Disclaimer: We do not own Umineko or any of the characters. All of the characters belong to Ryukushi 07.

Passed the End by Icura and Seventy-Eight

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"That will be all for now." The police offer stated simply as he adjusted his tie. The cigarette he had been smoking was burning close to the filter now, though he made no attempt to switch for a new one. "We will contact you if we find out any more during out investigation."

"I see. Thank you." Rosa's expression had not changed since the first interrogation she was subjected to; her eyes were droopy and dark bags hung under them. Surviving the serial murders had taken much out of her. "If you will excuse me…"

"Of course." The officer took one last drag before snuffing out the cigarette. His expression lightened as he looked at the document she had been going over while the kids were being talked to by other officers. He frowned at that, one kid seemed to be in a perpetual fantasy and the other had broken down. Not surprising though as he had seen the parents' corpses. "If there is anything I could help you with, just ask, miss."

"I'll be fine, thank you." She rose sharply, gathering the pages of the document into a small folder. A thin and very fake smile locked on her face, she nodded to the police officer as she walked out of the room. The two other survivors sat outside, waiting and watching silently as she walked towards them, away from the bleak walls of the interrogation room. "Battler, Maria. Come on, we're going."

"Uu~"

"Well, Auntie Rosa, I wish I could say it was nice to see you, but with things being the way they are." Battler smiled, though, she could tell his eyes were red from crying. Maria on the other hand seemed calm; though she seemed somewhat bewildered. She wasn't even wearing the crown that normally adorned her head. "I hope your luck changes after this. Wouldn't want any more days like that, hihihi."

"I think we will be seeing a lot more of each other, Battler." Rosa smiled tiredly. She pulled the documents from out of the folder.

The sides of Battler mouth turned down for a moment. "I don't think this is a good idea, Auntie."

"Battler…"

"Auntie, I can take care of Angie. I'm almost an adult already." Battler smiled as brightly as he could, even in this sad aftermath. "You have your own life to get back to and I have mine. Don't worry about us—"

Rosa slapped Battler's cheek. "Why shouldn't I worry?"

Battler gawked at Rosa, not just because of his stinging cheek, but also because of the emotions that she was now displaying. The stern calm that had encompassed her mannerism was now shattered. "Auntie…"

Rosa hugged him. "Only one of us needs to be strong."

"You're wrong, Auntie." Battler pushed her away. His expression had darkened.

Rosa's eyes narrowed angrily. "What's so wrong about that?"

"Please. Leave me alone. " Battler turned around to leave, but Rosa couldn't let it end like this. She grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

"You're not the only one in pain."

"What would you know? You didn't lose anyone!" Battler, upon seeing Rosa's pained face, regretted his words almost immediately.

Rosa's stern expression returned as she released his shoulder. "Do you really mean that?"

"It's better this way." Battler turned around to leave once again. However, he was impeded again when he felt arms encircle him from behind. He softly touched those hands. "Let go."

Rosa remembered the lonely days as the youngest child of the family. Bullied and left alone just because she was weak. Her lonely, never-ending days with Maria, devoid of the warmth of family and filled with problems, continued to haunt her. Her hands tightened around Battler. "I won't"

"Let go." Battler tried to pry the hands from his body, but he couldn't. As if they were steel, Rosa's fingers wouldn't budge. Why? Shouldn't he be stronger?

"It's okay."

"This doesn't make sense." Battler tried more frantic to pull her off.

"You're not alone."

"It's useless, it's all useless." That's when Battler noticed that his hands were shaking. For the first time, he could feel his resolve crumbling. He had promised himself that he would be strong. That he wouldn't let Ange down. So then…why…why…?

Why was he crying?

"You don't have to go through this alone. Ange doesn't have to go through this alone."

"We'll just be a burden." Battler bowed his head slightly. "We have our own lives and our own problems to deal with."

Rosa's resolve wavered. Did she really want to take two more children under her care? She was a horrible mother as it is so did she really want more weight on her? However, when she felt Battler's tears fell on her hands, her mind was set. "They're my problems too."

Battler shook his head. "They aren't."

"You and Ange are under my guardianship."

"We can still just live separately."

"I won't allow it."

"Auntie, I know you mean well, but—"

"Battler, everything will be fine. You can rely on me."

Battler fell limp in Rosa's grasp. As much as he wanted to fight this, he was tired. The deaths had sapped his strength and willpower, and as much as he would like to deny it, it was too much for him to handle. No, it was more like he wasn't sure he can handle it alone. The future, which once seemed so clear, was now shrouded in a darkness that scared him. He didn't want to burden other people, but he didn't have the strength anymore to fight for his conviction.

For her part, Rosa held him to her comfortingly with arms weighed with the burden of a harsh life and a body wrecked with the betrayals that she had faced in the past. A body that had received a comforting embrace. Deep in her heart, she was jealous that he was now receiving what she never had.

But Rosa was strong. So these emotions along with her sadness were buried within her, under iron-clad barriers. Her decision to support these two orphaned children…was this misguided pity or sympathy? She didn't know. "Come live with me and Maria."

Battler's hands, now steady, carefully pried off Rosa's hands. She didn't resist and watched in silence. Wiping his face with the sleeve of his suit, he turned to Maria, who was staring up at him almost bewilderedly, and rubbed the top of her head affectionately. "Hihihihi, looks like we'll be even closer."

"Uuu, closer?" Maria tilted her head.

"Yep, looks like I am mooching off of you, so take good care of me~"

"Uu! Going to take good care of Battler!"

Rosa slowly smiled as she watched the two of them; it was good to see that he finally accepted her judgment and that they could at least act like the murders never happened. "I'm sure you will, and remember to take care of Maria too, Battler."

"Of course, who do you take me for? My dad?" The moment his words left his mouth he knew they were the wrong things to say. He winced at his comment, silently cursing his impulsive nature. Rosa didn't look much better, whatever good mood they had been building seemed to crumble with the off hand joke. "Sor—"

"Let's just get this over with, mh?" Rosa had seemed to recover, her smile returning, though much more strained than before. Both Battler and Maria nodded slowly. "Good, we should go get Ange then."

"Uu, Ange is going to visit?"

"Not just visit, Maria, live with you too."

"Uuu! Crowded."

Battler laughed and smiled down at Maria. "It will be a bit awkward, but don't worry, Maria. We will try not to impose on you too much."

"I'm not worried about Ange being a problem; you on the other hand…" Rosa patted Battler on the back as she began walking away. Battler's mouth slipped into a frown, and his eyebrows shot up as he hurried Maria along to catch up to her mother.

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The drive to the home where Ange was staying was not a long one; though to each of the occupants, it felt like one of the longest trips they have ever made. Battler's brow was furrowed, his entire being devoted to the sole purpose of figuring out how to break the news to Ange. Maria couldn't wait to see her friend again, while Rosa's thoughts were more in line of what would come after.

She had felt a sinking feeling ever since she turned in the papers for guardianship. She could tell they didn't really trust her; she knew that damn agent was spreading rumors about her. Gutless coward.

Stepping out of the car, the three stood in front of a three-story house. It was a nice neighborhood with plenty of small gardens, but it was nothing like the massive mansion on Rokkenjima with its vast fields of exotic flowers. Even considering how it modest it seemed, devoid of the eccentrics of the rich, Rosa couldn't help but feel annoyance at the sight. It reminded her all too well of how much better Rudolf's life was than hers. While they lived in this nice home, she and Maria had to struggle with a small, rented apartment.

Her father only gave out money to his children for investments. She had gotten the cash to start up her clothing business, but that was the first and last time that she was able to receive anything from Kinzo. No matter how much she had begged, pleaded, and cried, he turned her away without a second thought. It was all over now, but she could not get over the lingering feelings that she had or the brutality of the relationship that she had with her siblings and her father. She tried to dispel her thoughts as she walked up the cemented path.

For Battler, the steps towards the door were the hardest distance that he has had to cross. Each footstep towards his home was like a knife stabbed through his heart as he imagined a different reaction that Ange would have at his news. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to run away. Yet, the moment that he stopped, he saw Rosa and Maria stepping ahead, leaving him behind without noticing. And that frightened him. As if connected to them by a rope, he felt himself dragged forward in their path.

Up ahead of Battler, Maria was skipping along the path alongside her mother. She was simply happy that she would get to see her old friend. As she looked up her mother, she took her hand. It had been a long while since she could simply enjoy the pleasures of being beside her mother.

Tension strained Rosa's hand as she reached forward and pressed the doorbell. After a short while, an elderly woman answered the door. "Hello. Oh, Battler, it's good to see you again. Where are your parents? And who are these two guests with you?"

"Uuu, I'm Maria."

"Maria? Oh! Then this must be your mother, Rosa. Please excuse my improper behavior. I am the maid of this household. A pleasure to meet you both. Ange spoke quite a bit about you, Maria."

Maria nodded enthusiastically; though, Rosa's reaction was far worse. Her mouth tightened into a thin line. Battler smiled awkwardly as he approached the elderly woman. "I….don't know how to say this...but…um…"

"They were murdered." Rosa was void of emotion as she said this, her eyes staring sternly at the maid. The elderly woman gasped slightly, her hand covering her mouth as she regarded Battler and Rosa.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, nothing you could have done to prevent it." Battler waved off her concern; a small lonely smile plastered on his face.

"Still…"

"It's fine. We're here to take Ange to her new home. I'll pay you for everything you have done so far." Turning to Maria, her expression changed almost instantly to a happier one. "Why don't you go and take Battler to go see his sister, okay, Maria?"

"Uuu, going."

Battler smiled apologetically at the elderly woman as he walked past her. She, in turn, gave a bright smile that seemed to smooth out her face, before turning back to what seemed like death itself to him. "I'm going, I'm going. We'll be back down soon, okay, so try not to let Rosa crush you."

Rosa chuckled humorlessly as she forced Battler to go get Ange. The elderly nanny had told them that Ange was resting in her room. With that objective in mind, the halfway grim and halfway cheery duo's march to the room had brought some melancholy feelings to Battler's chaotic emotions, though he hoped that he would be able to keep his cool in front of Ange.

"Ange…" Battler rapped his knuckles against the wooden door; in response a voice called out for them to come in. As they entered, they noticed Ange sitting up in her bed, idly reading a small book. Ange looked up at them and opened her mouth in surprise.

"Battler! Maria!" Ange jumped up from her bed as Maria ran up and hugged her. She was more than happy; she had expected that Battler would be back but with Maria too? The joy that filled her heart was practically bursting at the seams.

However, this had only stung Battler even more. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news; the person that will see a gentle and pure heart laid to waste by sadness. He knew that he had to, but the moment that he opened his mouth, no words came out. Ange let go of Maria to give Battler a hug when she noticed his expression.

"Something wrong, big brother?" When Battler didn't reply, Ange walked up to him and hugged his waist by standing on her tiptoes. "Pain, pain, go away. Come again another day."

It was a childish spell. A recitation of words that really meant nothing, but Battler wanted so much to believe in those words. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't believe in its magic. Still, he gave his half-sister a smile and patted her head. "Thanks. It works."

Ange smiled happily. "Mommy taught me that."

Battler couldn't imagine the serious Kyrie teaching fantasy to someone, even if it was her own daughter. It was almost comical in a sense. However, he regretted thinking of Kyrie so negatively like that. He cast his eyes downward "She did, did she now?"

Ange nodded enthusiastically. "She'll be so proud."

Battler bit his lip. He struggled against himself to say the words, however, before he could, Maria chirped up. "Uuu, uuu, Ange going to live with Maria!"

"Yay!" Ange started hopping up and down, but quickly stopped as a question entered her young mind. "Is mommy, daddy, and big brother coming? I don't want to go if they aren't coming."

"Ange…" Battler gritted his teeth. "I'm coming with you, but they…they aren't coming."

"Then I don't wanna go."

Maria shook her head. "Uuu, you have to."

"I don't wanna!"

Battler bent down and pressed his hands gently on Ange's shoulder so that they were looking eye to eye. "They aren't coming back here either."

Ange looked confused. "Where did they go?"

A dark smirk appeared on Maria's face. "The Golden Land."

"Maria, enough!" Battler narrowed his eyes at Maria. The girl, for her part, decided to back off and start playing with the toys in the room. He turned his attention back to Ange. "They are gone. Forever."

"What's the golden land? Did they go there? Then I want to go there too!"

"Ange, forget what Maria said. That doesn't exist."

"But if mommy and daddy are there and it doesn't exist, does that mean they don't exist?"

"Ange, Ange!" Battler inadvertently pressed down harder on the little girl's shoulders. "Listen to me carefully. They had an accident and…they're gone. They aren't coming back. It's just you and me now."

"Uuu, me too!"

"Rosa and Maria will be with us as well."

Ange looked startled for a second, but then she started laughing.

"Ange…?"

"So when will mommy and daddy be back?"

Battler hugged the little girl to his chest. "They're not coming back."

"Yes, they are. I'll wait here and they'll come back."

"They aren't coming back."

"They are!"

"Ange, Ange. They're gone."

"Stop teasing me!" Even though Ange said that, her voice was breaking up. "They're coming back. They're coming back!"

"Ange…"

Ange pounded her hands on Battler's chest again and again. "Stop lying. Stop lying!"

"It's going to be okay."

Those words, more than anything else, pierced her. Ange began to cry.

"I'm here for you, Ange. I'm not going to leave you." Battler cradled the back of Ange's head with one hand, pressing her against him as the tears fell down on his suit.

Maria watched the scene detachedly. She felt out of place, but she wanted reach out to them. To join their group. To be accepted in their circle of outcasts.

Of those who were not accepted into the Golden Land.

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Battler stepped into the living room with a quiet Maria closely following behind. Cradled in his arms was Ange, who was slumbering with tear-stained cheeks. In the room, Rosa sat alone under the dim light of a single lamp. A cup of tea was laid out on the table, but it was left untouched and had long ago gone cold.

"Auntie, where's the maid?" Battler asked in a quiet tone.

"I sent her home. She left the house key with me." Rosa rose from her seat and lifted a key ring with several keys on it. She walked over to Battler and reached out her arms. "I will take Ange. Take any items you want and lock up the house."

Battler nodded and gently handed over the sleeping girl to Rosa. Taking the key, he took a look around the room. It was the house that he had lived in for all his life. Memories, both good and bad, flooded through him. It was the nexus of his life, but for some reason, he could not think of a thing to take with him. However, immediately afterwards, he retracted that thought. His eyes fell upon a framed photo.

He reached out his hand and picked it up. It was a photo of Ange's fifth birthday. Ange was riding on top of his shoulders while Kyrie and Rudolf were standing to the right of him. They were in front of the house, smiling brightly. Joyously. Carelessly. But then he noticed something on his father and his wife. He brought the picture closer so he could see it better.

Blood stains over Rudolf's forehead and Kyrie's chest.

Battler dropped the picture. The frame slammed into the ground and its glass cover shattered over the carpet. Ange stirred in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. Rosa gave him an annoyed stare as he raised an apologetic hand. He picked up the frame, shaking the leftover glass shards off of it. "This is all I'm going to take. I'm ready."

Rosa nodded and walked out through the front door with Maria swiftly following behind. Battler followed slowly after them. He stared down at the picture frame in his hand. The blood spots were gone. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he stepped out the floor door and closed it behind. He slowly pushed the key into the lock. It almost seemed too quick. For all the years that he spent in this house to be closed with a simple turn of the key. Hearing the click of the lock, he pulled the key out and left the house for the last time.