Author's Note: Ok, this is it. This is the epilogue for my story which means my story is now officially finished, completed. So this is the last chance to submit another review…just kidding! But I would love reviews so please give me some! The next chapter is just my random comments and my overall feelings in regard to my fan fiction, so don't read it if you can't be bothered because it is not part of my fan fiction, it is not part of the story, just my own report.
The village of Konan was very isolated from the rest of civilization. In order to get there, one had to first take a train ride of two days from Tokyo, and once at the train station of the closest town, they would be met with the cart from the village, which they would ride for about an hour before they finally arrive at their destination.
It was rare for Konan's inhabitant to leave the village even on a semi permanent base like Ju-An and Ryoen for the sake of further education. Sometimes villagers might go into the town but it was not a common event, as the villagers were self sufficient in growing their own resources. There was only one phone in the village, and that was at the leader's house for emergency and urgent news.
Three months ago the village received their biggest news of the year: Seishuku, the village leader's elder son, was engaged a few weeks after his arrival in Tokyo and planed to get marry as soon as he could.
Not much was known about his future bride, other then her name, and the fact that the marriage was delayed because she was still recovering from an accident, so she was still in hospital, where she met Seishuku.
That was why the driver of the cart today was the village leader, with his wife accompanying him. They were both very eager to meet their soon to be their daughter in law. They loved both of their sons greatly, and they had been a bit worried at Seishuku who never showed any interest in girls, that was why they were overjoyed at the news of his engagement.
"What are your parents like, Hotohori…I mean, Seishuku." Yuri quickly corrected herself.
"We can just say that Hotohori is your nickname for me." Seishuku said cheerfully, now that he remembered his past life, both names were equally familiar to him, although he preferred the name Hotohori more then Seishuku right now, as that was what Yuri had called him most of the time.
He was truly grateful to be reborn into a life where he was free from the large amount of responsibility that he had as the emperor.
"My parents? I don't really know if my parents as Seishuku are what Hotohori's parents might have been if they were just ordinary people." he began, but was interrupted by the appearance of the cart with his parents on it.
"Seishuku, where is she?" his father called out even before they reached them. "Where is our future daughter?"
"Papa, you are more happy to see her then your own son?" he protested playfully, laughing he swept up Yuri into his arms and ran to the cart, carrying her. "Here she is, your beautiful new daughter!"
Yuri spent the last three months recovering, as she had been in a coma for three years her leg became rather weak due to the lack of use. Seishuku would arrive as soon as the hospital opened, and spend all his time with her until he had to go work, then he would rush here as soon as he finished, and stayed until the hospital close.
With his help, holding her as she began to walk again, she managed to recover completely and be allowed to be discharged from the hospital in three months' time.1
During this time Seishuku told her many thing of his new life, and he assured her that he was so much more happy living as Seishuku, a son of the village leader of a rather small village, instead of Hotohori, the emperor of a vast kingdom.
"This means that I can spend most of my time with you." He had said happily, stroking her hair. "And I no longer have to worry about a kingdom anymore. I can just focus on you completely.
He also sent the news of their engagement to his village, so they could start preparing for the wedding. Strangely, the wedding date was set on one week after the day she left the hospital. The total time between their reunion in the hospital and their wedding, was the exact same amount of the time that had lapsed between Hotohori's first meeting with Yuri and their elaborate wedding.
There was one thing she didn't ask him yet, and that was what his parents were like. Even though Yuri regarded them as already married she still wanted to have the ceremony held as quick as possible, so everyone else would see them as married. Therefore she had been rather worried at whether his parents would allow their son to marry a woman whom to them, he only just met.
Nuriko…no, Ryoen clearly thought that his brother was bewitched. Likewise, Ju-An and Hojen were both shocked at their friend's engagement. Not that they were condemning her, but she wished that they would stop looking at the two of them strangely.
Their main consol was that one day, hopefully soon, the memories of being Nuriko, Mitsukake and Chichiri would surface.
Seishuku's parents were certainly not what she expected, but then she was thinking of the parents he had as Hotohori, a distant father bound by his duty, and a mother who was obsessed with keeping her power.
The village leader was in his late fifties, his hair was a hard grey but apart from that there were no more obvious signs that betrayed his age. He still seemed rather strong and he was controlling the two horses with minimum effort. Even though he was the village leader who was held with great respect and reverence in Konan, he appeared just like anyone else in the village with no hint of any airs.
Beside him was the most important woman in the village, his wife. She was only in her early forties, being seventeen years younger then her husband. Unlike Hotohori's mother she was very friendly and open.
Perhaps the main difference was that both loved their sons and showed the love openly. Jumping down from the cart Seishuku's father immediately gave Yuri a hug and a loud kiss on her cheeks.
"We are very expressive in Konan." He said with a wink at Seishuku.
"My son certainly chose a very pretty bride." Seishuku's mother said, bidding Yuri to sit beside her. Once Yuri did so she took Yuri's hand and began to speak to her very affectionately.
"Are you ready to live in the village for the rest of your life, my dear?"
Yuri nodded. "I just want to be with Hotohori, and I think I will like the village."
"Then we consider you as a very suitable bride for our son."
The journey back to the village was very pleasant, the family all began to tell Yuri about the nature of their village, and about the upcoming wedding.
Much to Yuri's shock the whole village had assembled at the gate, eager to meet their future village leader's bride to be. All of this took her back to the time she had spent in the universe of the four gods once more. Rows and rows of people beside the street, throwing flowers at their new empress. She waved at them, still in daze at her new position…
"Yuri, the village seamstress is waiting for us in your future home." Seishuku's mother announced, dragging her back into the real world. "We have to assure that your wedding gown fits."
"And Seishuku, come with me to pick the jewellery for Yuri." The village leader said.
"When the village leader or his heir marries, he has the right to pick of the three jewelleries in Konan to give to his future bride. She would have the right to wear them until she die." Raising her hand the village leader's wife showed Yuri the ruby decorated gold bangle on her wrist. "This is the jewellery my husband chose for me."
The wedding garment of Konan was of the ultimate importance as it was also their funeral gown. Looking at her new reflection in the mirror, it was if she was going back through time.
Her wedding gown seemed identical to the one she had worn the day she became empress. Obviously, the material of this dress was not as fine as the other one, but the style and the embroidery looked completely similar.
"It is such a beautiful dress." she finally said.
"A bride looks beautiful in whatever she wears." The seamstress said sagely, "Every single wedding gown in this village is made by my family."
"As I said, my son certainly chose a very beautiful bride!" her future mother in law said again, smiling with true affection at Yuri.
"I have something I must ask you, and I wish for you to tell the truth." Yuri began nervously, her gaze slipping down so they ended up staring at the hem of the richly pattered dress. "Are you truly happy with his choice? After all, it is a very quick wedding and an even quicker engagement. I know that is what his brothers and friends all think. But I truly love your son and I…"
Smiling warmly, her future mother in law placed her hand on Yuri's chin and titled it so that Yuri ended up looking right at her.
"I am very happy for my son. I also understand why you are afraid of other's disapproval, as we live in a time when we are expected to know our future partner for sometime before we marry them, perhaps it is worse outside Konan, as one reached to the stage that they simply expect their first relationship to fail as few people end up marrying their first lover.
"When I first met my husband I was fifteen, while he was thirty two. It was at one of the festivals and that was the first time I actually met him properly, we danced together and by the end of the dance we know that we want to marry.
"I believe strongly that you are able to recognize the one that you will love forever when you see them. I certainly did, and I believe you and Seishuku have recognized that in each other."
Smiling with tears threatening to fall, Yuri nodded.
"Now, this gown…" her future mother in law began practically, after giving Yuri an loving pat on the head, making Yuri thought of her two maids with a slight sadness, although she knew they should be able to seek their own happiness. "I think the hem might be a bit too tight here."
"It is best for her to walk around a bit then." The seamstress suggested.
Doing so she ended up in the gathering hall of the village. Right in the very end, against one wall, was the statue of Suzaku, identical to the one that she prayed in front of for many days in Hotohori's palace.
"Suzaku…" Yuri whispered out in wonder as she knelt in front of the statue.
"Has Seishuku been telling you about the many legends we have in this village?" the voice of her future father in law said as he approached her. "This is our village guardian."
"Yes, papa, I have been telling her about Konan's legends." Seishuku said, this was not untrue, as when he was Hotohori, he had told Yuri many of Konan's stories.
Seeing Yuri he choked, if her hair wasn't untied, then he would have wonder whether he was dreaming again, as she was dressed in the very same way she had the day he made her into his empress in the kingdom of Konan.
"You look so beautiful…" he quickly said, using that as an excuse.
Smiling, his parents excused themselves to let the two of them be alone. As soon as this happened Seishuku went up to Yuri and took her into his arms again.
"Isn't it strange how everything is the same as it was?" he whispered softly.
"Only that we will be happy for the rest of our life." Yuri corrected him. "You are not an emperor, and neither Seiryuu nor Suzaku have anymore claim on us."
Nodding he pulled her closer for another kiss, then he took her hand and put something on her palm.
Looking down Yuri gasped slightly, in her hand was a strand of pearls.
"This is actually one of the village's treasures." He told her. "When I saw it, I thought this would be the most suitable thing to give you."
Suddenly he was a bit afraid, was it possible that this was another trick that fate or the gods were playing? If everything was so similar then was it possible that they would have to suffer again? He could not go through what he underwent as Hotohori when Yuri left him.
He did not see her death but the memory of her death still brought tears to his eyes, along with an unbearable sadness, even when he woke up with her sleeping against him.
Watching him, Yuri realized what he must be thinking. Then she would tell him her news now, instead of at their wedding night as she had originally planned. Grabbing his hand she pressed it against her abdomen.
"Can you feel anything, Seishuku?" she asked with a huge smile on her face.
Bewildered, he shook his head.
Cupping his face with one hand, while the other rested on his shoulders she gently guided his body to move so that he ended up keeling in front of her with his ear resting where his hand had previously been.
"Can you hear anything then?"
Once again, he shook his head.
She leant down to whisper right in his ear.
"I am pregnant."
"What!" at this he quickly pulled himself up, for a long time he just stood there and stared at her. Then he finally whispered: "Is…is that really true?"
She nodded, "I think our child will be a month old now. I noticed that everything seemed to be repeating too, but I don't think it is because we are going to relive everything, including our suffering and parting. I think it happens because we are having the second chance of living our life without the approaching tragedy. We are living the way our life should have been if we were from the same world."
Half laughing, half sobbing he embraced her tightly, then put his hand on her abdomen again. He was not certain but he swore that the statue of Suzaku seemed to be smiling at them.
He strongly believed…no, he knew that Yuri was right, they would be able to live the rest of their life in happiness.
1 I don't really know if it really would take three months for Yuri to be completely recovered, it sounds quite long but I want the time to be thee months so…maybe her body was a bit weak so it would take her pretty long to recover.
Author's Note: Wow…I finally officially finished this story. The epilogue is not really necessary but I just wanted to have it anyway. I guess I just kind of want to emphasize that they are now truly going to live happily ever after. The reason that why there is such a sense of deja-vu is because that in this life (Yuri's resurrection and Hotohori's reincarnation shows what their life could/should be if they were not in the position that they had been in (being in 2 different words and him being the emperor). It is as Yuri said, and in this fan fiction they will get to live happily ever after.
I hope everyone who read this have enjoyed it, I certainly had great fun writing it. This is the last time I will ask this, so please bear with me for a last time, but please review! This is truly the last time.
A big thank you to anyone that read this, no matter how much, and a bigger thank you to whoever that reviewed my story.
