"Reiya? Two? Wait… are they split souls Haruka?" Kantarou asked him who nodded. The older Reiya with her memories back and true self looked at Raikou and Ibaragi. "Both of you make me sick." Reiya muttered as she bound all of the ghouls, the lake serpent including the two to herself and turned to face Kantarou and the rest. She told Kantarou with tears welling in her eyes, " Kan, an Eternal Seal needs a sacrifice to send away souls and yokai forever right? Now… grant me my wish… to be the sacrifice to end this."

"Reiya… I…" Kantarou looked at Reiya's determined look before saying sadly, "Alright." Reiya then smiled with tears spilling from her eyes and whispered something to Kantarou which made him cry with a smile as well.

ima boku no kono te de kimi ni nani ga dekiru darou?
sono kanashimi wo iyaseru sonna CHIKARA ga hoshii
kono sekai no naka de boku ni nani ga dekiru darou?
dekiru koto nara itsumo kimi wo mamoru tsuyosa ga hoshii

With a prayer and some struggling and cursing from Raikou and Ibaragi, dawn came and the ritual finally came to an end.

Two weeks later----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I hope you're doing well Kantarou, it's been so long since I last saw you… my child." Saeko told her stepson sitting before her, drinking the tea that she had made. "And for kami's sake Kantarou, keep your salary for yourself instead of sending half of it to me every month! You're living with two yokais under one roof while I 'm living all alone so you need it more than I do. And I can see those two yokais of yours are simply wonderful so treat them better will you?"

kotoba ja umaku ienai
kodoku wo daremo ga daiteru yo ne
namida to tomo ni umareta
bokura wa hitori ja ikirarenai

Kantarou looked up from his tea, "How did you know that…?" Saeko smiled and said, "They came to find me of course, and I can see that they are very concerned about you. Even Haruka." Kantarou smiled in return. "Oh? That is a surprise. Well, I have to be going now, the train is going to leave in an hour or so. I'll come back and see you again… mother…" Saeko laughed, "My-my-my, I think I can die with no regrets now that I've finally heard you calling me mother." Kantarou laughed as well. "Well, you amuse me all the time." With that, Kantarou bowed and left for another destination before going to the station. The lake.

hito wo yowai kedo taisetsu na dareka no tame nara
kitto tsuyoku nareru sa

"Spring is ending already. Time sure flies." Kantarou told himself. Just as he was about to leave, he saw a faint image of a Tancho looking at him from the heart of the lake. "Reiya?" Kantarou rubbed his eyes and when he looked again, it was gone. 'Maybe I'm seeing things.' Kantarou thought as he shrugged and left the lake for the train station.

ima koko de deatta kimi ni nani ga dekiru darou?
kono sekai no katasumi de meguri aeta kimi ni
ima koko ni ikiteru boku ni nani ga dekiru darou?
negai wa hitotsu itsumo kimi wo mamoru tsuyosa ga hoshii

"Waa Why are you leaving Kan? Why, why, why?" Reika wailed as Rei tried to calm her down. Kantarou smiled awkwardly while Haruka, Youko and Rosalie were trying to get all of the their suitcases on board the train. Sugino and Mu had left earlier that day.

"I'll come back to see you Reika… so stop crying okay?" Kantarou told the wailing miko "So I guess the ritual will be abolished? The ritual of the Calming?" Kantarou turned to ask Rei who nodded and replied "Yes,since the serpant is now gone and Kan-do take care of yourself."

"I will, so don't worry." Kantarou replied happily. Just as they had bid each other farewell, a voice came out of nowhere.

mayonaka omoidesunda
osanai ano hi no tooi kioku
ijiwaru sareteta ano ko
kabatte soredemo mamorenakute

"YOUKO!" It was the young master of the kimono fabric shop Youko had once worked for. "It can't be…?" Youko muttered as she ran over to greet the man. Both exchanged greetings and the man passed a gift box to her, saying that he heard she was there from a friend so he had come to see her. "Won't you stay with me, Youko?" he asked sadly. Youko shook her head, "I can't… I'm a yokai so…"

mune ga itaku naru omoide wa ketsui wo unagasu
ima wa tsuyoku arou to

"I don't mind, Youko! I don't! The mikos told me that there are good and bad yokais and so I don't mind, Youko!Because I know you're not like any of those youkais!" the man protested but Youko shook her head. "No, the river between us is too wide. I'm sorry… You will find a better person than I am, I'm sure of it." Both became silent for a moment before bidding farewell sadly.

sou boku de ii nara kimi no soba ni ite agetai
sono kanashimi wo iyaseru sonna CHIKARA nakutemo
kono sekai no naka de kimi no soba ni ite agetai
namida nuguu sore dake shika dekinai toshitemo

On board the train, Youko and Rosalie were playing hand games while Kantarou and Haruka remained quiet as they stared at the scenery outside the window. Haruka then spoke up, "I remember Reiya telling you something… what is it?" Kantarou smiled without looking back at him. "Oh, nothing much, but I'm glad that you still trust me Haruka." Haruka looked at Kantarou unbelievingly for a moment before saying, "I'm glad though, to be the tengu I now am… and Raikou with Ibaragi sealed away in the lake. So… I uses there will be some peace at last huh?"

nanimokamo mikansei sa
soredemo boku wa kimi wo mamoru yo

"Nope. There is one more oni.." Kantarou stated. "Reiko." The both of them said in unison and they all laughed it off.

ima boku no kono te de kimi ni nani ga dekiru darou?
sono kanashimi wo iyaseru sonna CHIKARA ga hoshii
kono sekai no naka de boku ni nani ga dekiru darou?
dekiru koto nara itsumo kimi wo mamoru tsuyosa ga hoshii

-Flashback-

"Arigato Kantarou… Orewa… itsumo nando demo… zutto…(thank you Kantarou… I… will always be with you…forever…)

Many thanks to ALL reviewers!Arigato!

Story by: Tsukimiko

Typists: Tsukinokami, Tsukiyomi

Editors: Tsukinokami, Tsukitensai, Tsukiyomi

Romanji Japanese: Tsukinokami