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It was a warm spring afternoon. Inuyasha sat on a picnic blanket in the grass observing his two small children, Moroha and Koichi, splashing around in the lake in front of them. She would send a wave of water at her two-year-old brother and he would laugh and splutter before splashing another one at her. They had been at this for a long time but at least they had found a way to keep cool in the hot sun.
Meanwhile, Kagome sat on the picnic blanket next to him putting the dishes and utensils they had used for lunch back into their basket. He thought she looked quite stunning today with her long hair tied into a low bun along with her white kosode and rose pink wrap skirt that accentuated her lovely curves. A silver bracelet with a red heart charm that he had gotten her many years ago hung from her wrist.
A smile crossed his face at the sight of his family enjoying themselves so much. Not for the first time he wondered how he became fortunate enough to have his life take such a drastic turn from the way it used to be. Six years ago he was a lonely half demon stuck in a cold and cruel world wondering if he would be alone for the rest of his life. Then the love of his life returned to him and they now had two wonderful children who filled his heart with joy every day.
At times he thought of his mother. When she was alive, he was happy. There was still the stigma hanging over him of being a half demon and many in their village stayed away from them. But he was such a little kid back then that most of the time he was blissfully unaware of what others thought. His mother surrounded him with so much love that he didn't realize what a cruel place the world could be. It was only when she died and he was left to fend for himself on his own that he realized how tough things were for half demons. His heart began to harden and he quickly began to not trust anyone. This was how he lived for many years, it was the only way he could survive.
When Kagome came into his life, it was the first time he had truly been happy since his mother died. He often wondered what his mother would think of him now. Many years later he knew what it meant to love and protect others. Each day he nurtured the three most precious beings in his life making sure they were safe, fed, healthy, and happy. He would do anything for them in an instant without question.
The way he was now was so different from the angry, beaten down man he once was. Sometimes it was hard to believe. He didn't know what his mother would think if she saw him now.
Inuyasha even thought of his father sometimes. He had no memory of his old man. All he had were stories told to him by his mother and Myoga, the sight of his grave which he had visited twice, and a one off moment where he saw his father's spirit during a mission he and Kagome had gone on when she was pregnant with Moroha. He had spent many years being angry at his father for never being around, claiming that he didn't care and that he didn't want to know his father in the first place (which was a lie, he had always wished he could have met his father).
Now he held no anger towards his father. Because he had people in his life to protect now, he knew he would have put his life on the line a thousand times over to protect them too. However, he still wished that he could see his father just once if only to say "I did it."
He had dug his way out of a hopeless situation and embraced a life that had true meaning in it. He had a family who he provided for and kept a roof over their heads. He was able to tuck them in at night and make sure they knew they were loved as well as take them out for a fun afternoon like this. A sense of pride swelled within him when he thought of how he had come such a long way from where he used to be. If his parents were around, he hoped they would be proud of him too.
All of a sudden he felt a light wind blowing around him. It wasn't any normal wind though, this felt different. As it circled around him, he felt like he was being enveloped in a warm blanket. He could have sworn he felt a hand on his shoulder. Then he heard a male and female voice whisper softly in his ear "We are."
Just as quickly as it happened, it all disappeared. Inuyasha was stunned but at the same time he felt comforted. His questions had been answered.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Kagome put her hand on his. "You look so far away," she said.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry." He laced his fingers in hers and squeezed her hand. "I was just thinking."
Before anything more could be said, Moroha and Koichi ran over to them dripping wet from their fun in the water.
"Mommy, daddy, look what we found," Moroha said. She held out her hand and showed them a ladybug.
"Ooh, how cool," Kagome said. "You know, ladybugs are said to bring good luck."
"Really?" Koichi said with wide eyes.
"Come on, Koichi. Let's try to find more!" Moroha said with excitement.
Inuyasha laughed a bit as he watched the two of them run off. It was amusing to see their babies so innocently excited by the smallest of things.
Then he turned to Kagome. His heart began to beat fast when he locked eyes with her. No matter how long he had been with her, no matter how many kids they had or what they went through, she never failed to make him melt with one look. He put his arm around her waist and she leaned into him with her beautiful smile that he loved so much lighting up her face. When he kissed her it was like everything fell into place. He was right where he was supposed to be.