Disclaimer: All I own are the Monogatari family/friends/enemies and their stories

Epilogue

She stood at the gravesite and looked upon the tombstone with the same old sense of guilt engulfing her. The memories crashed down on her, assaulting her as if from his grave he was still fighting to keep her with him. If she closed her eyes, she could still see it, the green light shooting from her wand and the look of frightened terror on his face just before his body began to fall and she faded out of the fray with Kuro.

Hermione took a deep sigh and opened her eyes, forcing the images away. She knelt down, laying the white rose she held across the base of the tombstone.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "You gave me no choice. I couldn't let him die. I could not let mine and Kuro's child be born in a world where you reined terror. I just couldn't do it."

Hermione stood up and turned around to leave, glancing over her shoulder to take one last look at the tombstone and the bold lettering of the Malfoy name.

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Two vampires hovered near the door of the pub. Their black cloaks decorated with not only the royal crest of the Monogatari family, but with that of Darkland told the patrons of the pub that royalty was about. Occasionally, eyes would wonder to the bar to get a look at the dark vampire as he tilted his glass up and sat it down on the bar top with a thud of thick glass on wood. Next to him sat a pale young man with white blonde hair, falling around his face in a way his father would have hated.

"She went to my father's grave again?"

Kuro nodded his head and took another drink.

"It is the five year anniversary. Have you ever known her to not go?"

Draco shook his head and tilted his own glass back.

Hermione stepped into the pub with her own guards from the Dark Legion. She paused just inside the door watching as Kuro turned around to look at her. His lips turned up in a smile to his wife, knowing she always had residual guilt after going to the gravesite, yet she insisted on going alone.

He always took her breath away. The way he tied his dark hair back, the intense gaze of his eyes when he would look at her and the way the man who for all intense purposes could be out right dangerous, treated her with such tenderness and warmth. The very sight of him still made her heart pound uncontrollably.

Hermione approached the two men, taking her seat between them and allowing Kuro the freedom to lean into her and nibble slightly at her neck. She couldn't help but to gasp slightly when his slight growl of hunger reverberated through her body. Draco glanced away in disgust, picking up his drink.

"Must you two do that here?"

Kuro pulled away from Hermione and smirked slightly at Draco's discomfort. After a moment of silence between them as Hermione ordered her drink Draco glanced back at the couple.

"So, has life been much different since you gave up the crown?"

Kuro shrugged slightly and smiled down at Hermione.

"Less guards," he said almost sarcastically.

"Yes," Hermione said in agreement. "Ayame always wanted the position anyway."

Kuro glanced down at her, in the back of his mind recalling Ayame's words in the past…how important Hermione was to him…how he was willing to give up the crown for her.

"In fact," Hermione said. "We have a night to ourselves. Sakura is staying with Ayame tonight."

Kuro smiled down at his wife. He could not have asked for a better life. Now, if only between Hermione's work and Hanajima's work a cure could be found…a cure that didn't require anyone's death.

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The otherwise silent throne room echoed in giggles. Ayame sat on his throne…the one that was once Kuro's and watched his little niece run about the room chasing a tiny little puppy he had given her. His orangish-brown hair fell across his forehead and he simply left it there, not feeling the desire to move it just yet, enjoying the fact that it acted like a curtain, hiding the tears that wanted to form in his eyes as he watched the young girl…Hermione's little girl.

"Oji-san! Look! Look whose back!"

The little girl stood at the window jumping up and down pointing out into the court yard where Chi and Chloe were walking, a small child about a year younger than Sakura following along behind.

"Hana-chan is here!"

Ayame couldn't help but to smile at Sakura's excited squeals. It didn't take long for Hana to disappear with her parents inside the house, leaving Sakura about to jump out of her skin in excitement waiting for them to enter the throne room. The puppy whined down at her feet and the little girl plopped down to pet it some more when a thump was heard outside the throne room followed by the whales of a small child crying.

The doors opened and Chi walked in carrying a sobbing Hana, her little arms wrapped around his neck. Chi glanced back at Chloe.

"She gets that from you."

After quickly saying hello to Ayame, they left to take care of Hana, who didn't seem close to getting over running into the wall anytime soon.

"I'm coming too!"

Ayame smiled slightly as he watched Sakura run out the door after her aunt, uncle and cousin. As the door shut behind her, he was left alone. Hermione was more than just gone…she had moved on….she had grabbed a hold of her life with Kuro with both hands and nothing would ever make her let go.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Everyone was finding their happiness. And Ayame got what he wanted for so long…the crown and now it felt like the loneliest place in the world. He watched his family grow around him. And though he fought against his own happiness for so long, deep down he knew he longed for it…to feel that way again. In the back of his mind something prodded him…something seemed to scream out to him and slowly Ayame opened his eyes to find his future happiness standing in the doorway after years of sticking by his side, playing the friend, never giving up on him as a person…and he could see it…like a vision, his life with her…his life with Rowan.

A/N: Just a warning...I will NOT respond to people being nasty in reviews. Not like there wasn't plenty of warning where this was headed. lol.

Also, there is an alternate extra chapter and alternate epilogue that goes with that extra chapter for friends of my LJ!

I will finish writing my Dramione story, Tattoo and post it here as well and then I don't think I'll be writing for the Harry Potter fandom any more. For those who like things like Hana Yori Dango, I have a fic I've started posting for that and I have an upcoming one for Death Note as well.