Epilogue

Legend tells of the powerful Shikon Miko, a descendant of Midoriko herself, and her equally powerful youkai protector. Together, they protected the Shikon no Tama, the remnant of Midoriko's last battle. Beginning in Edo, a village that would one day be the heart of Tokyo, they traveled across the land and acted as enforcers of the will of the kami.

The two traveled for years before settling down in the East, as the youkai was the leader of the Wolf Tribe there. They reformed the wolves, curbing their wildness enough to help them blend in with the humans that began to outnumber them more every day. Soon enough, youkai from across Nippon, which came to be known as Japan, came to them for help with hiding amongst the humans they'd once all but ruled over.

The Shikon Miko became known not only for her power, but also for her compassion. Whether human, youkai, or hanyou, any in need could ask for her help and the request would be granted. Those under the protection of her and her mate counted themselves blessed and lucky.

And thanks to her love for a youkai, their mating proved to be fortuitous in more ways than one. Her lifespan was greatly increased, nearly matching her youkai's in length. They became parents to four biological children, with many more fostered or taken in when no one else could or would take them.

Eventually, as all legends must, word of the Shikon Miko died out. No new sightings of her or her large family were whispered about, and most believed her long dead. But this was deliberate on their part. There was a goal in mind, a specific reason to let her appearance and name be forgotten. And soon, it would be time to reveal herself once more.

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Though it had been weeks since Kagome had disappeared right in front of their eyes, it was still hard to believe her baby was just gone. Though Kagome's parting words had given her hope – If I'm right, maybe I'll see you soon. But just know that I love you all, so much! – that hope had dwindled as the days had passed.

She tried to carry on as normal. Tried to imagine that Kagome had simply married out of the family and moved to a far-off place. But even if that were true, she would still be able to speak to her on the phone, or send letters back and forth even. No, this was so much worse for all that she didn't know.

One day, as she washed the supper dishes and tried to keep from crying once more over the sink, there was a knock at the door. Knowing her father-in-law wouldn't have heard it and that Souta would be hard-pressed to move from his video games, she put the dish she was rinsing away and dried her hands as she moved to the door.

Pasting a pleasant smile on her face as she prepared to turn away whatever soul had ventured to the shrine past visiting hours, she instead was met with a face she didn't think to ever see again, along with a veritable troop of faces that carried a hint of familiarity.

As she stood in silence, unable to speak for the emotion clogging her throat, she heard a voice speak from that familiar face.

"Hi, Mama. Would you like to meet your grandkids?"

And there it is. The end.

Thank you all for bearing with me as I took a freaking decade to finish this. Thank you for the comments and the love!