A.N. I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto. This is the final chapter before the epilogue, just a heads up.

"You have an intensely forlorn look on your face," Temari observed lightly as she joined her friend and student on the roof of her apartment building, the sunlight making the tiles practically unbearable. But she saw no discomfort in her student's eyes, just a sadness. "What the hell happened the week I was gone?"

Shaking her head, Kagome sighed. "I won a spar with Kankuro."

"That's great news that should put you over the moon," Temari pointed out, looking her over for wounds.

"Gaara and Naruto saw and they were ready to jump my bones. Pure power lust in their eyes." Kagome looked away. "Thankfully they've let me have my space."

Scowling at that, Temari put her bag down and sat on it. "Kagome, they're ninja."

"I don't want to be-" the miko started.

"And you won't be. Kagome, I see the way you look at them. You want them, you care about them. What you do with that is your business. But don't blame it on the fact that you turn them on when you kick ass. They're ninja. If they were totally human, they'd get turned on by you being strong." Temari looked her over. "You guys need to just sit down and work it out."

x~x~x

"She's upset with us, so we need to go make it better!" Naruto pressed, trying to get around Gaara.

Gaara caught the kitsune and tossed him back on the couch. "She needs space. You can not deny that seeing her use her power was like an aphrodisiac."

"Doesn't mean that's the only reason I want her. Yeah, it's a turn on to see her all trussed up from a fight and with that dangerous chakra pouring off of her… But she's hurting now and I want to-" Naruto started, tone heated, though he froze when the doors opened.

Kagome stood in the doorway, looking uncertain. "Hey…"

Naruto darted past Gaara to Kagome, taking her hands and looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry, okay? I want you, yeah, I really do. But I love you too, and I know that it hurt you to see me get all lusty eyed when you were showing your power."

Pulling her hands from his, Kagome put her finger on his lips and shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. Temari and I talked about it and I haven't been fair." Swallowing, she pecked his cheek lightly. "I shouldn't treat you two differently."

Coming in close, Gaara looked her over. "No. We reacted with desire when you exhibited power. It was natural to think that way."

"But it isn't the only reason you guys have for being with me… You both seem to have a genuine interest in me and I care for the two of you." Sighing she reached out and took Gaara's hand, threading all of their fingers together.

x~x~x

Kankuro watched the one he considered his future sister-in-law as she made her rounds about the hospital a moment before he appeared beside her. "How's it going?"

Smiling in greeting, Kagome shrugged and plopped on a bench for a quick break. "Alright. I'm not as in demand with Naruto and Gaara harvesting control better and better, so it gives me time to learn about things here."

"You know that you're going to need to be here regardless though," Kankuro pointed out, looking her over. "Gaara needs you more than Naruto."

Arching an eyebrow, Kagome turned to face him more fully. "I do believe Gaara is the one with more solid control."

"Yeah, but he has it because of you and he loves you. You are poised to become his wife, and if you go with Naruto to Konoha, citizens of Suna will not understand why the Kazekage's intended is going away with a Konoha-nin." Kankuro looked at her carefully. "I know they've got something going on too and you all are going to be in it long term. But for the first lifetime you guys have together, you can only be wife to the Kazekage, or the future Hokage."

"And you think I should choose to stay here for your brother," Kagome commented, appraising him idly.

"Of course. Gaara has the harsher terrain and people to lead. Naruto will have a village of support by the time he's ready and Gaara never had more success in showing both his strength and ability to lead than with you at his side." Kankuro met her gaze evenly. "I can't make decisions for you, but I do think you should consider your impact. The time keeps moving up for them to be transformed-You said about another month last week."

"I know-It's like they're racing to it." Kagome stood up to keep working.

"Probably because someone is holding out for them to be stabilized before she'll fully accept their suits," Kankuro remarked before disappearing.

x~x~x

It was three weeks later when Gaara felt the burning sensation in his body and began to slump forward at his desk. Kagome got up from the couch and sat with him, taking his hand. "You have to pull it all back in."

Shuddering, the redhead focused intently on pulling the chakra in despite the pain. "It… hurts…"

Wrapping her arms around him, Kagome pressed a kiss to his forehead and he slumped against her. When Naruto burst in, she held up a hand. "He's going to be fine. It will be gentler for him to sleep through the change."

Nodding, Naruto moved in close and scooped Gaara up to rest him on the couch. "How long will he be out?"

"Somewhere between five and ten hours," Kagome told him, watching his nails slowly lengthening. "It's good you guys already know how to disguise yourselves."

"Yeah." Naruto looked at his two precious people and walked over to Kagome, wrapping her in his arms. "It won't be long before I go through it too then, huh?"

Nodding, Kagome looked up at Naruto, eyes curious. "And then you'll have to go back to Konoha…."

Kissing her tenderly, the blonde lifted her up and placed her on the desk. "We still have time before that though." He trailed his lips down her neck. "You could come with me too, you know… I have an apartment you could stay at."

Heat blossomed over Kagome's skin as she caught his hands when they began to wander. "We've got to talk it over-all of us."

Nipping at her pulse, Naruto sighed. "I know. But I can dream…"

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Kagome kissed Naruto passionately. "I do love you, Naruto." She pressed her forehead to his. "Let's just wait to talk."

x~x~x

Face screwed up in concentration, Naruto grunted and when he brought the red chakra into his system again. He doubled over in pain and went to his knees as his body burned. "K-kagome…."

Watching, Gaara felt a tug of sympathy. "How long?"

Kagome knelt before the kitsune, resting a hand on his head and sending a pulse through him to knock him out. "A day at least. It will be easier for him this way."

Kneeling beside her, Gaara nodded. "It was only six hours for me."

"Yes, well, you had less to adjust to… You were always closer with your demon and the power was lesser." Kagome turned to look at him, eyes running over his new features, only to be shown when it was the three of them. Claws, slits for pupils, points to the ears… He was truly transformed and Naruto would be too soon.

"Nothing changed for me," Gaara told her softly. "I am stable, and I do not need you to keep me so. But I want you. I want you to stay with me. Though I know Naruto will expect you to come with him to Konoha at times…"

"We will work it out when he wakes." Looking at the blonde, Kagome smiled. "For now, it's just the two of us though."

Reaching out to cup her cheek, Gaara turned her towards him and kissed her tenderly. "I love you."

Heart warming, Kagome met his gaze evenly and she pulled back. "I… I love you too."

x~x~x

"So… We're both fully through our transformations, both of us completely stable… And I know I still want you just as much as I did before." Naruto nuzzled Kagome's throat, his tongue peeking out to run over her pulse. "I love you."

Nude beneath the sheets, Kagome flushed as both of her newfound lovers crowded her space. Gaara had been showing her all the ways he felt about her when Naruto woke and joined. Thankfully, Kankuro was sitting in for his brother because none of them had left the room in two days. "I love you too."

Gaara watched, his seafoam eyes running over the column of her throat, red from their attentions, and down to her collarbone where the two of them had each gifted her with a mark. "I am loathe to bring worry between us, but we must discuss the future."

Naruto groaned and leaned in to bit Gaara reprimandingly on the shoulder. "Mood killer."

Kagome mirrored Naruto and bit him in the same fashion. "He's right. We need to discuss this."

More aroused than ever, Gaara watched and had to force focus upon his mind. "I want Kagome to stay as my wife."

Sucking in a breath, Kagome looked between them with worry in her eyes. This was the test now-Could they really do like they hoped? "I love you both…"

"Well, yeah, but I want to bring her to Konoha for a while," Naruto countered, shrugging. "And I think we should ask Kagome whose wife she wants to be first at least." Peering at the woman between them, there was a look full of seduction.

Swallowing, Kagome looked at Naruto and shook her head. "I state again, I love you both. I will say, no one actually asked me to marry them, which is different than the mating which I did consent to."

The clamoring for the question was loud and thankfully, it only made Kagome laugh. "You both are stable, but you still need me to lead you." Shaking her head, she sat back and appraised them idly. "Should Tsunade-sama be willing to take an apprentice, I will go with Naruto for a year. I will learn medical techniques from the best and when I return to Suna, I will work in the hospital… And marry you Gaara. You will be Kazekage for some time yet and until Naruto is Hokage, he can visit us."

Looking torn, Naruto frowned. "I only get you for a year?"

Poking him in the chest, Kagome looked him dead in the eye. "You are a real brat sometimes." Kissing his cheek, she nodded. "You are going to have a lot of time away from us. I'm sure as wife to the Kazekage, I can go for the occasional diplomatic mission, and Gaara might visit for the Chunin Exams at times. Even so, you are a kitsune and while I know you have a great deal of love for me and Gaara, being practical, you are going to need roots in Konoha to be a good Hokage."

Seafoam eyes snapped to Naruto's blue, possessiveness glowing within. "He is ours."

"Kitsune thrive on intimacy, Gaara, and he's going to need more than what is provided three or four times a year maximum." Kagome felt Gaara tensing and kissed his neck, trying to sooth him.

"I'm not going to cheat on you two-I love you!" Naruto shot back, frowning.

"Well, if you did need to establish a stronger base of connection in the village through, say, a political marriage, I would understand that." Kagome reached out and threaded their fingers together. "We will figure this out. We're going to have hundreds of years together. But for now, the short term. We can draw this out a month or so…"

x~x~x

Temari hugged Kagome tightly. "You better write every day and let me know all of the stuff you learn."

Kagome smiled and hugged just as tightly. "I will. And you take care of Gaara for me."

The subject of her remark leaned in and kissed her heatedly. "Come back to me. I will wait patiently." He sent Naruto a pointed look.

Pouting, Naruto nudged Gaara lightly. "I love you too, Jackass."

Kankuro looked at Gaara seriously. "Take care that you show the correct level of distance. She's marrying Gaara when she gets back, so you need to-"

Elbowing the puppeteer in the stomach, Kagome frowned. "We'll both miss you too, Kankuro-san."

Grabbing each of his lovers, Gaara brought them in close. "Both of you, stay safe, and come back when it is possible."

Nodding, Kagome kissed Gaara then pulled back a beat for Naruto to kiss him. "We will. See you soon."