Hi Ya'll. Last Chap. Enjoy. ;)
Kagome freezes as she hears the voice of the person behind her, her heart starting to beat frantically in her chest. The girl's sobs stop for a moment, before her common sense kicks in. She shakes her head in despair.
I'm imagining things... It can't be...
"Did you hear me, Kagome? I said that Tetsusaiga is still mine."
The miko slowly opens her eyes, focusing her blurry vision on the roots between her knees. She idly wonders how long it normally takes after a traumatic event for people to go crazy, before she decides to quiet her conscience for good.
"Dead men can't own swords, Inuyasha."
The deafening silence that follows her statement severely weakens the girl. She had been desperately holding on to the tiniest bit of hope that had entered her heart at hearing the hanyou's voice--whether or not it had been real.
Feeling her tears start again, Kagome is only just able to hear the half-demon over her sobs.
"I'm not dead, Kagome."
The girl freezes again, swallowing the lump that has formed in her throat--forcing herself to breathe normally as the boy's words sink in. She briefly closes her eyes, praying frantically to Kami that she wasn't just hearing things, before slowly turning her head.
Kagome stares in complete shock and overwhelming happiness as she takes in the blue-jean and t-shirt clad Inuyasha, watching her with a mixture of sadness and confusion while his now shoulder-length silver hair moves in a light breeze. The boy also looks slightly apologetic.
Ignoring the question of why he's alive--and the fact that she'll land flat on her face if she's still only imagining him to be there--Kagome jumps to her feet, stepping on the small fence surrounding the Goshinboku, and launching herself into Inuyasha's arms, hugging him tightly around the neck while she starts crying uncontrollably. The force of her action makes the boy lose his balance so that they both topple to the ground.
"Oomph! Kagome..."
The hanyou's words are cut off as the miko kisses him, holding his cheeks in her palms while tears flow down her own. Inuyasha makes a sort of squeaking sound as Kagome quickly moves from his lips to his cheek, to his nose, his forehead, his eyelids, his other cheek, his chin, both sides of his neck, his throat, back to his lips, then around his face again, making a pinkish tint slowly creep onto it.
"Kag..."
The boy's mumbled attempt at saying the girl's name is cut off again as Kagome brings her lips back to his, not waiting for him to respond before she deepens it, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Inuyasha slowly falls into the kiss, bringing his own arms up to embrace the girl. He holds her tightly, loving the feel of Kagome in his arms, and wondering how utterly stupid he really was.
He's about to find out.
Breathing deeply when the girl breaks the kiss, Inuyasha slowly opens his eyes, suddenly wishing that he had actually just disappeared when he was sucked into Miroku's Wind Tunnel.
Why, you might ask?
Because of the fury on his fiancé's face.
Kagome narrows her eyes, glaring almost evilly at the boy below her, tightening her fists in his black t-shirt and lifting the hanyou until they're nose-to-nose. She whispers her words so quietly that Inuyasha has to tilt his silver ears toward her to catch them.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" she asks, a deadly calm steadying her voice.
Inuyasha blinks, the blush from Kagome's kisses continuing to rise up his cheeks and color the rest of his face. The girl snaps when he doesn't respond--choosing instead to simply stare at her in sudden embarrassment.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?!" Kagome screams, letting go of Inuyasha and leaning back so that she sitting on his stomach. The girl breathes in deeply several times, her fists clenched at her sides--struggling to contain her rage.
It doesn't work.
"ARE YOU INSANE? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! JUMPING INTO THE AIR WITH MIROKU'S KAZAANA OPEN?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, INUYASHA?! YOU COULD HAVE DIED!! YOU SHOULD HAVE...!"
Kagome breaks off suddenly as the fact that the boy was actually still alive--when he definitely shouldn't have been--enters her head. The miko frowns at him in confusion, ignoring the cringe Inuyasha makes when she looks at him.
"Why are you still alive?" she asks, her voice catching on the last word. Kagome grabs onto the boy's shirt again, suddenly afraid that he might disappear if she lets go.
Inuyasha stares at the girl for a few seconds before sighing, bringing his hands up to rub his ears so that he can hear again. Once the ringing is gone, the hanyou sits up, holding Kagome's right arm in his left and pulling her sleeve up to expose the inside of the girl's wrist.
"Seen this somewhere before?" he asks, quirking one brow to indicate that he already knew the answer, and was just waiting for the miko to catch on.
Kagome holds the half-demon's gaze for a second before shifting her eyes downward, frowning. On the inside of the girl's wrist is a small, semi-circular object. The miko tilts her arm to get a better look, her brows going up when the symbol darkens--her skin shimmering in the faint light.
"Wh...where did that come from?" Kagome asks, bringing her other hand up to try and rub the symbol away. It doesn't work.
"It won't come off," she says, pouting slightly at the hanyou.
Inuyasha grins, rubbing his thumb lightly over the tattoo. "Of course not. Neither will mine."
Kagome's eyes widen as the boy raises his arms and strips off his tee, turning his torso away from her. Inuyasha nods his head, telling the miko to look at his back. Frowning again, the girl leans to the side, her shock evident as she sees the identical mark on the hanyou's right shoulder blade.
"Took forever to find it. Finally had to go into your bathroom and stand in front of the mirror," Inuyasha says, sliding his shirt back over his head. Kagome simply continues to stare in bewilderment. "Where have you seen that before?" the boy asks again, persistent.
Instead of answering the hanyou's question, however, Kagome chooses to ask one of her own. "How did you get here?" she says, her lips sliding into another frown.
Inuyasha sighs, rolling his eyes and taking the girl's hands in his own. But instead of answering her question, the boy looks down, scowling deeply as he sees the bandages on Kagome's left hand. The half-demon blinks, then slowly raises his eyes to her face, finally noticing how loose the miko's clothes are, the dark circles under her eyes, and the tight way her skin is pulled across her cheekbones. The boy narrows his eyes, a low growl reverberating in his words.
"Have you been eating? Or sleeping?" he asks, not having to wait for the girl to speak to know the answer, because of the flush on her face.
"You...died, Inuyasha," Kagome whispers softly, her eyes trained on their hands.
The girl says the words in a way that tells the boy that nothing else had mattered to her; not even her fingers when she had let them trail over the rough ground. The miko tries to say something else, but only ends up pressing her lips tightly together, as her eyes start to fill with tears again. She sobs once, then brings her hands up to the boy's neck and hugs him tightly.
Inuyasha wraps his arms around her and rubs slow circles on Kagome's back, as the girl cries softly against him.
--------------------
"But we need..."
"I agree with Inuyasha, dear. You need to finishing eating first, then you can go back to the Feudal Era. It won't take that long."
Kagome glares at her mother, then shifts her gaze to her smug fiancé, who is grinning at the girl sitting in his lap. The miko was still nervous about letting the boy out of her sight--or her touch--which was why she insisted on sitting in the same chair as the hanyou. The girl sneers at the boy before going back to the plate Nozomi had made for her.
"Of course, that may be easier said than done," the older woman says, sending Inuyasha a knowing look before sitting down beside him and her daughter. The hanyou's cheeks start to turn a light shade of pink as Kagome looks back and forth between them.
"What does that mean?" she asks. Nozomi and Inuyasha exchange another look before the half-demon sits up a little, tapping the fingers of one hand against Kagome's knee while running the other through his hair.
"Uh...I don't know how to say this, Kagome, but...uh..." The boy pauses, dragging his claws nervously across the tablecloth, keeping his eyes down as he talks. "...I...um...can't pass through the well," he says, blurting out the last of his sentence.
Kagome stops with her fork halfway to her mouth--not quite sure that she heard him correctly. She stares at the hanyou for several seconds, then turns to her mother, who nods her head--confirming Inuyasha's words.
"He's tried. Several times, Kagome. But the well won't let Inuyasha go back."
The miko continues to stare, not knowing how to deal with this new development. After several minutes, she finally manages to set her fork down, sighing audibly while she leans on the boy's chest, burying her face against him and wrapping her arms around his middle.
"I guess he made the wish a little too specific," Nozomi says quietly.
Kagome keeps her eyes closed as her mother's words sink in. "What?" she asks suddenly, jerking her head up to the boy, before switching her gaze to her mother.
"The wish, Kagome. The one Inuyasha made in the Cave of Promises," Nozomi answers, frowning slightly at the young miko.
Kagome stares at the older woman for a minute before turning to Inuyasha, who is smirking at her. "Forgot already?" he asks, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.
The girl blushes lightly at the fact that her mother is sitting only inches away, before shaking her head. "N...no; I didn't forget. But how did you know, mom? How long has Inuyasha been here, anyway?"
The hanyou glances at Nozomi for a second before sighing. "A week," he replies, his cheeks darkening as his fiancé turns to him with wide eyes. He rubs her knee absently while he talks, drawing his claws lightly over her bare skin.
"After I jumped into the air and hit the...Canthathirl...," he says, growling, "...there was ... nothing. No sound; no light. Just...nothing. Then a sort of...pink...glow, surrounded me, and the next thing I know, I'm lying on your bed, staring at your ceiling."
Kagome gapes at the boy in shock. "But...but that means that you ...came here...right after it happened..."
The boy nods, looking up at Kagome's mother. "I think I did. I ran to the well, scaring your mom and Sota when I jumped out of your window and landed in front of the back door. The well wouldn't let me through, so I had to come back and explain what had happened, ending with the fact that you and everyone else thought I was now dead."
The miko simply continues to stare, turning back and forth from the hanyou to her mother. "But..." Kagome stops, unable to imagine Inuyasha not being able to return to the Feudal Era. She turns to the boy, trying to blink back tears, when her mother suddenly speaks.
"Why don't you try again--since Kagome's here?" Nozomi asks, smiling encouragingly at the half-demon. "Maybe having her with you will allow you to pass through the well, Inuyasha."
The boy raises one brow at the older woman, before shrugging. "Worth a shot, I guess," he says, looking at Kagome. "Ready?"
The miko turns her head, nodding absently at the boy's question. "Yeah. We need to let the others know you're still alive." Kagome is silent for a minute, before whispering her next words.
"Especially Miroku."
----------------------
"You ready?"
Inuyasha nods, then takes a deep breath before he and Kagome jump into the Bone-Eater's Well, bracing himself to hit the ground at the bottom. The boy stares in awe as the familiar blue-white light surrounds him and the miko.
"I guess...I was too specific," he says, looking up at the darkening sky of the Sengoku Jidai a minute later.
Kagome smiles, tightening her fingers on his hand before slowly letting go of them. She cringes slightly, then breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the half-demon still standing beside her. Inuyasha does the same before the pair climbs out of the well, sitting on its edge while the boy inhales deeply of the fresh air.
"I...want to try something," Kagome says, frowning as she pushes off the edge--falling back into the darkness.
The girl blinks a few times as she lands back in her time, trying to adjust from the bright light she had just been in. She jumps when someone speaks above her.
"Took you long enough," Inuyasha says, sighing as he reaches a hand down to her.
"Where did you come from?" she asks, frowning at the hanyou as he lifts her up.
"Your room. As soon as you left, I was...transported...back to your bed." He grins playfully, making the girl blush. "I just...blinked. One moment I was sitting on the well, then next I was sitting on your bed."
"I guess that you really do have to live with me in my time," Kagome says, frowning again as the two of them drop back into the well, but quickly smiling when the hanyou pulls her into his arms.
--------------------
"Won't you please eat something, Miroku? You've barely eaten anything since..."
Sango breaks off, standing with a sigh when the monk refuses to even respond to her request. Kilala mews softly from her shoulder as the tajiya turns to the leader of the wolf-demon tribe, her dark eyes filling with tears. Koga takes pity on the girl, drawing the slayer into a hug as he takes the bowl of food from her. Miroku doesn't even seem to notice, and continues to stare blankly into the distance.
"He hasn't moved...not since Kagome..."
Sango breaks into sobs, burying her face against the okami--trying desperately to draw comfort from the demon.
"We'll get through this Sango. You'll see," Shippo says quietly from Koga's shoulder, patting the girl reassuringly on the head.
The slayer nods up at the small demon, trying to smile as she pulls away from the older one, but frowning when she hears him drop the bowl of food he was holding. "I'll be damned," he whispers, staring at something in the distance.
Before either Sango or Shippo can turn to see what he looking at, the wolf takes off, yelling at the top of his lungs.
"You mangy mutt! Where the hell have you been?!"
Sango gasps, covering her mouth with her hands as she watches the two demons heading out of the village, the kitsune hanging on for dear life as Koga runs toward Kagome and a very-alive Inuyasha. The slayer sees the wolf punch the hanyou in the jaw, sending him flying backward several feet. The miko starts yelling at the youkai before running to her fiancé.
It takes the tajiya a few seconds to notice that Miroku is now standing beside her, gasping again at the confused frown on his face before Ginta, Hakkaku, Kaede, and Surinotu pile out of the old miko's hut, the last simply floating through the mat hanging in the doorway.
"Praise Kami," the priestess whispers, as the small group watches the scuffle taking place between the two at the edge of the village. They all stare in awe when Koga suddenly pulls Inuyasha into a hug, almost literally watching the half-demon's face turn a bright shade of red, despite the distance and darkening sky--Kagome and Shippo staring at the boys with open mouths.
Without waiting for the others, Miroku starts walking toward the foursome, his left hand tight around his staff. Sango and the others start after him, each gazing in shock as they approach the two demons who are now glaring in opposite directions, the women with silent tears falling down their cheeks.
Inuyasha turns toward them--just in time to get smacked in the head by Miroku's staff. "Owww, Miroku! What the hell was that for?" he asks, rubbing the spot with one hand.
The monk simply continues to watch the hanyou with a blank stare, oblivious to the awkward silence surrounding him. He finally speaks in a coarse whisper.
"Warn us the next time you're going to do something so stupid, Inuyasha."
The half-demon frowns for a minute, narrowing his golden eyes at the hoshin. "You know that I never will," he eventually says, smirking at the small smile that starts to spread across the other boy's face.
"True," Miroku responds, tilting his head to the side while shrugging resignedly. The monk looks back at his friend for a moment before stepping forward and putting his arms around the hanyou's shoulders, hugging him tightly.
"Thanks," he whispers, tightening his arms as Inuyasha nods, then quickly letting the half-demon go as he hears the others starting to whisper behind them.
"So...how are you still here?"
-----------------
"I knew that Kagome didn't have anything like that on her before the...demons took her...," the boy says in a low growl, "...so something must have happened to make the symbol appear. It was a guess on my part that the promise Kagome had made was...tested. I was silently praying that the mark meant that what Arae-Yin Nae had said was actually true; that the promises we made in the Cave couldn't be broken. Thankfully...I was right," Inuyasha says, sighing tiredly to himself.
The group sits in silence for several minutes, before Koga tentatively breaks it. "So...that's how you survived, mutt?" he asks, earning a glare from the hanyou. "This...wish...you made... It prevented you from being killed?"
"Yes."
Everyone turns as Surinotu speaks, watching the raion silently as he frowns to himself. "Once they are made, the promises must be fulfilled. Nothing--not even death, supposedly--can stop one from keeping their word." The lion glances up, tilting his head to the side as he stares at the others. "Arae-Yin Nae thought it a myth, since she never knew of any that had taken a vow. But I lived before her time as priestess. I had heard strange tales of those who had survived unbelievable circumstances, after having been in the Cave. That was the reason I first visited it," the ghost says, blushing a pale pink as the women smile at him.
"So...that's why the Canthathirl couldn't touch me?" Kagome asks, ignoring the low growls from the hanyou on her left side, and the wolf on her right. "Because I've already promised to be with Inuyasha?"
Surinotu frowns again, then nods slowly. "Y...es. Since the magic is very old, once you vowed to marry him, you then became...essentially...his," the demon says quietly, earning a scowl from Kagome, while Inuyasha tries not to smirk. "It makes no difference that you are not technically wedded yet; the magic makes no distinction. Inuyasha is now the only man who can touch you." The ghost pauses, then speaks in a low tone. "With...intentions, that is."
"What intentions?"
Everyone inside the small hut turns a slight reddish color as the kitsune speaks, none of them wishing to explain what the raion was talking about. The fox glances back and forth between the adults, frowning at each of them in turn before a pinkish light gets everyone's attention.
"KOGA!"
Kagome's proclamation is followed by a loud Slap!, which is immediately followed by a very pissed off hanyou dragging a growling okami out of the hut by his ponytail, which is then succeeded by yelling and the muffled sound of something getting pounded.
"That is for trying to touch Kagome! And that is for sitting on me!"
"Mutt! I was trying to prove the ghost's point!"
"You stupid wolf! Shippo doesn't need..."
The rest of the half-demon's words are cut off as loud scuffling and growling floats into the hut. Kagome--finally coming out of her shock--stands and walks over to the hut's entrance to yell at the boys.
"Inuyasha! You..."
The young miko's voice is suddenly cut off as another pink light surrounds her, this time because of the proximity of a certain monk's hand.
"Miroku?!"
Inuyasha appears in the doorway instantly after hearing the girl, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously at the hoshin, who smirks.
"That is what 'intentions' mean, Shippo," Miroku says, moving to hide from the irate hanyou, stopping behind a glaring and unamused Sango.
Everyone is so busy trying to keep Inuyasha from killing the priest, that it takes them a minute to quieten down and notice the pink glow that is now surrounding the slayer. Two of the 3 other humans, 4 demons, 1 ghost, and 1 half-demon stare at the girl in shock, as Kagome simply blinks in confusion, and a disheveled and slightly beaten Koga moves back into the hut, finally voicing the question that all of them are thinking.
"I take it the Canthathirls couldn't touch you, either?"
-----------------------------
"I was never in the Cave, so I never made a promise."
"That may be true, but where have you seen this before?" Inuyasha asks, pulling his fiancé's sleeve up, while he holds the girl protectively in his lap. "But...I don't know how you got it, Sango. Or how it works," the hanyou says, shaking his head. "That's the only way I can see how the magic would also work on you..."
The slayer frowns, as Shippo hops over beside Kagome to stare at the faint tattoo on her arm. The tajiya and the kitsune exchange a surprised glance as they both realize where they'd seen the strange mark, the girl quickly searching her pockets while the fox explains.
"It's the shell that I took from Inuyasha," Shippo says wonderingly. "I didn't want it anymore--after Inuyasha got sick--so I dropped it in Sango's lap when you two went to Kagome's time," he says, pointing to the small black object now lying in the slayer's palm before he looks up at the miko and the hanyou.
"I meant to give it back later. I guess...I forgot," Sango says, her fingers shaking while she holds the seashell.
"Did Arae-Yin Nae see this?" Surinotu suddenly asks, frowning as he leans over the girl.
Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Kilala exchange puzzled glances, each of them shaking their heads.
"No; none of us saw it until Shippo took it from Inuyasha. After we had left the priestess," Miroku says.
"I didn't think so. She would've told you about it's powers if she had known you had one of these," the raion says, earning more confused looks from the group. The lion smiles playfully before speaking. "It is an iremono. A vessel. A container that can hold magic. This one...," the demon says, gesturing toward the object in the slayer's palm, "...holds similar powers as those contained in the Cave of Promises."
The group stares in awed silence as the ghosts words slowly sink in. "But...how did it protect the slayer?" Hakkaku finally asks.
"Yes. And where did it come from?" Ginta adds, tired of only listening to the conversation.
Surinotu grins at the two demons, but turns to Sango when he speaks. "Sango, you did not wish to be...there, while you were with the Canththirl, correct?"
The tajiya blinks once, before turning a glare on the raion. "Noooo...," she says slowly, as if the lion was intentionally being dumb.
Surinotu smiles, his light blue eyes twinkling. "That was enough, then," he says quietly, continuing when 10 confused stares are aimed in his direction. "An iremono's power changes, depending on the person who holds it, and what they desire. Also, the vessel's power only works while it is in that person's possession. For example, even though Shippo and Inuyasha have both held the shell, they could not now use it's powers, since Sango has it. Also, if she were to pass it to, say, Kaede...," the raion says, nodding at the silent miko sitting across from him, "...it's power would no longer work for Sango, and Miroku would..."
"Have intentions," Inuyasha says under his breath, earning a quiet giggle from Kagome.
"...be able to...well..."
Surinotu stops, waving a clawed hand vaguely. Miroku grins at the tajiya--who scowls back--while the rest of the group just shakes their heads, except for Kagome, who frowns.
"But...just now...," the miko mumbles, "...it was Miroku that tried to touch Sango. Why did the iremono prevent him from touching her, when he's the one she's with--since Inuyasha and I..." Kagome stops, her cheeks gaining a slight pink color.
Surinotu smiles at the girl, but remains silent for a few seconds, his brow furrowing while he thinks. "You would not...permit... Miroku--would you, Sango?" he asks, turning his light gaze back to the slayer.
"Uh...no," the tajiya says, frowning at the hoshin grinning widely at her. Miroku sighs, shaking his head in mock astonishment. The others ignore him.
"Ahhh. That is why the monk is...blocked, then. You have not granted him ... permission, therefore, the magic is preventing all...uh...pursuants, until you say otherwise."
Sango turns to the boy, smiling sweetly as she tightens her fingers around the small object. Miroku pouts and places his chin on his free hand, muttering under his breath. Everyone else rolls their eyes, except for Kaede.
"So...it is only...temporary?" the elder miko asks, earning a nod from the ghost. The woman considers this for a moment, before speaking slowly. "Then...what exactly are the object's powers?"
"To understand that, miko, you need to know where the iremono came from. This one...," Surinotu says, pointing at the shell, "...used to reside in the altar that now frames the Canthathirl's lair."
"The...altar?" Miroku asks, tilting his head to the side. The priest continues a few seconds later, his dark eyes widening in understanding. "You mean...it's not...a door?"
Surinotu grins. "I can see how you would think that, but no--it's not a door. The...rock...that now resides at the entrance to the demon's lair is..."
"Arae-Yin Nae's," Kagome says, smiling grimly. "She said that there used to be an altar at the back of the cave, but she never said what had happened to it."
Surinotu nods. "You are correct, Kagome. The...demons...and I did not...get along," the ghost says, sneering. "I don't agree with their...methods concerning women, and told them as much, many times. On one occasion, I managed to help a girl escape, and--since the demons can't harm me...uh...physically, they decided to do the next best thing." The demon stops, sighing to himself as he shakes his head slowly back and forth.
"They moved the altar--didn't they?" Inuyasha says, his brows furrowed in an angry scowl. "They found out where Arae-Yin Nae's cave was, and took the altar to defile the shrine and torment you."
Surinotu turns his head to the hanyou, holding the boy's intense amber gaze for a few seconds before nodding. Quiet gasps from the women and low growls from the others follow the ghost's affirmation.
"But there is nothing to be done about it now. We can't go back for it, and once I see Arae-Yin Nae, I won't want to," Surinotu says, his blue eyes taking on a wistful glaze. The youkai stares at nothing in particular for several seconds, until Shippo's quiet giggles bring him back. Shaking his head, the raion continues where he left off.
"So, the iremono was a piece of the altar in Arae-Yin Nae's shrine. I imagine that it probably just fell out when the Canthathirl's moved the altar, and remained hidden until you found it, Inuyasha," he says, looking again at the half-demon.
"In the lake," the boy says.
"Lake? Oh, yes...I suppose the pond could be a lake by now... Anyway, the...what were you doing in the lake?" Surinotu asks, raising his brows at the hanyou.
Inuyasha's cheeks redden, before he waves one hand vaguely in the air. "Nevermind...go on, Surinotu," he says, ignoring the smiles from his supposed 'friends.'
The ghost frowns for a moment before shrugging, and continuing on. "The shell was one of half-a-dozen vessels in the altar, and each could be used for whatever the possessor has the greatest desire for. Protection--in Sango's case...," the lion says, when several confused frowns are aimed in his direction, "...or perhaps luck while trading with a neighboring village, or to draw the eye of an secret love. The uses may vary, but can never be anything material. The iremono will not repond if you desire wealth, for example, but you can wish for the knowledge of what crops will be prosperous this season."
"So...the iremono protected Sango from the Canthathirls because she wished that they couldn't do anything to her?" Kagome asks, frowning slightly when the demon nods. The miko seems to think about this for a minute before shrugging and leaning back against the half-demon behind her, closing her eyes as a sudden tiredness overtakes her mind.
Movement near the doorway, followed by several gasps and growling makes the girl open her eyes again.
Kagome stares in awe, unable to accept the fact that Sesshomaru is standing inside the miko's small hut, what looks like relief on his normally stoic face.
As soon as the girl realizes who he is, however, the demon is gone, the rustle of the reed mat the only indication that he had even been there.
"Looks like we're not the only ones that are glad you're alive, Inuyasha," Shippo says, smiling as he jumps over to the hanyou and hugs him around the neck.
Done. Yay! Oh, but there's an epilogue, so not technically done yet. Still have a few things to talk about. Is that all:) Hrmmmm... Tired like Kagome. Wish I had a puppy-eared hanyou to use as a pillow...