Epilogue: Thoughts of the Future

Kagome snuggled into Inu-Yasha's bare chest, her bandaged hands moving up and down his back. She still couldn't feel his skin beneath her palms, but it didn't matter. He was in her bed, in her life, loving her…and that was all that mattered.

He bent his head, kissing her neck, making her moan with ecstasy. They had been locked in her room for hours upon hours, desperately loving each other. Her family had yet to return and Kagome was savoring every moment before their arrival. There was still so much for her and Inu-Yasha to do and catch up on. Her life had been so empty without him… And now that he was there, happiness overflowed from her, spilling out of every crevice in her body. Her heart felt it was going to explode from the joy.

"Inu-Yasha…"

"Hmmm…?" he murmured against her neck, licking up her neck until he reached her lips and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her hands dug into his silky hair. He kissed her long and hard, Kagome basking in the heat and the pleasure of his kiss.

When he eventually pulled away, Kagome lay limp in his arms. He smiled seductively at her and kissed her lip lightly, his hand caressing her side. She stared up at him, lost in his gaze, until she eventually remembered what had been going to say.

"What are we going to do with the Shikon no Tama?"

The glowing orb was on her nightstand. It had been there since Inu-Yasha had torn it off in his desperation to undress himself and her. It had been silently pulsing and glowing since then, reacting to their love and their passion. It had cast a glow upon them, making their first time together even more precious.

But now they had to figure out what to do with it.

Inu-Yasha stared at Kagome for a moment. "Do you want me to become human, Kagome? I do age more slowly than humans do. Sango and Miroku had aged twenty years. I aged eight. That's a pretty big difference."

Kagome sighed. "I've been thinking about that…but I know you don't want to give up your hanyou powers." Kagome giggled and caressed his ears. Inu-Yasha moaned. "And I love your ears. I like your human form too. What am I saying? I love you, everything about you. I don't want you to change…but I do want you to stay with me. So I thought, if the Shikon no Tama has the power to change you into a human or youkai, perhaps it also has the ability to modify just one piece of you."

"I don't understand, Kagome."

She rolled her eyes. "Even if I try to explain better, it still won't make sense to you. But what I mean is that everyone is made up of pieces of their parents and their parents' parents and so on. It's what makes Mamoru and Sayo look like Miroku and Sango. In order to change you from a hanyou to a human or youkai, the Shikon Jewel has to manipulate that make up. If it can do that, perhaps you can just ask it to take away your extended life. Ask it only to make you age like a human, but keep everything else the same. If it can easily change you drastically, it should do be able to do this."

She stared into Inu-Yasha's glowing worried eyes. Her heart clenched. "And what if it doesn't work, Kagome?" he murmured.

Kagome shrugged. "Then we make do. But the Shikon no Tama would be gone and we wouldn't need to worry about that anymore. It's worth a shot, ne, Inu-Yasha?"

Inu-Yasha reached over her and grabbed the Shikon no Tama from the nightstand. He took off the string that held it and just held the jewel in his hands. He smiled ruefully at Kagome. "At last, this thing will finally get out of our way, ne, Kagome?"

She nodded. "Hai, Inu-Yasha."

He took a deep breath and popped the jewel into his mouth, swallowing it in a gulp. A light glow emerged from about him and Inu-Yasha heard a gentle voice in his mind. A sweet voice. Was this the voice of…?

"Arigato. You have purified my soul. I am Midoriko. You have kept this jewel safe, kept it purified and kept it from the hands of the evil ones who would use it. And now, you use my soul for your love." Inu-Yasha suddenly saw a vision in his mind of the ancient Miko. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"My soul and the souls of those youkai had been at war inside the jewel for hundreds of years. With every evil and good hand that held the jewel, the war between them and I took a new turn. When the jewel was burned with the body of a Miko—a Miko that refused to taint the jewel despite the sudden war of hate and love in her heart—I still found a way to return to that time. I knew that my freedom from this jewel lay with the hanyou that loved that Miko. So, I returned to you… You and your love was the only thing that could finally free me. If the Shikon Jewel was used for love, I would finally find peace." The woman smiled. "So, I came back with your love, through the boundaries of time, and came back to you. And you have finally freed me with your love for the Miko in your arms. Half human, half youkai. Only you could have set me free."

She began to vanish from Inu-Yasha's sight. The image of Midoriko smiled brilliantly at him. "I will grant you your only wish. To be eternally with the one you love. Love her well, Inu-Yasha." And she vanished.

The glow faded away and Inu-Yasha opened his eyes. He saw Kagome's lovely hazel eyes staring up at him in surprise. "I've never seen that happen when someone took the Shikon no Tama into their body. What happened, Inu-Yasha? Did it work?"

He smiled down at the woman in his arms and his heart swelled. "I don't feel any different, if that's what you mean, Kagome." Her mouth formed into a silent 'oh'. "Oy! I wasn't finished, o-na! But I have a good feeling that it did work."

Kagome lifted an eyebrow at him. "Oh? Why?"

Inu-Yasha smiled evilly at her. "Let's just say Fate took its course."

Kagome reached for her pillow and bashed him with it. "Oh, you! Tell me! What happened? What did you see?"

He burst out laughing and grabbed the pillow away from her, tossing it aside. He took hold of her waist and pulled her beneath him. He smiled leeringly at her as he bent his head toward her lips. "I saw the true identity of the Shikon no Tama… for more details, make love to me first."

Kagome laughed. "With pleasure, Inu-Yasha."

Several months later…

"KAGOME?! What'd I do this time?! Oy! Kagome!"

Shippou, Setsuna, Sayo, Mamoru, Eri, Harumi and Shizuko winced in unison as they heard the resounding, "OSUWARI!!" coming from outside. They were all sitting at Kagome's dinner table having tea when the fight had suddenly erupted. Kagome's okaa-san only smiled as she continued to was the dishes. Ji-chan chuckled from his seat. Sota sighed dramatically.

Eri turned to Shippou with an eyebrow lifted. "Are you sure they were always like this? And that this is okay?"

Shippou nodded reassuringly. "They like to argue. It's fun for them."

Harumi and Shizuko shrugged. "If you say so, Shi-san."

Setsuna stood up. "Well, I've had it. I actually want to see what's going on! It's probably going to be really funny!"

Sayo got up and followed Setsuna. "I have to see this."

Mamoru rolled his eyes in unison with Sota.

Eri, Harumi, and Shizuko followed the other two women to the window to watch the spectacle before them. Inu-Yasha and Kagome had been married for months—they were still considered newly weds for the love of Kami. But they always seemed to argue. But Shi-san was right. They did it so often that they must enjoy it.

Rumor about their amazing marriage also spread like wildfire. Kagome had been known for years as the nearby spiritualist or Miko, helping people get rid of youkai and ghosts. When people found out that she had married a hanyou… Well, they were shocked to say the least. But people had been coping with it for months and now were fairly used to Inu-Yasha. Especially since they seemed to love each other so much…despite the constant bickering.

"Kagome…" Inu-Yasha muttered threateningly, his ears flattening. "Why don't you just tell me what I did?!"

Veins popped up all over Kagome's head and she clenched a fist. "Inu-Yasha…" She turned around to him, eyes blazing. "You were being a jerk, again!!"

"HOW?!"

"UGH!! I don't want to talk about it!! Just go away and let me fume!!"

"Not until you tell me why you're being so temperamental!! Anything sets you off!! What's wrong with you?!"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, BAKA?! You make love to me every single damn chance you get and you STILL haven't figured it out?! Do I have to spell it out for you?! I'M PREGNANT!! I'M ALLOWED TO BE TEMPERAMENTAL!!"

Silence.

"P-p-pregnant?"

Kagome stomped toward him. "Hai, BAKA!! Pregnant!! Now do you—"

Inu-Yasha shut her up with a kiss.

Everyone inside the house cheered like soccer fans.