The final chapter! Aggh! Wow! Alright, ladies and gentlemen, and so we finish the story of our beloved Kaza...God, I wish I owned Inuyasha, but, alas. I do not. Whatever. READ!

Chapter 21 – Four Seasons

One month later, we finally saw Inuyasha and Kagome's little village, nestled deep in a valley. It was the most welcome sight in the world. I'd been on the move for three months now, and all I wanted to do was sleep in a warm bed, in a real house, not on the ground with Inuyasha snoring and rustling in the trees, Shippou sleep-talking, my dad rubbing my mom's ass in the middle of the night, and twigs poking into my shoulder and pissing me off. I hadn't properly washed my hair in…god, I don't even know how long. I could tell everyone else was just as happy when I saw everyone just sort of beam at that little village. We were all ready to settle down.

Inuyasha and Kagome's little hut was still there, and we immediately began work on another hut, right next to it. Shippou decided not to go back to the forest and he lived in the hut with Inuyasha and Kagome (Inuyasha was not too happy about this), and my mom, my dad, Kirara and I lived in the other. I'd never been happier. I saw everyone every day, but I could still get some quiet time if I wanted.

Don't get me wrong. It wasn't like we didn't do anything. None of us could cope with complete inactivity. We still traveled a lot, working as on-the-go demon slayers. Sometimes, Inuyasha would randomly decided we were going on a trip, and all of us would pack up and head off for a couple of days to wherever the hell he decided, and then we got the twig-poking and midnight-ass-rubbing experience all over again. When we actually stayed in the village, Kagome worked as a priestess to keep busy, and Inuyasha was teaching Shippou how to really fight (cause he sure as hell needed it). My dad was a monk, and my mom and I were still Taijiyas, so we were never out of money or a job. And all of us were helping to collaborate on a detailed history of the demon slayers, so we could actually get it down on paper. It was in a sense our history, too, and I felt a pang when she wrote about Kohaku and the fight. It was nice to know what actually happened, though.

Not too long after we settled in we finally had the wedding. It was on a warm day in early autumn, before the cold set in. I knew this because at one point I had to sprint out of my mom's hut, trying not to scream. God! My mom was such a friggin' valley girl! I mean, she was getting married, sure, but she had a teenage daughter, too, and she didn't need to be squealing every five seconds! It didn't help that Kagome and Kirara were just as hyper and just as annoying. Of course I was so happy for my parents, but I needed a bit of quiet time too.

I sat down on the grass, and then swore in my head. My mom would probably yell at me now for getting grass stains on my new yukata, but whatever. I fingered the rich silk sleeves. It was a soft coral color, with little cherry blossoms in red embroidered on it. It was so new I swore I could have smelled the silk worms. We'd all gotten new clothes for the wedding. I smiled as I thought that I almost missed my old, bloody, torn, disgusting yukata. I still had it, buried in one of my old chests. There was no way I could have lived without that thing.

I stood up and walked over to the other hut where the boys were getting ready. I was only halfway there when I first heard the screaming.

"Inuyasha, put on the damn kimono!"

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

"Put it on, Inuyasha!"

"Why the hell should I?"

"Because your old one is disgusting."

"AND?"

"PUT ON THE DAMN KIMONO!"

"Hi guys." I said, easily stepping in. My father was already wearing his traditional Shinto wedding garments – the long, black overshirt over the striped black and gray hakamas and white undershirt, and he was holding a white fan in one hand. I was shocked to see him out of the monk's outfit, because it was the only thing I'd ever seen him wear. Miroku looked very…regal in the wedding outfit. Shippou had changed, too, wearing a clean blue kimono that didn't look half bad on him. I think he was trying to act very grown-up at my mom's wedding, because I could tell that it was a bit too big for him.

And the only one I was NOT shocked to see was Inuyasha – not wearing the traditional kimono we'd picked out for him to wear.

"Why won't you wear it, Inuyasha? It's red." I protested.

"What's wrong with my old one?" He grunted, crossing his arms. "I just don't like it." We glared at each other – he was very stubborn when he wanted to be.

But I had my secret weapon.

"KAAAA-GOOO-MEEEEE!" I screeched. His face dropped like a rock.

"Yes, dear?" Her voice wafted back.

"INUYASHA WON'T PUT ON THE KIMONO!"

My dad was smiling triumphantly and Shippou was grinning evilly. Inuyasha's mouth dropped.

"I hate you, Kaza." He whispered.

I just arched an eyebrow and smiled as Kagome's voice shot back – "SIT, BOY!"

As he was thrown to the floor, I said loudly, "I can have her do that as much as you want, dog boy!"

"Alright already! DAMN YOU, Kaza!" He swore, as Shippou cackled and pulled out the kimono.

"Thanks, Kaza." My dad said, turning to me. "That yukata looks beautiful on you. I'm not used to seeing you out of that old disgusting one."

"I liked my old yukata!" I protested. "But anyway, I'm not used to seeing you out of the monk's outfit."

"Fair enough. How's your mother?"

"Acting like a teenager, and so's Kagome, but they're doing great. She looks amazing in that kimono – I guess I should go help them finish up."

"Sure. Just call us when you're ready."

My mom's voice came across the clearing a moment later – "Kaza! Come here, you have to put on your obi!"

"Damn." I swore. "I hate the obi."

My father smiled. "You'll look gorgeous in whatever you wear. Go."

I was smiling the whole way back to the hut. He'd called me gorgeous. It sent little tingles down my spine even as Kagome and my mom tied up the obi around my waist. I hate the obi – it's too restricting, and I've always preferred to wear my yukata without it. But for this…I think I could handle it.

We weren't exactly very rich – being Taijiyas was enough to make a living, but it wasn't exactly a lucrative business. So my parents weren't going to have the elaborate and traditional Japanese wedding ceremony most couples had – anyway, since the couple was in their thirties and already had a teenage daughter it'd be a disgrace to get married in public. But we were determined not to skimp my mother out on the beautiful Uchikake wedding kimono, so it was with a lot of days going hungry and no luxuries for a while that my mother was able to step out of the hut in that gorgeous kimono.

It was layer after layer of pure white silk that sharply contrasted her dark, dark hair and eyes, and the outer layer was richly embroidered in silver and dropped all the way to the floor. It took both Kagome and I for her to be able to even walk in it. Her face was powdered white, her lips were blood-red, and she was wearing the traditional white headdress. I don't think any of us were used to seeing her looking this elegant, this radiant. Her face was beaming as Miroku came up and took her arm, and we all walked up to the tiny temple together. Kagome was wearing a black Tomosode kimono that she managed to unearth from god-knows-where. It would have been just as expensive as my mom's, because Tomosode kimonos where only worn on a close friend or relatives' wedding. Black looked good on her, though, and she was wearing a red obi that matched Inuyasha's bright red kimono. Throw in me in pink, Shippou in blue and cream-colored Kirara, and we were just like a rainbow when we all got to the temple.

It was a short ceremony – thank God. I think everyone's favorite part was when we all passed around sake to symbolize my mom and dad's union now. Kagome acted as the go-between and priestess, and by the time they had placed the twigs of Sakaki on the altar as tribute to the gods, we all just wanted to it to be over and done with.

And then it was done – Kagome said the final words, and my parents gazed right at each other.

"I love you." They said in unison, and then promptly made out.

Not many people would make out at their wedding, but then again, we're talking about my parents here.

So what happened next? Let's briefly recap –

Inuyasha got very drunk off sake, I ditched to the bathroom as soon as I possibly could to change into my old yukata (much to the dismay of my mother), Shippou and Kirara played tag and knocked over all the rice balls and sake, and my parent's wedding speech consisted of a, 'Thank you guys so much,' and then another make-out session.

But the biggest surprise was yet to come. It was late in the evening, and we were all in the huts again. We were all calm – Shippou and Kirara were asleep in the corner, my parents were holding hands, and Kagome stood up and cleared her throat. I knew something was up immediately when she was smiling like I'd never seen her before.

"Everyone…well, I think since today is probably the best day of Miroku and Sango's lives, I've got an announcement too…"

That's when I realized what she was going to say – WHOA, SHIT!

"I'm pregnant." She whispered.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, clattering over a table in his haste. His eyes were huge, and he placed his hands on Kagome's shoulders, looking right into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" He said softly. "Remember what happened with the last babies? I don't want you to get hurt again, Kagome. I couldn't bear it."

The rest of us were still kind of reeling from the shock. Shippou and Kirara were fully awake by now, and my mom had kind of a glazed look in her eyes.

But Kagome just said confidently, "This one's going to be different, Inuyasha, I can feel it. This baby's going to be the one – trust me."

So we did. And by God, was that a crazy nine months.

One day Kagome and Inuyasha would fight like crazy, screaming and yelling, and then the next day I'd walk in to borrow some rice and see them snuggled up, his hands on her expanding stomach. I felt so bad that she'd had so many miscarriages, because you could just tell she loved being pregnant – her face was glowing, and her eyes were sparkling every day. (This is ignoring the morning sickness and the days when she was grumpy.) So when the ninth month came around, all of us, down to Kirara, were just hoping and praying that this one would be the one – for Inuyasha's sake as much as hers.


I have seen demons with their eyes gorged out, their stomachs clawed out, their bodies torn to pieces by lions, hearts pierced by swords, ripped in two by wind, and with their bodies blown up by lightning. I thought those were bad.

Then Kagome had a baby, and I found out how wrong I was.

"PUSH, KAGOME!" My mom shrieked. Normally now would be the time when I would add wryly, Ya might wanna try a little louder, Mama, but now was probably not the time. Kagome's body was trembling with the contractions as blood spilled out. She wasn't really screaming yet, but her face was turning steadily purple, so I figured it would be coming soon enough.

My mom and I were poised between her legs, and my dad was saying prayers over her. Shippou and Kirara were running back and forth with water, and Inuyasha was the one holding her hands and looking in her eyes.

"Come on, Kagome, look at me, right at me, that's it." He murmured as tears started to leak out of her eyes. She hadn't said a word since she'd gone into labor and it was starting to worry me. "You can do it, girl, come on, stay with me."

My mom tsked as she gazed between Kagome's legs. "Not good." She whispered to me, so Kagome wouldn't hear. "There's nothing here. I know there's a baby, but it sure isn't coming out."

"How come you're so…brave about this?" I whispered back. All the blood was starting to freak me out. "It's really scary."

"Because Kagome did this exact thing for me when you were born." Sango said softly. "I owe her one."

Suddenly Kagome began screaming at the top of her lungs. "IT'S NOT COMING, IT'S NOT COMING, INUYASHA! THIS ISN'T THE ONE, IT ISN'T! I'M GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER BABY!" She was really crying now, and curled up in a little ball.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Inuyasha bellowed back, grabbing her hands and pulling her out. It almost seemed like one of their fights, so I was almost laughing. "YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THIS BABY! COME ON, WENCH, I KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO THIS!" (Only Inuyasha would call his wife a wench when she's giving birth.)

But it worked.

"Oh my God, it's a head." My mom gasped. "Kagome, it's coming! Come on, girl, PUSH IT!"

Her face scrunched up as she screamed, her hands squeezed tightly onto Inuyasha's. My dad mopped off her face as my mom yelled at me to get a towel and some hot water ready. The contractions were coming hot and fast, and Kagome was screaming bloody murder. Inuyasha's face was as pale as snow, but he was still holding her hands, still holding her. My dad was murmuring prayers non-stop and my mom was completely in the zone and I was really rushed, trying to heat the water, and Shippou's teeth were chattering nervously, and Kirara was mewing like crazy, and Kagome was still screaming and it was all just happening so fast…

And then it all slowed down as I got to my knees and saw that bright red baby drop straight into my mother's hands.

The most perfect little baby in the world.

My mom passed it to me, and without really thinking, I bundled it up in a towel and then rushed it over to dip it in some warm water. I heard everyone sigh in unison behind me as I bundled it up. The baby started to cry as I cleaned the crap out of its mouth, and that's when I looked down and realized –

"K-Kagome…" I said shakily, "It-it's a g-girl."

Quite frankly, my dad cracked up, and Shippou grinned. Kagome gasped.

And as I wiped the slime off her little head, I saw that she had a shock of black hair, just like Kagome, and barely protruding were two little black dog ears.

"Oh. My. God." I whispered, picking her up. "I can't believe this."

"What!" They all screamed. I turned around and raised her up, laughing.

"See for yourself!"

The responses differed from laughter to gasps to outright, 'What the hell?' (That was my mom.)

"She's a quarter demon." Kagome whispered, sitting up. Inuyasha was crying as he got up and took his little baby girl from me – actually crying, silent tears coming from his big amber eyes. (I would blackmail him with this later.) He rocked her, his clawed fingers touching her little ears, and then he brought her over to Kagome and whispered,

"It's our daughter, Kagome. She looks just like you."

Kagome looked so serene as she took her baby, then chuckled and said, "I think she got the ears from her daddy."

From there the mood in the room died down. We all had to wash our hands and clean the hut – it was my hut, so I wanted to be able to sleep without blood all over the floor – as Inuyasha and Kagome played with their new baby. She had big brown eyes like Kagome. Finally I asked,

"Hey, what's her name?"

They stared at each other and Inuyasha said, "I like Kaida."

"Little dragon." Kagome whispered. "I like it, too. Kaida – it suits her. She sure came out like a little dragon."

We all laughed, secretly thankful that Kaida had been the one. The baby turned to me and stared right at me with her big brown eyes, and again I thought, She's the most perfect baby in the world.

In the middle of the night, I was lying awake in my hut when I heard a thin, high crying coming from Inuyasha and Kagome's hut. Kaida. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Kagome shouldn't have to get up and feed her in the middle of the night – she'd been through enough today. So I wrapped a shawl around my shoulders, tiptoed past my parents cuddled up with Kirara in between them, and slipped in through the back door (which Inuyasha never closes). The proud parents were completely knocked out after the long day, and Shippou was curled in a little ball and looking perfectly serene. Kaida was lying in her crib, crying her little lungs out, and before they could wake up, I picked her up and slipped back outside.

At first I was worried she wouldn't settle down because I wasn't her mother, but Kaida wasn't like that. As soon as we got outside and she breathed in the crisp air, she quieted down, those amazing brown eyes looking up at me. I held her close to me, whispering little nonsense words, and sat down in the grass.

The sky that night was beautiful – there weren't many stars, but you don't need stars to have a perfect night. The few stars that were out twinkled and shined like tiny diamonds in a soft, black, velvet cloak. The air was sharp and crisp, and as I plopped down something occurred to me.

It'd been a full year ever since I'd first set out to find my father. We'd spent three months traveling, and another nine months here in the village – twelve months, four seasons. I hadn't even realized it, but now that I thought about it, in a month or two my sixteenth birthday would be coming around. Wow. It hadn't even seemed that long.

Kaida started fussing again, her breathing a bit irregular, and I opened her little mouth and cleaned out the thick goop with the sleeve of my yukata. She'd been like that all day – I figured she'd get over it sooner or later, but I was really worried about her in the meantime. I sighed and wiped my yukata on the grass – and then suddenly caught myself.

For the first time I realized that I'd helped deliver a baby this morning. A year ago, when I'd first set out, I couldn't even save myself. I remembered Inuyasha telling my mom when we were in the forest – Your daughter is a seriously pathetic fighter – she can't even defend herself. Kaida pulled at my yukata sleeve, and I reached up and felt the bumpy scar underneath the cotton. My mistakes, my idiocy – I let myself get stabbed, and even get captured when I should have known better.

And then I grinned when I remembered that I was the girl who killed Naraku – twice! I was the one who rid Japan of a demon who'd made all our lives a living hell – who'd cursed us all, who'd killed us all inside where it really mattered. He was the reason I had an uncle I never knew I had, he was the reason Kagura wanted so badly to be free – he was the reason I had the damn Kazaana in the first place! And I was the one who killed him. Me. Kaza. A little village girl from rural Japan with a single mother and a pet cat, who's only hobby was sucking farms into the cursed wind tunnel in her hand. (Pretty ghetto, huh?)

Kaida wiggled her little demon ears, and I tweaked them with a giggle. Of course. The girl's only 25 percent demon and of course the part of Inuyasha that gets passed on is the ears. She looked so much like her mom, though, it was almost disturbing.

Inuyasha. Kagome. Shippou. Kirara. My mom, Sango, and my dad, Miroku. We were all brought together through this all – in this year I'd found them all. Saving my father was just the first step – I think we all finally came to know ourselves, and that we're stronger when we're together than by ourselves. I mean, I didn't defeat Naraku on my own (as much as I'd like to say I did). Everyone helped me – right down to Kouga, Kagura and Kohaku. Even Kanna – she was the one who helped me to realize who I really am – and I'm not the Daughter of the Wind.

Just Kaza.

Just a little village girl, with a young, wonderful demon slayer for a mom, and a disturbed, flirtacious monk for a dad. I have a crazy, half-demon uncle Inuyasha, a sweet, loveable aunt Kagome, my equally crazy little brother Shippou, my brand new baby sister Kaida – and the most perfect life in the world.

As I sat there, with little baby Kaida in my arms, a soft wind wound through the field, and that's when I decided that maybe there are such things as happy endings.

Xx The End xX


Oh my God, it's done!

I honestly can't believe it either – this story is 95 pages and about the same number of reviews! I think none of us really thought the story would be this long, or that I'd get so many reviews – I didn't know people liked the story that much! Well, this chapter was a bit drawn out and/or cheesy, but hey. Let's bear with Kaza as she has her little moment of glory with the baby. I think she deserves it after all the crap I've put her through.

So as a final note, thank you all so much for the reviews and support through this story, and please press that pretty blue-purple button one last time and tell me what you think! Arigatou! SANGOXMIROKU FOREVER! – Pegelia VonBorrador