A/N: Makes me kind of sad to know readers didn't believe me when I said I'd put up a new chapter… and the fact that they didn't read but yeah whatever. It's here now. This is the last chapter. Please enjoy. I won't name all my reviewers but I just want them to know, that you all are fucking awesome and I wouldn't have written this story without you. This is the second story I've ever finished and I'm so happy with it. Thank you all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company.

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Life In The Fast Lane

Chapter Eighteen

Happiness in a Hammock

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The dark-haired girl sat outside in her car, the rain pounding down on the windshield. She laid her chin on her steering wheel and looked straight ahead, wondering exactly what the outcome would be if she got out and did what she wanted. Would everything work out? Or was it just lost hope?

She sighed for the umpteenth time wiped her eyes with the back of her wrists. It had been two whole days. Two whole days since the race and she didn't know if what she wanted to do was the right thing. She'd thought about it; that was for sure. But that also meant that she thought about everything. The pros and cons, the consequences, how it would all play out – everything. And she didn't think she could handle it if he didn't say yes.

She twirled the ring on her left ring finger and stared at the apartment complex longingly. Should she just go up and make herself known…?

She had no clue what to do.

She bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair, willing the tears to go away. She knew what she had to do. She knew that what she was going to do was a mistake. But it sadly took her a while to figure that out. She thought she'd be saving everyone the trouble if she just left. But now she knew, that she was just being a drama queen. And her boyfriend, and two best friends were probably worried sick about her. She didn't blame them. But she hurt them more than she ever wanted to.

She looked up suddenly when she saw a figure with an umbrella walking out of the front doors to the apartment complex. Her heart clenched when she recognized him.

Inuyasha…

She opened her car door, not caring about the rain peppering harshly down on her form, soaking her clothes and hair to her skin, and walked over to him. He didn't seem to hear her coming because when she tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around surprised.

"Kagome…"

"I'm so sorry. I was being selfish. I didn't realize it. I'm so sorry!" she cried. She covered her face with her hands and let her tears flow. She hated how Inuyasha was right. How he told her not to leave because she didn't have to. Now that Naraku and all his people were dead, they didn't have to worry about anything.

"Kagome, it's okay." Inuyasha said quietly. Kagome almost didn't hear him. Suddenly the rain wasn't coming down so hard on her. She looked up and saw the black umbrella covering them both. She tried to wipe her tears away.

"No, it's not okay. I messed up," she said quietly, her voice a little squeaky. Inuyasha frowned down at her and with his free hand cupped her cheek.

"It's okay. I promise." She swallowed and nodded, playing idly with the zipper of his jacket. "A-are you… um… are you back? For good?" he bit his bottom lip and shivered slightly, from the cold.

"Yes." She looked up at him, her eyes red and slightly puffy. And he decided, that she'd never looked so beautiful.

"Why'd you leave in the first place, idiot?" he asked softly, and it held no hint of anger. Just confusion.

"I plead temporary insanity." She laughed, but it sounded chocked with tears. Inuyasha smiled.

"I did always think you were a little crazy." He said breezily. She hit him playfully and buried her face in his jacket. "Want to go inside? You'll catch a cold if we stay out here any longer." He explained. Kagome nodded, but they didn't make a move to go inside. He lifted her face up and kissed her tenderly.

It left her hot, cold, shivery and feverish…

OoOoOoO

The young twenty-seven-year-old woman blinked open her eyes and stretched, mindful of the fact that she could flip over onto her face if she wasn't careful. She let the breeze sway her hammock back and forth and sighed with bliss as the sunshine's warm rays peeked through the leaves above.

She'd been having that dream a lot lately, where it used to only be about once a month. It was more of a memory actually, and not a dream, but she never minded what took place. It was one of her favorite memories after all. Next to her wedding day, of course…

She smiled fondly as the day of her dreams floated idly through her mind, bringing a bigger smile to her face. She unconsciously rubbed her swelled tummy, giggling as she received a small kick to her palm. She looked out over the grass of her home's back yard and smiled at how lush and green and perfect it was. And how they had the pool in the corner. She loved how homey everything was.

"Kagome! We're home!" Kagome smiled as she carefully got out of her hammock and placed solid feet on the ground before waddling over to the back sliding door leading into the kitchen. She smiled brighter as her daughter ran up and attached herself to her legs.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!"

"Hi, Yukiko. How was your day, honey?" the five-year-old girl looked up with an almost toothless smile.

"I made a new friend. And her name is Hikaru. She's the same age as me!" Yukiko chirped. Kagome smiled.

"That's great, baby. We'll have to invite her over to play sometime soon, okay?"

"Okay!" Yukiko ran to the staircase and went upstairs to set her small backpack down before running back to get an afternoon snack.

"Go into the kitchen, I'll be there in a second." Her daughter ran around the corner into the kitchen and Kagome sighed, placing her hands behind her back to support her weight. She looked up at her husband who had a smirk on his face. "What?

"Do you want a wheelchair? I heard they work wonders." Kagome narrowed her eyes and hit him in the chest where his tie hung loosely around his neck. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his shirt tucked neatly yet loosely into his black slacks. As of right now, Inuyasha owned his very own construction company – Takashi Construction. He'd started small, and got a group to be his workers in his small business, but soon it got off the ground and everything fell into place. Miroku worked as Vice President, and was raising a family of his own. Which meant Sango was at home as pregnant as Kagome, with a five-year-old son, and a baby girl on the way.

"Shut up."

"Just trying to help."

"You're not."

"My job here is done." He chuckled as he lightly grasped her arm and led her to the kitchen to help her sit down on a padded stool in the kitchen. Inuyasha sat down his briefcase on the counter and looked at his daughter who was looking around the kitchen with her chin in her palm, trying to decide what she wanted for snack.

"How about some grapes, honey?" Kagome suggested. Yukiko shook her head.

She'd had that for lunch.

"How about some cheese?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha as if he was the weirdest person she'd ever met.

"Cheese?"

"Yes, cheese. It's very nutritious." He explained as he crossed his arms over his chest. Kagome rolled her eyes and Yukiko giggled.

"No thank you, daddy." She said politely. Both parents leaned in expectantly, awaiting a suggestion from their small dark-haired daughter.

"How about cake?" she chirped happily. Kagome frowned.

"No honey, that's for dessert." She said as she eyed the yellow cake decorated with chocolate frosting and sprinkles on the counter that she'd made, not long ago.

"Aw… graham crackers?" she suggested with a sweet smile and her hands clasped under her chin. Kagome inched her mouth to the side as if contemplating, when Inuyasha suddenly reached into the cabinet and pulled out a big box of colorful goldfish.

"How about these, Yukiko." Her eyes lit up as her father poured out a pile on a paper towel.

"Thank you, dad!" she said in awe and popped a purple colored fishy in her mouth, sighing with delight. Kagome smiled looking at Inuyasha.

"You win."

"Again."

"Don't brag."

"I'm not."

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't."

"Inuyasha." Kagome said sweetly and glanced at him with a sugary smile.

"Okay, I was bragging." Yukiko laughed again and dragged the paper towel to the middle of the counter.

"Do you want some?" she asked with a smile. Kagome bit her lip and picked up a green goldfish.

"I'd love one sweetheart. Thank you." She popped the cheddar fish into her mouth and hummed the goldfish song with her daughter.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she said happily, one finger in the air. "One second." She scooted down from her chair at the counter and ran upstairs, her little footsteps heard in the kitchen. She came running back into the kitchen with a piece of white drawing paper. She climbed up onto the stool – with Inuyasha's help – and set the piece of paper down next to their snack paper towel and smiled up at her parents. "I drew a picture for my baby brother. So he can see what the family looks like all together." She said happily. "It was really hard." She said in a melodramatic voice and then sighed. "I only had five crayons, but I tried." She pointed to the house in the background, which was yellow (even though their house was light blue) and then to the grass, which was green. "That's our house, and right here is us!" she pointed to four people, all stick figures. One was really tall, clearly Inuyasha. And then Kagome, and Yukiko and next to Yukiko standing was their baby boy.

"Honey, I don't think he'll be able to stand so soon." Inuyasha said with a chuckle. Yukiko shrugged.

"It's just a picture, daddy." She said matter-of-factly. Kagome laughed, one hand on her belly, and the other going to stroke her daughter's hair.

"It's a very nice picture, sweetie. You did a great job." Kagome was so proud of her daughter. She was so smart, which made her very proud. She'd be able to do anything she put her mind too.

"Thanks mom." She said popping a goldfish in her mouth.

"Yeah, even though you made us gray, and my hair purple, it's a very nice picture." Inuyasha chuckled as Kagome hit his arm.

"Honey, do you want to go swimming?" she asked as she looked at Yukiko. She nodded vigorously. "Go put your suit on, honey, and then come outside." Kagome eased herself out of the chair as her daughter raced back upstairs for the umpteenth time to get ready. Kagome waddled out into the backyard, and back over to the hammock to rest. Inuyasha came outside with Yukiko, two puffed up water wings on her arms. She jumped into the pool after Inuyasha did, and giggled as he splashed her.

Kagome looked at her family and felt her heart swell with love. This was the type of life she dreamed of all the time as a little girl. And there wasn't anything in the world that she'd trade for this…

But that didn't mean she didn't occasionally miss life in the fast lane.

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A/N: The End. For real. This is the end. No more chapters. I'm glad that I was able to put this story out. Thank you to everyone who has supported me. You are all wonderful! This isn't the last of me, and I'm coming out with a new story. So keep your eyes open! Much love…

TaintedMunkeyz