A/N: Alright, here it is: the epilogue. Enjoy! And to do the disclaimer is…Me!
Me: It's been a long road guys, and I want to thank you all for sticking with me until the end, even though this one seems shorter than the first one, and I'm quite sorry that this one is so short. But anyways, this epilogue should make up for it. It's nice and long. And it'll have the title of the third story at the very end. So, I don't own Inuyasha, Naruto, Star Wars, Memoirs of a Geisha, Kingdom Hearts, or any other references to whatever I've made throughout this story. And I still own Riku from KH2, just so Riku-chan doesn't get confused. Lol we share him, alright? Anyways, here's the epilogue and the end of my rambling. Please enjoy it! XD
Chapter Twenty-Five: Epilogue
A large crowd had gathered in the throne room where a mammoth gold-plated statue of Inutaisho in his true form stood at the end of the room, resting atop a small platform, two elegant thrones before the statue, one set on a slightly higher pedestal than the other. In the higher chair sat Sesshoumaru, while in the lower was Hana. The crowd chatted and whispered amongst themselves, unsure of as why their presence had been requested by their lord.
Inuyasha appeared, standing by Sesshoumaru's right side. The taiyoukai glanced at his younger sibling who nodded. Sesshoumaru nodded in reply and rose from his seat, the crowd growing silent.
Looking around the room, the taiyoukai saw many familiar faces, the taijiya and houshi along with their children, Mei Lhi, Kyo, Kago, and Yuriko, various familiar ningen daimyo, the kitsune boy, the taijiya's brother, Tsurugi, and Rin. Even with those many familiar faces in the crowd, there were a vast many more that he did not know.
He had had to prepare himself for this day. This day was the day he would be the bearer of the bad news. He would tell everyone just what had happened to his precious Tsukimisou. His amber-gold orbs surveyed the crowd, all of them looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.
"Three days ago, I found myself and my mate quite busy with meetings with important officials. It was also three days ago while I was in these meetings that a maid had come to inform me of some grave news. Three days ago…Tsukimisou was kidnapped," Sesshoumaru began. At his pause, many shocked gasps of horror rang out. The taiyoukai's eyes flicked to his children, Rin and Tsurugi both looking very worried. "Upon this discovery, myself, Hana, and Inuyasha went out and followed the trail, out in the rain. The trail soon turned to blood, and it led us to a most unpleasant scene. I will take the liberty of not describing it to you. What the three of us saw that day should not be repeated. The mere sight of it has caused my dear Hana-chan to go into a state. I will be straightforward. Tsukimisou has been murdered. Her captors may have probably done horrible things to her, but I do not wish to think of these things. If by some miracle, her body is recovered; this honored family will regard the one who finds her with immense gratitude. This honored family wishes to give her a proper burial," The taiyoukai went on, only to be cut off by Rin.
"Chichiue! What about Tenseiga? You can bring her back, can't you? I know you can do it! You brought Hahaue back, didn't you? You brought me back!" The girl, now a young woman exclaimed, her voice sounding pained.
"Gomen, Rin-chan. I cannot. Hana has requested that we not revive her if we recover her body." Sesshoumaru answered in a level voice.
"Why not? There has to be a reason!" Rin shouted, anger and sorrow overwhelming her.
For once, Sesshoumaru's cool countenance was no more. It was then that everyone saw their lord express the emotions he'd been trying to deter ever since that horrible discovery in the woods.
"Rin! Do you want your sister to live again with the knowledge of what happened to her? Do you wish for her to suffer with that pain for all the years of her life? Or do you want her to be happy where she is now and not have to be forced to live once more and have to remember her last moments before death claimed her? Do you wish that upon her, Rin?" The taiyoukai said in a demanding tone, his brow furrowed slightly, his loss and pain clearly reflected in his eyes.
Rin stared at her father in silence for several moments. No one spoke nor did they even dare breathe. At last the tense silence was shattered as Rin began to reply.
"I apologize, Chichiue. I see your logic in this matter. I beg your pardon for my outburst. It was not my place." She replied, her voice cold and unfeeling. She bowed low and left the room.
The scent of tears lingered in the air. Sesshoumaru's expression returned to its normal state, his eyes staring at the floor, regret settling into his stomach, weighing him down like lead. He let out a small, almost unnoticeable sigh before his eyes returned to his audience, all of their faces bearing serious expressions as they waited for him to continue.
"As I was saying before, we only wish to bury her properly, however, that will only be possible if her body has been found. In the case that it is not found, a shrine will be erected to honor her. Now, those of you who knew her, you grieve with us. Tsukimisou is…was…quite a remarkable child. Everyone who was allowed the privilege to know her, know that you are blessed to have met someone so innocent and always joyful towards life, looking forward to each passing day. Not once had she ever lived a day she regretted, nor did she ever conclude a day without saying how much she cared for those she loved. She would always tell her precious people kind words and send her love. She never hated anyone or anything in life. It was just the type of child she was…" Sesshoumaru finished, his already soft voice trailing off into silence.
Then Hana stood, much to everyone's surprise. The miko-youkai had been sitting silently, her eyes staring out blankly into space, a tear or two occasionally making a trail down her cheek.
"I wish for us to say a prayer for Tsukimisou. I can only hope that Kami-sama will allow our words to reach her…" She began, watching as everyone respectfully bowed their heads, waiting for her to lead the prayer. "Tsuki-chan, there won't be a day that I won't think of you. Your smiling face will be missed by all of us. I'm sorry that I tried so hard to keep you from your dream. If I could go back, I would let you fulfill that desire. But I cannot. I hope you find happiness where you are."
In unison everyone raised their arms so that they were in front of their faces, their left hands fisted, the right ones moving to clasp around it, giving a short bow with their heads to conclude the prayer. Hana sat back down and said no more.
At this, everyone came to the conclusion that their presence was no longer needed. Soon they all began to depart, going off in separate directions, the room emptying quickly.
It was a somber day indeed.
-
Tsukimisou gasped and clutched at the stitch in her side that had developed from running for so long without rest. She'd been running ever since her uncle had nearly discovered her. The poor girl was exhausted beyond belief and was ready to collapse right then and there in the woods. Fear and her willpower would not allow it. She had to press on. She wouldn't stop until she reached the village. Gathering what was left of her strength, she forced her foot to move a step forward, then another, and another, until she was slowly hobbling forward. As she moved, she began to hear voices. The sound gave her renewed strength. She dashed toward it, and found herself at the edge of the wood, overlooking a village. Her eyes took in the sight. There were dozens of little houses near the wood, but as the village went on into the horizon, the buildings were larger and more extravagant, and much closer together. It looked more like a city than a village. As her eyes continued to survey the area, she caught sight of rickshaws bearing beautiful women with painted faces and silk kimono. Her eyes lit up. She made it. Gion.
-
"Oi! Miroku!" Inuyasha called out.
The monk turned and waved, a sad smile upon his face. "I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Our prayers will be with her." He said as his hanyou friend approached.
Inuyasha paused and nodded slowly, his eyes downcast. "Yeah…thanks." He whispered.
"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Sango asked.
"Aneue that's a bit of a stupid question." Kohaku replied before the hanyou could begin to answer.
The taijiya seemed surprised at her younger brother's attitude and prepared to reprimand him, when Inuyasha stopped her.
"It's alright. He's right. You shouldn't get mad at him for expressing his opinion." The hanyou said, his voice empty and lacking feeling.
At this, Miroku gave his friend a compassionate pat on the shoulder. "It will get better, Inuyasha. You just need this time now to grieve, but once time has passed, the pain will go away." The monk said.
The hanyou started shaking, his hands balling into fists. He clamped his eyes shut, biting his lip to keep the sadness and anger from overwhelming him. The next thing he knew, he'd punched a large dent into the wall, his body still shaking.
"You weren't there! You didn't see it. How can you say that it'll get better? You have no idea what the hell I saw that day! I don't see why you're bothering me with your sympathy when it's Sesshoumaru and Hana who need it more! She was their daughter, not mine!" He began to shout angrily.
"So you mean to say that you don't care?" Sango asked quizzically.
"Why the hell should I give a damn? If she wasn't mine, then why the hell should I care? Give me one good reason!" The hanyou continued to rant.
"Because you cared for her like your own. We were always busy and you took care of her for us. Truthfully, you became her second father, Inuyasha. That is why you should care, and that is the reason why you are in such pain." Sesshoumaru answered, now having appeared behind his brother after hearing all the yelling.
Inuyasha's throat became stuck and he could no longer speak. His knees gave out and he crumpled to the floor, again jamming his eyes shut, only this time a few streams of hot emotion escaping. With a yell, he began to repeatedly pummel the floor with punch after punch until his strength and rage were spent. As he looked up, he saw his brother's hand offering to help him up. The hanyou took his brother's hand, standing, and nodding an 'I'm alright' before he turned on his heel and left.
Sesshoumaru watched him leave before he too left, the monk and taijiya standing there alone in the room.
-
Shippou walked through the courtyard, his head filled with many thoughts. He wondered about Rin, he wondered about how everyone was taking the news, but mainly, he was worried about Rin. She'd run out of the room in tears. How could he have not been worried? With a sigh, he walked on, his eyes searching for the girl.
The sound of someone crying reached his ears and he approached, finding Rin sitting outside, her face down as she hugged her knees. The sight made Shippou feel sad and hurt to see someone he cared about in so much pain. Quietly he moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her.
"S-Shippou-chan!" Rin said thickly through her tears.
She looked up at him for a moment with her tear-stained face, managing a small smile. Her eyes looked downward or pretty much anywhere but Shippou. Silence settled in and stretched out for an eternity it seemed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Shippou asked in a soft, gentle voice.
Rin shook her head. "I just want to cry…" she whispered.
"Okay…then go ahead. Cry." He replied, much to Rin's surprise.
She lifted her gaze and looked at him, finding that he was in fact quite serious. A few tears of happiness and gratitude slipped down her cheeks before a fresh wave of sadness overwhelmed her, Shippou staying there at her side.
"I-I can't stop crying. The tears…they just keep coming. I-I don't know why! Why won't it stop? Make it stop, Shippou-chan! I don't want to hurt anymore! Please. Make it stop!" Rin began crying out.
Shippou responded by holding her closer, gently brushing away the girl's tears with his thumb. His touch seemed to sooth her slightly, but he could still tell that she was in agony on the inside. She started to weep again, the kitsune unsure how to react, he didn't know how it came to be that he did what he did next. But it happened somehow. Before he knew it, he had kissed her.
Rin had frozen in shock for a second before she relaxed, instinct overtaking reason, her heart overcoming her mind. She kissed back fiercely, as if she had been waiting to do this forever. Her kiss was so powerful that Shippou found himself knocked onto his back, the kitsune hitting his head on the wood floor. Rin pulled away, her eyes concerned.
"Itai…" Shippou moaned.
"Gomen, did you hit your head too hard?" Rin asked.
"Iie, I'm fine…I'm complaining about something else…" The kitsune muttered.
It was then Rin noticed their awkward position. Shippou lay on the floor and she sat in his lap, his haori knot had come undone during the fall, and revealed his bare chest. Then she realized the real reason for Shippou's complaint. Blushing she got off him, and stood. Shippou stood as well, yet he did not fix his haori. Rin couldn't help but stare. Over the years, watching him grow up with her, she'd noticed how much of an attractive young man he'd become. (A/N: Before any of you freak out, they're like 17-18 right now. So they're at the age when sexual tension is pretty damn intense. PS: Love scene coming up…)
"Agh! Kuso!" Shippou swore, after glancing at Rin.
The girl was confused briefly, and then she noticed that her obi knot was loose and her kimono had slipped slightly down her shoulders, bearing a bit more skin than she'd have liked. She looked at Shippou and noticed that it seemed he was fighting against something. Adjusting her kimono, she moved towards him, her hand reaching to touch his arm.
"Shippou…?" she asked quietly.
"Please…don't…" He replied.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I…I have a…damn it! How can I explain? Never mind. Just…just go inside…I'll deal with it myself."
Rin became increasingly more confused, still not understanding what was wrong. At last she caught sight of the problem. A bulge had formed in his hakama, and at last she understood, her face turning bright red. Shippou glanced in her direction, noticing her face.
"Caught on, finally?" He asked.
Slowly Rin nodded. "I…I didn't think you thought of me that way…" she replied, her blush increasing.
"Well…now you know…" Shippou stammered, his face sporting a blush of his own.
"Just so you know…ever since we've been kids, I've felt the same way."
The kitsune was stunned, his shock soon faded only to be replaced by a smirk. "Well, that helps things a bit."
Rin couldn't help but smile, she reached out to touch his face, he in turn, held her. They kissed again, falling back onto the floor, where they made love in the lightly falling rain.
-
Aijii wandered the castle halls mindlessly; the girl who had become an elder sister to him was gone. With a sigh, he walked on, bumping right into his father.
"Hi Otou-san." He greeted.
Inuyasha ruffled his son's hair in reply. "You doing alright?" he asked.
Aijii nodded slowly. "Otou-san, what are you doing? Where's Okaa-san?"
"I'm looking for your brother. Kagome's with Satsu. They're looking for him too. Oh, and if you see Kago, tell him to help you look, alright?"
"Why are we looking for Shippou-nii-san? What's wrong?"
"Oh it's nothing to worry about. He just ran off and you know how your mother gets…"
Aijii nodded with a small smile, understanding completely. "I'll find him, don't worry."
Inuyasha nodded, turning to walk in the other direction. Aijii turned, again walking alone, running into his best friend and cousin, Kago not long after.
"Hey, my otou-san wants us to help look for Shippou-nii-san. Okaa-san's worried again." Aijii explained.
"Okay, where do we start?" Kago asked.
"First, we've gotta find Shippou-nii-san's scent trail. Then once we find him, we're gonna get mad at him and tell him not to run off because it scares Okaa-san!" The Inu boy explained.
"Hai! That's a good plan! Let's go!"
The two boys took off quickly, deciding to split up to cover more ground.
"First one to find him gets each other's dinner!" They exclaimed.
Aijii ran, finding Shippou's scent grow stronger, and a slightly fainter scent, which belonged to Rin. Excited, he ran faster, the scent becoming ever stronger until he reached the place where it was strongest, just on the other side of a set of doors. He slid open the door rather loudly, spotting his brother's unmistakable hair.
"Hi Nii-san!" He chirped.
Shippou's eyes opened and he glanced over his shoulder, angered slightly.
"Damn it, Aijii!" He hissed.
"What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?" Aijii asked, sounding almost scared.
Shippou stood up, and Aijii realized his elder brother wasn't wearing anything and Rin lay on the floor, asleep, also in a similar state. It all clicked and Aijii gasped.
"Don't you dare tell Otou-san or anyone else about this! Got that? You do, and I can promise you that I'll never speak to you again!" The kitsune replied in an angered voice.
Aijii nodded quickly, the color in his face drained, terrified.
"Now…can I trust you?" Shippou asked, softening his tone slightly. "I like you, Aijii. And I don't want to have to hate you. And if anyone finds out about what happened, well, Sesshoumaru-oji-san won't be too happy. He'll probably do something horrible to me. I'm sure you don't want that, right?" At this Aijii shook his head. "I didn't think so. Now, run along and act as if none of this ever happened. But just remember, if you tell anyone, or breathe a word of this to anyone, even your friends, you know the consequences. Understood?"
"H-Hai, Nii-san! Anno…ja ne!"
Aijii took off like the hounds of hell were at his heels, (A/N: I loved that from your fic Jonathan, and I tried saying it 5 times fast, the best I did was 2-3 times.) slamming the door shut behind him. Once he'd left, Rin stirred.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Come on, get dressed and go take a bath. We don't want anyone to catch us." Shippou replied.
Rin nodded, quickly slipping into her yukata, tying her obi knot hastily before rushing off quickly, only to come back and give the kitsune a kiss before departing at last, leaving the boy alone to dress himself.
-
Tsukimisou passed the outskirts of the city-like village, weaving her way through the streets in Gion. Her eyes took in the sights around her. Okiya and ochaya (tea houses) were everywhere. All around her, people were hustling and bustling, not paying attention to her at all, until one of them happened to bump into her.
"Watch where you're going, brat!" A man yelled angrily at her.
A woman at his side tugged his sleeve and pointed at her. The man's anger melted and he went into a very deep bow.
"I apologize, my Lady, I did not know who you were. I do hope I did not offend you or disgrace you by being so rude." He apologized.
Soon many of the people began bowing, and it didn't take Tsukimisou to wonder why. She smacked her head, realizing that her youkai markings were still on her face, and they recognized her from them. Fearfully, she ran off heading for the river she had passed outside of town. Upon reaching the riverbank, she splashed the water onto her face and began to scrub. She kept scrubbing until her face had been rubbed raw and red. She looked upon her reflection, pleased with her work. Her markings were simply faint indiscernible smudges of color. Then she noticed her silver hair would be a problem. As much as it disgusted her, she grabbed some dirt, turning it into mud, and started to rub it into her hair. The process took a while, but afterward, she sported light brown hair and a smudged face. She began walking back towards the city, only to find a man grab her from behind. She struggled and kicked and screamed, but no one seemed to care. She looked around and noticed that another man had grabbed another girl her age and she struggled just as viciously.
The two of them were thrown rather unceremoniously into the back of a horse-drawn cart, where a few other girls who appeared to have been taken against their will earlier sat, all of them shaking and terrified. The cart began to move quickly towards the city, bumping and shaking its way along down the roughly cut road.
"What's going on?" Tsukimisou asked one of them.
"I-I don't know…" A girl with a rather pointed chin answered.
"My family sold me…" said a girl with short black hair.
"They sold you? How horrible!" Tsukimisou exclaimed.
"Well, my mother's dying from some terrible disease, and my sister and father had no other choice but to sell me in order to pay for her burial."
"I see…so do any of you know where they're taking us?" The Inuyoukai girl asked.
"Well, we're headed to the Gion district in Kyoto. So perhaps that's where we're going." A slender-faced girl said as she played with her hair nervously.
"Quiet back there!" The man driving roared over his shoulder.
The girls emitted a terrified squeak and were silent the rest of the journey.
Sure enough, they arrived in Gion, and began stopping at certain residences, every now and then a girl would get shoved off and the cart would speedily pull away.
The cart stopped again, and the man that had grabbed her in the outskirts of the city reached for her shoulder, cuffing it roughly, dragging her out of the cart. He knocked on the front door of the residence which appeared to be very high class, for the shoji was of fine quality and the wood gleamed in the light. The door slid open and Tsukimisou's jaw dropped as she saw who answered it. It was none other than Hatsumomo herself.
"Well, well, who do we have here? Why if it isn't Yuji-san! Oh, would you mind moving that trash there? I was on my way out." The geisha said in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Tsukimisou looked around, not seeing any garbage in the doorway, and immediately realized that Hatsumomo had been talking about her. Her captor, Yuji-san bowed and yanked her arm, dragging her to the side so that Hatsumomo could pass.
"We don't need anymore trash here. It's filthy enough." She said, preparing to leave.
"So you won't take her, then?" Yuji-san asked.
"No. Perhaps the pleasure district will have a use for her. There's always room for unwanted girls there…"
"Hatsumomo, that's enough! Last time I checked, Mameha-san gave orders on who stays and who goes, not you!" A familiar voice said angrily.
"Oh, Haruka-chan, I didn't know you were here." Hatsumomo replied, her voice still in that sickening tone, only her upper lip curled back in hatred.
Haruka stood in the doorway and looked directly at Tsukimisou, and turned to Yuji-san.
"We'll take her." She said.
Yuji released the Inuyoukai girl and bowed, leaving to return to the cart, where it sped off again.
"Why must you insist on taking in so much garbage, Haruka-chan?"
"I'm the daughter of this okiya, I'll do what I see fit. If you have a problem with it, then leave. Besides, it's not like you're going to have to deal with her. I'll take on this one personally."
"Fine. Just make sure she stays out of my room."
With that, Hatsumomo left. Haruka waited until her rival was several paces away before she turned to the girl.
"Tsuki-chan! What are you doing here? I thought you were dead! Everywhere they've been saying that you were kidnapped and murdered!" She exclaimed.
"Well…I ran away so I could become a geisha." Tsukimisou replied.
"Baka! I don't know if I'll be able to keep you hidden from your parents! For one thing, we'll have to change your appearance and your name, even your accent. You speak with the Tokyo accent, and you'll stick out tremendously if you don't speak the Kyoto accent. The appearance and name, I can handle, so don't even worry about it. But the accent is what you're going to have to do by yourself. Alright?"
Tsukimisou nodded, and Haruka looked around before taking the girl's hand, the two of them vanishing into a swirl of ashes.
-
Sesshoumaru sat in his study, his eyes scanning over a scroll. Jaken entered the room, bowing politely in greeting. The taiyoukai inclined his head in acknowledgement and after a few moments looked up from his reading.
"You sent for me, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked.
"Hai. Bring Rin to me. I have to tell her some news." He replied.
Jaken nodded, promptly leaving the room.
The taiyoukai found himself waiting for his daughter for quite a long while. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, and at twenty-five, she finally showed up.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting so long milord…" Jaken said before excusing himself from the room.
Rin stood by the door, her eyes staring at her feet.
"I sent for you nearly half an hour ago." Sesshoumaru said, not sounding at all pleased.
"I'm sorry. I was running around doing things, so I guess Jaken-sama kept missing me until he found me." She replied simply.
"I'll accept your excuse for now, I suppose. It seems decent enough. Now, I have some news for you," He began.
"Yes?"
"You're going to be married."
"Nani? To who? Why? When?" Rin demanded, her voice growing louder.
"I haven't chosen anyone at this time; I have yet to find someone suitable. As for why, you're of age to have a husband. And as for when, that question will be answered when I decide who it will be. I don't see any reason why you should be so upset, except for maybe our recent loss. However, I see no connection between the two. So I shall keep you informed of my decision. Now do you have anything you'd like to say?"
"I don't want to be married, Chichiue! I want to marry for love, and not have to be forced to marry someone I don't know, just because you say so! It isn't fair to me for you to do that! Mei-oba-san got to be with someone she loved, and if I can't have the same sort of marriage, then I will deny any and all the propositions made by you and any man you send after me. I'll only make an exception for the one whom I love, and no one else." She replied fiercely.
The taiyoukai sat silently, allowing his daughter's words to sink in before after a few minutes he dismissed her from the room. Without another word, Rin left, biting back tears.
-
"Has anyone seen Shippou?" Kagome asked, sizing up her children along with her niece and nephew.
Aijii rejoined the group, his face still pale, Kagome turning to him. "Aijii, sweetie, what's wrong? You're white as a sheet! Did something happen?" she asked.
"No, nothing, Okaa-san." Aijii lied.
Inuyasha appeared behind his son with a frown. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Hai! Nothing happened!" The boy said with as much fierceness he could muster in his still stupefied state.
The hanyou began to sniff at him for a few minutes an odd expression on his face before he turned and left without a word, following the scent he had gotten off Aijii. It led him down many hallways, until he found that he stood at a pair of sliding doors. He could smell Aijii, Rin, and Shippou's scents, yet Shippou's scent seemed to be strongest and just on the other side of the door. The hanyou slid open the door and there sat Shippou staring out into space.
"Oi, everyone's been looking for you." Inuyasha said flatly.
"Oh? Have they?" Shippou replied.
The hanyou nodded, another scent catching his nose, causing his brow to crease slightly. He pressed his nose to the floor, a scowl now on his face. He got back to his feet in a flash, clenching a fist, slamming it into the top of the kitsune's head, very much how he had done when the kitsune boy was still very young.
"Baka! Did enjoy yourself? Was it really worth it?" The hanyou growled.
"What are you talking about?" Shippou demanded, sounding irritated. "And why the hell did you just hit me?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about, so don't play dumb!" Inuyasha snapped, now quite angry.
"I don't know what the hell is going on!"
"Stop lying! I know you bedded her!"
"WHAT? Aijii told you, didn't he?"
"Aijii didn't tell me anything. But you just did."
Shippou fell silent, Inuyasha's anger pressing upon him from all sides, boxing him in, taking away his air to breathe.
"Of all people, it had to be Rin, didn't it? You know better than anyone how protective Sesshoumaru is of her! Rin's been with Sesshoumaru longer than he's been with his own mate! How am I supposed to tell Sesshoumaru that his daughter's been tainted by you? Do you think he'll ever trust me or you again? Damn it, Shippou! He's trying to get Rin married! No use in doing it now since you've already touched her! Kami-sama, Shippou! How the hell am I supposed to solve this problem?" The hanyou yelled.
"Then if no one will marry her, I will!" Shippou yelled back.
"That's not going to solve anything! Baka! Rin's supposed to marry someone to help gain alliances. It's pointless to marry someone in the family! And to her own cousin no less!"
"We're not even blood-related to this god damn family! When the hell have you ever cared about me as your own son anyway?"
Finally losing his patience, Inuyasha full-out decked the kitsune in the face, turning away.
"When you figure out when I started to care, you'll have your answer. Now think about how you can come out as scot-free as possible from this. You're telling your uncle, or I'm telling him and I won't let you explain yourself. It's your choice to make. I'll give you three days. Understood?"
"Hai…"
The hanyou left, shutting the doors behind him, his footsteps retreating. Shippou rubbed his cheek where the blow had made contact, sighing to himself. Boy, he was in deep trouble now.
-
Without warning, Reika had taken Tsukimisou down hall after hall until she reached a large and exquisitely decorated room, approaching a lone figure who sat at the end of the room.
"It's been a while, Reika-san." The figure greeted.
"Hai, it has, Hinoki-sama." Reika replied.
"What is it that you wish of me, Reika-san?"
"I need you to change this girl's appearance, or at least enable her to have a controlled human form."
"Nani? I'm afraid I don't understand…" Hinoki said, sounding bewildered.
"Let her keep her Inuyoukai blood, but have her appearance be that of a common human. But in the case that she is threatened, allow her to change back into her normal self." Reika clarified.
Hinoki nodded, motioning Tsukimisou towards her. "What is your name, child?" she asked.
"Tsukimisou Taisho." The Inu girl replied.
"Ah, I might have known…" The tsukiryuu sighed. "Very well, Reika-san. But if you plan on hiding her, she'll need a new name for certain. She's got to be the only person in Japan with her name. Try and pick a common name, yes?" At this the two nodded. "Alright, come here Tsukimisou…"
The girl took slow, uncertain steps forward, Hinoki rising from where she sat, clapping her hands together where an aura began to form. Reika gave Tsukimisou an extra push forward, Hinoki's hands coming into contact with the girl, the aura spreading over her, fading away to reveal a black-haired, brown-eyed Tsukimisou. Her claws, fangs, along with what was left of her markings had vanished. Even her ears were no longer pointed. The girl took a few moments to try and adjust to her new appearance, then going between her human looking form and her youkai form.
"I'm ready."
-
Kagome suddenly looked up; a familiar presence brushed her mind. What was it? It seemed so common to her, yet she had no idea what it was. Then an image of a small pale pink jewel orb radiating with warm pink light graced her vision, and immediately, she knew. She stood, and walked towards the presence of the jewel, stopping as she saw Aijii, a small pink glow coming from within the boy's body.
"Shikon no Tama…" she whispered, her eyes wide and her body trembling.
"Kon'nichi wa Okaa-san!" Aijii greeted happily, waving at his mother.
Kagome stared unseeingly at her son. 'I didn't want this to happen to you. You're too young right now…oh Kami-sama…it's going to happen all over again…soon the youkai will come for it. I just hope I can protect you long enough from this evil…' she thought worriedly.
The door was open, allowing the miko to see some large shrubbery outside in the courtyard.
"There! The Shikon Jewel's new vessel!" A voice shouted out clearly.
Two figures leapt out of their hiding places in the shrubs, crashing down onto the ground, one of them going in for the kill.
"AIJII!" Kagome screamed, rushing towards her son.
Aijii turned around, a fearsome face leering back at him, a giant sword poised for an attack.
"Okaa-san…"
And then he saw white.
A/N: Thank you for reading minna-san! I hope you liked this very long epilogue which probably was more or less a real chapter if anything. Anyways, thank you for sticking with me to the end of this story, although it was shorter chapter-wise than I would have liked, but that's life, and plus, I've been creating more plot lines involving the children than with the main cast. And thus I've just realized that the only non-OC's that will be featured throughout the third part are Shippou, Rin, and Sesshoumaru. And then Inuyasha is thrown in a few times here and there. I've also just realized I totally forgot about Kirara throughout pretty much the WHOLE story, so let's just say that the little kitty is Kaede-baa-chan's walking buddy, ne? Anyways, what was I saying? Oh right. Ummm…I hope this cliffie doesn't kill you before Part 3 can go into production, but if it does, do try to bear with me. You can email me as much as you want, or PM me, just don't spam too much. Or you can reach me on deviantART, my devID is 'xAkix', and you'll know it's me, provided that you know me well. However, if you wish to contact me via dA, you'll need an account. They're free, so don't worry. Plus if you register, you'll get the opportunity to see all my upcoming fan art of the fics. XD I finished a picture of Reika earlier today, so you'll finally get to see her. Yay! I'll try and find my wedding art for Mei Lhi, provided that it wasn't in the sketch book that my mother ran through the shredder…but anyways, I'll look for it. Umm…thanks again everyone for all the love, support, and reviews, well, thank you all for everything. Especially when I was lazy or wanted to quit, you guys all helped me become motivated to work and keep going on. Now, as a reward, here's the title of the next installment: The House of the Howling Moon. There's a possible short fic that takes place between "Threads" and the upcoming "Moon", it's still in production, but I have written a small amount towards it, this 2 ½ sequel I guess you can call it, if ever posted, will be titled The House of the Evening Primrose, and for those of you who guessed it, yes, that is a Tsukimisou-oriented story, focusing on her life as a geisha, and the others as they grow up. Anyways, yeah. Now I'll shut up and let you all bask in the agonizing wait for the next installment. So I apologize for mass delays in advance and for the mass delays I've already made you all suffer through between posts. You have no idea how grateful I am for you all still sticking by me with my inconsistent updates. It's been a long road. This story started on Nov. 30, 2004, and well, it's been a great year four months and three week journey. Yes that's right. I've finished it at last over one year and four months, aka 1 1/3 years. Okay, this author's note is pretty damn long and I'm sure none of you even read these things, so I'll summarize this for everyone who doesn't want to read all my ramblings:
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT! THANKS!
Next story is titled "The House of the Howling Moon".
With love from,
Aki, aka Karyn Pearson