A/N: Last chapter, y'all. I really hope you enjoy this epilogue. It deviated a bit from what I originally intended, but I'm more happy with how this version came together.

'Six months.'

Inuyasha ran the brush through his hair, taking care to not scrape against his ears, thinking back on everything that had happened. Waking up that morning almost a year ago, covered in his own blood, felt surreal when he thought back on the last six months. The fear that he was going to lose everything, not knowing what was happening, it all felt like a long nightmare.

In a sense, it was.

He'd managed to isolate himself from Kagome, and despite her stubbornness to not give up on him, she nearly had. That had been the final straw. The youkai within him had seen to that, saving him from certain death by his own hands and making things right with Kagome in the same night.

That…hadn't been how he'd envisioned things would go, but he'd be a moron to say that he regretted where he was now.

The shower turned off, and from where he stood in the bedroom he could hear his girlfriend stepping out. He wanted to run in there, catch her while she was bent over drying her hair, snatch the towel before she could get dressed… but he couldn't. They'd made plans to meet with his parents for lunch, and she'd been looking forward to it.

The hanyou sighed, setting the brush down. His hair was going to do what it was going to do, and it wasn't like they were going anyplace particularly high-end anyway. A dark pair of jeans and a nicer shirt would suffice. Kagome, on the other hand… he loved her dearly, but she was bad to overthink getting ready for any occasion. Was it too fancy? Was she under-dressed? To him, under-dressed meant that she wasn't wearing anything, and he only wanted her in that state within their home. Didn't even care where. It's not like they hadn't christened every room in the house by this point.

Which was something else he hadn't expected to have. A house. A home.

The commute between their apartments wasn't bad, but it was counterproductive to keep paying rent on one place when they were spending all their time in the other. Kagome had been all too happy to make room for him as soon as the conversation started. Her apartment wasn't quite as large as his, though he didn't care. He couldn't ask her to move into the place where he'd nearly died. The blood had been cleaned up, and a human wouldn't have been able to tell, but… he could. The first time he'd come back for a change of clothes, the memories hit him so hard he vomited on the spot. So no, he wasn't going to ask Kagome to move in with him.

He'd never let her set foot in the apartment since, not even to help him move his things out the day after. By the end of that week he was settled in with Kagome and had cut the lease, putting that piece of his life behind him. It was about two months after that before they had found this house. Not quite out in the countryside, but they were just shy of the city limits, which was fine with him. It meant that they could be as loud as they wanted without scaring their neighbors. Because…Kagome was a bit of a screamer, and he'd found out very quickly that she could make him be just as vocal.

Even better was that it had a yard. They'd been planning to start a small garden, maybe expand on it as they got comfortable. It would be a good starter home for them. Maybe not a forever home, but it was idea for a small family.

And he'd want a family.

They were still young, but ever since that morning that Kagome had reenacted their first time for him, he'd yearned for the day that she'd tell him that she was expecting. That was an odd feeling to have after wild sex, but it had taken root in his head and wouldn't let go. He'd entertained the thought before, of what their children might look like, but since the transformation he'd been worried that she wouldn't want that. She'd shown him in her words and actions that she wanted everything with him, and he wanted to give her everything. It would take time, and planning of course, but he was ready. Now Kagome, on the other hand…

"You ready?" A soft voice came from the bathroom doorway. Kagome stood there, wearing a simple floral blouse and loose pants. Her hair was dried and pulled back partially, baring her shoulders and neck to his view.

It made the youkai side of him want to mark that flesh. 'Maybe later tonight,' he thought, trying to quell the disappointment he felt. It wouldn't do to cover his girlfriend in love bites before they were to have lunch with his parents. It was one thing to suspect that your son and his girlfriend were having sex, but a mother didn't really want to see evidence.

"Yeah," he replied, reaching out and pulling her into his arms. "You look beautiful."

She bit down on her lip to hold in the laugh. "You always say that."

"Cause I always mean it."

Kagome mock-scowled at him. Why he was able to say that, but always balked when she told him, was a pet peeve that she hoped would go away one day. "You going to wear the charm today?" she asked suddenly. "Where was it we were going? That diner in Arcadia?"

Inuyasha stiffened. "Right…yeah, I guess I probably should. That area's not really known for being youkai-saturated."

"Do you want to, though? It's not like it's a law you have to abide by or anything. We've been through Arcadia loads of times. The people are really nice –"

"They're also human, Kagome." He sighed. "The last few times we went through there it was before I'd even started changing. I don't know if they'd be as nice to a man with silver hair and dog ears."

This had been a heavy topic they'd discussed at length for months. Most places were tolerant of youkai and the occasional hanyou that came around, but there were some smaller towns – like Arcadia – that weren't as… he wasn't sure what the proper word was. Progressive made it sound like they were ass backwards by centuries. It wasn't like they were racist by any means either. It was just…not very common?

Touga had been the one that Inuyasha had reached out to for more information on the concealment charms, before he'd ever started to do research online. It was the best he could do, his way of telling his father that he didn't hate him for what he did, and that he was starting to accept that things happened as they had for a reason. Touga was all too happy to send him information in addition to the long talks on the phone. Meeting up in person had the older man overjoyed when he brought Kagome with him. It was another way of proving to Kagome that he wasn't going to keep her in the dark about things anymore.

Between the three of them, Inuyasha had been able to decide on what would best work for him. His father had been able to recommend places once he'd chosen the best form that the charm would be contained within. Touga had also been able to direct him through the mountain of paperwork he'd have to file to have his status changed from "human" to "inu hanyou".

Like Kagome had said, it wasn't a law, but it made things simpler in the event of an emergency.

"You still don't have to wear it if you're not feeling it today," she pointed out. "Your mom knows what you look like. Your dad knows too. It's no one else's business, frankly."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I'd rather wear it," he murmured, letting her step out of his embrace. "Soon as I remember where I put it."

"You lost it again?"

"I didn't lose it. I just haven't gotten used to wearing it yet."

She hummed in understanding, stepping around him to open the bedside drawer and remove a small box. "Good thing I put it here, though I can understand that. When I first started taking my birth control I had to leave it in one specific place so I'd always remember to take it."

His mouth opened and closed a few times before he could speak. "There's a big difference between this and that!" he sputtered.

"Yeah I don't think your opening would stretch as far to accommodate a head coming through."

"Holy fucking hell –"

"That's why there's epidurals. Makes the cutting easier to handle."

"Are you trying to make my dick draw back into me? Cause I'm pretty sure you just did!"

Kagome pulled a face as she removed the lid of the box. "Grow up, Inuyasha. We both know you're far too big to invert that quickly." The groan from the hanyou made her grin. She knew good and well that wasn't the case, and if they hadn't had a prior engagement she'd have been more than happy to prove it to him.

The hanyou rolled his eyes. Maybe he was being a bit dramatic, but the imagery that had flashed through his mind gave him good reason, he felt. It was one thing to dip into some of the wilder fantasies they've both had, break out toys and restraints…but that…

He'd sooner take more than her fingers in his ass over that.

"Point stands," he replied, taking out the concealment charm. It was a beaded bracelet on woven leather cord, dark purple stones polished to a shine with two white stones that had been shaped into fangs. Simple enough to pass as a purchase from an artisan at a local swap meet or farmer's market without making it obvious that it was suppressing his youkai appearance. He'd chosen to have the charm give him his human appearance before Kagome had even asked if he wanted to look different.

"You could look however you wanted!" she said. "It's like plastic surgery without the scarring!"

"Don't want to look like anyone else. That's not who you fell in love with. If I'm doing this, I want to still look like me."

Kagome set the box on the dresser, watching him play with the beads. She must have known what he was thinking when she said, "Just because I fell in love with you as a human, doesn't mean I love you any less as a hanyou."

"I know."

"Sometimes I wonder if you do," she murmured, watching him slip the bracelet over his left hand. The transition wasn't anything groundbreaking. It was like it was a night of the new moon, only a quicker switch. She knew that the ears she loved to rub were still there, cloaked under the charm. That was the biggest difference she could find. Kagome reached up and gave the invisible appendage a massage, smiling at the sigh he let out as he tilted his head towards her. She had to get her jollies like this where she could, because in public with the charm on, it would have looked ridiculous.

"Of course I know."

"Mmhm."

"I do!"

Kagome pursed her lips as she let go of the ear she couldn't see. "It took how many months for it to sink in that I love you?"

"You do remember that I didn't know what was happening to me, right?"

"Of course I do."

Inuyasha wanted to fire back her words from earlier, saying that he wondered if she did, but decided against it. It wouldn't do to go down that road, not when they had nothing but good things to look forward to from here on out. Instead he replied with "Look at how long it took my own parents to get their shit together. Feels miniscule in comparison."

"True… I feel like you got your stubbornness from both sides, so that explains a lot."

"Oi!"

"Am I wrong?"

"No –"

"There we go."

He couldn't argue with that. Hell – both of his parents would admit to being stubborn. In a sense, it wasn't too different from how his relationship with Kagome had been. He bent and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Weren't we supposed to bring something with us?" he asked suddenly. "Some kind of book...?"

Recognition lit up her features and Kagome wiggled out of his embrace, going to the closet to collect her purse. "I have it in here!" she declared, patting the leather bag. "And it's not so much a book as it is a little notebook with plans for the ceremony and reception. She's going to be bringing her tablet so we can pull up the Pinterest boards while we wait on our food."

"Oh good. I get to listen to you and my mother go on about her wedding while I wait on food."

Kagome pulled out the notebook and thwapped him on the chest as she passed by. "You know you're looking forward to seeing your mom get married at last. Don't lie."

"I never said I wasn't! But hearing you two gush over this stuff before I get to eat isn't exactly a fun time for me! You remember you wore me out earlier, and I ain't got to eat anything in hours!"

'Do not say anything,' Kagome told herself as she stepped into her heels once she made it to the entryway. She would not give him the satisfaction of responding to that, because if she did she knew where she'd end up, and they didn't have time to wrap her legs around his head again. "You know the sooner we can get to the diner the sooner we'll be back home."

"Not when you and my mother get going. The both of you like to yammer on for hours."

She turned, seeing that he'd followed her to the front door. "We are not that bad!"

"You are!"

Kagome pretended to be offended, raising her chin and looking down her nose at her boyfriend. Which was a feat, considering she only came up to his shoulder in this pair of heels. "I'll tell you what," she said slowly. "If you humor your mother, no matter how long this meeting goes, when we get home we'll have desert before dinner…"

"What kind?" he purred, taking a step closer.

"Whatever you'd like."

"Fuck me, woman. You're gonna kill me saying shit like that."

The sound of Kagome's laughter filling the entryway brought a smile to his face, even as she headed out the door to the car. He loved hearing her laugh. It eased his mind on the shittiest of days. She'd been right, too; he couldn't and wouldn't begrudge his mother over finally getting her wedding. If it took them all afternoon to finalize the plans, he didn't care. He wanted his mother to be happy.

Just like he wanted Kagome to be happy.

Which –

His hand patted the pocket of his jeans, feeling the small box tucked within. It wasn't time, but he felt at ease having it with him. Chances were he wouldn't even give it to Kagome until his parents returned from their honeymoon, because he knew she'd want to call them straight away. He didn't want to do anything that would distract from his mother's moment and knew Kagome wouldn't want that either. It gave him time to plan, in the meantime. What he could say, how he'd do it. He wanted the moment to be perfect.

After all, Kagome was his world.