DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha.

Thank you all for being so patient with me. I am feeling much better now, so I'm finally able to post the last chapter of this story. But thanks so much for all of your caring and I am very happy that you appreciate the story so much! Thank you!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Epilogue

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, hoping that she had heard right. "What did you say?" Kagome whispered.

"Um…will you marry me?" Inuyasha answered hesitantly. Inuyasha held his breath as he waited for Kagome to respond.

"Yes!" Kagome answered happily as she launched herself at Inuyasha. She hugged him tightly and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before looking at him.

Inuyasha grinned happily at Kagome. "I'm sorry I didn't get you a ring yet. I wanted you to go pick out the rings with me, so that's why…"

Kagome smiled at him. "You just made me so happy Inuyasha, happier than any ring can ever make me."

Inuyasha smiled at her comment and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her closer and the two smiled happily as sleep overcame them.

The next day, Kagome woke up and found a pair of arms still wrapped tightly around her. She smiled happily as she looked at Inuyasha's sleeping face. He looked adorable and so vulnerable during his sleep.

Kagome caressed his face, which caused Inuyasha to open his eyes slowly.

"Good morning to you," Inuyasha smiled at the woman in his arms.

"Good morning to you too," Kagome breathed as she leaned down to kiss Inuyasha.

Their kiss was short, but sweet. When the two broke apart, Kagome's eyes were glossy. Inuyasha chuckled at her dazed expression and commented, "I could get used to waking up like this."

Kagome grinned and hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, we'd better get up and wake the others. We have to head back to Tokyo soon."

"Five more minutes Kagome," Inuyasha pleaded and turned on his side. Kagome just smiled and stood up. She needed to take a quick shower before they went home.

Half an hour later, Kagome stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair. "Do you know where the hair dryer is, Inuyasha?"

"Hm?" Inuyasha mumbled as he got up. He had returned to sleep when Kagome left to take a shower. "I don't know."

Kagome just rolled her eyes and went over to borrow Sango's. Inuyasha got up and quickly went to take a shower. When he came out, Kagome was ready and waiting for him. She was dressed in a white tank top and blue jeans. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she looked ready to go.

"Hurry up slowpoke," Kagome teased.

"Well, if someone didn't sleep in the shower this morning, then I would have taken a shower earlier," Inuyasha retorted. Kagome pretended to pout and poked Inuyasha in the shoulder.

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and pulled her into a tight hug. Kagome smiled contently in Inuyasha's arms.

Their sweet moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Inuyasha growled while Kagome giggled at his reaction. She opened the door to reveal Miroku. He was sporting a red handprint on his face.

"Sango slapped you already?" Kagome asked him, surprised that he already tried to pull his stunts so early in the morning.

Miroku pouted and ignored her question. "Are you two lovebirds ready to go? Sango wants to meet in the lobby so that we can get our stuff together and go home."

Kagome closed the door when Miroku left and turned back to Inuyasha. "I guess we better pack really quickly."

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Ten minutes later he stepped into the room to find most of their things neatly packed.

"Wow Kagome," Inuyasha teased. "I didn't know that you were so efficient."

Kagome mock glared at him and threw the pillow at him. Inuyasha caught it easily and laughed. He replaced the pillow on the bed and picked up their suitcases. The two headed down to the lobby to find the others already waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" Sango glared at the two.

"The baka had to take a shower and we still had to finish packing," Kagome replied, undaunted by Sango's attitude.

"Hey," Inuyasha protested. "I'm not a baka. And it's not my fault that you slept in the shower and taken longer than humanly possible."

"What did you say?" Kagome growled at him. "Longer than humanly possible?"

Everyone turned frightened eyes at Kagome. Inuyasha gulped nervously and stepped backwards when Kagome slowly marched towards him.

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha offered nervously. He was panicking at the glare that Kagome was aiming at him.

Kagome poked a finger in his chest. "If we're to be married, you had better get used to my habits."

Kagome stopped in her tracks when she realized what she had just said.

"Married?" Rin questioned curiously. Then it clicked in her head. "You and Inuyasha are getting married?"

They all winced at Rin's high volume. She quickly ran over to Kagome and hugged her tightly. Sango followed suit with a big smile on her face.

"Can't breathe," Kagome gasped. The others realized how tightly they were hugging her so they relaxed their grip. They then turned their attention to Inuyasha and ran over to hug him too.

Inuyasha was shocked at the tightness and he found breathing a labored task. Kagome laughed at Inuyasha's expression as the girls hugged him. Rin and Sango finally decided it was enough so they released him.

Both Miroku and Sesshomaru chuckled while watching Inuyasha struggle.

"It looks like we'll be family, Inuyasha," Miroku observed with a twinkle in his eye.

"Great," Inuyasha stated sarcastically. "I get to claim that I'm related to a hentai."

"I'm not a hentai," Miroku denied indignantly. "I just like to confirm my gender by showing particular attention to females."

"Sure, keep on telling yourself that and you might eventually convince yourself," Kagome teased Miroku.

The others just laughed at Miroku's defensive attitude.

"You have to tell us all about it when we get home," Rin squealed happily. "Can Sango and I be your bridesmaids?"

"You're so cute Rin," Kagome smiled happily. "We'll discuss this when we get home for sure."

She was so happy that her friends were so supportive of her decision. They quickly said their good-byes to Amber and her friends and headed towards the airport. The trip back home was quiet, since most of them were tired.

When they got home, Kagome had called her friends Eri and Ayame to pick them up. Kagome and Miroku were going to be dropped off first and they had to say their good-byes to their friends.

Miroku kissed Sango and they shared a sweet moment until Sango felt a hand wander lower than necessary. She immediately broke away and slapped him. Sesshomaru and Rin just shook their heads.

Inuyasha approached Kagome carefully. He placed the luggage down and took Kagome in his arms. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Well," Kagome pretended to think really hard. "I don't know...that insulted my big ego you know."

Inuyasha smiled when he saw Kagome's mischievous grin. "Well, maybe I'll just call off the wedding, since you hate me so much."

Kagome pouted when he teased her and Inuyasha leaned down to steal a kiss. Their kiss was interrupted when Miroku tapped Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Can you guys save that kind of stuff till after the wedding?" Miroku teased the couple.

Kagome growled and chases after Miroku. Inuyasha just shook his head and went back to the car. Eri and Ayame dropped off Inuyasha and Sesshomaru next.

Sesshomaru tried to make a calm and dignified exit, but Rin wouldn't allow it. She jumped happily into Sesshomaru's arms and hugged him tightly. Inuyasha smirked at his brother's open display of emotions when he hugged Rin back. Sango just smiled at the couple. She was so happy that her best friends found the perfect guy in their life.

After about five minutes of hugging and kissing between Sesshomaru and Rin, Inuyasha had to drag away a blushing Sesshomaru.

"Bye Sesshy!" Rin called out. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Sango and Inuyasha just smirked at Sesshomaru's expression as Rin waved frantically at him.

Sango decided to stay at Rin's place, so Eri and Ayame dropped the two off at Rin's house. When they put down the luggage in the living room, Rin immediately tackled the phone and called Kagome.

"Moushi moushi," Miroku answered the phone at the apartment.

"Hey Miroku," Rin answered cheerfully. "Can I talk to Kagome?"

"She's taking a bath right now," Miroku replied. "Can I take a message for her?"

"Yeah, just tell her to call me back when she's done," Rin instructed Miroku. "Thanks again, bye."

Rin hung up on Miroku before he had a chance to answer her. He just shrugged his shoulders and sat on the couch waiting for Kagome to finish. He turned on the TV but nothing good was on so he just turned it off. Half an hour later, Kagome came into the living room.

"Hey Miroku, I'm done taking a bath," Kagome announced. "You can use the bathroom now."

"Yeah," Miroku got up and got ready to go to the bathroom. "By the way, Rin called and asked that you call her back."

"Ok," Kagome nodded as Miroku went into the bathroom. She dialed Rin's number and waited for her to answer the phone.

"Hey Rin," Kagome greeted her. "You needed to talk to me earlier?"

"Kagome!" Rin squealed loudly, making Kagome hold the phone away from her ear. "You have got to tell us about your engagement, now. Sango's listening on the other line so you can tell us both at the same time. And don't leave out any details."

Kagome just rolled her eyes on her side of the phone. "You guys just couldn't wait until tomorrow right?"

"No way," Sango and Rin protested on their side. Rin continued, "Come on Kagome, you have to tell us now. We can't wait until tomorrow."

"Fine," Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha asked me to marry him and I said yes, end of story."

"Kagome!" Sango protested. "You know it wasn't that dry and choppy."

"Ok, so Inuyasha was nervous when he asked to marry me, but I didn't hesitate to answer him. Well maybe a bit, because I wanted to make sure that I heard correctly, but I did say yes and we kissed," Kagome explained.

"That is so sweet!" Both Sango and Rin exclaimed when Kagome finished. "So when are you going to have the wedding? I'm so excited!" Sango went on.

"Well," Kagome began. "Inuyasha and I haven't really decided since he just proposed to me the night before we left. I think I'll talk to him tomorrow though, so we'll come up with something and you guys can help us plan. Better yet, why don't we all meet at Inuyasha's place and then we can discuss this."

"That sounds like a great idea Kagome," Rin replied happily. "But would Inuyasha mind?"

"Oh don't worry," Kagome answered easily. "If he does mind, then I'll talk some sense into him. It's our wedding, not just his. And you're my best friends and his brother and my cousin are family, so they have to be there to discuss this."

"Kagome," Sango interrupted her. "Did you tell your mom about this yet?"

"Oh no," groaned Kagome. "I forgot about it, I mean, I just got home. I'll call after this."

"You should go ahead and call your mom and Inuyasha," Sango advised.

"Alright then, bye you guys," Kagome hung up the phone. She then dialed Inuyasha's number.

The phone rang in Inuyasha's mansion and he picked it up angrily. "Who are you to be calling at this hour?!"

"Is that how you greet everyone when you answer the phone?" Kagome asked him.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked when he recognized her voice. He gulped nervously, afraid that she might be angry with him for yelling at her on the phone. "I didn't know it was you, I swear."

Kagome just laughed at Inuyasha's voice, not knowing that he was scowling on the other side. "It's alright, Inuyasha. But you might want to be nicer to people when you answer the phone. Anyways, I just got off the phone with Rin and Sango and we discussed some issues. I was wondering if you would mind if we were to meet with all of our friends and discuss our wedding."

"Uh…sure, I guess," Inuyasha replied hesitantly. "I mean, they are our friends and since they are going to take part in our wedding, then sure."

"Great then Inuyasha," Kagome answered warmly. "By the way, we still have to talk to my mom about this."

Inuyasha began to panic when Kagome mentioned her mother. What if she didn't approve of Inuyasha marrying her daughter? He wouldn't be able to let Kagome go even if her mother wanted it.

"Inuyasha? Are you worried about talking to my mom?"

"No…of course not."

Kagome didn't miss the quiver in his voice when he tried to sound normal. "Inuyasha, you don't have to worry. My mother accepted you as my boyfriend; she would understand us taking another step in our relationship."

"I know, but…it's hard. I don't want to lose you," Inuyasha admitted quietly.

Kagome was shocked to hear Inuyasha's confession. "Inuyasha, you will never lose me. Even if my mom were to forbid me to see you, I would still come to you. I love you Inuyasha, and nothing will change that."

Inuyasha smiled at her statement. "Thanks Kagome."

"Besides, I'm going to call her tonight and then we'll meet to plan the wedding. I'll probably invite my mom too," Kagome announced brightly.

Inuyasha paled slightly at the comment, but ignored it. "Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Kagome. Love you."

"Love you too," Kagome whispered back. They hung up the phone after that.

Miroku sat on the couch next to Kagome. "So, we're all going to meet tomorrow?"

Kagome was startled by Miroku's appearance. "And how long have you been eavesdropping on me?"

"Long enough to know what the plans for tomorrow is."

"If you already know the plans, then why are you asking again?" Kagome retorted.

"Because I like to tease my baby cousin," Miroku laughed at Kagome's indignant face. She tossed a pillow at him, but he caught it easily. Kagome went over to punch him in the shoulder but he tackled her to the ground and tickled her.

"Admit that I'm the best cousin in the whole world!" Miroku teased her while tickling her.

"Miroku…this isn't…fair," Kagome gasped as she tried to stop laughing.

"I don't hear it," Miroku mocked in a sing-song voice.

"Fine, fine!" Kagome surrendered. "You're the best…cousin in the whole world."

Miroku immediately stopped and stared at his cousin's red face. Kagome took a minute to regain her breath and glared at Miroku. "It's not fair; you know that tickling is my weak point."

"Of course, would it be wise to attack your strong point?" Miroku joked.

Kagome just pouted at her annoying cousin. Suddenly, Miroku's expression changed.

"Kagome, are you sure you want to marry Inuyasha?" Miroku asked her gravely.

"Miroku!" Kagome snapped. "What kind of question is that? Of course I want to marry him. I really do love him and I don't care what happened in the past. All I need to know is that he cares for me now."

Miroku smiled at his cousin. "Just making sure you're not making a mistake that you will regret later."

Kagome just rolled her eyes at her cousin's absurdity. "I have to call my mom now to tell her about the engagement."

Miroku nodded and went to his bedroom. Kagome picked up the phone and dialed home.

"Higurashi residence," Mrs. Higurashi answered on the phone.

"Mom, it's me Kagome," Kagome answered.

"Kagome, are you feeling ok? You're not sick are you?"

"Mom, I'm fine. I have some news that I want to tell you."

"Is it bad?"

"Well, to me, it's not. But I don't know how you and grandpa will react to it."

"Go ahead Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi urged her daughter on.

Kagome took a deep breath before continuing. "Inuyasha asked me to marry him…and I accepted."

"Really Kagome? I'm so happy for you! When is the wedding going to be?"

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? I know that Inuyasha can make you happy and I don't care about his heritage as long as he doesn't hurt you. And I trust your judgment. You're old enough to make your own choices and if you're happy to be with Inuyasha, then I definitely won't be the obstacle to your happiness."

Kagome smiled before she continued. "Thank you mom. We were wondering if you would like to come to Inuyasha's mansion to help us plan the wedding tomorrow."

"I would love to Kagome, but Souta has a soccer game tomorrow and I won't have time to come. I'm so sorry Kagome. I will help with the other preparations though. Just let me know what you decide and I'll try and help get it all together."

"Thanks mom. I'm going to bed now, good night mom."

"Good night Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi hung up the phone and went to find Grandpa and Souta. They were sitting in the living room. Souta was playing video games and Grandpa was reading the newspaper.

"Kagome is getting married," Mrs. Higurashi announced excitedly.

Grandpa and Souta looked up, surprised at the announcement.

"Kagome is getting married?" Grandpa asked incredulously. "To who?"

"To Inuyasha, of course," Mrs. Higurashi answered proudly. "And no, you can not protest this marriage. If Kagome is happy, then her family will support her to the end."

"I wasn't going to protest," Grandpa denied.

"Wow!" Souta jumped up. "Does this mean that Inuyasha is going to be my brother?"

"Yes it does," Mrs. Higurashi answered. She was happy that Souta willingly accepted Inuyasha. She was content that her daughter was happy.

Back in Miroku's apartment, Kagome laid in bed, too excited to go to sleep. Her thoughts were centered on Inuyasha and she was happy that she would soon be his wife.

The next morning, Kagome woke up eagerly and went to prepare breakfast. She was preparing the pancakes when Miroku stepped into the kitchen.

"Someone is up and about today," Miroku teased when he saw his cousin busily preparing breakfast.

"I was just too excited to sleep," Kagome admitted. She placed three pancakes on a plate for Miroku and handed it to him. As the two were finishing up their breakfast, they heard a knock on the door.

Miroku answered the door while Kagome put the dishes in the sink and prepared to wash them.

"Hey Inuyasha," Miroku greeted his friend. "Eager to see Kagome so early in the morning? Or were you hoping to see me?"

Inuyasha hit Miroku on the head. "Baka, of course I came by to see Kagome."

"And I thought we were best friends," Miroku sighed, pretending to be hurt. Kagome entered the room at the exact moment and overheard his comment. Seeing that no one was buying his act, Miroku dropped it quickly.

Inuyasha walked over to Kagome and hugged her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just give me a moment to grab my purse," Kagome answered him before heading to her room.

Miroku leaned against the wall and looked at Inuyasha. "It's hard to believe that my little cousin is getting married."

Inuyasha stared at Miroku. "Well, you have nothing to worry about. She's getting married to me, and you've known me for a long time."

"Yeah, but…it's just that…she's finally becoming a woman now, and doesn't need me as an "older brother" to protect her."

"Geez Miroku, I never thought that you will be the sentimental kind of guy," Inuyasha commented awkwardly.

Luckily, the two were saved from more awkward conversation when Kagome stepped out and announced that she was ready to go. Inuyasha drove the two over to his mansion where the others were already waiting. When Kagome stepped into the house, Sango and Rin rushed out quickly to pull Kagome onto her reserved seat. Inuyasha was a bit angry that he did not get to sit next to Kagome and he glared at them, but Kagome gave him a warning look that silenced him.

"Kagome!" Rin exclaimed happily. "When is the wedding going to take place?"

"Well," Kagome began before she was interrupted by Sango.

"You should have it in the next two weeks. The sooner the better."

"Well…" Kagome tried again, but Rin and Sango wouldn't let her continue.

"That's a great idea Sango!" Rin joined in. "That would be perfect. Ooh…we have lots of planning to do. We need to get the dresses, and pick the restaurant…"

"Stop!" Inuyasha roared angrily. "You might want to let Kagome and I have a say in this. After all, we are the ones getting married."

Sango and Rin blushed sheepishly at Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha continued, "I do think that we should get married as soon as possible. It would be nice, don't you agree Kagome?"

Kagome blushed and nodded. "We can even have my grandpa perform the ceremony!"

Inuyasha paled slightly when Kagome made the suggestion. "Uh…do we have to?"

"Yes," Kagome answered firmly. "He's my grandpa and he's a priest. He can do the ceremony."

Inuyasha looked at her and knew that she would not listen to any arguments. So he just went along with her.

"Ok, Inuyasha, you can pick the restaurant and we girls can pick the clothes, does that sound fair?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha nodded, since he didn't really care about clothes. They had agreed that the wedding will take place in two weeks and Kagome had called her grandpa and asked him to perform the ceremony.

The next two weeks passed by quickly for Kagome. They had special kimonos made for them, since Inuyasha wanted the best for his bride and would see that she had all the expenses paid for.

(I don't know about Japanese weddings, so I'm sorry if I make up some weird events.)

Kagome was sitting down nervously while her mom prepared her hair. She was dressed in an elegant wine red kimono decorated with silver sakura blossoms and tied with a silver obi. Her hair was being pulled into an elegant bun decorated with silver combs. Her mother was applying the final touches to her makeup as she stared into the mirror.

Sango and Rin were also wearing kimonos, but Sango's was a deep purple flecked with silver leaves and tied with a silver obi, while Rin's was a pink one with white butterflies and a white obi.

"You look great Kagome," Sango stated. She was happy for her friend and secretly hoped that Miroku would follow Inuyasha's example and propose.

"Yeah Kagome," Rin said wistfully. "I hope Sesshy will take the hint and also ask me to marry him."

Kagome smiled at her friends. "I'm sure in time they will propose. You can tell that Miroku and Sesshomaru really loves you two. Who knows? Maybe they'll follow Inuyasha's example after the wedding. Usually, I wouldn't recommend Inuyasha as a role model for anything, but in this case, he is setting an example for the other boys."

The girls laughed at Kagome's comment. The wedding was about to start soon and Kagome began to fidget nervously.

Sango, seeing her friend's anxiety, hugged her. "You'll be fine," she whispered encouragingly. Sango and Rin went to stand next to their boyfriends as Kagome walked down the aisle to the altar.

Inuyasha stared at Kagome wonderingly. She looked like the most beautiful woman to him. Inuyasha smiled when Kagome reached the altar and stood next to him. He was proud that Kagome was going to be officially his after today, not that he didn't claim her before and made sure that no male would approach her, but now, it would be legal. Kagome smiled shyly at Inuyasha and didn't dare make eye contact, for she was afraid of being mesmerized by his eyes.

"We are all gathered here today to see Inuyasha Taiyoukai and Kagome Higurashi married," Kagome's grandpa began. "May the gods of Heaven and Earth bless their marriage and may they forever. Now, bow to the earth three times, Inuyasha and Kagome."

Inuyasha and Kagome kneeled down and bowed with their forehead touching the ground three times.

"You may now stand up and exchange your rings and vows."

"I, Inuyasha Taiyoukai, promise to shield Kagome Higurashi from any perils, threats, or dangers and will always remain a loyal husband to her," Inuyasha stated solemnly. He then placed a diamond platinum ring on Kagome's finger. He had managed to get the ring when Kagome and the other girls were getting their dresses ready.

"I, Kagome Higurashi, promise to be a loyal wife, always standing by Inuyasha's side in any situation," Kagome replied just as solemnly as she placed the ring on Inuyasha's finger. The two kissed afterwards. It was a short, but sweet kiss and Inuyasha reluctantly let go. Kagome blushed shyly at Inuyasha and stared at her finger. She couldn't believe that she was finally married to Inuyasha.

Kagome and the other girls went to change into their dresses before they went to the reception at the restaurant. Inuyasha had chosen a fancy seafood restaurant.

Kagome had changed into a slim black dress that came down to her ankles. It had thin straps and the dress was decorated with diamond studs in the pattern of leaves on a vine on the left side of her dress. Kagome put on her diamond earrings and added a touch of makeup to her face and stood up. Sango had changed into a dark green dress that ended mid-though and also had thin straps. It was simple, but it looked beautiful on Sango. Rin also changed into a similar outfit, except her dress was pink.

Kagome joined Inuyasha and they stood at the entrance of the restaurant, taking pictures with the guests. When the guests had arrived and were seated, Inuyasha and Kagome joined their friends' table and ate their meal.

Miroku stood up to give a speech. "In honor of my best friend's and my cousin's marriage, I would like to propose a toast." He raised his wine glass and everyone followed suit. They drank to the couple's marriage and everyone cheered loudly.

"I have known Inuyasha since we were little and I still consider him my best friend, but at times, he can be unbearable. However, I congratulate my cousin for being able to put up with him," Miroku smiled at the couple. Inuyasha growled at the comment, but his friends just laughed and Kagome placed a comforting hand on Inuyasha's arm. Miroku continued, "I still believe that they both deserve happiness and I hope that those two will gain that happiness and have some cute children so that I can be an uncle."

Inuyasha smirked when he saw Kagome blush and bury her face in his shoulder. He smiled at his wife and whispered in her ear, "Oh, we'll have a lot of pups for Miroku to baby-sit."

Kagome just smiled and blushed at his comment.

The End

Thank you everyone for waiting for me. Please read and Review this chapter. I think that it's best to end here, since I don't really want to prolong this story. And thank you for all of your reviews. They really helped me and encouraged me during my time of illness to continue and finish the story. Thank you all!

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