Kazoku

Epilogue-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha and company. I do own Inuroku, Takara, and Toshi (who finally makes an appearance in this chapter-yay!)

Author's Note: Yes- this is the end of Kazoku . First off, I would like to thank all of my reviewers. This has been my most popular story so far, and I never thought that I would get over one hundred reviews. Well, I did. More thanks goes to Emily, Jeanelle, and Courtney for supporting me throughout this fic, and to Emily for nagging me to write (which is ironic, since she never follows my orders to update). Here is when I acknowledge all the people who have supported me and, thankfully, not flamed me.

Aacire

Aki T

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Anime Ambreen and Poke'Manic

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anon245

Ariel (elphie's long lost jewish sister)

Auruyasha

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Forever Kagome

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inuyasha and sara

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Kei the Inspired

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taby

tessie-fanfic

Tetalani

tise

Titanium Moon

Tokyo-Xprss

Tomoyo Shioda

watrsprkl

Weirdo's Rule

Wispers Sound Like Screams

Thank you so, so, SO much for everything-even pointing out my mistakes! -hugs everyone- I know this has taken an extremely long time, and I apologize for that. However, I learned the hard way that sophomore year in high school is hard-hitting and unforgiving. :(

Now, without further ado, ON WITH THE SHOW!

-sob- That was my last time saying that….

Author's Second Note: This chapter mainly deals with Sango's birth and explaining where the new families are off after this. We finally see Toshi! Yay, Toshi! Also, there's a hint of the theme that's mostly going to be dealt with in the sequel…see if you can figure out what it is. –winks-

PS- I'll dedicate the first chapter of the sequel to whoever can correctly identify the movie reference in here. ;)

Kazoku: Epilogue

Inuyasha slept soundly, unaware of the danger approaching. His arm was securely wrapped around his mate's waist and his ears twitched as he dreamt of…well, whatever it was that inuhanyous dreamt of. Footsteps padded across the wooden floor and stopped at the foot of the futon.

Poor Inuyasha didn't stand a chance.

"Oof!"

"Daddy! Wake up!"

The older demon shot out of bed as fast as a cannon. "Inuroku! What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is the village under attack?"

His son tilted his head to the side cutely, wondering slightly why his daddy always thought something was wrong. "No. Kaede needs more meat for the stew, and she asked me-" he puffed up his chest proudly- "to get some."

Inuyasha knew where this was heading. "Well, I'm proud of you. So go hunt," he said, pretending to fall back asleep. Kagome cracked an eye open and smiled.

Inuroku's ears drooped slightly.

"But who's gonna carry the meat back?" he whined. He tugged on Inuyasha's robe sleeve.

"Okay, okay. But you have to do the hunting yourself," the hanyou yawned.

"Yay!" The little boy ran outside excitedly. Inuyasha half-smiled at his energy.

"It is way too early for him to be that loud," Kagome murmured. She kissed her mate and stretched. "I'm going to help Kaede with the stew."

"Alright…we'll be back in an hour or so," Inuyasha said, walking out of the hut to find his son. Inuroku was sitting by the edge of the forest, playing with a bug. He looked up happily when his daddy approached.

By the time the hunting trip was over (Inuroku had managed to catch two rabbits, while his father concentrated on such game as deer and boar), it was well past the expected hour. Inuyasha looked up at the sun and frowned.

"Come on, pup. Your mother is going to kill me..."

At the hut...

"I wonder where they are," Kagome frowned.

"I'm sure they're fine, Kagome," Sango assured. Kagome thought it was very generous of Sango to help comfort her when she was anxious herself. The taiji-ya had been bedridden for a week, due to the fact that the baby would be born any day now. Miroku had, wisely, been staying away from his wife.

Inuyasha and Inuroku chose that moment to make their entrance, with two deer and a boar slung over the hanyou's back and two rabbits swinging happily from his son's hand. Kagome looked at Inuyasha accusingly.

"An hour or so? That was three hours!"

"Hey! It took a long time for Inuroku to catch those rabbits!"

Kagome immediately cheered up and kneeled to look at her son. "Inuroku, did you catch those rabbits all by yourself? I'm so proud of you!" She tweaked the boy's ears and he smiled proudly. "You're going to be a great hunter, just like your father." She smiled at Inuyasha.

Kaede slowly walked into the room, announcing that now the meat was here, the stew was nearly ready. Kagome stood and brushed off her yukata. She had given up wearing her modern clothes, seeing as she couldn't easily get more and they had a tendency to be destroyed easily. She still wore her modern shoes, though, and she made a strange sight walking through the village.

Another person soon joined the rest in the room. Three other people, in fact. Miroku poked his head into the hut cautiously, with Shippo sitting on his shoulder and Takara trailing along behind him. "Good morning everyone!" he called cheerfully.

After being greeted he walked in and immediately took his place at Sango's side. No matter how dangerous that could be, as Sango's pregnancy was a hard one, Miroku was always the good husband and father.

Shippo launched himself at Kagome. "Kagomeeee! Something smells good. Are we having stew? Is it ready yet? I haven't had stew in a long time!"

She laughed and hugged the kitsune. "Yes, Shippo, it's almost ready."

Inuroku ran up to Takara excitedly. "I caughts two rabbits!" he boasted. The little girl looked up at him with wide, admiring eyes. "Really?" she asked. "Yep!" the boy nodded, eager to impress his friend. "I caughts them all by myself, and Daddy didn't even need to help me carry them back to the hut!" Sango and Kagome smiled at each other secretively.

But as exciting as it was, Inuroku catching two rabbits was destined to not be the main event of the day. As Kaede ladled out the steaming stew, Sango dropped her bowl and clutched her stomach.

"Miroku, I'm having a baby," she said quietly. Her husband looked at her strangely, as though the taiji-ya had lost her mind.

"Yes, love," he said slowly, "when you're pregnant, you have a baby. That's the purpose of it all…."

"No, I'm having a baby NOW," she emphasized. Kagome squealed as Miroku turned pale.

"Oh, Sango! We have to clear the hut…" She grabbed Inuroku and Takara and placed each child in their respective father's arms. "Out out OUT!" She shoved a bewildered Inuyasha and Miroku out of the hut. Shippo willingly followed, not very eager to see the event that ruined his lunch.

The men stood outside the hut, blinking at the sudden change in light. Miroku set Takara on the ground and turned to go back into the hut where his wife was. Inuyasha grabbed the back of his robes and growled warningly.

"Stay out here," he commanded. "You'll be no use to anyone running around in there."

The monk struggled to get out of the demon's hold. "Let me go, Sango's in there, she's in pain, she's having…"

"…a baby, we know, and you're not helping going insane like this, baka houshi!" Inuyasha sighed.

Takara wandered up and tugged on her father's robes, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes, as only a child can do. (AN: You know the look. The classic 'puppy dog' eyes.)

"Daddy, am I gonna have a new sister?" she asked curiously.

Miroku bent down and hugged Takara tightly, as though if he let go of her he would lose it completely.

"Or maybe a new brother…we don't know yet," he answered. Inuyasha smirked. He knew that Sango was having a boy, and he wasn't telling anyone.

A loud scream echoed from in the hut, and Kagome poked her head out. "Inuyasha, take the kids and Miroku to get a bucket of water," she ordered. "We need to, ah…clean things up…it's pretty messy in here…"

Miroku promptly fainted. Kagome raised an eyebrow at Inuyasha.

"Was he like this when Takara was born?"

"Nah, he was worse then. Kaede had to send him out to find a pain-killing flower that didn't exist so he wouldn't be in the way."

"Oh…well, just leave him there, I guess. He's not hurting anyone." She returned to the hut and could be heard encouraging Sango.

"Wait…I need a bucket!" he called. Kagome threw one out, nearly hitting him in the head. Takara and Shippo giggled as Inuyasha handed the bucket to Inuroku.

"We need water from the hot springs," he explained. "Take Takara and go get some. Shippo, keep an eye on them."

The kitsune nodded. Inuroku grabbed Takara's hand and started to drag her toward the springs.

Thanks to Inuroku's speed (and Takara not resisting being dragged along by her part-demon friend), they arrived at the hot springs in record time. Takara immediately snatched the bucket from Inuroku and kneeled on a rock, filling the bucket with as much water as it could hold.

"I hope Mama's gonna be okay," she said quietly. Inuroku patted her head comfortingly. "She'll be alright," he said confidently. "Mama's taking care of her. And Mama always knows the best ways to take care of someone. One time, I fell out of a tree and scraped my knee, and Mama came over and kissed it, and it disappeared!"

Takara was awed and reassured, neither of the children realizing that that particular miracle was more likely a result of Inuroku's demon blood than it was Kagome's kiss. She stood and nearly toppled into the water, only to be caught by Inuroku. She giggled.

"The bucket's too heavy." With that she immediately heaved the bucket into the boy's arms. "You carry it."

He stuck his tongue out at her but complied, steadying the bucket in his little arms. "But you're too slow without me pulling you! Mama might not need the water anymore once we get there." Takara didn't notice the jab about her human blood. Instead she walked around Inuroku and pounced on his back, latching her arms around his neck and nearly making Inuroku fall over. She smiled innocently when he turned around to give her a mini version of his mother's glare.

"Let's go back to the hut!"

Inuyasha watched amusedly as his son put down the bucket and Takara jumped off him, immediately wringing out her soaked kimono. It seems he hasn't got the greatest balance, he thought. Kagome poked her head out and sighed with relief.

"Oh, good, the water. You're a little late though…." she smiled brightly. "The baby's crowning."

Takara pouted. "How come I don't get a crown?"

Inuyasha picked up the water bucket and followed his mate into the hut only to immediately walk back out, hands firmly clamped over his eyes.

Miroku chose this moment to wake up again. "Uhh…."

Inuyasha looked at him, removing his hands. "Oh, you're awake….you picked a pretty good time to black out, baka houshi. Sango's been screaming threats." He winced in remembrance. "You have yourself a violent woman."

"I know…"

A baby's cry broke through the conversation. Miroku and Inuyasha froze. Takara clapped her hands delightedly. "Yay! I have a baby sister!"

"Actually…." Kagome smiled, walking out of the hut. Inuyasha chose to ignore the fact that she was wiping blood off her hands. "You have a baby brother."

Miroku beamed widely. "It's a boy?"

Inuyasha echoed that thought unbelievingly. "It's a boy!"

Inuroku snorted. "He sounds like a girl." Takara nodded in agreement.

Kagome laughed. "That's because he's a baby. You sounded like that when you were a baby."

"Did not!"

"Miroku?"

Said monk rushed into the hut at the sound of Sango's tired voice. She smiled proudly but wearily at him.

"You got that boy you wanted."

"We wanted." He kissed her on the forehead tenderly as she handed him the little bundle of cloth.

"So…what's next?" Inuyasha asked, leaning against the wall of the hut. Sango looked at him incredulously.

"What's next?" she echoed. "I just had a baby, and you're asking what's next!"

"Well, yeah," he answered, shrugging. "Everyone knows that nothing stays peaceful around here for long." Kagome pulled on his ear teasingly.

"That's your fault, love."

"What! How is it MY fault!"

"You always cause trouble!"

"Oh, and I suppose it's MY fault Sango had a kid, too!"

Miroku promptly looked down at his son and back up at the hanyou, smiling cheerfully. "Nope, that was my fault," he answered. He held up the bundle proudly. "He's got my hair."

"Poor him," Inuyasha retorted dryly. "He probably has your perverted tendencies, too."

Sango groaned. "Wonderful…."

"Anyway…." Kagome interrupted. "Aren't we moving soon? To the slayer's village?" She laughed a little. "I don't think this village will be able to take much more of Inuyasha's troublemaking…."

"HEY!"

Sango nodded. "Yes, Kohaku should be done building our hut soon…" she looked over at Inuyasha. "Your hut hasn't been built yet. We figured you would want to do it yourself, since most civilized species of youkai consider it their duty to make a home for their family." Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

Inuroku immediately pounced on his father's leg. "Can we build a tree house? Please, please, PLEASE?"

Takara looked up at her mother pleadingly. Sango shrugged. "There's enough trees, I guess."

"YAY!" The excited children jumped around each other, shouting out their plans for their new haven.

"It's gonna be big!"

"Huge!"

"And it'll have a ladder, 'cause Takara can't jump like I can, and windows, and a lake!"

"And flowers!" Takara added. Inuroku wrinkled his nose at the thought of stupid girly flowers in their fort, but didn't argue.

The adults chuckled, Miroku still clutching his new son protectively. Kagome sat on the ground against the wall and Inuroku climbed into her lap immediately. Takara finally noticed that her brother was making small gurgling noises and toddled over, fascinated by the tiny baby. Kagome smiled up at everyone.

"Tree houses and huts aside…. everything's going to be perfect, won't it?" Inuyasha snorted. "Keh, yeah right. There'll always be something we have to do or fight."

Kagome shrugged. "Until then, then…. everything's going to be perfect."

Everyone agreed. "Until then."

THE END.

WAAHHHH! IT'S OVER! –readers mumble- Took you long enough…

I know, I know. I'm sorry this story took so long to finish….I'm still not happy with the ending. But the sequel is in the planning room as we speak! Kazoku's sequel will actually be more of an original story set in Inuyasha's setting, because more than half of the story will focus around Inuroku and Takara. Which brings me to another point….

I NEED SUGGESTIONS FOR TITLES!

As mentioned above, the first chapter of the sequel will be dedicated to the first reviewer to correctly identify the line in this chapter that is a direct movie reference and tell me what movie it's from. However, whoever suggests the title I will eventually use for the sequel will have THE ENTIRE STORY DEDICATED TO THEM!

As mentioned before, it will deal mostly around Takara and Inuroku, and their growing relationship as they are set out on their first journey by themselves. Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara have grown very sick, and it's up to them to find a mysterious miko who lives in the mountains to get the remedy for this mysterious youkai disease…

Again, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and read this story, and to those in particular who review this chapter, even after it was delayed so long.

Until then, everybody!