Lookie this! I'm finally updating. Not only have I been extremely lazy and suffering from intense writer's block, I have a chem lab that I should be working on. I'm actually putting it off right now to do this. *sighs*

Anyway, this is the last real chapter. The epilogue probably won't be more than a page or two, so enjoy this while it lasts!!

***

"Thank you so much for everything, Himura! You too, Kaoru! I'll miss you and you had better be able to come for my birthday this year!"

Aoshi smiled to himself at the loud and exuberant farewell his wife bade their friends. She had run back to hug Kaoru for the millionth time, leaving him holding little Aoi carefully in his arms as he stood on the train platform.

It was a beautiful summer morning. Kaoru had surprised them with a pair of train tickets when it had been made clear that they were going home. Aoi was a month old, Jishin had been dead for three weeks and the Shinomori family was returning to Kyoto.

"Your mama is very happy now, ne?" He asked the baby, "This is what she is truly like. And how wonderful it is to see her this way after so long."

Aoi yawned, rubbing her eyes with one tiny fist. Then she looked up at him, a questioning look on her face. He smiled, brushing back her downy hair. She was a beautiful child, full of life and vitality. He was reminded so much of Misao as a child when he looked at her, despite the fact that Aoi looked like him.

"We'll try to make it for your birthday." Kaoru promised, "It all depends on how busy I am with my students."

"My birthday isn't for five more months! Just don't schedule any classes for then."

"We'll see." Kaoru hugged the younger woman again. "Take care of yourself, Misao. Go home and relax. Enjoy being a mother. You deserve it."

"Right. I'll send you letters. And you'd better be in Kyoto come November." The young ninja looked over her shoulder, "You too, Himura. And I'm sure Aoi would love having Kenji visit her." She tickled the little boy under the chin and he giggled.

"Are you done saying good-bye, Itachi?" Aoshi asked softly, "The train will be leaving soon." He shifted Aoi in his arms, lifting her up to his shoulder, where she rested her head, clutching his sleeve in one tiny hand.

"I'm coming." She bounded over to his side, her braid swinging behind her. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with happiness, "I suppose I am done saying good-bye."

He half smiled, patting Aoi on the back. "Let's go then. I'm sure every one is waiting for us at home."

Home…The word had never sounded more wonderful. Misao's smile widened as she thought about going back to the Aoiya. There would be a big celebration; every one would be so happy that they were back. And Aoi…They would be overjoyed with the tiny girl. She was such a perfect baby, and a beautiful one at that.

She waved over her shoulder one last time as she followed her beloved husband onto the train. He was carrying Aoi, holding her against his shoulder, and the baby seemed quite content with this arrangement. Her expression softened at the sight of them together. Aoshi -her big, tough Aoshi- was so sweet and gentle with their fragile daughter.

"Are you happy, Itachi?" He asked her as they settled into their compartment on the train, "We're going home."

"I'm very happy." She looked up at him, smiling, as she held out her arms for Aoi. He handed her the baby, who made a slight grunt of protest at being disturbed, then brushed back a lock of her dark hair.

"I'm glad." He softly kissed her forehead, "Because when you're happy, it makes me very happy."

She felt her heart quiver with pleasure as his lips brushed along her forehead. He still had the power to leave her speechless with his kisses. She practically melted into the seat, hugging Aoi to her chest.

His smile widened as he took in the effects of his kiss. It was amusing to watch as she dissolved at his touch; lost her ability to speak, much less to think, rationally. He studied her intently, taking in her pretty face, framed by her mass of hair. She had grown even more beautiful over the past month, her joy heightening her attractiveness.

"I'm glad," Her voice wavered slightly as she recovered, "I'm making you so happy."

"You're the only thing in life that could make me happy. You and now our Aoi." His fingers brushed along her cheek, pushing back stray strands of hair, "I will love you more with each passing day, because you are my-" He leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, "-Saving grace."

"All I did was love you…" She trailed off, unsure what to say. All of her life, she had dreamed he would say these things to her. He had been saying them for nearly nine months, and it still flustered her at times.

"Yes, but you loved me unconditionally. When I was unlovable. When I left you. When I made you cry. When I betrayed you. Even when I told you I never wanted to see you again. That is true love, Misao."

"Aoshi…" Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears. "Aoshi, you make me feel so wonderful…"

"You are wonderful. And I know all of this has been very hard on you. Getting back to normal is going to be difficult, and I know you're trying very hard. But the past nine months aren't just going to disappear." His hand brushed across her cheek and came to rest on her shoulder, "I'm so proud of you, Itachi."

"It has been really hard…" She looked down, rather than at him. Aoi was looking up at her, a thoughtful look on her little face. She smiled faintly, pushing back the baby's hair. Then she looked back up, her cerulean eyes meeting his. "But you make everything okay."

"I told you a long time ago, I will always take care of you. You are the most important thing in my life. You always have been. I always knew that no matter what, I got to come home to you."

"Aoshi…" She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him, "I love you so much."

He put an arm around her, pulling her close to him, his face in her hair. She smelled good -like sakura blossoms- and her tresses were so soft. I am content to stay as we are now for the rest of my life. I do love her so…Everything is over now. From this moment on, real life begins.

***

"We're home!" Misao burst through the door and into the Aoiya, Aoshi trailing behind her, carrying Aoi. "We're back, every one!"

The rest of the Oniwabanshu came running at the sound of her voice. It had been months since they'd all been together and the return of the Shinomori family was a joyous occasion.

"Welcome back!" Okon exclaimed, tossing her arms around the young woman, "We've all missed you so much!"

"Let me see the baby!" Omasu looked expectantly up at Aoshi. He was taller than her; therefore she couldn't get a good look at Aoi. She -along with the rest of the group- had been shocked to learn that Aoi was born so soon. There had been much praying that the tiny child would live and now Omasu was eager to see the "miracle baby."

Aoi, startled by the cheerful ruckus all around her, began to cry. Aoshi rubbed her back soothingly, whispering to her as she buried her little face in his shoulder, muffling her cries. The smallest of smiles crossed his face. "She's just tired and cranky."

Misao managed to free herself from Okon's iron grip and she appeared at Aoshi's side, her hands held up to take the child from him. He reluctantly surrendered Aoi to her mother, who was immediately surrounded by the other Oniwabanshu.

Okina regarded Aoshi as he stood there, his usual deadpan expression on his face. "It appears that all three of you returned unharmed." He commented.

Aoshi nodded slightly. Physically, they were indeed all perfectly fine. Deep down, he wondered what sort of emotional toll this would have on his wife. Or on himself, for that matter. There had been several occasions over the past nine months where he had nearly lost her and that unnerved him.

"She must be a beautiful baby, your Aoi. I see Misao has gotten even prettier while you were gone. She has grown to be quite the woman, Aoshi."

"Yes." He agreed. Misao had grown up considerably in the past months. She had matured in spirit and her body had matured along with her mind. No more was she the charming tomboy he had fallen in love with. She was a mother; a lover; his wife. Watching her there as she laughed amidst their friends, he saw her completely different. I do love her so…

A smile crossed his face. I've moved on. I can finally be happy, now that I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons. Finally, I am content with all of my past regrets. I have found so much strength in her -my one weakness- and now…Peace. There is happiness. With her…

Okon and Omasu were taking turns holding the tiny baby; Shiro and Kuro watching, studying the child intently and pointing out the similarities between her and each of her parents. Okina was peering over Omasu's shoulder, getting his first good look at the little girl who was the future of the Oniwabanshu.

Misao had wandered back over to Aoshi and was looking up at him, a sweet smile on her face. She wrapped her thin arms around his waist, her head against his chest. "We're home." She grinned, "And it feels so nice; like the end of a very long day."

He returned both the smile and the hug, his icy eyes dancing with happiness. Then he leaned over to kiss her, ignoring the giggles of the other two women as they watched their beloved ex-leader caught in an open display of affection.

"Look at him…" Okon whispered loudly, "I've never seen him like that before!"

"He's shameless…" Omasu agreed, still giggling, "Misao must be wearing off on him."

"But kissing her like that in front of us all…How dare he?" Okon asked, half kidding, which brought about more giggles.

Aoshi straightened, looking at the two of them oddly. His hand rested on Misao's shoulder and she was smiling like there was no tomorrow. Perhaps I am giving them reason to be so shocked. But I can't help it. I'm so content with the way everything has turned out…

"You guys must be starving. Come on, there's plenty to eat. And I want to hear all the news from Tokyo." Omasu herded them all towards the dinning room as Kuro handed the baby back to Misao. "You must have so many stories to tell…"

***

"I'm exhausted." Misao snuggled into Aoshi's embrace late that night, "I don't know why she couldn't wait until tomorrow to hear all the little details about everything. It's not like it was the happiest story ever told."

"You wouldn't like not knowing what happened to the people you care about, Itachi." He said gently, encircling her in his arms. "They've all been very worried about us."

"I know." She sighed, "But we've been traveling. I just wanted to take a nice long bath and I didn't get a chance."

"My poor Itachi." He teased, burying his face in her hair, "Riding on that train all day must have been so tiring."

She swatted his arm. "Don't tease me."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"There! You did it again!" She twisted around to look at him, "You know what you get for that?"

"I'm afraid I don't." He went along with her little game, stroking her hair while she grinned up at him evilly.

She wrapped her arms around him, nestling against him only to feel him stiffen at her touch. She smirked, her chest pressed against his as she hugged him tightly. His eyebrow twitched; he was trying to keep a straight face even though he wanted to melt into her. How does she do this to me?

"Do you want me?" She whispered seductively in his ear. Her chest was squashed between them, she knew he enjoyed her new figure that had been the result of her pregnancy. She felt like more of a woman than ever before and hoped he appreciated it. "Do you want to make love to me?"

"…" He was stunned silent by her forwardness, his cold eyes widening with surprise. Sweet Buddha in Heaven…

She laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." She kissed him passionately, nuzzling against him, arousing him even more.

"Stop…" He mumbled, trying not to give into her so easily. It wasn't working very well. The usually calm, collected ninja was ready to dive right into her. His body trembled with desire; a fire raged within him. Am I going out of my mind?…Ah; I'm so weak when it comes to her. I need to level the playing field.

He rolled over, taking her with him and pinning her down. "You know what you get now, Itachi?" He pushed back her hair, his face close to hers; staring into her eyes.

"No." She smiled impishly, "What?"

He remained silent for a moment, allowing the suspense to build. She looked at him expectantly, her eyes wide and questioning; she could only imagine what would come next.

Nothing ever did come of it, however, for it was at that moment Aoi began to cry. Aoshi drew back slightly, a string of curses running through his mind. Their daughter always seemed to cry at the most inopportune times. "I'll go get her. You wait here." He rose, pausing to brush his hand across her cheek. He kissed her softly, then wandered out of the room.

She drew her knees up to her chest, sighing. She always manages to ruin things…She fingered the fabric of their blankets. He was ready to fall into my arms, to take me…And she started to cry, same as it's been every night for the past month. This is so frustrating…But I do love my Aoi-chan.

"Here she is, Mama." Aoshi handed the fussy little girl to her mother, settling himself back on the bed.

She took the little girl, smiling down at her. "Are you a hungry little girl?" She touched her nose, "Are you my hungry baby? Mama knows what you want…"

Aoshi watched impatiently, wishing their daughter would go back to sleep so they could continue where they left off.

Aoi, it seemed, had other things in mind. She continued to fuss and whimper after she ate, as if trying to say she didn't want to leave them. Neither of her parents had any objection to this; they both loved her immensely.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Misao looked up happily as she rocked Aoi in her arms, "We made her; me and you. I guess there was a happy ending after all of this."

"Ending?" He smiled, taking both his wife and his daughter in his arms, "From this moment on, our real life begins."

***

Hum…I can't believe I wrote all this mush while I'm so down on love -.-"

I guess there'll be a short epilogue, unless you think I don't need one. Quite frankly, while sad that this is ending, I am glad I can focus more on other fics now. I haven't updated Okamainaku or Be Careful What You Wish For; Inu-Shounen was bugging me about The Rising and I have a beginning for the next chap of Serendipity. I have plenty to keep me busy!