AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is it. The final chapter, last but not the least. In fact, it might be the most dramatic chapter ever… So be sure to have a handkerchief or anything to wipe your tears, if you'll cry. I really wrote this final chapter, and I was crying along while I molded the last of the story. So, here it is.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

(Chapter 13 – Kyo's Prayer)

Kagura, how are you, my dearest wife? You know, our son has inherited your smarts. I can never forget our time together, for those 5 years, our love flourished and we raised a very positive-thinking boy.

Today, I saw that he got an A on his Science test. I'm sure you were beside him when he was taking that test.

I miss you, Kagura. Those days when you've gone away, our home doesn't have that feeling of happiness, the light was gone, the spark was gone… you were gone. Whenever I say "I'm home", I'll miss the woman who greets me "Welcome back, Kyo-kun," and kisses me on my lips, hugs me, making me feel that I'm truly am home. I love you and that will never change. I know you're gone… But you're like the wind. I can't see it, but I can feel it – I can't see you, but I can feel you, loving me, protecting me and our son.

I love you…

:Flashback:

"I'm home." 18-year-old Kyo said as he entered the premises of the house.

"Kyo-kuuuuuuuun!" came his very bubbly wife, pacing gracefully towards him and hugged him, with so much impact from this tackle-hug; he was pinned to the floor with his wife on top of him.

It's been almost 2 months now when Kagura was sent home from the hospital and Kyo was going to turn 19 soon.

Back to the topic, Kyo wondered why his wife was so happy today, so he asked: "What's up?"

He loosened his necktie and Kagura sat on his abdomen, supporting some of her weight on her hands which were on Kyo's hard chest. She giggled and said, "Kyo-kun! I'm pregnant! We're going to have a baby soon! I'm so excited!"

There was a moment of silence. Kyo didn't know what to say.

"Really!" Kyo hugged her tight with sheer joy, "Are you really… pregnant?"

"Yes!" Kagura replied, "I want it to be a boy! I want it to be a boy so it won't have the disease!"

"We're really blessed, Kagura! Wait, you should get enough rest and enough nutrients so our baby will come out very healthy!" Kyo hurriedly stood up when his wife moved over, "I'm going to the grocery to buy fruits. Are you craving for anything, Kagura?"

"Uhm… I, uh…" Kagura blushed, "Can I have Chocolate Mousse?"

Kyo sweatdropped, "Why not? Please wait here, Kagura. I'm going right now! Oh and, get some rest! Have you cooked dinner?"

"…No." Kagura slightly blushed, "I'm sorry. I forgot to do it because I was excited to tell you-"

"Great! 'Coz I'm planning to cook dinner tonight!" Kyo placed his hands on his wife's waist, "We're going to celebrate!"

"Gee, Kyo-kun." Kagura placed her hands on his broad shoulders, "Are you really that ecstatic?"

"Of course." Kyo pressed his lips against hers.

7 months later…

Kyo fidgeted back and forth the hallway outside the Delivery Room of the Sohma Main House. Kagura was giving birth. According to a few ultrasound sessions Kagura had requested of Hatori, it was confirmed that it's a boy. Kagura had listed down a few boy names, but none of them satisfied her. Kyo even wondered what the boy's name would be.

He could hear her screams from that door; it would hurt him to hear it again and again. As they always say, when a mother gives birth to her child, her foot is already stepping in her grave. What more if she's terribly ill?

"Please calm down, Kyo." Yuki told Kyo.

Yuki was seated alongside his wife, Tohru, on a bench outside the Delivery Room. They were married a few months ago. Shigure was also there, seated on the bench.

The official nurses and experts of childbearing from the Sohma clan are now aiding Kagura at this wonderful but fearful event.

"How could I calm down? That's my wife in there!" Kyo replied.

Yuki, Shigure and Tohru just sighed – they can feel his tension. Not only was he worried for his wife's life, but also for his newborn son, too.

Then, that wonderful sound reached his ears – the sound of a crying baby. His son! His son is finally born to the world!

But then again, one of the nurses suddenly opened the door, running until she got out of the hall.

The experts were shouting, "Call Hatori! Quickly!"

Kyo's eyes widened – his son was born at the price of his wife's life.

"What happened?" Shigure asked another nurse who was hurrying to get out of the hall.

"Kagura-san fell unconscious after she gave one last push to get her son out alive! She's now having difficulty in breathing and she's trembling!" the nurse replied and quickly went off.

Then an expert went out and presented to Kyo a baby wrapped in silk clothing, "Here is your son, born under the zodiac of the Ram."

Kyo held his son in his arms, cradled the crying little one, trying to stop him from those cries, "Is Kagura fine?"

"… No." the expert replied, "Here comes Hatori."

At that, he turned around and saw Hatori running to the Delivery Room with his medical kit and the two nurses who called him followed and closed the doors of the room.

"What is the name of the child?" the expert asked, giving Kyo a scroll and a quill, "Born under the Ram, what is the child's name?"

Kyo thought about that name list his wife made and said, "I'll leave that to my wife. For now, he is nameless. His name shall be given by his mother."

"… But what if Kagura won't make it alive?" the expert asked.

Kyo furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. He then looked at his newborn son, "Trust me, I know Kagura. She will be alive and she will name our child."

3 days later…

Kagura never woke up for 3 days as she lay in a room in the Main House for Sohma patients. For 3 days, her son was nameless. For 3 days, her son was watched everyday and every night, every hour, every minute, and every second by the father – Kyo.

Kyo entered the room with his sleeping son, wrapped in a soft, white cloth and is cradled in his strong arms.

"Good morning, Kagura." Kyo greeted, "Our son had been crying a lot lately, probably seeking your warmth."

His sleeping wife never spoke back.

"Please wake up, Kagura." He said, almost begging her, "For our son, please wake up…"

Perhaps hearing his father, the child in Kyo's arms woke up and started crying again.

And his cries… woke up Kagura.

"Kyo-kun…?" Kagura muttered.

Hearing that baby cry, she smiled and reached out for her son, "Oh, is that our baby?"

Kyo handed the baby to Kagura and said, "Yes, isn't he healthy?"

Kagura was trying to sit up and Kyo aided her. She cradled the crying child in her arms and asked, "What's his name?"

Kyo smiled, "He is nameless. It should be you who shall name him."

Kagura looked at Kyo, "Me?"

"Well, you are the mother." Kyo flashed a grin on his face.

"Okay then," Kagura looked at her son, "he will be named… Sohma Takumi. Aww… our son looks just like you, Kyo! So cute!"

Kyo blushed a bit, "Well, not really!"

"I wonder what his eye color is." Kagura smiled as she brought her nose on her son's nose, "I want his eyes to be just like yours!"

And then, Kagura hummed a song for her child, a lullaby. And the first song to her child was sung with all her heart. The love only a mother could give… The song only a mother can sing… And with this, Takumi slept, because of his mother's soothing song.

5 years later…

Kagura coughed continuously, waking up Kyo from his sleep. Kyo turned his bedside lamp on and checked his wife, saying: "Kagura?"

It was already nighttime and everyone was asleep – even their 5-year-old Takumi was asleep in his room.

But Kagura…

"Kagura, your coughing doesn't look good anymore." Kyo said as he helped her sit up.

"I'm feeling cold, Kyo-kun." Kagura said.

Kyo removed the blanket off of him and his wife and placed it on his wife's fragile body. She clutched on the thick blanket tightly and the other hand covered her mouth, still coughing.

She was panting and sweating cold. Her eyes teary because of the pain she's feeling inside. Her eyelids were half-closed, demanding sleep but she can't because her body wanted to get rid of enough bacteria that had been accumulated in her lungs, but her constant coughing seemed like forever.

Kyo stood up and went to the bathroom, getting two Cough tablets and filled a glass with water. He took these to Kagura. She popped the two tablets in her mouth and with her trembling hands, held the glass of water and drank.

It still didn't relief her coughing, in fact, it seemed worse. Kyo placed the glass on the table and hugged his wife, "Is there anything more I can do for you?"

"I want to see our son." Kagura smiled, "I want to sing him a song."

Kyo nodded as tears filled his eyes, knowing that she knew that it was her time to go.

Kagura removed the blanket Kyo offered her and she went to her son's room.

She took a seat beside him and watched him sleep. Her son, the child she cared for each and everyday, graced him with love and care, Takumi, was at peaceful slumber, not knowing his mother was beside him, watching him.

"Taku-chan, I love you." Kagura's tears rolled down her pale face as she smiled sadly, "I'll never leave you, my son. Remember that your mother always loves you; I will be forever by your side. Love your father, never hate him. Grow up to be a man of dignity, make me proud. I know the time has come to me to go, and I have to knock on Death's door. So I want to offer you one last song…"

She sighed as she sang:

"Can you hear me, my child?

Your mother is here,

Standing always at your side

I will keep you safe from harm,

No one will hurt you,

Nothing can disturb you…

In your peaceful sleep

Can you feel me, my child?

I, your mother, am here

Watching you sleep

The world is at peace

I will love you, with all my heart

For you are the life born from love

Everything is at ease…

Can you speak to me, my child?

Tell me the words I'd love to hear

Tell me the wonders you've done

Tell me the adventures you've been

Tell me you love your mother,

A love only a child can give,

I will be thankful

This is my last song, my child.

I'm sorry if I have to go now,

But we will meet again, I know

In this quiet night,

I'll be watching you,

I'll protect you,

From all evils at play

And fill you with my love,

A love only a mother can give,

A love no money can afford,

A love that lasts in a lifetime…

I love you, my child...

So remember my last song,

I know it will be forever on your lips,

Hearing it play in your memories,

I love you, my child, remember,

I love you…"

With that last song, Kagura bit her lips and cried. She hugged her son and kissed his forehead, some of her tears landing on his face.

"I wish to stay longer, I'm sorry that I can't." she ran her hands gently on her son's hair, "I can never do against Kami-sama's will. Never blame him if I'm gone, okay?"

With that, she got out of the room and with one last look at her son, she closed the door and sighed.

She returned to her husband. But sadness dominated all over her body as she saw Kyo sitting on the bed, his face in his hands, crying.

"Don't go…" Kyo recognized Kagura's presence, "I love you…"

Kagura sat in front of Kyo and hugged him, "I'll love you forever… Thank you for loving me, I thought you never would."

Kyo hugged her wife tightly and said, "Live! Live for me, Kagura! Live for our son!"

"Hold me close, Kyo-kun." Kagura cried silently in her husband's arms, "I know you will protect me… But you can't protect me anymore…"

"No! I still can!" Kyo rested his chin on her head, holding her like she had been lost for so long, "I'll never let harm touch you!"

Kagura coughed and coughed, "…Thank you."

Kyo sobbed loudly, holding his precious wife closer to him.

Yes, it was the night when Death opened the door for Kagura.

Kagura smiled at her husband, "Let's go to sleep, Kyo."

Kyo can't speak anymore, he was so sad – the light of his life, the love of his life, has to go away.

"Goodnight, Kyo-kun," Kagura closed her eyes, "I'll dream of you and our son, forever. I love you, just for this moment, hold me… Hold me close to your heart."

Kyo wrapped his strong arms protectively around her vulnerable body and he closed his eyes. He knew that any moment now, Death will approach his wife, his beloved Kagura.

They stayed like that for hours, Kyo, telling Kagura, reminding her of the good times they had in their short time together, Kagura forever silent, forever smiling.

Her body turned cold under his warmth.

… Death had already taken her.

"Kagura…?" Kyo sobbed as he looked at his wife, "Wake up!"

She didn't open her eyes.

She was very pale, she was cold as ice and her lips were now bluish-purple, although she was smiling and those closed eyes with traces of tears… She was dead in his hold but she lived a satisfied life… with him… and their son.

Kyo grabbed a trench coat and got the keys of his car also grabbed his cellphone and carried Kagura into his car.

He drove his way to the Main House, in hopes that she's still alive, Hatori may help her. He dialed Shigure's number.

"Hello…? Sohma Shigure's residence…?" Shigure groggily answered his annoyingly ringing phone.

"Shigure, this is Kyo! Could you please go in my house and watch over Takumi? I'm on my way to the Main House with… Kagura."

"Why?"

"Just go!" Kyo, still crying, yelled on his phone and hang up.

It was raining hard and it was almost daybreak, he beeped the horn of his car furiously, waking up some members of the Sohma clan, making them open the gates.

As soon as the gates were opened, Kyo entered the gates and parked his car in front of Hatori's house. Kyo carried his wife in his arms, screaming on the doorstep of Hatori's house, "Hatori!"

Hatori woke up and opened the door, "What's with all this noise?"

Hatori's eyes hovered over the lifeless body of Kagura.

"Get inside, Kyo." Hatori moved aside.

When they were in the living room, Hatori grabbed his medical kit and some towels. He threw the towels at Kyo, who was soaking wet from the rain.

Hatori wore his stethoscope and listened to the heartbeat of Kagura. Wondering why he can't hear anything, he gently tapped the stethoscope's end and heard a loud 'thumping' sound from his index finger. The stethoscope was perfectly fine. Hatori looked at Kagura again.

He checked for her pulse on her wrist and near her throat – he couldn't feel any response. He placed his cheek over her mouth and felt no breaths were coming out of here. He opened one of her eyelids and found out that the iris was completely pointed upwards, not even moving.

Getting hopeless, he placed his stethoscope above her heart once more, but really, nothing responded to the device.

Hatori sighed and placed the stethoscope back to his medical kit. He placed a blanket over Kagura's dead body and said, "Kyo, she's dead on arrival."

"Damn it!" Kyo pounded his fists on the floor, crying.

Hatori looked away, "I couldn't save her this time, Kyo. She's really gone. I'm sorry. I'll… I'll just go tell Mr. Akito to prepare a funeral for Kagura."

"What am I supposed to tell Takumi, huh Hatori?" Kyo asked, "Tell him his mother is dead?"

Hatori did not reply, he just walked out and closed the door.

:End of Flashback:

When those memories keep haunting me, I can't help but think of you, Kagura. It took me quite some time to accept that you're gone, but it was harder for Takumi's part. He was only a kid, now motherless.

But I'm glad that I convinced him that even if you're gone, I know you'll be watching… I know you'll be with us forever, wherever you are.

Kagura, I hope you still feel how much I love you, in spite of your physical absence.

Please never leave us.

I love you.

We love you.

(3rd Person POV)

"Hey Dad!" Takumi gently tugged at his father's sleeve, "Are you done talking to Mom?"

Kyo looked at the name of Kagura on the headstone again, now lowering his clasped hands to mess up his son's hair. He smiled and looked at Taku, "Yes, son. Let's go home."

"Hey Dad, where do you think Mom is right now?" Taku asked as he walked with his father, hand in hand.

"Your Mom?" Kyo set his eyes on his son and then to the perfectly blue skies, "Kagura is somewhere peaceful, watching over us."

The End.