Disclaimer: …disclaimer.

A/N: I have no really good reason for this other than…I just missed them all.

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Epilogue

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"Ah," sighed Kagome off to Julia's left, "that is so sweet." Ayame blushed as she finished telling the story of how she and Kouga got together. Julia became aware of the unfinished cup of mocha in her hand and swirled it to determine if it was still worth drinking in its now cold state.

"Geeze woman," complained Kouga, "you make me sound so…whipped." Ayame glared at the love of her life and then promptly elbowed him in the gut, which of course got a laugh from Inu Yasha who still apparently delighted in the wolf's misfortunes.

The group had gotten together at a local coffee shop to catch up after Sesshoumaru and Inu Yasha had reintroduced themselves into Julia and Kagome's lives. Julia stifled a giggle as she recalled the frantic and bubbly phone call from Kagome one afternoon signaling her discovery of Inu Yasha. Sesshoumaru had asked her not to reveal their existence to the girl until Inu Yasha was ready, so Julia was grateful when it happened since she could share her happy moment with Kagome as well. She glanced up at the man sitting to her right and received a smile and curious look in return. She shook her head, it was nothing, she was still in awe at the fact that he was sitting there next to her.

"You are whipped," chimed in Shippou who promptly dodged a balled up napkin. Shippou was another surprise. Julia had assumed that he was around somewhere, but Sesshoumaru wouldn't reveal where. Julia figured he wanted to save his grand entrance for this afternoon. He still seemed to have a flare for theatrics.

"Quiet you little traitor," called out Kouga, but there was nothing but happiness in his eyes. Apparently, Shippou would accompany Inu Yasha on trips out to the wolf's den and soon became a favorite amongst the young wolves, Kouga's children in particular. Julia hoped to meet them all one day.

"I knew you two were meant for each other," giggled Kagome as she clapped her hands together. Julia smiled at the Kagome's enthusiasm and hoped that Inu Yasha would be able to cope with her bubbly teenage-ness until she grew out of it. Though, Kagome had always struck her as older than she really was. It probably had to do with that double life she led for so long.

"But…wait," asked Julia suddenly remember a question she had before the end of Ayame's story. "What ever happened to Akago and Kana?" The laughter stopped and all eyes on the other side of the table shifted between Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru. Julia glanced at Inu Yasha only to see him nod to Sesshoumaru.

"We never found him," replied the demon lord succinctly.

"What?" asked Kagome and Julia in unison.

"By the time we got to his hideout the little buggers had cleared out," supplied Inu Yasha. "We tracked them as far as the coast, but then they just disappeared."

"We continued to search for a few more years, but surmised that they must have left Japan all together at that point," added Sesshoumaru.

"There hasn't been any sign of them since," commented Kouga.

"So, do you think they're still alive?" asked Julia. The idea that Akago was somehow still alive and wandering around in the world caused her stomach to drop out.

"Doubtful," replied Sesshoumaru as he squeezed her hand gently. She knew he must have sensed her unease. "Once he reached China the demons of that land would have made short work of an intruder." Julia nodded slowly at his explanation, but she was not entirely sure.

"Well, if you'll excuse me I need to use the restroom," said Kagome as she pushed herself away from the table. "Julia, Ayame you want to come?" Ayame smiled and stood. Julia still didn't understand the female need to have company when going to the bathroom, but as a friend she went. Kagome probably wanted to chat more with Ayame in private anyway.

"Be good while we're gone boys," she called out as she followed the other two.

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"Do you really think Akago is dead," asked Inu Yasha once the girls, including Ayame were out of ear shot. Sesshoumaru only shook his head.

"Then why tell her you did?" asked Kouga. Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow at the wolf.

"You know as well as I do what she suffered at the little brat's hands," responded Sesshoumaru, "and she still has nightmares about it." On more than one occasion Sesshoumaru had been woken up by them and subsequently had to reassure her that she was alright and he was not leaving. "I know she'll work through them in time, but the added stress of thinking Akago is alive is not going to help the matter."

"That's true enough," replied Kouga. Inu Yasha and Shippou only nodded.

"So until we discover otherwise, Akago is dead," stated Sesshoumaru and for all their sakes, he hoped he was right.

The End

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A/N: And there you have it folks…the actual end to the in betweener. Yes, I still do have plans to write a sequel to CaFS, a sequel in which more about how exactly Kagome and Inu Yasha met up again and other fun facts that I did not want to spoil by including in the Epilogue. But, I'm not sure when I'm going to get to it. I've got a couple of other projects I'd like to finish first, so we'll just have to see. Plus, I really would like to have it finished before I post it to avoid huge gaps in updates…although I guess I could leave it to the readers. What do you all want?

Thanks for reading, and again, sorry it took so long to finish.

Reviews are always welcome.