I was falling forward at a painfully slow rate, but suddenly, a firm hand caught mine in his. "Leaving so soon?" a smooth voice called, and I saw him, hardened by years of trials that I could never imagine.

"Father," I breathed, stunned by his presence.

"Yes," he said, "that's right. So, what is your name, anyhow?" For a split second, I forgot my own name, but then it all came back to me.

"I'm Keiryi," I whispered. "I...I'm Katie's daughter."

"No," he corrected. "You're my daughter."

The moon had come now, and it shone brighter than all the stars in the sky combined. "Where have you been?" I asked. "Were you--?"

"Yes," he replied gently. "I was. I have been in the Plane of Luminescence, and Fehreil thought to destroy his small group of archrivals by eliminating me from the picture. Your strong want to have me back saved us all, though, or so it appears." He put an arm around my shoulders and let me lean my head against him.

"I can't believe what I missed out on," he mused, looking down at me. "My own little girl...all grown up now."

By the light of the moon, I could see the unmistakable red hair, and the dazzling green eyes. This man looked young, almost god-like. How could he be my father?

"How do I know that you're really my father?" I demanded, becoming slightly more skeptical. After all, my father would have been much older, and this man had the appearance of a teenager.

"If it's about my appearance," he replied, gazing at me coolly with those eyes, "then you should know that demons age much better than humans do. We live for hundreds of years, even more in some cases."

"I just find it hard to believe," I said absently, looking down at the water. Had I really been so far gone that I was willing to go there?

"Well, what's happened since I've been gone?" Father asked me. "I've been in the dark for so long that it feels odd being able to see. I knew that a child made of such a beautiful love would be this pretty." All I could do was blush. Even if he barely looked older than me, my father had the talent of a well-aged poet. Was this how he had won my mother over? Of course, he had probably had to do some resisting on his part, but that didn't mean he was totally incapable of putting up a good defense.

"A lot," I began, trying to sort through what I would want to know if I were in his place. "Kazuma and Yukina got married a long time ago, and they had twins...Hiro and Mikari." I cringed inwardly. The pained look I wore at the mention of Mikari's name was almost impossible to miss. Once we'd been good friends, but then she got mad at Hiro and me. Now, Hiro daily told me how worried he was that his only sister might be dead in some ditch. "I used to hang out with both of them a lot, but now I'm dating Hiro."

"How old are you?" Father asked, all too seriously for me to ignore it.

"Eighteen," I replied. "Anyhow, Yukina...passed away a few years back." That hurt coming out. Yeah, I'd grieved for her, but I'd never known her very well, and I could barely comprehend how much she had meant to both her children.

"Mother knew why Yukina died," I continued, "but she didn't want to tell me, because...well, she didn't want me to be scared. Hiei helped me train for a little while, and I found my darling grandfather." I wanted to put some sarcasm into those words and lighten the mood, but it came across as a rather lifeless statement. "Whatever else has been happening, Mother's been keeping me in school whenever she can. She loves me, and I only wish you could have come back sooner to see just how desperate she is for you." Even though this was a serious matter, he smiled warmly, and led me toward a different house than the one we lived in.

While we walked together in silence, I looked up into his emerald eyes that were a perfect reflection of mine. They were the same shade of green, and they had the same depth to them that many had commented on when looking at me. Tall and slender, but still well-built, he looked like someone who had mastered the martial arts, and there was an ease in the way that he walked. It spoke of something that lay beneath the surface. Deep down, there was a fierce demon waiting to break loose. Most often, I had seen this latent power in Mother, but it was there in Hiro and Mikari too, though it seemed a little different for the Kuwabara twins.

"Is she alive?" he asked. "It's been a long eighteen years."

"Yes," I replied. "She still lives here, surrounded by images of her beloved little boy Shuichi. Mother left here a long time ago. She told me that it was too much pain to bear--she was always surrounded by the emptiness that your absence left, and some days, she would tell me the story of how you proposed to her. At first, I believed it to be made-up, but after all that's happened...I know it's true."

"Then she still has the ring," Father continued. "To think that she held out for so long. I knew her will was strong, but..."

Shiori Minamino's house was getting old and kind of worn down. She lived here alone, and even her new husband and her stepson couldn't compensate for the boy she had borne. Nobody visited her anymore because we all thought she was reluctant to be reminded of the only child she could ever love as her own. That very son opened the door and walked in, though, finding only Shiori. There she was, fondling a picture of her son. There was something different about it though. His eyes in that picture seemed such a bright shade of green. Looking up at him, I saw a new wisdom, and a hardness in his eyes that would stay there forever. How much damage had his stay in that plane really done?

"Shuichi?" Shiori said when she saw her son seated beside her. I took a seat in a very comfortable armchair. "Keiryi? You haven't been over here in years!" She looked different too. The grey hair pulled back in a bun had begun to develop several white streaks, and there were circles and sags in places where I didn't remember them.

"Hi...Grandma," I finished awkwardly. "We didn't mean to stop coming for so long, but..."

"Don't mind that, Keiryi," Shiori assured me. "All that matters is that you're both here. Shuichi, I don't care if you're a ghost. You're home where you belong now!"

Father enveloped his surrogate mother in a warm embrace, and I sat in my chair, feeling sort of left-out. Me and Mother had hugged before, but we'd never been this comfortable with each other. Shiori was willing to believe so readily that he was back without thinking that she was just hallucinating. Was this the sort of love that had escaped me my entire life? Why had I never been able to feel that warm and safe around Mother?

Shiori held her arms wide open to me and I rushed forward to return the gesture. She hugged me tight and ran a hand down my falls of red hair. "You've grown so tall," she commented absently. "Just like your father...and how is your mother?"

"She'll be alright," I smiled, and let Shiori hold me for a little while longer. I knew that once she saw this surprise, my mother would be more than alright. All that pining and all the pain that had racked her soul...it would finally be fulfilled.

"Sorry, Mother," Father said sadly, "I haven't been home in a while, and I want to see Katie. It's been a long time." He looked nervous about that part. To some extent, I understood why. What if he came back and she had completely betrayed him? What if someone else had captivated her heart? I knew none of this had happened, though. The pictures of him were still there. Now she kept them all in a large cardboard box. For such a short time together, they sure had a lot of pictures. To me, it was just more proof of their undying love, and I couldn't wait to see it blossom once more. "I'll be back, Mother," he said, and they exchanged hugs and kisses before we walked out the door.

"Lead the way, Keiryi," he said, smiling down at me like a proud father. We walked out into our neighborhood, where I held so many fond childhood memories. Outside the Kuwabara house, Kazuma was mowing the lawn in jeans and a white tanktop. His carrot-top hair had grown out a little bit, and the shadow of a beard covered his face.

"Kurama?" he said in shock, just loud enough for me to hear. Father stopped and smiled.

"Long time, no see, eh Kuwabara?" he replied. "It's nice to be back among friends."

"But I was at your funeral, and I saw Katie there by your coffin...you...you died." Fumbling for words, Kazuma's mouth hung open and then he just hugged my father tight.

Just after they broke apart, I saw Hiro's head poking out of the door. "Hey, Dad!" he called. "What's all the commotion about?" Kazuma was too much in awe to answer, so I cut in despite the warning look from my father.

"Hiro, this is my father," I said formally. "He just returned from a very long absence."

"Are you really all my uncle says you are?" Hiro asked, his eyes coming alive with admiration. "Did you really save the world with my dad?"

"That's one way to put it," Father replied, putting a hand behind his head a little awkwardly.

"Father," I continued, "this is Hiro. Hiro Kuwabara."

His keen green eyes focused on Hiro, Father shook hands, and smiled.

"Keiryi told me about you," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Already I could see the conflict rising between the two, so we said our good-byes and walked the short distance to our house. This was it, the time when I would get to surprise Mother more than anyone else ever had before. "I can't believe I'm back already," Father said, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. It swung open slowly, and instead of my mother, we saw Jakiri, a very shocked and slightly irritated Jakiri.

A/N-Cliffie time! I decided to continue, and here is what so many people have been wondering about since chapter one of this and about chapter 14 of the prequel. Yes, he's back, and I bet you're all going to hurt me for this cliffhanger. However, it is my pleasure to announce that Miari is officially reporting back for active duty...for about the third time(if you've seen Silent Mobius all the way thru, you'll get it...)

Peace Out

Miari