InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Torrent ❯ Epilogue ( Epilogue )

 

Kagome smiled as InuYasha sauntered into the room with a child in each arm. Tajiko hung off her father's neck. The eight year-old girl dropped to the floor and hopped onto the bed. Six year-old Ichiro was the next out of his father's arms. His silvery hair glinted in the sunshine filtering through the window.

 

InuYasha sank down on the side of the bed and carefully handed Kagome the newest addition to their family. Less than a month old, Moriko opened her golden eyes and blinked as she tried to focus on her mother and father at the same time. Her eyes crossed, and InuYasha burst out laughing. Kagome slapped his knee as Moriko rooted for Kagome's breast.

 

“Mama, can we go see Grandma today?” Tajiko asked as she pushed Ichiro down. Ichiro squealed with laughter. InuYasha flattened his ears against the sound. Kagome winced. Moriko's face screwed up like she was going to sob. InuYasha shot Tajiko a stern look, and the child immediately stopped bouncing. Ichiro clamored back up on his knees and grabbed Tajiko's hand, pulling her off the bed.

 

“I don't know, Taji. Are you going to behave?”

 

“Yes, Mama!”

 

“Scram!” InuYasha called over his shoulder.

 

The two ran out of the room. “And leave Kirara alone!” InuYasha hollered.

 

Kagome laughed at her disgruntled hanyou. “You're the one who wanted more kids,” she teased.

 

“Can't you use your miko power to make them sit down for five minutes?”

 

“You wouldn't harness your children, and you know it.”

 

He sighed but crawled onto the bed to wrap his arms around her and peek over her shoulder at their youngest daughter. Moriko grasped InuYasha's index finger. “Was Tajiko ever this little?”

 

“She was,” Kagome reminded him gently. “Ichiro never was.” She made a face. Ichiro was the largest of the three children at birth. Kagome had really started to wonder if the boy would even come out. At last he had with a howl to match his size. Kagome had known then that the boy was destined to be exactly like his father, and so far, he was.

 

“I've got something for you,” he said, gently pulling his hand away from their daughter.

 

Kagome grinned but looked curious. “What?”

 

InuYasha snorted. “Be patient.”

 

She pouted just a little.

 

InuYasha sat up and pulled an envelope out of his haori. He held it out to her. She took it slowly and let him lift Moriko out of her arms to cradle her tiny silver head against his shoulder.

 

Kagome opened the envelope and stared at the two opera theatre tickets. InuYasha rolled his eyes when he intercepted her teary gaze. “And with the waterworks?” he grumbled, using an expression that he'd picked up in Kagome's time. “I thought you'd be happy.”

 

She nodded and let him pull her into his embrace. “I am,” she assured him as she wiped her cheeks. “How did you get these?”

 

“Your mother helped me.”

 

“She did?”

 

“Don't you want to go?”

 

Kagome reached up, turning his face with her hand. She kissed him. He growled. Moriko whined. “I'd love to go with you.”

 

He nuzzled against her nose. “Kiss me.”

 

“You're as demanding as your children.”

 

“More.”

 

She giggled as he kissed her.

 

Tajiko tore into the room. “Papa! Ichiro's stuck!”

 

InuYasha sighed as he pulled away from Kagome. “Stuck?” he echoed as Kagome took the baby. “Stuck where?”

 

Tajiko grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the door. “Come on, Papa!”

 

Kagome could only imagine the rest of it. She settled back in bed with a happy sigh. “I give them thirty seconds,” she remarked. Moriko cooed.

 

She didn't even try to hide her smile as Ichiro stomped past the doorway to his room. He shook his head as came back in and sat down again. “Shippou was showing him foxfire, and it scared him. He backed up onto Kirara's tails, and Kirara yowled. Ichiro thought that she was coming after him so he scrambled onto the roof and got himself stuck.”

 

“I figured it was something like that.”

 

InuYasha pulled Kagome into his arms. Moriko babbled. “We should probably stay away from Sango and Miroku for a few days,” he finally commented.

 

Kagome leaned away and dared a foreboding look at her mate. “Why?”

 

InuYasha's chuckle was downright nasty as he pulled Kagome close again. “Let's just say they're going to have to add on to their hut . . . again.”

 

Kagome gasped, eyes wide as she stared up at InuYasha's face. “No . . . .”

 

“Yes.”

 

“This will make six children!”

 

“Poor Sango. She does have the youkai exterminator's village to repopulate . . . .”

 

Kagome made a face. “That is so not funny, InuYasha,” she remarked but smiled.

 

Tajiko ran into the room and climbed up beside her parents. She snuggled close to both of them and kissed her new baby sister.

 

Ichiro stomped into the room, as well. Kagome tried not to smile as the boy scampered up and settled back with a snort against the wall with his legs crossed and his little hands folded together in the arms of his indigo haori. With his silver hair and golden eyes in his solemn little face, there was no doubt whose son he really was. Kagome leaned back and kissed InuYasha's chin. “You tweak his nose?”

 

InuYasha's answer was a sigh and a slow nod.

 

“You know, I used to wonder if it was your youkai that had chosen me as your mate, like Sesshoumaru had said,” Kagome said softly.

 

“I wondered about that, myself,” he confessed.

 

Kagome glanced up at him. “What was your answer?”

 

He grinned. “I battled one side or the other in me my entire life. You're the only thing both halves have ever agreed on.”

 

“Really?”

 

“You've always accepted me the way I am, and what I am is both youkai and human. You were the choice of my youkai blood and my human soul.”

 

She kissed him again. “And you wonder why I love you.”

 

He shrugged. “I stopped wondering why a long time ago. It was enough for me that you do.”

 

Tajiko laid her head against his thigh. InuYasha stroked her hair. Ichiro, apparently tired of his forced exile, ferreted his way between InuYasha and Kagome to rest his head on his mother's lap.

 

InuYasha grinned as he stared at his family. “I do, too,” he said softly.

 

“Hmm? You do, what”

 

“I love you. I love all of you.”

 

“You talk too much,” Kagome said with a giggle.

 

“Feh.”

 

“Shut up and kiss me.”

 

He did.

 

 

 

 

~~~The End~~~

 

 

 

 

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A/N:

 

ICHIRO   m
"first son"

 

 

MORIKO   f
"forest child"

 

There it is. I hope you enjoyed it. Torrent was just that for me. A rush of a story tied up in a nice little package with a big pink bow on top. Though the story is complete, I hope that you will take the time to read the edited chapters when I get to them. Edits give me the opportunity to better explain things or to elaborate on things that I may have just skimmed. The story itself doesn't normally change. Still, I believe that the edits are normally worth reading.

 

I hope you all take the time to read through the preview of Chronicles, my next fic. I'll be posting it in the next day or so, and I'm also working on a Toga (Purity) oneshot to add to that collection.

 

Till the next A/N, thanks y'all, and God bless!

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Review Q & A

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Cetacea92 (FFnet):

Wow! 52 chapters in 20-something days. Your muse must have been working overtime. I loved it; even with the quick updates, the story didn't seem rushed at all. I look forward to your next project.

 

Ahhh the next project… Read on…

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LeeLu (MMorg):
What?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOO!!! That's it?!? It can't be! I'm so sad now! What am I gonna look forward to every time I check my email! *sob* This is so sad...and kinda pathetic. LOL That tells you I have no life and focus mainly on watching my email. LOL I'm curious as to what's in the Epilogue. Can't wait!!!

 

Well, there is Chronicles…

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Flames101 (FFnet):

That was great! Actually that was awesome! But I'm kind of sad it's over. I can't wait for the epilogue or your next project. So update soon (I don't know why I add this anymore, since you are the fastest updater ever).

 

LOL, I hope you all enjoyed Torrent. Gotta say, I'm gonna miss the oddity that was Sesshoumaru here. Though he will be making an appearance in the next fic, I don't know if he will be quite this . . . odd . . . there. LOL

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Title: (I knew it!!!! Read this part after the review and maybe it will make sense) Error: Missing Information!Who are you? Please enter your name.
Reviewed By: Aitu-- it told me I was signed in but apparently I am not!  On: September 22, 2004 22:12 EDT
Comment/Review:
Awww, poor Sesshoumaru. He's not conducting social psychological research; he's just misunderstood and has psychological issues! One has to feel sorry for him. At least I do, hehe. That was a great ending. So in the epilogue will they whole InuYasha/Sesshoumaru family be sitting around the breakfast table, laughing, being merry, and having Sunday morning brunch? Errr.. maybe not? Just a thought. (I completely lost my train of thought because I just a big break to go get some dinner, lol) Hmmm, what else was I going to say... Well it was probably something about how you're the best writer in the world and you create the best stories in the world and more stuff like that, hehe. But yeaaaaaa. I am a member! Maybe we can all get member only jackets! And I'm not sure but right now mm.org is showing that I'm signed in but I just called Vegas and it's 20 to 1 odds that mm.org is lying and it won't accept my review because I'm "not signed in" and it will change all of the (')'s into (/)'s.. I hate it when it does that. Hey-- can't wait for more. -Aitu

 

Just because you have NO idea how hard I laughed at this, I posted the ENTIRE review here! LOL!!

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SilverStarWing (FFnet):

Ut Oh... is Inu going to start having doubts about his youkai choosing her, and not because of love? Dunt dun DUNT!

 

They took the hard road, I thought . . . I'm glad they got their happy ending!

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Akihanah (FFnet):

Aw..its over? whimper. You do write really well, i look forward to your next story. I loved Torrent, almost as much as Purity, though that is my definite favorite.

 

If you liked Purity, hopefully you'll enjoy Chronicles . . . ::wink::

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Torrent): I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.

 

~Sue~

 

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~Preview of Chapter 1: The New Quest~

~Chronicles~

 

What I know: This is another ::surprise, surprise:: InuYasha/Kagome fic. If I EVER tire of these two, I'll be amazed. Till then, here we go again. Chronicles should have more of a Purity-esque feel. Without giving too much away, though, I hope you enjoy the preview that follows.

 

A new quest begins for InuYasha and Kagome. Answers come from the strangest of places, and sometimes the truth you seek really can change your life. Sometimes the greatest truths in life can be found by considering the life of another.

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~~Chapter 1~~

~The New Quest~

 

 

“Kongousouha!”

 

Seconds later, the pink light of the spiritual energy engulfing the miko's arrow split the skies. The two attacks intercepted one another, twisted into each other, wrapped around each other like the best of friends. Whizzing through the air, the diamond spears that shot out of Tetsusaiga suddenly absorbed the spiritual energy. All of the diamonds glowed pink, glowed hot, and struck.

 

With a bellow, a cry, a shriek borne from the bowels of hell, the entity that was Naraku unleashed the sound that deafened the hanyou, that brought him to his knees. Incredibly, Naraku still remained standing.

 

InuYasha clung to Tetsusaiga's hilt as every nerve in his skull threatened to explode. Higurashi Kagome darted to his side, knelt down to assess his injuries. They weren't anywhere she could see or fix. “Are you hurt? Did he hit you?” she asked, her voice airy, breathless.

 

He glared at her obvious concern and struggled to get to his feet again. “Keh! Get the hell away before-- ”

 

InuYasha didn't have time or strength enough to do anything but push Kagome aside. She stumbled back, landing on her rear and skidding across the ground. “InuYasha!” she protested. “Watch out!”

 

He didn't have time to look or see what she was yelling about. Naraku's vines impaled him with a sickening gurgly-slurp sound. The pain—intense, hot—reverberated through his body in waves, and he cried out. `Bastard's gonna try to absorb me!' InuYasha thought as he tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga and slammed it point down in the ground to anchor him. He grunted in pain as the vines tugged at him.

 

“Worthless half-breed!” Sesshoumaru taunted as he drew Tokijin. “Stand back.”

 

“Fuck you,” InuYasha gasped. He was unable to do anything more than snarl at his half-sibling for the deliberate slight. He shook his head stubbornly, trying to force away the vertigo that remained wrapped around his brain as his stomach felt as though it was being ripped in half. Naraku wrenched him again. InuYasha couldn't contain the scream that tore from his lips.

 

Sesshoumaru severed the vine with a quick stroke with Tokijin, and InuYasha grunted as his body fell to the ground. A flicker of emotion crossed Sesshoumaru's normally stoic face. It was gone before InuYasha could discern it. Sticking the tip of Tokijin into the ground, Sesshoumaru reached down, took hold of the severed vine, and yanked. InuYasha's scream rivaled Naraku's before.

 

Sesshoumaru tossed the vine to the side and retrieved his sword before turning back, squaring his shoulders as he gazed at what was left of Naraku. Burbling and trying to laugh, Naraku's face—the only part of him that looked even remotely human—surveyed the destruction he'd left behind with a maniacal grin.

 

With a gasp, Kagome jerked awake, blinking into the darkness. Shippou, the kitsune child that always shared her sleeping bag, rolled over, muttering, “Mmm . . . pocky!” as he drifted back to sleep. Kagome sighed. Thanks to that dream, she'd be awake the rest of the night.

 

She sat up and glanced around then looked up at the treetop canapé for good measure. `Weird,' she thought with a frown. `Where's InuYasha?' Carefully she scooted out of the sleeping bag and stretched before wandering toward the stream.

 

`It's been three days since we defeated Naraku. When we get back to the village, we'll figure out how to get rid of the Shikon no Tama.' She sank down by the water and rinsed her face. `What then? What'll I do? Do I just go back home and forget about everything here? And everyone?'

 

She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her raised knees. `Sango's like a sister to me. What'll I do if I can't talk to her every day? Miroku's like a brother—a really flirty brother . . . `She made a face, remembering how many times Miroku had taken advantage of situations to stroke her butt. `Maybe not a brother. More like a dirty old man—just not old . . . . Shippou's like my own son, really. I can't remember not having him around. He always makes me smile, no matter how sad or angry I am.' She sighed. `And then there's InuYasha . . . .'

 

She stared at the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the stream. Slivers of silver dancing in the night, gently playing tag on the water's cresting ripples. `What about InuYasha?'

 

In the end, InuYasha had been too weak from the hole in his stomach to go after Naraku. Sesshoumaru had been too busy fending off the vines that just kept coming. Kagome had been shocked to see the inu-youkai stand in defense of his `worthless half-breed' brother. Miroku had been struggling against the kazaana that had been torn during the battle. He could barely keep the prayer beads on his hand to seal the wind tunnel. Sango had to hold the beads in place.

 

Kikyou walked out of the forest into the clearing. She was proud, purposeful in her movements. She strode up to Naraku and closed her eyes, engulfing herself and him in her miko's aura. “Kikyou!” InuYasha screamed. “No!” He tried to stumble forward, shaking off Kagome's hands as she tried to hold him back.

 

Sesshoumaru caught him and shoved him aside. “Be not a fool, InuYasha! Do you truly wish to die this day?”

 

“Kagome!” Miroku called out, face contorted in a grimace of pain. “Kikyou alone doesn't have enough power to purify him! You must help her!”

 

“Right!” Nocking back an arrow, Kagome carefully took aim. `Hit him in the spider mark . . . Purify him forever,' she chanted to herself as she stretched the bowstring. `Purify him so he can't hurt anyone ever again!' She let go. The arrow whizzed through the air, whistling softly as it skimmed across the ground. Erupting in her pink aura, Kagome held her breath, watching, waiting, hoping, praying . . . .

 

Naraku shot out his runners to impale Kikyou. InuYasha screamed and struggled to his feet again. He lurched forward. Sesshoumaru knocked him back again. “You must learn to stay-- down!”

 

Kikyou's aura grew brighter. With the last of her spiritual powers, she wrapped Naraku up in her light. Kagome's arrow struck exactly where she'd aimed, and Naraku's body exploded in a million sparkles of light. The cut off pieces of vine withered away, disintegrated into blackest dust and blew away. Kikyou fell to the ground.

 

InuYasha screamed her name again and managed to stumble over to her.

 

`She's dying again,' Kagome thought as she turned away. As sad as it was to see Kikyou suffering once more, she couldn't deny that the majority of her pain stemmed from the tender way InuYasha lifted her shoulders, settled her head in his lap.

 

She didn't need to be told when Kikyou finally died. Instantly, Kagome felt something slam into her. It didn't hurt but she staggered. The impact alone was enough to drive her to her knees. `It's the rest of my soul,' she thought vaguely. `That means Kikyou . . . .'

 

“Kagome!” Dazed, Kagome looked up into the faces of her friends, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, who had been hiding in the forest with Jaken and Sesshoumaru's human girl, Rin. “Are you all right?” Shippou asked, his large emerald eyes wide with concern.

 

“Fine,” she assured them. “I'm fine.” Her voice was too calm, too steady. She smiled at her friends. Her gaze roved over the wrecked landscape but stopped as she noticed something she had missed before. In all the fighting and her concern for InuYasha, Sesshoumaru must have taken a hit from one of Naraku's tendrils. The youkai lord was as stoic and impassive as ever. But he dripped blood from his good arm. Kagome willed herself to stand despite the odd weakness that had settled over her, and she stumbled forward despite her friends' protests that she should sit a little longer.

 

“Sesshoumaru? You're bleeding,” she said as she approached the youkai. “Let me help you.”

 

He slowly pinned her with his amber gaze. She thought she saw a hint of respect in his stare. “Your medicines will not benefit me, Miko. “This Sesshoumaru will be healed within the hour.”

 

At her skeptical expression, Sesshoumaru lifted his sleeve. The gash on his arm was deep. She looked closer. The edges were beginning to pull together, to meld itself closed. Then she noticed something else that she hadn't before. On the ground where his blood had dripped was a black sludge. She watched as another scarlet droplet fell from his fingertip. The blood hissed like water in a red-hot pan.

 

“He's a poison youkai, Kagome. Why do you think it took so fucking long to heal after he stuck his hand through me? His blood is like acid. You can't help him.”

 

“Save your concern for the pathetic ones who need it, Miko,” Sesshoumaru remarked before he turned and walked away. “Come!” he called as he neared the forest. Rin and Jaken ran out of the woods to join the youkai.

 

“Let me see your injuries,” she said, turning back to InuYasha. He was pale, and he looked exhausted.

 

When he intercepted her concerned look, however, he snorted. “Keh. I'm fine.”

 

She shook her head. “Maybe you are. Humor me and let me look.”

 

“Keh. Wait till we find a place to camp.” He started away but suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. “You coming or not? We ain't got all day.”

 

Only then did Kagome smile. She hurried forward to walk beside him.

 

 

 

 

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A/N:

 

Kongousouha:

Diamond Spear Blast.

Diamond, spear, and blast (destroy), Tetsusaiga's ultimate technique

Kazaana:

Wind Tunnel (Miroku's `weapon')

 

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Chronicles): I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.