A/N: Dear all, please enjoy the final chapter to Incendium, the fourth installment of my Fire!verse series. :)

At the beginning of the series, I had planned to write the story of their lives (where male pregnancy is possible haha) up till this point and I'm really glad that I did manage to finish it! Incendium was unexpectedly long-to me, a gay couple who can have children is likely to face so many issues, whether it is between the couple, amongst their families, and also in society.

Regardless, I would really like to give a sincere thank you to the readers and reviewers-without you all, this long journey might never have seen the end. You guys gave me so much fuel! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart :)

My sincerest acknowledgements to Hinako Takanaga, the creator and artist for the Koisuru Boukun manga. It's only through the brilliance of her stories that Fire!verse could even be born.

Chapter 21: Tokyo, my love (Full circle)

xxx Tetsuhiro xxx

All the cupboards were empty, the sheets were stripped from the beds, and plastic sheets were draped over the couch in the living room. The bookshelves stood bare where hundreds of books had lined them before, and the kitchenette now merely a shell devoid of food or cutlery.

Tetsuhiro took one last tour of the apartment, trailing his fingers over the furniture that they were not going to take with them to Tokyo. Ah, his first home with Sempai. He was finding it a little hard to let go.

His footsteps light on the floorboards, Tetsuhiro entered the kitchenette, his hands touching the ceramic counters affectionately. This was where he had cooked up countless meals for Sempai until he now knew exactly how salty he preferred his miso soup and how charred his grilled salmon should be. This place was also where Sempai had called him by his name for the first time, at an occasion when Tetsuhiro had felt helplessly condemned because of his homosexuality. He smiled fondly at the memory. Sempai probably did not realise just how close Tetsuhiro had been on the edge that night, and because of that, just how much his utterance of Tetsuhiro's name had saved him.

Circling the kitchenette a last time, Tetsuhiro came into the living area, noting the space where the television had been and the sofa that was now wrapped securely in plastic. He and Sempai had spent so many hours working here, Sempai tapping away at his laptop with a cigarette in his mouth while Tetsuhiro read up on research articles. They had watched shows together, fought against each other, cuddled together, and even conceived Emi right here on this couch…Tetsuhiro gazed at the sofa, his memory's eye conjuring up the image of Sempai unbuttoning his top for him for the first time. Ah…

The last stop was to the bedrooms. His old bedroom and Emi's makeshift nursery was already empty. The crib had been transported back to Matsuda- san and Emi's belongings had all been boxed up and brought to Tokyo. The bare bed in the room felt a little lonely. Tetsuhiro sat down on it, his body sinking into the soft cushion. This room held one of the most important milestones in his relationship with Souichi.

For the longest time, it had always been Tetsuhiro who had had to chase after Souichi, Tetsuhiro who had wanted to come close. The night that Sempai had chosen to enter his room to make love with Tetsuhiro had been testimony to the fact that Souichi was finally venturing to be closer to him, to stop distancing himself and reach out to him.

Catching himself before he got lost in the cherished memory of that night, Tetsuhiro got up from the stripped bed and went out of his old bedroom. As the door shut softly behind him, he paused outside the other room. Sempai's bedroom. Even though he had been sharing it with Souichi for the past year, Tetsuhiro still regarded it as such.

This was the room that Souichi had adamantly defended and locked up when they had first started living together. It had been symbolic of Souichi's heart, a place where Tetsuhiro had desperately wanted to enter but had been rejected time and time again. And yet, this was also the very room that Souichi had accepted his request to be his lover. This was the room they had slept together in after Sempai proposed to him, their bodies and hearts intertwining into one as their daughter slept in Souichi's womb. Even now, Tetsuhiro still found it incredible that he had all that he had asked for; that, after five years of torturous, unrequited love, Sempai had finally stepped into his waiting arms.

The nostalgia was already overwhelming, and Tetsuhiro was not even out of the house yet. This apartment held so many memories about them—some bittersweet, some ecstatic but, oh, all still so precious to him.

"Morinaga! What the hell are you still dilly- dallying for? We have a train to catch! Where are you?" Souichi's voice bellowed. Soon, the man himself appeared, his golden eyes flashing with impatience. "Why are you dazing off in front of the bedroom? Come on!"

Tetsuhiro hurriedly stepped away from the bedrooms, wiping his eyes surreptitiously as he took in the sight of his lover. Souichi's hair was tied back in its low ponytail, silver- rimmed glasses perched as usual on his sharp nose. With his trusty backpack slung on his back, Sempai looked just as he had when they had first moved into this little home. His heart lurched. Despite how little their appearances had changed in the past year, their relationship, the bonds that they had forged in this very house, had evolved dramatically. "Ne, Sempai, would you miss this place?"

"Huhhh?" Irritably, Souichi frowned at him. "Why the hell are you asking this question now? Come on, get your head out of the clouds and bring the luggage; I'll push Emi in the pram." Souichi completely ignored his question and made his way to the purple pram where their daughter was already securely strapped in. Seeing that Tetsuhiro was still hesitating by the bedrooms, his patience snapped. "Morinaga!"

"Y-yes! Coming, Sempai." Seeing only impatience on Souichi's face, Tetsuhiro bit his lip, feeling a sudden gloom cloak over him. Sempai had not answered him. Walking slowly to the bags in the middle of the living area, Tetsuhiro obediently picked them up and started towards the genkan. Every step that he placed on the beloved floorboards was a little goodbye to the home that he had finally found after losing his first one.

A sudden thought spun into life, ramming into Tetsuhiro as he donned his shoes. To Sempai, this apartment might not be as important as it was to him. After all, he had been forced to stay here with him at the beginning due to the fire. During their time here, Sempai, who had been a straight man until he met Tetsuhiro, had had to accept him as a lover only because of his persistence. If Sempai had not been able to carry a child, if Emi had not been conceived then he might never have agreed to be Tetsuhiro's lover.

Maybe, maybe, to Souichi, this apartment was not a haven of love as it was to Tetsuhiro. Instead, it might be the place where his worst nightmare had come true...Tetsuhiro's hand slipped, and the loafer that he had been holding on fell to the floor with a clatter.

"Oi, Morinaga."

Tetsuhiro jumped at the proximity of Souichi's voice. Hurriedly, he picked up his errant shoe and wore it, fixing on a smile before he turned to look at the long- haired man.

Souichi was frowning slightly but, after studying Tetsuhiro quietly for a moment, he merely sat down on the step to wear his sneakers, ignoring Tetsuhiro even though he had called his name. When he was done, he carefully wheeled the pram over the genkan, making sure that Emi was not jarred by the act. "Have we taken everything? Let's go, then." With that, Souichi opened the door and pushed the pram out of the apartment, leaving Tetsuhiro to catch up with him.

"…Hai, Sempai." Morosely, Tetsuhiro wheeled their luggage out of the apartment and checked one last time for anything they might have left behind. The house that they had lived in for a year now seemed so cold and empty, as if it were ready for the next owner. He sighed. Was it only he who felt that their time here had been special and was worth reminiscing over? Despondently, Tetsuhiro shut the door quietly, letting his finger graze the wood grain a final time. "Bye bye…"

"Morinaga!"

Souichi was already at the lift lobby, glaring at him as Tetsuhiro hurried down the corridor. Together, they entered the elevator without exchanging another word. Tetsuhiro took a peek at Souichi as the lift began to descend. His lover was adjusting the sun visor of the pram and did not pay attention to him. He sighed again, softly. He should stop being so silly! Sempai and Emi were with him now, right? He should not be thinking of all the what- ifs and what- nots…unfortunately, the doubts had taken root and Tetsuhiro could not shake them off.

The shinkansen station was unexpectedly crowded at this time of the day. Through the crowds, Kanako flew out from the side of Matsuda- san, her bopped hair bouncing in the wind. "Nii- san!"

"Kanako! Jeez, don't run in here! Where's Matsuda- san?" Souichi kept a hand on Emi's pram while he hugged his little sister. Kanako turned in Souichi's arm and smiled happily at Tetsuhiro.

"Morinaga- Nii! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Kanako- chan." Tetsuhiro smiled and ruffled the girl's head affectionately. Sempai's family had come to send them off to Tokyo at the station, which was why they had chosen a weekend to leave Nagoya.

"Matsuda- san, you shouldn't have come to send us off—yesterday's dinner was already sufficient," Souichi chided his aunt as the older woman reached them, her hands clutching an elaborately wrapped bag.

"Sou- kun, Morinaga- kun, good morning. Ara, ara, my darling nephew and grandniece would be staying in Tokyo from now on, ne, of course we had to come and see you off! Kanako- chan would miss her big brother, too." Bending down to pat Emi, Matsuda- san cooed at their daughter before she straightened again. "You must come back and visit regularly, okay? This old woman here would be lonely otherwise!"

"Hai, Matsuda- san. I'm sorry, ne. Because of my job, Sempai and Emi have to move away from Nagoya…" Tetsuhiro paused, feeling the guilt, which had been swirling in him as their moving day neared, double as Matsuda- san hugged Souichi tightly for a few seconds.

"Silly child; you three are a family now, and a family has to stay together! Don't take my words in jest so seriously, Morinaga- kun." The matron also gave him a motherly embrace, her admonishment a gentle whisper against his chest.

Tetsuhiro savoured her warmth, thankful for her big heart. He knew, more than he wanted to, how hard it was to leave behind one's hometown and closest family. Over Matsuda- san's shoulder, he saw the affectionate grin that Sempai wore as he hugged his sister close. His hand clenched unwittingly on Matsuda-san's cardigan.

Soon, it was time for them to make their way towards the platform. Standing by Emi's stroller, Tetsuhiro watched as Souichi, Matsuda- san and Kanako huddled together for one last group hug. The gift was passed to Souichi before they all bade goodbye, Kanako's teary waves and Matsuda-san's solemn smiles gradually hidden by the throngs of passengers as they walked away.

The white, streamlined bullet train was already in the station as the three of them reached the platform. At their carriage, Souichi unstrapped Emi and carried her as Tetsuhiro folded the stroller. When he was done, he looked up. "Sempai, I'm ready; let's go u—"

Souichi was looking away from the train, his back facing Tetsuhiro as he took one last look at the hustle and bustle of his hometown. The words died in Tetsuhiro's throat. In the time that they had tied up the loose ends in Nagoya and prepared for their new life in Tokyo, Sempai had never uttered a single complaint about having to leave his home and his family to follow Tetsuhiro. Yet, Tetsuhiro could see it clearly now, the wistfulness in the outline of his lover's back as Souichi gazed into the distance, a wakeful Emi held tightly to his chest. Souichi bent his head and even in the noisome surroundings, Tetsuhiro caught the faintest of sighs emitting from the man's mouth.

Tetsuhiro moved forward, wanting, somehow, to give some form of comfort to his lover. However, thinking of how he had been feeling down just because they had had to leave their apartment, of how he had doubted Sempai's feelings, Tetsuhiro suddenly felt ashamed of his pettiness. As compared to him, Sempai had had to give up so much more but the man was dealing with the situation in a much more mature manner than Tetsuhiro!

Tetsuhiro was so busy berating himself that he failed to notice that Souichi had turned back to him, scrutinizing him in the thoughtful manner that he possessed. He jumped when the long- haired man bonked him on the head smartly. "Oi, Morinaga! Stop staring into space and board the train!" Picking up one of the bags to lighten Tetsuhiro's load, Souichi stepped into the bullet train with Emi, frowning exasperatedly as Tetsuhiro scrambled to take everything up into the carriage.

After settling their luggage and assuring that Emi was comfortably nestled in Souichi's arms, Tetsuhiro sank into his own seat, suddenly feeling awkward. He desperately wanted to strike up a conversation with Souichi, to say something that could alleviate the stuffy weight in his chest. However, every time he turned to look at his lover, the words would get stuck, shame at his pettiness and self- centeredness preventing him from reaching out to Souichi. At last, he gave up and sat down quietly in his window seat, his arms folded so as not to fall into the temptation of touching the man beside him.

"Morinaga, what are you thinking in that head of yours again—oh—" Souichi was about to reach out and smack Tetsuhiro when an obaasan who was passing by their seats suddenly exclaimed in delight upon seeing Emi.

"Oh, what an absolutely charming child! You are such a sweetie; aww, you like teddy bears, huh? Ooh!" Beside the thoroughly enchanted lady, her friend also crowded around Souichi, trying to get a better look at Emi.

To her credit, their daughter was utterly unafraid, gazing at them with wide, green eyes, her little face peeking out adorably from the teddy suit that she was wearing that day. Their princess immediately cast a spell over the two matrons with a gummy smile, her little fists reaching out to touch the pearl necklace that one of them wore.

"No, Emi, don't. Good girl," Souichi chided their daughter softly and tucked her hands back before giving his attention to the ladies. "Thank you. This is Emi, our—erm, my daughter. She just turned two months a week ago."

"Ahh, really? You are so young to be a father! I don't see your wife with you, young man—ahh, what a capable father to bring your child out alone! It must be tough, ne?" The chattier of the women beamed at Souichi as her friend continued to bestow Emi with effusive smiles and coos.

"I'm not travelling alone. Uhh—" Souichi coughed, his ears pinking as he turned to introduce Tetsuhiro. "I'm travelling with uhh, my family." The man coughed again and he did not look at an astonished Tetsuhiro. "I wouldn't have been able to take care of Emi without him."

"Ara, ara, is that so, is that so? Well, all the best to you, young man! It's so rare to see a father so accustomed to handling their children, and Emi is such an angel. Thank you, and sorry for disturbing you! We'll be taking our leave now!" Evidently not finding Souichi's explanation strange at all, the two women bade goodbye reluctantly to a gurgling Emi before moving on to the next carriage.

Souichi's face was still flushed faintly and the man busied himself with Emi, trying to prevent their little girl from eating his long hair. Whatever that he had wanted to ask Tetsuhiro before, it was forgotten in the enormity of what he had just said to the two ladies.

"Sempai…" Incredibly moved, Tetsuhiro touched Souichi's arm timidly, the smile blooming across his face unabated even when Souichi startled and turned to glare at him. The two of them gazed at each other for a charged moment.

"So, you are finally smiling, huh." In a miffed tone, Souichi shifted Emi to his other arm so that he could reach out to pinch Tetsuhiro's nose, hard. "What were you thinking about again, moron? Surely it can't be about what you said to Matsuda- san just now!"

"Ow ow ow, Sempaiw, canw't breawthe—!" Wriggling helplessly under Souichi's clasp, Tetsuhiro finally breathed in relief when the man let go with a last winch to his nose. Rubbing his nose gingerly, he nodded sheepishly. As the train started moving off, first slowly and then gradually picking up speed, Tetsuhiro abandoned all thoughts of distancing himself from his lover. Shifting until he was sitting right at the edge of his seat where he could speak directly into Souichi's ear, he whispered seriously, "I'm sorry that we have to leave Nagoya because of me, Sempai. Really, really sorry…"

"Why are you sitting so close to me, baka? People—people are going to notice how weird that is! Move your ass—ahh, damnit!" When Tetsuhiro did not budge despite his best efforts, Souichi kicked him in the shins and smirked in satisfaction when the man cradled his leg in pain. "We are in public, idiot! And what's with all this bullshit about me leaving everything behind? Aren't we going to Tokyo together—you, Emi and I? Jeez, was all your gloominess in the morning just because of this? Idiot!"

"Ehh?!" Despite the rough way in which they had been delivered, the meaning behind Souichi's words made Tetsuhiro forget all about the bruise at his leg. Straightening in his seat, he regarded Souichi in surprised pleasure. "B-but surely Kanako- chan and your research work at the university must mean more, Sempai! You've been living here your whole life and you had been planning to continue your postgraduate work at Nagoya University…" Tetsuhiro's voice caught, the earlier dose of happiness morphing into sadness as he thought again about all of Sempai's sacrifices.

"Urghh, Morinaga—what the hell!"

"No, wait, Sempai—please, let me say all of these out! I know that I'm being willful but—!" With an edge of desperation, Tetsuhiro cut Souichi off in mid- sentence. Somehow, he found it hard to look directly into his lover's eyes as he rambled on, the words tumbling out of his mouth like a confession. "Sometimes, I wonder, if I hadn't been so selfish and tried to keep you all to myself, you might have been offered even more opportunities from the department and gone further.

"If I hadn't been so selfish, your life might have gone on a completely different track, where you wouldn't have to go through so much trouble or endured so much pain—! You never said a word or made any complaints about it, though. You never tried to make me feel bad about it…!"

"Morinaga…" This time, Souichi sounded resigned. Even as Tetsuhiro blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling, the other man sighed and tilted his face until their gazes caught. "I didn't say anything because I had no complaints, all right? Get that into your head, already! Silly baka." A slender finger stroked Tetsuhiro's cheek lightly before Souichi moved away again.

Sempai's gentleness was Tetsuhiro's undoing. As the train slid into a tunnel and they were thrown into a whistling darkness, he gripped Souichi's hand, feeling the tears start to wet his cheeks. "I'm truly the worst, Sempai. You were already enduring so much but yet I was just thinking about myself!

"I—I know that I should stop being so selfish and try to be more considerate of you, Sempai. B-but I doubted your feelings; I doubted your commitment to our relationship—! That was why I was so down when we left the apartment just now...I thought that our relationship meant…less to you than it did to me. I thought that you did not cherish all the memories that we created in Nagoya, in that apartment together…! I'm really horrid!" In the flickering shadows, Tetsuhiro held on to his lover's hand, silently asking for the forgiveness that he did not dare to voice out. "I'm sorry, Sempai…"

"…Was that why you asked me that question before we left?" At Tetsuhiro's slight nod, Souichi sighed. "Idiot, why would I miss that apartment?! You attacked me so many times in there—! You even knocked me up there!" Seeming to be affected by the hushed silence in the tunnel, Souichi's voice was a fierce whisper against Tetsuhiro's ear, his fingers curled into a fist in his grasp. "As a man, I would obviously want to leave that place, right?"

"…I-is that so, Sempai…I'm really sorry about—" A sob caught at the back of Tetsuhiro's throat but before he could finish apologizing, Souichi had pinched his palm, a signal to stop him from talking.

"But, as a man who's going to live with—with his family, why the hell should I hang on to the past when we have already planned for our future? You have your work, I have my exchange programme, and we have Emi!

"Idiot, you were the one who said that we would work towards our future together! But you just had to go totally sentimental on what was basically brick and wood! If you want memories, then we'd jolly well form more in Tokyo! So stop crying, already! Damnit…"

"S-sempai…"

Sunlight burst into their carriage as they continued to hold hands. In the sudden brightness, Tetsuhiro blinked away the remnants of his tears, his spirits uplifted crazily as though the sun had shone into his soul. Now, he could see Souichi clearly. Now, he could read the deep blush that bloomed on his lover's cheeks. Without thinking, he moved.

Souichi tched as Tetsuhiro swept his long hair tenderly from his profile. He was on fire, the need to possess the beautiful man in front of him almost unbearable. The hint of intimacy hung in the space between them as Tetsuhiro let his fingers linger on Souichi's neck, as Souichi glanced at him with hooded eyes. They leaned in, a sweet ache building gradually in the shortening space that separated them from each other.

As the train entered the dark mouth of another tunnel, their lips met, a smoldering mesh of desire and hunger that was a seal of their future.

"Sempai, sempai—we've reached Tokyo. Wake up, now, love."

"Mhmm…urghh, I fell asleep, huh…" Souichi's voice was slurred with sleep, his head still resting against Tetsuhiro's shoulder. The man made no attempt to move and a moment later, his head lolled again in slumber.

Tetsuhiro chuckled and patted his partner's hand lightly. Sempai's guard was always lowered when he was tired. Otherwise, he would have jumped away from him the minute he realized that he was leaning against him! He decided to let Souichi nap for a few minutes longer, just until their train pulled into Tokyo Main Station.

Emi was also dozing away, snug as a bug in his other arm. Their daughter seemed to be attuned acutely to Sempai's sleeping patterns, falling asleep together with Souichi even though she was no longer in his womb. Tetsuhiro kissed her knuckles lightly, smiling blissfully. Ahh, the light at the end of the tunnel was always so bright and welcoming.

Solitary in his wakefulness for the moment, Tetsuhiro glanced out of the windows, noting the scenery flashing by as the train entered further into Tokyo. They had really left Nagoya behind, left behind the town that had shaped them into what they were now.

As the minutes ticked past, the train began to slow down significantly. The flashing colours gradually solidified into concrete buildings and lush greenery of suburban Tokyo. They had finally reached the place where they would start the next chapter of their lives. Here, as Sempai had said, they would have many novel experiences together, good or bad, exciting or mundane.

The carriage of passengers began to stir and line up at the door as the train pulled into the enormous station that was the city's transportation hub. Still seated, Tetsuhiro nonetheless felt the pulse of the metropolitan city start to course through him. Despite the uncertainty of the future, he would welcome it. He now had all that he could ever ask for, and both of them were sleeping in his arms. With tenderness, he kissed Emi and Souichi simply, whispering one sentence into their ears as the train came to a full stop at the designated platform.

"Wake up, my loves. We've reached our destination safely."

The end.

A/N: I just want to say that I have read all of your reviews and certainly, your ideas are really interesting and worthy of further development! At this moment, although it's hard to say it, I have yet to continue past Incendium. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me and may inspiration strike me soon! :D