General Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. They are owned by Ms. Takahashi and all the otheuur companies.

I do however own all of my own characters.

Love, Interrupted

Chapter 51

Epilogue

The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly as the group headed into the village,

"DADDY! MAMA!" three voices chorused, as three little tots came scrambling out of the hut followed by Rin, who carried Yasuo, and Kohaku, who carried Kurayami. Kaede and Mushin soon followed,

"MY BABIES!" Kagome cried out as she ran to hug her children. Inuyasha picked up Kurayami and Yasuo, who squirmed and giggled with joy,

"Goodness, they're huge!" commented Kagome, "What have you been feeding them?" she asked no one in particular.

Inuyasha huffed, "They come from hardy stock!"

Miroku and Sango looked fondly and wistfully at the hanyou family. Miroku hugged Sango,

"Let's go in, my love." he whispered.

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Kaede and Rin prepared food as the group reiterated their encounters,

"So, the demon has not been vanquished?" asked Kaede.

"No." said Inuyasha, sternly, as he gently brushed Kurayami's hair with his claws and Yasuo and Taji cuddled on his lap. Shinta and Sakura sat playing with their mother,

"What do you think we should do, Inuyasha?" asked Miroku.

"Do?", Inuyasha commented dryly, "We go after him, of course."

"After him?" queried Sango.

"And where exactly do we go?" asked Shippou.

"Where he went, obviously." Inuyasha stated as if it was perfectly clear.

"And that is?" said Miroku, impatiently.

"Africa." was Inuyasha's blunt reply.

The group stared at him blankly trying to comprehend what he had just stated.

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Night fell on the small village. Inuyasha stood outside the hut, the wind blowing his hair softly. Winter was coming. He could feel the chill in the air. Smell the frost in the heavens. A voice broke through his thoughts,

"Inuyasha."

He turned towards the voice,

"Miroku." he acknowledged his friend.

Miroku stood beside his friend. They both stared at the waning moon,

"The new moon will be here soon." commented Miroku, absentmindedly, "At least we finished our quest before then."

"It's not finished." Inuyasha spoke, "Not yet."

"We drove the demon out of Japan, Inuyasha. Our work here is done." chided Miroku, gently.

"Precisely. Our work HERE is done. But, the job is not done."

"Inuyasha?" queried Miroku.

"What's to keep that bastard from returning? This could all happen again." he spoke with finality.

"If that happens, then we fight. But, going to Africa? Hell, Inuyasha, we don't even know where that is." said Miroku.

"Kagome does." replied Inuyasha.

"Ok. How do we get there?" Miroku pressed.

Inuyasha remained quiet. He hadn't figured that part out yet.

Miroku sighed. He knew his friend. The conversation was over, for now. He turned to re-enter the hut,

"Miroku."

The monk turned to face Inuyasha's back,

"Yes?"

"You've done good."

"Pardon?" asked the confused hoshi.

"Sango. She's with child. Still. Your unborn survived this mess. As you say, it appears Buddha has blessed you."

With that, Inuyasha fell silent. Miroku felt his heart leap with joy. Sango was pregnant! Smiling a goofy smile, he turned and entered the hut.

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Kagome finished getting the pups to sleep. As Sakura lost the final battle and drifted off, Kagome heard the door slide open. She smiled as Inuyasha walked through the door,

"Are they asleep?" Inuyasha asked, as he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist, even though he knew the answer from their scent,

"Yes. They look so peaceful when they're asleep."

"HmHm." Inuyasha agreed, as he kissed his mate's neck. She lifted her arm and wrapped it around his neck,

"Hungry, my love?" she purred.

"Only for you, koi." he whispered into her ear.

They turned and went to their own bed, settling down on the futon. Their firey kisses and passionate embrace taking them to Nirvana.

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Just before dawn, Kagome awoke to see Inuyasha's golden orbs staring at her lovingly,

"Morning." she mumbled.

"Morning." he smiled as he kissed her.

Kagome stretched and sat up while Inuyasha growled at the distance,

"Get back here." he said, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back down onto the futon, causing her to giggle,

"Inuyasha." she said, her voice suddenly becoming serious, "We need to talk."

"About what?" asked her mate, as he nuzzled her neck.

"About this idea of yours. Going to Africa?"

Inuyasha pulled away and laid on his back. He knew there was no way to distract Kagome when she wanted to talk about something serious,

'There goes the mood.' he sighed.

"I think it's a bad idea, Inuyasha." she stated, flatly.

"Maybe it is. But, I don't have a choice." he stated firmly.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because, ..." he stopped.

She waved her hand in a 'Please continue.' motion, "Because, ... why?"

Inuyasha sighed, "Because ... I promised Cleopatra before she died that I would defeat Bwaddene and avenge and free her people."

"Oh." was all she said.

She knew Inuyasha never broke a promise. And he wouldn't start now,

"I have to figure out how to get there. And, we're not going anywhere now. Winter is nearly here. Plus, if I can figure out the secret to this village ..." his voice dropped off.

Kagome's interest piqued, "Secret?" she queried, "What do you mean, secret?"

"Didn't you notice? This was the only village not taken over by Bwaddene. Why was that? These people seem like just ordinary humans. I mean, why wasn't this village dominated also?"

"I'm glad it wasn't." Kagome shivered at what Inuyasha said.

He sat up,

"Kagome, do you feel any kind of strange aura here? Anything that might explain it?"

"No, I don't. Maybe it's the shrine. The people respect it very much."

"Hmmm." Inuyasha's mind wandered.

"It's a Buddhist shrine. Maybe this shrine has stronger ties to Buddha?" Kagome wondered.

"With Mushin as head monk? You can't be serious."

Kagome shrugged and settled back down and cuddled with her mate,

"Sango's pregnant." Inuyasha offhandedly tossed out.

"WHAT?" shrieked Kagome.

"SHHHHHHHH! You'll wake the whole hut up, wench!" he scolded her.

"But, the battle? Was she pregnant then? My goodness, the baby ..."

He pulled her close and quieted her worries with a kiss,

"Relax. She's fine. And so is the baby."

Kagome relaxed against him,

"If you say so ..."

"Have I ever been wrong about these things?" he questioned her.

Silence.

"Kagome?"

Silence.

He growled, "WELL?"

"Uhhh ... no."

"What took you so long to answer me?"

"I had to search my memory." she giggled.

"Wench."

"Bastard."

"As long as we understand each other." he replied.

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As the hut began to come to life, the air was filled with chatter and toddler laughter as well as the smell of a hearty venison stew. Kagome excitedly hugged Sango and congratulated her and Miroku,

"I'm so happy for you!" she gushed.

Kohaku stared,

"Ane-ue ... your pregnant?" he asked.

"Yes, my brother." Sango responded happily, as Miroku hugged her.

"Good for you, Miroku." congratulated Mushin.

"Yea! Master!" said Hachi.

Kohaku looked dazed,

"I'm ... gonna be an ... UNCLE!" he announced happily.

As the crew sat down to a hearty breakfast of stew, eggs, biscuits, pickles, apples and pumpkin the chatter quieted down. Inuyasha took the chance to question Mushin,

"Mushin?"

"Yes?" the drunkard replied.

"Do you have any idea why this village was spared from Bwaddene's control? Is there something special about this village?" Inuyasha laid out his question.

"Hmmmm." the monk mused, "All I know is what is legend. Legend tells that there once was a huge Shinto shrine here dedicated to a very powerful deity. The villagers honored the deity and constantly gave offerings to the shrine. Then, one day, a powerful earthquake hit this are causing mass destruction and death. What wasn't destroyed by the earthquake was destroyed by subsequent aftershocks and volcanic eruptions. The entire village was buried, including the shrine. That was centuries ago."

"Centuries?" Miroku queried, his interest level upped by the story he had never heard before.

"Yes. At least 10 centuries. This land wasn't inhabited again until about 2 centuries ago. It was claimed by Chinese Buddhist monks. The temple to Buddha was built and eventually this village was reborn."

"Could the deity from the old Shinto shrine still be protecting the village?" asked Shippou.

"What was the deity?" interjected Kagome.

"Don't know. That part wasn't handed down with the legend." Mushin finished the story.

"Old man! Alot of help you are." huffed Inuyasha.

"Master Mushin, is there anywhere we could go to find more information about this deity?" asked Miroku.

"No place that I know of. The shrine has been buried for at least a thousand years. And, along with it, all the scrolls documenting the information about the village and shrine." Mushin responded.

Quiet ensued after that exchange. Inuyasha stood up to walk outside. Kagome instinctively reached for and picked up the Tessaiga. As she did so, she cried out,

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Inuyasha spun around,

"KAGOME!"

Tessaiga's blade quivered and resonated while glowing brightly with a spark that spread to Kagome's hand and through her body. As the group stared, Inuyasha rushed to Kagome as a mist was released from the blade,

"Inuyasha!" the very female voice said.

Inuyasha mumbled, "Cleopatra?"

"Inuyasha. In exchange for your promise to me, I know grant my powers to your mate. She will also be connected to you from now on. Her lifespan will be equal to yours, as was your desire. This is my gift to you."

The mist faded and so did the arc of lightening. Kagome dropped the sword and trembled,

"What just happened?" she asked.

"It seems the hyena demonness has granted you new powers." said Sango.

"Yes." agreed Kaede, "Now, she will just need to learn them."

Inuyasha took a hold of Kagome,

"You're unsteady. Lay down for a bit." he urged, leading her to the bedroom.

When he returned, he walked past the group to the outside. Sango, Shippou, Miroku, and Kohaku followed. The silence was deafening until Miroku spoke,

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha lifted his head up to the sky and sniffed,

'Snow. Tonight. Or possibly tomorrow.' closing his eyes.

Miroku repeated, "Inuyasha? What do you think we should do?"

"Nothing now." Inuyasha spoke quietly, "Winter is here. We will have snow on the ground by tomorrow. Springtime ... when the ground has thawed. We will dig for the shrine."

"DIG?" exclaimed Sango.

"Through a thousand years of dirt?" exclaimed Kohaku.

"Not to mention volcanic ash." added Shippou.

"I want to know about this deity. If it is its power protecting this village, then maybe, just maybe, it will lend me its powers to defeat Bwaddene."

Sango, Shippou, Kohaku and Miroku looked at each other in disbelief. They knew that when Inuyasha set his mind to something, nothing could change it. They shrugged their shoulders and went back inside to get warm, leaving Inuyasha to his thoughts,

'Springtime.'