A/N: Alrighty then! Here's the epologue (did I spell that right?)! Don't worry jossi-31, I haven't forgotten the story of the first Pairbond; that's the next chapter.

Hitomi was lounging miserably on a couch. She was tired, nauseous, getting hot flashes, had a rash on her thighs, had gained fifty pounds, her sexual appetite was insatiable (Van had no problem with this) and she felt achy - especially across her hips ever since the baby had decided to lay length wise. The doctors insisted that this would push her otherwise slim hips out, thereby making it easier for her to give birth. She didn't doubt them; Hitomi could feel her hips being forced wider - it hurt.

"Don't worry," Yukari soothed from where she sat in a rocking chair breast feeding, "The rash is getting better and should be gone in another day or two."

Hitomi just groaned and shifted onto her side. Yukari tried - and failed - not to grin. Laying on her side proved less comfortable than laying on her back, so Hitomi returned to her previous position. Yukari and Amano had since been found to be not entirely Human. It turned out that Amano was Hitomi's cousin through one of her father's siblings (which was why he and Allen looked nearly identical). Because of that both of them were living in the new kingdom that Hitomi was helping Van to build... Well, normally helping. At the moment she was just feeling miserable.

Shortly after the two had permanently moved they had asked Hitomi to be their baby's godmother. They hadn't been sure if Van would be okay with being the godfather, so they hadn't asked at first. It had eventually come up in conversation and the couple had been pleased to find out that Van not only had no problem with being the child's godfather he also considered it an honor. As it turned out being a godparent or having godparents was a big deal among the Dragon Clan. It put him in even better standing with his people.

Thankfully, thus far, the entire Dragon Clan had found that they had no problem with following Van. He was still awkward at dealing with normal Humans, but among his own kind he had a natural charisma that was serving him well. It even seemed to work with the Draconians that had been raised on Earth, whom Hitomi's grandmother, Yui, was training in their abilities. She was even training Yukari and Amano, who were both taking well to it.

"So how are the wedding plans coming along?" Yukari asked after a stretch of silence.

Hitomi smiled, feeling like a giddy teenager again. Yukari saw the expression and smiled, knowing what it was like to feel that.

"With all of the building and other stuff going on it's going to be another month."

"Ah~, I see."

Yukari's smile widened a bit. She had never been so happy for her friend, though she had a feeling that when Hitomi actually got married she'd be feeling even happier for her.

Draconian weddings turned out to be fairly simple affairs for Pairbonds that only blood relations attended. An exception was made since Hitomi and Van were the godparents of Yukari's child. Ainmire and Fiona were both in attendance as well, for which Hitomi was glad; she had become surprisingly fond of the two. Allen stood near their shared cousin, Amano, and both of them smiled - along with the new mother - the entire time.

They held hands as a thin, red rope was wound around Van's forearm and then Hitomi's. The oracle - Yui - then blessed them both individually and as a couple... And that was the entirety of the ceremony, other than the fact that they had to keep holding hands (with the red rope wrapped around their forearms) until the wedding night. There was a more involved version for a couple that was getting married, but weren't a Pairbond; the Elders kept trying to get Yukari and Amano to go through it, but both insisted that they were already married. Hitomi's two friends found the Elders' insistence mildly amusing, while the Elders themselves just found it frustrating.

It was years later, when Van and Hitomi were picking out a name for their third child, that he realized he'd had a vision of doing exactly what he was currently doing shortly after he and Hitomi had accidentally merged Earth and Gaea. He couldn't help but smile.

A/N: So, any comments before the last chapter? Please, please review!