AN: What's this? An update two weeks in a row? This could only be because…I need more time for My Sanctuary. 😆 I know it's short, but still, I hope you enjoy the end, guys! This time it's for real.

Epilogue: The Border Opening

Six months later

Sesshoumaru stared at the skeletons of the buildings before him, their frames like picked-over ribcages drying in a wasteland. And yet, these bones were growing, not decaying, and this area was far from a wasteland.

In the almost fifteen years since the armistice had been signed, the Zone of Neutrality had become a little strip of paradise.

He relished the quiet serenity of this place. True, the North was not as loud as Setsuna had proclaimed the South to be, but his palace was always a hive of activity, and living life as a lord in a castle had never suited him. While he did not begrudge a roof over his head, a forest canopy often suited his needs in those regards, and the grass was softer than a tatami mat.

Once, he had thought his calling lay in combat, slaking his wander- and battle lust, but marching with a purpose did not wholly appease his spontaneous, transient nature, and the slaughter of humans left him empty and unfulfilled.

But then he had met Rin and eventually discovered his true calling: protecting her and—later—their life together, which somehow morphed into a call to bring peace between humans and demons rather than war.

Once they married, it hadn't mattered to him that they would live in little more than a shack (though the shacks of the South were still more luxurious than their equivalent in the North), because they would be living in it together—never mind that his version of "living with Rin" was more akin to "visiting her" when his duties as a general allowed it. Their time together as husband and wife had been painfully short, but over the past fifteen years, for the first time in his life, he longed to return with his entire being to a single point in the past, for in those precious months with her, he had never felt happier and more at ease with who he was.

So to know that they would be living here once again was a balm to his soul…although he was upgrading their living accommodations to make them fit for the lady of the lord general of the dog demon clan. Besides, he inferred from the stories Setsuna had told him that she, Rin, Inuyasha, and Kagome hadn't been well-off for much of her childhood. He intended to make sure they never wanted for anything again.

Towa slipped out of the maze of wood and back down to his side. "It's looking good, Papa! I can't wait until it's done!"

Neither could he. Until today, he had been commuting back and forth between his palace and the Zone to check on the construction and attend meetings with Southern officials.

But today…he would no longer need to make that commute.

Towa nestled herself into the crook of his fur. "I can't believe they're finally coming today! It feels like it's been forever since I've seen them and at the same time like just yesterday."

It did not feel like "just yesterday" to Sesshoumaru. After all, the last view he had had of his wife and youngest daughter had been six months ago as they were carried into ambulances and driven away from him.

It had taken every fiber of willpower he possessed not to push away the Southern guards surrounding him and fly after them, international consequences be damned. But he had given Towa the Tenseiga and with it his trust that she would see to their family's wellbeing should the worst happen.

However, knowing their lives were in jeopardy every second, Sesshoumaru had not fought when the guards ushered him back beneath The Wall. Rather, he had leapt at the chance to run to his mother, aware she was the only one who would give him any indication of whether or not his wife and daughter survived.

So many hours passed after her reached her that a small hope began to bloom in his soul, telling him Rin and Setsuna had pulled through and would survive the shooting.

And then his Mother's sharp intake of breath alerted him to just the opposite a mere second before she said, "Setsuna."

His heart crumbled to ash in his chest.

The little girl he had held mere moments after her birth—the little girl who had fit so snugly into two such dangerous hands drenched with the blood of thousands—had died.

The little girl who had stormed into battle mere weeks ago and walked away a proud victor had died.

His little girl was dead, and there was nothing he could do to save her.

The darkness of that night mirrored his soul, and it was only belatedly that he realized why the world seemed to mourn with him.

It was a new moon.

His daughter succumbing to her injuries then made sense…but it provided no relief. Rather, he cursed the moon and the pull it had on his daughters. He would never curse them for their weakness in being half-demons as he might have once. Not when it was his fault for making them what they were—not that he would change anything about them.

When Setsuna asked to speak to him, he did not hesitate. He had faith that Towa would save her. She was powerful enough to wield Tenseiga.

But a part of him said, Speak with your daughter…just in case this is the last time.

Then he heard her cry for Towa and watched her disappear from the path to the netherworld, and a phoenix of joy and gratitude sprouted from the ashes of his heart.

He resolved never to let his family out of his sight again.

Of course, that had been easier said than done. After Setsuna's close call, Towa managed to send him a message through Shiori about what had happened, reassuring him that both Rin and Setsuna were safe. He was thankful she never needed to use Tenseiga on Rin.

However, Towa decided to use her emergency tourist visa to its limit, staying in the South for the full three months she was allowed. He did not begrudge her for choosing to stay with her mother and sister, especially since she said Rin needed looking after for a while once she woke up. Having been shot in the shoulder, her arm had had been out of commission while she healed.

Though Sesshoumaru had felt the loss of both his daughters in what had become a much-quieter palace, he used that time to ram through his requests to the South and speed up their timeline on the relocation project. Using the incident at the border to his advantage, he was able to squeeze a stipulation out of them: while the rest of the populace would still have to wait a couple years before being able to move in, the Southern government would grant his immediate family—which included his brother's—permission to enter the Zone eighteen months earlier than planned to live with him, on the condition that they would act as the "boots on the ground" in overseeing the planning and construction of the developments there.

Sesshoumaru accepted. After all, what good was having all this power if it didn't bring personal gain? Even Kirinmaru had taken advantage of the agreement. Rion, now having found the freedom from her father's overbearing ways that she had always craved, wanted to live in the Zone as well, so like Sesshoumaru, he too was building a home for his daughter, though on the eastern side of the Zone near the Kirin Gate.

Then, three months ago, Towa had returned to the North, giving him a full update on the status of their family in the South.

Setsuna was determined not only to catch up on the schooling she missed but to recover all the grades that Towa had demolished. She also wanted to finish out the school year, as it would be her last time attending school in-person. She and Rin had been in the process of figuring out the best way for her to continue her education remotely so that she could still earn her diploma.

The family had put the building housing the shop and their two-story apartment up for sale and notified Rin's customers that her flower shop would be closing down soon. Apparently, her customers had been very disheartened to hear that she was going out of business but also overjoyed for her that she would be reunited with her whole family soon.

Kagome was making sure to give Moroha a taste of Southern life while she could. (They would be allowed to cross back into the South once they moved into the Zone, receiving a special clearance that all inhabitants would receive, but apparently, it just wouldn't be the same, Towa relayed.) Moroha's introduction to the South hadn't been ideal, but his niece had always been able to shuck off bad experiences, so she hadn't held the shooting against the country itself.

As for the shooting, once word had gotten out about it, Towa claimed the country went into an uproar. While Sesshoumaru was still not certain how exactly Towa had made such a name for Setsuna (and herself) while there, he understood the gist of it: Towa (as Setsuna) had touched the hearts of millions through the media, and when Southerners learned one of the famous half-demon daughters of General Sesshoumaru had been shot, they nearly rioted. Protests went up around the government buildings, demanding justice for Setsuna and Rin. Since Shiori had also put out a press release about the recent Zone of Neutrality Rehabilitation Agreement, many people pushed the Southern government to hurry up and open this "safe space" for half-demons faster.

Being pressured from both their own people and Sesshoumaru, the South caved and not only acquiesced to Sesshoumaru's personal request but also sped up its own timeline. Sesshoumaru's building project was not the only construction happening in the Zone.

Then there was the shooter. As a member of the Southern military, he had been court martialed for two counts of attempted murder (among other charges), dishonorably discharged, and sentenced to life in prison.

Sesshoumaru would have preferred to eviscerate the man himself, but Towa told him that life in prison would be worse, since he would have to live out his days in unending monotony. "Death would be too easy," she said.

On that, he and his daughter would have to disagree. But then, she had her mother's heart, so he wasn't surprised.

The whine of a car engine reached his ears just then, and soon the crunch of gravel beneath wheels accompanied it. Mere seconds later, Jaken's high-pitched cry joined the mix.

"Milord, I've brought them!"

As if he couldn't already hear them. But right now Sesshoumaru was too happy to knock Jaken off A-Un's back with a well-aimed rock.

He turned around just as the car drove up. Towa ran forward before it even stopped, hopping around front of it like an excited puppy. So happy was she that when all four doors opened, she jerked first one way and then the other, obviously unsure upon whom to bestow her affections first. She chose her sister and cousin, who clambered out of the same door in the back.

That suited him fine, for it left the path to his wife free.

"Setsuna! Moroha!" Towa cried out, bounding over and wrapping them both in a hug. "I can't believe you're finally here!"

Since Setsuna was ensconced in her sister's embrace, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to Rin. She turned smiling eyes from their daughters to him, and he strode straight for her, glancing over her body, looking for any signs of injury or illness. He could detect nothing; she seemed to have recovered well from the gunshot.

"Sesshoumaru," she sighed in contentment as he reached her and grasped her hands.

"Rin. You and Setsuna are well?"

She squeezed his hands. "Yes. We're sorry to have worried you."

"As long as you are safe—that is all that matters."

Towa danced over to her mother, dragging Setsuna with her, and wrapped her arms around her. "Mama, how are you? Is your shoulder doing alright?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart—thank you for asking. Oh, it's so good to see you again. I missed you so much, my baby girl!" Rin said, hugging Towa back and kissing her head.

"I missed you too, Mama." She tugged Setsuna closer to them and then held out her arm to him. "Papa, come here—don't be shy! Family hug!"

Inuyasha snorted. "That'll be the day," he grumbled.

Sesshoumaru ignored him, coming over and putting one hand each against Rin's and Setsuna's backs. "It is good you are home."

Setsuna shyly laid her head against his arm. "It's good to see you again, Father."

"Well I'll be," Inuyasha muttered from the other side of the car.

"Another word, Inuyasha, and you can build your own house," Sesshoumaru answered without looking at him.

"L-Like I'd live in anything you built anyway!" Inuyasha shot back.

Kagome gasped, looking at the rising timbers around them. "Sesshoumaru, do you mean it? Is this a house…for all of us?"

"Well, technically, it's more like a family complex," Towa explained. "Our house is that one," she said, pointing to the building with the forest at its back. "And that one's going to be yours," she added, pointing to another building in the field a little distance away. The two were connected by what was shaping up to be a thin, covered walkway.

"Oh my," Rin murmured, looking over the scope of it their new home. "It's lovely, Sesshoumaru, but…it's so big. What are we going to do with all that space? We're only four people. Unless…." She gulped. "Is your…mother joining us?"

"No. She may visit, if it pleases her, but she prefers to remain in her palace."

"I see," Rin said with something of a relieved sigh. He did not blame her. His mother had a way of making even a palace feel too crowded. "But still—why so much space?"

Towa grinned. "Isn't it obvious, Mama? He's preparing for the future."

Setsuna frowned. "What do you mean?"

Towa's giggled as she threw her arms around her sister. "I was lucky enough to grow up with Moroha like a sister, but you didn't get that opportunity, Setsuna. Haven't you always wanted a little sibling to play with? Now we finally get to ask, just like every other kid!"

"Oh my goodness," Rin gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she blushed. Inuyasha grimaced while Kagome and Moroha shared a look and tittered.

Sesshoumaru leveled a look at his daughter. "Towa, don't be cheeky."

Towa pouted, blowing out her cheeks. "Papa, don't act like it was all my idea. You designed the floor plan." In a much lower voice, she mumbled, "Obviously, you've got some designs on my mama…."

"Okay, that's enough, you two," Rin said, her cheeks still scarlet. "Towa, your father's right: this isn't exactly a discussion you would be included in…though your opinion is noted."

Towa squealed in excitement, but Setsuna looked unsure of whether to be perturbed or happy about the prospect.

"So when is this gonna be done anyway?" Moroha interrupted, jerking a thumb at the half-built houses. "Are we staying at camp in the meantime?"

"Yes," Jaken answered, scrambling forward. "While Lord Sesshoumaru had hoped to have them completed before you arrived, it seems Southern construction takes a needlessly long while. Apparently, they need to put in something called wiring and plumbing before we go further."

"Oh, thank goodness," Kagome sighed, putting a hand to her chest. "This is a lovely gesture, Big Brother, but I would have died without either of those. I honestly don't know how you Northerners stand it."

Sesshoumaru's brow twitched involuntarily. He had forgotten how she liked to call him "big brother," despite both his and Inuyasha's repeated attempts to dissuade her.

Still, the fact that he was even able to hear those two words brought him more joy than he would have thought. Like putting together the final pieces of a puzzle, he felt complete.

The family explored the skeletons of their homes for a bit before both Inuyasha's and Moroha's stomachs started growling.

"Oh man, it's time for lunch. Are we picnicking or heading back to camp?" Moroha asked.

"Doesn't matter to me," Kagome said. She looked over at Rin and Sesshoumaru. "What do you guys want to do?"

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru and smiled. "Let's go home, Sesshoumaru." He nodded.

The moment she uttered those words would remain engraved in him for the rest of his life, for they were all he had longed to hear. Now, he could be at ease.

He had returned Moroha to her parents, as he had promised fifteen years ago.

He had facilitated an agreement with the South, allowing him to reunite with his family, just as he had promised his wife fifteen years ago.

And he had sired two half-demons daughters that made it all possible. He could not have been prouder of his pups. Towa and Setsuna had taken a personal cause and turned it into a call for social justice, giving hope to half-demons on both sides of The Wall. Had the matter of The Wall been left to him, Sesshoumaru would only have looked for a way to bring his own family back together, regardless of what happened to the social order between the nations.

But because his daughters had his strength and their mother's heart, they were able to do what he could not at the signing of the armistice.

Yes, The Wall remained, and it likely would continue to do so for many years—even centuries—to come. But at least it could now be viewed as a symbol of hope instead of only hate and a place where many, including himself, could find peace.

THE END

AN: Well, it's six months late, but I finally finished my SessRin Twins Week fic! 😆 Thank you guys so much for going on this journey with me. I feel SO accomplished, because this is the first extended fic I've finished in a LONG time. I'm so thankful to all of you who gave this story a chance (despite it not being a SessRin romance, per se) and beyond grateful for all the amazing feedback you've given me!

As far as future plans go, I'll be focusing on finishing My Sanctuary in the coming weeks, but I DO plan to write a spicy SessRin one-shot follow-up to this fic once that's over (many of you have been asking for it!). However, I will have to post the fic separately, due to the planned rating, so if you want to keep an eye out for that, be sure to either subscribe to my author page or follow me on Facebook. Love you all! Until next time! 💗