Chapter 14

The next afternoon there was a light heartedness to the group that walked through the woods. The day was warm and welcomed an occasional gentle breeze.

Kagome walked next to Inuyasha at the front of the group. She cradled a napping kitsune in her arms and would give him a loving smile and would then look up to her walking companion and give him a smile that showed love and longing.

Throughout the day, Inuyasha had caught several of her "glances." Those looks, sometimes including her scent carried by the wind, would drive him crazy. I would take him several minutes to compose himself not to run off with her. And seeing her cradling the fox youkai in her arms, only urged him on.

The monk and youkai exterminator walked in silence behind the two hanyous. They would occasionally glance at each other, and Miroku would smile happily, while Sango would turn her eyes away, blushing deeply. After a few minutes, the process would start all over again.

The day had seemed almost perfect. But you know what they say "all good things come to an end" and Inuyasha kept saying that line over and over again inside his head. Waiting for the exact moment for this perfect day to come to an end. He didn't have to wait long as an odd odor reached his nose. 'It's a canine of some sort. But what....and who?' He stopped walking and looked to his right as the scent got stronger and stronger.

Kagome smelled it too and turned to her right. Her ears picked up some crashing sounds followed by what she could describe as heavy stepping.

After waiting for a few minutes, the know edgy group was greeted by a large Hell Wolf. "Oh, Hi Lady Kagome. I didn't expect to....." The hell wolf sniffed the air and looked at her with already enlarged eyes. "It was you?"

"What was me?" asked Kagome.

"What do you want, Rouyakan." ordered Inuyasha with his right hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

"I merely smelled an unclaimed female Inu that's ripe and came to investigate. I had no idea that it was Lady Kagome." Rouyakan held up his hands in defense of Inuyasha's gesture.

"Unclaimed?.....Ripe?.....What are-"

Inuyasha cut her off when he stepped in front of her. "Go away Rouyakan, Kagome is mine."

"What makes you think she would want a Halfling like you when she could have a full youkai for a mate?"

Inuyasha snickered at the hell wolf. "She a hanyou too you idiot and besides, she's already turned down the Lord of the West and a wolf prince to be with me. Now I suggest you leave, while you still can." With his left hand on the Tetsusaiga's sheath, he flicked the sword a few inches out using his thumb. The move was a dare to the hell wolf, which he half-heartedly wanted him to take.

"Now, now, we all know I'm not the fighting type.... I'll leave.... but remember..... If you don't mark her soon....I will!" The Hell Wolf turned and walked back into the woods like an elephant.

Inuyasha watched bewildered as the Hell Wolf left without any problems. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Well he was easy to get rid of. Too bad Kagome's other suitors always want to fight." stated the monk. He too was surprised at the fact that the hell wolf gave up easily, but Rouyakan was know to be a quiet, gentle forest protector so it wasn't to big of a shock. Miroku then remembered something the full youkai had said. "Hey....Inuyasha, what did he mean about Kagome needing to be marked?"

Inuyasha turned around and were met by four pairs of questioning eyes. He looked to each person franticly for words. He eyes shot from one person, to another, to the sky, to the ground, to another person (deer in the headlights look). He rested his gaze on the raven-haired hanyou to his right. He watched as she played with tip of her tail. A small smile creased his lips as he was finally able to find his words. "I need to talk to Kagome. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, go back to Kaede's and wait for us,.....don't come looking for us. We'll be safe, I promise. This is very important."

"Inuyasha, what is this about? Let us help you." stated Miroku calmly.

"I don't think so.....This is between Kagome and myself. Now trust me and GO!" Inuyasha shouted back at the monk. Disgusted by his offer to help, but Inuyasha settled down quickly when he realized the monk had no clue what marking entailed. He then spoke through clenched teeth. "Just GO!"

Kagome continued to fidget with her tail as each word from Inuyasha made her more nervous. 'What could he need to talk to me about?.....Could he be tired of all the attention lately and he's decided to get rid of me! Oh gods please don't let that be it.' Her eyes grew wide and glassed over with unshed tears.

Sango looked to her nervous friend then back to the persistent dog-boy. All the training she had received from her family had taught her about youkai and their mating rituals, so she was well aware of what marking was. Ready to protect the young miko at any cost, she walked up to the male hanyou and stared him right in the eyes. "If you hurt her in any way, I'll kill you before I kill Naraku." Sango then relaxed a bit. She then whispered soft enough for only Inuyasha to hear. "Just remember it will be her first time, if you two decide to become mates." She gave him a quick glare before turning to the monk. She grabbed Shippo from Kagome's arms and drug Miroku behind her, by the hand, down the path back to Kaede's. Sango told Miroku she would explain 'marking' later.

Inuyasha was relived when their companions left down the path, after they were out of sight, he turned to the fidgeting Kagome. He tried to hide his smile since this was a serious matter, but seeing her playing with her tail wasn't helping. Inuyasha grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the forest toward the small river they had been following. Once they reached it, Inuyasha sat down quickly, crossing his legs in the process. In that same motion, he pulled Kagome down onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers, placing his lips close to her right ear. "Hey Kagome.....you know all the attention you've been getting lately."

"Uh.....Hai!?" 'Oh god, he is going to get rid of me.' Kagome stiffened as the image of Inuyasha laughing at her then walking away played a crossed her mind. She dropped her head slightly, trying to hide the fear she was sure was on her face.

Inuyasha felt her tense up within his arms at his question. A little afraid of what she might have been thinking, he tightened his hold around her and gave her ear a quick nibble.

When Kagome felt Inuyasha bite her ear, it was both gentle and comforting. The feel of teeth on her sensitive ear sent a shiver down her spine. 'It isn't a bad feeling, it was....it was..... It was almost arousing. Is he trying to turn me on?' Still unused to the gruff hanyou showing any affection, she turned in his arms to look up at him, confused. 'If he's going to throw me away, why is he trying to turn me on?'

Inuyasha brought his hand up and started to play with one of the pink cylinders that hung in her hair. "There is a way to end all this madness....but only if your willing to go through with it."

Kagome grabbed the front of his haori, bunching her fist into the fabric then burying her face into it was well. "I won't leave you, no matter what you say or do, I won't go." Every word she spoke was quiet and demanding.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I would never ask you to leave me. We're bonded remember. If I lost you again I would probably die. So you're not going anywhere. What I had in mind for getting rid of your suitors requires us to.... get..... To get closer." A slight red tinted her cheeks at the last few words.

"Huh?"

Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. "If I marked you, no one would bother you, us.... again." He was a little worried as he watched her eyes go wide and she mouthed the word "Oh".

An uneasy silence settled over the two hanyous. One was waiting for an answer, the other wondering how to answer. Kagome released her grip on his haori as she spoke in a soft tone. "When can we start? When can I become your mate?" She smiled at him sweetly, relived that he didn't want to get rid of her.

Inuyasha stared down at the girl in his lap, the same girl that had just asked for him to make her his woman. 'Can I really do this? Can I handle this?' The look on her face convinced him he could. "Well let's find a cave by a river or hot spring for the night. We'll see what happens from there." He smiled at her as he pulled her into a standing position next to him then proceeded to walk down the riverbank.

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