***Author's note: hey guys, so this is almost over and I'm kind of sad and happy at the same time. I'm sad because this is one of the last long stories focused mostly on Inuyasha and Kagome. After I finish the others and this, and post my oneshots I have written, I will not be writing for Kagome and Inuyasha anymore. I will be writing for Miroku and Sango. I'm happy because this has gone on too long, and I'm feeling the need to start something else. I love writing this, but it's not as satisfying as it used to be. And has been in my head for so long. During the middle of Are you Falling. I hope this went out with a great bang.

FYI: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own my characters, their problems, and these plots.

Chapter 21

It was the morning. They made it out of their messed up lives without losing anyone. Everything was alright and it would be. Was this what they've been fighting for since the end of high school?

Was this finally the end?

No, it wasn't the end just yet. Amaterasu still had to decide what to do with Kurono and Mayonaka. She still needed to find a happy ending for her miserable life.

Inuyasha and Kagome, and Sango and Miroku already had a happy ending. Did they? Kagome and Inuyasha lost a baby, Miroku and Sango didn't lose anything except time together. But it still affected them. They still needed to get married and so didn't Kagome and Inuyasha.

She was sure Inuyasha and Kagome were sleeping peacefully next to each other, and she was sure about the same thing with Sango and Miroku.

But she, on the other hand, was not lying with her Jurou. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his sleeping face. She still had so much to do, and she hasn't even seen Chiyo in the longest time.

But Chiyo was safe, and she would never know what happened between her and Jurou, or the darkness that almost consumed her. She had to stop it from coming back, and she knew exactly what to do.

She had to find a cure.

Inuyasha lay on the bed, Kagome in his arms. She was still sleeping, lying on his chest, and he could feel her warm breath, her heartbeat, her every movement. Did they finally find peace? Or was it fake like it was after graduation? He hoped that this time it would last.

He wanted Kagome to be as happy as she once was again. After everything that happened when he finally told her he loved her, she hasn't been as happy. He wanted her to love everything again.

But isn't this growing up?

People change because of things that happen to them. Did Kagome change because if everything that happened in such a short period of time? Did he change? Did they all change?

He was sure they did. So was it the middle or the beginning?

Kagome started to wake up. Inuyasha took in a deep breath, loosening his grip on her. She rubbed her face with her hand and looked up at him. She smiled.

"Good morning," she whispered. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he stated. "Do you have class today?" He was finding it hard to be normal after the past few days. How can someone snap back after that?

Kagome sighed. "I don't know," she stated, rolling over and resting her chin on his chest. "I can't remember what day it is anymore."

"It's Thursday," Inuyasha told her. "You have to go to class if you want to pass and graduate."

She didn't say anything at first. Then after a few minutes she said, "I know."

The words hung in the air. "Don't you want to anymore?" he asked.

Kagome sat up on her hands. "I do," she told him, but it was weak. "But how can I go back to normal after everything that happened this week? How can anything be normal now?"

"I don't know," he whispered.

Kagome looked at him sadly and got up, getting ready for her class.

Amaterasu walked down into Raidon's basement. There were guards that walked her down and stood at the door for her safety, as if she needed it. It was dark and sad down in the basement. The word that described it better was dungeon.

Mayonaka and Kurono were in separate cells, far away from each other so they couldn't whisper. Not that it wouldn't stop the mated connection anyway. Amaterasu stood before them.

"What's stopping me from setting a trial up for you, the punishment being death?" Amaterasu demanded. "After everything you've done, I'd say that's the easy way."

"We're your parents," Mayonaka stated incredulously.

"And what wonderful parents you were," Amaterasu snapped harshly. "A snake would have made better parents."

"Is that all you've come to do?" Kurono demanded. "Do lecture us on what horrible parents we were?"

Amaterasu focused her cool gaze on Kurono. "No, I've come to tell you that because of you, I am now making a Wind demon prison and I am recruiting wind demons to police us all, under my orders, of course."

"That's it?" Kurono asked. "What makes you so smug that the criminal wind demons won't escape?"

Amaterasu smiled smugly. "I thought you might ask that," she said. "I'm using the same charm you used on my room when you were alive. Except I'm modifying it that no one can get in unless they walk through the door. They won't be able to appear in, and nobody will be able to disappear out."

Kurono didn't say anything.

"You'll be moved to the prison in about three weeks. Until then, you will be staying in the cells in my basement, and it has the same charms the prison will have. The only people you will see is the guard that brings you your food so that you cannot use your powers to get the keys from the guard, and so that I am sure that the guard will not help you, it will be a very powerful wind demon that I trust," Amaterasu stated in a business-like tone. With that, she walked back out.

She called a meeting and waited in the Counsel room until they all came. She stood up and smiled at them all.

"Welcome back," she said. "I have a few suggestions I'd like to make real."

They waited for her speak.

"I want a Wind Demon police force to keep the wind demon community safe. I want I prison made, with the charms I have here," she stated, passing them around. "I want Makoto as the head of the prison and the police force."

Makoto looked up at her in disbelief. "Lady Amaterasu?"

She smiled at him. "You're the only one I can trust. I want you to recruit people you trust to help guard the criminals and catch them. That part is up to you."

She looked at the rest of the members. "And I want you to pay to find a cure for me. I know you all know that I can't be cured. I don't want to pass it on, and if I decide not to have a baby because of the disease you won't have an heir."

Amaterasu watched them all scribble things down. "That is all, and I want weekly updates on how everything I stated today is coming." She hurried out.

They all met at her house, up in her room. It was the safe house now, where they always went. It was their place. They met there so many times it just became their place. Sango, Miroku, Amaterasu, Jurou, Kagome, and Inuyasha met in Kagome's room because of the lost and hopeless feeling all of them had now.

What did they do next? Where did they go from here?

"Are you guys thinking the same thing we are?" Kagome asked.

They nodded.

"How do we go back?" Sango asked from her place by Miroku on the floor.

Mostly everyone shrugged.

It was raining out, thunder here and there. Lightening once in a while. The water hit the window quietly. Tap, tap, tap, tap. It was dark inside the room. It was quiet too, except for the tapping of the rain. It was a sad quiet.

"Maybe we don't have to," Jurou mumbled so quietly that only the demons in the room could hear him clearly.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked.

"Maybe we can go ahead and do something else that takes us farther from our old normal lives. You guys still have to get married. We still have college, sure, but we can get jobs and do things that make us as different as we feel."

"We can be happy," Amaterasu whispered.

Jurou smiled at her and took her hand. "Yes we can."

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha. "A wedding?"

"Maybe not yet," he said, smiling at her. "We still need a lot of money to do that."

"Not if it's joined," Miroku stated. "But maybe we should get jobs first."

Sango smiled at him. "That would be a good idea." She put her head on his shoulder. "But if we have a joined wedding, there will only be one couple not getting married, so they have no choice but to be the Best Man and the Maid of Honor."

Amaterasu and Jurou smiled at each other and looked at their friends. "We'd be happy to."

"We'll have to agree on a date," Kagome stated. "It won't be soon though."

Amaterasu smiled. "I'll start planning everything anyway," she stated happily. "I could even pay for the whole thing if you wanted to get married now."

Sango and Kagome spoke up at the same time. "No, it would be too much," Sango said as Kagome stated, "You don't have to do that."

Amaterasu smiled. "It can be my wedding gift," she told them. She saw them open their mouths to protest again and held a hand up. "I want to do it. It would make me extremely happy."

They closed their mouths, not wanting to protest again.

Amaterasu smiled at them again. "So let's get started."

****Author's note: guys, I know it's been a while. I'm sooooo sorry about that. I was planning to post during the summer, but my summer became busy. And when school started I became even busier. So here I am now, finding some time to finish this and post. Thanks for reading this chapter and please review! Another chapter will be posted soon hopefully!