VII. Epilogue

I opened the door. Silence. Mom was out with her new boyfriend (of all things), Souta was at his friend's house, and grandfather was taking his nap. I had the house to myself for a few hours.

I'd just finished all of my make-up work (a real monumental task), and I finally had free time again. Not thinking about school constantly, though, meant thinking about my friends, and the Jewel, and wondering if Shippo had survived without me, and… him.

Mostly him.

I was reading another book on the Feudal Era when there was a tentative knock at the door. Annoyed, I set down my book. It was probably the girls again, trying to pry out information about Inuyasha, or ask me why I wasn't with Hojo. I almost didn't answer the door. However, then I remembered that Mom had been expecting an important package, and this could be it, so I stood up grudgingly and made my way to the door.

Grumpily, I opened the door, and found myself face to face with a handsome redhead. Not one of the girls, then. Not anyone that I knew, either. He was, however, someone that I might like to know.

"Can I help you?" I said as politely as I could.

"It's you," he said softly. He had an aristocratic tone to his voice—he sounded well educated, and almost familiar.

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I remained silent until he said abruptly, "I'm Suichi Minamino, by the way." He extended his hand for me to shake.

"Kagome Higurashi," I answered in kind, "though I suspect you already knew that."

"I did," he said.

Another long pause.

"Do you have any idea how many girls by the name of 'Kagome Higurashi' live at shrines in Japan?"

"I've never looked it up," I said. So he'd been looking for me? Could this be Shippo?

"Well," he assured me, "there are quite a few."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I just want you to know how difficult it was to find you, with what meager information you gave me. 'A shrine five-hundred years in the future' is hardly specific."

And suddenly, I knew exactly why he looked familiar.

"Youko?" I hissed, taking a step back, my heartbeat quickening.

He saw my reaction and frowned a bit.

"Kurama," he said. "I go by Kurama now."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm… not really sure," he said. "I had not planned past this point."

"Well," I said, hesitant, "why don't you start by coming inside?"

"I would love to," he said.

And that was the beginning.

CY: This story is just begging for a sequel-- so much still needs to be tied off... If it happens, I'll write the whole thing before I start posting it and update regularly. Promise.

Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me for the whole story! I'm really grateful for the support. I seriously cannot finish a story without people like you guys.

Also: OMG I've just written a romance that adheres to the formula in every romantic comedy ever made... (They fall in love, have a fight/break up, and he goes after her in the end to get her back)

IMPORTANT: If anything is OOC (very likely, in one of my stories) or inconsistent or generally awful, be sure to let me know in a review or send me a message. I'll be revising this at some point.