A/N So this is the end! Be sure to read the second A/N at the end of the fic for a surprise announcement!
Koujo Lin stood on a desolate plot of land, surrounded by assorted flowers. The place was beautiful in its own melancholic sort of way, however Lin would have given anything not to be standing there. At the foot of the small area of land, a tombstone rested, covered in moss and other foliage that had begun growing up around it over the years that it had been sticking out of the spot. Etched into the front of the tombstone was a name, as was the usual case with burial stones. The only difference was that though all burial stones caused some degree of sadness for the people seeing them, they didn't cause Lin the wave of pain that seeing this one did.
The name written in a delicate cursive script was Shun Song. Lin stared at the etching though he felt like he was looking through it. This was where his best friend had been buried so many years ago. For awhile after Shun's death, Lin had ritualistically visited the site.
He had stopped around the time that his nightmares had started, due to the fear that he would see the ghost of Shun or something of the sort. It had been a superstitious believe, however his superstitions had turned out to be valid concerns. Kanon had been Shun's spirit, encased in what had more than likely been nothing but a temporary body.
Shun, under the guise of Kanon, had done terrible things - there was no denying that. However Lin now realized that he had felt justified when he'd committed his wrongdoings.
It was no different than how, at the beginning, Lin had felt justified by his intent to kill Kanon. In the end however, it had ended up being the most painful thing that he had ever done.
He knew that only time would take away the pain that the event had caused him.
Lin walked away from the tombstone and headed back towards home.
Back at his mother's house in Hong Kong, Lin stretched leisurely as he sat on the living room couch, stroking Madoka's hair as she laid her head in his lap.
She'd awoken and come to the living room to be comforted - she had been feeling unwell all morning.
Lin had suggested that the pink haired woman had simply eaten something that didn't agree with her stomach, though she had seemed unconvinced.
Lin's mind wandered back to the conversation that they'd had weeks before, just before his father's funeral. She had announced the possibility that she was pregnant.
And now weeks later, she was feeling nauseous this early in the morning, and the day before he'd spotted her eagerly eyeing the dinner that Lotus had laid out before pushing it away when she caught a whiff of it.
Lin was no fool. He'd learned from the experience of witnessing his mother being pregnant with his younger two siblings that nausea was a common sign of pregnancy.
When he thought about it, fatigue was as well. Madoka had began sleeping later than usual, typically being unable to rise until late in the afternoon.
Lin sighed deeply. Could it all really be coincidence? He shook the thought off - it was senseless worrying about something that he couldn't control, especially if he didn't know for sure if his concern was valid.
He had a far more pressing thought on his mind in the meantime. The small black box resting on the dresser in his bedroom popped into his head.
Nestled inside the box in purple velvet was an engagement ring. Lin planned to present it to Madoka and ask for her hand in marriage whenever this stomach bug or whatever was ailing her resolved itself.
His heart beat loudly as he pondered the idea of proposing to the love of his life. Madoka raised her head up and met her boyfriends gaze in concern as she heard the deep thumping in his chest cavity. "Lin, are you alright? Your heart is racing."
Lin stroked her hair lovingly as he tried to calm his nerves down. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."
Madoka shook her head and sat up. She rested her head on Lin's shoulder and gazed into his eyes. "Be honest with me, Lin."
The onmyouji sighed in defeat. "I was thinking about something." his mind went back to the ring in his bedroom. "You'll have to excuse me for a moment."
Madoka quirked an eyebrow curiously before scooting off of Lin's legs so that he could get up. The dark haired man stood up and began walking to his bedroom, pausing only when he was out of Madoka's sight. He held his hand up to his chest for a moment as the nervous pounding in his heart returned. Damn, why was he so nervous? Nothing had changed to warrant the possibility of her turning him down, had it?
He shook his head. Regardless of whether or not there was the possibility that Madoka would turn him down, he had still made his decision. He wanted to marry Madoka, and would never have the chance of doing so if he didn't step up and ask her.
With that mindset, Lin reached his bedroom seconds later and approached his dresser. His eyes fell on the black box that contained the ring. He pushed the box open and glanced at the ring Lifen had helped him pick out. The band was elaborately crafted with a golden band encrusted with diamonds. The stone was a light green peridot, which happened to be Madoka's birth stone.
Lifen had insisted that Madoka would fall in love with it the moment that she saw it, and would not be able to refuse Lin's proposal. The Onmyouji trusted her judgement. After all, who better to determine the way to a woman's heart than a lady?
The answer was that more than likely, he'd made the right call by asking Lifen to escort him to the jeweler rather than asking Draidyan or Lukida to come. He could just see them picking out a ring with a skull on it, grinning sadistically as they handed it to him. Sighing deeply, Lin steeled himself for what could prove to be the most happy, or devastating moment of his life. He walked back out his still opened door, not bothering to close it as he walked to the living room.
Madoka still sat on the couch, her magenta eyes wide as she caught sight of Lin's hand behind his back. She was almost afraid of what he was carrying - he was never so suspicious. If it was something truly important, typically Lin would be upfront about it. She locked gazes with the man she loved for only a brief moment before he glanced away, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. Making him blush was a rare occurrence in itself. What was he so embarrassed about that even staring her in the eyes for the briefest of seconds could make him blush like a bride?
She was just about to ask him to tell her the truth when the Omnyouji slowly moved his hand out from behind his back. Madoka's eyes fell on the black box he held and her heart skipped several beats. Was that a... ring box? Why on earth would he be bringing her a ring. He couldn't possibly be intending to propose to her, could he?
Madoka had her unasked question answered as Lin approached her as calmly as he could manage. When he was within a few inches of her, he paused, closed his eyes, and knelt to the ground on one knee. Madoka felt unshed tears building up behind her eyes, but she refused to cry. She couldn't.
Lin gazed up at her lovingly as he slowly opened the box that contained the graceful peridot ring. He took the ring out carefully as he held Madoka's gaze. "Madoka... we've went through a lot together since we first met. From teaching Naru how to survive with his powers, to breaking each other's hearts and burying Eugene. And more recently, us rekindling that broken romance and... you know the rest. My point is that I love you, more than I did before. I've come to realize that I don't want to be without you - I've experienced what life is like without you by my side. It taught me that you make my world brighter, and make me a better person. I want to be with you, and can only hope that you share the same sentiments." he took a deep breath to prepare himself for the main point of his rambling. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is.. would you marry me?"
Madoka Mori's world exploded as she stared at the man kneeled on the ground in front of her, the same man who had broken her heart when she had been only seventeen years old. She had been separated from him emotionally for so many years, but when they had gotten back together, the world had clicked, and all wrongs that they had done to each other that night when they had gotten stupidly drunk, all seemed a little bit less bad.
And now here was, asking her to marry him, with a look of nervousness on his face that rivaled how she had looked when she'd met him.
Madoka realized that she had fallen victim to her own thoughts. Lin was still kneeling on the ground, his dark gray eyes staring at her with a vulnerability that she was not used to seeing from him. It made her realize just how much effort it must have taken for him to ask her such a major question. He had truly gone out on a limb by asking her, and she still hadn't answered him.
What was she waiting for? She wanted to marry him, didn't she? The answer to that question hit her in the form of a flashback. She'd went to the doctor a few days before and gotten some news... She shook her head if he was asking her to marry him, then that must mean that he was willing to accept whatever being her husband entailed. Madoka met Lin's gaze softly. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Lin blinked in minor shock. Had he heard her correctly? He stared at the woman he had asked to be his fiancee for a moment. She was smiling, and tears were beginning to stream from her eyes. She was crying, and Lin got the distinct impression that they were tears of joys, rather than tears of sadness.
That must mean that she had indeed said 'yes' to his proposal. The Omnyouji stood up from the ground and wrapped his arms around the pink haired woman. Giggling, she pushed him away and held up her hand expectantly. Lin realized that he hadn't placed the ring on her finger as was customary for the man to do while proposing. He laughed in embarrassment and slipped the ring over her finger. It fit perfectly and met no resistance. It looked just as beautiful against her skin as Lifen had insisted that it would.
Best of all, she had said yes. He had really done it - he'd finally take the incentive and proposed to the woman he loved, and she had accepted. It brought him peace of mind knowing that he wouldn't have to live with the fact that he'd lost her again. She'd be by his side now, until death do them apart as it were.
Lin beamed widely as he lifted Madoka off of the ground and into his in a bridal position. She laid her head on his shoulder and smiled, until she remembered what she had neglected to tell him. She knew that it could make their newly engaged excitement dwindle, but all the same, he deserved to know. "Koujo?" she said gently.
"Hm?" came the reply a moment later.
Madoka sighed deeply as she steeled herself to tell her fiancee what could lead to be some of the most life changing news he'd ever heard. "You know what we talked about before your dad's funeral?" she waited for a response but didn't receive one. She took it as her cue to plunder on. "Lin... I'm pregnant."
Lin stiffened. "Are you sure?" he asked carefully as he lowered Madoka back to her feet.
His fiancee nodded with complete certainty "According to the doctor, yes. He could see two seemingly healthy babies."
She heard a sudden cough. Lin sputtered as he tried to talk past the knot that had formed in his throat. "Two? You're having... twins?"
Madoka nodded. "I'm not sure of the gender yet, but the doctor can clearly see two babies." she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready to be a father?"
"I guess I have to be." Lin laughed slightly. "I'm the one who got you pregnant - they're my kids. Its my responsiblity to take care of them and be the best father that I can be, and the best husband to you. "
Madoka wiped her eyes and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Koujo." The pink haired lady felt familiar arms wrap around her waist.
"I love you too, Madoka." The newly engaged couple stood like that, tightly embracing. The troubles and triumphs that would follow could be worried and pondered on later. But at that moment, it was just the two of them.
They had their entire lives ahead of them.
A/N I'm working on a sort of sequel fic to The Account - it'll be my first fic written with an outline so I'll know what is happening before it happens. It should come along much faster than this one did.