Chapter 11

Epilogue

Freedom

-

"Miyu……"

She gently stirred against the call. The darkness enveloping her was smothering, yet oh so delectable.

"Miyu……"

The voice so familiar continued to cow her, but it was just so oddly inviting despite that. She probably should open her eyes.

"Miyu……."

Finally the silken voice and gossamer lips met her ear teasingly at last, and she opened her amber eyes with a smirk. Crimson met her awaiting gaze.

"Larva……"

"You like sleeping too much, I think," he answered wry as he sat back to lean on the cherry tree behind him. Miyu held back a laugh as a petal landed on his nose.

"Only when it's with you," she returned coy, amusement etching every word as she gently pulled away the petal from her friend-that-really-was-more-than-a-friend's face. She leaned in closely to examine the flawless complexion only to pull away hastily with a blush as Larva opened his eyes.

"Maruyama Miyu, I do believe you tease me….."

-

Larva sighed inwardly as he continued to stare the girl he loved under bated eye. Why was he such a coward? Why could he not just say, "I love you, Miyu", just like all of the roundabout times they had both said it in jest when they had both been too young to know the true meanings of the words? Why could he not admit to the world what the world itself already knew?

"Showa-san, haven't you asked her to get with you yet?" Toromae-san had asked him just two days ago. "You know you love her. I know you love her. I'm pretty sure all of Eitoku Academy knows you love her. So why haven't you asked her out as more than just a "friend" to the movies or something on Sunday?"

The words had been so brutally honest they cut Larva deeply. Why was he such a coward? How was it possible they went out together every Sunday and walked home together hand in hand as friends, and yet had never gone out for a crepe as a couple? He nearly jumped as he felt Miyu rest her head on his chest as she moved more closely into him.

"Larva….."

-

All of the girls said she should. It was obvious that Showa Larva was deeply in love with Miyu, and of course Miyu loved him just as deeply back.

"Miyu, you absolutely need to take charge in this relationship," Chimmoku-san had insisted. "Some guys are just too considerate to push a girl forward too quickly (though I wish I could have one like that…..). Showa-san probably just can't tell you like him. I mean you are kind of hard to read, Miyu. If you just show him that you do like him and really accept him, I'm sure you two will be set in no time."

And now, half lying on top of Larva as she was, his steady arms held so benignly around her as though she were the most fragile object in the world, she could not dare pull away. But…..

Doubt riddled her thoughts. What if….. What if she was jumping to conclusions? What if she was being presumptuous? What if Larva did not really love her? All of these doubts compounded in her throat until she feared she would choke from the suffocating sensation it was inducing. And then that gentle hand with such slender fingers was at her cheek, and she answered the summons.

"Miyu……."

-

Larva had never been so afraid in his life. How ridiculous was that? He was a second year in high school at the prestigious escalator school of Eitoku. What was there to fear for the prince of the class? He Showa Larva, the best student of the class who had everything he could ever possibly want?

"I……"

The thought of losing her was all that was necessary to make him falter. What if he was just being an obsessed and infatuated idiot? What if he was no better than some low life that wanted to take advantage of his best friend?

"I love you……"

It rushed passed his lips so much more quickly than he would have liked it sounded no more than a gurgle, a muted gasp of air. Miyu began to stiffen in his arms.

"What did you-"

He swiftly cut off anything she could have possibly intended: inquisition, reprimand, whatever. So suddenly, a sensation of which he had never known and yet which he had always wondered at, became his.

Miyu's lips against Larva's own felt as though they were like some unbelievable gift from the gods. At first, Larva hardly knew what to do, and his first kiss, and without a doubt Miyu's as well, seemed dubious to say the least. But somehow, as Larva felt the self-bestowed godsend should end, his body took the reins of its own volition. His hands at Miyu's back roved across her crisp white dress shirt that seemed to gleam in the sun until he felt himself press her head forward to meet his hungrily awaiting lips. He knew suddenly everything he wanted and so desperately desired. His lips parted, and Miyu's returned his actions. And somehow, time stopped for just that moment.

-

He could already feel Life draining in rivers from his already exhausted body. The icy steel from the shinma sword Yugure no Tori felt like a cool breeze passing through him, even though he knew that everything he had ever been was washing away with both his and Miyu's blood. His lips continued to caress hungrily over his lovers until finally, he felt too weak even for that small action.

He pulled away with a resigned, rattling sigh and looked desperately into the already glazing, amber-golden eyes of the dying Guardian of Japan.

"I love you….." he whispered desperately into her neck as he felt his strength begin to ebb ever further. "I had always loved you. I was…… I was such a fool to ever think otherwise, or try to…… to deny it……. Forgive me……."

"No……" he heard Miyu's gasping denial. "I was the fool……. For I was the one that tried to push you away……Everything is my fault……." He felt the flaming tear drop onto his cheek with the lightest of splashes, and he sighed sagely as he composed what little strength remained to him to make his farewell.

"We were….. both so foolish," he admitted with a strangled laugh. A thin line of blood began to slide from his lips. "Let us just be grateful….. We could finally admit to each other our love……Though the Darkness will consume us……our love will live on……."

"No, Larva….."Miyu begged with a faint hand at his face. He leaned abjectly into the fading caress. "You have broken the Chains of Destiny…… I am……No…… We are…..finally……."

Larva suddenly remembered Miyu's words from so long ago.

The only beings with the power to break the Chains of Destiny are those that can change and mold those Chains into the very fabric of their dreams and desires: Humans.

Larva shook his head slowly in disbelief. His head was swimming.

"That's not possible, Miyu……." he countered. "We are shinma….. Demons of the night…...We are…..incapable of such a thing…… We can never……"

"No, Larva," Miyu stated with withering finality. "The Chains of our Destinies….. they are finally…..broken…..We are……free….." The word escaped her lips on the gentle breeze, and finally the words held meaning as Death finally approached the departing lovers.

Their story had only begun.

-

Showa Larva slowly pulled away from Maruyama Miyu with a long inhalation of breath. The kiss they had shared had been so intense, so beyond anything he could have ever imagined and he sighed. Suddenly, without even knowing it, something had changed between them, and it was not just the new relationship they now shared.

They stood up resolutely, hand in hand, and they hardly cared that they were covered in sakura petals as they headed leisurely back to the main school grounds and the awed gazes of all of their fellows students. Of course they heard the gasps of surprise and the hushed whispers of amazement and predictability. They even saw the few yen passing hands for bets long ago set. But they suddenly did not care about such frivolous things as once they might have.

They entered class B-1 with the truest assuredness and simple smiles of greeting to their teacher Mr. Maeda. The remainder of the class filed in momentarily as the bells finally sounded across the still dazed grounds. Mr. Maeda began the lesson slowly, fully understanding his class's slight shock and lack of interest in Heian Japan at the moment.

The remainder of the day was uneventful, and as Showa Larva and Maruyama Miyu continued to walk amiably hand in hand through Kokinushi Park, they slowly came to a halt.

"Miyu," Showa Larva began, completely disregarding his normal hesitance to say her name without ceremony, "would you like a crepe?" He continued to eye the stand and beaming vendor that stood invitingly at a distance longingly. Maruyama Miyu sighed knowingly.

"I would like that very much," she answered politely, "Larva."

Showa Larva turned his gaze to Maruyama Miyu from the corner of his eye. So much had changed so suddenly. He felt as though something ancient had suddenly possessed him and made everything anew, refreshed, and free. Yet, somehow he did not really mind.

Larva and Miyu were together at last.

-

The End (for real this time…..:sweat drop:)

-

Aww…… How nice. I think this ended nicely, really. I don't know. I hope I didn't leave you guys too much in the dark. I'm personally blaming the crepe. I'm probably going to have to write a fic just to explain that…….

Well, sorry this took a while to update, but first I had to deal with finals, and then I lost my disk that had half of this already nicely typed on it. I had to start all over again from scratch……:waves fist to unseen greater being: So yeah…… I think this turned out great either way, so I won't complain. Much…..

I promise to start working on the "Kill Aya Special" right away. I'm pretty sure you guys will like it, but either way, please don't hesitate to write another suggestion for Aya's eternal torture in a review for this chapter. I'd appreciate your guy's input.

So everyone, please be ready to join Larva, Miyu, and I at Shiina's address in Darkness for the "Kill Aya Special" block party. Everyone from the series is coming over, along with a few choice characters from other series, so you really don't want to miss this. If you want, you can come with a date (Bishonen are acceptable and expected). I also hope to clarify a few of the quirks of this fic, so look forward to that, too.

So yeah…..

Yours truly,

Sakuran

-

Review Responses

Tankbbg: I'm flattered. I think……. Well, a WHR fic is still far off on my radar of things to do. Maybe during the summer I'll consider it…… But I'll be sure to work in some piqued torture for Aya for you…..

Orhla: I hope this wasn't too bad….. Believe me, I know the atrocities known as "sequels", and I'm pretty sure I despise them as much as you. However, this had to be written to really conclude this story. But, either way, feel free to admonish my pathetic attempts at a finale to your heart's content……

BlueDragonsGirl: Well, I really hope you liked this. Hopefully it makes up for the tragic deaths…… If you have any questions, feel free to ask…..

Jenny(because your name's too long, and I'm too lazy to do the CaPiTal-LoWeR case thing for it): Yes, I killed them. However, I reincarnated them…… So yeah…..