My thanks to: That Bloody Demon, thepoweroflove, shippousangoffe, premierarchange, kon-chan, and Silver Wolf Pups. Aw, you were all so nice!

Tessadragon

Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine, but by the end of this fanfic...who knows?

Chapter 3

"Sango," Kagome said in a strange voice, appearing at the doorway to the hut that the demon slayer was residing in. Sango sat up, "Kagome! You're back!" She gave her friend a warm smile, but Kagome didn't return it, there was a deep level of shock in her eyes instead.

"What's wrong?" Sango got to her feet and strode to Kagome, "Has someone been hurt?" Urgency rose in her voice, "Has something happened?"

"Y-yes," Kagome said unsteadily, "Something's happened…" There was such confusion in her eyes, then she sank to her knees. "Sango…Inuyasha's proposed…to me."

Sango stared, a smile breaking free, "Oh kami! Oh, Kagome! This is, I mean, it's…amazing! No, brilliant, no…" She threw her hands up and gave up trying to voice the surge of emotion, instead hugged Kagome tightly. "Congratulations, Kagome."

Tears were sliding down Kagome's cheeks; Sango understood it with a small, stunned smile. "C'mon, you must tell the others…before Inuyasha does."

"Before Inuyasha…?" Kagome looked at her, confused, then got to her feet and ran out, just in time to see Inuyasha yelling at Miroku, "What d'you mean, I have to promise to Kagome publicly?"

"That's what marriage is!" Miroku yelled back.

Sango and Kagome stared.

Then Inuyasha saw them, and his jaw dropped. Then he adopted his haughty pose, raising his chin to look away from Kagome. Miroku started laughing loudly. Shippo was rolling around on the floor in helpless laughter.

"Kagome," Miroku explained, coming over. "My congratulations to you…but Inuyasha doesn't seem to know what marriage is!"

"What marriage is?" Kagome echoed, and stared at the half demon. "Inuyasha? Is he telling the truth? Do you really not know what marriage is?"

"Then why don't you tell me," Inuyasha gritted, "And I'll say whether I know it or not."

"It's…" Kagome struggled with this, "It's…where two people that love each other, dress up in formal clothes, and a priest asks them if they take each other in health and happiness, that sort of thing, and they say 'I do', and then the priest pronounces them man and wife—"

Inuyasha snorted, "More like youkai and priestess mate—"

Kagome tried to ignore that, "And then they kiss—"

"—I could kiss you any time! Like this!" He kissed her mouth hard, ignoring the villagers and his friends staring at him. Kagome enjoyed the kiss for a moment, then pulled away, looked at him soulfully, "Inuyasha, it's a ceremony that tells the world that we're…mates."

"Um," Shippo mumbled, "Demons have other ways of telling the world that someone belongs to them…"

"I can imagine," Kagome said, blushing as she tried not to imagine Inuyasha marking her in any way.

"It isn't like that!" Inuyasha growled. "It's better than saying some ridiculous words in front of a priest just so people can block up their ears and pretend they haven't heard, and then steal you…"

"You really think that would happen to me?" Kagome said, flattered.

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Argh!" he yelled, "Why are we talking about you being kidnapped?"

"You started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Inuyasha grasped her by the shoulders and fought to not start a long argument with her, thoroughly tired of the eventuality of her saying 'sit'. "Can we talk about this later? Once we've had something to eat?" He gave her a hint of hopefulness that spoke one word: ramen!

"Yes," Sango spoke up, "That's probably best. You look tired, Kagome, so let me do the cooking today, alright?"

"Thanks, Sango." Kagome grabbed her bag from where Inuyasha had dropped it, and stumbled back to the hut, tiredness sinking into her every nerve and limb. Shippo followed her, "Kagome?"

"It's alright," she assured him. "Me and Inuyasha'll figure it out."

"But why are you talking about marking as if it's something…uncool?"

"It's just…unusual, to me," she said awkwardly. "It's like sex before marriage. It just isn't a good idea."

"It's a way for him to protect you," Shippo explained like a teacher. Kagome humoured him and sat down to listen, hoping she wasn't blushing too much. "Alright then, tell me a little more…I guess, if I want to be with Inuyasha, I need to be a little more familiar with demon traditions."

"I don't know how much his human mother influenced him," Shippo said honestly. "But anyway, demons marking their mates is a romantic thing. Before Mother died, she was always really proud of the mark that Father gave her, to protect her."

"What kind of mark is it?" Kagome asked, curious despite her initial revulsion to the idea.

"A special bite…kinda like a hickey, except it leaves a tiny scar. Usually it's done somewhere kinda obvious, so that everyone can see that they're protected. But recently…" Shippo's voice faltered.

"Recently what?" Kagome asked after a moment.

Shippo gave her a frightened look. "You do realise that some people won't understand you loving a demon, right? It's why marks are sometimes now hidden. Otherwise sometimes humans were…"

"Discriminated?" Kagome guessed, and Shippo nodded, not knowing the word, "Prob'ly."

"Yes, I know," Kagome sighed. "But if I didn't stay with Inuyasha…I wouldn't be doing the right thing. It's what my heart wants."

Shippo sighed happily. "It'd be nice if it would make him good-tempered enough to stop hitting me!"

Kagome smiled, "I'll see what I can do."

"Yeah right," Shippo said wisely, knowing that not even Kagome could stop Inuyasha every time.

"Hey Kagome!" Inuyasha came in at that moment, to cover up that he'd been eavesdropping on the two of them, "Food's done. You coming?"

Kagome nodded eagerly, "Wonderful…I'm starving!"

As soon as Kagome left the hut, Inuyasha gave Shippo a thump on the head, but it was a lot gentler than usual, almost like a thank you for explaining to Kagome about their traditions better than he could have. But Shippo gave Inuyasha a suspicious look and rubbed his sore head, then ran after Kagome.

For a moment, Inuyasha stood still, contemplating this 'marriage' thing. A strong part of him demanded that he just grab Kagome and take her into the forest, and mark her, sure that she'd immediately realise that marking was way better than marriage…but the sensible part of him knew that was suicidal: Kagome would spend the next 500 years telling him to 'sit'.

"Alright," he grumbled to himself, "I'll do this marriage thing." Then he looked down at his red outfit, "But I'm not dressing up." Forcing himself to ignore the smell of food, for as long as he could, Inuyasha sought out Kaede and found her in the priestess hut, "Kaede, can you do this marriage thing?"

Kaede, having heard the commotion, fought a smile. "I can bless your union with Kagome, yes."

"Can you do it today?"

Kaede's smile almost revealed itself, "You'd have to ask Kagome if that was alright with her."

"Ah."

Inuyasha bolted back to Sango's hut, grabbed Kagome by the hut and leapt back to Kaede, who blinked, surprised at Inuyasha's rapidity.

"Kagome, if you marry me here, right now…" Inuyasha realised he didn't really know what he was saying.

"Usually marriage is a big ceremony," Kagome said, wincing.

"I don't do big ceremonies," Inuyasha said truthfully, and looking at the sullen half-demon, Kagome had to agree. She looked to Kaede helplessly.

"It's whatever you two want," the priestess said with a gentle smile. "You two have been after each other for a very long time. Even I can see that. But this is a big step, at least for Kagome, if not for Inuyasha."

Inuyasha sighed, and looked at Kagome. "Can we go talk?"

Kagome hesitated and nodded, then left with the half-demon. Together they walked knowingly towards the Forest of Inuyasha, a place of great meaning to them. Inuyasha tried to organise his thoughts, while keeping his ears open for danger.

"I know human customs aren't your favourite thing," Kagome said quietly.

"I don't like them, but I do know them," Inuyasha scowled. "I don't understand them, but I've seen them. I've seen marriages."

"Were your father and mother married? Or did he mark her?" Kagome asked.

"Marked. Her family couldn't tolerate her being with a demon. She had to flee when I was a baby, and bring me up elsewhere."

Kagome nodded: the thought was frightening to her, that she could be shunned so completely for being in love. How could Inuyasha's mother have borne such a burden? She wondered, then looked at Inuyasha and found her answer there. But I am lucky, to have Mom, and Grandpa, and even Souta, supporting me, she thought warmly.

"I know marriage is like a…safety net," Inuyasha struggled to voice it. "But I don't go for safety nets. I depend on your trust, and marking is about trust. Marriage is about formalities and contracts. Like love is a…" he gave up and shook his head, then looked Kagome in the eyes. "But if marriage means this much to you, I guess I can bear it. But you have to promise to let me mark you. So that I can keep you safe."

Kagome thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"And can it be something small?" Inuyasha pleaded. Kagome smiled and took his hand, then led him back towards the village. "Yes. Right now."

At least I'm getting married, she thought, a knot of excitement tightening inside her, and then she wondered again whether she was getting married for the right reasons…I practically pestered Inuyasha into proposing to me, when he might not even understand it!

"Uh oh," Inuyasha said, coming to a halt.

"What?"

"I saw that look on your face. The I'm-not-so-sure-about-this look. So spit it out, what's the problem now?"

"Do you really want to go ahead with this?" Kagome asked, fearing the answer.

"Well, you want it, don't you?" Inuyasha said, confused.

It's true, Kagome thought, distressed, Inuyasha really doesn't want to do this. He wouldn't have done it if I hadn't pushed him into it!

Inuyasha sighed again, aggravated, then reached out, cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her, drew her closer, as the same fearful emotion rose in him: Are we really ready for this? He thought of his mother and father, wondered if cruel luck would leave his children as orphans as early in life as it had done him.

"Maybe we should wait a while," Kagome said softly, drawing back from the kiss.

"Maybe," Inuyasha echoed.

Shippo's eyes filled with tears, but Sango shushed him, and comforted him, as they and Miroku hid in the bushes, spying on the miko and the hanyou.

"It'll be okay," Miroku told the young fox-demon confidently, "We just have to play matchmaker for Kagome and Inuyasha."

Shippo gulped, now afraid.