It has been twenty-five years since Tokyo Tower, and Seto was on his deathbed. Yes, he was dying; dying from a horrible illness. Seto lied in a bed, waiting for death to come. To him, he has had a good life; he found Ren, as well as a few other survivors. They found a place to call home. And, they were happy.
Seto was resting when Ren came in his room. He glanced over at her; she was still beautiful like the day they met. She sat next to him and stroked his hair, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I can't believe this is happening," she said. "Why? Why do you have to die now?"
Seto took hold of her hand and stroked it. "This is life, Ren. It happens to all of us. Just know that I'm happy that I spent my life with you."
Ren began crying and embraced Seto in a hug. Then, a young man of about twenty came into the room. "How is he doing?" he asked Ren. She shook her head. The young man sat next to the two of them. "Father, you can't die now. There's still so much more of the world out there."
Seto began couching up blood. When he calmed down, he looked toward his son. "Satoshi, I'm sorry I won't be there to see the world with you. But, I am proud of the man that you've become."
A couple more people entered the room. One was a woman with a bow across her back, the other, an aged old man leaning on a thick walking stick. They took a seat by Seto as well. "He's not getting any better, huh?" said the woman, named Akemi. Ren shook her head. "Tell me, why have we been traveling across Japan the last couple months?"
The old man, Hisao, spoke up. "Well, this area is very special to Seto and Ren. They've been preparing for this since Seto got sick those months ago. She told me about it, when we started moving." He coughed a little. "See, Seto wants to be buried here when his time is over."
Seto smiled at the old man. "It's true. We both had a special moment near here."
Akemi sat back in her chair. "You know Seto; we've had many good adventures together. Do you remember how we first met?"
Seto remembered. It was several years ago; Seto was searching for food, when he heard noises nearby. What he found was Akemi fighting off a couple of wolves. Seto rescued her and took her back to the group. They took her in, and soon enough, she started having many adventures with them.
"I have to say," she said. "These past years have been the best of my life; I got to spend them with people who care. Thank you for everything Seto." She finished, a smile on her face. Seto smiled back at her.
Hisao took a seat next to Ren. "You know, I never thought I'd outlive you Seto, seeing how old I am," he said. "Guess I really live up to my name. It does mean 'long-lived man' after all. But I want you to know, if I could, I'd take your place on this bed right now."
Seto smiled at the old man. "Thank you Hisao." Seto started coughing again. He coughed for a few minutes, spitting blood in a nearby bucket before leaning back.
"I feel like my time is coming to an end now." Seto reached for a small box. He opened it, and it contained the belongings of his friends: Crow's skull ring, PF's bolt, a piece of Chiyo's sash, and Sai's teddy bear. He closed the box and held it in his arm.
"Ren, do you still remember when we first met, all those years ago?" he asked her.
"How could I forget that day," she replied. "It was night, and I was singing on a fallen pillar. I was singing to the moon, when you appeared, dressed in your blue parka. You stepped on an old toy and I fell. You touched me and I ran off, scared that I met someone else."
"Yes, it excatly like that. The day I met another human. The same day that I touched another person."
Seto sighed. "Everyone, I want to say, You all saved my life. Without you all, I would still be alone in this world. I would never have met Ren, have my son, or meet you two. I want to say, I've had the greatest life anyone could ever have." Seto took deep breathes in between his sentences. He was close to death now. "Ren, can you sing me one more song? My favorite song."
Ren knew which one he was talking about. His favorite song that she sang was Hikari (Light). She took a deep breath and began singing ever so softly:
"Hey, must everything in this world change?
Tell me, is there nothing left in this heart to express?
In the depth of night, morning awaits, and the day repeats."
"Ren, I love you," Seto whispered. "I love all of you."
Hey, if even our promise will one day be forgotten
Oh, how I wish for this song to reach you.
From the end to a new beginning, these tears greet the day."
Seto's breathing lessened, and soon, he was still, a smile etched on his face. Tears welled up in Ren's eyes, but she continued to sing.
"Far away. Far away. The shadows of days past yearn for light.
Far away. Far away. I hold on to the delicate shimmer.
The ever-shifting, ever-changing light and shadow,
Just what awaits us beyond them?"
"SETO!" she screamed. She wrapped her arms Seto's lifeless body and wept. Akemi and Hisao started to cry. Satoshi cradled his mother in his arms. He was gone. Seto is dead.
In the afterlife, Seto was walking toward a glowing light. He was a child again, as he noticed. As he drew closer to the light, he saw a number of figures. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were his friends. They were all there: Crow, Sai, Chiyo, Shin, Grandpa, and the little girl. There was a tall, slim woman next to Sai, beckoning Seto to come closer. When he heard the computerized tone in her voice, he knew who it was: PF! Seto ran towards the light and when he made it, he embraced all his friends. Soon, they all disappeared into the light.
Back on Earth, everyone was walking outside. Satoshi carried his father's lifeless body while Ren lead them to their special spot. Ren was leaning on Akemi for support most of the time. Hisao kept his head down for a better part of the journey, carrying only a shovel.
Soon, they reached a clearing in the midst of some trees. A small lake created by the altered terrain glowed in the night sky. The full moon hovered above them as fireflies danced among the grass blades they stepped on. They found a good spot and Satoshi started digging a big hole. When he was done, they carefully laid Seto's body inside it. Ren said one more goodbye and gave his forehead a kiss before they refilled the hole back up.
Ren was crying the most out of everyone. But, deep down, she knew that she had to stay strong for Seto. Their journey was not over yet. They all need to buck up and continue searching for survivors. Ren lifted her head as she noticed a cat rubbing itself against her leg. She picked up the animal and cradled it in her arms. Everyone looked up at the moon, admiring its continuing beauty. After a while, they all turned and left the grave, save for Ren, who still watched Seto's tombstone. She put the cat down and smiled.
"Thank you for being with me, Seto." She said, and followed the others into the night.
(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. Leave a review, check out my other fanfics and send me a message if you want to see more Fragile Dreams fanfiction.)