Epilogue: Sweeter then Blood

Several months had passed since that last battle, and October was now drawing to a close. Kagome was out shopping with her friends, enjoying one of the last few nice days of the year before they stopped by the costume shop.

"Wow," Yuki said looking at all the goddess costumes, "It's hard to believe that Halloween is almost here… just feels like yesterday we were all in here shopping for last year."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Eri said as she went looking for something different. "It's tough trying to find something different every year…"

"Oh, I already know what I'm going as," Ayumi said happily, pulling a costume down. "A rainbow skeleton!" She was now holding up a cute and colorful skeleton outfit. She would dress up like a normal skeleton, but here, there were neon rainbow dress, sleevelets and footless tights so at night she was sure to light up like a Christmas tree."

"What do you think Kagome?" Ayumi asked, looking over her shoulder, but Kagome didn't answer her right away. She was still staring up at the section marked 'Vampires'.

It had been so long since she had said goodbye to Inuyasha, but she thought of him all the time since then… she had cried herself to sleep after that battle, waking up when the sun was rising… she then dragged her weak body back to the manor where her friends had been staying… only to find Sota all alone, and curled up indside fast asleep. It had not been fun trying to explain to her mother where they had been for those two days…

She had told Sota everything else she hadn't told him about vampires, but that was the end of it.

It was only worse when her mother and friends kept asking her where her 'boyfriend' was these days. It was too painful to even think about… so she never answered. Just forced a smile and went on as if no one asked anything… it soon came to a point that no one dared to ask anymore.

But looking at these costumes, she couldn't stop thinking of those beautiful golden eyes that she had fallen so deeply in love with… she could still feel his strong arms wrapped protectively around her… the feel of his lips…

She sighed as she looked back and said, "I think that would look great on you!"

"I thought so!" Ayumi laughed as she went off to the changing rooms to try it on real quick. They shopped around for awhile before Yuki ended up picking up a Cat outfit—with matching ears and tail; and Eri chose the 'Sexy Pirate', complete with a plastic sword.

Kagome didn't tell the others the outfit she chose… merely grinned mysteriously as she bought her clothes and accessories.

"Hojo's having another party this year?" she asked.

"Yep," Eri answered as they all headed home with their bags. "It's going to be a lot better than last year… they're going to be holding it in the park from what I heard! They even hired a DJ and are talking about how to best set up the lights…?"

"Sounds good," Kagome sighed as they continued on to the car.

"It's not for another two weeks though," Ayumi reminded them as they got in. "We still have plenty of time…"

Time…

The whole world seemed to be filled with nothing but time anymore. Without Inuyasha, time seemed to move at an unbelievably slow pace… sometimes Kagome would sit up in bed even late into the night just to see if a familiar figure would appear at her window…

She didn't know why she bothered because he never was.

It felt as if she was carrying around a heavy weight in her heart from not knowing what happened to him. But she went on every day, able to put him out of her mind when she was busy. She enjoyed being around people—they were able to help put her sadness aside… it was only at night did she feel the true pain of being separated from him.

'Inuyasha…' she thought as she got into the car with her friends. 'Will I ever see you again? It's been months since I said goodbye… but I've thought of you every day since then…'

"Come on, Kagome," Yuki teased from the back seat. "What are you going as?"

Kagome only smiled and said, "You'll have to wait and see…"

*Halloween Night*

"Kagome?" Sota's voice called before he knocked on her door. "You're friends called! They said that they'll pick you up in an hour so you have to be ready by then!"

"Ok!" she called back before Sota poked his head in. Kagome was sitting on her bed as she applied thick make-up to her face. She was never one for make-up, but she believed that Halloween was a good excuse to put on as much as you'd like. She just applied ruby-red lipstick on and was looking at the effect in the mirror when he came in with his Samurai outfit

"You going trick-or-treating?" she asked.

"Yeah!" he said, holding up his toy katana. "We already know what houses to go to that have the chocolate and the big size candy!"

"Save me a piece," Kagome joked as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"Kagome? Do you miss Inuyasha?" he asked her.

Her hand froze as she looked in the small mirror in her hands, her eyes looking sad. "I think about him all the time," she confessed. Sota was probably the only person that she could really tell him about Inuyasha. He was the only other person who knew the truth after all…

"What happened to them all I wonder," Sota asked himself.

"I made the wish for them to all be free of their curse," Kagome answered grimly, putting her lipstick away. "What happened to them I don't know… I don't know when I'll see them again."

They both sat there quietly for a few more minutes before Kagome said, "Well, you better get going! I still have to get ready for the party, and I'm sure that you need a head-start on getting your loot."

Sota grinned as he jumped off the bed and went to the door. "Oh, by the way! That Hojo guy called again! Said something about wanting to ask you out to the movies this weekend?!"

Kagome groaned. "You mean he still doesn't get the hint that I'm not his girlfriend?"

"Apparently," he laughed. "Maybe you should tell him that your boyfriend's a vampire! That might work!"

She rolled her eyes as she went to her closet and added, "Yeah, and make him think I belong in the nuthouse. Get lost!"

Kagome shook her head as he shut the door and ran off before she pulled out her clothes and started to change. One good thing about Naraku kidnapping her brother that night was the fact that the two of them grew to be so much closer. Mom often wondered how that happened…

Of course neither Kagome nor Sota could tell her it was because of vampires. Once she changed, and pulled on her coat, she went down to find her friends waiting for her in the car.

"Have a good time dear," her mother said, giving her a quick hug.

"I'm sure I will!" Kagome called, half-heartedly as she joined her friends. Kagome kept her coat on the entire time until they arrived at the park where Hojo was holding his big Halloween Bash, but she made sure to leave it in the car.

"OH WOW, KAGOME!" they cried when they saw her.

She was in beautiful crimson red dress with an even darker red bodice—the sleeves were see-through and reached down her arms like evening gloves. Around her neck was a necklace shaped like a bat, with a red plastic jewel where the bat's body was… her hair was left hanging down so that it cascaded down her back and she even had little plastic teeth that fixed onto her real ones…

"Oh, Vampire Queen!" Eri bowed at her. "You look fantastic!"

"I thought you didn't believe in vampires, Kagome," Yuki laughed.

Kagome smiled, her teeth more showy than ever with the red lipstick, "It's Halloween! Why not dress up?"

She joined her friends and mingled in with the party… the long banquet tables that were filled with food shown in the countless lights that hung from the trees. Kagome laughed, and enjoyed meeting with everyone—taking special care to avoid Hojo when he came near—this year dressed as some a prince with a long cape.

All in all, she did have a lot of fun that night. But as she slipped to the refreshments, she spotted the punch that was so dark, and under these lights, it looked like blood. She saddened when she saw it as she took one of the goblets and poured herself some. But for some reason she was no longer in the mood to be partying.

She snuck away as the music continued to play and they began dancing. Slipping in through the trees, she wandered only a little ways away so that she could still see everyone there—but far enough so that she didn't have to worry about being seen.

She stood there among the trees, staring at the punch. For some reason, she couldn't seem to stop the tears as she looked at her reflection in the goblet. She didn't know why she was suddenly so emotional, but it felt as if someone was squeezing her heart and she just couldn't stop herself.

'Inuyasha…' she thought.

There are as many nights as days, but this one night seemed to stretch on forever. She hadn't cried since that night she said goodbye to him, but now the tears were falling thick and fast. From the very first moment that she met Inuyasha, there had been a new feeling that she never knew before.

The longing of love…

Because of that love, she couldn't change time, or anything that happened between the two of them… she couldn't change how she felt about him, nor how their destinies had entwined with one another. But she didn't regret it.

She wanted to see him…

Suddenly, there were the sounds of footsteps behind her and the swishing sound of a cloak. Thinking it was Hojo she said irritably, "Hojo, please… I'm just not in the mood to talk to you."

"But I needed to see you," he answered… only it wasn't Hojo's voice who spoke.

Kagome felt the goblet fall out of her hands at that voice as she turned on the spot. No… it couldn't be…

But as she spun around, standing there was a young man with long, black hair that was tied up in a ponytail. He was dressed in dark clothes and a black cape hung around his shoulders… but she wasn't looking at anything but his face… a rather rough face with a wild grin and beautiful brown eyes.

He looked so different and yet… that voice… that smile…? Could it really be…?

"Inu… yasha?" she croaked out.

He looked at her up and down before he smiled again, showing his teeth… plastic ones like hers. "You look good."

It was like a dream… a dream that she had been having for months. Could she have simply fallen asleep and she was in her own personal fantasy? She stepped forward, placing her hands on his face as she looked at him, he sure felt real…

"Is that… you?" she croaked out, tracing his eyes with her fingers.

"I said I'd be back, remember?" he asked her awkwardly.

She looked deeper into those brown eyes, and even though they were a different color, they were the same as the gold ones that she longed for so desperately. Suddenly, she heard a familiar laugh and looked back towards the party to see a familiar group of people there…

Sango, Miroku, Koga, Ayame, Shippo… and even Rin!

They had come out of nowhere and had joined the party! Each one dressed in costumes and laughing with each other… Shippo no longer had the tail or fox ears and feet… he was taller with normal human legs and ears—he was dressed as a super hero running around and laughing.

But the biggest change was Rin… she was no longer a small child, but a teenage girl about her age! She looked to be about sixteen at most, with long black hair and a beautiful face as several boys noticed her at once and walked over to talk to her.

"Don't see why they bother," Inuyasha said as Rin merely smiled and waved them away. "She's already engaged now… but Sesshomaru didn't want to come to the party."

"You… you're all here…" Kagome whispered, staring back up at him.

"It's a long story," he said, smiling. "But the point is… its over. After 500 years, it's all finally over."

Tears were falling again down Kagome's, but they were different this time. They were tears of joy… "That is you…" she whispered.

And without waiting another moment, they flung themselves at each other and began to kiss. This wasn't like the ones they had in the past… this was their first kiss… their first kiss as complete humans. His lips were warm and she could feel the heat from his body as he wrapped his arms around her… it started off as an almost desperate press against their mouths, but soon became softer, sweeter… and then they were kissing properly, but slowly.

This couldn't be happening—it was too amazing, too incredible, too wonderful… every sensation was vivid and powerful: she was painfully aware of her heart hammering against her ribcage, and every point their bodies touched seemed to blister and burn…

She reached up to his face and felt the normal ears on the side of his head. Though she would miss the cute dog ears, she loved these just as much as his fingers became entangled in her hair.

Time hung suspended for just the two of them. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if every clock on earth had stopped ticking for them. If you asked her how long they remained this way, she wouldn't have been able to tell you. It was impossible to say how long it lasted, but slowly, very slowly, they broke apart—gasping for air.

"Now there's no doubt," Kagome said smiling at him, seeing the lipstick that she left on his lips. "No man can kiss like you."

He grinned back. "It was always sweeter than blood…" was all he said before leaning back in for another kiss… she glided her arms around his neck as they kissed even more passionately than the last. There would be time to talk later… to discover everything that happened… how they had been doing… and what they had been up too. But at that moment, none of it mattered as they stood there like that, their hearts so full of happiness that they might burst…

They were together again and that was all that they cared about.

Underneath the light of the shining moon, they were cast in that unearthly glow like a spotlight… if anybody had seem them at that moment they would swear that they were looking at the Vampire King and Queen together… with the punch dripping from the fallen goblet at their feet… oozing like blood into the ground…

END

(What'd you all think? It's been a long time, but the story is finally over! I'm sure that I'm going to be having a lot of questions about this later, but that would've taken too long to explain, and would've drawn the fact away from the two lovers meeting again. No, it ended the way it was supposed to, Inuyasha and the others are back and are free from their curse… that's all that matters. I do hope that you all enjoyed this story and thank you all for the support you have given this story.)