Chapter 8

(A/N: Thank you, faithful readers. I am not really sure if the dog-demon mating customs are accurate, I just went with what I can recall from my readings, if it isn't, oh well. It is fiction, after all, nothing really has to be accurate. :) Please continue to favorite, review and share my story with other InuYasha lovers like yourselves! Here's chapter 8! *HINT: Possibly last chapter*)

Kaede's seemed peaceful for the first time in what felt like forever. Inuyasha and Kagome were underneath the Sacred Tree. She tilted her face to meet his golden stare. He smiled down at her, "Kagome. I know we still have the rest of the Jewel Shards to gather, not to mention the destruction of Naraku, but when this is all over... I-I'd like to marry you."

Kagome's face turned red, "You mean that?"

Inuyasha grinned, "Unless you'd prefer I get that scrawny wolf-boy for ya!"

She sat up, accidentally revealing herself from underneath the Robe of the Fire Rat, "Inuyasha! You know better than that!"

His face turned a little red too before he gently kissed her neck, "I was just messing, Kagome. I don't want anyone else to have you, except me."

She moaned from the kiss, "Okay," she breathed, "I'll marry you."

He smiled, "Good." He covered them both back up, "Night."

"Good night, Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru continued to follow Naraku's scent, however, something different came along the air, "Inuyasha...?" Without another thought, he raced back to Kaede's village to talk with his little brother.

"Uh, Lord Sesshomaru? Where are you going?" Jaken asked, but Sesshomaru was already out of sight.

A little while later, Sesshomaru landed in front of them, Inuyasha was still asleep.

His ears twitched as his eyes opened, "Sesshomaru? What're you doing here? Come back for Rin?"

He shook his head, "Stand, Inuyasha."

Thinking another fight was about to happen, Inuyasha stood and stepped away from Kagome, his Tetsusiga in his hand. Sesshomaru smirked, "I do not intend to fight you this early in the morning. Come, let us walk aways." They walked farther into the forest before Sesshomaru turned and faced Inuyasha, "I smelled something different about you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha cut in, "Something different? Like what, exactly?"

"You want to make Kagome your mate, do you not?"

Inuyasha looked at the ground, somewhat embarrassed, "Y-Yeah."

"I can help you."

"You want to help me?" Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru with pure disgust, "Why? I thought you hated me!"

"I did, Inuyasha, even though you are a half-demon, we still have the same father. My mother taught me about how dog demons mate, but with your half-demon status, your human mother probably didn't know how or what to tell you. She probably just told you how humans mate."

Inuyasha growled, "Get to the point, Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru closed his golden eyes, then looked directly at Inuyasha, "Have you joined bodies?"

"Huh?"

"Have you joined bodies?"

"Uh... J-Just once."

Sesshomaru nodded and laid against the nearest tree, Inuyasha followed, but sat on the ground a few feet away, "The next time you do, you will feel a strong urge to bite her flesh. Do not fear this urge, Inuyasha, for this is your body telling you what to do. After you bite her, drink a small amount of her blood, this might be difficult for a half-demon because it might be hard to resist taking more than you ought. Once you drink enough to fill your mouth once, open a spot in your arm or neck and have her do the same. No more than a mouthful of blood, Inuyasha. After the exchange of blood, you will notice a few changes. The first one is pretty much instantaneous. Eye color. Yours are golden, but once you drink her blood, yours will have black specks in the golden color. This is telling other people that you have a mate. Hers will be black with golden specks. This is telling you and others that she belongs to you and only you. Don't be surprised of this effect. Another one is, once you two lay down together, she will nuzzle you, like true dogs would. This is letting you know that she wants to be with you and that she wants to be touched and loved. Another is a longer human-time for you. I know you become human on the night of the new lunar cycle, however, this will be extended to give you longer human hours with her. It just won't be overnight, but it might be until the half-moon or crescent. And for her, it will be a longer youth. She won't age as quickly as most humans would. Every time you join, you will bite. Make sure she also bites. If not, she will fall very ill and might die. You must keep this in mind, Inuyasha. Your bite can save and it can kill. How you use it is yours to decide."

"W-Why tell me this now?"

"I figured you would need help since, like I've told you, your human mother never understood the ways of the dog demons, so she couldn't help you in that regard, as Father isn't alive, you can't ask him, so I am the one who had to tell you, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru finished and stood, lifting into the sky.

"Sesshomaru! Thank you!"

"Heh, no thanks are required. I will come to take Rin on a little vacation in a few weeks."

"She'll look forward to your return, I'm sure." Inuyasha returned to where Kagome was still sleeping. She stirred, but didn't awaken.

Naraku was in a barrier, watching Sesshomaru hunt for him relentlessly. Kanna showed Naraku a mirror image of Kohaku and Kagura. They were discussing how to betray him. He growled and clutched Kagura's heart, making her fall over dead. "Now for the insolent brat." Naraku used one of his uninjured tentacles to grasp the jewel shard imbedded in Kohaku's neck. Kohaku gasped quickly, then slumped over dead. "Well, so much for them."