Ren-sama's Note:

This is the Final Chapter, everyone! I hope you enjoy the ending! ᶺoᶺ

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Chapter 36

Subaru was severely wounded by the time he got really close to Kamui. However, that was the easier part. Now that he was closer, he could see that he could not possibly get Kamui out without severely injuring him. Subaru couldn't do it.

Instead, he cupped Kamui's cheek with his bloodied hand. "Kamui… Please wake up…" He said as he kissed the teen's forehead. "Kamui, it's me… I'm here now… I won't leave you ever again… Please wake up…" But Kamui remained unconscious despite his continuous calls. Subaru didn't know what to do anymore. He could feel his heart breaking a little bit more with every second that passed by. If only Kamui would wake up… "Kamui, you don't need to do this… Please just come back… I promise to take of care of you more… Your pains, your sadness, your worries, your fears… I want to take them all… I don't mind getting hurt for your sake… I want to take away all the wounds in your heart if I could… Please just wake up…"

Fuuma and Nokoru watched as Subaru's silent tears poured down his cheeks once more. They couldn't do anything while outside. They could only wait, feeling miserable as they watched how Subaru begged for his lover to return to them. The small space they all managed to create a while ago was once again sealed with even thicker thorny veins.

"Subaru…" Fuuma voiced quietly. He knew how much Subaru loved Kamui. If only they could be happy together…

Nokoru closed his eyes. He couldn't watch Subaru anymore. Kamui still remained unconscious despite the onmyouji's calls. How he hoped Kamui would return to them once again…

A sudden intense tremor of the ground had caught them all off-guard and the two men standing outside fell on their knees as they looked at one another.

"This dimension is collapsing." Nokoru voiced quietly. "Kamui needs to wake up soon."

Fuuma sighed as he nodded. "The only thing ensuring our safety here is the furball and the kodan on the other side. But if this dimension collapses while we're still here, not even Yuuko or that Kimihiro guy can help us." They'd be doomed to wander that void for all eternity… or worse, they'd all disappear without a trace. They both looked at Subaru who kept trying to wake Kamui up, even going to the point of shaking him up a little but it was still no use.

"Kamui!" Subaru shouted right at the teen's face but the said teen was still unresponsive. "Kamui… I love you…" And he kissed the teen's cold lips briefly. His own lips were quivering from too much crying. "I love you… I love you so much, Kamui… I want to see your smile… I want you to live… But I don't… I just don't know what to do anymore…"

"…Just… stay by my side… forever…" A small, hoarse voice answered him and Subaru was so shocked he immediately looked at Kamui's face. The sight of those amethyst eyes looking back at him almost made him sob again.

Kamui thought first that Subaru was just a part of the long dream he was having. But then he saw those mismatched eyes full of color, unlike in his dream, and he knew that the man before him was real. He was scared of his own boldness to voice what he really wanted. But seeing that Subaru looked so happy right now, he figured he made the right decision. "I want you… to stay by my side forever…" He repeated.

The veins had started to unwound around Kamui's body and the onmyouji was ready to catch him when the veins had retreated. The teen was too weak to stand up on his own. Subaru took off his trench coat and wrapped it around Kamui's naked body.

The dome-shaped veins had started to retreat as well, allowing Fuuma and Nokoru to finally reunite with them. The dimension was starting to collapse and the problem now was the fact that they were currently trapped. Some of the spaces near them were already breaking, much like what happened in the dimension earlier where the Dark Kamui was guarding.

"We need to leave now!" Fuuma shouted as they all started running towards the darkness, barely avoiding the collapsing parts of the dimension.

"How did you find me..?" Kamui, who was now being carried by the onmyouji, asked. Subaru smiled at him and silently pointed at the prominent necklace that he wore. Kamui looked surprised at first, but then he smiled, looking grateful and awed.

"You think you can get away from me?!" A cold voice echoed not too far away from them. "I won't forgive you… I won't forgive you!" Dark aura covered the entire place as they felt the Dark Kamui's deep hatred and pain. He must've felt betrayed by Kamui who suddenly chose to live.

Subaru stopped running at that, followed by his two companions. He needed to confront the Dark Kamui now… or he and Kamui would never be happy together at all… "Kamui," he called to the dark one. But then his eyes turned to the one in his arm. "I know that I have done a lot of awful things to you. I have hurt your heart so many times and made you cry a lot. I was weak and cowardly, not having the resolve to share the burden that you bear. I was indecisive, so much so that I let my heart remain broken than to choose to move on. But despite that, you still accepted me. I owe you everything I have now."

"What are you talking about?" The Dark Kamui answered. He was not attacking but he was glaring.

"It means…" Kamui was the one who answered. "Subaru changed for me… for us. And I forgive him for all the mistakes that he did in the past." He smiled at the Dark Kamui and the latter's eyes widened as he slowly disappeared.

"You'll regret this." He said as he glared at Subaru. "You'll regret this, Kamui! I'll come back when he hurts you once again! I'll definitely come back and kill him!" And then he disappeared into a white glowing feather just as the dimension broke into shards much like a broken mirror.

Subaru closed his eyes. "That won't happen again." Kamui nodded, his eyes looking powerful and determined as the feather went inside his chest. The last, final feather was finally inside him once again. He could remember everything now too but he wasn't about to cry and break again. He wasn't alone anymore…

"We're going to be trapped!" Nokoru shouted as they all backed away from the breaking shards.

Kamui's eyes widened when Subaru did the one thing that made him a Seal again. He created a kekkai. His own star-shaped kekkai. "You can..?" The teen was almost gaping as he felt the warmth of his lover's kekkai. Fuuma whistled for having a close call with death while Nokoru sighed in relief. The whole dimension outside the kekkai was starting to disappear but from the inside it remained intact, although not for much longer.

"We need to get out soon." Subaru said as he felt overpowered. Kamui's self-created dimension was much too powerful and he feared that his kekkai wouldn't last much longer if the collapse continued.

But then it was his time to be amazed when Kamui performed an extraordinary feat, much like what he did. "You're not the only Seal here." The teen chuckled at the shocked expression of his friends. It was the first time he managed to successfully create a kekkai. Not even his Seal friends knew he could create one.

Subaru chuckled when Kamui's circle-shaped kekkai overlapped with his own star-shaped one. He hugged the teen tighter. How he missed Kamui…

"When all else fails, use the last resort, right?" Fuuma sighed as he brought out his ring. His Prince said he could use it when he already wanted to return to his own dimension. Now, he couldn't actually remember if his Prince said it was okay to bring some company with him. Well, whatever… an emergency is an emergency…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So that's what happened…" Kamui said quietly, still lying on the bed. He had just woken up and was still very tired to even sit. He was inside a magnificent room in the Shinken Palace together with his friends. They told him what exactly happened in Nokoru's dimension. They also told him how powerful Subaru was when he finally realized he could once again make a kekkai.

Fuuma used his ring to go back to his own dimension. Shiro and Mokona followed them some minutes after but the fur ball brought saddening news with him. Kamui lost his consciousness once again after the travel, only waking up several minutes ago which was already two days after that incident.

"It was Subaru who realized that you're actually inside a kekkai." Nokoru voiced with a gentle smile. "But that kekkai was so huge and powerful that it became another dimension within a span of minutes. We had a really hard time trying to find you."

"That just explains how powerful The Kamui is." Fuuma smiled as well. "I really thought we were goners when that kekkai started collapsing on us."

"How did you find me?" Kamui asked, wanting to be told about it in detail. He was so sure the Dark Kamui would not be so careless about their hiding place. He was actually surprised that he was found by them, but nevertheless glad.

"I used my own kekkai to try and track you while at the same time using that necklace. I also used a little spell to locate you." Subaru was the one who answered. "The hardest part was actually trying to create a kekkai once more."

Kamui chuckled. He's very happy that Subaru could once again create a kekkai. It meant that Subaru treasured him enough to be able to do that. "I'm really grateful to everyone for finding me."

"Mokona helped too!" Mokona chirped as he hopped onto the bed with a prideful expression. "Mokona and Shiro helped in locating the dimension which you are in, Kamui!"

"And now, all the feathers are inside you once again." Nokoru smiled at Kamui too. "Not to mention you can finally remember everything."

"Are you alright?" Subaru readily asked him.

The teen meekly smiled at them all before he nodded. He could indeed remember everything now. But somehow, the setting had changed for the better. He wasn't alone anymore. He was surrounded by so many friends and loved ones now. He would try to move on. But then he realized something. "Subaru… how are we going to get back to our dimension?"

At that, Subaru looked so guilty and sad that Kamui looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, Kamui. But we can't go back to that dimension anymore."

"What do you mean we can't go back?" Kamui asked as he sat up from his bed. He looked really sad and tearful.

Subaru sighed and Fuuma and the others used that chance to slip out of the room unnoticed. It seemed the two lovers had a long talk coming up.

"Kamui, I'm so sorry." Subaru voiced quietly as he sat beside the teen, hugging Kamui tightly. "It was the compensation for finding you." Kamui's breath hitched but Subaru immediately explained. "I was so desperate at that time. I didn't care what the compensation was or how much it would take from me. As long as I could find you, that was enough. I could pay for it with my own life and I wouldn't mind as long as you'll come back. We are still allowed to travel to different dimensions but we cannot go back to our own dimension anymore. I'm sorry."

"Subaru…" Kamui looked at his lover's sad expression before he returned the hug with equal warmth. "I'm sorry too… for hurting you…" His silent tears fell one by one just as he sobbed silently. They both didn't have the time to really talk before because of the chaotic situation. This time, however, they needed to make sure where they really stood with each other. "I… I thought I would make you happier if you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore. I thought having Seishirou by your side instead of me would make you smile. But I was wrong… I was selfish… I was–"

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Subaru looked at the teen's face and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "I was so consumed by guilt that I felt I didn't have the right to love you… or at the least, tell you how I really feel. I thought that just being by your side was enough. I didn't know that the Core was already tormenting you… I blame myself for my own ignorance. I'm glad you came back…"

Kamui's eyes widened a fraction before his cheeks colored up. He nodded as he chuckled. "I'm glad too… but I'm also saddened…" Not going back to their own dimension meant that he could not see or talk to Nekoi, Arashi, and Shiyuu anymore. He could not tell them that he was okay, that he would not cry or break again. He would not be able to see Sorata's son. He would not be able to tell them all that Subaru did not abandon him after all. And that he was now happy together with the person he really loved. Or that he had managed to get so many friends despite how Sorata always teased him of being antisocial. How he wished he had cherished all those times with them instead of moping in his room… How he wished he had told them at least once how important they all were to him… And that no matter where he might be, he would never forget them… not anymore. Now it was all too late… Kamui sobbed as he hugged Subaru once again. "I miss them… I miss them all so much…"

Subaru did his best to comfort the teen even though he didn't know how to. He felt regret not telling them that he would not abandon Kamui ever again. Or that he would love and protect their Leader no matter what happened. They might be so worried by now…

"I'm sure they already know that you're alright." The onmyouji voiced after a while. "I'm sure Arashi will be cooking right about now while talking to her son. She would talk about the Seals and her husband. She would talk about you, about us. Then Nekoi would come into the kitchen together with Shiyuu. They would join in the conversation too." He sighed as he remembered seeing the same scene over and over again before their travel. He would always see Arashi cooking breakfast while talking to her son. Then Nekoi and Shiyuu would enter the kitchen. Kamui was always nowhere to be found because he'd never left his room at all. And Subaru would always watch the teen as the latter cried his heart out from morning till night. That scene seemed to be so long ago… How he managed to watch passively as Kamui suffered was something he couldn't fathom now…

Kamui looked up, eyes still brimming with unshed tears. "Are you sure they're alright?" He asked one last time. When he received a nod from the onmyouji, he smiled a little and sighed.

"I love you, Kamui." Subaru voiced quietly. Kamui's ears immediately turned red at that. "I'm sorry that I had to accept that compensation. But you're my priority. I could not–"

"It's okay." Kamui shook his head. "I'm not blaming you. I would have done the same if I were you. And also… I wish to just stay in this dimension too."

"No more travelling?" Subaru asked. When he received a nod, he smiled a little. "So you chose to stay in a world so different from our own. I'll be with you. I won't leave you ever again."

"If I hear those lines from your lips before this journey, I would have thought you're not the real Subaru and that Fuuma, the Leader of the Angels, had done something." Kamui said as he chuckled. He could already remember everything and he was glad to be able to talk about it without breaking into tears anymore. Subaru scowled at him because of the comment and Kamui couldn't help but laugh as he hugged the onmyouji once again. "I… I love you too, Subaru…" He said as he hid his face from Subaru. The tips of his ears were very red. "I love you so much…"

Subaru made him look up then. His eyes widened when the onymouji suddenly pushed him onto the bed and kissed him torridly. When the kiss finished, both males were already panting and Kamui's face was flushed. But then he circled his arms around Subaru's neck and pulled the onmyouji down once more, braving himself to go a little bit further.

"I won't hold back." Subaru whispered in Kamui's ears, causing the teen to blush up to the tips of his ears once again. But he still nodded. They needed to make up for all the lost time after all.

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"I hear Subaru and Kamui will stay here. Shiro will also stay since his wish is to always be with his feather wife." Fuuma voiced as he approached Nokoru. It's been a week since they came to the palace and things have calmed down for a bit.

The blonde was sitting on the balcony of the palace overlooking the entire kingdom. He could see the moon as it hung over the sky like a far away light in the vast darkness. He looked thoughtful as he nodded. "I heard that too." He was silent once again so Fuuma thought of leaving him alone but then he talked. "If… If I stay here with everyone…"

"Then it would be great." Fuuma automatically answered.

"It might inconvenience you." Nokoru smiled, not his usual cheery one but a sad smile. "I'm afraid to face Kamui again. It was my fault that he almost died. It was my fault that the two of them got hurt so much."

Fuuma sighed. "They've already forgiven you. The one thing left now is for you to finally forgive yourself." He then left Nokoru all alone in his thoughts.

Nokoru sighed as he remembered all the things that had happened. Mokona said he could still accompany him but he would be alone. Fuuma, Kamui, and Subaru have all of their wishes granted now. He's the only one whose wish was not yet granted. His real wish…

He wanted to go back through time… He wished he could once again go back to the time when his lover was still alive and prevent his death… He didn't really wish for him to be resurrected again… His wish was more impossible than that… But since he knew he could not travel through time anymore, he at least wished to travel to a dimension where Suoh was alive. He knew that a dimension where Suoh was still alive was somewhere in existence and he wished to find it no matter what. Or even no matter how long it took… He refused to give up. And yet, Kamui's plea for him to just settle in this dimension was just too good to pass up…

"Suoh…" Nokoru closed his eyes as he remembered his lover. He could still feel the ache brought upon by his death. He knew that staying with Kamui in this dimension could really make him happier. But it could not make him complete… He sighed as he opened his eyes once more and started walking in the palace's huge garden.

He started wandering aimlessly as he tried to decide whether it was worth it leaving this dimension behind, with no more chance of ever going back, to seek his dead lover or if it was actually worth it leaving his wish behind for a simple life together with his newly found friends. He knew that no matter which choice he made, he would not be complete anymore. No matter which he chose, he would leave something precious behind…

He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize he was about to bump into someone until it was all too late. Nokoru bumped into a taller male while the latter had his back on him. The impact made the blonde lose balance as he fell on the ground with a soft thud. "I–I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." The blonde was embarrassed as he apologized to the other person, all the while groaning quietly in pain.

"Tch. Visitors shouldn't go wandering around at night." The male person voiced in return. His voice sounded annoyed but he still held out a hand at Nokoru so the latter could get up.

Nokoru smiled at him, suddenly feeling annoyed. But when he looked up to take the other person's hand, his eyes widened and his breath hitched as he finally saw the male's face. "Suoh..?" His hand unconsciously held the other person's hand tighter.

The person, now looking at him with a bored expression, spoke with much coldness. "Suoh? What's that?" He then looked at the hand Nokoru was still holding and the blonde couldn't help but let go.

Nokoru's eyes were very wide as he looked at the other person with so much sadness and longing. But then the latter started walking away and before he could even stop himself, he had already grabbed the other's arm. "Wait, Suoh!"

"Narumi-nii-sama." Haruka called from the veranda as he waved a hand at the person who looked so much like Suoh.

Nokoru let go of his arm as he looked at the person once again. "Narumi..?" So it wasn't Suoh… Of course it couldn't be Suoh. His lover was long dead. How idiotic could he get..?

Haruka walked outside the garden together with Fuuma who saw the entire exchange. He looked at Nokoru with an odd expression while the latter looked really embarrassed to say anything anymore.

"I already introduced you to Kamui and Subaru." Haruka voiced with much enthusiasm. "This person is another friend of Fuuma's, Nokoru Imonoyama-san." He said as he raised his hand to Nokoru's direction. Afterwards, he then motioned his hand towards the other person. "Nokoru-san, this is my cousin Narumi Kaname Uesugi."

"Naru-san then." Nokoru smiled with his usual cherry attitude while the latter looked aghast at his sudden act. It seemed no one has ever dared called the man Naru before.

Fuuma had an eyebrow arched at Nokoru's cheerfulness but the blonde acted like he didn't see it.

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It was a really nice day and the sun hung in the sky so bright and clear but Mokona looked forlorn as he gazed upon everyone in person one last time. "Everyone… Mokona is finally returning to Watanuki now. Mokona will not come back here anymore and all the decisions you've made must already be final because there is no turning back."

They all nodded as they said their goodbyes to the teary-eyed fur ball. The latter was trying to suppress his tears but he couldn't help but cry as Kamui hugged him tight. Nokoru also did the same while Fuuma glared at Mokona before finally petting him reluctantly. It seemed the raven would also miss the loudmouth and annoying fur ball despite everything. Subaru also smiled at Mokona and patted him on the head while Shiro simply wagged his tail. Mokona was the one who hugged the kodan as he wailed loudly.

"Are you sure about this?" Fuuma asked as he looked at Nokoru. The blonde simply nodded as they all watch Mokona's wings grew larger. They looked at the fur ball one last time before the latter was engulfed by a blinding light and disappeared.

"Well, there's no use mulling over it now." Nokoru sighed as his only hope of getting out of the dimension finally left. He told Mokona the other night that he would not fulfill his wish anymore and that he had finally found solace with his friends' company.

It took him another week from that fateful night in the garden to finally tell the fur ball that he wished to stay in Fuuma's dimension. Kamui was ecstatic that he wouldn't leave anymore while Fuuma gave him a smirk, knowing full well what made him stay. Nokoru scowled at the raven but he still blushed a little. Fuuma was just as observant as always…

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Kamui was leaning on the veranda while watching Nokoru spar with Narumi in the garden one afternoon some months after they all decided to live in the palace. He was watching the two of them spar and he couldn't help but smile. Subaru was sitting on the railing while reading a book, not even finding the spar interesting. "Subaru, don't you think Nokoru is getting a lot closer to Narumi these days?"

Subaru stopped reading at that. He looked below them as Nokoru chuckled while panting, obviously enjoying the sparring session with the blue-haired male. "He sure is." And then he went back to reading again. It was not his fault that the two were dumb enough to try to hide their overflowing feelings for one another when everything was as clear as day.

Nokoru seemed hesitant to take any action because he feared that his feelings for Narumi were actually just his feelings for Suoh. He wanted to make sure first that he wasn't just using Narumi as scapegoat because it would be unfair to the other male. The ever so snobbish and stuck-up Narumi, on the other hand, was just too prideful to admit that he was in fact stalking Nokoru some nights when the blonde would take a stroll at the garden alone.

"What do you think you're doing out here?" Fuuma's voice echoed all throughout the hallway as the raven marched towards them. Subaru and Kamui both scowled at him.

"I don't like royal meetings." Kamui simply said. "It's annoying." Fuuma suddenly felt like face-palming. Kamui's attitude, now that he could remember everything, was back to being a jerk sometimes… no, most of the time.

"I will be where Kamui is." Subaru answered, making Fuuma even more annoyed. Subaru was just so lenient with his lover. How Fuuma wanted to knock their heads with one another sometimes.

"Just so you know…" He growled out. "You two are both officials of the palace! You can't just ditch the royal meeting whenever you're bored!" He felt like reprimanding children with the stubbornness the two have. "Gah! And where's the Prince's advisors!?"

"Sparring together." Kamui answered as he looked at Nokoru and Narumi still in their sparring session.

"Those idiots…" Fuuma growled louder. "Anyway, the meeting is not yet over so you two can still go and see–!"

"But it's so boring." Kamui scowled. "And also, I am The Kamui. You can't command me." Subaru smirked at that from behind the book he was reading.

Fuuma could already feel his veins of annoyance showing. "You three will all be fired one of these days!" But he couldn't help but finally give up when Kamui simply yawned at his threat while Subaru acted like he heard nothing. He really felt like crying now.

His Prince said it was okay and that they were all doing their roles outstandingly anyway, except in meetings, but Fuuma still felt like berating them for their laziness. Kamui, it seemed, was back to his attitude before the journey and he was amazed how Subaru could actually maintain his calmness at all times despite the fact that his lover had turned from an innocent child to a devilish little master. Indeed, love was blind.

Then there was Nokoru who was busying himself flirting with Narumi all day and night! Fuuma felt like turning into an old man from too much haggardness of supervising all three of them every single day.

But then, considering what they all went through just to live quietly, or not so quietly, like this… the tall raven thought that all of them needed a lifetime of rest from burdens and pains. Fuuma smiled to himself as he witnessed first-hand what true love in different forms was. He was grateful to his friends for everything, despite the fact that they have become such a pain in the ass.

And so, every single day was filled with a haggard Fuuma trying to convince his friends to attend royal meetings and gatherings. Subaru and Kamui have filled their days with love for one another while Nokoru was starting to finally move on from his ex-lover with the help of his newly-found friend Narumi. Shiro was almost always sleeping under the shade of some tree or another.

In the end, they all lived happily ever after… sort of.

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.END.

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Ren-sama's Corner:

Ren-sama: Wahhhh! Finally finished! I'll definitely miss this Fict!

Kamui and Subaru: (asleep on the bed); (Kamui nuzzling on Subaru's neck)

Host: (smiles) They did their best just to be together again in the end so let's not disturb their sleep anymore.

Yue: (sips some tea before smiling to himself) My work here is done.

Ren-sama: (to Yue) You haven't done anything except drink tea the whole time you're here! (to everyone) Anyway, thank you for all the support and reviews you've given me all this time! I really appreciate your comments! And I know I haven't given any replies to most of you, but rest assured that I've read all of your posts and I'm very deeply grateful to you. Thank you for spending your time reading this work of mine! Please leave some reviews and tell me what you think! ᶺoᶺ

Everyone: Farewell!

Ren-sama: (grins) For now at least.