A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates! Here is chapter eight of this story! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for the support! This one is slightly shorter than the other chapters before it, but I have a story that I have to write literally in Japanese for a class tomorrow, so I've been a bit preoccupied...

>>>>>>

Don't Cry for Me
Chapter Eight

"All right, Kagome...true, Sesshoumaru's behavior has been a little weird lately...well, a lot weird lately...but I think he has his reasons." Inuyasha began.

Kagome nodded. "I already know that much, Inuyasha. I want to know what he meant..."

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Kagome...in demon society, things are sometimes a bit more complicated than they are for normal people. Everything is, really. We live longer...much longer, and we're stronger than any normal human would be...we also have laws and...practices that would be considered really weird to humans..."

"Well...that seems nice, Inuyasha...but it still doesn't really tell me why Akumaru was scared of what Sesshoumaru said. I don't get it." Kagome sighed.

"Okay, okay..." Inuyasha sighed in a whiny voice. "Well...demons...we don't get married like humans would...and our courtship rituals are different. I mean, it depends on the type of demon...it's not necessarily the same for all of us...but that's what Sesshoumaru was talking about, basically..." he stammered.

Kagome blinked. "Your courtship rituals?" she repeated. "But he said..."

Inuyasha cut Kagome off. "I heard what he said, Kagome. I mean...I'm sorry...it's just a little bit embarrassing to talk about with you, you know?"

"Why?" Kagome prodded.

Inuyasha blushed. "Kagome, for crying out..." Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Ahem...what he said...Sesshoumaru, I mean, is that I...I mean you..." he stuttered. "I intend...I mean I want you to...I am hoping that one day you and I could be...well, mates..." he whispered. "Sesshoumaru can tell...but that is really hard to explain unless you were a demon..."

Kagome blinked. "Mate?" she repeated.

Inuyasha blushed an even darker shade of pink. "It's like the demon form of marriage, Kagome...only with a couple more strings attached. Several, actually. I would mark you, meaning I would have to bite you...then my family's mark...the crescent moon on Sesshoumaru's forehead, would appear where I bit you...and other male demons would know you were taken. But the mark would go away if we didn't..."

Kagome held her hand up, blushing. "I think I understand, Inuyasha..." she smiled. "But...are you serious?" she asked.

Inuyasha nodded. "I've already told you I love you, Kagome. I would never lie about something like that." he answered.

Kagome took a deep breath of her own and nodded. "I don't know what to say..." she whispered.

"We don't have to..." Inuyasha frowned.

"No, Inuyasha. That's not what I meant. I'm just surprised is all. I've never seen you so nervous before...but I'm happy you told me. I...I would love to be your mate one day, Inuyasha."

His eyes brightened. "Are you serious?"

"You were, weren't you?" Kagome smiled, and he nodded.

He wrapped her in a hug.

"Am I...interrupting something?" Miroku coughed, and Inuyasha and Kagome jumped away from one another.

Inuyasha looked at the ground. "Yes..." he groaned.

"Sorry!" Miroku winked. "Just go back to whatever it is you were talking about, all right? Tomorrow morning we can find Sango and the others and let them know about everything that happened." He smiled widely.

Inuyasha frowned. "All right, Miroku. How much of that did you hear?" he demanded in an unamused tone of voice.

"Only all of it." he grinned. "The others are going to love to hear this news...trust me."

"Miroku, I will kill you!" Inuyasha threatened.

Miroku ran. "I don't think so, Inuyasha!"

>>>>>>

"Do you think that they are all right?" Kagome's mother worried. None of them had seen Kagome, Inuyasha, or Miroku since the previous morning. Of course...they hadn't exactly stopped too long to wait, either. "You don't think that demon...?" she worried.

Sango shook her head. "Oh, no. Nothing like that. I'm sure they're fine. They're probably just trying to catch up to us right now...which is why we've stopped for a while."

"They started coming toward our scent yesterday afternoon," Shippo announced.

Sango looked up. "Really? Why didn't you tell us something like that?" she asked him.

Shippo shrugged. "I didn't think you were worried about it. I wasn't, and no one asked...so I just didn't say anything." He paused a moment. "They aren't too far behind us now, anyway. There's nothing to worry about."

"Shippo!" Sango whined.

Kohaku laughed. "Well, it's true..." he whispered.

"Can you tell how far away they are now, Shippo?" Sango asked, ignoring her little brother's comment.

Shippo screwed up his nose and concentrated. He frowned. "No...my nose isn't that good..." he sighed. "But since they started moving last night, I don't exactly think it will take them forever to get here. It seems like they are closer than before...I just can't tell how much closer..."

Kagome's grandfather nodded. "And we are all safe sitting here like this?" he questioned.

Kaede nodded. "Of course...If Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku are on the move, that means that the demon has certainly been defeated." She smiled proudly.

"How do you know?" asked Kagome's grandfather.

"...because they would never run from a fight...and they wouldn't come for us unless they knew we would not be in danger..." Shippo said in a matter-of-fact manner.

Kagome's mother blinked. "You seem to know them pretty well, little one." she smiled at him.

He nodded. "I consider them my family...it's nothing official yet...but maybe one day..."

"Official?" Kagome's mother blinked again.

Sango smiled widely. "Really, Shippo? You...really want that?"

"I'm confused." Kagome's grandfather frowned.

Kohaku laughed. "It's demon ritual. Kind of confusing unless you've been around it a lot. Me and Sango...we had to learn all about that kind of stuff because of what we were trained to do. Our...our father was the one who taught us about it all..."

"What's wrong?" asked Souta.

Kohaku sighed deeply. "He's gone. I...they're all gone..."

"Kohaku..." Sango whispered. "It's all right. Don't think about that. It wasn't your fault..." she wrapped her younger brother in a hug.

Shippo coughed and smiled. "They should be here any moment." he announced.

Sango and Kohaku looked up. Kohaku smiled. "That's good," he grinned, looking away for a moment. "...I feel...better now..." he whispered, more to himself than to anyone.

>>>>>>

"Hi everyone!" Kagome called. "I'm glad to see that you are all safe!"

Sango hugged her best friend. "Of course! Kirara got us out of there quickly, just like you said. We've been fine. Just waiting for you is all..." She paused. "Shippo told us you were on our trail, so we stopped to relax for a while..."

"He did, did he?" Inuyasha asked, looking at the small fox demon with growing interest.

Shippo nodded. "Yeah!"

"So...what happened with Akumaru?" asked Kaede after a short silence.

Inuyasha frowned. "I don't know. I'm not really sure. Sesshoumaru showed up...I think he scared Akumaru a little bit...but he wanted us to leave...I would have stayed, but Kagome..."

"Inuyasha...he was just trying to protect you. If we would have stayed, we could have gotten in his way." Kagome whispered, taking his hand.

Kagome's mother noticed this and smiled at her daughter. Inuyasha noticed first. When Kagome realized that her mother was staring, she blushed a dark pink and slowly pulled her hand away.

Miroku cleared his throat. "I think that Kagome and Inuyasha may have some interesting news for us..."

"Damn you, monk! I thought I warned you!" Inuyasha growled.

"You did...but I never said that I was going to listen, did I?" Miroku smirked.

"Have you forgotten my threat? Because it wasn't a threat..." Inuyasha snarled.

Kagome's mother covered her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from laughing.

"What is it?" Souta asked.

Kagome blushed furiously.

Inuyasha looked down at the ground. "Miroku...I know where you sleep..." he whispered in a final attempt to scare the monk into doing as he asked.

Miroku took a deep breath. "I overheard a very interesting conversation between Kagome and Inuyasha this morning," he began.

"You weren't supposed to hear any of the conversation..." frowned Inuyasha.

"This sounds like it could be very interesting..." smiled Sango. "Go on, Miroku. I think I want to hear this."

Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha has asked Kagome if she will one day become his mate. I heard him myself. With my own two ears..."

Kagome's mother did not even bother to let Miroku finish his sentence. She screamed, wrapping Inuyasha and Kagome in a hug simultaneously. Kagome coughed. "I'm so proud of you two for finally...I don't know! I'm just...so happy!"

Kagome's grandfather's eyebrow rose slightly. "Hmm..." he whispered.

Kagome nodded. "Now that everyone knows our business..." she smiled.

"Even if everyone does know your business, now is not the time to relax."

Kagome gasped and turned around. It was Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha blinked. "Sesshoumaru? What about Akumaru...?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "There is no need to worry about him anymore. However..." He put his nose to the air and took a deep breath, "although you have not marked her yet, Inuyasha, you must be very careful. Demons of all sorts will be able to tell that she is your intended. Usually, this would keep most males away, but you are my only remaining family, which also means that you will officially be able to take over your half of father's land once you've taken Kagome as a mate...and there are many demons who do not want to see that happen. They will do almost everything in their power to make sure it doesn't." Sesshoumaru paused as if he was waiting for his news to sink in. "I just came to warn you about it. Do not let her out of your sight until you have completed the mating ritual...after that, they can do nothing...until then, you need to watch your step."

Inuyasha nodded in understanding, and Sesshoumaru turned to leave. "Where are you going, Sesshoumaru? What about Rin?"

"She needs the proper training...and I am going on a journey to the south to find out all that I can about this problem. Please watch after her while I am gone, and I will return with news as soon as I can."

Kagome nodded slowly. "We'll do it." She promised. "And...Sesshoumaru? Thank you." she whispered.

Sesshoumaru waved his hand nonchalantly and continued on without a word.

Kagome sighed. "We can never get a break, can we?" She frowned. "Someone or something is always right on our heels..."

Shippo hopped into Inuyasha's arms. "It will be all right, mommy! Inuyasha will protect you, and we'll be all right, just like we always are!"

Inuyasha smiled. "We'll head back to the village and wait for Sesshoumaru. We should be safe there."

Kagome nodded slowly. She sighed. "Inuyasha...do you think that all that Sesshoumaru said is really true?"

"I don't know, Kagome..." Inuyasha replied. "I guess we are going to have to wait and find out..."

>>>>>>

A/N: I know, not much of a cliffie, but the next chapter will be up soon! Please review and let me know what you think!