Hm...yeah. The Birds, The Bears and The Bees was my first real 'sad' fic, and I didn't have the heart to leave it be. In all honesty, I wrote this before TBtBatB and just thought it was too sappy to put up...and yet, here I am. I apologize, this seems really out of character, but I didn't want to leave the aforementioned fic hanging. I liked the ending of this one, though.

Eyes squeezed shut, she wondered if this had been what Banjo had felt like when he died- because she knew for a fact that she was dead- and, after a moment's consideration decided that yes, it had to be. For awhile, she just stood there, green eyes clamped shut, reflecting on her life, that which she'd left behind...and death, which she was about to face.

With both her and Banjo gone, Kazooie supposed that Tooty would have to find somewhere else to stay...maybe Bottles and his family would help her out. And Mumbo had just began to trust Humba...she had really wanted to see how would pan out, too... Would Brentilda take her place in helping the various inhabitants of the island? Would Spiral Mountain's other inhabitants- Topper, Bawl and Colliwobble- emerge from wherever they'd been hiding...for good?

It was odd, considering how often she'd insulted or talked back to the people in her life, that she realized just how much she'd miss them...even the Goggled-Wonder...

She wasn't sure exactly how long she idled there, lacking anything to do...she was dead, so what was she supposed to do now? A light touch on her wing made her eyes snap open, and caused her to whirl around...

To stare at a dead bear...

Then it donned on her...that this shouldn't have been a surprise, given her current condition.

Ignoring the shocked expression, Banjo smiled gently at her.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here...you don't want to know what the hold up was, just trust me on that."

Taken aback by the casual way he'd put this, Kazooie couldn't help what came next, "I...you...we're dead. You know that, right?"

Her longtime companion merely laughed, "I wouldn't have had a conversation with Roysten this morning if I were alive; you wouldn't be talking to me right now, either."

A smile worked its way to her beak, "This is new, you almost sound smart...what's up with that?"

He visibly flinched, and was clearly forcing his smile to stay in place. Kazooie could have slapped herself as she realized how close she'd come to quoting the day she'd left Spiral Mountain so long ago; how close she'd come to the one of the last things she'd said to his face before he'd died.

"I'm so sorry Banjo! I-I just...I've missed you..." She exclaimed, one wing covering her beak, uncharacteristically sincere.

The bear's expression softened once more, as he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just being too sensitive," He insisted, shaking his head. "...I missed you too." He added, averting his eyes as a light blush settled over his muzzle.

Kazooie was oblivious to this, however, as she took a good long look at their surroundings...light grey walls surrounded the pair, and she'd caught sight of the flawless white of the floor, all polished to a high shine...

Apparently there was no dirt in the afterlife.

Noting his friend's gaze, Banjo couldn't help but grin and shake his head. "C'mon, there are more interesting places than this..."

The Breegull shrugged, and allowed herself to be led out of the odd building. "So whadda ya do to pass the time around here?" She asked, slightly distracted by the people milling about, most clad in brown robes...and with jigsaw heads. "And am I insane, or are you seeing this, too?"

"Nah," Banjo replied, rolling his eyes, "they're really there. This temple connects with Jiggy Wiggy's, back on the island. The whole lot of them are freaking out right now, since you're leaving."

"...Why?"

"They're old diciples of Jiggy Wiggy's, and since he deemed us worthy to enter his temple..." The bear trailed off, leaving the rest to Kazooie's imagination, not looking particularly interested in the topic at hand.

For a moment, they walked in silence, and then...

"You missed your funeral..."

The breegull stared, open-beaked.

"What?"

Did he really not get how bizarre that sounded?

In spite of this (or perhaps because of it), she gave him a look, "That surprises you why?"

He shrugged again. "Doesn't surprise me, just thought you'd want to know. Bottles took the whole thing harder than I thought he would...They're gonna miss you"

This time, it was her turn to shrug. "They missed you too. We all did. They're just gonna have to get used to the idea."

"I don't think it's as easy as you make it out to be..."

The look she gave him prompted the honey bear to go on. "I remember when dad died...and when I was watching you a couple years back-"

That made her pause.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you were able to watch us?"

Banjo chuckled, "I thought you got that earlier...But yeah, if you want to watch what's going on with everyone back home, you can."

The breegull paused again, "What...were you watching me for?" She asked rather hesitantly.

Another shrug, "Didn't have much to do those first few days...wanted to make sure you guys were okay" In the safety of his mind, he added another fact, one that was much more...mushy. "You were talking to Brentilda," He went on, without being asked.

Kazooie listened as he went on, feeling her face heat up, as she remembered something the self proclaimed "fairy godmother" of the witch sisters had said.

"While there are greater forces in the world, my sisters and I were only taught revival through hatred. I know very little magic having to do with love."

Hoping he had forgotten that particular phrase, she broke into his ramblings. "So how'd ya do it?"
Mouth still open from when he'd been cut off, Banjo gave her a slightly amused look and pointed off into the distance with one clawed finger.

It was then that the breegull realized their surroundings were completely different from what they'd been several moments previously- "disciples" all over, everything having been obscured by a thick layer of fog...even the ground, which was invisible through the thick mist. They were currently standing at the peak of Spiral Mountain, the sun was setting, painting the sky unnatural colors, ranging from vibrant red to a pastel purple.

Banjo pointed again, this time in the direction of their old house where a small figure was perched at the top.

"Tooty" He explained shortly, "She's trying to keep a vigil."

"It's not good for her." Came the equally short reply.

Silence took over again, as they watched Bottles making his way toward the bear on the roof, attempting to lure her down. She shook her head, and he tried for a while longer, but eventually had to leave. Clearly, this passed as a normal activity for Banjo, as he'd sat down with his paws dangling over the edge of the mountain. Unable to keep her beak shut through her curiosity- and yes, embarrassment- Kazooie found herself speaking up once more.

"About what Brentilda said...guess you should know why I left in the first place...See, it's kinda...I mean, I really- I shouldn't have-"

The bear beside her chuckled, "S'okay, Kazooie, I got it."

"N-no, really, I didn't mean to...we'd still be alive if I-"

He shook his head at her continued babbling, "You just don't get it, Kaz. I was finished, there wasn't anything else anyone could have done; it was all I could do just to look up. Couldn't have picked a better thing to see, though."

"You couldn't...? You mean...?"

The bear nodded, patting at the grass next to him, silently asking if she'd sit down. She shook her head, choosing to wrap her wings around his shoulders instead. Banjo turned to look at where her head rested on one wing, which was, in turn, on his shoulder and leaned over, giving her a gentle kiss on the side of the beak.

They stayed like that, at the top of the mountain, longer than either cared keep track of.

On the top of a rickety old roof, a bear- past her years as a cub, but not yet a true adult- struggled to keep her eyes open as the sun rose. Lifting her gaze to the top of the mountain, Tooty froze in place. Was it just her sleepless mind playing tricks on her? Had grief caused her to go insane? Crazy though it seemed, could it possibly be truth? Whatever the case, the silhouette didn't move from its perch on Spiral Mountain's peak. Upon the realization that it was, in fact, two figures embracing, the bear smiled, and finally allowed her eyes to close...within moments she was asleep.

That morning she had sweet dreams.