He nuzzled into the side of her neck, kissing her softly, and then nipped at her earlobe, finally speaking in a rough, hoarse whisper.

"My mate."

Kagura clasped her hands to her chest and spun around in circles, smiling. Rin laughed as she watched. She spun a few times too but quickly got dizzy and fell over, laughing, while Kagura just kept spinning and spinning. Abruptly, she ran into something large and hard and warm, and nearly fell over, but strong, clawed hands caught her and stood her upright, and sparkling ruby eyes met beautiful gold ones. She wanted to lean up and kiss him, but was too aware of the hanyou and his mate sitting across the way, so she stepped away with a little smile.

"Kagura," InuYasha called out, rudeness lacing his tone, as usual, "what's gotten into you? You're acting like a lovesick nutcase. Question is, what man would be stupid enough to tie himself to mean witch like you?"

Kagura could hear Sesshoumaru start to growl low in his throat, but she gave him a little grin and shook her head slightly before closing her eyes for a moment. The wind whisked up, and pulled all of InuYasha's hair so that it was standing straight up on his head. Kagura quickly whisked her fingers in the correct motions, and InuYasha's hair separated into three parts and was suddenly and expertly braided. Everyone except Sesshoumaru burst out laughing. While they were distracted by InuYasha's hilarious attempts to undo the braid, which only resulted in him tangling his hair hopelessly, Sesshoumaru moved behind Kagura and spoke to her in a low voice.

"He should not speak so to you. I will not allow anyone, including him, to insult my future mate."

"He doesn't know about us, Sesshoumaru, and besides, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Anyway, he's not really being mean, he's just relieved that Kagome's finally gotten better, and he doesn't want to show just how worried he was, so he's acting tough."

He let the subject slide, brushing her lips with his quickly while the others were still looking away.

"That was an impressive display of power, Kagura. I had believed you needed your fan to manipulate wind, and I hadn't thought you capable of using the breeze in such an intricate way."

She noticed that the others had settled down and might conceivably glance towards them at any moment, so she stepped away from him a bit, but continued the conversation.

"I didn't use to be able to do things like that. But the Wind and I…we were one, one being, one element, for three years. Even though I'm just a Kaze-Youkai again now, I still have a deep connection with the Wind…as if, before, it was my servant, harnessed by my fan; as if maybe it resented me, as I resented Naraku. Now, though, it's as if we are the best of friends, the Wind and I, and it comes to my aid in different ways than it once did. My fan is only for converting it into blades and such now. Everything else I can do with my fingers."

"Interesting."

"Hey, Sesshoumaru, would you come check the baby's life force again?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kagura and rolled his eyes, making her laugh. But he went across the field anyway. It had been two weeks since the day he had finally told her how he felt; in his rough, feral, demon-driven way. Since then, Kagome's illness had finally cleared up. She was almost six months into her pregnancy, and everything seemed to be going well now. InuYasha, however, seemed incredibly worried about the whole thing, though he wouldn't actually admit it. Still, whenever Sesshoumaru was around, he was constantly asked to monitor the field of the baby's life force. InuYasha's lesser senses and power didn't allow him such easy knowledge of whether or not the unborn pup was in a good state. Kagura knew that Sesshoumaru, despite his pretended annoyance, actually enjoyed simply sitting next to Kagome and listening to the tiny heartbeat.

Everyone had noticed that both Kagura and Sesshoumaru had been hanging around the village; Kagura staying with Kagome and InuYasha while Sesshoumaru spent his nights who-knew-where, and Kagura thought it likely that Kagome, Sango, Kaede, and maybe even Miroku had all figured out what was going on. InuYasha, in fact, may be the only one left who was completely clueless. But that was nothing new.

Every night for the last two weeks, they'd been coming here together; mostly to talk, more than anything. Not that there weren't moments of passion and longing; never satisfied, as they had decided to wait until they were officially mates to consummate their relationship. She had learned more about him in those two weeks than she had ever thought she'd have the privilege of knowing. He'd actually found it necessary to warn her, so she wouldn't be overly shocked by his openness. She could remember the first night so well.

He took her hand and touched her chin with two fingers, tipping her face up so she looked him in the eye.

"Kagura, you must understand something. Nothing is hidden from mates, at least those mates who choose each other. Anything you ask, I will answer truthfully. I will tell you everything I believe to be important about myself; everything that has made me who I am, even if you do not think to ask it. You may be startled by this…It is not normally in my nature to speak so openly. But mates must be equals. And so, you must speak in complete honesty to me, as I do to you."

He'd talked then, more than she'd ever heard him do before. He'd begun with the more recent occurrences; things which had shaped his life within the time they had known each other and during her time as an element. He spoke of his determination to avenge her, of the fighting Tenseiga and how his quest to strengthen it had led him to Hell and back, of Rin's death and his pain at believing he had lost her. During the course of this tale, she'd found herself rather shocked by one thing.

"You have a mother?!"

Amusement glinted in his eyes.

"Naturally. Did you think I sprung from the ground or fell from the sky?"

"Oh, you! I just…I assumed she had died, I suppose."

"No, Mother is alive and kicking…rather strongly, actually."

"Well, what's she like? She brought Rin back to life, right? So she must be a rather pleasant person, I should think."

"Pleasant? Not hardly. She cares for me, I suppose. She's a strong woman, rather vain, independent and temperamental. Her mating to my father was arranged, not unlike the political marriages among the humans. Such matings are basically falsified. When a couple chooses to mate, they bind their souls together, and only death can separate them; at times not even that. When a couple is forced to mate, their souls do not bind; it is more as a human marriage; adulteries are common, and if one dies, the other is often more joyful than pained. Mother did not hate Father, but she certainly did not love him. Father appreciated Mother's beauty; he desired her. However, she only allowed him into her bed once; during her heat, so as to conceive the heir; myself.

Mother remained with Father for nearly two human centuries, never again allowing him to her bed. I know Father had many lovers, and I suspect my mother did as well, though she was much more subtle and had much better taste. Father would take nearly any female, human or youkai, into his bed. Mother chose strong youkai, few and far between, and was always careful not to allow herself to conceive. As for Father; I have always found it hard to believe that InuYasha is the only one I share half-blood with.

Nevertheless, I had and to a degree still have a great respect for Father; he was a very powerful Dai-youkai, and a fine warrior, and in many ways a very wise man. As I grew and matured from a pup to a full grown youkai, I found that the only true fault I could see in my father was his weakness when it came to women. And so it became the one fault I was determined not to repeat. Nor have I: I have always been convinced that I will find a mate I can bond my soul with, truly. My dalliances with women have been few and far between. Often a human generation, or even longer, will pass between one and the next. And never have I lain with a human. Only in recent years have I come to understand that humans are not all worthy of spite. Yet even now I remain convinced that no particular good can come from mixing the two races. Youkai and humans are completely different creatures. Still, I have learned that in cases where a child does occur, there is no need to judge the offspring, nor even the parents…Some are swept away on tides of emotion…I have begun to understand how that feels."

He'd leaned to kiss Kagura then, before continuing.

"As I was saying, Mother and Father remained in a far from perfect semblance of togetherness for nearly two human centuries. After that time, my grandfather, Mother's father, died, and left behind the palace that Mother had spent her youth in. Mother took the opportunity to finally be free of Father. She gave me the choice to move into the palace with her, but I preferred to stay and let Father train me as a warrior, despite that I was rather disgusted by the seemingly constant flow of women in and out of our home.

Some three hundred more years passed then. It was then that Father finally met a woman he truly loved. I hated Izayoi simply because she was human. But looking back, without the veil of that prejudice, I see how much she changed my father for the better. To my knowledge, once he met Izayoi, he never had another woman in his bed. Nevertheless, when he wed her in the human tradition and she came with child, I was thoroughly sickened by the whole thing, and moved to my mother's palace. From there, she and I watched with a certain disdain. After that, I met my father only once more; the night of his death.

Time passed, and I was only vaguely aware of my younger half-brother, though I hated being tied to such a creature. I left my mother's home eventually to wander the borders of my father's great territory, ensuring no others dared to try to take what belongs to my clan. I had Father's palace ripped down and rebuilt; for I do not wish to always live in the shadow of my father's memory. I have surpassed him, and I now will build my own territories. Without his influence."

Kagura sighed. She was suddenly aware of Rin standing at her side.

"Hey kid. What's up?"

"Kagura," The human girl was whispering, no doubt to avoid being heard by InuYasha. "are you going to be Sesshoumaru-sama's mate?"

Kagura glanced across the field and found Sesshoumaru staring at her from where he stood leaning against a tree next to where Kagome sat. InuYasha was wholly absorbed in feeling the tiny movements of his pup beneath his hands. But Kagura knew that her future mate had caught ear of Rin's question, and she tilted her head, silently asking how she should respond. He just nodded. She saw Kagome following the interaction and knew she'd probably be tormented by questions later. For the moment, however, she turned back to the young girl.

"Yes, Rin. But don't say anything around InuYasha, okay?"

Rin nodded, a huge grin spreading across her pretty face. She hugged the wind sorceress tightly.

"You'll be kinda like my mother then, won't you, Kagura?"

"I guess so kid, though technically you're older than me, I suppose."

"I don't mind! You'll be lots of fun…do you think…do you think Sesshoumaru-sama would let me come with you?"

"I don't know. It's all up sort of up in the air right now. There's a lot to figure out."

Kagura moved across the field, feeling cold and empty at being even this small distance from Sesshoumaru. Rin followed along. Sango entered the field as she was walking, all three children in tow; Miroku was out exorcising a demon in some nearby village.

"Look at this!" Kagome exclaimed. "Almost everybody's here. Rin, Shippo, the twins, the baby, Jaken, Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Sango, and InuYasha and our baby and I. Now if only Miroku would hurry back and Kaede'd come out here, we'd have the whole group of us together. Except Kohaku, and Totosai and Myouga, of course, but they're all quite content holed up at Totosai's place. Especially now that Kohaku's built a replacement roof."

Kagome shot Sesshoumaru a teasing look. He glared at her but couldn't keep a twinkle from entering his eye. In the end, he was glad he'd missed Totosai when he'd tried to kill him with the Meidou in an uncharacteristic moment of anger. But he was also glad he'd at least done the old man's house some damage.

"It's too bad Kikyo couldn't see this; that we beat Naraku in the end. That we're all happy."

InuYasha's eyes were sad as he spoke, but not the way they had once been. Kagome hugged him. Any jealousy she'd once felt towards Kikyo was long gone; washed away by the truth of her husband's love for her.

"I think she knows we got him."

Kagura stood as close as possible to Sesshoumaru without attracting undue suspicion. As they watched the twins tumble around with Rin and Shippo, Jaken yelling at them to behave, Kagura felt a longing move over her; a strangely intense longing. A longing to have children of her own to watch play…As if reading her thoughts, Sesshoumaru leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Someday, Wind User Kagura, you will bear my children."

She smiled at him and resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms.

Kagome's eyes never left them.