Disclaimer:You get the point. Just think about it…

Author's Notes: I apologize profusely for my extended absence from this writing field. I found a new outlet for my imagination in the form of The Princess and Curdie. Please do take a look and tell me what you think, it'd be really appreciated. ANYWAY! Back on topic; I've been labouring on getting this darned epilogue just right, so that if I decide to pick it up for another story, I can, and if I don't, you guys don't murder me. I hope you enjoy it. So, without further talk, the epilogue.

Last Chapter: Miroku and Sango, along with their twins, take leave of the Taisho to rebuild the village of the slayers. Kagome and InuYasha leave the feudal era to come home to Mae and Souta. Among other things, Ojii-chan is sickly and near death. Kagome tells Mae about Nozomi's death but the older woman suspected as much. InuYasha and Kagome finally give in to their desires and so the story continues…

Epilogue: Welcome to the World, Little One

"Just breath deep, Kagome. We're all here to help." A gentle voice waved over the young woman, bringing her back into the world of the living.

Sudden pains in her groin made her call out, letting go of the tears brimming around her eyes. From somewhere around her legs, or between them, someone was call for some tool. The pain subsided, leaving Kagome as wasted as before. To her right, someone had taken a hold on her hand and squeezed it tightly. Her head rolled that direction and her eyes eased open to gaze into those of her comforter. The amber eyes that caught her were filled with worry and a little anger.

"Kagome," InuYasha whispered her name.

"I'm fine InuYasha," She sighed. "Women have been doing this for years before now." Kagome felt it ironic that she was the one comforting.

"Kagome, I don't trust her."

"For heaven's sake, InuYasha! You wouldn't let a man into the room and now you're saying you don't want our family doctor, a woman need I remind you, helping your labouring wife!" Kagome's voice rose to an irritated squeal.

InuYasha's velvety white ears swiveled back and pinned themselves to his skull. Somehow they had managed to get him out of the house and into the hospital without grabbing his famous ball cap and what a stir it had caused! Of course, no one other than the doctor and a few nurses had seen him, and they had sworn to secrecy on pain of a long, excruciating death. Now all of them worked non-stop trying to keep Kagome comfortable and safe, as well as her child.

"Kagome, smile for the camera!" Mae chirped to Kagome's left. She held up a small digital camera and pointed it in the young woman's direction.

"For Pete's sake mom!!" Kagome whined, "Put that stupid camera away!" Mae only smiled knowingly and snapped a picture.

Another wave of pain crashed over Kagome, making her gasp at its intensity. Gritting her teeth against the onslaught, she squeezed hard on her husband's hand and arched her back. InuYasha whispered instructions as best he could and rubbed the woman's back, which by this time was covered in cold sweat. When the wave passed, Kagome fell back against the bed and panted. When her grip had slackened a bit, InuYasha felt the blood beginning to seep back into his clawed hands, which had hardly registered had been deprived of lifeblood.

"Just a few more minutes Kagome," Doctor Tsurubuchi's gentle voice coached, "Just a few more minutes until you can start pushing."

Kagome nodded tiredly and leaned into InuYasha's hand. His long claws lightly caressed her cheeks, redirecting her mind from the pains of childbirth to a less painful memory. Sweat drenched locks of her jet hair were brushed aside, behind her ears, freeing her forehead and cheeks to the cool kiss of the air conditioner. On one side, her mother coached her in the proper breathing patterns and snapped pictures of the goings on, and on her other side InuYasha whispered encouragements and promises about their new life. All around her machines whirred, buzzed, and beeped sporadically telling the knowing ear that all was well and going according to plan.

Kagome humphed at it all. It had not gone according to plan to begin with. She was due in mid December, when the first snows covered the modern Tokyo, and here it was late November, the very day one year ago she had lost her first pup. She and her mother had decided that that day they would go shopping for baby clothes and bedding. Before they had even gotten to the check out with their items, Kagome had felt the sharp pains and water trickling down the insides of her thighs. Fear and panic had quickly stricken her and her mother. They called the ambulance and rushed the frightened girl to their hospital. InuYasha, never the one to be left behind showed up ten minutes after they had with Souta and Ojii-chan in tow. When Doctor Tsurubuchi had finally gotten in to see Kagome, the seasoned woman had assured the worried family that mother and child would be fine. Now here they were.

Pain crashed over Kagome again causing her to clench her jaws together, clamp her hands down on the bedrail and on InuYasha's innocent hand. From somewhere below her she heard some shout to push and she pushed with all she had. "It's crowning!" Someone yelled. "Push again!" She was commanded. From every side people yelled for her to keep pushing, harder, longer, breath deep. Finally, she felt the pressure between her legs and in her womb ease up and disappear and was only dimly aware of the tiny screams that filled the air.

Doctor Tsurubuchi handed the tiny body over to one of her nurses and attended to the afterbirth and then to the ripping. The nurse set the tiny thing onto a scale, wrote down the figures, and then lay it down on a notched table. Pulling the curled legs into full extension, she wrote down another figure then handed it to another nurse to clean and wrap properly. The wailing ceased quickly with the introduction of a tiny green pacifier and warm blankets.

Slowly, Kagome came around from her stupour and looked around her, searching for this thing she had toiled so long for to ring into the world. Her face quickly brightened when one of the young nurses turned towards her to reveal her tiny little bundle. The doctor helped Kagome sit up properly and then placed the tiny being into her awaiting arms.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taisho, this is your new baby." Doctor Tsurubuchi beamed down at the young couple. "Five pounds, two ounces, and sixteen inches. It's a little boy."

Kagome felt a lump forming in the back of her throat and tears brimming around her lids. Leaning as close as he could to his wife, InuYasha gazed down at his newborn son. "He's beautiful," Kagome breathed. And so he was, a head full of silvery white hair and two twin dog-ears still stuck to his scalp like a newborn pup. His tiny cherubic body was flushed lightly from birth but otherwise held a healthy colour, his tiny pink lips made sucking motions on nothing, his little hands curled tightly into fists. Deep down in his throat, he made tiny noises of contentment, happy to be in the arms of his mother.

His contentment did not last long though. The noises of trolleys squeaking through the room quickly awakened him and set him crying in earnest. Without even thinking about it, Kagome unfastened her robe and offered the Oed mouth a nipple to nurse on, to which the baby quickly latched on with a fury and strength that made Kagome gasp with a twinge of momentary pain. In all of this, InuYasha sat and looked, thoroughly proud of this new pup. As his son suckled peacefully at Kagome's breast, InuYasha wrapped one strong arm around his wife's shoulder and gently stroked the soft, warm cheek of his son with the thumb of his other hand.

"What will you call him?" The doctor asked.

Without the slightest hesitation, Kagome answered, "Katsuro. Victorious son." The doctor and mother nodded in approval and left the fledgling family to be alone.

The two sat for a long time on Kagome's hospital bed watching and marveling over this pup they had created together. When his tiny mouth's hold began to slacken on his mother's nipple, Kagome slid her slender index finger in-between the mouth and hardened nipple and broke the already loosening hold. InuYasha took the chance to finally scoop up the sleeping Katsuro up into his arms and rock him as Kagome readjusted her robe. When he turned back around, he found Kagome had drifted off to sleep, having been greatly exhausted after seven hours hard labour. Holding his precious son securely in one arm, he leaned down and gently kissed his mate's forehead then sat down on one of the hard hospital chairs and rocked Katsuro.

"My precious Katsuro," He whispered down to the tiny swaddled pup, "I will always be there to protect you. I'll never leave you."

Much more quickly than he had expected, InuYasha's eyelids grew heavy and finally drifted shut. With their hard bought pup now safely breathing the air of their world, Kagome and InuYasha slept peacefully for the first time in a long time.

The End

To the reviewers: ShadowMika: Hehehe, we shall see what I have planned for the future! Thanks for your continued support! phlawere: Well, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope that maybe this one was an even better finish! Anime OBESSED122: Gawrsh (bashful smile), thanks for the compliment! I had kinda sorta planned on doing a sequel to NSTAHEA, but who knows? InuyashanKagomeForever: Here ya go, here's the update you've been waiting for! The Black Moon's Shadow: Thanks for catching my mistake… I have no idea what I was thinking, actually, I do. I know I knew the right word, I just didn't get it down there right. In any case, thanks again for the review and please do continue to review!
Last notes: YES YES YES!!! I did it! Wahoo!! I actually finished this story completely from what I had started way back all those years ago! I'd like to thank all of you that stayed with me when I just stopped and started and all that, you guys are the best! Maybe if college pressures and such allow, I'll continue on with a new story in this series. Maybe… we shall see. In the mean time, please review and tell me your ideas for new stories and such. PEACE OUT!!