Here we are: the final chapter! Time to get sappy, guys.

Thank you all so much for reading. This was a really, really hard story for me to finish. A while back, I got a review on this story when I originally posted it that really crushed my confidence in my writing and led me to a 3.5 month hiatus, aside from a couple of one-shots for events/birthdays. In that time, I finished writing this story pretty much for my own closure (as well as for Taryn, but we'll get to that part in a second), so I never intended to post it.

But now, here we are, with just over 100k words and a win for Best Angst during this quarter of Feudal Connection; thank you guys again omg I'm a slut for angsty sadness so it means so much. I'm so happy that I wound up finishing this story.

I do have to say that what encouraged me to finish writing it at all in the first place was Taryn (LostInFantasyWorlds over on Tumblr/AO3). This story would not have been finished without her, and I really mean that. She kept me encouraged while I was really upset about the review and really uplifted me while I was trying to just get it written and finish it. Taryn, thanks for being the best godmother/aunt of this story. I love you!

Also, a very special thanks to Brini for allowing me to use their idea about Inuyasha's occupation in the epilogue, which you'll see below. Thank you again, Brini!

This chapter is named after the song "Wasteland, Baby!" by Hozier. Thank you guys again and I hope you've enjoyed this story. I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long.

Epilogue: Wasteland, Baby!

The soft sound of a small whimper was soon followed by the louder call of a cry, alerting the hunger of the baby across the room.

Kagome rolled over and groaned into her pillow, pulling a laugh from Inuyasha.

"I'll never get used to waking up in the night so much," she grumbled. "This is the third time we've started this all over and I still just can't get used to it."

"I'll get him," Inuyasha offered, getting up to go pick up the baby. "You go back to sleep."

Kagome sighed. "Do your boobs make milk? Give him here."

Inuyasha chuckled before scooping the baby up and handing him to Kagome, then rejoined her in the bed.

"Daddy has the wrong boobies, doesn't he?" she cooed at the baby. "Yes, he does. Mommy's the one with the goods, isn't that right, baby?" Inuyasha snorted, barely tampering down his laughter.

When their baby was latched and nursing, Kagome sighed.

"I know I complain sometimes, but it's worth it."

Inuyasha hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it is." He watched as the baby's silver dog ears twitched as he drank up the milk.

Kagome seemed to notice, too. "I can't believe it took three tries before we finally got one with your ears...and your hair, but the ears are more important."

Chuckling before kissing her cheek, Inuyasha gently stroked one of the baby's dog ears.

"I'm just glad everything else on him looks like you," he murmured. "My hair and ears, but everything else on him is you."

"It's about time," Kagome teased. "Moroha and Izayoi look exactly like you with my hair. I finally got a baby with blue eyes. His face looks exactly like me and my brother...it's fitting that we picked Sota as his name."

Inuyasha smiled. "It fits him perfectly. They're all pretty cute." He continued to stroke Sota's dog ear.

The baby cooed and began to fuss against Kagome, ready to switch breasts.

As she continued to nurse, Inuyasha moved behind Kagome, pulling her back against him and moving his touches to her shoulders, giving her a light massage as she finished feeding the baby.

When Sota was full and burped, Inuyasha took him to change his diaper while Kagome lay back down on their bed, a western-styled one that always reminded Inuyasha of their inn stays during their travels.

It had been seven years since the battle with Naraku, and three kids later, they were thriving in a chaotic sort of peace that never left them bored. Moroha was already showing strong abilities as a miko, and Kagome mentioned she would begin teaching her to control her powers shortly after her birthday. When she was older, they would tell her about how those powers were so strong that she saved her mother while still in her womb.

Their second, Izayoi, was only three but her aura was already full of pure energy, so they knew she wouldn't be far behind Moroha in her training.

Sota, on the other hand, didn't show any signs of spiritual power, but he was only three months old. They had plenty of time. All the time in the world.

Once Inuyasha had come back to bed after getting Sota back to sleep, he found that Kagome was still awake.

"I thought you were tired, woman," he whispered. She laughed quietly.

"That woke me up a bit," she replied. "I'm sure I'll pass out in a few minutes. Tomorrow is gonna be a good day, huh?"

Inuyasha smiled. "Yeah, I can't believe Moroha is gonna be six." Kagome hummed.

"Definitely," she agreed. "I know we're weird for celebrating birthdays, but I don't care. I think we deserve it. And I think she's going to love the art supplies."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I agree. I can't wait to teach her how to paint. She's too young to understand the business part of it, but I think she'll still have fun coming with me to deliver the next painting in a few days. Maybe she could do a little pretend 'job' for her momma and 'deliver' it to you." Kagome smiled at that.

Their house was already filled with new paintings Inuyasha had made over the years, especially since he'd taken on that specialty as a way of making a living, as well as the ones he and his mother had made when he was a kid.

Sesshomaru had allowed him to come back to the castle to retrieve them, and Inuyasha was surprised to find that the portrait of him that his mother had made, the one he thought had been thrown away while only half-finished, was still in his mother's quarters.

And it was finished.

He didn't know when she'd done it, but it was a new little piece of her that he got to have, and it only made their ending even happier.

And it turned out that Sesshomaru had a heart buried underneath the cold exterior after all.

Because not only that; Inuyasha's former quarters were tidied and prepared for him and Kagome, and an invitation to stay for a proper reintroduction to the youkai residents of the castle was offered, which they'd accepted with pleasantly surprised gratitude.

Humming her agreement, Kagome grinned a moment later.

"Remember Moroha's last birthday?" she asked.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Are you ever gonna let me forget that?"

"Absolutely not, Inuyasha," Kagome replied immediately, the lilting tease evident in her voice. "Our five-year-old said 'oh, shit' when she dropped her present. Who did she learn that from?"

Inuyasha rolled on top of Kagome and placed playful kisses all over her face, laughing as he did so.

"Woman, I swear you're-"

"-gonna be the death of you?"

Inuyasha paused and looked down at her, admiring the bright smile Kagome was giving him from beneath his body.

He smiled back at her. "Yeah, but you knew that."

"I most certainly did," she replied warmly. "Now kiss your wife, husband."

Chuckling a final time, Inuyasha leaned down to kiss her for a few moments before moving to her side.

He knew she was tired, and a good night's rest wasn't as easy to come by now that they had three kids.

"Go to sleep, wife," he murmured. "You'll need your rest. A sleepover with Miroku and Sango means we only have the baby tomorrow night, so once he's asleep…"

He kissed her neck, hot but quick, and Kagome shivered.

"I don't know how Miroku and Sango do it," she said thoughtfully, recovering enough to run her hands through Inuyasha's bangs. "Their five kids with an extra two of ours? I'd pull my hair out."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Miroku says they love it, so I'm not gonna stop him. Plus, I think having Kirara to cart them around on her back helps, too"

The neko had taken to Inuyasha and Kagome's children as quickly as she had to Miroku and Sango's, and the kids were the exact same with her.

There was a certain shriek Izayoi and Moroha would make whenever Kirara tapped on the door in her neko way to be let in to play. Whenever that happened, Inuyasha and Kagome would share an amused, knowing look and go to let Kirara in.

Kagome smiled and moved to curl up against Inuyasha's chest. Inuyasha's arms wrapped around her as he pulled her close, running his claws up and down her back.

"Well, get ready then," Kagome whispered in a sultry voice. "Like we said, it's just you and me tomorrow once the baby goes to sleep, so you know what that means..."

"Damn, woman," Inuyasha half-moaned. "The things you say."

Kagome muffled her laugh with his sleeping yukata. "How do I still catch you off-guard after so many years?"

Inuyasha shrugged and kissed her head. "Hell if I know, but I'll never get tired of it. I love you, Kagome."

"I love you, too. So much. I love our life and our kids and...everything."

"Me, too," he replied. "I'm so glad Sesshomaru has an heir now. I don't have to worry about preparing to ever take over as daiyoukai and I can just stay here with our family."

"I hope we can visit again soon, though," Kagome pointed out. "I want the kids to know their cousin a little better than they do, especially now that he's a bit older."

Inuyasha sighed but knew he wasn't likely to say no to Kagome about pretty much anything.

Sesshomaru's son was two now, with golden eyes and black hair that was always tied up with a feather, just like his mother. Inuyasha still could barely believe Sesshomaru was a father, let alone that he'd fallen in love and gotten married.

"I'm happy for him and Kagura," Kagome said. "They're good for each other. She really balances him out."

Inuyasha hummed. "Yeah. You were right about her not being evil. Kanna, too."

"I wonder what Kanna does," Kagome mused. "Kagura said she visits sometimes but other than that, she's off on her own."

"I don't know," Inuyasha replied with a yawn. "But as long as she's not blowing stuff up or slaughtering anyone, I would say that's a success."

Kagome laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that."

Kagura and Kanna's trials had taken place a few days after Inuyasha's, and he was pleased to find out that his and Kagome's vouching for them had proved successful. After Kagura and Kanna had been cleared of all charges, Kagura immediately gravitated toward Sesshomaru, and to Inuyasha and Kagome's surprise, he gravitated toward her as well.

Kagome sighed and started to drift off. Placing a final kiss on her forehead, Inuyasha kept her close.

"Good night, Kagome."

Too tired to answer properly, she hummed happily before her breathing evened out and she went back to sleep.

Smiling at her slumbering form, Inuyasha's eyes drifted closed as he began to succumb to sleep himself. He breathed her in, admiring her chocolate-cherry scent that had never faded over the years. The only different was it was a little fuller and a little more him.

Their battle with Naraku felt like it was so long ago, and the thought that Inuyasha had even been able to consider betraying Kagome felt impossible now. He remembered her words from so long ago, about Naraku being the flame and Inuyasha being the match that would burn her.

It seems like I'm always the match, he mused. But now...Kagome is the match, too. And our kids. The life we have from them is the flame.

But no one was getting burned; it was rather the opposite now after all the obstacles they'd overcome.

And it was all sparked by the match, not the flame.

FIN.

Thank you!