Crap, forgot to mention that last chapter I was drawing on a scene from Peter Pan. Oops, sorry! Well, I saw the movie just recently and I was like, "This will be perfect for the story." Anyways…

Yeah, I know. Took me long enough. Sorry about the long wait. I don't know when I'm gonna find the time to keep going, but I will not stop trying. So, a sequel there will be, but first an epilogue…

Epilogue

Every story begins with a waiting.

It could have been 500 years in the past, or 500 years in the future, or infinity in difference when such events occurred, depending on what you considered reality. So perhaps it's best to say these events did occur, will occur, have always occurred for as long as there has been time to pass. Therefore, each second is an eternity in itself. However, few seconds seem like eternities, which can be attributed to the fact that there are just too many for them to be recognized as a treasure. Is that why a day, or a week, or years can pass so fast, and yet still feel like an entire lifetime? As if there hadn't been any life before its start. Inuyasha did not remember what occurred during his 50 year slumber. What he had forgotten during that period was feeling something stirring within himself. Restlessness. Someone… had been calling out to him. Not calling him by name, but calling out to something in him. The hanyou had never been one to be chivalrous, and yet the sound of the cry that dove into his blood caused the nerves in his brain to start moving again, and in response, his hand twitched. Thus the 50 year slumber had ended, because of a cry that told him to follow, and to keep following forever.

Walking past old Goshinboku, Kagome couldn't help but smile, and that towering tree somehow smiled back.

The monk followed behind her, wringing his hands together nervously, and then turning around in a swift movement to walk in the other direction. It didn't get past the miko. Grasping him by the shoulders, she turned him in the right direction again and nudged him along. "Come on, Miroku-sama. Don't be such a baby."

"But… but…"

"Not now, please. If you don't go and talk to her right now… Hey, hey! Be careful of the flowers."

Haphazardly placed in the pocket of his robes, it was a miracle in itself that the freshly picked flower bouquet wasn't destroyed already. The bottom of his sandals scraped hard against the dirt as he tried to slow their journey. Naturally, Kagome would hear nothing of it. She only smirked as sweat pooled around Miroku's forehead and ears. A complete nervous wreck. Who would have thought that a professional lecher would be so edgy about something like this?

"K-Kagome-sama. I'm not ready! It's too soon! I'm so young!"

"Oh please," Kagome remarked, "Anyways, I already told her to wait by the hut. Too late to turn back now."

He groaned.

Practically pushing him through the valley towards the village, she couldn't help but think a good scare might get him there a bit faster. Too bad a certain hanyou was off yet again to parts unknown. Once more, she glanced to the tree tops, half-expecting his irritated face to appear from beneath the orange and red foliage. Even with Naraku gone, he still didn't much like her wandering off without him. Then again, it was still hard to grasp for them all, that their arch enemy was truly finished. The fight had been too long, it was like it was a part of who they were.

But so many things still remained unanswered. The shards in Naraku's possession were still uncounted for, no doubt in his castle God knew where. Kagura had vanished in the final battle, and they didn't know whether she was alive or dead. The mysterious events of the battle, of the prophecy and the blue Kaze no Kizu remained of special interest to Kagome in particular. Naraku's demise brought into question the status of Kohaku, who had not been seen in a few months. But most of all, where to go from here? The past years, they had thought of nothing but Naraku, and with him gone, where was their purpose?

As she pushed the monk further towards his purpose, Kagome's eyes scanned the fields for hers.

"Okay, Miroku-sama," Kagome exclaimed, pointing towards the hut, "There she is."

On the other side of the small house, leaning against the corner, awaited Sango. Miroku gulped and hesitantly reached into his pocket to retrieve the flowers. The miko patted him on the back, "Just remember what I told you. Really though, it isn't like it's any different from what you've already told her."

"It's not that simple."

"Do you love her, Miroku-sama?" She peered directly into his worried eyes.

He bit his bottom lip hard, closed his eyes in quick meditation before nodding slowly. Kagome smiled, "Then get moving. I'll be waiting to hear the good news."

With one last shove in the exterminator's general direction, Miroku was on his way. Kagome shook her head happily as she headed off in another route so the couple could have their privacy. Towards the hillside where Inuyasha had rocked her to sleep before. She sat down and allowed her head to fall back against the springy grass. With a sigh of relief, she looked up to the clouds. The cold of autumn had no hindrance upon her mood. Not today… perhaps not for a very long time. She remembered well the pride that consumed her when the others roused her in battle, only to see her Inuyasha taking on Naraku with a fervor she had never seen before. As she recalled, she had heard him screaming something… something, and although she hadn't been able to discern the words in her semi-conscious condition, why was she so sure that it was nothing she didn't already know?

She closed her eyes and smirked. Only a matter of minutes before he returned. Somehow he always managed to arrive just before she fell asleep. Sure enough, behind her eyelids she could see a shadow emerging to block out the sun, the rustle of grass beside her, and the gentle tug of his lips on hers. She immediately kissed back, earning a half-surprised grunt on his part. She opened her eyes to his slightly blushing face, and smiled dreamily. 'What a way to wake up.'

His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned hard, "Wench, you owe me an apology!"

Her smile fell. 'What a way to wake up.'

"What? Why?"

His adorable silver ears drooped just slightly as he pouted, "You haven't kissed me all morning."

Her smile returned, full force. Pulling him down again by the neck, she captured his lips once more. Feather light at first, until he responded and took possession of them. Drawing on her serenity, pulling her into his affections, he caused her to sigh beneath him. She heard him rumbling happily himself, though when he pulled away he still had that irritated look on his face. Good thing she knew better. He rested his forehead against hers and growled slightly, "Apology?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "No… but I will thank you for finding more of those flowers."

He glanced up at the hut, where he knew the monk and exterminator were still talking. He could still sense the anxiety coming off Miroku. "Seriously though, no way in hell I'm getting flowers for Miroku ever again."

She giggled, "That's what you said to me, but…"

"Oh, almost forgot," he reached into his pocket.

When his hand emerged, he brought out another fuchsia, lifting it up to her chin. As he had hoped, her darkened eyes lit up in an ancient light that only Inuyasha understood. Smiling wide as she took it into her fingers, the hanyou couldn't help but blush slightly. Twirling it between her thumb and index finger, she admired the beauty of the simple yet complex blossom. "Thank you…"

Her smile remained even as her eyebrows furrowed, and she shoved him playfully. "Why didn't you bring some of these before? They would have looked great with Miroku's bouquet."

"Keh," Inuyasha replied, "No lecherous monk is getting my flowers."

"Your flowers, huh?"

"That's right," he snarled slightly, but his twitching ears coaxed a giggle out of the girl.

She kissed him again sweetly, and he fell into the feel of it immediately. How was it that a simple kiss could turn his insides into water? The flow of blood that proclaimed their closeness boomed in his ear… something wonderful… something vintage, yet entirely new.

His clawed fingers gently caressed her cheek as their hearts were falling into the valley. But she did not recoil. She never did. It was just one of the many things that continued to surprise him. In her eyes and her lips there was no fear, and perhaps even more amazing… no regrets.

They were broken from their joy by another, as the whoop of the monk echoed off the hillsides. They looked up as Miroku all but dragged Sango to the edge of the hill. He hollered out to them, a look of utter ecstasy upon him, "She said yes! WOOHOO!"

Again the exterminator gasped as the monk lifted her off the ground, turning to laughs as he spun her round and round as he hollered. Kagome giggled. Inuyasha merely rolled his eyes. As soon as they had arrived, Miroku dragged Sango off again, no doubt to tell every person he could find in the village the good news. Kagome made a move to get up, but was quickly pulled back down with a tug from her hanyou. She grunted as her shoulder thumped on the ground, and let out an aggravated sigh at Inuyasha's cocky smirk. "Inuyasha, I want to go congratulate them."

"They can wait," he argued, leaning towards her once more.

She giggled as he kissed her once more. It truly was an impulse he could never forget. The bridge between his questions and his answers. And as she melted in his arms, she tried in vain to reason with her crazy heart. The task became more and more impossible with each passing day. Their love was such a wild thing, how could she even think of it being tamed any time soon? Young love… perfect, naïve, and perhaps the most unbelievable of all. If there be any better love, then what she felt now could only be the beginning of life.

Inuyasha never once stopped to consider why he had chosen to let himself go. Living his life up till now with the hatred of life ought to have kept him at bay, and perhaps it had, once upon a time. But now his release became so… natural, it was like he was meant to let go, like he was meant to be free. And his freedom, what of its form? Was it her, or the atmosphere echoing songs? Was it her, or some light on the road? But these things, these simple freedoms, couldn't be put into solid space, nor written on any parchment.

The kiss broke so they could catch their breath, and Kagome smirked in triumph. "You just have an obsession with kisses, don't you?"

"Keh! Whatever! That's what you get for staying with me."

She giggled, but the gesture was not returned. Kagome saw that look about him again, and knew the tension that carried him centuries away. She took a lock of his hair in her fingers and began twirling it. "I know what you're thinking, Inuyasha."

"Kagome…"

He looked up, but she cut him off. "You're doubting it again. No matter how many times I tell you, you still won't believe me."

He sighed heavily and rested his temple against the grass, staring down the ground as though it thought of moving out from beneath him. She laid down likewise right before him, trying to force him to catch her gaze. It didn't matter how many times she had to go over this with him; she would every day if it meant easing his pain. He turned his eyes away from hers, "Why?"

She sighed with a smile, and moved her hand to gently massage his ears. "I won't say I don't miss them. I do, very much, but… it's not the same."

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying not to become content with the touch of her fingers.

"It's not the same, being there and being here. They really are different lives. I had a choice to make. I made it," she smiled wider in encouragement, "and I don't regret that choice for a second."

Her words must have done something, because he was finally able to look into her eyes. She knew there was hope lingering in his gaze, because the look was just as tangible to her as soil. She knew every corner, every detail of it. The corners of his lips were tugging into an unsure smile, and he shook his head almost weakly. "I don't know if I really understand."

With a chaste kiss, she proclaimed his hope as her own. "You will, someday. I know you will."

Because she had the mercy to glance upon him, because she had the spirit to tame him, he willingly left his fears unanswered. She was the question; and in the end, she was the answer. It mattered not what words came to grab him. A breeze fluttered past and settled upon her eyelashes, and he pondered why it was singing. And as nature winged past him, he left all his fears and ambiguities in the trusted care of Kagome. For any kind of solution, he would just have to wait. Wait for Kagome, wait for himself.

The stretch of valleys over Feudal Japan, witness to all forgotten, shrouded in the changes of autumn, cradled in gentle air, fell back and waited.

Every story begins with a waiting.

THE END…ish

Hurray! Though I guess it's really not the end, so I still have more fun to look forward to. I will be writing a sequel to this, since the moral is kinda different. I am sad that this wasn't a super long story, but technically the story isn't over yet. Be sure to look out for the sequel. Lots of fun stuff going to happen. I don't really know what the title will be yet, but that's where you come in. I have a few ideas for a title, and since I love you all sooo much, I'm gonna take a vote. Just tell me in your review which one you like best, and I'll get back to you (I'll be posting my responses to everyone's reviews for this chapter as well, so I'll tell you then). To aid you in your decision, here's a quick summary…

In the trials of love, trust is essential. With the guilt of Inuyasha's actions still weighing heavily upon him, and the uprising of a new villain and a prophecy, the only thing Inuyasha and Kagome can do is believe, because without believing, they will never succeed.

So, here are the options…

The Face of Flowering Love
Butterflies Infinity
The Flower's Faith
Love Hopeful
Blind Believing

Yeah, so those are my favorites. So please help me out and vote for one.

Okay so before I go on responding to the past reviews, I just want to take this time to thank you all at once for the incredible support. I never thought I would get this much praise and I'm absolutely ecstatic about it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, for responding, for enjoying. It really means the world to me. When I respond to your next reviews, I'm sure I'll just be saying all this over again, but I just can't tell you enough how grateful I am.

So, I probably should get on with my responses, but I will be updating one last time to let you know what the title of the sequel will be and to thank you again, so don't leave me just yet.

OMG… SO MANY!

Kawaii-CherryWolf: I love kissy scenes! Glad you do too! At least I don't feel completely lame for doing that. (hugs)
Nightmare800: Wow, crying! I'm glad I was able to do that! Hurray! (hugs)
Lacey Beans: Lalalalalala… I hate Naraku. Why did they have to make him so damn complicated? Grr… oh well, I killed him! Thanks for being patient with me, because sometimes I can't even think about the show with school in the way. (hugs)
Star+Robin: Yeah, I don't know what to consider it. I guess it's a sequel, but it's also kind of a continuation. I don't know… whatever. Oooo, best? Hurray! Thank you! Haha, I'm always hyper. No worries. (hugs)
Kamira: Hopefully this epilogue did the trick. Glad you liked that chapter so much, cause I really enjoyed writing it, even if it was super long. (hugs)
Chiot Pelucheux: I struggle with the action stuff, so it's great to know I did well on this chapter. Yeah, I wasn't planning on splitting up the stories, but when I was writing that chapter it just felt too passionate for me to suddenly drop off. (hugs)
TahitianBabe: Hmm, but the word 'ending' makes it sound like it's over. Hmm… Oh well, anyway of course I would give props to my reviewers. Great job and thanks for your support, as always. (hugs)
JediK1: Let's hope I don't. While I haven't seen all the episodes, I'm praying I'll be able to do this story right without conflicting with the show. But I keep going back over it to make sure I know what still needs to be covered, so let's keep our fingers crossed. (hugs)
theLilyLady: I am HOPELESSLY romantic. Yeah, it was very cliché, but I just couldn't help myself. All I am missing is one of those 'you're eyes are like precious jewels' lines or something like that. Haha! (hugs)
inubaby2: What can I say? I saw the movie and I thought that scene would be perfect for this story. (hugs)
Crystalfire92: I hate cliffies, even when I'm writing them. Though I guess since I always know what's gonna happen it's a little better for me. Teehee. (hugs)
priestess-kisa: Ai ai! Thanks for your input. (hugs)
Helikakileh: It would be wonderful if I could make a profit off of this. Sigh… thank you. (hugs)
Jenn-silent breed: I was worried it was gonna be too out of character, so that's for being okay with it. Sorry about the wait, but hopefully you'll forgive. Hurray for fluff! (hugs)
Le'letha: I'll try to see that you know where to find it and when. Glad the battle scene worked out, because I was a little worried. (hugs)
?whoknows: Haha, that's okay. Just hearing that you enjoyed it is good enough for me. (hugs)
srg1: Wow, number 1! I'm so happy! Thank you! And I'll definitely have more struggles and romantic stuff in the sequel, so no worries. (hugs)
t wrecks: Thank you, I'll try to remember that for the sequel. While it's mostly about Inuyasha and Kagome's thoughts, I will be slipping in some Miroku and Sango stuff as well. (hugs)
Caline Daniels: Longest and favorite for me! Glad you agree! And fluff rocks my world! There will be no end to it! (hugs)
a100rinchhead: I'm glad you like the story so much that you can't pick a favorite chapter. It means it was good the whole way through. Hurray! And wow, you're learning Japanese? I'm jealous! Then again I'm a linguist, so anyone who speaks a language other than English I think is awesome. (hugs)
butthead24: Just sorry I couldn't update so quick this time. Blame school! Grr! (hugs)
Fanficluv7Inu: Yeah, not ending. Still feels like an ending though, which makes me kinda mad. Grumble grumble grumble. And sorry it took so long to update again. More grumbling… (hugs)
NeuroticallyDignified: According to my friends taking Japanese, 'temee' is a really really rude way of saying 'you'. So the best translation would probably be 'bastard'. Inuyasha says it all the time in the Japanese version, and since I don't enjoy the English nearly as much, you'll have to excuse me if I use Japanese words a lot. (hugs)
InuyashaGal: I couldn't leave without an epilogue, and of course I value your opinion, what with you being so cool and all! It may be my story, but I've also worked for the entertainment business, so naturally I'm a people-pleaser. (hugs)
paju13: One thing I absolutely adore about English is that it's so complicated and has so much vocabulary (well over 600,000 words) that writing is wonderful. Wow, I must be working too hard. Am I actually appreciating English? (hugs)
alexamae3: I'm always glad to hear I brought someone to tears… that is, in a good way. It was a good way, right? Right? (hugs)
Tairoru-Chan: I don't think I'll ever be able to stop writing. Even though I take off thanks to college and everything else going on in my life, I live for this stuff. Thanks for appreciating it. (hugs)
Halli05: Favorite ending of mine, so far. Grr, but maybe too good! (hugs)
Lauren1: WOOOOOAH! Okay… I don't even know how to tell you how much your review made me smile. I mean, OMG, I was beaming after I read that. My roommates were all looking at me like I was insane. I absolutely adore writing, and to have you say that my writing is that important to you fills me with such joy I can't even describe it. I am an extremely passionate person, but I guess that's okay with me now since it worked out in my writing. In terms of writing anything in the future, I do have some long-term plans for fictional romance and non-fictional social psychology, but who knows when I'll have the time. I'm only nineteen and a language studies major, so I still have a long way to go with education. I'm so happy that you stayed up so late to write that review, because it made me ecstatic. But do get some sleep. I miss sleep… And if you want to talk to me ever, you can find my email address on my ffnet homepage. Thank you so so much for your time, for your dedication, for your awesome review, and for giving me something of a writer's mania. Haha! (hugs)
Raptor – X1: Problem is I'm indecisive about stuff like this, so I need you guys to help me out. I know, it's lame. But since I'm getting so much support, I absolutely value the opinions of my fans. (hugs)
KOalaPaNda: Always more fluff! Always! Always! I can't get enough of the stuff, and hopefully neither will you. (hugs)
ultramarine fractures: I'm glad you noticed this. I was trying to make that part a big ambiguous to the readers, so that you're not really sure, and neither are the others, whether or not Kagome was awake to hear Inuyasha say he loved her. As for technical errors, I swear I read over the chapters over and over and over again, and I still end up with them. Grr! I am going to try to put in more about the others characters in the sequel, but it's hard since I'm not nearly as interested in them. I'm bad! And yeah, Naraku, I just couldn't find an easy way to get rid of him. The character just seems so… impossible to beat. I mean, really, OMG! I'm sorry if he seemed kinda incompetent, but let's just assume that everyone has a weak spot. Anyways, despite all my mess-ups, thanks for liking my story regardless. (hugs)
kawaiibritt: It's okay. I understand how crazy things can get. At least you're back, as am I. And hearing that I should be an author makes me all fuzzy inside. Teehee! (hugs)
laughingstocktables: Hahaha! Should have chased it! Haha! At least it feels like it could be a drug or something to me. (hugs)