Goodbye

After waking up, Raku started recalling the events of last night and wondered how much of it he had dreamt. How else was he supposed to make sense of the war between families, Marika's fatal illness, and confessing his love to her? Once Raku saw that his arms were wrapped around the soft girl in front of him, he realized that it was true. All of it.

"Are you awake?" Raku whispered as quietly as he could.

"I am." Raku got a soft response from Marika.

Shifting her body to face Raku, Marika beamed a gentle smile as she said softly "Good morning."

"Morning." Raku couldn't help but smile back. Despite everything that has happened, Raku couldn't help but feel at ease at the moment from Marika's soothing presence.

"How did you sleep?" Raku asked as his body started waking up as well.

After stretching out her arms, Marika placed them around Raku as she answered "I slept like a baby. As much as I wanted to stay conscious to enjoy your comforting embrace, my soul felt too at ease to stay awake. How about you?"

"I fell asleep pretty quickly as well. If you slept like a baby, then I slept like a rock." Raku replied with a chuckle.

"I'm glad to hear that." Marika giggled as she nuzzled her face into Raku's chest.

Raku was about to give into the moment and enjoy spending time with Marika, but he quickly remembered something and exclaimed "I completely forgot! What happened with the fighting and with Chitoge?!"

Startled by Raku's sudden shouting, she retracted her face and replied "That is a good question."

Dashing out of bed, Raku went to grab his phone only to find out there had been no calls or texts. Tapping his phone frantically, Raku pressed on Chitoge's contact and called the number.

After a few rings, Raku heard "Do you know what freaking time it is?!"

Relieved to hear her voice, Raku started his questions "Chitoge, are you alright? What happened with the fighting? Did it stop? Is everyone alright? What-"

Overwhelmed with questions, Chitoge interrupted "Hold on! Stop, stop! Listen, there are some things I have to tell you so just come meet me in our usual spot in ten minutes."

There was a clicking sound and the call was ended. Usually, Raku could reach their usual meeting spot in just a few minutes; however, that was only from his yakuza family's house.

As Raku frantically got his shoes on, Marika came around the corner and asked "It seems like you're in a hurry."

"Chitoge told me to meet her in ten minutes. I need to know what happened." Raku answered as he continued tying his shoes.

"I understand. Just… be back soon, okay?" Marika softly insisted.

Marika's words worrying him, Raku stopped what he was doing as he looked back at Marika and asked "What do you mean?"

Thinking that Raku got the wrong idea, Marika shook her head frantically and tried clarifying "Oh, it's not like anything bad will happen to me while you're gone. It's just... I need you now more than even, Raku. So please don't be gone for long; however, I know this is something you must do."

Raku wanted more than anything to stay; however, after leaving Chitoge to deal with everything, Raku felt like the absolute least he could do was to meet her. Turning to face the door, Raku said "I'll be back soon, Marika."

Once Raku left the room, Marika once again gave the order "You may come out, Honda."

Coming out of the side of the wall, Honda observed "You are quite the clingy girlfriend, milady. I almost feel bad for Raku."

"You are more vocal about your observations, Honda." Marika stated and went on defensively "If you think I'm one of those girls who are so insecure that they need to know what their partner is up to at all times, then you're wrong. The trust between Raku and I is much greater than such petty things."

"Even though you placed a tracking device on the boy." Honda recalled.

Getting irritated, Marika retorted "T-That's to take into account his location when I strategize my advances. The point is, Raku is free to do as he wishes without me being fearful or jealous even if he's meeting another girl that's in love with him. It's just… I know I'm probably not going to fall over and die today, but I'm still afraid. I want Rakkun to be right there with me when I kick the bucket. When I had my anxiety attack, I honestly thought I was going to die and that's why I ran to Raku and yelled for him to wake up. I want him to send me off when I..." Marika couldn't bring herself to finish.

"I understand. I apologize for my rudeness." Honda apologized with a bow.

Shaking her head, Marika answered "Don't apologize. That was one of our truest conversations yet. You know, besides the one yesterday when you told me I was acting like a sore loser. You helped made me realize that it's better to painfully struggle than to bitterly accept the outcome after doing nothing. So… thank you, Youko."

"…You're welcome, Marika."

Back with Raku, he was making a mad dash to his destination and finally met with Chitoge.

"You're late." Chitoge scolded lightly.

After catching his breath, Raku replied "It's not my fault that I live in a different part of town now. Well, okay, it is my fault, but that's beside the point. So, what exactly happened last night?"

Having already prepared an answer to that particular question, Chitoge started to explain "Well, I started yelling at the top of my lungs at my family to stop, I decked Claude in the face, I bowed and apologized to the yakuza, and then the fighting was over. I guess after I spent so much time with your family, they didn't want to ignore my pleas to stop fighting."

It was too simple for Raku as he asked with disbelief "Wait, that's it?"

"Well, there's one more thing." Chitoge added who was wondering whether or not to tell Raku. Realizing that he would find out sooner or later, Chitoge confessed "The police showed up once everyone settled down. The head of police, Marika's father, told us that after all of the damage and the evacuation, something had to be done. As a result, the mafia, including myself, is leaving this town for good. It's supposed to reassure everyone that the ordeal is done and to prevent further fighting in the town. We'll be gone by tomorrow morning."

"No way…" Raku uttered who was almost speechless. Not wanting this to be the end, Raku objected "That's just not fair! You didn't do anything wrong! It was our damned families who are at fault! Even I acted selfishly and let our fake relationship slip. So why? Why are you the one being punished for this?"

While Chitoge found some comfort in his words, she went on "It's because you're already going through enough pain as it is. You know, how Marika is… There really aren't any happy endings to our nisekoi, is there?"

Finally accepting the truth that Chitoge was leaving, Raku forced a smile "A happy ending isn't something that's decided by circumstance; but rather, it's something you work for. All of the memories and the bonds I forged with you and Marika will give me my happy ending, even if you two are gone. Chitoge, it may not be what you were hoping for, but you are my closest friend and I was so glad to be in a nisekoi with you."

Raku's words catching her off guard, Chitoge started walking closer and laughed "'It's something you work for'? Geez, I think I'm going to be sick! That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Still…"

Wrapping her arms around Raku, Chitoge whispered in his ear "It goes without saying that you're my best friend. Thank you for putting up with me all these years."

Returning her hug, Raku answered back "It's been hell to say the least, but you're welcome."

After ending the heartwarming hug, Chitoge took a step away and said her goodbyes "We'll meet again someday. Until then, goodbye… stupid beansprout."

"See you later, you brutal gorilla. I'll miss you." Raku said his goodbyes as well.

Before departing, Chitoge pointed to Raku's face and asked "Hey, Raku? What's that thing on your face?"

"Huh? What thing-"

"It's my fist!" Chitoge yelled as she sent her fist flying straight towards his cheek.

Closing his eyes and weakly trying to defend his face, Raku yelped "Not again!"

A few seconds passed without anything ramming fiercely against his cheek which confused Raku. Suddenly, Raku felt something warm press against his cheek. Opening his eyes, Raku saw Chitoge's face right in front of his and her lips were pressed against his cheek.

As her lips departed Raku's cheek, Chitoge opened her eyes and her held back tears finally ran down her face. Before the tears blurred her vision, Chitoge took one last look into Raku's face and whispered "I love you."

With that, Chitoge turned around and dashed away. Raku felt a tremendous urge to run after her, but this was a true goodbye. After standing dazed in the same spot for a while, Raku finally accepted that Chitoge was truly gone and started making his way back to the apartment with another empty feeling opening up in his heart.

Once Raku opened the door to his apartment, he was immediately greeted with an intense hug from Marika.

"I missed you so much!" Marika murmured into Raku's chest.

A little thrown off by Marika's quick embrace, Raku asked "Were you waiting at the door for me to get back? Come on, Marika, surely being away from me isn't-"

Once Raku saw Marika's face, he lost the words he was going to say. Tears were welled up in her eyes and her lips kept quivering. To Raku, it felt like he was returning home to a little puppy who was over excited by a human's return.

"Marika..?" Raku said her name as Marika continued giving him puppy dogs eyes.

Letting her feelings run free, Marika shook her head frantically and ranted "Waaah! Rakkun, you're not allowed being more than two feet away from me at all times! That includes sleeping, bathing, schooling, and everything else! I will be by your side twenty-four hours a day!"

"T-Twenty-four hours a day?!" Raku questioned in disbelief.

"You better believe it!" Marika answered back who wasn't faltering in the slightest in her conviction. After calming down some from holding Raku, Marika retracted her face from his chest and spoke "Um… that was a joke. I mean, obviously we can't be together at all times. That would just be silly… hehe."

Considering Marika's request for a few moments, Raku answered "Okay, you win. From here on out, I won't leave your side."

Hearing Raku accepting her proposal filled her with relief and joy as she slowly returned to Raku's chest and whispered "Thank you, Raku."

After the two returned inside, they sat down on the dining room table and cast their eyes downward. Raku was unsure how to face the situation; however, he had questions that needed answered and so he asked "Marika, can you tell me about your condition? What kind of illness are you suffering from?"

Already expecting that question, Marika softly shook her head and answered "It's got a complicated name and no matter how much medicine I take or how many shots they give me, there's nothing anybody can do to make me better. I guess that's why I don't remember the name. I mean, what would be the point in memorizing the name of an incurable disease?"

"But who says it's incurable? Maybe if you just-" Raku started saying in desperation.

Cutting off Raku, Marika looked at him in the eyes and smiled "Raku… As painful as it is to say this, there's no hope for me. That's actually the reason why I was allowed to come to this town. I've wasted almost my entire life to get better… I don't want to waste what's left in a hospital room. Please try to understand."

"But…" Raku tried his best to form an argument only to realize Marika was right. Not only was it her decision that he had to respect, but Raku himself wouldn't want to spend the climax of his life in a hospital bed. A soft hand was placed on top of Raku's who looked up to see a brilliant smile on Marika's face.

As Marika's smile calmed Raku, he went on to ask "Do you have some sort of bucket list or something? If you have anything left that you want to do, I will do my best to help you."

"You already know what I want, Raku." Marika answered back with her smile unfaltering.

It was true. The answer to his question was obvious; however, he still needed to know if there were any other things that Marika wanted. Getting up from his chair, Raku walked over to Marika and wrapped his arms gently around her. Nestling his face in Marika's hair, Raku whispered "It's hard to believe all you want is a simple guy like me."

Placing her hands on top of Raku's, Marika blushed softly and smiled "What did I say about you belittling yourself? All I want is you, even if we were living inside of a cardboard box in a town where rain never ceased."

"I feel the same way, Marika." Raku answered back as he kissed her cheek. The two stayed like this for a long time.

School didn't start back up until the following Monday. While Raku and Marika were walking to school together, Raku mentioned "You know, we don't have to go to school if you don't want to."

Shaking her head, Marika rejected the idea "That simply will not do, Raku. You're the one who taught me about the importance of education and I will not allow your grades to falter because of-"

"Raku!" A familiar voice screamed from behind.

"Oh, hey, Har-" Raku tried greeting; however, a foot was firmly planted in his face once he turned around.

As Raku fell to the ground, he caught a glimpse of a little cartoon bear among other things.

"Yup, definitely Haru." Raku had one final thought before his head hit the ground painfully.

"Raku, are you alright?" Marika exclaimed as she dropped her school bags in a rush to be by his side.

Trying to force a cool look, Raku gave Marika a thumbs up as he groaned "You kidding me? I hardly even felt that."

"I can hit you again if you want!" Haru offered angrily as she started walking towards Raku.

Standing up herself, Marika got in between Haru and Raku and shouted "I won't go easy on you just because you're-"

"Haru! What are you doing?" Another familiar voice called out.

As Raku and Marika turned their heads around, Kosaki came into view.

Not looking towards her big sister, Haru shouted at Raku "Why did you turn down my big sis?! Do you know awful it made her feel?!"

"Haru, please stop." Kosaki pleaded in a gentle voice as she continued walking towards her little sister.

"How could you do that to her?! She's too good for you and you still have the nerve to crush her feelings?! I had to watch her cry for so long just because you-"

"Haru! That is enough!" Kosaki shouted as she put her hand on Haru's shoulder.

Turning around to face her, Haru tried desperately to argue "But, big sis, he…" The words weren't coming and what else what she supposed to say? "I'm sorry. I just thought that this guy was hopelessly in love with you so that's why I'm a little unsettled." That's not good enough to justify her actions, so Haru fled the scene which left Raku, Marika, and Kosaki in a pretty awkward situation.

Rummaging through her bag, Kosaki got a bandage out and knelt down in front of Raku. Placing it on his forehead, Kosaki apologized "I'm sorry, Raku. My sister is a little hot headed. She gets it from our mother."

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. You know, this is kind of nostalgic. Just like the first day of high school." Raku gave a light chuckle.

Watching with jealousy, Marika interrupted the moment "Ahem, if we stay here any longer we'll be late for class. We should go now, Raku, Kosaki."

"R-Right!" Kosaki stuttered and started blushing as she frantically got up.

Marika offered her hand to Raku who accepted the help "Thanks, Marika."

An idea popping into her mind, Marika offered "I can support you while we walk to school, Raku."

Not wanting to put any unnecessary strain on her body, Raku refused "No thanks. This is something a man has to walk off."

Wrapping her arm around Raku's back to support him, Marika teased "A man wouldn't get knocked over by such a small girl wearing cartoon bear panties, so your statement doesn't apply to you."

Ouch.

"I didn't know I was talking to Chitoge." Raku bitterly thought.

Having absolutely nothing to say to that, Raku muttered quietly "I'm in your care."

Looking at Marika and Raku, Kosaki giggled but couldn't fully suppress the strong bitterness she was experiencing.

The three arrived at school and the day went by normally with a few exceptions. A lot of tears were shed (mostly by Kosaki) in homeroom once Yui told the class about Chitoge moving. Also, a lot of the students tried looking away from Raku and when he talked to a classmate of his, the classmate jerked his head away and started shaking slightly.

It wasn't a surprise for Raku who mentally sighed "It's not that big of a surprise that they're afraid of me after the war broke out last week. Still, what do they think I'm going to do? Lash out with a katana out of the blue?"

After the final bell rang, Raku and Marika started making their way to the school's zoo.

"You don't have to come with me, you know. I know how you're afraid of animals." Raku said to his panicking lover.

Clearly sweating, Marika answered "N-Nonsense! You know very well that I refuse to leave your side! If you were to jump into shark infested waters, I'd do the same. B-Besides, I've been training for this. I've been getting used to animals by being around that gorilla. W-What was her name again? 'Shitoge'?"

Once the two turned the corner, they bumped into Kosaki who was startled by their chance meeting.

"O-Oh! Hello there, Raku." Kosaki stuttered nervously.

Kosaki's nervousness rubbing off on him, Raku answered "H-Hey there, Kosaki. I'm surprised to see you here!"

Looking at the two flustered teenagers, Marika started walking ahead and said "I will be going on ahead, Raku. Please catch up once you are done here."

"H-Huh? Oh, sure." Raku answered his lover as she walked away.

Kosaki and Raku were alone. Everyone else had already left and it felt like the school was their own little world but it wasn't a comfortable one with the two feeling incredibly nervous.

Raku broke the silence "Kosaki… do you know about the meeting I had with Ruri last week?"

This question startled Kosaki who gave a little gasp. Kosaki wanted to run away, but she knew Raku would slowly drift away if things were kept as they were.

"I was there." Kosaki answered without taking her gaze from the floor as she went on "I was right behind the door."

Although Raku knew there was a chance Ruri would tell her everything, Raku didn't even think that Kosaki was there to hear everything. Well, that would explain Haru's assault earlier.

"My little sister sure was mad, wasn't she? Claiming you turned me down even though I never confessed to you." Kosaki forced a light laugh before finally looking him straight in the eyes and going on in a more serious tone "Raku, I like you. I really like you. I want to be with you. I want us to walk to school holding hands and talking with no barriers between us. Will you… Will you be mine, Raku?"

"… I'm sorry, but I can't return your feelings. My heart belongs to Marika." Raku answered her feelings honestly. It was just for a moment, but Raku could see the heartbreak in her face before a smile formed on her face and tears started streaming down.

"Thank you, Raku." Kosaki said in almost a whisper. Before Raku could say anything, Kosaki went on "I was always afraid of my feelings for you, thinking it would eventually lead to heartbreak, and maybe it did. Still, it feels like I've taken a step forward for the first time."

Raku could only watch helplessly as Kosaki's tears intensified and her smile wavered.

"Kosaki, I-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Raku!" Kosaki cut Raku off before she dashed away.

Once again, Raku was left in a helpless situation where he made a girl cry and there was nothing he could do. If he chased after her, what was he supposed to say to her? Despite being an important friend, Raku couldn't return Kosaki's feelings so he couldn't do anything about her pain. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. Powerless.

Remembering that Marika was waiting for him, Raku quickly snapped out of his thoughts and headed for the zoo and he was completely astounded at what was taking place.

Owls were looming overhead, an alligator was roaming outside of its cage, and a hamster was taking hostages in the form of an orange-haired girl who was curled up in a ball along with her parrot.

"What the hell is going on?!" Raku exclaimed as he took in the scene.

Hearing his voice, Marika cried frantically "Rakkun! Rakkun, Rakkun, Rakkun, help me! Help me I'm gonna die! It's gonna eat me alive! Please save me, Rakkun!"

After putting the hamster back in its cage, Raku called for teachers who then called for animal control once they saw the alligator. As the situation began to settle down, Raku was comforting a shaky Marika who kept talking under her breath "I hate animals. Hamsters are the root of all evil."

"There, there." Raku comforted as he held Marika closer and his efforts seemed to be paying off as she slowly stopped shaking.

The next two weeks flew by as Raku and Marika continued their simple daily lives at her request. It was Saturday the 13th with Raku and Marika finishing up dinner.

After finishing her food, Marika said a little timidly "I… I think I will be retiring to bed early tonight."

Although Raku was a little surprised since it was still early, he answered "Okay. I'll finish up my food real fast and then I'll join you." Raku did promise to stay by Marika's side. If she was going to bed, he would be going to bed as well.

With a slight blush and a warm smile, Marika headed for their bedroom. It only took Raku two minutes to complete his meal. Getting up, Raku made his way for the bedroom. After opening the door, Raku was treated to a startling sight.

It was Marika in all of her beauty. Several, no, all of her garments seemed to be missing as nothing was left up to Raku's imagination.

"Um… Hi there…" Marika greeted very timidly. If the room weren't so dark, Raku would've seen the crimson all over her face.

After staring for several seconds, Raku came back to reality as he stuttered "O-Oh! U-Umm, hey…"

After a long a long silence between the two, Marika finally poured her heart and soul out to Raku into one question "Tonight, will you become one with me?"

Although Raku was a healthy teenager boy, he had an old school mindset. "We're too young to be doing this. We should take out time." Is what Raku wanted to say; however, time is not something Marika had the luxury of.

It was now or never.

"Okay." Raku answered after thinking things through. He loved Marika with all of his heart and he wanted to live with no regrets. For all the love Marika has showed him over the years, Raku wanted to do his best to return those strong feelings to her while he still could.

Upon hearing Raku's answer, Marika's eyes glowed with a seemingly endless amount of passion as she simply nodded to Raku's answer.

After the highlight of both of their lives came to an end, the two were both lying on their sides as they stared into each other's eyes. The two thought about ending the silence, but no words were needed right now. The only desire Raku and Marika have is to stay close to the each other.

Closing her eyes, Marika eliminated the already short gap between herself and Raku as she nuzzled her face into his chest.

"I love you." Marika whispered affectionately.

To Raku, it felt like the first time Marika's ever said that. Not that he's doubted her before, but there was so much strength behind her affectionate words. The two were already intimate and in love, but now it seemed like all of the barriers that could possibly separate two hearts vanished. There wasn't a trace of awkwardness or unfamiliarity anymore as they finally reached the pinnacle of human relationship. Not because of their actions, but the meaning behind it. They both gave everything they had to each other and they came out with no regrets.

Holding her close, Raku returned her feelings "I love you too. I always will."

A bright smile formed on Marika's face at his words as she gave a hearty giggle. Suddenly, an ominous feeling started swirling around in Marika's heart and her bright smile was replaced by a grim look that she hid in Raku's chest. It felt very familiar to the time she had the anxiety attack.

"I literally felt like I was going to die." Marika thought back to the night when she had the anxiety attack and woke Raku up because of it.

"Am I about to have another anxiety attack? Or… am I…" Marika's thoughts haunted her as a feeling of dread started taking over.

"Marika, are you okay?" Raku's voice cut off her thoughts.

It seemed like Raku's words were able to dispel the ominous feelings that Marika was experiencing.

"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." Marika answered back who wrapped her arms tightly around Raku.

Although Raku wanted to believe in her words, he knew that Marika was anything but fine. Even now, Marika's arms were shaking and felt something wet against his chest. Trying to comfort her, Raku started running his hand through Marika's hair.

As the tears kept pouring out, Marika cried "I don't want to die. It's just not fair! After dreaming for so long, I finally have you right in my arms. We're finally lovers, and yet it's so fleeting! I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you. I never will be! I had so many dreams I wanted to share with you. I wanted to buy a house for us to live happily in. I wanted so many lovely children. I wanted us to grow old together and I… I don't want to be alone. Dammit. God dammit!"

Marika's words cut through Raku like a knife. It was all too much for Raku who couldn't hold back the tears. Truth be told, Raku couldn't think about living without Marika and would do almost anything to stay by her side; however, Raku knew that he would have to lead a long and fulfilling life for Marika's sake before joining her. Life, with all of its wonders and mysteries, became a confining hell for Raku.

"A happy ending isn't something that's decided by circumstance." Raku wanted to laugh bitterly at his own words.

Raising her face from Raku's chest, Marika's tear filled face was just millimeters away from Raku's.

"Never curse life, Raku." Marika told Raku as she rested her forehead against his.

Once again, Marika read Raku's thoughts and he couldn't bring himself to say anything. How could he not curse life with everything that's happened?

Placing her hands on Raku's cheeks, Marika added "Never curse life because it was in life that I met you and it was in life that I fell in love with you."

Marika's strong feelings were starting to reach Raku who felt the same. Although their parting was inevitable, the fact remains that they were together for a time and that means the world to Raku.

Rubbing the tears out of his eyes, Raku weakly scolded "Idiot… How could I hate life when I've met someone as amazing as you?"

Despite the hectic assault of emotions that Marika was dealing with, she couldn't help but smile at his answer and she advised "If you ever find yourself in a dark place, remember the words you just said."

The two stayed together like that until their emotions settled down.

"Marika." Raku called her name to break the silence.

"Yes, Raku?" Marika replied in a quiet voice.

"I think it's time to get some sleep. I'm feeling tired in quite a few ways." Raku answered in a soft voice.

"I agree. I'm feeling quite sleepy as well." Marika replied. Drawing her face closer to Raku's, her lips were pressed against his.

Once their lips separated, Marika softly smiled "Goodnight, Raku. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Marika. Sweet dreams." Raku answered back with a gentle smile.

The two laid on their sides with Marika burying her face into Raku's chest and Raku's arms were wrapped securely around her. Marika felt at peace for the most part; however, moments before falling asleep, that ominous feeling returned.

Author's notes: While I thought "Goodbye" would be an appropriate title for this chapter, I will admit one of the reasons I chose was to be a tiny bit of a troll. It was my hope that some of you thought it would be a goodbye between Raku and Marika rather than the actual goodbye between Raku and Chitoge.

It's been a bit since my last posting. As much as I want to talk about how college interfered with my writing, I feel like using school as an excuse is too mainstream on this site. Just think about how many fanfictions that you follow that take forever to update and the writer uses some type of schooling as an excuse. I'm not saying that's an unworthy excuse, it's just a very common one. That is not the case with me. You see, I was... let's see here... Ah! I was abducted by an army of penguins! They were quite the formidable opponents; however, they had one fatal short coming... They're short and easy to punt. After the long struggle, I returned home and started writing... college papers.

I feel slightly awkward about this chapter and that's mostly because it took two months to type. Seriously, I typed half of it like two months ago and the rest of it last night. I wonder if the split somehow shows in my writing?

One thing that made me a little uncomfortable was the two week time skip. So much could have happened in that time period. I chose the time skip because I couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary for Raku and Marika to do during that time period. I thought about including another date similar to the one at the mall; however, I decided against it because it would've seemed like filler and I just want to focus on the plot moving forward.

Have any of you readers seen the anime "Kanon"? Remember Shiori? The sick girl who was dying? For some reason, I really like her character. Anyways, you might have heard Marika summarize something Shiori has said once. Anyways, next chapter I will have another Shiori reference and it's something Shiori said once that ripped my heart out.

Well, thanks for sticking with me so far, especially after the two month break. There's not much left so I hope you continue reading until the end. As always, I will see you... in the next chapter. Bye bye!