I suppose I just love writing too much, but this Epilogue should tie up some loose ends. Well, no, it doesn't do that at all. It really adds acouplemore loose ends.Love you all! Especially wintersbloodtear, because no matter when I write a new chapter, she seems to always take the time to read it immediately. Thank you!

Epilogue

One Month Later

Thunder crashed outside as the members of Shigure's household huddled around a kotatsu (heater) in the living room. It was late at night, and raining, but the thunder kept them all from sleeping soundly. The purple thunder heads roared like a territorial lion after yet another illuminating flash.

"I wonder how Kagome and Inuyasha are doing." Tohru thought out loud. The others nodded.

"They're probably fine as long as it isn't raining like this where they are." said Kyo reassuringly.

"It would be especially difficult if it were raining in the Feudal Era." said Yuki, thinking. "I wonder if they find some house to stay in when it rains."

"They probably do. It would be very uncomfortable sleeping outside in the mud." Shigure replied. The others nodded in agreement. There was a pause in the conversation as thunder rolled.

"Kyo?" asked Tohru.

"Hm?"

"You remember that night Kagome made you dye your hair black?"

"How could I forget?" he answered.

"Well, she forgot her print-out when she left, and your expression in is really hilarious." she chortled, bringing out the picture.

In the image, Kyo's face was contorted in an amusing look of surprise and horror. It was like those times when you pause a movie during a close-up and the actor's face looks grotesquely comical.

A volcano of laughter erupted in the room. Even Kyo was laughing at himself. There was another crash while they joked, but not the familiar crash of thunder. A wave of water rushed down the stairs. They all looked at each other in expectation.

Two solitary dripping figures stumbled down the stairs.

"I think we broke your roof again, Shigure." apologized a familiar female voice.

"Kagome!" Yuki rushed up to greet her. He squeezed her in a tight hug and swung her in circles.

"Welcome home, Kagome." greeted Kyo warmly.

"Inuyasha!" Tohru ran up to the soaked hanyou. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too." he replied softly, gently stroking her hair.

"Welcome back both of you." said Shigure. "I think you might need some towels, though." He handed both of them warm towels. "You remember where the bathrooms are?"

Smiling, they both nodded and hurried off to get dry.

"This is such a pleasant surprise." said Tohru, beaming.

"Yes, and we hadn't heard from them in such a long time." agreed Yuki. Kyo picked up the picture of him with black hair.

"You know, that really is a funny picture of me." absently, he turned it over to find something written on it. "What's this?" he asked out loud. He started to read it to himself.

Dear Kyo,

I hope that you will read this letter soon. I am writing to tell you something that I cannot put into words.

"I'm dry!" Kagome announced, cutting Kyo's reading short. "Hey, Kyo, whatcha doing?" she said, bending over his shoulder.

"Nothing." he said, shoving the paper into his pocket.

"Okay then, can I talk to you?" she asked, leading him up to his room by the hand.

"Be right back." he said over his shoulder to his companions. They tromped up to his room, and Kyo closed the door behind them.

"So," he asked, "what did you want to talk about?" A sheepish smile spread over Kagome's face.

"You know that night you stole my diary?"

"Yes," he answered slowly, wondering where this would lead.

"What did you really read from it?" A small, knowing smile crept over Kyo's face. He told her.

With every new sentence, Kagome's blush deepened. "All that, huh?" she asked guiltily.

"Yeah, all that." he said, grinning warmly at her.

"You won't tell?" she asked.

"Not a soul." he promised, secretly crossing his fingers behind his back. "Not a soul."