Zero: I thought you said this story was over?

Dream: It is...this is sort of like an epilogue because I thought of something that I really wanted to add on to the end of this.

Zero: And that would be...?

Dream: you'll just have to wait and see like everyone else! Though, I will say that it's sort of depressing and it's really not all that important so you don't have to read it if you don't want to. It's basically about Zero's feelings after all this has happened in the story and it might clear up some loose ends about Zero.

Zero: ....

Dream: Oh also the first line and the last line are lines from the song that I've named this chapter after. Now, on with the epilogue!

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Koori no Naifu wo Daite (Embracing the ice knife):

~The bottom of my heart's lake is rimmed with ice...~

        It had been a few weeks since the incident involving Autumn and amnesia. Things had pretty much settled back to normal. At least it had for most of the people that had been involved with the case. There was one demon however that no longer understood who he was.

        Zero sat on a rock looking out at the lake nearby his sister's house. His wings were folded behind him and his tail was dipped lazily in the water. He picked a pebble off of the ground and skipped it on the lake's surface watching the ripples that formed because of the action. He had been staying with his sister since the last time he had parted ways with the group he had originally labeled as his enemies. Now he wasn't so sure what to consider them.

        Well they aren't friends...but they aren't enemies either...at least...I don't think they are... Zero was thinking to himself as he looked out over the water.

        A few days before, Thorn had been trying to get him to open up more. He had laughed slightly at that and told her that he had no intention of opening up to anyone. He told her that he didn't need anyone. She yelled at him and he yelled back. That had resulted in her yelling at him to leave. He had slammed the door then. As he was about to leave he heard her crying. He hadn't meant to make her cry. He had stayed out in the forest ever since.

        He felt sorry that he had yelled at her. She was his twin sister. He had promised he'd always be there for her. That had been before they had met Youko, before the amulet...After getting that amulet he was confused. Killing innocents seemed so right but a little voice in his mind kept telling him it was wrong. He had grown to ignore the voice.

       A feeling of emptiness began to engulf his heart. He kept telling himself, or rather, the amulet kept telling him that the only way to fill the emptiness would be to gain more power. He began driving those he cared about away...first Youko and then Thorn.

        He tried to remember why he had taken the amulet in the first place. He was able to find a memory at the very edge of his mind that explained it well. It had been when he and Thorn had been very young. His mother had taken the whole family out for a picnic. Even his father came. His father wasn't wearing the amulet. It was locked in the shrine back at their home.

        Zero had been overjoyed when his mother had brought them to the hill. It was in a meadow of bright blooming flowers surrounded by a forest of trees that were also blossoming. His father had played a game of tag with the twins. Thorn kept coming up with new games for them to play. By the time they had finished their games it was getting dark.

        The family had gathered on the hill looking out at the sunset. They enjoyed their picnic dinner. Afterwards their father told them stories about things he had seen on his travels.

        Zero asked a question which had always bothered him, "Dad, what happened to your tail?"

        "Well you see, Zero...An evil fox cut half my tail off while I was trying to claim something very valuable." His father answered angrily.

        Zero stood up and held his fists up, "When I get big and strong I'm gonna hunt that fox down and kill it! I'll make it pay, I promise!"

        His father had messed up his hair and smiled at him, "You do that, kid."

        So many things had happened since then. Zero could barely remember them all. That promise had always remained in his thoughts. He knew that, for some reason, he had always believed his father was good. Even after seeing his mother murdered he still believed his father was good and he still intended to honor that promise. That's why he had taken the amulet. To help him keep that promise.

        Zero wondered briefly why he was still so loyal to his father. After all, his father had brought him nothing but pain and suffering. Perhaps it was because he had always felt that his father understood him. Understood the way he felt.

        Zero's different color eyes had always earned him odd stares. People always whispered behind his back about him. When he had been younger and training with some other runaway kids in Youko's group he had always been picked on. Because of that he had grown cold and distant. He had learned to fight back and soon had all the other kids afraid of him. This had served to anger him further. He felt so lonely then.

        Thorn had worried for him then. She had told him if he kept acting the way he did he'd end up alone with nobody to care for him. He had smiled and told her he was hoping that would happen. That it would give him an excuse to end the pain. This had scared her. She had run to Youko and Youko had given Zero a talk. Zero had ignored the fox the whole time choosing instead to torture a bug that was crawling around. The talk had ended with Zero squashing the bug and storming out of the room. That had been when he had gotten the amulet.

        There were so many things he wished he could take back. So many things he wished he could do over. He wished he hadn't been so blinded by his thoughts that nobody cared since that had ended in him pushing away the only ones that truly did care. The only ones that had never mentioned his eyes or called him any sorts of names. The only ones that hadn't been afraid of him. His emotions fueled the amulet's power.

        He had been very angry as he had watched Autumn and her friends. He was mostly angry that he did not have friends to share such moments with. He had always been envious of the fox for her happiness. He had been angry that even after all the times he had insulted her and argued with her she still stuck by him. His anger had been because he didn't understand why.

        It suddenly hit him. She had stuck by him because she thought of him as a friend. She had never mentioned anything about his eyes and had never been afraid of him. Even though he was cruel to her she still thought of him as a friend. None of her friends had been afraid of him. They had all seemed quite willing to welcome him into their midst. Perhaps he had had friends all along and hadn't known it?

        He stood up. He knew what he had to do. He had to go back and apologize to Thorn for the way he had been acting. He would apologize for everything. He was hoping she'd forgive him. He felt awfully guilty about everything he had done in his life. He was about to leave when he heard a twig break behind him. He spun around to face the noise and his eyes widened in shock and fear. It was his father.

        Yamihonoo smiled at Zero, "Hello my boy."

        "You...I thought you were dead!" Zero took a step back.

        Yamihonoo shook his head, "As you can see I am not. Now, son, I've come to have a little chat with you."

        "About what?" Zero frowned.

        Yamihonoo smirked, "About the kitsune."

        "Which one?" Zero asked even though he had an idea of who Yamihonoo meant.

        Yamihonoo's smirk widened, "Harmony's human half."

        "What about her?" Zero tensed.

        "Do you have feelings for her?"

        "No. Why would I?"

        "I was just checking." Yamihonoo turned to start walking away. He looked over his shoulder at Zero, "Let me tell you something, Zero. You and I are dragons."

        Zero arched an eyebrow, "Wow, what an amazing discovery. I never could have figured that one out on my own."

        "Let me finish!" Yamihonoo growled. "Dragons have no loyalties. Not even to members of our own families. We do whatever we can to get what we want even if it means taking the life of someone dear to us. You are no different from me, son. Someday you'll turn on them and when you do you'll realize how true what I'm telling you now is."

        "No...You're wrong!"

        Yamihonoo turned away, "They don't care about you. If you don't kill them they'll kill you."

        "No!" Zero looked up but his father was already gone.

        Zero held his head for a minute. It was all so confusing. He felt so...strange and he wasn't sure why. His thoughts turned again to the people he had come to see as his friends. He realized with a start that he no longer felt empty. Instead there was a new feeling...happiness? It must be. Those people...they were part of his family now. He cared about them all, especially Autumn. She reminded him of his sister. He would protect her just as he'd protect his sister.

        He would prove his father wrong. A dragon could be loyal. He would not harm any of them. The promise he made to his father...he would not keep. Instead, he would try and make sure his father did not harm anyone. That was his new promise. His promise to the world. He decided after a moment that he should go back and apologize to Thorn.

        Thorn looked up as Zero entered the house. She turned away angrily. Zero sighed and prepared to make his apology.

~Yet my fate is to continue living, because of that I'll fight to the end~

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Dream: this was sort of a short and sweet chapter...I'm not really sure I like the way it came out since I've been working on this on and off for about a month or two now.

Zero: oh well what's done is done.

Dream: true, I did need to sort of set up the fact that Yamihonoo is still alive and out there for the sequel

Zero: o.O he's going to be in the sequel?!?

Dream: yyyyyup

Zero: . is he ever going to die?

Dream: probably not...well review people! Ja ne!