A/N: Hello dear readers. Sorry for the delay, Halloween weekend was super busy since I have kids. On my next day off I'm going to devote time to write, wake up early because I work until eleven at night and end up sleeping until like ten...ugh, to get this story moving along.

Thanks for the reviews and anyone who is reading this and enjoying it.

Sango insisted that Izumi wear the kimono she herself had worn when she married Miroku. Relatively they were the same shape and size.

Kagome offered to lend Rin her own and they could make the necessary adjustments to it but Sesshomaru had already commissioned hers to be done and delivered to the village before they left their small compound.

"Will any of your family be joining from the East Izu?" Kagome asked as she went over the ceremony with her.

Sitting across from Kagome she shook her head slowly. "No."

"Then let me say thank you for letting all of us share in your big day." She said with a bright smile. "On my part I promise to make it just perfect. Now, I already asked Rin and she doesn't mind but I'm going to ask you too. Do you want to have your wedding the same day as Rin and Sesshomarus? If not it's fine."

"As long as Rin does not mind then this one does not either." Izumi replied.

"Great. It's going to be sweet. I am so happy. You know, I've known both Rin and Kohaku since they were little kids so this is going to be so special." Kagome said.

"They were small when you first met them then?"

"Oh yeah. I mean, Rin's still tiny but she's an adult now, but Kohaku was shorter than me. Now he towers. I'm so glad that he was able to grow up and find someone to spend his life with." She spoke loosely. Izumi thought to use this to get more information about Kohaku out of her.

"I am not familiar with how humans grow but I do know that your life spans are shorter than a demons. How long ago were they small?" Izumi questioned.

"It wasn't that long ago actually, a little over ten years." Kagome thought out.

"Ten years?" Furrowing her brow before her eyes widened.

"Yup. Seems like forever now. I want to say Kohaku was a little older than ten, maybe eleven. Rin was a little girl she looked like she was seven. I'm not good at estimating ages." Kagome said.

"That's it?"

"That's it." She repeated.

"Why did you say you were glad that Kohaku made it into adulthood?" Izu asked.

"Because I am." Kagome retorted as if it were obvious.

"What I meant was, why did you think he would not?"

"Oh. It's a long story and not my place to tell his side of it."

"Kohaku has told me about Naraku. What the demon did, what he exchanged with him to forget his sins." Izumi replied.

"Oh, so you know." Kagomes eyes went wide. "The sacred jewel shard that Kohaku had ended being the last piece to complete the sacred jewel. The shards and the jewel were corrupted. The priestess Kikyo had purified the shard in Kohaku. Naraku was going to kill Kohaku to get it and he would have succeeded but Kikyo's energy revived him when the jewel shard was taken."

"Oh." Izumi whispered out. "And this all happened when he was small."

"Yeah. Rin and Kohaku had rough childhoods." Kagome said. "But all's good now. So, let's go over the ceremony again."

As Kagome began to go over the instructions once more Izumis mind wandered wanting nothing more than to comfort her mate.

Sesshomaru led Rin down a familiar path. Stopping in front of the cave mouth they had first been intimate in she couldn't help but give a small giggle.

Going inside it was now lit with torches placed along the walls. "What is all this?" Rin asked as the lights danced along the stone casting large shadows.

"Our secret place." He said glancing down at her. Smiling up at him Rin leaned against him as she held onto his hand tightly.

"I saw it that night, the bind that ties our hearts together. That is how I found you." She said. "I was so worried that something terrible had happened to you and that is why you were calling out to me."

"I fought it, the poison, for as long I could but my mind kept drifting to you. All I could think of was you. That was why I was so close to the village. It was a war with myself not to take you." He said.

"That may have been fun." Rin laughed out. "Although I do not think that Lady Kaede would have approved my lord."

"It wouldn't have mattered to me what the elderly priestess had to say." He replied as they came to an area that was dimly lit. Placing the moko-moko down on the ground Sesshomaru lowered himself to his knees to look up at her. "You have always been mine. No one could ever keep you from me."

"I know." Rin said softly running her fingers through his hair from his scalp down. "I don't know what I ever did right to deserve you but I am so glad that I did it."

"You are Rin." His voice came out even softer than hers. "That is enough." Feeling as if her heart were going to burst in her chest she placed her forehead against the top of his head.

Taking his hands and placing them against her stomach he felt the change in her normally flat abdomen. The slight rounding to her stomach from just above her pelvic bone wasn't visible under the kimono she wore.

Hastily untying the obi he opened up her clothing and lifted the undergarment she wore to reveal her lower half to him. Running his hand from one side of her stomach to the other he sighed and smiled.

"Our pup." He whispered nuzzling against her and licking at the area softly. Leaning down Rin placed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Yes my love." She said as he began to growl deep in his chest.

Izumi found Kohaku by the stream with his nieces and nephew skipping stones. She watched him before he knew she was there as he knelt down to the small boy and taught him how to throw the rock properly for it to skim across the water.

"Uncle Kohaku, Lady Izumi is here." One of the twins said, Izu couldn't remember their names for the life of her, bringing his attention towards her direction.

"I hope that Kagome wasn't too much for you to handle on your own." Kohaku said. "She can get overly excited."

"We got along fine." Izu walked closer to them as Kohaku sent the children back to his sister. Offering her his arm she gladly took it as they walked in no particular direction.

"Thank you for this." Kohaku said after sometime. "I know that a wedding does not hold much significance for you but for me it's very important."

"How can you say that?" Izumi queried. "I am marrying you because I love you. I understand the importance of it and I want this with you."

Stopping Kohaku turned to face her. "Izu, I want to mark you. I want you to be mine." Her breath hitched in her throat at his words as her eyes went wide.

"You do?"

"Yes. Marriage for me means just as much as being marked does for you. You've given up so much for me and you're willing to go along with my customs. There is no way that I would ever ignore yours." He said. "Just tell me what to do."

"It is done during a mating. The male will bite into the female here," Pointing to just under her collarbone on the left side Kohaku nodded his head, "His scent is embedded into her along with his energy so that way everyone will know whom she is with."

"Will you let me mate you and mark you my beautiful girl?" Wrapping his arms around her waist she gave a small nod as he placed his forehead to hers holding her to him.

"Yes." Placing her hands to his cheeks she kissed at his lips as he brought his tongue out to lick at hers. Smiling into their kiss Izumi breathed in his scent feeling safe and protected.