Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does.

Author's Notes:

Hehe….you thought I was done with this didn't you?

…so did I /

But then I wanted to throw a cute, happy scene in there. Honestly, you could take it or leave it. Plus, I missed Kagome too!! (she just didn't fit into that last chapter for me somehow)

Enjoy! (And this is it on TSE, seriously /)

Epilogue

"Okay, now brake…Brake. Press the brakes. Brake now, Inuyasha. Inuyasha stop the car!" Sesshomaru yelled, grabbing the handle by his head and suddenly feeling quite religious; he chanted a quick prayer to the kamis under his breath just as the car jerked to a halt, just barely sandwiched between two other cars, his seatbelt snapping him back against the seat. His heart galloped at a rapid pace, and he was afraid he felt more than a few palpitations. He blew a lock of hair out of his face, frazzled and trying to maintain his cool. His eyes slid icily over to the giddy teen in the driver's seat.

"Wow, that was awesome," Inuyasha whispered loudly, a goofy grin plastered across his face. "This car's so fast!" His fingers drummed excitedly on the steering wheel, head nodding in time with whatever beat was playing in his mind. He finally broke out of his little daze and looked at his older brother, the smile slipping from his face at the half-crazed expression on Sesshomaru's.

"So…I take it I didn't do well?" he asked with a shrug. Sesshomaru's eyes bugged out of his head, one lower lid twitching.

"This. Is. A. 2007 Porsche Boxter!" he bellowed, his chest heaving. "You drove it like some—some—rally car!" he spluttered, his face red. Inuyasha stared at him, eyes wide.

"So…that's a no, then…" he mused, answering his own question.

"Yes, Inuyasha! That is a no!"

"I don't think—"

"You have no place to speak in this matter," Sesshomaru growled darkly. "This car is practically in mint condition, and you swerved in and out of traffic…"

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha began.

"…never heard of a turn signal before…"

"You can't just keep a car like this cooped up in a garage," Inuyasha posed intellectually.

"…absolutely positive I need new brakes now…"

"It's like…it's like a crime against mankind, or something, you know? To keep such a nice car all cramped…"

"…wore the tread off of the damn tires…"

" 'Cause you see, a car like this needs to breath. It needs to stretch, you know? It's just so nice—"

"It was nice. Before you got under the wheel!"

"Oh, come on!" Inuyasha drawled, giving him a sidelong look. "It wasn't that bad," he grinned, nudging the older demon with his elbow chummily. Sesshomaru's eyelid was twitching in time with Inuyasha's roguish eyebrow waggles.

"Out," he commanded.

"But—"

"No buts! Out! Get out! Get out of my car!" he demanded, unbuckling the boy's seatbelt and practically pushing him out of the seat. Sesshomaru exited the car as well.

"I really don't see what the big deal is," Inuyasha said sulkily. Sesshomaru cocked and eyebrow at him, and Inuyasha laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm kidding. I'm sorry. Maybe I was a little rough," he admitted.

"A little?" Sesshomaru muttered.

"Okay, more than necessary. I promise I'll be careful next time," he said sincerely. He crossed his heart. "Promise," he repeated as he fetched his bookbag from the trunk.

"Yeah well next time you drive, we're taking the shit-car."

"Aw!" Inuyasha mock-whined.

"Hey! You just be glad you get to drive at all."

"I know. I'm just fucking with you, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha added jocularly.

"Watch your mouth. And either way, you do drive like a maniac."

"I mostly do it just to keep it on your toes. I'm actually quite a smooth driver," Inuyasha boasted, ignoring his instruction. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes as he and his brother traded places on the sides of the car.

"What time am I picking you up tonight? Seven, right?"

"Well, I promised Mrs. Higurashi that I'd help her clean out the attic. Kagome's coming back to the shrine after her evening class. And then, you know, she starts to miss me, so…you know how that can go…" he trailed off suggestively, shrugging.

"Very quick, I'm assuming?" Sesshomaru jabbed, raising an eyebrow. Inuyasha choked.

"You don't even know the half of it," he shot back, recovering.

"That…is disgusting," he said shortly, leaning an arm on the car door.

"That is a beautiful thing. Don't get jealous just because you're some boring old married guy," Inuyasha joked, taking a jab at him.

"Whatever. I'm not playing this game with you—"

"Only because you can't!" Inuyasha interjected, turning to leave, shrugging into his bag.

"Just call!" Sesshomaru called with a chuckle. Inuyasha waved and jogged off down the cobblestoned path leading to Tokyo University's east campus girls' dormitory.

He recognized many of the students milling around the campus grounds, as many of them had attended the various high schools he'd been apart of. Some of them recognized him from Daisuke, and he averted his face from them.

His month-long stint in the hospital had not been kind to his grades. He hadn't been able to muster up the energy to complete the make-up work Kagome brought him every other day. That, coupled with the massive amount of absences had him failing his senior year of high school, and, humiliatingly, having to return that fall.

It had been one more disappointment; that he could not start college in the fall with Kagome, move on from high school and all the pain it had caused. But he couldn't get too down about things. Life was so completely different for him now. Eight months since the worst night of his life had brought so many changes, personally, physically. Even relationship-wise. Holistically, he was moving upward, and enjoying the ride.

High school was still pretty much hell on earth. He had no friends, his teachers weren't encouraging or helpful. In short, he was still a half-breed in a world where such beings weren't wanted.

But now, he had a home he could go to at the end of each day. A real home. He woke up to a full breakfast in the morning, conversation at the table. He woke up to cheery greetings from Mrs. Higurashi, newspaper discussions with Grandpa, back tackles from Souta. He came home to comforting words from Mrs. Higurashi and video games with Souta, and ended the night with a full belly, a safe mind, and a contented heart. He couldn't ask for anything more. Sure, Kagome was away at college. But that was only a twenty minute drive away from the shrine.

Sesshomaru had made good on his promise. Inuyasha was amazed at the leaps and bounds they'd made as far as their relationship. He'd even, lately, spent nights at the man's home. Inuyasha had to admit, he thoroughly enjoyed those nights, where just he and his older brother watched movies and just talked. Talked about things that had gone wrong, how they could make them right. Other times, when neither was in the mood for heavy subjects, talked about sports, television, Inuyasha's art. Even, and this surprised Inuyasha every time he got away with bringing up the subject even in teasing, women. Sesshomaru, surprisingly, had much to say on the subject.

It had surprised him how Sesshomaru knew how to make him somewhat comfortable, that he'd picked up on things that made him cringe, whether the hints were intuitive on his part, or common sense, Inuyasha couldn't figure.

The first night he'd stayed over, after months of avoiding what he just knew would be an awkward situation, Sesshomaru had dipped into the mini fridge of the basement's bar, pulling out a beer for himself.

"…You drink?" Inuyasha had asked from his cross-legged position on the couch. He must have had a nervous edge in his voice, or a taint of it in his scent, for Sesshomaru paused, the cap halfway twisted off.

"On occasion. Why?" he asked quietly, curiously. Inuyasha shrugged uneasily.

"No reason. Just wondering, I guess," he muttered. Sesshomaru eyed him skeptically for a few more moments. He screwed the cap back tight.

"Maybe not tonight," he said finally, stowing the beer away. "Soda?" he offered.

Inuyasha had never said anything to him about how relieved he was that he chose not to drink around him. He only smiled gratefully. He was fairly certain that Sesshomaru was not in the habit of being inebriated; even still, the thought of alcohol mixing with imposing dog demons made him uneasy.

After that last court-appointed meeting, Sesshomaru had made efforts to see him outside of Sunday afternoons. He joined Inuyasha and the Higurashis for dinner, bringing dessert with him. He picked Inuyasha up from school some days and took him for late afternoon lunches. He'd even taken him to a baseball game. That had been a trial run. A feeling out, of sorts. After that, they'd both found out that baseball was not quite their thing. Basketball, however, delighted them both to no end, and on their occasional 'sleepovers', watched classic games.

Sesshomaru had been there for his birthday, though how he remembered when it was, Inuyasha hadn't a clue. He'd embarrassedly, stiffly, presented him with a new laptop, figuring that it would help him with his trouble in his composition classes and then later, in college, or so he said. In his gratitude, Inuyasha remade the portrait of Sesshomaru and Kagura that he'd destroyed, and it now hung proudly in the couple's living room.

It had leaked out, of course, that the propagator of that sudden, spur of the moment trip to Inuyasha's art studio building had indeed been Kagome. She was forever sticking her nose where it didn't belong, and this was no different. In her defense, she claimed that it was sad to watch the two of them in the living room, sitting silently for three hours every week. When Inuyasha pointed out that she probably shouldn't have been watching in the first place, she waved him off and said that wasn't important. She said that what was important was saving what was left of a family.

That she did.

'Crazy girl,' he thought with a grin, shaking his head. 'Always in someone else's business.'

"I didn't tell him exactly what to do," she'd defended herself. "I just told him that he should show some interest in you. That the way to a person's heart after so long is humility and interest." He gave her a skeptical look. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

So it had.

He spotted the girl in question a good forty yards ahead of him, heading towards the dorm entrance with books in her arms and her bag slung over one shoulder. He smirked. He hadn't told her what time he'd be arriving, so she wouldn't be expecting him. He snuck up behind her stealthily, snaking an arm around her middle, somewhat impeded by the absolutely humongous, lumpy gray sweatshirt she was wearing, and latched onto her neck with his lips. She stiffened and gasped before wriggling around in his grip and grinning.

"Inuyasha!" she exclaimed, letting go her two books to wrap her arms around his neck. "I've missed you! You didn't tell me you were coming!" He smiled and hugged her back, inhaling deeply.

"Wanted to surprise you," he murmured contentedly. "I figured I'd just catch a ride back to the shrine with you."

"Who dropped you off?" she asked, letting go. He stooped to gather her books and held the door open for her.

"Sesshomaru," he answered as she passed under his arm. "But I drove," he winked.

"Oh really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "How did that go?" They crossed the wide foyer, milling with girls and a few male students, to the corridor containing the elevator. Kagome punched the up button and they waited.

"He said we're taking the shit-car next time I drive," he shrugged as they boarded the elevator. He pressed three automatically as the doors closed.

"So you two are getting along then?"

"Yeah. Yeah we are. We're good. Real good," he answered reflectively. She smiled softly at him.

"I'm glad."

"Me too," he admitted. "But. Enough about me and Sesshomaru," he waved off. She gave him a sultry, knowing look. "I've missed you way too much to talk about Sesshomaru." It had only been a week since he'd come to visit her. She'd been at the shrine two days ago.

"So? What are you gonna do about it?" she asked off-handedly. "Are you gonna—" He'd crossed the elevator, gathered her close and covered her mouth with his before she could finish her sentence. His free hand bunched in the folds of her sweatshirt, feeling the curve of her waist through the bulky material. He had her pressed flush against the wall of the elevator, his enthusiasm so great that she was just barely still on her toes. She braced herself from slipping by grasping onto the metal rod attached to the wall.

"I won't let you fall," Inuyasha whispered, rushed, against her lips, wasting no time in getting back to lavishing her mouth with attention.

The elevator dinged, having reached the third floor. The doors whirred open, unnoticed by the enamored pair.

"Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes flew open and she gasped, quickly pushing Inuyasha away.

"Hey!" he groused.

"Mao!" she blurted. Her roommate stood at the entrance to the elevator, books in hand, shaking her head and laughing. "I…um—"

"Wow, Kagome, um…room's free," she quipped, stepping inside just as Kagome and Inuyasha stepped out. "Don't worry—I'll be gone 'til evening, so…have fun you two!" Mao winked, signaling the doors to close as she waggled her fingers at them. Kagome blushed, waving back weakly. "Bye, Inuyasha," she sang playfully.

"Bye, Mao," he replied as the doors shut. Kagome stood mortified staring at the elevator doors. "At least we don't have to worry about distracting her," Inuyasha shrugged with a smile. Kagome whacked him on the chest lightly, grinning.

"Shut up. Come on, let's go," she beckoned, and he followed willingly as she tugged on his sweatshirt sleeve.

She fumbled for her key, unlocking the door and letting him go in first as she paused to slip the electric pink 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door knob outside. Inuyasha smirked at her when she faced him.

"You plan on us doing something worth disturbing?" he asked, reaching for her. She smiled secretively.

"If you're good," she said lowly, dangling the promise of much attention before him. "Now sit down, I've got to send and email."

"An email?" he frowned.

"It'll only take a second. I promised my lab partner I'd send her copies of our photos and our analyses right away," she explained. Inuyasha groaned, dropping his pack. "I promise, you'll have all my attention as soon as I'm done," she winked, placating him.

Inuyasha plopped onto her bed, leaning an arm lazily over the low headboard, letting his gaze drift over the room. There was distinct line right down the middle of the room, separating the almost obsessive neatness and perfect cohesiveness of Mao's side from the so-called organized chaos and charming miss-match of Kagome's. Mao's shoes stood paired in perfect rows at the foot of her bed. Two pairs of rumbled jeans, an old t-shirt, and an overturned book lay at the foot of Kagome's. Mao's desk was a snapshot out of an office supplies catalogue. Kagome's desk was a messy array of papers, photographs, both black and white and color, film rolls, and cameras in various stages of assembly. Mao's walls featured the poster children of the academia world, premier scientists and inventors. Kagome's walls were decorated with her photographs, arranged in a wide checkerboard pattern across the expanse of the surface.

Inuyasha turned on the bed, studying the pictures he already knew so well. Many of them she'd taken out of her scrapbooks. He smiled at the family pictures, many of them from earlier years, with a smaller Souta grinning toothlessly for the camera. His eyes flicked over the many faces, lips tugging upwards at the especially tender ones of Kagome and himself.

His eyes slid back over to the girl on his mind. She was hunched over her laptop, pounding the keys furiously as her eyes flicked back and forth between the screen and an open notebook on her cluttered desk. Wisps of hair fell around her face from the messy bun her hair was pulled into, the arrangement itself beginning to sag low on her head. Every now and then the rectangular glasses she'd adopted before college for reading would slide down her sloped nose, and she'd daintily push them back up to their proper position, her fingers, covered to the second knuckle by the voluminous sweatshirt she sported, returning to whir over the keys. He couldn't help but smile. How had he gotten so lucky? She was so sexy, even when she wasn't trying.

"What?" she asked, breaking him out of his trance.

"What?" he asked back, not following.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, a curious half-smile played on her enticing lips.

"You," he answered simply with a shrug. She blushed cutely, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, looking away.

"Ugh. Don't. I look a mess," she laughed embarrassedly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Who says? You look beautiful," he told her sincerely. "I like it when you look like this."

"You're just trying to butter me up," she said, giving him an unconvinced look.

"So what if I am? It's true anyway," he said as she turned back to the screen, shaking her head and smiling.

Inuyasha eyed her for a few more moments before slipping off the bed soundlessly, and coming to stand behind the girl. Bending over the back of her chair, he slowly brushed the tip of his nose against the nape of her neck, back and forth.

"Inuyasha," Kagome warned, shrugging her shoulders against the tickle. He grinned behind her, ignored her warning, and continued his motions, moving closer to gently kiss the soft skin of her neck. He dragged his tongue against the flesh in short strokes, alternating between slow kisses and quick laps. She shivered, and he smiled, excited, moving up to kiss the crest of her ear. "Inu…yasha…" she mumbled again, less of a protest. "You're not playing fair," she complained weakly.

"When did I ever promise to?"

He brought his hands up to her shoulders, kneading them gently, never ceasing his mouth's attentions on her neck and ear. His lips enveloped her earlobe, just barely running the tip of his tongue over it and sucking gently. Sliding down her arms, he laced his fingers through hers, pulling them away from the keyboard. She didn't even bother protesting physically.

"Inuyasha…I'm really supposed to be sending my partner those analyses—"

"I am sure," he said, pausing from his current task of forming a hickey on her neck, "that she will understand, and," He pulled her arms behind her back, holding them there with one hand. "I'm sure that the notes or whatever," He tugged her to stand, keeping her hands behind her back, and pulled her against him, hands pinned between her back and his front. "will still be there later." One arm slid around her waist while the hand of the other pulled out the pencil that had held her bun together. Her ebony tresses tumbled over her neck, and he didn't hesitate to bury his nose in them, inhaling the scent.

"Won't you still be here later?" she retorted languorously. He didn't bother to respond. He took her glasses off of her face, setting them on the desk, reaching around to tug her chin toward him. He kissed her slowly from behind, one hand cupping her face, the other stroking her stomach through her sweatshirt. She twisted around in his embrace, finally deciding to protest no further, and the hand on her stomach cupped her face as well. She rested her hands lightly on his wrists as they tasted each other slowly. She backed up toward the bed, not hesitating to pull him down with her when she stretched out on the mattress. He lay out along her side, half on top of her with one leg between her own, propping himself up with an elbow as they continued their kisses.

Kagome frowned as the kisses went on, got more intense. She pulled back slightly, giving him a questioning look.

"Inuyasha…" she started.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, confused and more than a bit groggy. She pressed a hand over his where it lay against her cheek.

"You're shaking," she whispered, giving him a worried look. "I thought all the tremors would have gone away by now." He looked at his hand, his attention being brought to the small shivers that ran through his fingers, and shrugged.

"I had a checkup last week. The doctor said they might go away completely, they might not. I don't even notice it anymore, though."

"You don't hurt at all, do you?"

"No, not at all," he said with a reassuring smile. Kagome was not convinced.

"Maybe…maybe we should take it easy," she suggested warily, pulling back even further, giving him a cautious look.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed with dismay.

"What? I'm just saying maybe we shouldn't lie down. Just take it slow—"

"Kagome, I'm fine."

"But you—"

"I'm fine! Kagome, please. Don't I look fine?" he asked. She studied his face, brushing his unkempt hair out of his face and running her fingers through the short length of his mop. She gave a small smile.

"You look great."

"Then quit worrying so much—"

"Even still…" she protested a bit more, trailing off. Inuyasha groaned softly, rolling his eyes and sitting up beside her prostrate form. He looked back at her, her head cushioned on the pillow, biting on her thumb nail nervously. "I'm sorry," she murmured apologetically. "I just don't wanna make anything worse…"

"It's fine," he said with a sigh. He shuffled to turn around to face her, pulling her legs into his lap. "Gimme these," he mumbled. He pulled her laces loose and pulled her shoes off of her feet, dropping them beside the bed. She watched him from her pillow.

"You're not upset, are you?" she asked.

"Nah. It's in your nature to be a big ol' worry-wart," he teased as he tugged her socks off, discarding them with the shoes. Her arms crossed as he rolled up the loose cuffs of her jeans.

"I'd think, given the situation that you were in, it's only natural to worry. And I don't think my amount of worrying was excessive—"

"Kagome, Kagome," he chuckled, cutting her off and grabbing her hand. "I'm only joking with you, okay?" He kissed her finger tips placatingly, and set her hand back on her stomach, patting it. Jeans out of the way and rolled up to her lower thighs, he ran the tips of his claws lightly over her legs. "Want a rub-down?" he asked innocently.

"Huh?" she grunted. He smiled, pulling one foot up to rest on his shoulder as he rolled the other between his palms. Kagome squirmed her foot away, giggling a bit. "No, Inuyasha—"

"What? Why?" he protested, grabbing after the wayward appendage. "I thought girls loved that kind of stuff," he said, giving her a questioning look.

"Oh, it's just weird," she laughed, tucking her free foot under a lump in the blanket. He held her other foot hostage on his shoulder and refused to let it go. "Inuyasha—"

"Ah, come on. It'll feel good. Let me do it," he insisted. He dug her foot out of the blankets with one hand, keeping the other in its place, sandwiched between his shoulder and head, grinning all the while. "I want to," he said seriously. Relenting, as she would be unable to stop him once he had his mind set to something, she allowed him to hold her foot, the pads of his thumbs kneading her arch. "Since you won't let me lay down with you…" he muttered with a pouting smile. She smiled gently back, relaxing into his touch.

His eyes moved to focus on his task, her heel propped on his thigh as he worked out the muscles in her foot. He rolled her ankle, popping out the tension in it. His hands slid forward, molding the muscles in her calf firmly as her toes wiggled with the slight tickle.

"Feel good?" he asked. She nodded with a smile. "See? Told you." He pinned her with a look and lifted the appendage, kissing her ankle gently.

"Inuyasha," she murmured. With a small smile, he kissed her ankle again, leaning forward to kiss her calf before returning to her massage. Kagome watched him as he worked, his fingers tracing the bones of her foot with slow movements. She smiled to herself as she studied him. She could never get enough of looking at him. The irresistible ears that flicked every so often. The way his hair fell over his forehead in the most adorable way. The charming quirk of his tempting lips, the playful spark in his eye. 'That face,' she thought breathlessly. The face she dreamed about and yearned to see more of when the days of college made her weary. How could anyone have ever wanted to hurt or sadden that face?

She suddenly sat up and scooted forward, placing herself square in his lap with her legs wrapped loosely around his hips. He looked at her in surprise as she looped her arms around his neck, bringing him close for a searing kiss.

"Kagome," he started in surprise when they came up for a breath. "What happened to taking it easy?" he asked playfully, his hands settling on her hips. She smiled slyly at him, slowly unzipping his sweatshirt and pushing it off of his shoulders.

"You said you'd be alright, didn't you?"

Kagome surveyed the room with a critical eye. Having seen Inuyasha off to the car with her mother, she needed to get cleaned up and prepared for her evening class. She sighed and began to make her bed, untwisting the sheets and tucking them back around the mattress. What had began as just fully-clothed, innocent kisses when they entered the room had turned into both of them being underwear clad and massive fooling around. Her concern for his shakes was thrown out of the window along with her concern for the state of her side of the room….

She winced as she caught a glimpse of her hair in the mirror on the back of the door. 'Did I seriously walk through public places like that?' she thought with a groan. Well. At least the sweatshirt she'd carelessly thrown on covered most of the hickeys that decorated her chest and neck.

She quickly brushed her hair into a ponytail and pulled her bookbag off of the floor, setting about to gather her things for class. Reaching for her camera and class journal, a brown paper wrapped item caught her eye, as it certainly didn't belong. She picked it up, noting the characters of her name hastily scribbled on the front. Slipping a nail under the taped surface, she tore it open, wondering when in the world he'd had time to slip anything out of his bookbag during their interlude.

A soft smile, full of pride, full of relief, full of peace quirked her lips as she looked down at what the paper covered. The short white hair that never seemed to settle, the mouth that was now quick to flash a lopsided smile exposed a pearly fang. The golden eyes that reflected an unbeatable spirit sparkled, even in paint. The faint line of a scar that healed slower than any wound she'd ever known on him arched down his cheek.

There was a tiny note tucked between the small canvas and the paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it, still smiling at his latest work.

Dear Kagome— I'm pretty sure if you think back hard enough, you'll remember, right before Goro Oichi's art competition, a suggestion you gave me. You told me that I should do a self-portrait. Well, at that time, I really didn't want to. First, because you told me to do it—haha. Second, because I didn't want to submit something like that for lots of people to see. And third, because deep down, I didn't think I could do it. I read somewhere—please don't ask me where—that a self-portrait is a deep exploration of yourself. And back then, I wasn't really someone that I wanted to explore that deeply. You know that better than anyone.

This one took a really long time. It took a long time to start, because I wasn't sure I could even paint anymore, and I was afraid. If that was taken away from me, what did I have left? But I finished it, and I know now—even if I couldn't paint anymore (thank the kamis that I can) I'd still have everything that made that portrait possible. I'd have your family, I'd have you. But more, I'd have this new me that I found. And I kind of like him.

So I figure that it's only fitting that I give this one to you. First, because it was your suggestion in the first place. Second because it's the first portrait I've done since before I got sick. And third because it feels like this change I've made is one that you helped to happen. Because without you, I don't think I ever would have realized how much I really like myself and who I've become.

So what do you think? Do I still have it?

Inuyasha

Author's Note:

And that's all she wrote! I really hope you all have enjoyed reading The Sweetest Escape as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Wowzer313