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Epilogue

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No one had said a word to each other after that day in Hinode. Arai had remained in the godforsaken village to mourn and catch up with Zenevni and Kaiya. Aliza stayed with her, of course; ever the loyal imp despite herself.

Mika had stayed around for a bit, finding some comfort in the friendship he had made with Zenevni's secretary, Marnie. A sweet little thing she was. When she isn't trying to feed, that is.

Two weeks after the retrieval of the body, it was oddly quiet at True Cross Academy. Of course, the class had their casual small talk between lessons and demon-hunting field trips, but certain subjects were off-limits. Snow, cold, certain black-haired Yuki-Onna's, candy...

Needless to say, Rin never participated in them anymore.

Usually, the mourning prince would finish his classes, wander the streets, maybe find a demon to banish, then hide away in his dorm room. Yukio had given him his space and moved rooms, probably more for his own mental health than his brother's.

Rin carried a whale plushie around with him everywhere. None of the others bothered to ask why since Shima explained the two demons had gone to an arcade one day and won it together.

They all left him alone to sulk but occasionally, there was food that would show up at his door. Shiemi also stopped by his dorm a few times to check on him.

Knowing this, he didn't bother asking who was at his door when he heard a loud knock one day. He got up slowly, trying not to bother Kuro in his sleeping state.

"Hey."

He stared at the brunette in his doorway with an unreadable expression. When he didn't say anything, she sighed.

"You look like shit," Mika softened her gaze. Rin scoffed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't aware of it but Mika noticed that he looked a bit like her when he did that.

"What are you doing? There's nothing left for you here," he snarled as if her very existence ticked him off.

"Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. I miss her, too—" she frowned when he slammed the door in her face.

The swordswoman growled some swears under her breath before she kicked the door hard. It didn't open but she didn't expect it to. "Damn it, Flame Brain! She wouldn't want you to be sitting in there forever! You're being a child!"

"Go away," Rin snapped in a low, warning voice.

"No. I'm here to help you realize that you can't act like a selfish brat," Mika crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"What do you want me to do?! FORGET?!" roared the raven-haired boy from the other side of the door. His vocal crack made Mika's miffed expression melt into one of sorrow.

"We have to move on. I know you don't want to but she…" she paused to take a shaky breath, "She wanted this." There was a long moment of silence. When Rin finally opened the door, Mika could tell he had been crying long before she showed up.

His puffy and sleepless eyes were bloodshot, almost making the blue irises look red. He had pyjamas on and his hair hadn't been brushed in a while. Mika couldn't help but close her eyes at the sight of this broken boy.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We need to talk," Mika pushed her way past him and into his dorm. She grabbed a hairbrush, pushed a pile of clothes off of his swivel chair and sat down. "Sit," she pointed to the floor in front of her.

"What are you—"

"Sit!"

Rin frowned but (begrudgingly) did as he was told. Mika pulled some hair product from the desk and sprayed it on his hair. As she massaged it into his scalp, she blankly stared at the charcoal-coloured locks.

"You can't let yourself go. What would she say if she saw you like this?" she muttered. Rin stilled.

"But she won't," he mumbled under his breath. Mika hummed in agreement with his statement.

"Yeah, but she's still watching. If you're not careful, she'll come and haunt you," she said as she began to brush through the knots in his hair as carefully as possible. He didn't say anything, so she continued.

"After your brother took her body to the Vatican, they figured out that they couldn't extract her powers from her post-mortem. We got her body back. She's buried in Hinode with her father and Isaki," she explained, smiling at the last bit of information. Miyuki was in a better place.

"Do you think she went to heaven or back to hell?" Rin asked quietly. Mika thought for a moment before shrugging.

"Arai thinks she's in limbo. I hope she's in heaven, though," she answered honestly. The trembling of Rin's shoulders made her stop brushing out his hair. She grabbed his head and tilted it back, looming over him grimly. He looked like a sad puppy you'd see on those shelter commercials. It was pathetic and she pitied him.

"I don't normally do this…" she pinched the bridge of her nose, "but you look like you need it."

Rin only cried harder as she awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. She didn't mind that he was getting snot on her shoulder or that he was sobbing in her ear because she felt like doing the same. She had cried all her tears long ago but this...this made her want to break down again.

"How are you okay with this?! You act like it doesn't bother you but you can't even say her name! It's been 'her' or 'she' since she died but you have never said Miyuki," Rin hissed the name like a snake ready to strike. Mika didn't let go of him as he ranted, only narrowing her eyes a fraction.

"When I lost my sister, I cried for what seemed like years. I didn't eat because it would make me think of our dinners together. I didn't sleep because every time I tried, all I could see was her face smiling then encased in ice," she said as she closed her eyes and relaxed into Rin's arms. He could let go and move away whenever he wanted but he stayed.

"I cried and cried and cried...and you know where that got me? Nowhere. I was still pissed at the world—at God—for letting it happen. I was pissed...at Miyuki," she winced when her voice broke. She didn't like Rin, not like she did, but he was a good outlet for her emotions. They understood each other's pain.

"I worked my ass off trying to find her and kill her, thinking it would make me feel better. It didn't. It took a vision of my sister to make me realize Miyuki never wanted to hurt anyone."

"She cared about all of us and she'd want us not to dwell on the past. We can't be sad she's gone. We have to be happy we had her," Mika exhaled slowly, releasing the few tears she had been holding back. Rin's sobs had become few and far in between. He finally pulled away from the brunette and whipped his tears away with his sleeve.

"W-What did she tell you before she…" he felt no need to finish his sentence.

"That's why I'm here…" Mika bit her lip, a guilty look gracing her tanned face as she stood up. "Come in."

Rin's confusion only grew as a familiar girl walked through the door. It took him a minute to realize that it was the receptionist from that succubus brothel. What was her name? Mina? Manny? Milk?

"Prince," she bowed briefly. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

"Marnie—" Oh. "is here to help me fulfil Miyuki's final wishes," Mika clarified. Rin's expression hardened as he wondered what Miyuki would want with a succubus. His thoughts were cut off when Mika pushed him into the swivel chair she was sitting in.

"Mika, he's going to be sad for a while once I'm gone. He needs to understand that I can't stay on his mind forever. He has to move on," she recounted her childhood friend's dying words.

"Give him some peace of mind."

"What?" Rin blankly stared before his eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

"Succubi have the power to steal memories. Miyuki knew this—" "Take her name out of your damn mouth!" he shouted, earning a sour look from Marnie.

"You didn't even know her!" he snapped at before turning in the direction of Mika, "You were her best friend! You know how much she means to me and you just expect me to get rid of her memory?!"

Mika's desperate gaze made him falter, "I don't have a choice! I know she's right and you'll either stay like this forever or let me help you."

"Help me?! You're making it so we never met," Rin growled like a wild animal. Mere seconds later, he froze as the realization set in. He fell back down into the chair with a confused and hurt look in his azure eyes.

"That's the point," Mika voiced his thoughts. "You won't feel her pain anymore and neither will the others."

"What does that mean?" the raven-haired halfbreed asked with a breaking voice.

"We've already taken Miyuki's files out of the school system. All we have to do is erase the memories," Mika answered with a miserable tone. She hated this but knew that it was for the best.

"Just like she never happened…" Rin mumbled to himself. Mika took his hand and squeezed it.

"We're going to keep her memory alive. There'll be a statue of her in Hinode and the Vatican promised to make her story that of a hero. She protected and served, after all," she smiled despite her tears.

"Does it all have to go?" Rin looked to Marnie. She creased her brows in thought for a moment.

"Maybe we could just alter them? Rewrite the ending so she...oh, let's say...left with her mother?" her quizzical gaze turned to Mika. The brunette paused. She had no idea what to do but if Miyuki's love for Rin could be kept alive, she'd try her best to save it.

There was a moment of hesitation before Rin relaxed into the chair. He closed his eyes as Marnie cupped his face in her hands and connected their foreheads. A faint light emerged from the Demon Prince's head before images of all their moments spent together emerged around the room.

Mika covered her agape mouth with her hand's and took in the moving pictures. She stopped in front of the one where they shared their first kiss on the roof. The swordswoman didn't feel bad about seeing the private moments between her two companions.

The enchanted snowy background made for a beautiful scene that she couldn't help but be jealous of. For a second, her eyes turned to Marnie, forehead still touching Rin's. She smiled then kept walking past the floating memories.

He took her to her first arcade, he saved her from Amaimon, he gave her time to find her mother...He loved her. He really did. Hell, even Kaia could figure that out. One memory stood out to her, though.

"Hey, Marnie," Mika called, "is there a way we can like...enhance these?"

"They're not TV channels, Sweets," the succubus with bubblegum-coloured hair sighed, breaking her connection with Rin. Slowly, the memories began to shift. The ones of their time in Hinode were the most altered.

"What ending did you give him?" Mika asked. Marnie adjusted her glasses and straightened her button-up shirt.

"The Yuki-Onna survived but stayed in Hinode with her mother. Soon after, the prince got a letter saying she would be taking some time to travel the world and would be gone for a bit. He shouldn't wait for her and should pursue after that innocent blonde summoner," she explained casually.

Mika glanced at the sleeping boy with a pitiful look. It did sound like something Miyuki would do but it hurt to know he wouldn't know the truth. Again she had to remind herself it was better this way.

Grabbing a hold of Marnie's hand, Mika smiled, "Thank you. Really." The pink-haired demoness stared at it for a moment, a light pink blush creeping up on her face.

"Of course," she smiled warmly. "We still have the others to get through, but how about some food beforehand?"

"I'd like that," Mika chuckled, squeezing the succubi's hand gently. "I'd like that very much."

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End

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Okay, can I just say that I literally cried writing this? I'm so thankful to all of you for your support and I hope you're not too mad about this ending. This was always how I had it planned but I sweetened it up by throwing in some Mika x Marnie.

I owe you all for keeping me going through this story and I hope you'll enjoy some of my others.

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you!

- Phantom