Chapter 3 here! I've taken some liberties in regards to relationships and demon courting rituals etc. Also, this takes place in the "present" of the current show, as in after Kagome would have freed Inuyasha from the tree and thus their adventures. Kikyo and Inuyasha never met, and Kikyo died with the jewel the same as before, only without Inuyasha's influence. Inuyasha never was sealed to the tree, and never became bitter from his failed relationship with Kikyo.

Enjoy! Please Review!

Kagome cast a look towards the large tree fanning the stream, catching sight of her half demon Inuyasha- apparently now her husband, mate, whatever you wanted to call it- lounging lazily in a tree, practically sprawled out like a cat lazing in the sun.

Still, she took it as a good sign he was so relaxed- he certainly wouldn't be doing so if anything dangerous was around, Kagome mused to herself as she checked the dryness of her clothing. It was still pretty wet, and she began to wonder if a fire would have been a good idea. Careful of the slippery bank, she began to meander around, looking for wood adequate to sustain a fire long enough. She could feel Inuyasha's piercing gaze on her back as she continued her search, silent and judgmental.

"Wench, what the hell are you doing?" She let out a huff of annoyance, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"I'm looking for wood to start a fire. It's getting dark and my clothes won't dry fast at this rate." He rolled his eyes as if she'd said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

"Who said anything about stickin' around here all night?" now THAT caught Kagome's attention. She stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Where on earth would I go? I'm homeless, you idiot. I'm not going to freeze to death because you think I'm stupid." He glared at her as if she'd personally insulted him.

"You think I'd let my woman freeze to death? For cryin' out loud wench, I'm not THAT big an asshole." He huffed, closing his eyes and settling his head back on his hands. Kagome stared at him, dumbfounded once again. His woman? Since when did he give a Kami's stone butt whether she lived or died? He acted as though this new discovery of their forced relationship was nothing but a burden. Besides, she couldn't live with a demon! She hadn't the slightest hint of his childhood, but she had been raised in a village, around people and was used to a hut in a village, not trees and open woods!

"You have a home?" He opened one golden eye to glare at her again, "of course I do. And here I thought priestesses were smart…" Kagome blushed, realized how insensitive her words were.

"Sorry, I was just surprised. I guess I never really thought about it. Is it near here? How long have you been there?"

"You just aren't going to let up, are ya?" He let out a wide yawn, showing off canines that normally would have made Kagome wince.

"Fine wench, let's get your stuff and get the hell out of here if you're so determined." He leaped so gracefully from the tree that Kagome felt like an idiot next to him. He ignored her though, and waded into the stream fully dressed. Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she saw how focused and quiet he was. He stood in the deeper water, completely motionless with one hand raised, and then suddenly his hand flashed and there was a fish wiggling on the banks. Kagome squealed in surprise and looked at Inuyasha in amazement. He was grinning, one fang poked over his bottom lip making him look very demonic and surprisingly handsome at the same time. He caught two more fish in the same manner before leaving the water, looking awfully smug as he picked up the wiggling fish.

"Grab your stuff." He ordered, using a stick to skewer the fish easily. Kagome gathered up her wet clothes and hooked her bag, bow and quiver over her shoulder.

"Get on," Inuyasha instructed, kneeling down with his back facing her. Kagome stared at him. Get on…?

"Oi wench, get on before I leave ya behind!" Well, alright then. Kagome awkwardly hiked her robe up her knees a bit and scrambled onto her demon's back. She felt him sigh in annoyance and hike her up a bit until he could get his hands around her thighs.

"Hold this." He instructed, somehow handing the skewered fish to her without dropping her. Kagome stuffed the fish awkwardly between the two of them, wrinkling her nose at the strong fish smell and trying not to flinch at how high up her leg his hands were.

"Hold on!" He told her, and then they were flying! Kagome opened her mouth to scream but couldn't get the words to form. Everything was a blur around her as they raced through the forest, dodging branches and jumping over logs. Suddenly Inuyasha's leg muscles bunched and Kagome felt them lift off the earth, and then they were soaring above the trees!

This time, Kagome did scream.

"Damn it wench!" Inuyasha complained, his ears pinned back against his skull. "Don't scream so loud!"

"We're flying Inuyasha! We're ABOVE THE TREES! Of course I screamed! Oh Kami I'm gonna die!"

"You idiot! You ain't gonna die, I won't drop you if you just hold on already!"

"Inuuuuyashhaaaa!"

It took them another several minutes to reach their destination. Several terrifying minutes of leaping through trees and racing through the forest. By the time Inuyasha skidded to a halt and let Kagome down, the poor girl felt like she'd been sucked into a hurricane.

"Oh sweet ground!" She collapsed dramatically on the grass, tossing the fish to Inuyasha before she moaned even more dramatically and hugged the ground.

"Wench, it wasn't that bad." He rolled his eyes at the ex priestess, taking the fish and walking away. When Kagome finally heaved herself up off the ground and onto her knees, she found herself slightly in awe.

She was certainly expecting a cave of some sort, but nothing this big. Short, Jagged cliffs all around the edge created a crescent shaped clearing that was surprisingly spacious. The cave was to the left, close enough to the edge of the forest but not too close to be dangerous.

"Oí wench, you coming?" Inuyasha stood at the mouth of the cave, looking fairly unimpressed at her dawdling about. Kagome stood and made her way towards him, noting a fairly large fire pit outside the mouth of the cave.

Inside the cave wasn't what she was expecting either. A small fire pit stood just inside the mouth of the cave; supposedly to accommodate bad weather. Piles of things littered near the walls of the cave, containing things such as hunting traps, pieces of cloth and even a traveling pack from what Kagome could see. A large pile of furs lay at the back of the cave, providing a comfy bed. Kagome could see a dark, narrow passage off to the right, along with a pile of what looked like rocks near the entrance.

"Pass your inspection priestess?" His words were scathing but his tone was teasing, and Kagome was surprised how much she actually liked it.

"It's lovely," she admitted, surprising Inuyasha, who was working on cooking the fish. She didn't give him time to respond, pointing towards the passage near the bed.

"Where does that lead?"

"Hot spring." Was the reply, without even looking up from his task. "Don't get too excited though, it's not very big and the water isn't very hot. Mostly good for getting warm water in a pinch." Kagome was disappointed, hot springs and hot baths were a luxury she rarely had the pleasure of partaking in.

"You live here alone?" She questioned as she turned to face him, easily noticing the amenities all served one.

"You think anyone gives a rats ass over a half demon?"

"I do." Her declaration surprised him, as his head snapped in her direction and his hands froze in preparing the fish. His golden eyes were wide with shock. She met his gaze firmly, wanting him to see she'd meant what she said. She had decided long ago that not all demons were evil.

"I care for all living creatures. Humans, demons or both. I… well, your being half doesn't bother me, Inuyasha." She ducked her head, suddenly embarrassed and practically bolted towards the opening leading to the hot spring, leaving a stunned half demon behind her.

What had she been thinking? Talking so boldly to someone she barely knew! He probably thought she was insane! The priest certainly had when she'd been five and declared she didn't hate demons, and that she liked them and wanted to help them as well as humans.

"Demons are evil Kagome." He told her sternly, assigning her chores as punishment for speaking so boldly. And in truth, she had met many demons who only desired death and destruction. But when the rumors started about a red clad demon… well, the future priestess had felt hope again.

The spring was exactly as Inuyasha had said- small, and not very hot when she knelt to drag her fingers though. Still, it was big enough to bathe in carefully if needed. And certainly during the winter months it would be warm enough…

Kagome shook her head, a blush forming on her cheeks. What was she thinking? She was acting like Inuyasha actually wanted her around, as though they were really a couple…

It wasn't fair of her to assume he would just take her in and help her. It was hard enough for one person to survive alone, much less adding someone to take care of. He'd said enough how useless she was- why burden him more than she already was?

So why did the thought of leaving suddenly hurt her heart so? She clutched her hands to her chest, trying to stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks. But she could no more stop them then stop the sun from shining.

"Kagome?!" Inuyasha appeared at her side, looking worried at the sight of her crying.

"What the hell are you crying for? I told you the spring was small! Come on, I'll take you to another one if you stop the damn waterworks. I hate crying…" his clawed hand boldly, but gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, his touch so soft she almost came undone again.

"You…" sniffle, "you want me to stay?" His hand froze on her cheek, and he suddenly pulled away abruptly, his cheeks red.

"Ahh… well… yeah I guess I… dammit. I mean if you wanna stay I ain't gonna stop ya."

"You won't?!" The half demon found his hands full of priestess when Kagome launched herself at him, flinging her arms around his neck and hugging him fiercely.

"Thank you Inuyasha!" He patted her back gently, not really sure what he was supposed to do- it had been a long time since he'd been hugged. He was secretly relieved when she pulled back to look him in the eyes, her hands resting on his chest. It was innocent enough, yet it had his heart pounding from the simplicity of it.

"I guess this means we need to talk… about what this means for us?" He nodded dumbly, not really sure how to respond. She stepped back from his embrace and took his hand, matching his blush with one of her own, and led him back through the passage towards the fire and their dinner.

-0-

Less than an hour later, Kagome neatly set down her chopsticks and bowl, feeling very awkward as she did so. They'd scraped together some rice to go with the fish and make a decent meal. Though Inuyasha had looked surprised when she'd asked about eating utensils while they waited for the meal to cook, and from the way he sheepishly directed her towards a traveling pack against the wall, Kagome deduced he ate mostly with his hands.

Inside the bag she managed to find two mismatched bowls and several pairs of chopsticks, though several were damaged and Kagome was forced to mix and match those as well.

She would be sleeping in a warm cave that night however, so you win some you lose some. Inuyasha had looked awkward when she handed him the utensils, but she'd been patient, gently encouraging him and eventually his blush faded away.

Sitting across from her, Inuyasha looked like he'd rather be facing a ten-foot ogre than sit and have this talk with her. But Kagome had no intention of letting him escape. If they were stuck together, then she needed to know exactly what she had gotten herself into.

Finally, Inuyasha set aside his bowl and chopsticks, and Kagome went in for the kill- the irony of which was not lost on her.

"So… can you tell me more about this… bonding thing?"

"Uhhh…. I told ya already. It's a bond between energies."

"ONLY between energies?" Kagome narrowed her eyes in suspicion and the half demon fidgeting where he sat, looking for all the world ready to bolt.

"Sorta, it starts as a bond between energies and then.. Becomes more I guess. Shit woman, I dunno nothing about all this!"

"I'm just trying to understand Inuyasha, that's all. There's a lot of changes going on and I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm someone's wife-or mate- just like that. No courtship, no chance to prepare…" Her lip began to quiver dangerously and Inuyasha's ears flattened against his skull in panic.

"Com'on Kagome, please don't cry…" Thankfully, the tears didn't spill- this time. Kagome dabbed the tears away as Inuyasha let out a suffering sigh.

"I ain't good at this talking and sharing shit Kagome. Just- be patient here one damn minute, alright?" Kagome nodded, dabbing the last of the tears away and folding her hands patiently in her lap. Her half demon was silent for several long minutes, but still Kagome didn't speak, letting him think it out.

"I wasn't lyin' when I said I don't know much about this shit. I've never done this before either. I just know demons have to bind their energies to take a mate. That's the start of it. After that, other things start to bind- your scent and emotions, all that starts to connect. You'll smell a lot like me and that's to warn other demons you're claimed. Damn it. Where the hell is Myoga when you actually need him?!" Inuyasha leaped to his feet and began pacing, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So I'll start to smell like you?" He stopped pacing to stare at his wench, who was looking alarmed at the thought of smelling different.

"You do already, at least a little. It ain't like your whole scent is gonna change, you're just gonna have my scent on you."

"Oh," Kagome relaxed, feeling a bit silly for overreacting.

"What else?" She continued, looking somewhat more relaxed now that things were a little more clear. "Is this… a permanent thing?" Inuyasha flinched so slightly Kagome almost missed it, his ears pressed against his skull.

"It is if you can't break the energy between ya."

"By energy… you mean my power to your youki, right?"

"Yeah." He looked away from her, golden eyes hard. Kagome stared at him, puzzled why he was reacting so coldly. Did he really want her gone so bad? Kagome instincts told her differently, something buzzing in her mind that wasn't the case. She mentally went over his behavior, it finally clicked when she saw his hands balled into fists. It wasn't that he didn't want her, he thought she didn't want him.

"Oh Inuyasha."

It wasn't that she didn't care. Of course she did, he was the demon in red. She just didn't know him. She'd had her entire life change in a very short period of time. Hadn't she earned a little reprieve? She'd already proved she didn't despise demons, but she should have realized it would never be that easy. But unlike the humans, he had yet to let her down.

His eyes still refused to meet hers as her thoughts consumed her, but Kagome could sense there was anguish hidden within them. She reached out to him, but gasped when she saw his palms were bloody from clenching his fists so tightly.

"Oh kami!" He flinched again as she dove for his hands, trying to pry them open to inspect the damage. After all, it was in her nature to heal.

"Inuyasha let go! Let me see!" He looked startled by her worry, unclenching his palms and letting Kagome look.

It wasn't serious, but his claws had dug in deep, causing blood to well. Kagome clicked her tongue at him, giving him a stern look for causing so much damage. His ears flattened, but otherwise he didn't respond.

"These need to be treated, you dummy. Let me get some cloth and I'll bandage them for you."

"Keh!" The half demon snatched his hands away, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

"Nothin' doin' wench. They'll heal just fine without you messin' with 'em."

"Please Inuyasha?" The ex-priestess kneeled before him and gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

No pun intended.

-0-

He caved.

Of course he caved with those big blue eyes begging him, pleading him to let her bandage his hands.

When he nodded, trying to avoid those pretty blue eyes, his woman let out a happy squeak and darted to the pathetic bag of supplies the stingy ass villagers had given her. How had they ever expected her to survive with so little supplies?

He didn't want to think about that answer.

Kagome returned and kneeled in front of him, graceful and dainty as usual as her smooth hands gently pulled his closer. His palms were covered in blood, but Kagome didn't even flinch as she gently used a little water to wash the blood off. His heart felt like it was about to come out of his chest as she wrapped the bandages gently around his hands, her ministrations so tender Inuyasha was beginning to wonder if he was dreaming.

"There." She finally said as she tied the knots, keeping her hands tucked in his, her cheeks a rosy shade of pink.

"Ah… thanks." He finally said, feeling his own cheeks warm. He jumped to his feet after a moment of silence, planning his escape to mull over things without a pretty woman around.

"You can uh, you can take the bed. I'll sleep outside." she opened her mouth to argue, but he bolted, leaping into his favorite tree where he could easily see the mouth of the cave and securely guard his woman.

Barely five minutes and he was already willing to die for that blue eyed priestess.

The Kami's stone butt line is my favorite line in the entire story. I die laughing every time I read it.

Thanks for reading!