I awakened the next day and realized that it was still the day of his funeral. There was no way to get out of the truth, and my desolation had not yet driven me to suicide. The blade was still slathered with Lirra's blood, and I didn't want to touch the vile weapon.

Sad thoughts awakened when I sat up to get dressed for the first time in a while, but I shoved them right back down where they belonged. Tears rimmed my weary eyes, but nothing left in this world was powerful enough to make me cry. Only the sight of those brilliant green eyes and that vivid red hair would awaken the life within me. Picking up one of the pictures, I stared at him. Wearing his dark brown jacket over the usual button-down shirt, he had an arm around my shoulders, and was looking down to make sure that I was alright.

I could remember that day so clearly that I could reach out and the softness of his jacket would be there. "Are you sure you don't want to borrow my jacket?" he asked. "You look terribly cold." Foolishly enough, I had chosen to wear a lightweight t-shirt and fitted denim capris.

"N-no," I said, my voice quavering with the cold. Honestly, the wind nipped mercilessly at my bared forearms and calves. "I don't want you to be cold. I'll be alright." He shrugged and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in tighter and stroking my hair.

Soon enough, we were sitting down, and a man came by. Kurama asked if he could take a picture of us, and pulled me into him, letting me rest my chin on his shoulder. The man took the photograph and moved on, returning the camera to us. After several more photos, we took the film to a drug store to get it developed. On it were pictures of the two of us, and some of Yusuke and Kuwabara with us. In each one of them, I had looked so happy, free for the first time.

One picture had the four of us in it, and I couldn't help but laugh. Once we had all been such close friends, but since Kurama's death, we had all drifted. I was still the only one who knew how he had really died. Yusuke was angry because I still wouldn't let him have me, and Kuwabara had left us for other friends, probably to avoid the conflicts and the sadness. I missed being with them, and knowing that there were always a few people who would be there for me.

Kurama was the one who stood out, though. For a while, I picked up a picture of him and stared into those mesmerizing green eyes. Nothing else was left for me except a dead memory and a child. Keiryi would be my only hope, the one who would help me to make it through the next years of my life. For a while, I had just lived as a rogue, a thief, a renegade. Now, I had had a purpose, and that purpose was gone. It was gone like the body of my lover would be many years from now. For the next stage of my life, I would need something to occupy my time and keep my mind away from the very depressing options that lay ahead of me.

There was always the mystery of Lirra. Where had she come from? Were there more like her in the Plane of Luminescence? I didn't know, but I wanted to so badly. Perhaps there was a way to trace her through that plane. It would require many things, but I didn't know what the consequences would be if I failed.

Who was the master of the Avatars anyway? If someone could create beings that could shape entire worlds, what else could they do? Havoc could begin on the earth, and then there would be no one left to save it. Kurama...Kuwabara...Yusuke...the former Reikai Tantei would be too broken to go and save the world that they had fought for time and time again. The Earth would fall into a critical state, left to be enslaved by the Lords of Makai, and this presence in the Plane of Luminescence.

Jakiri came into my room and told me it was time to go to the funeral. Remembering how the visitation had gone, I doubted that I should go this time and embarass myself once more. What if they shied away from me this time? How would I be able to properly mourn my truest love? "You must go," Jakiri said. "They want you to speak about him at the end." Shock came over me as I dashed to the closet that had recently been filled with my things. I slipped into a simple black, sleeveless dress and black gloves that went up to my elbows. A black ribbon served as a headband to keep my hair back.

When we got to the funeral, many people were gathered around the grave, and a man was saying the rites up at a podium. Though I didn't weep, most of my time was spent gazing into space. The words filtered through my mind and then were lost. When I was called up to speak, I had to be told to do so by Shiori, who was sitting next to me.

I stepped up to the podium and adjusted the microphone, hearing my steady breathing amplified tenfold. "I knew Shuiichi Minamino as a friend, a true heart, and a lover," I said softly, though my words carried to the whole crowd. "When we first met, I thought he was something entirely different. Because so many girls at school thronged about him, and so many people liked him, I thought he would be just another popular boy. Then he let me in."

"I loved him so sincerely that there's now an empty void within me, a void that cannot be filled by anything. As we bid Shuiichi farewell, no heart is light. We all know that he will be missed dearly." In the corner of my eye, I saw Kuwabara and Yusuke standing off to the side. Apparently they had just arrived. "He could read into people, knew how to make you happy when you were sad, knew how to make you laugh when you needed it most. That was why I loved Shuiichi so dearly. He could have chosen any beautiful girl, but he chose to look inward rather than outward. For that, Shuiichi, I want to thank you. Farewell to a great friend and the man who I would have been willing to spend the rest of my life with."

As I said the last line, I looked down at the ring and twisted it on my finger, smiling slightly. Several people clapped, and it eventually turned into a standing ovation. They whispered words of solace to me as I walked by and offered single roses. When I got back to my seat, Yusuke was there, sitting next to me. "I'm sorry," he said, looking into my eyes.

"What?" I said, confused as to whether or not I had heard right.

"I said sorry, okay? I shouldn't have tried to make a move when you were still getting over him. It was a stupid thing to do."

"I know," I said. "It's okay."

We embraced for a while after that, and I looked up at him. He was a good friend, even if I could never come to have another lover. The funeral dispersed, and we walked home in silence. Yusuke went with us, and we stopped at the local cafe on the way back. Kuwabara was there, staring into his coffee absently. "Hey," he said. "You okay Katie?" Even if he wasn't the brightest bulb, Kuwabara cared in his own, awkward way.

"Yeah," I said softly, so that I was barely audible. "I guess so." Trying to let go of my troubles, I sat down and ordered a drink for myself for the first time, instead of letting Kurama order for me as usual. Yusuke was so silent that I was more worried about him than I was about myself.

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked him, looking into his eyes. In that usually confident gaze, I saw disappointment, but he smiled slightly and nodded. We walked outside and sat down on the curb, letting rain fall down on us. Dark strands of hair were plastered to my face, blurring my vision as I felt tears fall slowly down my cheeks. "I know you knew him longer than I did," I said. "Sorry...to see that you couldn't make the funeral earlier. I didn't see you until the very end."

"We had some personal business to deal with." Yusuke looked at me, and I could see that he still wanted me as much as he ever had.

A drop of rain fell down on my face, drizzling down my cheek, and mixing with tears. He couldn't tell that I was crying, but he wiped the water off of my face. "It's okay," I replied. "I was just happy to see that both you and Kuwabara were able to be there. Please, just be here for the next few years. I don't know how to raise a child, and even if I have inexperienced help, it'll be better than nothing." Slowly, I leaned into him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Whoah!" he said, giving me a look of utter shock. "Are you sure you're not gonna regret this?"

"Mmmmhmm," I said, and ran a hand down his back. "Look, I didn't know what to do after he died. Please, just help in this one way that you can. I still don't think I'm ready to take it on my own, but I'm not ready to take on another love affair just yet either."

The rain washed away my tears, and I got up to look down at him. "Until Keiryi comes, I think I'll take a break from this place," I said softly. "I need it to figure out where I'll go, what I'll do with both of our lives. Kurama...he said he might be able to come back a second time. So, wait for me. Make sure that no one forgets about me entirely. If I want otherwise, I'll find you and tell you." Yusuke smirked and shook his head, looking up at me.

"So fox-boy's goin' to come back, is he? Can't say that won't be a happy day!" I smiled gently and then walked away into the cold rain.

Honestly, I didn't know what to do with myself as I headed out to the lake that had been my window to the Plane of Luminescence. This time I didn't dive into it, but stood there and stared into its depths. The darkness gave it a dark tint as the water rippled from the perpetual rain. Something seemed to break within me, the thing that I had once been. Why had I finally been able to cast aside the darkness inside of me? I had been trying to for so long, and now the end had come.

Or maybe it was a beginning. Keiryi weighed heavily in my stomach, forming a smooth, round bump. I couldn't jump off with her in me; she would freeze to death. However, I smiled as the rain started to clear away. For a short moment, I thought I could feel Kurama brushing a hand through my hair as the wind picked up and blew a few strands in my face. It was so wet...so cold, but now it didn't matter. Sunlight began to tickle at my face, and I looked to the rising sun.

Now that there was light in my world, I knew that Keiryi could live a happy life. There wasn't much left for me to do except live out my life and be sure that she enjoyed hers. Whatever lay down the road, Keiryi's destiny was her own, and I intended to try to live a simple life. Whether Kurama returned or not, I would learn to live on my own, and teach my daughter to do so also...

FIN

A/N- That ends part I, and I'm already thinking up ideas for the sequel. Depending upon whether or not I get my compy's keyboard working soon or not, I may have the first chapter up by next week at the latest. However, that's not a definite deadline. Thanks to all of you who stayed with me. I was looking at my stats today, and though this story only got 20 reviews, I feel like I earned the loyalty of my reviewers, rather than telling them to review or see no update. Here's to you, my reviewers...

Sonya-White-Angel: I know you didn't review much toward the end, but I was happy to see that there was one person who was there since I started the story. Luv you always, and I hope you come back for the sequel.

4-Is-Lovely: You added the word "wicked" to my vocabulary through your ecstatic reviews. I was glad to see you all the way through the end, and I know you'll love the sequel and the surprises in it.

Yuki Amida: Heh. As a Silent Mobius fan also, I liked your name to start with. However, you submitted intelligent reviews and you were always very supportive. Good luck in whatever you do or write and may the wings of fortune carry you gently.

The sequel will have many new characters for sure, and I can't wait to start writing it. I hope that I'll see you all come back, but I can't force you, so enjoy yourselves and enjoy the last chapter of The Midnight Rose.

Love You Guys Forever!

Miari