• Five years later •

Mikazuki might have only been eight years of age but he had already started sword training. Much to Lyra's displeasure, of course. She argued a lot with Sesshomaru when he first told her that he wished to train him in the art of sword fighting. However, when Mikazuki practically begged her to let him practice, she just couldn't say no.

Mikazuki wasn't a spoilt child. Lyra did spoil him sometimes simply because she still felt guilty for not being with him for a month after he was born. She still held onto that heartbreak and she knew how much he had suffered even though he couldn't remember any of it. Still, Mikazuki was well behaved and disciplined, wanting nothing more than to make his parents proud and to be a role model to Ryu and Rai.

The twins, on the other hand, were a different story. They were hyperactive, destructive and always left a mess in their wake. They drove Lyra crazy. To be fair, they were only five years old but with two of them, it was hectic from morning till night. However, they both listened to Sesshomaru. He would simply have to look at them and they would become such well-behaved children.

Currently, Sesshomaru had taken Mikazuki to police the lands, making sure that everything was in order. They had just returned home and the moment they entered, all they heard was some crashing sounds and something smash in the background. They both stopped walking in the entrance hall and Sesshomaru sighed deeply. Mikazuki's eyes widened as he stayed standing beside his father. And then they heard Lyra's yelling.

"Ryu! Rai! Come back here!"

"You have to catch us first!" they giggled.

The twins suddenly came running out to the entrance hall with Lyra chasing after them. They started running in circles around Sesshomaru and Mikazuki as Lyra tried to catch them. Sesshomaru was unimpressed by the commotion.

"Ryu. Rai," he called sternly.

Their laughing instantly ceased and they halted to a stop in front of their father. Lyra stopped running too but she began breathing heavily, panting as she held her knees.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the twins. "What is the meaning of this behaviour?"

They both lowered their heads.

"We're sorry, father," Ryu said.

"We were only playing," Rai said.

Sesshomaru sighed. "Look at what you've done to your mother. Do you think that's fair?"

They both looked at Lyra as she stood straight again, wiping the sweat from her forehead. They returned their gazes to the floor.

"No, father," they replied together.

"So? What are you going to do?"

They both went to Lyra and looked up at her.

"We're sorry, mother."

She breathed out. "Apology accepted. But boys, I can't keep chasing after you all the time. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Mikazuki tugged on her sleeve. "You're only 28. Father is 500 years older than you."

She sighed. "Yes, yes. Thank you, Mikazuki, for being a know-it-all."

Mikazuki looked quite upset by her response and pouted sadly. Lyra shook her head and kneeled down to his level.

"I'm sorry, Mikazuki. I'm just so tired."

He smiled happily. "It's okay."

He pecked the tip of her nose, which made her smile. She then looked at the twins.

"Now, why can't you two be like your older brother?"

Mikazuki slyly stuck his tongue out at them and they gasped dramatically. They started pointing at him and he quickly hid his tongue again.

"He just stuck his tongue out at us!" they exclaimed loudly.

She shook her head. "I don't want to hear it. I-..."

She suddenly stopped talking and put her hand over her mouth. Getting up, she suddenly ran off. Sesshomaru frowned and quickly rushed after her with the boys running behind him.

She went into the bathroom and locked the door. Sesshomaru knocked on the door but she didn't open it. However, they could hear her choking and throwing up, making the twins get scared. Sesshomaru would have broken the door down but he didn't want to frighten the children.

"Is mommy going to be okay?" Ryu asked with worry.

"Is she going to die?" Rai began sniffing. "We promise we won't be naughty anymore."

Sesshomaru looked at them calmly. "Do not worry. She will be fine."

A few moments later, the door opened. Lyra smiled softly so that the kids didn't get worried. Ryu and Rai suddenly rushed to her and hugged her legs, still worried that she was going to die. She placed her hands on each of their heads.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I think it was all that running around."

"We promise to be good!"

"Please don't die!"

Her brows furrowed in confusion as she laughed in amusement. "I'm not dying, boys. I'll always be here."

They looked up at her as they sniffled. "Really?"

"Yes," she smiled at them.

"Lyra," Sesshomaru called.

She lifted gaze to him. "Yes?"

"You're pregnant."

Her eyes widened as she froze, staring at him in shock. "I... I'm pregnant?"

"Yes. I can smell it."

Tears filled her eyes and she sniffed, quickly putting her hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying. Sesshomaru always knew before she did herself and she knew he wouldn't say it unless he was sure. Lyra couldn't help but laugh quietly at their conversation before Sesshomaru stepped towards her. Raking his fingers through her hair, he held her face and pecked her lips.

"Are you happy?" he asked.

She looked up at him with glazed eyes and nodded. "I'm very happy. Are you?"

"Of course."

Leaning in again, they both shared a deep and loving kiss. Mikazuki, Ryu and Rai were all disgusted and dramatically began gagging. After parting from the kiss, Lyra smiled.

"I wonder if we'll have twins again."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "For your mental well-being, I hope we don't."

She laughed. "I'm just so happy to be pregnant again."

The twins looked up at their parents before turning to their older brother.

"Pregnant?" Ryu asked.

"Is that a disease?" Rai asked.

Mikazuki shook his head. "It means she's going to have a baby."

"How?" they both asked him.

"Basically, mother and father love each other very much so the more they love each other, the more babies they have," Mikazuki told him. "That's why they had us."

"Oh," Ryu said.

Rai tapped his chin. "What gives them the baby?"

"Mother told me it was a genie."

The twins' eyes widened. "Whooaaa! That's so cool!"

Lyra listened to their conversation and laughed quietly. "Aw, Mikazuki. He's so gullible," she said to Sesshomaru

Mikazuki looked up at her. "Gullible?"

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked down at him. "Oh. Uh... It means you're clever."

"Oh," he grinned.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. That was a close one."

***

• A few months later •

Everyone was there again. Inukimi had joined them that time since she missed out the last time. She wanted to be there to help look after her grandsons while Lyra was in labour. This time it was Kagome who was delivering the baby. Kaede was still around but Kagome requested to be the one to deliver it.

After 12 long hours in labour, the baby's cry filled the room and Lyra collapsed in exhaustion. Kagome smiled brightly as she held the baby.

"It's a girl!"

Lyra smiled as she looked at Sesshomaru. He seemed so surprised, never having thought that he would one day have a daughter.

She held his hand. "A girl..."

He looked down at her and smiled softly. "Our family is complete."

Leaning down, he pecked her lips. Kagome brought the crying baby over to her, placing her on her chest. The baby quickly calmed her crying as Lyra hushed her. She had dark hair like her mother and as she opened her eyes, they saw she also had blue eyes.

Lyra's face lit up. "She's just like me!" she laughed. "It's about time."

"She'll have your childish personality as well," Sesshomaru joked slyly.

She pouted as she glared at him. Kagome giggled at them before taking the baby away to get her cleaned.

When Sesshomaru got to hold her, he felt as though he had to be extra careful with her. He felt like she would break if he held her too tight. Lyra watched his interaction with their daughter and it was the sweetest thing in the world. The baby had also already taken hold of his finger and his heart melted.

When the boys came in to see their little sister, they couldn't stop cooing over her. They even argued over who could hold her first. After they all had the chance to carry her, they vowed to always protect her. Sesshomaru and Lyra decided to let her brothers choose her name and after a lot of discussions, they chose to name her Hana.

***

• Two years later •

Hana held Sesshomaru's hand as she skipped along the grassy field while Lyra and the boys walked ahead.

"Boys, run ahead," Lyra told them. "Check if it's clear."

"Okay!" Mikazuki said. "Come on!"

The three of them ran ahead and she smiled upon watching them together. It was the middle of summer and Lyra wanted to get the kids outside for time together as a family. She soon caught up to the boys under a tree. It was a tree she had found when she went out with Sesshomaru one night and she had wanted to take the kids there ever since. She sat down at the base and looked towards Sesshomaru who was still walking up with Hana.

Hana was swinging Sesshomaru's arm, spinning around and reaching out to butterflies that were fluttering past. In the past, Sesshomaru could never have imagined that he would be enjoying such a moment. She was so carefree and adorable. It was obvious to everyone that she was a daddy's girl and it was true. Sesshomaru did spoil her, never allowing Lyra to raise her voice at her even a little. And he never expected her to follow in his footsteps. If she wanted to in the future, then that was her choice. But for that moment, he just wanted her to be his little girl for as long as possible.

Once they reached the tree, the boys took Hana to play with them as Sesshomaru sat beside Lyra. They watched them all laughing as they ran around the field. Lyra smiled and leaned against him.

"Sesshy?"

"Yes?"

"Are you happy?"

"Very. Are you?"

"Yes."

He suddenly lifted her by her waist and placed her on his lap before resting back against the tree. She smiled and lay against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist. And then they sat there and watched their children play in the sun.

"Do you know, Lyra? My father would be proud to see how far I've come."

She smiled warmly and tilted her head to look at him. "Really?"

"Indeed." He held her cheek and stroked his thumb across her chin. "And none of this would have been possible without you."

She blushed softly as they gazed deep into each others eyes. His gold pools couldn't move away from her sapphire ones. So striking. So beautiful. Eyes he fell in love with since he first met her when she was cowering from a demon. That was something he would never admit to her. However, unbeknownst to him, she already knew.

He closed the gap between them. "I love you."

She smiled. "And I love you, my beloved."

He laughed quietly as she copied his term for her. With that, they closed their eyes and kissed one another with nothing but pure love. And they knew that they were ready for the rest of their lives together.