A/N: Wow! You guys were so much nicer than I thought you'd be! I'm really thankful, though.. I was really nervous about putting that last chapter out. So, thanks everyone, for taking care of me! Well, it's either that, or all the hardcore Sess/Kag fans left the story without reviewing. Heh.

Oh, you wanna hear something super-cool? When I went to visit my brother, we went to the Univ. of Iowa, and they are like, really big on agriculture, right? Well, there was beautiful landscaping, and then I saw none other than this beautiful pond, that was like, basically almost exactly what I was envisioning for the lake at Sesshoumaru's castle (only smaller, of course)! It was really inspirational, so I took lots of pictures.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha or his … hehe…posse. hahahha, 'posse'!.! (sorry, that word is just fun to use, since it's not like me to use it.. and it's late)

Previously:

"If I had to choose which way I want to feel for the rest of my life," she said, thinking on her feelings, "I choose... Inu Yasha." Kagome slowly opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. Standing up, she threw the paper into the trash receptacle next to her desk. Having finally made her decision, Kagome felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her chest. She knew she made the right choice; although she admitted to feeling a kind of tenderness for Sesshoumaru, her heart still felt at home with Inu Yasha.

CHAPTER 15: the thorough mark
Inu Yasha had transformed back to his hanyou form. Although he actually enjoyed the sensory advantages when he was in his youkai form, Kagome seemed to be bothered by his appearance. 'Why did she seem so upset? Is it because I left the castle without telling her? Or is it because I didn't come to her when I first returned? Did she believe me when I told her that I didn't blame her about the mark and kiss with Sesshoumaru? Inu Yasha sighed. It could be any one of those things- or all of them. "It's been long enough, hasn't it?" he asked aloud. He had been waiting to talk to her. Sniffing the air, he smelled Kagome's scent on the breeze. 'I've got to talk to her,' he said to himself, before he tracked her scent to find her location.

After talking to Sesshoumaru, Kagome decided to go for one last walk by the lake. After all, although she was angry with Inu Yasha, she was relieved that he seemed to have settled things with Sesshoumaru. Besides, he did seem concerned about her when he saw her at dinner. Could he tell that she hadn't been eating? Regardless of how upset she was that Inu Yasha hadn't spoken to her since the night she told him about her kiss, Kagome realized that she should return with Inu Yasha. All she really wanted, like every time she was angry with him, was for Inu Yasha to talk to her about what was going on. Maybe even apologize. She sighed when she reached the lake.

"I don't know why I'm so upset," she said softly. "I guess there's just been so much going on. I just wish I had something solid to rest on." Kagome began to walk around the perimeter of the lake. The quiet lapping of the ripples against the stones surrounding the water produced a relaxing effect on her soul. She had just begun to feel a smile play upon her lips when she heard something behind her. Kagome stopped, waiting for whoever it was to identify himself.

"Kagome," Inu Yasha called her name quietly.

"Inu Yasha?" Kagome was afraid to turn around. Would she see the hanyou she had first fallen in love with, or would she see his new youkai form? She wasn't afraid of his transformation; she just wasn't sure if she liked it or not yet.

"Kagome," he said again, sadness lining his voice. Kagome turned around to face him. His fuzzy ears drooped, betraying his feelings. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Inu Yasha," she said plainly, feeling a tug at her heart, seeing Inu Yasha so pained. It was the same way last time she spoke with him, wasn't it? He took a step toward her, but this time, she kept her place.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you after I settled things with Sesshoumaru. I just ran off- I didn't know how to deal with things…" Inu Yasha began to apologize; something he rarely did. Kagome watched him silently. "Did I surprise you with my transformation?" He stepped forward again, almost within arm's reach of the miko. Kagome nodded.

"Mm." Kagome looked into Inu Yasha's amber eyes. He was honestly searching her face, seriously worried about her. "But it's okay. I just didn't expect it." She paused before continuing, "how did things go with Sesshoumaru?"

"He told me why he did what he did, and I realized that he was right about a lot of things- even though I didn't want to admit it right away. I'm sorry, Kagome. I should've asked you to be my mate so much sooner." Inu Yasha raised his hand to her face, and brushed through her raven hair with his fingers. "I told him something that I think you should hear, as well." Kagome looked up at Inu Yasha. He raised his other arm, and placed his hands on her upper arms. "There's no going back and reversing what happened between you and Sesshoumaru, but that doesn't change the way I feel about you. Kagome, I want you to know that I'm going to be with you until you tell me otherwise." He didn't realize it, but his hands squeezed her arms ever-so-slightly. "I love you, Kagome," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I'll love you forever, no matter what."

On this last sentence, he was barely audible. Kagome's attention, however, was completely focused on the youkai before her, and she didn't miss a single word. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. Inu Yasha wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and used his other hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Don't cry," he told her gently, drawing her to him and cradling her head against his chest.

"I love you too, Inu Yasha," she sobbed, her voice muffled in his haori. He held her until her sobs began to subside. Kagome pulled away from his chest, but remained in his arms. Her own hands now also gently gripped his forearms.

"Will you come back with me tomorrow?" he asked her quietly.

"Mm," she told him, smiling gently. Inu Yasha sighed, relieved. He had been nervous- wondering if she might want to stay with Sesshoumaru instead of him. When he saw the two of them at dinner, he became worried that his abrupt actions may have driven Kagome into Sesshoumaru's arms. Inu Yasha inwardly cursed himself at that moment for not staying with her. She had been under the influence of Sesshoumaru's blood, and he had run away from her after she trusted him enough to tell him about what had happened. Inu Yasha wanted to make sure she knew that he would never leave her in such a vulnerable state again. The couple sat down side by side at the lake's shore.

"Kagome?"

"Hm?"

"Do you remember what I asked you when I was human?" The miko blushed.

"Mm,"

"Do… do you still want to be my mate?" He looked at Kagome, whose face was now riddled with confusion.

"Of course I do…" Kagome looked at him, trying to figure out why he was asking her such a question. "Why?"

"I've been getting this feeling about Sesshoumaru and you," he said timidly.

"Inu Yasha… you don't need to be jealous,"

"I'm-- I'm not jealous," he said, turning his head slightly, blushing. Kagome smiled- she knew he was. She put her hand on his arm, causing him to look at her through the corner of his eye.

"The way I feel about you, Inu Yasha, has never changed… I want to stay by your side, always." She placed a hand over her chest. "You're the one my heart has chosen." Inu Yasha blushed even deeper as he turned to face her fully. All his previous doubts and feelings of inadequacy were erased when he saw the truth and emotion in her deep brown eyes.

"Then… when I asked you that night, I couldn't do it… but I can do it now…"

"What are you talking about? Do what?"

"To be my mate, I.. need to mark you," he told her. Even though the one she truly loved was sitting right beside her, Kagome's thoughts flashed back to when she tasted Sesshoumaru's blood. She couldn't help it. "Can I mark you, Kagome?" Inu Yasha asked, noticing the slight tension in her body. Kagome snapped out of her memories. Inu Yasha was asking her something very, very important, and he deserved her full attention.

"Mm," She said, smiling. The prospect of being marked by Inu Yasha was welcome to her. She hadn't expected it when Sesshoumaru marked her, and she probably wouldn't have accepted the mark, had he told her what he was doing. But living a life together with Inu Yasha was something that she had wanted for a very long time. The idea of being marked as his was as good to her as getting a wedding ring. She would belong to him, and he would belong to her.

"It'll be really quick," he informed a smiling Kagome.

"Okay… So, what do I need to do?" She looked over at Inu Yasha, who was now on his knees and hands, facing her. She was half-expecting him to give her his wrist, but he made no movement to do so. Instead, he crawled around her, and was now directly behind her.

"Just relax, Kagome. It might sting a bit, is that okay?"

'Sting? What is he talking about?' she thought. "Mm, it's okay," she said, a little concerned. 'This is definitely different from the temporary mark that Sesshoumaru gave me- Is this the 'thorough mark' that he said he would do on Rin? How does it work?' Kagome was ripped out of her thoughts by a sharp pinch at the nape of her neck.

Inu Yasha had nipped Kagome's neck. Quickly, he bit his tongue to draw his own blood, and positioned his mouth over the small incision he had given her. He pressed his open wound to hers, delivering a small sting to Kagome. She winced, but said nothing. He felt her body jolt with the pain, and wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Closing his eyes, Inu Yasha forced his blood into her wound through patting it with his tongue as well as delivering air pressure through the "kiss." Within a few moments, he felt his wound begin to close, and he patted her incision again with his tongue. Finally, he closed his lips over her mark, and kissed it.

He opened his eyes and raised his head, wiping his thumb gently over the place where he had bitten Kagome. As he did, a small seal about the size of his thumbprint appeared on the back of her neck, centered around her new, small scar. It was his family seal, and it glowed a faint red color for a few moments, before disappearing. He touched it again, and like the first time, the seal appeared again. Now that his blood mixed with hers, she was also claimed as a part of the inu youkai clan. He touched the nape of her neck another time, again activating the seal. It was pretty cool, seeing it show up again and again, but Kagome was getting a little suspicious of what was going on back there.

"oOoh," Inu Yasha said, in amazement, the third time he pressed his finger to the back of her neck.

"Ne----," Kagome said, in a slightly annoyed tone of voice, "What are you doing, Inu Yasha?" She had a feeling that he was finished performing the ritual, but hadn't told her yet. Not only that, but he also seemed to be having a pretty good time back there, now that he was done.

"U- uh, nothing.." Inu Yasha pulled his hand away reluctantly. "It's finished, Kagome," he told her, excitedly. He crawled around to face her, and sat in front of the young woman he had just claimed as his own.

"That was it?" she asked.

"Yep, that's all. Was it painful?"

"No, it was fine." Kagome shivered a little in the night breeze. Inu Yasha, not wasting a moment, removed his haori and draped it over her shoulders. As he did so, the air shifting around Kagome reached Inu Yasha's nose. He sniffed the air, leaning in to Kagome. "W--what are you doing?" she asked, a little weirded out at his sudden closeness.

"You.. smell a little different, now," he told her.

"Wha-- well… is it okay?" Inu Yasha crinkled his nose, taking in a little more of her new scent. He then leaned back on his arms, closed his eyes, and his face relaxed.

"I like it even better than before," he told her, pleased with himself. He opened one eye to look at her, and his nose pointed toward the air, proudly. "You smell like you're mine." Kagome blushed, while Inu Yasha smiled widely, like a kid with a sweet tooth who had just won a lifetime supply of candy. After looking at her new mate, Kagome smiled as well.

"I have something for you as well, Inu Yasha," Kagome told him after a few moments of silence.

"You do?" Inu Yasha was surprised.

"M-hm. Now, close your eyes." Inu Yasha raised an eyebrow at her before complying with her request. The next thing he knew, he heard a small crackle surrounding his head, and he felt the warmth of Kagome's lips on his own. Pleasantly surprised by this, he kept his eyes closed and raised his hands to her face, running one hand through her hair as the other slid down from her cheek to around her shoulders. He drew her closer to his body, so that now she was kneeling between his legs. A few more moments, and Inu Yasha would have been completely lost in the kiss. But Kagome had something that she needed to do, and gently pulled away from his embrace. When their kiss was complete, Inu Yasha opened his eyes to see Kagome putting something in his hands.

"What's this?" he asked, before getting a closer look. "The.. rosary?" he held up the beads in the moonlight. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking at Kagome. He remembered when she slipped it around his neck the last time- it had broken off, and she had Kaede repair it before she tricked him into closing his eyes so she could put it on him again. She had claimed that it was a safeguard, to protect himself and others in case something happened, and he lost control. Of course, he thought it was an excuse all along, to give her a way to torture him. But really, she hardly ever used the incantation anymore. In fact, he had a tendency to forget about it- at least, until she'd 'sit' him.

"I haven't needed that for a long time, and I don't think I'll need it anymore, anyway," she told him softly, ending her sentence with a whisper. Inu Yasha nodded at her, knowing what she meant. After placing the rosary in his sleeve, he stood up and gave Kagome his hand to help her to her feet as well.

"I'll always protect you no matter what, Kagome," he told her, his golden eyes glistening in the moonlight. "You can trust me."

"I know." Kagome nodded. "And.. you can trust me, too, Inu Yasha."

"I do." Inu Yasha stepped toward her, and enclosed her small frame with his arms. "I love you so much, Kagome," he whispered softly.

"I love you too, Inu Yasha." Kagome looked up at Inu Yasha, and wrapped her arms around his body. There they both stood, in each other's arms- the wind blowing softly around them, as if to give them its blessing.

A/N: Yes, I know, it's a short chapter.. sorry! There were just some little extra things I needed to do before the final day at Sesshoumaru's castle...

SubaruWings: thank you very much. I'm really glad you feel that way about the story, because that's kinda the same way I feel about it, too. Hehe!

Moonlight Stars: well, I like to think that it was Kagome who made that decision... like I said so many times, I feel like I'm not really 'writing' the story, but more like the story is writing itself. It just seemed like that decision was more in-character for Kagome to make. After all, while she was only with Sesshoumaru for like, half a month, she was with Inu Yasha for a little over 6 years... Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Hmm... not sure about the Sess/Rin thing... we'll see.

Beulah Page: Wow! You feel the same way as me! That's so great! It feels really good to know that the readers agree with the author.. it makes me feel like I have some kind of convincing power with these words I'm typing out. Excellent. Thank you very much for the compliments.

destinyheart15: Yeah, the 'supplies' thing was actually cracking me up when I wrote it. Well, maybe not so much as the 'fateful month' part... hehe! It must have really sucked being a woman back in the day... those women were some strong characters, and I have nothing but the highest respect for them.

pinkpreppypunk: hmm... I could do a sequel... but maybe it'd be more around Sess/Rin... But, actually, I was thinking more along the lines of making an alternate ending for this fic.. starting probably around last chapter, where Kagome makes her decision. what do you think?

Also, big thanks go out to sheenachi, Jewel Of Souls (thanks for joining!- it was funny reading all of your reviews in order.. you went from excited, to mad, to curious... it was great), hermonine, and INUYASHALOVER45. You were all very kind reviewers.