with laughter as he heard his brother sigh and move away from the door. He looked down at Kagome, a small smile playing on her lips.

He kissed her hungrily before pulling away, saying, "Mate, we've got to get our own place."


Notes:

Suzuki-sensei calls Inuyasha a "bonyari," which loosely translates to a "dunce" or a "blockhead." Someone who is careless, thoughtless, lives in a haze, etc. Seemed like the perfect word to encapsulate how she feels about him :)

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I definitely enjoyed writing it. And I believe we have some action coming soon, so stay tuned! As always, thanks so, so much for reading!