Ack- my sincerest apologies for not updating…I had about twenty different ideas about what I wanted the ending of the story to be- whether I wanted it to be the end of the manga or an epilogue of the manga. Well, this was the one that I decided sucked the least, so please enjoy until I come up with another story for the Inuyasha series!

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It had been about four and a half years since that night. Admittedly, the earlier years weren't exactly easy on the hanyou and miko...though there were times when the brightest hope had shone through the vast emptiness of isolation, there was still more sadness in those first few years than either of them could have even began to try and fight off every single agonizing day.

Inuyasha opened his eyes lazily, blinking back the dark veil of sleep that had been pulled over him in the night. Once his blurred and hazy vision had cleared, he realized that he had turned in his sleep and his head was now buried deep into his pillow. He lifted his heavy head from the pillow to look at his clawed hand, peeking out from the warm covers, resting on the other side of the futon, where another should still be sleeping beside him.

For a few scant moments, his groggy mind could not understand this person's absence. After all, they had been sleeping next to each other for almost two years now…he bolted upright, his eyes widening in horror. Where was…?!? Fears he had thought were long gone suddenly bubbled to the surface, wondering if it had all been a dream, if something had happened, if-

"Honestly, koibito, you really have to stop having these panic attacks when I get up before you," a soft voice drifted into his dog-like ears. He turned his head to find Kagome keeping watch on the pot she had cooking over the fire, stirring occasionally to keep its contents from burning. His entire frame went lax at the sight of her. So he really hadn't been dreaming. He shook his head to clear it better.

"How is it that I can't tell when you've left the bed nowadays, woman?" He asked her flatly after a few moments, evidently not happy with her newfound stealthy methods of leaving the bed before him. Her soft giggle made his heart warm. He had missed that laugh when she had been gone those three years…

"Check under the blanket, silly husband," she said simply, still not turning from her pot. Ignoring the further melting of his heart at the title momentarily, he turned his head and pulled back her half of the blanket. Sure enough, the gray robe she had worn to bed last night was still there, deluding his senses into thinking that she had still been lying there beside him while he was still sleeping.

"Oi, that's just underhanded!" He pouted, glaring at her through his bangs. She only shook her head and handed him a bowl full of stew. His nose, finally picking up on the delectable smell of her cooking, inhaled the wonderful scent as he gratefully took it and a spoon from her hands, eager to eat. After he had finished half of his bowl, he noticed that she had barely touched hers. "Kagome?" He asked seriously, lowering his bowl and reaching out to touch her hand. Her gaze, which had yet to meet his, had been clouded over and focused on her lap until she felt his hand gently grasp hers. The contact was enough to lift her eyes to his in surprise, but it was only for a fleeting moment before they returned to their original object of interest. Worry began to knot his stomach as he feared that she was regretting coming back to him. "Is there something…wrong…?" He chewed his lip, a nervous habit of his that he had never really broken. She swallowed hard and practically forced herself to look back into his eyes.

"I spoke with Kaede…" she began slowly. He felt his throat close. She had been looking for a way back home. That was the only explanation why she was being so distant to him lately. "…there's something I found out, and it made me really happy, but I just don't know how you'll take it…" oh Gods, she was leaving him…he had tried to make her happy, tried to make sure that he let her know how much he cherished her, how much he cared…was it not enough?!? "…I'm not really sure how else to explain it to you…I've been trying to come up with a way, but I suppose I just have to tell you simply as it is and not mince words…" no, no, no, no, NO, please Gods don't take her from him a second time- he couldn't even fathom going through that amount of hellish sorrow again! "…Inuyasha…" she took her hand away that he had been holding, only to grasp his and bring it forward to gently rest on her stomach. He almost frowned in thought, unsure of what the gesture meant. Why was she-?

Oh…

…oh.

"…Pregnant…?" he breathed, his eyes bulging. She gave him a flat look in response. She loved him to death, but there were times she wondered just how well his head functioned.

"Well, I'm not trying to tell you I'm hungry, that's for sure…" her expression grew disheartened once more as she took a deep breath. "…Yes, I'm pregnant, Inuyasha," she confirmed softly as her eyes welled in tears. "I was so happy when I found out, but I wasn't sure if you would be, too. I mean, I didn't really know if you wanted- oof!" The air was suddenly knocked out of her lungs when she felt him pull her to him in the tightest embrace they had shared since the day she had returned nearly two years ago. She hugged him back tentatively, unsure of what this meant.

"Baka," he said warmly, as though it had been a term of endearment (with him, it was, though, she thought to herself) as he held her closer. "Don't think for a second that I wouldn't want a child with you." He pulled back to kiss her forehead, then took her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing along her cheekbones in a slow soothing motion. "How long have you known?"

"About two weeks now…I wasn't sure how to tell you…I'm so sorry…" she answered sheepishly, half expecting him to be upset that she hadn't told him for that long. That was far from the case, however- he was mostly just glad that she hadn't been distant because she wanted out of the marriage or because she wanted to leave this era permanently. Better yet, they would be starting a family soon! At this point, he was absolutely giddy!

"Then the baby should come in time for spring, right?" He asked, his eyes darting briefly to the open window, where a nice summer breeze was gently drifting in, hinted with the scent of the morning dew. She nodded her head.

"It should come about the same time as the village harvest, now that I think about it…" she pondered aloud. If she still had any uncertainties about whether her husband was happy that she was with child, the small, genuine smile of his face was what would have quelled her fears and reassured her that he was just as happy as she was about it. She smiled back shyly, feeling a bit foolish for being so worried. Upon reflection, they had talked of children before (granted, he wasn't exactly clear about whether he wanted them or not, but it was discussed nonetheless) and he had never seemed repulsed by the idea in the least. He was simply concerned with whether he would be a good father or not- after all, he didn't have much of an example to go off of, given the closest thing he's had to a father has been Totosai…

"What about in the winter season? What if you get sick? I mean, you normally don't, but…" his thoughts began to spin with the several possible ways that his wife and/or his child would be put in harm's way while she carried the baby. He would have continued listing off his worries had Kagome not scooped his spoon into his stew and shoved it into his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"That train of thought will get us nowhere right now, dear. For now, life will go on as it usually does. When it starts getting difficult to do normal tasks, I'll do what I can, but I won't endanger the baby, alright? Have we got a deal?" She raised an eyebrow to him and flashed him her mischievous little smile that she knew he had a difficult time resisting.

"…Fine," he huffed, still clearly concerned more than he would admit at the moment. Sure, he may be married, but he still had his manly pride…mostly! "But you're going on bed rest the moment I see you having trouble, you hear?" His ears flattened and he pouted, his only ace in the hole against her. She simply giggled.

"Alright, alright, it's settled, then!" Her chuckles bubbled into laughter when he smirked in triumph, as though he had won something. He glared playfully at her when she kept laughing at his ridiculous expression.

"Oi, woman- don't make me punish you for mockin' me!" She let out a squeak in response as he pounced on her (gently- she was pregnant, after all!) so that she was on her back on their futon. Inuyasha tugged the blankets over them to allow for some privacy as he mumbled soft words into her hair.

Oh, one could tell the rest of the events that followed, but what would be left for the imagination, one would wonder? So, unfortunately, this tale ends here. The story of their love, however, is far from over- for theirs is the stuff of legends, and will go on for all time.