A/N: Wow!.!.! 210 REVIEWS!.! I really can't believe it, especially when I remember that my story initially only received like, 3 reviews. And now, more people than ever before reviewed my last chapter! I am so thankful.
Well, Although I am pleased with the ending of this story, I thought it would be interesting to see how the story would have gone if Kagome chose differently. Since most of you were for the idea, I will get started on the alternate ending. It'll start in like, the middle of chapter 12, and go on from there. I'll add it onto this story, so that when you read chapter 12, you'll be able to just skip over to the altered chapter 12... well, you'll understand when it happens. There should be some repeats of material in it, since it's only altered, but… hopefully "ff . net" won't take the story down- since it is altered.
Just remember, that this is what actually happens in my story, and the 'alternate ending' is only what would have happened. (I'll try to make it as believable as possible! I promise!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha-tachi. That privilege belongs to Takahashi-sama.
Previously: Well, you know what happened. Inu-chan marked Kagome and S-dono marked Rin-chan. Here goes!
Chapter 14: epilogue
It had now been almost six months since Sesshoumaru kidnapped Kagome. Sesshoumaru, lord of the Western lands, had sent Kagome and Inu Yasha a letter, announcing that he would be paying them a visit. His arrival was now only a few hours away. It had been two months since Inu Yasha was supposed to give his brother a report, but Sesshoumaru graciously allotted him an extra two months, knowing that he and Kagome were most likely going to celebrate their new bond. So, as announced by Sesshoumaru, today was the newly appointed day that Inu Yasha would give him a report concerning youkai and human activity in his vicinity.
What had happened in those six months? Well, as per Kagome's wishes, Inu Yasha went with her back to her time, and asked for her family's blessing on their union. Of course, Souta was the most excited, while Kagome's grandpa was less than pleased. That hanyou-now-turned-youkai had ruined more than one of his precious sacred heirlooms- and now, he was going to have to trust him with his granddaughter as well. Of course, she had been in his care for the past six- almost seven years, but still. Marriage was different. Kagome's mother was also excited, in her typical quiet mother's style. She hushed grandpa's complaints by putting a hand over his mouth, while she expressed her congratulations to her daughter.
"Are you going to have a wedding here?" she had asked. Kagome looked at Inu Yasha. They were more interested in having their own ceremony on the other side of the well. Kagome hardly saw any of her friends anymore, so the only people from her time who she really wanted at the wedding would be her family. After a short discussion, they decided that someone would make a videotape and take pictures of the wedding in the Sengoku Jidai, and Kagome and Inu Yasha would bring the tape cassette and camera film back for the family to enjoy. After a few more words of congratulations, Kagome's mother prepared a special red-rice celebration meal, and then sent them on their way… with lots of ramen, to Inu Yasha's delight. A month after the family's blessing, Kagome and Inu Yasha were married. Miko Kaede was the one doing the honors of uniting the two together in matrimony. That had been four months ago.
After their wedding, Kagome and Inu Yasha spent the next month traveling the expanse of Feudal Japan. Although they enjoyed themselves, they also used the excuse that they were a lord and lady of the Western lands to gain access into fair youkai estates. They were running a small checkup on the areas they visited in order to have something to report back to Sesshoumaru when he arrived for his visit.
"Kagome, what are you thinking?" Inu Yasha asked her, snapping Kagome out of rehashing the recent past.
"Nothing," she said, "just remembering what happened these past few months." Inu Yasha raised an eyebrow, about to ask her more, when he heard an awful squealing noise in the next room. He cringed; it was extremely painful to his sensitive ears.
"Miroku-sama! It's your turn," Sango said, coming out of the hallway, baby -in-arms. The houshi let out a sigh as he closed his new book- one that Kagome had given him on the joys of parenting.
"Hai, hai," he cooed gently to the baby as he took it in his arms. Sango smiled, patting her son on his cheek, before taking a seat beside Kagome.
"Sometimes, it's a pain and a chore to have a child… but I promised Miroku-sama that I'd have as many as he wanted," she looked back and watched the houshi's smile disappear when he smelled what it was he was about to change. Chuckling, she continued, "But I think he might not want so many any more," she said in a loud whisper. Kagome laughed as well, watching Miroku's shoulders slump as he turned and walked back down the hallway.
"But Satoru-chan is so kawaii," Kagome told her friend. Sango smiled.
"He is definitely one of the biggest joys in my life," Sango said, contradicting her previous statement. Kagome smiled. She remembered her mother saying the same things.
"Kagome, when are you and Inu Yasha going to have a bab-" Shippou was cut short by a blow to the head. "Ouch! What was that for!" he turned and yelled at Inu Yasha, who was the one who delivered the blow.
"Keh," he said, turning away from the kitsune and folding his arms in front of himself, "mind your own business." Shippou was just about to protest again, when he smelled the arrival of Sesshoumaru. Everyone stepped outside to greet the taiyoukai and the human woman who stood alongside him.
After the formalities of greetings, Rin and Kagome walked off into the forest while Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru were discussing matters of their territory. "Ne, Rin-chan… how are you and Sesshoumaru doing?" Kagome asked, opening up the conversation.
"We're doing well," Rin replied, bending down to pick a flower. She stood back up, gently fingering its petals. "Sesshoumaru-sama marked me, so that now, I can stay with him forever. He changed since you came to the castle, you know," she told her former tutor. Kagome smiled.
"How are your studies?"
"Good. I can use most of the incantations now," she said, beaming.
"That's great!" Kagome told her. "Me too- we found the ones Inu Yasha's mother used to have. I suppose they are copies, one for each brother.." Rin nodded.
"Sessshoumaru-sama said that you had your own scrolls. He's been helping me learn to read different kanji as well. I like it, but don't tell Sesshoumaru-sama I said this…" the girl leaned into Kagome, her confidante, "but I liked you better as my teacher. He's kind of boring…" Kagome and Rin giggled.
"Have you been practicing archery?"
"Mm, but Sesshoumaru-sama told Jaken-sama that he couldn't be around anymore while I practice."
"Why not?" Kagome asked, remembering vividly the moment when Rin nailed him in the butt with one of her first arrows.
"He said that I might purify him…" they giggled again.
"So, about the mark," Kagome mentioned. She was about to say something else, when Rin began to speak.
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama did it the day you left, Kagome."
"I could tell," she said quietly to herself, vaguely remembering his scent on her. Kagome sighed, remembering when his scent was on her own body. Her voice raised. "How are you liking your new abilities, then?"
"Very much! Now I can smell these flowers better, my vision is improved, even in the dark. I can run fast, and best of all, Sesshoumaru-sama said that I will be able to live with him for a very long time, now. I smell like him now, as well." Kagome smiled, remembering what Inu Yasha had said to her after he marked her. He had looked so pleased.
...flashback...
"You smell like you're mine."
...end flashback...
"We also talk a lot more, now," Rin continued, more seriously. "Sometimes we go for long walks along the lake, and he takes me on land surveys sometimes, showing me what he does." Rin blushed. "Ne, Kagome.. do you remember what I told you at the onsen? About me and Sesshoumaru?" Kagome nodded. "Well, I never thought it was possible, but I love him more and more each day." Rin put a hand to the back of her neck. "Sometimes I think he just marked me because I wanted to stay with him, but--" she paused, letting out a small sigh and dropping her hand down to play with the flower she was holding. "But it also seems like Sesshoumaru-sama is treating me more and more like a real woman." Kagome smiled. Sesshoumaru, like he had told her, was taking his time with Rin.
"That's good to hear, Rin-chan. I can tell you are very, very special to Sesshoumaru. You just hang in there for a little while longer," she encouraged the young woman, who had just turned 14. Although the thought was still strange to Kagome, in one more year Rin would be at the average age to marry. Rin blushed, and Kagome sighed. "I miss you, Rin-chan. I wish we could see each other more often," she told her sister-in-law.
"I miss you too. But at least now Sesshoumaru-sama and Inu Yasha are getting along now," she observed. Truly, the brothers seemed to have resolved their fundamental differences with the appearance of Inu Yasha's lanyard, the gift to him from their father.
…meanwhile…
"Nanda to?! What do you think you're talking about?" Inu Yasha yelled at his brother. He had stood up from his seat at the opposite end of the small table, and held up a fist to Sesshoumaru. Things had been going so well, until Sesshoumaru told Inu Yasha something that he didn't want to hear. Sesshoumaru smiled (or, rather, smirked), eyes closed.
"Just what I said. Your ways of surveying our realm is less than satisfactory." Sesshoumaru eyed the bookcase in the corner of the room in which they sat. "Those scrolls are covered in dust. Have you been studying, Inu Yasha?"
"Keh," was his only reply. He hadn't wanted to study; it was boring, and felt like a waste of time. He was still burned out from having to read so much when he stayed at Sesshoumaru's castle.
"Are you saying that I should kidnap your woman again, to encourage your study habits?" he asked his brother in a semi-playful manner. Inu Yasha growled.
"You had better not touch her," he said, his eyes flashing seriously. Sesshoumaru sighed, and stood up.
"Then you had better touch those scrolls. I don't want you to waste the valuable time our Father invested in developing our library. Next time, you had better have a more satisfactory report." Sesshoumaru turned toward the door to hide his sadistic smile, his younger brother still growling at him. Inu Yasha knew his brother was just teasing him, but he couldn't help the fact that it really was getting the better of him.
"You'll get your report, all right," Inu Yasha told him. The two brothers stepped outside of the room, and walked in silence to the outside of the house. They then stood, facing the surrounding forest in front of them.
"Rin misses Kagome," Sesshoumaru told his brother, still facing the forest. "You should bring her to visit sometime."
"So, you've gone soft, have you, Sesshoumaru?" Inu Yasha asked his brother, already knowing the answer. A question like this from anyone else probably would have meant death. Coming from his little brother, however, this question was completely devoid of all mockery. In fact, Inu Yasha seemed almost to be welcoming his brother into the world of love for humans. The reply Sesshoumaru was going to give Inu Yasha was frozen in his throat; at that very moment, the two girls emerged from the forest, carrying handfuls of flowers and herbs. They were laughing with each other, two beautiful women dressed in lovely pastel-colored kimonos. The wind blew gently through their fragrant hair, and their scents reached Sesshoumaru and Inu Yasha. The two youkai breathed near-imperceptible sighs. Inu Yasha looked closer at the girls. Rin, he realized, looked incredibly similar to Kagome. In fact, Rin looked a lot like Kagome when he first met her at the Goshinboku. "Oi, Sesshoumaru," he asked.
"What?"
"Have you noticed that Kagome and Rin are a lot alike?" At this, Sesshoumaru let out a little sigh, almost like a short laugh. Inu Yasha had no idea how deep his statement ran with his brother.
"What took you so long, Inu Yasha?" was the taiyoukai's response. Inu Yasha looked at him quizzically, but before he could ask his brother what he meant by that, Rin's voice could be heard in the distance.
"Sesssshhoooumaru-samaaaa!" she called, waving an arm high in the air. Inu Yasha looked at Kagome, who was smiling, with a sweatdrop. She made a much smaller wave with her hand lower, closer to her body. Inu Yasha smiled.
"Take good care of your woman, Inu Yasha," Sesshoumaru told his little brother. Inu Yasha wasn't sure what brought that on from his brother, but he agreed with every bit of it. Before he could respond verbally, however, the women arrived and stood in front of their youkai men.
"I had fun with you, Rin-chan," Kagome said, hugging her sister-in-law.
"Me too. Come visit, okay, Kagome?" Kagome smiled, looked at Inu Yasha, and smiled at Rin again.
"I'll try!"
"Rin, let's go." Sesshoumaru ascended into the air, but not before giving Kagome one last look. Kagome gave him a small, soft smile when she noticed his gaze.
"Sore ja, bye-bye!" Rin called to her friend. She closed her eyes, appearing as though she was thinking a certain thought. "Yuketsu," she said finally. Immediately, she was transformed into a small ball of light, and quickly chased after Sesshoumaru's rapidly disappearing form. Kagome turned to Inu Yasha.
"Well, Inu Yasha? How did it go?" Kagome asked her husband. He sighed.
"Being a lord is hard work," he said, looking at her. Kagome smiled.
"But, you're also a youkai now," she told him. He smiled, remembering that the wish for youkai blood to run in his veins- the wish he had held his entire life- was now granted… in exchange for responsibilities and duties. Although he griped, Inu Yasha would make the same choice again. "Ne, Inu Yasha," she began, looking at his face, which was caught up in the thoughts of his past as a hanyou. He looked at her. "Do you have what you want?" The former hanyou smiled at his woman and inhaled deeply. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her closer to his body.
"Ah. I have you."
A/N: In the words of the Japanese, "Owari da!.!.!" ("it's the end!") I hope you liked the story! I spent a lot of time on it, so I really hope that even if you wanted the story to be Sess/Kag, you liked thisstory anyway. Again, if you are interested in the alternate ending for the story, keep your story alert turned on! It might be a little while before I start posting it, but I hope the wait will be worth it.
Big thanks go out to my reviewers, who made this story better than it would've been! These special people are:
Beulah Page: thanks so much for your support! I'm glad you said S-dono planned the thing with Rin (that's what I think too!). Hehe! It's true, in Karen-world! I hope this chapter answered your question about when Rin will fully realizewhat S-dono did to her. Thanks for checking out my other stuff, too- it's been awhile since I looked at them, myself. I hope nothing was weird on them. Some of the stories on my rec. list I haven't completely read... so, beware!
Nilee: thanks for your insight- I agree with you completely. And don't worry, I love Inu Yasha's character, and will do my best to see that he gets portrayed correctly in the alt. ending. (hehe, glad you liked the 'playing with the mark' part- it was fun to write). Yay! Thanks for your compliments!
Kimster44: HAHAHAHA!.!.!.! I'm a GIRL!.!.! But y'know, in music, they say that men have a kind of strength and creativity in composition- so I guess it's a compliment you thought I was a guy... thanks for joining my story!
Moonlight Stars: thanks! sorry, you were the only one who voted against the alt. ending. Just remember that this was the real ending, yeah? So, you won't be losing anything if you don't read the alternate ending. And if you do read it, then you'll be happy to know that it didn't really happen! (that's what I tell myself, since I am satisfied with this ending...)
destinyheart15, toxiclollipop (thanks! I'm really glad I put you into a state of confusion, and also glad that I didn't disappoint you!), zookie78, INUYASHALOVER45, pinkpreppypunk (hehe, were you wanting the S/K ending?), pen'n'paper, Exunamoon (I dunno about the alt. ending being longer, but- I couldn't resist the puppy eyes!.!), kitsune ninja (thanks! Haha, "anti-sess/rin" does sound harsh, huh?), hermonine(thanks for your faithful reviews, yo), Oo.Summers.oO, SubaruWings (yeah, I think I accidentally sucked up a bunch of readers who thought it was gonna end S/K...), Lone Wolf/Loner, sheenachi, kiralila (yeah, I know what you mean about fast updates- I hate it when I get all into a story, and the person doesn't update for like, EVER... I'm so glad you recommended me! It feels cool to get recommended!), Kagome2691 (yeah, haha, I think most of the readers were partial to S/K..)and whimsy (thanks very muchfor your insight)