Chapter 63-Family

Two Months Later

With a soft moan, Kagome's eyes fluttered open. She turned her head as her mother rushed toward the door, smiling widely.

"Nurse!"

Blinking weakly, she looked down and saw Inuyasha asleep with his head beside her. Her mother smiled as she looked upon them. "Kagome, dear. You've been out for almost four months now. You should know that he never left your side and barely slept at all."

A small smile graced her lips as she placed her hand gently on his head, running her fingers through his still black hair. "Inuyasha..."

He stirred slightly and looked up at Kagome. His eyes shot open at the realization that she'd finally awoken. "Kagome!" He jumped up and held her gently in a passionate embrace. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he held her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Um...excuse me, sir..." He looked up at the doctor standing beside them. "I need to examine her for a moment."

"Of course, he said, reluctant to let her go.

The doctor performed his routine checks and smiled. "Well, Miss Higurashi...it looks like you'll have a full recovery. I just need you to stay a few more days for observation."

She nodded and the doctor exited the room. With a smile, she peered over at Inuyasha as he wiped the tears from his face. Mrs. Higurashi smiled brightly.

"I think I'll leave you two alone for a moment," she said as she exited the room.

"Inuyasha? What happened?"

"You were reckless," he said with his normal attitude. "You put all of your power into your arow and it drained you completely." His eyes softened as he continued. "You almost died."

"Did I do it? Is she dead?"

"Yes. Amaya is dead. That arrow was amazing. Even Kikyo couldn't have released that much power in one arrow.

'Kikyo, huh?' She smiled as she remembered her mother's words. "Did you really stay with me the whole time?"

He blushed, crossing his arms as he turned away. "Yeah...maybe...so what if I did?"

She smiled brighter than ever in her life. "Inuyasha..." He turned to her as a small tear of joy rolled down her cheek. She reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. "I meant what I said. I..."

"You don't have to-"

"Yes I do. I love you, Inuyasha...with all of my heart. I need you."

His eyes were wide as he held back the tears from welling up in his eyes. He leaned forward and hugged her tightly. "I...I love you too, Kagome."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Kagome sobbed with joy as she returned his embrace.

'Finally,' they both thought.

Two Weeks Later

Inuyasha jumped out of the car and rushed to open Kagome's door and help her out. Not wanting her to exert herself yet, he picked her up and carried her up the mountain of stairs. When they finally entered the house, her grandpa and Souta were waiting eagerly to welcome her home. After a few moments with them, she decided that she was in dire need of a bath.

As she lay there soaking, her mind ran through the slew of events that had transpired. She felt horrible that she'd fallen into Amaya's trap so easily, but relieved that the battle had finally come to an end. No more Naraku...no more Amaya...no more cursed Shikon no Tama to protect. It had all worked out. She blushed at the thought that she and Inuyasha had admitted their love for each other and would finally be able to be happy.

She dried off and wrapped her towel around herself to walk into her room. She took some clothes out of her dresser and set them on her bed. Inuyasha came running up the stairs as he heard a scream and took Kagome in his arms.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something in my bed!"

They went into her room and Inuyasha was saddened at the sight of the young kitsune curled up on her bed. He turned to her and tried to force smile. "I guess he didn't want to leave you.. I don't know how to say this, but...Kagome, that's Shippo. He was purified in Amaya's blast."

"What?" She sat down beside the kitsune who climbed in her lap and into her arms. She pet him lovingly with tears in her eyes. "Oh Shippo...I'm so sorry."

Dinnertime

The family and Inuyasha sat silently around the table as they ate. They knew Kagome had been through a lot and didn't want to stir up anything painful just yet. Kagome looked over at Inuyasha.

"Tomorrow I want to try to go back. We need to get Shippo home and I'd like to thank Sango, Miroku, and Kaede. Besides, I should let them know that I'm okay."

Inuyasha glanced at her. "I don't know if it's gonna work, Kagome. I was just happy it was at least able to get you home to your time."

"I still want to try."

"Alright, here goes."

They jumped into the well, but nothing happened. Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes and she threw her face in Inuyasha's chest. He hugged her tightly.

"It's okay, Kagome."

"No...it's not okay. You got stuck here in my time and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Inuyasha."

"Hey," he said, lifter her chin to look deep into her eyes. "It's okay. You're alive and I'm here with you. That's all that matters to me."

"Oh Inuyasha..."

She stood up on her toes and they shared a long, heartfelt kiss.

One Year Later

"Hurry up, Inuyasha!" Souta pleaded. "We're gonna be late. Everyone else is already there."

"I know, I know," he muttered. He was clearly getting irritated as he fumbled with his tie. "What the hell hell is wrong with this thing? Why do I have to wear this crap anyways?"

"Come here," Souta sighed, as Inuyasha dropped to one knee. "Because Kagome wanted you to. You know that. There."

Inuyasha looked down, impressed at Souta's bow-tying ability. "Alright, kid. Good job."

"Thanks, Inuyasha. Can we get going now?"

"Oh yeah...right."

Kagome stood before the full length mirror glowing as she admired herself in the flowing white gown. Her mother called for her and she took her bouquet in her hands as she approached the double doors. She took her grandfather's arm and they stepped forward into the large elegant chapel Her eyes met with Inuyasha's and for the two of them, the world vanished leaving only themselves. She took his hand and both smiled as they found themselves lost in each other's gaze. With a smile they recited their "I do's" and embraced in the most passionate kiss.

Five Years Later

"Mommy...Daddy..."

Inuyasha and Kagome sat up sleepily and looked on at the young girl standing at the foot of their bed, her long silver hair tangled from sleeplessness.

"What is it, Sango?" Inuyasha asked.

"I had a bad dream," she pouted. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Sure," Kagome said, scooting over to make room for her between them.

"Me too?" a black haired boy pleaded, barely poking his head in the doorway.

"Alright," Inuyasha grunted. "Come on, Miroku."

The boy smiled as he ran up into their bed, Shippo following close behind him. The happy family cuddled together. The children snuggled against their parents as they joined hands over the children's sleepy heads, still lost in each other's eyes.

"I love you."

Notes: Damn! It's over! That sucks so bad...I know this story's been, like, REALLY long, but it's been so much fun. We're really gonna miss writing this one, but all stories have to end eventually. We're working on a few ideas for our next story, but we're not sure which one to go for next. We're stuck between another Inuyasha, a Death Note, or a Yu-Gi-Oh! story. Let us know what you think. It will help make our decision a bit easier. Well, we'd really like to hear what you think now that it's ended, so please review. We were pissed at how the series ended (or should I say stopped), so we tried to give this the best ending possible. We want to thank everyone who's read andreviewed, especially with the extremely long wait. You guys are the best. Well, I promise a new one's coming soon. Until next time... InuNimue