THE REPUBLIC OF MIYUKI AND OTHER TALES

So this is an epilogue of sorts, since the story kind of ended open endedly I decided that I'll give a summary of what happened to each character afterwards. I also noticed that I screwed up the timeline, I portrayed the events of Fallout 2 as being ten years ahead of when they were supposed to happen. I kind of needed to do that so Kanata wouldn't be too old, she was one of the few characters whose age I wanted to get right. Yes, she was also the protagonist of Fallout 2 for anyone hasn't played that game and wasn't able to pick up on the hints, or is unfamiliar with the game.

KONATA IZUMI…

Her and Kagami lingered in the Capital Wastes for a few months doing a few odd jobs here and there. Konata loved the thrill of adventure and dragged Kagami on any little quest she could find. This included oddball tasks such as… Finding the Declaration of Independence, granting a mutated tree person the peace of death in a non-painful way, finally completing her bobble-head collection, and even searching through an abandoned Vault to find a violin for a elderly woman.

Overtime she eventually collected a series of titles and affiliations, since it would be a pain to go into detail of all her adventures, they have been summarized here by her affiliations and titles.

-Inhabitant of Vault 101

-Knight of The Brotherhood of Steel

-Honorary member of Lyons Pride

-Member of the "Regulators"

-Member of "Reilly's Rangers"

-Citizen of Tenpenny Tower (With Kagami)

-Collection agent for the Brotherhood Outcasts

-De Facto leader of the Pitt.

-U.S Army demolitions expert…Long story.

-Ex-slave

-Member of "The Railroad"

-Tunnel Snake

-Mechano-lass

-Owner of Cherry

Eventually she couldn't ignore the call to find out more about herself and her family. She plotted a course across the United States of America to find the town of New Arroyo in northern California. Kagami was determined to go with her and wanted to visit some western cities like The New California Republic and other places. She believed there was technology there that would interest her.

On one sunny morning in May they set out.

KAGAMI IZUMI

Her family was a bit confused by declaration of marriage but weren't reluctant. They were just happy that she was finally safe and sound home, and if she wanted to spend her life with the woman who rescued her…Well that was fine by them.

Kagami was dragged along by Konata on all sorts of wasteland adventures. She didn't mind too much since the majority of them were pretty fun. The secret about how she destroyed Liberty Prime and the Citadel died along with Minami, Kagami thoroughly believed that no one needed to know that was her who had done that. She had done a lot of things she regretted but was determined to forget about them. Maybe she should have died on the Crawler, maybe that was what she deserved. Kagami was determined to make sure she would no longer deserve a fate like that from now on.

Like Konata, she also accumulated a series of titles after their adventures, she bore them reluctantly.

-Inhabitant of Vault 101

-Honorary member of Lyons Pride

-Assassin for "Littlehorn and Associates"

-Member of "Reilly's Rangers"

-Citizen of Tenpenny Tower

-Collection agent for the Brotherhood Outcasts

-Eden's Instrument of Annihilation

-Slaver

-Lieutenant of The Pitt

She was determined to have a proper wedding, even in the a shattered post apocalyptic world. The problem was the only church they could find was on in Rivet City, and that church was heavily against same sex marriage. With Tsukasa's help, they staged it so Kagami appeared to be male.

All it took was a very tight tuxedo and a lack talking on her part. They pulled it off well, Kagami still enjoyed herself even if she was called "The Groom" mockingly by everyone around her for years to come.

Tsukasa had gladly tailored each of them their garments for the wedding. A tight fitting white tuxedo for Kagami and a slim crimson dress for Konata. Anyone would have agreed they looked beautiful together.

The couple left the Capital Wasteland in May so Konata could find peace of mind about herself. Kagami went along for multiple reasons, she wanted to be with her love, she wanted to help her, and she wanted to investigate places like the NCR and Vault City. She had heard plenty of tales about how much prewar technology they both had. There was only one thing she really wanted out of those places though…

MIYUKI TAKARA

Yukari had taken everyone from Vault 101 to a settlement called the Republic of Dave. Since it was a republic they held annual elections…and Yukari won since the Vault Dwellers outnumbered the original inhabitants 3:1. Sadly she passed away shortly after the events that took place at the Crawler. Her death was mysterious, she died from some sort of fever that was claiming the lives of many wasteland inhabitants.

Miyuki was the vice president she the settlement became the Republic of Miyuki. It flourished for generations to come and became the largest city in the Capital Wastelands overtime.

TSUKASA HIIRAGI

After the fall of the Brotherhood, Tsukasa followed Miyuki and became the secretary of state for the Republic of Miyuki. She also worked a school teacher, doctor, and cook as well.

Her and Miyuki remained best friends for the rest of their lives.

YUTAKA KOBAYAKAWA

After Minami died, the Family quickly disassembled and everyone went about their own ways. Yutaka moved back with her sister and happily helped her with her insane research.

Together they furthered the scientific worlds knowledge about the Brahmin language, mole rat domestication, and the wonders of the Deathclaw sanctuary. The latter claimed the lives of seven research assistants.

MINAMI IWASAKI

N/A

Killed by Deathclaws.

PATRICIA MARTIN

She continued her job at Rivet City like nothing ever happened. Patty still played almost no part in the events of this story.

HIYORI TAMURA

Since the majority of her science team were killed when the Citadel was bombed, she had no where to go. Hiyori took what little scientists she had left and moved to The Republic of Miyuki and worked there.

They made less scientific progress than Yui and Yutaka did.

AYANO MINEGISHI

N/A

Killed in freak gas explosion accident that looked like a suicide.

MISAO KUSAKABE

N/A

Killed by fatal gunshot would by Nanako Kuroi.

AKIRA KOGAMI

Joined the Outcasts and continued doing what the Brotherhood of Steel was born to do. She eventually found an military depot with twelve working Chimera tanks. The results WEREN'T pretty.

MINORU SHIRAISHI

N/A

Killed in freak Chimera tank accident. Death could be easily be blamed on Akira.

NANAKO KUROI

N/A

Killed by plasma grenade detonated by herself.

SOJIRO IZUMI

N/A

Killed by Kuroi after suffering a gunshot wound to the head.

KANATA IZUMI

N/A

Died shortly after childbirth from complications.

YUI NARUMI

See "Yutaka Kobayakawa".

TADAO HIIRAGI

He lived out his life peacefully with his wife at Tenpenny tower. The gracious sum of money Kagami left them kept them both happy and kept for.

MIKI HIIRAGI

Same as her husband.

INORI HIIRAGI

N/A

Killed by modified FEV in drinking water.

MATSURI HIIRAGI

N/A

Killed by Deathclaw.

YUKARI TAKARA

N/A

Killed by modified FEV in drinking water.

SPIRITS AMONG US

On top of Rivet City on one fine April morning, a crowd of applause and cheer sounded out as Konata and Kagami sealed their everlasting love with a kiss. Kagami picked her bride up off her feet and embraced her for what felt like an eternity. All the war, death, and struggle was over and she could now focus on building a life for the two of them. She knew that their future plans would surely throw them in the face of conflict but it wouldn't never be at a scale like that ever again. One thing was also certain; Kagami Izumi would never repeat her same mistakes. She would never lose hope like she had ever again, she would never fall to the vices that claimed so many others again.

"Well it looks like I did a good job raising her after all." Sojiro said and crossed his arms, despite so many trials and tribulations his daughter had come out alright.

"She did didn't she? I only wish she hadn't had turned out to be so much like me." Kanata agreed. Sojiro laughed at his incorporeal wife's remark.

"Ha, she did end up like you in almost every way huh? Charging straight into battle into the Enclave with companions at her side; trying to save what she held dear. There's no doubt about one thing, she certainly is our daughter." It was true, Konata had followed her mothers footsteps so closely that it was uncanny.

"I helped though!" Misao yelled and jumped in between them. "I was Konata's master who taught her everything she knew, she was like my apprentice or something." Konata's parents both chuckled at that.

"Oh Misa-chan be modest." Ayano tried to say to Misao. The deceased fanged girl stuck her fingers in her ears and skipped way to ignore the lecture. She skipped past Minami who was standing unseen behind Yutaka.

"I guess you don't need me anymore." Minami said to the tiny girl, her words went unheard of course. "Just try not to listen to your sister and cousin okay? Motorcycles are dangerous, and the new water isn't safe to drink at all. Also stay away from the Dunwich Building, that place isn't right."

"You sound like a mother talking to a kid who's about to go on their first field trip." Kuroi said and shook her head. "She learned from the best, she's going to be fine don't worry."

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here." Minami said quietly and walked away. She stood at the railings of the flight deck and looked out into the Atlantic Ocean. The afterlife was a strange thing, it was hard to tell if it was truly the afterlife anyways. Minami wasn't sure if she was an actual ghost or just some disembodied collection of memories and echoes from everyone who had been around her all formed together into a single incorporeal mass. Either way, whatever she was made out of wasn't going to stop her from finding the mystery to something only the dead new. What happened to her father; Jaime Iwasaki, who had left with his own father to possibly find a better life for his family.

"I don't really see your problem with me." Kuroi snorted, "What did I ever do to you? Besides break a few bones here and there? If you really hated me you would have been at the Jefferson Memorial, but no you chose to stay behind. Behind your warped sense of judgment, you're all talk. We were friends before, weren't we? What changed Iwasaki? All we did was change careers."

Those words stung Minami, to some extent Kuroi was right. They had been friends before, that was before Minami was "Dishonorably Discharged". After meeting Yutaka, Minami's view on the world had become a little brighter and she began believing that sometimes injustice was worth standing up against. Yutaka's bright bubbly innocence in such a dark world was what motivated her to resist dark tyranny. Kuroi fit the description of a tyrant pretty well. It was Yutaka that had changed her.

"No, you changed. You weren't the woman I knew before, Nanako, you really used to be a good person." Minami answered her, "What happened to you, I used to look up to you and respect you. I wanted to be like you."

Ghost Kuroi sighed, "The Enclave wasn't the same after you left and everyone else died. I wanted to see you again after we said goodbye, but what you did to Arefu and the others. You and The Family were turning into the exact same thing we fought so hard to kill off, it hurt to see you stoop that low. Then when I came asking for help, you drew steel against me…that hurt Minami, that really hurt. And after my dad and that whole fucking thing with you-know-who, I couldn't take another heartbreak like that."

The six spirits gathered together and watched the happiness and merriment that took place between the two lovers and the wedding guests. Kuroi felt hopelessly out of place among the five of them. None of them could hardly believe how much of impact those two girls had left on the Capital Wastelands in such a short time. Of course each of them had all played a part in the story of those girls, from small to large and good to bad. It didn't matter though; the end justified the means.

SEPTEMBER 27TH 2282

Tsukasa finished grading the rest of the homework she had assigned her class. Since she had to create lessons and work out of memory, being a teacher for the Republic of Miyuki was difficult.

The settlement had definitely flourished. Miyuki was good leader and the town expanded quickly as people from all over the wastes moved into this safe haven. It wasn't long before everyone in Big Town packed up moved there as well. The town was in the far corner of the Capital Wastes where raiders and Super Mutants didn't go. Everyone was worried that maybe slavers or Enclave would launch attacks but after five years the Enclave was completely gone from the Capital Wastelands.

It had been five years hadn't it? Tsukasa checked her Pip-Boy, five years to that very date exactly. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had left the Vault and journeyed into the outside. So much happened back then so fast, it was amazing that any of them got out alive on the end.

She walked slowly out into the towns foyer and out towards the gates. After awhile she had begun to walk unassisted, she couldn't run or frolic but she wasn't bound to crutches or a wheel chair. Tsukasa glared out into the horizon and let her mind wander as she looked at the Washing Monument sticking out of the D.C. ruins. Scavenging had exploded there since there were no longer and Super Mutants and Ghouls, the modified FEV had killed every last one of them. Despite how menacing and dangerous they were, it saddened Tsukasa to think about how they were now all extinct. Mole rats, Radscorpions, and Deathclaws were all gone too.

In the distance Tsukasa saw three figures walking down the road towards the town. A small child walking between them, an adult on the left, and someone who was somewhere in between adult and child sized on the right.

"Onee-chan!" Tsukasa called out and began limping to her sister. Four and a half years had done little to change her sisters appearance, especially since she had grown her pigtails back.

"Tsukasa is that you?" Kagami asked excitedly and ran up to her sister. Tsukasa's hair down to the small of her back now. With her long hair and lack of ribbon, Tsukasa looked a lot more like a woman than the little girl she had been when they left the Vault. Kagami thought she looked a lot like Matsuri, just with different hair now.

"It's me!" She replied and hugged her twin. "Wow you two were gone a long time, I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."

"We ran into some trouble at the New California Republic." Kagami told her than glared at Konata, who hadn't changed a bit. "Because someone just had to pick a fight with the biggest guy she could."

"If all those guards didn't have gauss pistols that we so could have taken them." Konata said smugly. "Those guys at Vault City were a lot nicer…"

"Oh Kona-chan, did you get to the place your mom was from?" Tsukasa asked, since that was the whole purpose of their journey.

"Yeah we did." Konata told her. "Took longer than expected since we got wrong directions. Apparently northern California really means southern Oregon…but you should have been there Tsukasa. The place was bigger than Megaton by far and had full blown power and water, even a movie theatre!"

"Wow!"

"And that's not even the best part. New Arroyo's elders all gave Kagami and the royal treatment since I look almost exactly like my mom or something."

"You told them that you were the reincarnated version of her." Kagami reminded her and shook her head. "Come on, now those guys are going to be awaiting the reincarnation of her again for years to come. You shouldn't give people false hope like that, it's not nice."

"But you were certainly eager to eat all the cake they made for us." Konata said with a sly cat grin. The child in between them giggled at their banter. Tsukasa had almost completely overlooked the little girl sitting there, she was a blunette with azure eyes like Kagami's. The kid couldn't have been more than three or four years old.

"Oh, who's this?" Tsukasa asked and bent down to meet this little girl face to face.

"That's your niece Tsukasa. Her name is Konami." Kagami told her with a small smile.

Tsukasa got a blank look on her face. "When did Inori have a kid?"

"Wrong sister."

"I don't remember Matsuri ever-"

"Wrong sister again."

Tsukasa realized what Kagami was trying to tell her. "But that's…you can't…is that…two girls?" She stuttered. Kagami stepped forward and whispered an explanation into her ear.

Konata nudged her daughter forward. "Go say high to your auntie Tsukasa."

Konami Izumi stepped forward and looked up at her aunt with big bright eyes. "You're my auntie?" She asked shyly.

"I guess I am." Tsukasa giggled and picked Konami up into her arms. "I haven't had any training on being an auntie though. Kagami what if I do something wrong!?"

Kagami just chuckled. "Worse case scenario, she'll end up like you."

"Heh right…I mean hey!" Tsukasa yelped and blushed. Her niece giggled some more at their banter. Tsukasa smiled and felt great knowing that her family was altogether again, well most of them at least. Her, her sister, sister-in-law, and niece; that was good enough for now. "Let me show you to the Presidential Mansion, it's actually only a three bedroom house but we like to call it that. Anyways I'm bet President Yuki-chan would love to see you all again."

And so they set off to go see their childhood friend again. They spent the rest of the day catching up and telling Miyuki of their adventures over the years. Tsukasa watched over Konami and her own childlike innocence allowed them to bond easily.

That night Konata, Kagami, and their daughter all laid on the queen sized bed that was in the guess bedroom. Konata looked at her child, Kagami was technically the mother since Konata would have suffered the same fate as her own mother. But Konami was still as much as Konata's daughter as she was Kagami's and she was filled with this unexplainable sense of happiness and love every time she looked at her. Konata understood completely now what it meant to sacrifice yourself for the life of your child. If the situation ever came, Konata would gladly do it.

"Hey Kagami?" She whispered in the dark.

"Hmm?"

"What kind of life do you think Konami will have?" She asked, their daughter was fast asleep so Konata felt okay talking about her.

"I don't know really. I mean she already had to go through some hard stuff back in Oregon, I think she'll come out okay though." Kagami replied, she was referring to the creepy cult that had attacked them on their way through a deserted town. There had been blood, lots and lots of blood.

"I think she'll be destined to go on some epic quest right when she turns adult." Konata said dreamily.

"Huh, I hope not. Why do you think that though?"

Konata had a pretty solid reason. "It's part of being in my family I guess. My great-great-grandmother stepped forth from Vault 13 and saved everyone from being turned into Super Mutants by some guy called The Master."

"I know, I read her memoirs." Kagami replied, it was interesting reading a first person story from someone who had absolutely no knowledge about the outside world when they stepped out. At least when Kagami left she had a good deal of information about the outside world pooled in her brain. What was most interesting about her memoirs was how they were written so that a person with absolutely no knowledge about the war before hand could understand it. Kagami particularly liked the description of an atomic bomb. Take the worse thing you can possibly imagine then multiply that by a thousand, that's how bad an atomic bomb is.

"Then my mom went and took down the Enclave with her buddies. Then I did the same thing too. Think about it Kagami, its in our blood!" Konata finished.

"I guess…I just hope she can have a nice peaceful life, but that's probably not even possible in the wastes is it?" Kagami sighed.

"Not really." Konata answered. "But my main reason for thinking that is this Kagamin-

"War, war never changes."

TSUKASA HAS AN IDEA

The three of them stayed in The Republic of Miyuki for about a week. Miyuki offered them a permanent home but Kagami said she would just use her suite in Tenpenny Tower; especially since her parents had been able to afford one of their own.

Tsukasa was amazed when she looked at her two sisters then looked at their daughter. Konami Izumi's personality didn't reflect that of her parents at all. She had none of the quirky outgoing spirit of Konata, but at the same time lacked the cool confidence and hardcore realism of Kagami. Tsukasa could have swore that the little girl was more like herself than anyone else. After much thinking Tsukasa decided something.

"…Tsukasa-san are you feeling alright?" Miyuki asked after hearing Tsukasa's proposition.

"Yeah Yuki-chan, I want to have a baby too. I want to do what Kagami and Konata did, just with the two of us." Tsukasa explained happily.

"I don't know how to reply to that." Miyuki said gave her a blank stare.

"You've never wanted to be a mommy?"

"No, not particularly."

Tsukasa huffed a defeated sigh, she was only twenty-four but already she felt her biological clock ticking away. Looking into a child's eyes and seeing all their innocence, dreams, and potential was something else. In her own way, Tsukasa was jealous, to the point of envy, of her sister for having a kid like that. She wanted so desperately now one of her own, a person that would look up with her bright bubbly eyes and call her "Mommy", or "Mother" or what ever maternal nickname stuck. Someone that would love and depend on her, instead of the other way around for once.

She didn't know all of the scientific details of the procreation that happened between Konata and Kagami; well none at all actually. However, she did know that it wasn't all that difficult, Kagami had told her that she could have done it in the Capital Wastelands if she had known how at the time. Sure, the west coast had lots of prewar technology but the scientists in the Capital Wastelands were the masters of getting junk to work for them. Project Purity was a perfect example.

There was another glaring issue Tsukasa was yet to overcome; the fact that she couldn't have kids. She learned that after Hiyori had given her an in depth physical exam a few months after Konata had become her sister in law.

"Keep in mind that I'm not a doctor by trade…" Hiyori said to Tsukasa who was sitting naked on a medical cot. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and continued, "…but I'm not completely incompetent. Anyways, it looks like as far as post apocalyptic nineteen year old girls go that you're in great shape. There are a few things you should know though…"

Tsukasa had learned that there was good news and bad news. The good news was that there was a chance she would be able to walk again in the future, a great chance in fact.

Then there was the bad news that was emotionally crippling. Turns out there was a reason why she hadn't had a period since before her time in Raven Rock. Nothing in that area of her body was functioning correctly anymore, from a cynical point of view those organs were just taking up space and extra blood cells. At the time she learned that it was more of a surprise than anything else, now it was horribly depressing. Hiyori had told her that she could get a transplant and that Kagami would have been a perfect donor. But Tsukasa wouldn't have stolen that kind of happiness from her sister. Tsukasa would never come anywhere close to following in Kuroi's footsteps.

So she had an interesting idea…

"Yes Tsukasa that would be exactly like incest not just kind of." Kagami replied to her question and shot her a disgusted look. "I'm not going to detail about it, but let me just say that a child born under that kind of circumstance is not going to lead normal life, mentally speaking. Now for my own sanity and image I get of you, I'm going to forget you ever asked me that."

"Got to admire her bravery though." Konata said with her arms folded across her chest.

"Y-yeah I didn't really think that out did I?" Tsukasa said nervously and blushed furiously.

"Not really." Kagami sighed.

"I guess I'm just not cut out for parenthood." Tsukasa said in defeat. It was Konata who thought up an idea worth considering.

"Hmm, you two are twins so you have like all the same DNA right?" Konata asked rhetorically. "So if Kagami technically had a baby, Tsukasa could pass off as the mother genetically right?"

"I really don't know…I guess normally she would just be like an aunt, but I don't know how it works since we're fraternal twins." Kagami replied, "Konata how come I don't like where this is going?"

"Methinks you're being paranoid Kagamin." Konata smiled, "So Tsukasa have you ever considered adoption, especially if the baby is related to you?"

Kagami spat out her Nuka-cola all over the front of her faded Enclave officer's coat, which she kept around since it was both stylish and comfortable, and began choking. Konami, who was absently playing with a toy racecar, giggled softly at her mother choking on the soft drink.

"I-I don't know." Tsukasa squeaked. "I think I know what you're saying…and…" Her mutters tapered off and she smiled and though for a moment, she then enthusiastically replied. "Yeah Kona-chan that's a great idea! How about it sis?"

Kagami resisted the urge to scream and Tsukasa and slap Konata, that idea was beyond not okay with her. But she couldn't help look at things from Tsukasa's point of view, it didn't surprise her that this was something that Tsukasa really wanted. Giving up a child for adoption, even to her sister, didn't sit well with Kagami. Not to mention they weren't a conventional couple so any parenthood would require planning.

"I…I don't know. Give me sometime to think about it, I mean a lot time." Kagami told her. Who knew, maybe she would have a massive change of heart in a few months.

"Yay! Thanks onee-chan!" Tsukasa cried and threw her arms around Kagami and hugged. Kagami sighed and wondered what she had just gotten herself into…

RECURRING NIGHTMARE

They hadn't planned on leaving early but something came up. Something Kagami knew she couldn't put off any longer…

Konata was awoken from a peaceful sleep when she heard Kagami scream from beside her. Her first emotion from this was that pure rage one feels after being awoken brutally like that, it was quickly replaced by worry. Kagami usually didn't scream, the last time she had really screamed was when Kuroi was attempting to saw her arm off at neck level.

She felt Konami cling onto her and bury her head into her chest. Konata held her crying daughter against her chest and saw Kagami sitting up next to them. Kagami was drenched in a cold sweat and was breathing heavily with a look of terror on her face. It was true terror, not just the look of anxiety she sometimes got before a battle or the look she got when a fight was turning brutal; it was the face she had made when she saw a Deathclaw lunging at them that night five years ago. It was the face she made when she realized that maybe dropping a few dozen missiles on her location wasn't a great idea. Konata assumed she must have had one hell of a nightmare.

"Kagami…" Konata cooed softly and placed her hand on Kagami's chilled shoulder. Kagami resisted an urge to shove her away, it was just a reflex but it still disgusted her every time it surfaced. Even after all these years, Kagami's first reaction to be touched when she was unhappy was to shove said toucher away.

Konata watched Kagami stand up and walk woozily into the bathroom.

"Is mommy alright?" Konami asked and looked up at Konata. Konata stroked her hair and tried to decided which route she should go down when it came to answering a question like that. Well I don't really know dear. I could just say "yes" and leave it at that, but that wouldn't really be the truth would it? No, your mommy Kagami is NOT alright, she has a lot demons that haven't gone away since before you were born. I know you haven't noticed lately but she hasn't been sleeping well, you know tossing and turning and all that good stuff. Sometimes she talks in her sleep but I can't make out anything she says, it's almost like a different language. Truth be told baby, I'm scared for her.

"I don't know." Konata replied truthfully. "Wait here a second." She climbed out of the queen sized bed and walked in after Kagami.

Kagami was staring deeply into the cracked mirror, her breathing had calmed down but that look of terror was still on her face. Konata saw that she was pointing a 2mm gauss pistol at the side of her head, her heart lurched and did a flip. Besides the events at the Crawler (Which were almost justified) Kagami had never shown any signs of being even remotely suicidal. Not after a week of happy family bonding here she was pointing a gun at her head.

Konata gracefully slipped behind her and quickly grabbed the gun out of her hand. It wasn't forceful but it sure startled Kagami; the blunette took the pistol and ejected the clip and microfusion battery both onto the floor.

"That's better." She whispered and placed the harmless weapon back into Kagami's hands. "You scared Kona-chan pretty bad."

"I did didn't I?" Kagami sighed, her voice was dripping with self-pity. She sighed again and threw the gun down into the dirty sink, it echoed throughout the house with a hollow bang. "I don't know why I had that, I don't even remember picking it up."

Konata led her back to the bed where Konami was eagerly awaiting their return. "I-Is everything okay?" She asked, tears were forming in her eyes.

"Yeah, every things fine. Just had a bad dream is all." Kagami replied and ruffled her hair. Konata knew that was a lie and her smile was blatantly forced.

"Kagami…" Konata began with a cross look on her face. "No, everything is not alright. What's going on?"

"Just a nightmare that's all." Kagami whispered and laid on her back.

"Remember the first rule we made after getting married, we don't keep secrets." Konata decided to remind her. "Remember what happened back in Broken Hills? If you had just told me what was going on then you wouldn't have almost died." That incident was a true "We're not going to make it out of this are we?" moment. They had stopped in this seemingly abandoned town after their stop in the New California Republic, Kagami was two months pregnant which made the whole situation a dozen times worse.

The place wasn't completely abandoned though, a settlement of people lived in some old mines adjacent to the town. They stopped there for the night, Kagami woke up to go to the bathroom and decided to listen in to what some of the settlements leaders were talking about. Kagami learned that the agriculture around the place had completely died off and many of their wells had gone dry, for whatever reason they placed the towns face on the shoulders of Konata's mother. From what she could figure out, a Super Mutant had heckled Kanata when she had come through there on her quest for the GECK. One of her companions, a tribal who was much more out of tune with reality ended up starting a fight. Pretty soon it became the five of them versus the entire town in a massive blood bath.

Now these remaining villagers had come to the conclusion that sacrificing Konata would bring good fate back to their lonely, begotten town. Kagami went akimbo with her two laser pistols and gunned down the conspirators. She was overwhelmed though and they took her prisoner, through some persuasion Kagami convinced them to let her take Konata's place in the ritual sacrifice.

Well, Konata woke up to find everyone missing. Long story short; she crashed a ritual murder and barely made it out alive with the two of them still in tact.

"Right, right…" Kagami replied after remembering all of that. It would have been easier if she had just gone and told Konata what she was planning, instead of taking it into her own hands. "Okay I'll tell you what's been going on. Do you remember that night we split up and you found your dad again in Vault 112?"

"Yeah, that was almost our first kiss."

"Well ever since that night I've been having these recurring dreams." Kagami told her. "First they were really unclear and made me more confused than anything else, but after awhile they started becoming more and more vivid, nothing really terrifying though. Tonight though…This time the dream was perfectly clear, so clear that I didn't know it was a dream."

"What happened in your dream?" Konata and Konami asked in unison.

"You should be going to sleep little missy." Kagami said crossed her arms, Konami flopped on her back and pretended to fall asleep. "Anyways, the dream, right. It's hard to explain, it starts off with me and Tsukasa walking through the night."

"You and Tsukasa walking, sounds pretty spooky." Konata chuckled.

Kagami shot her a death glare then continued. "Well we come across the building, it's pretty run down and decrepit like more than other prewar buildings. We walk in for some reason and end up walking around some, I don't really remember that part of the dream. Then I'm in some strange underground part of the building alone and there's this solid dark pit. Something takes over my body and I jump into it."

"Sounds pretty freaky." Konata said honestly, especially if it was as vivid as Kagami said it was.

"It doesn't end their either!" Kagami whispered loudly, "I pass out when I'm falling then wake up in the strange underground city. I think it's underground since I can't see the sky, all the buildings are strange spires and pyramids that are miles high. They're all covered in strange markings and this strange green gooey stuff. I start walking around and all I can hear are these voices chanting R'yleh, R'yleh, R'yleh, over and over again."

"Do you think your dream means anything?" Konata asked, she wasn't expecting it to.

"Yes." Kagami replied much to Konata's surprise. "That building that Tsukasa and go to in my dream. It's real, I feel like I've been there before but I think that's just part of the dream. I feel like I have to go there and do…something, and well I didn't want to tell you because you'd want to come along."

"Yeah, I do want to come along." Konata admitted.

"I wouldn't go without you." She admitted, "But I can't tell if that place in my dreams is even real. If feels reel and I can almost remembering going there, but it's hard to say."

"It's not your fault, those were pretty crazy times back then. That all happened so fast that even I'm having trouble remembering everything that happened."

"That's why I'm just going to let this all blow over." Kagami sighed and shook her head. "I remember having a dream like the one I had last night around the same time we found your dad again. I think that's why I keep thinking that part of my dream came from a memory. Still, it's really confusing…You know what else I can't remember?"

"What?" Konata asked, this conversation interested her. She remembered something about a creepy isolated building that could have fit Kagami's description, but she didn't know if it was real or not either. There was also a brief memory of Kagami describing some dream to her too, once again it was hard to tell if that was real or not either.

"The name or face of that girl who told me where the GECK was." Kagami told her, "You know who I'm talking about right? The one who was friends with your cousin, I think she was with the Brotherhood or the Outcasts at one point too; some power armor group at least."

"Minami." Konata reminded her, "Hmm, I can't remember what group she was part of before either. Couldn't have been Enclave because she helped me I found you at the Crawler." She felt awful for not really remembering anything about Minami past that, she couldn't even remember how she died. Konata knew that Minami had died but couldn't remember how or when. Had it been during or after the Crawler assault, probably after.

"Yeah, that girl was a prick. I know it sounds harsh but I'm glad she's dead." Kagami sneered.

"I'll tell you someone I can barely remember." Konata said after a moment of silence between them. "I feel really guilty about it, but I cannot remember the name of that girl who gave me my gauss rifle for the life of me."

"I know who you're talking about, she was with us during Operation Take It Back, right?" Kagami asked.

"I think so…" Konata replied sounding unsure. "I can't remember whatever happened to her, I can't remember if she was cool or not…"

"We've been gone for awhile huh?"

That was the extent of their conversation, the three drifted off into sleep. However, a peaceful night was not an option for Kagami. She was plagued with another dream. It didn't have the horror qualities of the first one, it was more confusing than anything else.

She dreamt she was back in The Crawler, minutes before Konata would arrive. She expected her arrival and wouldn't fire at her this time. The foreboding knowledge was strange to her. In dreams past, present, and future seemed to meld into one thing.

Instead of Konata she was saw something else. A figure staggered at her, a figure who looked like they had been mercilessly butchered. Their leather duster was torn to pieces and various bits of their guts were hanging limply out in a grotesque display. Kagami realized who this was supposed to be- Minami Iwasaki. It was hard to tell through the bloody and dirt but the mint-green hair and clothes gave it way.

Kagami drew her plasma pistol and trained it on Zombie-Minami's head.

"A lie is a lie even if everyone on the planet believes it." Was all the specter said before Kagami awoke.

She knew what it was, her guilty conscience playing with her because she had kept everything she had done from Konata. Kagami shrugged her dream off and went to back to sleep.

ANOTHER YEAR SLIPS BY

Konata and Kagami had stayed in The Republic of Miyuki. Tsukasa was overjoyed that they could all be together again, it was almost like old times. Especially now that everyone was still alive and there was no more fighting. She sat at the outskirt of the town and watched the sunset, her favorite past time.

As she stared off into the distance, her thoughts wandered to her sister. Kagami had left with Konata to scout of the Bethesda Ruins south of there. Tsukasa couldn't help but feel and overwhelming sense of love and admiration for her sister. Kagami had given her a gift, a blessing from the heavens, and Tsukasa couldn't think of a single way to express her gratitude.

That blessing was in her arms now, something Tsukasa would be eternally grateful for beyond words. That blessing was a child of her own, Mariko Hiiragi.

Tsukasa could only hope for the best for her month old child. The future seemed steady though, she couldn't imagine anything going wrong. She smiled at that thought and daydreamed as she stared at the city line in the distance.

A certain phrase shifted into her calm mind, one that had been mentioned many times before.

War- War never changes

ON FALLING STARS…

Your pal Tastychainsaws here. First and foremost I would like to say that little Konami Izumi was NOT thrown in as an afterthought. I had planned to include in the epilogue around when I started writing chapter 11.

I guess I surprised people with a happy ending didn't I? It's just that I really didn't want to kill any of the four girls, I didn't care who lived or died as long as they stayed alive. I do regret killing Misao though, she probably would have made a better sidekick for Konata during the attack on the Crawler. Ah well, I needed to someone to take an axing to so I could remind everyone that they were essentially fighting in war; and in war people die.

Really this story ended up a lot differently then I had originally planned. Like Konata and Kagami's relationship, I decided to add that midway through. I don't know what would have happened if I left it out, it probably would have been a completely different story. I did have to change a lot of mostly just because I had imagined it like a screenplay, and it didn't translate well onto paper.

For instance. I had originally had planned to end the story after they landed at the destroyed Citadel and the camera would have faded out while the song Parabola by Tool was playing. It would have made for a good movie ending but I didn't want to leave an open cliff hanger that would never be revealed.

One last little thing. A thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave criticism. You guys made me check for new reviews every ten minutes with an almost cult-like devotion. Another thanks to my friend David for putting up with rambling on about this story, well at least you were able to laugh manically at Miyuki, Thespian Extraordinaire. Oh yeah and you better end up reading this David because some of those extra characters that I made up were references I knew only YOU would get.

Thanks one last time for to everyone who enjoyed this story. You were all just as big a part in creating this as I was…well not really, but it felt like a nice thing to say. Certainly better than, "I hate you all and the world would be better without you." Since that's not a good way to establish any sort of fan base.

So what happens next? Well I guess I go and finish Miyuki, Thespian Extraordinaire and A Game for Tsukasa. Fun fact, the name "Thespian Extraordinaire" was actually taken from the PC game Baldur's Gate from some girl who tries to kill you towards the beginning of the game. Anyways, Falling Stars could possibly continue…it all depends on how Fallout: New Vegas turns out.