A/N: Sorry about no update yesterday. I wasn't happy with the first draft of this chapter, so I went through and re did it. I think that quality over the time I get them out should be more important, ne? Anyway, after this there's only 9 chapters, so it should be over fairly quickly...

Also, I shouldn't have to at this moment in time, but there might be an instance where I miss an update because I've been working on my schools literary magazine. I signed up and got the part of "copy editor" (translation: Teh Grammar Nazi! I am SO happy with this position...can't imagine why. :D) so I'll be going through red penning quite a few things soon. But as I said, I shouldn't be that busy with it until spring, so nothing really to worry about.


Chapter 40: Our Own Paradise

Even though I had said before that I didn't want to return back home so soon, that is what I ultimately ended up doing because I didn't have any clothes to wear in the Sengoku Jidai. I thought returning to my home would be like normal, except for the matter that I had decided never to go back to school again.

Surprisingly, Mama agreed to this. I was afraid she would tell me that I had to go back to school, despite the fact that the incident days before left me terrified that only worse would happen if I came back. Some call that cowardice, and perhaps it is, and though I had faced down youkai without an ounce of fear (most of the time), I had never been so afraid to face people more in my life.

Inuyasha knew what I was going through; he had to endure that sort of thing all through his life. It was through that tie that we seemed to bond a little bit more, both of us understanding what the other went through. I think that was why he was a bit nicer to me in the days afterward the incident.

But when we came back home, to me spending some days alone while Jii-chan ran the shrine, Mama was out doing errands, and Souta off at school, Inuyasha also decided to leave me for hours at a time. He didn't say what for, but all he told me that he was in no danger, but it was urgent that he go back and stay for some hours everyday. I tried to convince him to let me go back, as I was curious, but he absolutely forbid me from going back with him.

I kept asking, kept trying to sneak back, but he always got to me before I found out enough to guess what he was doing. When I kept pressing and started to get angry, all he would reveal that it was a surprise, and he was almost ready to show me. I began to wonder what kind of "surprise" could have taken more than a week, but alas, I could not guess. Finally, after so long, Inuyasha came, to bring me back and show me…


Sango sat on the hill overlooking the village, her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes focused on the huts and people below. Kirara was at her side, rolled up into a ball and slumbering slightly.

Inuyasha said he was bringing Kagome-chan back today, she remembered, feeling slightly anxious because she hadn't seen her friend in over a week since Inuyasha demanded she stay in her time. The exterminator smiled slightly. I'm glad…I know she'll love it when she finds out…

But the smile slid from her face, as she remembered that even after this, Kagome would probably spend more time with Inuyasha, now that their secret was revealed. And with the baby, she would probably want to spend more time resting rather than talking with her… After all, she and Inuyasha are mates, and have no need of hiding it anymore. They won't have time for us…

Thinking about this led her think on her own situation. With Kagome openly admitting what she did with Inuyasha, and not caring that Naraku was still alive, it brought Sango to think about herself and Miroku. Kagome-chan wasn't afraid…but I am.

She lowered her head to rest on her knees, her arms pulling them closer. Houshi-sama…I know that I…But I'm still afraid. I know he says that I'm the first woman that he ever truly…loved…but there have been several other women in his life. What if he compares me to them, in time? I'm not nearly as pretty, or as flirtatious, or…anything that he usually goes for. What if I'm only a passing fancy, and he'll soon be looking at another after me?

Sango felt a pang in her heart at the thought. Even after he admitted he loved her, she was still so afraid that Miroku might see another as a replacement for her. And then there was the other problem. We haven't defeated Naraku yet…And Kohaku…Kagome-chan could give in, but I couldn't. I can't…not until Naraku is destroyed. For Kohaku…I can't risk anything else that isn't already at stake.

But Houshi-sama…I'm a bit afraid…Maybe I'm afraid to show what I feel because…I've never felt this way about another man in my whole life.

Sango heard Kirara mew affectionately towards her, and she lifted up her head, just enough that her eyes could see over her knees. Miroku was walking towards her, with a small smile on his face. Her heart gave a loud thump in her chest.

Lifting up her head fully, she looked back at him, speaking hesitantly, "Houshi-sama…"

"Sango," he replied, sitting down next to her. Seeing that warmth in his indigo eyes made it impossible for her to turn away. "It seems Inuyasha had just left to bring Kagome-sama back."

"I'm glad…I've been worrying about her, ever since Inuyasha told us of what happened to her in her time," she told him, her eyes finally lowering. "I hope that this makes her happy."

"You think it won't?" Miroku smirked, "At this point, Sango, I think anything Inuyasha does—besides tell her about her extraordinary weight gain—will make her happy."

Sango couldn't help but grin at his joke. "True," she nodded. There a pause between them, that soon turned into an awkward, uncomfortable silence. An unspoken question hung between them, before the exterminator spoke up. "Houshi-sama…I think I know why you came to me today."

"Sango—"

"Houshi-sama, I…I want to apologize…for the way I have treated you all this time." Miroku did not speak as Sango turned away, continuing. "It was wrong of me to do such a thing without giving you an explanation. Houshi-sama I…I just…"

Miroku sighed, "It's all right, Sango. I think I under—"

"No!" she cut him off, turning back to him with tears in her eyes. "No, you don't understand! Houshi-sama…it's not that…it's not that I don't care about you at all…" The monk looked a bit surprised as she spoke those words, her hand gliding over to grasp his in a movement that was, before, too intimate for her. "In fact…I care for you more than any other man in my life." she finished in a hesitant whisper.

"But that's why I'm scared…" Her heart was thumping madly in her chest as she continued her confession. "Houshi-sama…with Naraku, and Kagome-chan, and all other problems…I'm just not ready, right now. I didn't know how to say it before, but now…Houshi-sama," she gulped, "can you understand that?"

Sango was left hanging, as Miroku paused for a moment, his eyes slightly wider with her confession. "Sango," he began softly, "I can understand why you're afraid…You see…a while ago, I was afraid as well. I was afraid of what would happen if we began some sort of relationship, and my kazaana decided to take my life." He glanced down at the glove covering his cursed hand before continuing, "What would happen to you if you ended up in the same position as Kagome-sama? How could I leave you with a child to take care of on your own? How could I leave you at all, if our relationship became like that? Sango…ever since the first day I've known you, I've noticed a sadness that hid behind your eyes…all I've ever wanted was to remove that sadness; to make you happy."

"You make me happy Houshi-sama," she murmured, eyes full of longing. "You make me happy when you're here, with me."

As the monk looked down at her, a smile once again came upon his face, and this time, upon hers as well. They stared at each other, as the breeze blew by, for a short time, while an understanding came upon them after so long. Still smiling, they looked back down at the village, and Sango leaned slightly against Miroku, who leaned back, wrapping an arm around her, and pulling her towards him.

It wasn't quite exactly where they had wanted to be, but it was close. And close was better than nothing.


"Inuyasha, you owe it to me to tell me what this 'surprise' or yours is," Kagome muttered, crossing her arms and tapping her foot in annoyance.

The hanyou rolled his eyes as he climbed out of the well after her, having helped her out first. "Oh, be patient, woman, you'll know soon enough." He had been getting the same speech every time he'd come back to her time after being gone for so long.

"Well maybe I'm a little bit anxious!" she yelled at him, waving her arms in frustration. "You kept leaving for hours on end over the past week without telling me what you've been doing, so of course I want to know! It's not easy sitting at home, doing nothing, and wondering if you're actually doing this 'surprise' or just out trying to get yourself killed—"

"Oh, come on!" he snorted, "Do you think that I would dare do that with you like this? You'd never let me hear the end of it." He started walking in the direction of the village, slowing his usual pace so he could walk alongside of Kagome, who seemed to be a lot slower ever since she had stated gaining weight.

Kagome gave an angry sigh and folded her arms again, pouting. They continued walking, before Inuyasha stopped, turning back to her as they got in view of the village. "Hang on," he stood in front of her, preventing her from going any further. "Close your eyes."

She stared, "What?"

"Close your eyes, dummy!"

"Wait a minute!" she shouted back, "Why do I have to close my eyes?"

"Because."

"That's not a good enough reason for me."

Sighing, and realizing arguing wasn't going to work with her, Inuyasha told her, "Kagome, don't you trust me?"

She retorted, "I do trust you, Inuyasha."

"Then just close your eyes…I want to make this special, Kagome…"

The softness in his words made her sigh, and she did as she was told and closed her eyes. "But don't you dare let me trip, Inuyasha."

She heard a small laugh come from him as he put his arms around her and guided her out of the forest to the village, determined not to let her fall. In her mind, she was able to tell where they were in relation to the village, until he turned in another direction, leading her away to unfamiliar territory. Kagome fought the urge to open her eyes. "Inuyasha, where are we going?"

"You'll see," he answered, "Just keep your eyes closed. We're almost there."

Her heart sped up in anticipation as they got closer, and finally came to a stop. Inuyasha removed his arms from around her. "Okay Kagome, open your eyes."

She did, and gasped.

In front of her, stood a rather large hut, the smell of freshly cut wood all around her. She glanced back towards the village and saw that this hut was a little bit away, allowing for extra privacy. Looking back at the hut, she for once, felt entirely speechless.

"Inuyasha…this is…is this…"

He smiled softly, "Yes Kagome, it's ours."

Ours…That word caused her heart to melt into a pile of mush once again. "Can we go in?"

"Keh, what do you think I brought you here for, woman?" he asked, taking her hands softly, and leading her past the curtain into the main room of the hut, already outfitted with some simple things they would need. Kagome looked all around; at the thick wooden walls, the sturdy ceiling, the hard wood floor beneath her.

Her heart began beating again, but this time out of sheer wonder. "Inuyasha…you…did you make this?"

Inuyasha smiled again, that smile that she knew so well now…It used to be his arrogant smirk, but now it had transformed, giving her a feeling of more love than she had ever known. "You said you didn't want to live in your time anymore…and I thought…"

A smile blossomed on her face as well, and she was fighting back the urge to run up to him and kiss him more passionately than he had ever been kissed before…but that could wait. She had noticed that there were two other bamboo-like curtains separating parts of the hut. "There's more?"

"Yeah, let me show you…" Inuyasha led her eagerly into the smaller room, which looked vacant of anything at the moment.

"What's this?" Kagome asked, not understanding.

Inuyasha grinned again, and this time, he pulled her closer to him, his hand resting on her belly. "It's the baby's room."

"Oh…" Kagome saw that look in his eyes again; that look that she now recognized as his feelings of fatherhood. "I like that idea…"

"You'll like it even more when I show you this." Inuyasha led her back into the main room, and this time took her into the larger room. This one had some things in it, including a large, soft mattress and pillows, a few blankets, and even a piece of fabric hanging like a curtain around the bed, acting as a barrier of sorts. "This is our room."

Kagome sat down on the mattress, awed at how soft it was. It was obviously stuffed with something other than the usual straw. Inuyasha came and sat down beside her, his amber eyes hesitating, as if unsure of her reaction. When he looked back at her, she had a bright smile on her face, "Inuyasha…this house for us…I love it…"

He smiled back. "Good." Then, he did what she hadn't expected; he flopped down on the bed and rolled over, as if trying to go to sleep.

But Kagome would have none of that. "What are you doing?"

One amber eye popped open. "I'm sleeping, woman. You think it's easy to build something like this? Even for me?"

She giggled, and when it had subsided, she took one of his hands in her own, her thumb running over his fingers affectionately. "Now what are you doing?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You built this hut…all on your own for us…" Kagome placed a small kiss on the back of his fingers, before whispering, "With your own two hands…" She slowly turned his hand over and placed a kiss on his palm, the hanyou jerking wide awake to sit up next to her.

"Umm…Kagome…my hands didn't do all the work…I did some too!" he piped up, pouting that his hands were getting all the attention. Kagome pulled away and chuckled slightly once more, before shifting closer to him, reaching up and tracing his cheeks with her slender hand.

"Maybe you're right," she smiled, "I guess I'll have to thank you, then."

"Keh, you'd better. You know how much work this was? I deserve a good thanks every now and then."

Kagome moved closer, leaning up to him, her eyes halfway closed. "Inuyasha…" she whispered erotically, a centimeter away from his lips.

"Yeah?" he whispered, leaning down closer, preparing to kiss her softly and sweetly, just like she deserved…

Unfortunately, his plans were foiled. Not that he minded much. Kagome placed her hands on his shoulders and slammed him down on to the mattress, leaning over him and aggressively pressing her mouth against his. Though it wasn't what Inuyasha expected, there was no way in Hell he wasn't going to stop sitting there and enjoying it.

When Kagome finally let up (mostly because they needed air) she sighed, "I love you so much, Inuyasha!"

"Yeah, I know," he began, before Kagome turned away in a false pout, making no sign of moving back. Inuyasha sighed in defeat, "I love you, too, okay?"

She grinned back, "Thank you." before kissing him passionately again.

It was a wonderful moment. She and Inuyasha, and their future child, were in their hut…their home…a place of their own. In a world of suffering and sorrow, here, they had found their little bit of paradise.