Part 26: Epilogue

A/N: Happy New Year! I hope 2019 will be full of happiness for you all. We made it to the end of this fanfic together, and for that I am grateful! Thank you so much dear readers for sticking with this fic despite the sporadic updating. I had promised I would see it to the end, and here we are!

A special thank you goes to my amazing reviewers who gave me a little boost in motivation:

Little25victor

AmorPorSiempre

Devi no kaze

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish for it, I unfortunately own nothing except my plot, and a few OC's here and there.

"You shouldn't trust him." I sighed. "He's a snake, literally and figuratively."

We were in our bed at home cuddling close lying face-to-face. Since our wedding three years ago, this had become one of my favorite times of the day. Sesshoumaru and I lying down in our darkened bedroom and talking together late into the night. He made efforts to come home to me early as he hated the thought of me waiting up for him, but most of his work was done at night, so I usually spent the first half of my evening alone in our bed. This was the only place he dared take off his Ice Lord mask, not only did he show his more amorous side, but also solicited my opinion on business matters. Our relationship and our marriage were true partnerships. It had not always been like this. Early on in our marriage, Sesshoumaru had tried his best to keep me away from his criminal enterprise, but I had managed to carve myself a spot. It had been slow going, but I was now aware of pretty much everything that happened in the Western Lands, and I was not afraid to speak my mind when I disagreed with some of my husband's business decisions.

"Do you not trust this Sesshoumaru's judgment? I have known of him for years. I will do business with him."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance, unfortunately the darkness of the room meant he probably hadn't seen me. Never mind, I had other tricks in my arsenal. I burrowed myself closer to his side of the bed, my black curls mixing with his long silver hair on his pillow.

"I trust you." I raised my head just enough to press a kiss to his lips. "It's him I don't trust. That snake youkai used to work with Naraku. He came to the club a couple times and roughed up some girls. That's why I remember him."

At the mention of the spider hanyou, Sesshoumaru snaked his arm over my waist and tightened his hold on me. His grip crushed me to his body, and would have been painful if I did not need the reassuring. Three years after his death, speaking the name of the monster still left a bad taste in my mouth.

"He double crossed Naraku on their deal, and Hakudoushi went to make him pay. That's how he lost an ear." I ran a loving hand down his side. "I know how much you want that weapon, but we will find a way to get it without him. That man is lying to you and you shouldn't trust him."

He seemed to mull over my words for a while before finally nodding.

"This Sesshoumaru needs no one to acquire what he desires."

I fought the victorious smirk threatening to appear on my lips. I was pleased to see how much he had come to value my opinion and consult me on business matters. He knew I had the best interests of our family and the Western Lands at heart. Things had not been easy for us following Naraku's death. Menoumaru had tried to argue against Sesshoumaru being the winner of the duel for the simple reason that I had entered the arena therefore nullifying the duel. Good thing Kouga had been on our side, and that so many eye witnesses had seen and heard Naraku threaten my life and the ones of our youngest family members. Considering that Hakudoushi, Naraku's heir, and most of the gangsters in his outfit were dead, it had been easy to dismantle the Southern Lands and carve pieces of it for each of the three remaining Lords.

As the victor of the duel, my husband had received the biggest piece of the pie, and he had wasted no time making the best use of it. A second art gallery, a front for his money laundering, had been erected in the place of Naraku's strip club. To my pleasant surprise, Sesshoumaru had given me free reign of the place. I had happily torn down every single wall of the hated club and built a sleek, modern exhibition place where young artists got to show their work. I had even hired some of Naraku's former female employees to work for me. At least the ones who had agreed to get clean and work a legal job, the others were too far gone for me to help them out.

"Now," My husband rose himself on one elbow to hover over me. "This has been a long day full of annoyance, and this Sesshoumaru would like to relax and enjoy time with his wife."

I opened up my arms to him eagerly. "This Kagura could use some relaxing too." He wasted no time rolling on top of me at my obvious invitation. This was going to be a lovely end of the evening.

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I breathed in and out, and tried my best to control my nervousness. This was a big night, a really big night. Rin's first showing, and the presentation of my second collection. As much as she enjoyed making clothes with me, turned out my human daughter's real passion was painting. Sesshoumaru did not care what career she chose, he just wanted her to be happy. In a few months she was going to start attending art school, but had picked a university nearby so she was going to stick around home. Secretly I was glad she had decided not to live on campus. Rin had entered my life only three years ago, and I selfishly wanted to enjoy her a bit more. The fact that she spent most of her time at my art gallery ensured we at least got to spend a lot of time together. I did wonder if it was the art that interested her or Kohaku. Sango's younger brother had come home after spending years abroad seeking treatment from the trauma Naraku had put their family through. The death of the hanyou had helped his healing process, and art had helped him exorcise his demons. The young human had become a gifted sculptor, and the studio space at my art gallery had become a preferred hangout spot for him. Rin was never far behind sketching or painting. I did wonder when the two of them were going to dare admit their mutual crushes, maybe sometime soon.

"I'm so nervous I could puke!" Rin whispered next to me. "Is Sesshoumaru-sama here yet?"

I inwardly winced at hearing her refer to her father in such a formal way. Despite my tries I had not been able to make her call him dad or at least father. Maybe when a younger sibling came along, calling us mom and dad, Rin would feel comfortable enough to do the same.

"Your father's running late, but the rest of the family is here; sitting in the front row." I smoothed some of her bangs out of her eyes.

"Do you think people will like our show?"

The uncertainty in her dark eyes tore at my heart. She may be all grown up, but she was still a little girl needing reassurance from her mom at heart.

"Our show is going to be great!"

My enthusiasm was not faked. My first collection had done okay. Not my best work, but it had sold well, to my surprise. I guess Kagome and Ayame tooting my horn all over town and buying dozens of clothing items of my collections helped. My clothing brand, Ame, named after my late mother, had become a hit overnight. Sesshoumaru had loaned me the funds to get it started, but I had used the proceeds of my first collection to pay him back, despite his protests. He had given me the art gallery, it was already much. Now my second collection was being presented, and it had been inspired by Rin's paintings. Prints, bright colors and flower shapes were found all over the clothes I had made. A stark departure from my usual work, but proof of how happy and comfortable I was in my current life. Rin's beautiful paintings made for a wonderful runway backdrop for my creations. IT was as if the models were wearing her paintings come to life. I really loved the result of our collaboration.

"Alright, I'll go sit next to the family. I better help Aunt Kagome rustle up Izayoi before she decides to jump on stage."

My darling niece was growing into her powers, which meant one of her favorite things was now flying all over the place. To say we had been surprised that the inu hanyou/miko hybrid had the ability to fly would be an understatement. Inuyasha was now boasting about his strong dog half demon genes, even though he himself did not have the ability to fly. Sesshoumaru guessed Izayoi's ability had something to do with the Shikon Jewel, but neither of us had had the heart to tell Inuyasha. We did not wish to disappoint him. At least I did not, I was pretty sure my husband was waiting for the right moment to burst his brother's bubble.

After giving me one last hug, Rin sauntered to join the rest of our family. I did not fail to notice that she conveniently sat net to Kohaku. I stayed backstage, keeping an eye on things, and making sure that the show ran smoothly. As the last dress went down the runway I felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around me, and smiled.

"Beautiful work as always." Sesshoumaru pressed a kiss to the side of my neck.

"I am able to do what I love only because of your support." I said and I meant it.

"This Sesshoumaru would do anything for you."

I knew his words to be true. He had proven many times that he would do his outmost to make me happy.

"Anything?" I teased him. He answered by gently squeezing me.

"How about giving me a baby?"

He turned me around so quickly that had I not been a wind demoness who could steady myself with the help of the wind, I might have fallen over.

"Do you mean it?" He asked me. I could see the muted hope in his eyes. During our three years of marriage he had never once pressured me to become pregnant even though I knew how much he wanted more children; one just had to catch the occasional look of envy in his eyes when he saw Inuyasha playing with Shippou and Izayoi. I knew that Sesshoumaru was especially aching to have an heir. We loved Rin, she was our daughter, but she was human, and so very sweet and innocent. She could never inherit the Western Lands nor her father's criminal organization. I have never told her, but down the line when she had finished her studies and gathered some life experience, I wanted her to take over the gallery side of the business. This was as much involvement as I wanted Rin to have with the family business. Any child born to Sesshoumaru and I would be strong enough to rule the West with Shippou and Izayoi at their sides.

"I wouldn't have said it if I did not mean it."

"This Sesshoumaru will make preparations then."

The smirk dancing at the corner of his lips intrigued me, but I trusted him, I was sure that whatever he had planned, I would enjoy.

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What my dear husband had in mind was our long overdue honeymoon. Barely two weeks after the successful runway show and art showcase, Sesshoumaru and I embarked on a trip. Just the two of us. I was surprised he had agreed to leave Inuyasha in charge for two whole weeks. After all the turmoil following Naraku's death had been the reason why Sesshoumaru and I had not taken a honeymoon when we first got married. He had declared Inuyasha could not be counted on to settle things.

My love had gotten us a luxurious hotel penthouse overlooking the ocean. We had spent the day exploring the city, strolling hand in hand like to young lovebirds; I had adored it. After a walk on the beach, we had retreated to our hotel where a candlelit dinner awaited us. A delicious five course meal and two bottles of wine later we had retired to our room. Time for baby making!

I did not know how the hell Sakura had figured out the reason for our trip, but she had gifted me a fertility ofuda two days ago. Of course she had thrown it as me, all the while muttering about how inferior kaze youkai were, and how difficult it was for them to breed. I had tried my best to ignore her words, but I had still hid her present inside my suitcase. I did not think Sesshoumaru would appreciate his mother's nosiness, so I had not told him about her gift. Their relationship had warmed ever since she had learned the truth about Touga's death, but they would never be close; that was simply not in their nature. Not that I minded. She and I were cordial, but the less of the judgmental old youkai I saw, the happier I was. From time to time she dropped by to check-in on us, but thankfully that had never become a habit.

As soon as we entered our room, Sesshoumaru bestowed a sweet kiss to my lips. That helped alleviate my nervousness. I had read about what to expect and had tried my best to prepare myself for the breeding process. From what I had heard, I could expect quite a bit of pressure but no outright pain. In any case the pain would be worth it. I could not wait to have Sesshoumaru's baby.

"So how should we do this?" I broke our kiss and undid my dress, standing before him in nothing but my underwear. "Do you want me on my back, my side... or I know, on all four. That's how your kind likes it better, no?"

My joke earned me a sharp angry glare. "I am inu youkai, not a common mutt. Just pick whatever position is more comfortable to stay in for a while." He unbuttoned his pants and threw away his shirt.

"How romantic…" I teased him, but did as told. I shimmied out of my underwear and lay down naked on our bed.

Soon enough he joined me in all of his naked glory. He reached down to gently undo my hair, freeing it from its usual bun. A gesture he had performed hundreds of times, but it still felt so lovely and intimate. He ran an appreciative hand through my hair. I knew he liked it long, so I had grown it almost to my lower back these past few years, but I only let it down for him.

"Kagura." The man may not say he loved me with words, but the loving way in which he pronounced my name was proof enough. Gone was my irritation, I waned to drown in Sesshoumaru now.

I reached up to bury my hands in his hair and brought his face down for a kiss. I may have been the one to initiate, but soon enough he took full control. Our lips pressed and our tongues met and danced together. It was only once I felt completely breathless that I broke our kiss. Unfazed, Sesshoumaru pressed his lips everywhere within his reach. First my cheeks, then my neck and lower. Once he reached my breasts, he took his time laving both tips with wet kisses, causing shivers to run down my spine. He continued his journey and once he encountered my stomach he placed small butterfly kisses all over it. If I had not been all primed and ready to have his baby, this loving gesture would have gotten to me. Suddenly he grabbed my legs, parted them wide and buried his head at the juncture of my thighs. My husband had become well versed in how to make me lose my mind in record time. A few well placed licks, a bit of biting and I exploded.

"Sesshoumaru!" I cried out as I came. Even as I was coming down from my high, I wanted more. I was aching to have him inside me. He was not one to disappoint. He retraced his steps and kissed a path up my body, only stopping when he encountered my lips.

I opened myself wider when he settled himself between my legs, and welcomed him eagerly when he slipped his length in my warmth. He rocked his hips gently, lowering his face to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I was far too gone to even identify what he was saying anyways. Soon, our gentle motions escalated and I felt my release building one again. He must have sensed it because he lowered his fingers to rub my hidden pearl. Instantly I climaxed, and Sesshoumaru soon followed suit.

I felt his member swell up as he buried himself deeper inside me. The uncomfortable pressure made me tense up. He was quite big and I feared he simply would not fit.

"Relax my love." He whispered reassuringly, and I did as he gently prompted. I breathed deeply and that helped lessen the pain. I sighed in relief once he was completely seated. It hurt a bit, but the pressure was also pleasurable. His knot was now in place and we would remain tied together until he finished emptying his seed in my awaiting womb. I idly wondered how long this would take. None of the research I had done gave me a clear answer. The length of the connection depended on the two lovers. For some couples the tie lasted minutes and for others hours, and in some cases even days. Just thinking about that latter possibility had me squirming in discomfort.

"Get on top. I do not want to crush you." He nudged me gently, and I quickly complied. We switched position, and I now found myself straddling him, my head resting against his shoulder. We stayed in silence for a good long while our chests pressed together as we waited for the tie to break itself.

"Well, I'm bored." I sighed. "I should have thought about turning on the TV before we got started. Who knows how long we will be stuck here…" I sighed once again. "I should have thought about having some magazines or an e-reader on hand too…"

"Woman silence!" Sesshoumaru finally snapped. "I could see a familiar vein throb at his temple." Maybe I was taking my teasing too far. Well I could not tell him that cracking stupid jokes was the best way for me to distract myself from thinking about the magical mumbo jumbo happening right now with our private parts.

"Do you think it took?" Despite my best efforts, a note of uncertainty had crept in my voice. Sakura's doubts had burrowed into my head. She was right conception was not always easy for wind youkai.

"I hope so, but if it did not this time, then we will try again. I can assure you this Sesshoumaru will enjoy every trial." He chuckled gently, one of his rare laughs and my heart stopped for a second.

He turned his head to the side and pressed a gentle kiss to my temple.

"I really want to have a baby with you. I'm glad we're trying."

"I am glad we are too." He encircled my waist with an arm, and reached his free hand to lift my chin and bring my face up to kiss him. We had no way of knowing how long we were going to stay stuck there, and making out seemed as good a way to keep ourselves occupied.

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I conceived the very first time Sesshoumaru and I tried. We did however fully enjoy our two weeks of honeymoon with lots of quality time and delicious food. Those blissful fourteen days seemed like a lifetime ago now. I did not know if it was Sakura's talisman, nope, actually I refused to give her the satisfaction of thinking she had anything to do with it, but I became pregnant with twins. This was very unusual among our kind, and I swore that ever since he had found out, Sesshoumaru stood two feet taller. The news had been a stroke to his manly ego!

This would surely be the only time I would bear Sesshoumaru a litter of pups, so he had better enjoy it. Personally, I just wanted this pregnancy to end. With a gestation period of twelve months, no wonder there were so few inu youkai on earth. The last year had been hell for me as I seemed to suffer from every ailment possible including violent morning sickness. My back was in constant pain, I looked like a whale, and I wanted those pups out now!

This thought came to me as a violent contraction rushed through my body. I would have sat up in shock at the pain had my mountain-sized stomach not made that impossible.

"You're doing great." The nurse whispered in my ear as she wiped sweat off my brows.

"The next one is coming Mrs. Tashio, once it does you will need to push as hard as you can." The doctor sitting between my splayed legs instructed me.

I had been in labor for thirty-six hours now, and I was exhausted. Still I nodded my assent. I knew pushing some more was the only way to bring theses babies into the world and finally have some rest.

"You can do this. You are the strongest woman I know." Sesshoumaru tightened his hold on my hand. He had stood by my side for every excruciating minute of my labor, and I fed off his strength. His encouragement gave me the boost I needed and as the next contraction hit me, I pushed as strongly as I could.

The wailing of our son announced his arrival into the world. I barely had time to see him that it was time to push his sister out. She came quickly but silently, too silently. Unlike her brother whose wails announced his healthy set of lungs, no sound had escaped her lips. Sesshoumaru squeezed my hand so hard he could have broken my bones, not that I would have felt it at the time. All my focus was on my daughter, who had yet to take a breath.

I felt tears streaming down my face. I regretted any complaint I had ever uttered in the past twelve months. I would experience the sickness, the heartburn, the back pain, the fatigue and the awkward body shape a million times over just to hear my baby girl take a breath. My baby girl. Unlike her brother whose bronzed skin resembled mine, she was fair like her father, and getting paler by the minute. After all the loss Sesshoumaru and I had endured at the hands of Naraku, we could not lose her too. This was supposed to be our happy ending. Losing one of our children so cruelly was not supposed to happen to us.

Time stood still. The doctor rushed to insert some sort of tube in my little angel's mouth and seemed to suck fluids out. Suddenly my baby opened her eyes wide and let out an ear splitting scream. This was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. She and her brother were now screaming in outrage at having been disturbed. I looked at Sesshoumaru through my teary eyes, and noticed his own golden orbs were suspiciously wet. I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed mine back in return. Both our babies were alive and well.

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"They're so precious." Kagome squealed as she took in Daichi and Hana. It had only taken me two days, but I had finally perfected the technique to hold both twins in my arms at the same time, and was now proudly showing them off to their family members. We had come back home this very morning, and had settled in the master bedroom of the Tashio mansion. After the fright we had had at Hana's birth, I had been eager to go home and be with family. My husband had not disagreed.

"Keh! Don't get any ideas about having another one wench." Her husband grumbled. Inuyasha was not fooling anyone. He adored children and would not mind having a third one.

"Ah well, we should be next to add on to the family." Miroku gently nudged Sango, his wife of a few months, making his indentions clear.

"We'll see." She answered with a shrug, but seeing the light dancing in her eyes, something told me she would be cuddling her own babies soon enough. Being the head of security for the Tashio clan, she did not have to follow the children around and be their personal bodyguard anymore, which allowed her more free time to spend with her husband and brother.

"Alright, we've disturbed Kagura and the babies enough; it's time for the three of them to rest." Kagome, who had become my best friend declared.

I was grateful to have the miko nearby. Her experience as a mother was invaluable. It was precisely in times like these that I most missed my mother. She would never meet her grandchildren, nor would she be around to give me advice on how to care for my newborns. I did my best to shift away from such negative thoughts.

"Mother, father, we will leave you to it then." Rin came forward to run a finger down her younger siblings' sweet cheeks then left the room, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango and Miroku following closely.

Sesshoumaru, who had silently been standing in a corner of the room walked up to me and effortlessly picked up the twins and put them down in their bassinets only a few feet away. A beautiful nursery had been set up next door, but I wanted them close by. I guess I was still not over the fear of losing them; especially Hana.

With more tenderness than I ever thought the man nicknamed the Killing Perfection capable of, he gently tucked the two babies in. Funny how they had only been in my life for a few hours, but I was already missing having them in my arms. But, sleep did sound good right now. My body was still recovering from the long pregnancy and harrowing birth.

"Kagura."

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to clear the fuzziness. Guess I must have slightly dozed off. What could be so important that Sesshoumaru had to disturb me from my well-deserved nap.

"There are some documents I need you to sign."

He sat next to me on the bed and handed me a large manila envelope.

"The last time I signed something without reading all the fine print, we ended up married." I quipped before digging in the envelope and taking out a host of legal looking papers. What the hell was he up to now?

"Our son, Daichi, has officially been named heir to Naraku's estate as his last living male relative."

I was surprised by that news. I had thought everything that my adoptive father had owned had been distributed among Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Menoumaru.

"Some of Naraku's possessions were too precious and rare to be divided equitably, and too powerful to be sold off. They were sealed away until a male relative was named inheritor." He must have felt my indignation because he quickly explained himself. "You know this Sesshoumaru believe in gender equality, I did not make the rules, I simply abide to them, and it was decreed only a male heir could inherit; this is why you never did."

"That seems like a lot of responsibility to put on the head of a two days old baby." I replied bitterly. I knew we were the First Family of the West, and at the head of a major criminal organization, but that did not mean that sometimes I just wanted us to be a regular family, enjoying regular things.

"He is this Sesshoumaru's son, he will do well, especially under the guidance of his wise mother." He pointed to the bottom of the document I was holding. "I asked them to name you as trustee of the estate until our son comes of age. Miroku worked with them on the drawing of the document; it is ironclad, you can sign it."

"Good." I answered before taking the pen he offered me, and signing the document. I was secretly pleasantly surprised that Sesshoumaru had asked for me to have such power. I could manage the funds and the vast inventory of items as I saw fit until Daichi turned eighteen.

"This does seems quite unfair where Hana is concerned..."

The words had barely left my mouth that Sesshoumaru pointed to a separate document in the folder he had handed me earlier.

I quickly scanned its contents. A trust fund? He had set up a trust fund for her. "Wow that's a lot of zeros." I gasped in shock as I saw the total amount that had been set up for Hana to have access to upon her eighteenth birthday.

Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulders. "It is the same amount I settled on Rin."

I noted that no such dispositions had been put in place for Daichi. Was it because he was to receive a substantial amount as Naraku's only male heir, or was something else happening here?

"Do you expect our son to follow in your footsteps?" I looked over at the slumbering baby. It was hard to imagine he one day would grow to be a strong youkai and the rightful defender of the Western Lands.

Sesshoumaru cocked his head to the side, following my gaze.

"I would never force a child of mine to do something they would not want, but as this Sesshoumaru's first born son, I should hope he would wish to take over after me and protect these lands and our people as Tashio men have for generations." He put all the papers back in the envelope before continuing. "I hope as I have that he will be able to rely on his siblings and cousins to fulfill his role."

"Did you just admit that you love Inuyasha and actually count on him?" I gently teased my husband. I knew how much the two Tashio brothers cared for one another, and how important Inuyasha was to the organization, but it never hurt to mess with Sesshoumaru a bit.

"Silence, clearly you need more rest if you believe this Sesshoumaru would ever say something so ridiculous." He sealed the envelope and put it on the side table before lying down next to me on the bed. I was not surprised he too was up for a nap. We had stayed up for the past two nights together watching over Daichi and Hana in pure amazement that we had created such beautiful little treasures. We were both exhausted.

I laced our fingers together on our bedspread.

"I never did ask you, the first night we met. When Naraku forced you to sign our marriage contract, why did you agree? He might have been stupid, but even he would not have had the guts to shoot the Lord of the West in one of his clubs in front of witnesses."

"Maybe this Sesshoumaru figured it would not be such a hardship to be married to a beautiful, feisty annoying wind witch." I knew he meant to tease me, and I could not help but chuckle. "Now close your eyes and sleep."

I smiled and did as told. I closed my eyes, and laid my head down on his chest. If ten years ago someone had told me I would ever be in such a place: married to Sesshoumaru, mother to his children, and his partner in ruling the Western Lands; I would not have believed it. Yet, this was my reality, and despite all the pain, suffering and loss it took to get to this point, I was so happy with my life. Naraku had tried to destroy me, but what he had done was bring me, right where I belonged, in Sesshoumaru's arms.

THE END

A/N: This is it guys! Thank you for sticking with me through the ups and the downs. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and will consider reading some of my other fics. I look forward to finding out what you thought about this fic. I don't intend this to be my last foray into the Sessh/Kagura ship, so stay tuned for more adventures! Once again happy New Year and best wishes for 2019!