Anna handed red marbles to everyone on board. It was the Red Clan's form of communication. Yayoi went out and looked at the buildings below her.
She hasn't met Munakata ever since, nor wish him good luck. She felt bad for being angry at him, but at least she managed to leave things on good term. Since she might not see him again. With the Slates gone, so is she.
"Yayoi.", called Shiro.
"Yes?"
"Come inside, I don't want you thrown away from the crash."
Yayoi paced her feet and approached Shiro. She held his hand in hers.
"What's this?", Shiro asked.
"This may be the last. Don't make a fuss about it."
Shiro gave a shocked look. She's right, this may be her last.
"Hisui Nagare, it's not the Slates that the people need. What's we need is ... well ... A small table to share a meal. That's more than enough, that's my conclusion. The answer I've reached as the Silver King."
Nagare looked at Shiro with a disappointed look.
"How unfortunate... Then let me ask you this, why have you come here, Silver King?"
"I came here to destroy the Slates.", answered Shiro surely.
"How?"
With the signal given, Anna started her fire. Yayoi gave a final look at Munakata as she stood beside Anna.
Anna gave an empowering look at Yayoi.
"Good luck."
"You too."
As the first ray of fire pushes through the first floor, a marble was thrown to it and so on. The blazing fire kept pushing through with each marble thrown by the Red Clan.
Yayoi took a small breath and prepared to jump.
Nagare was shock to find the blazing fire emerging from on top of him. He closed his eyes due to the light.
Shiro kept his parasol open to shield him and Neko from the fire.
"Yayoi!", called Shiro.
As the fire dissipates, Shiro and Neko gasps.
"What is the meaning of this!", shouted Nagare.
Nagare found himself pinned to the Slates. A girl was straddling him. Both his hands were pinned and as he looked at it, there were needles through both of his hands.
"Strange that it didn't hurt right? I learned acupuncture. Well when you have nothing to do for half a century, you pick up some weird skills along the way."
Nagare growled at Yayoi and her relaxed face. She kneeled up and Nagare felt enslaved in the sight of her and his body felt weak.
"Who are you!"
"I'm the one that has been protecting the Slates. You showed up and took it from me. You felt that the Slates is still in confinement even though no one is there to suppress it. Especially now right?"
Nagare tried to struggle his hands free. But he felt powerless. He was powerless even if he was that close to the Slates. The girl has a faint smell of flowers, the weird smell he picked up in the Chamber of Slates.
"You are... the Old Man's last wild card...", growled Nagare.
"I am. And you are too crazy to pull all this. Not in my watch, young man.", said Yayoi.
"But what do you expect to accomplish now? Retake the Slates?", asked Nagare.
Shiro approached slowly.
"No. A path has been opened."
Nagare looked up in shock. The 4 Damocles are positioned right on top of him. And right on top of Yayoi too.
"We are going to destroy the Slates with Damocles Down.", said Yayoi.
"You wouldn't!"
Nagare exploded all his powers and finally the glass needles puncturing his hands broke. Yayoi acted quickly and all of the sudden Nagare felt weak and he falls back at the Slates.
"What have you done?!",yelled Nagare.
"The Slates, this is my specialty."
Nagare looked at Shiro as he pushes his Weissman level in disbelief.
"If you stay here, you'll die."
"Oh yes I am staying here. I'm keeping you here."
Shiro was surprised that Yayoi was still on the Slates, both her hands on it.
"Yayoi! Get out of the way!", he shouted.
Yayoi gave a small laugh.
"If this is what stopping you from causing more trouble. I am staying here with you, Green King. It's a weird feeling. Sitting here, waiting for a sword to destroy us. I don't know maybe it was all that painkillers I've taken, or maybe I've lived here too long..."
As the blinding pillar of light disappears, Shiro quickly scans the surrounding. He was relieved to find Kuro there, holding Yayoi. He might have grabbed her in the nick of time. Nagare was away from the Slates too. With Iwa.
Nagare's heart has turned back hollow and his hair black. He looked up to the sky at his fading Damocles.
"I feel satisfied."
With his final words, he was down on the ground.
"He's dead...", mumbled Yayoi.
"You're still alive.", Shiro said in a surprised tone.
Yayoi looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"I still am."
The ground shook uncontrollably afterwards.
"Someone set off an explosion." Said Shiro.
Iwa, with all his power left had set off the explosion to destroy the area.
Shiro, Neko, Kuro and Yayoi left him with Nagare's body.
Munakata looked at Awashima as she walks away from him. His cheek was red and stinging. He deserved it.
"Reisi!"
Munakata turned to the source of the voice. He sighs of relief as he heard the voice. Yayoi was standing near the gate with a big smile on her face. Shiro and his 2 companion was nowhere to be found.
"Well, look who's still here.", Munakata said.
Yayoi started walking towards Munakata, eager to share her happiness of actually being alive after the Slates was destroyed.
Munakata looked at the figure as she threaded her steps towards him. But she suddenly sways out of her way and fumbles.
"Yayoi!"
With a final call, Yayoi dropped to the ground.
Kusanagi held a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He bought so many flowers these past few months that the florist had expected him most of the time.
He steps inside the hospital, owned by the Gold Clan, usually for Strains. Most of the Rabbits work here as well. And he visited this hospital so many times that he can thread his ways blindfolded.
Well, he's not the only one to be a frequent visitor to this hospital. Shiro was the first, then Munakata and lastly him.
A man greeted Kusanagi.
"Kusanagi-san, here again. Munakata-san left an hour ago.", he said.
"Is there any development?", Kusanagi asked.
"Nothing.", the man answered sadly.
"It's okay."
Kusanagi sighed.
"How long has it been...",he mumbled.
"A few months.", the man answered.
"I didn't even get to say a proper goodbye."
"There's nothing we can do after all. The Slates was destroyed, Yayoi-sama went back to her sleep state. But with no one with a King's power, there's no way to wake her up."
"Not yet."
Kusanagi opened the room door. It was always gravely quiet if not for the cardiograph and the beeping sound it make.
He placed the flowers into the empty vase. The vase is always empty, Munakata always empties it. It was like a perfectly made cycle. Kusanagi will buy the flowers, Munakata discards the wilted flowers and so on.
"Yayoi-san, I bought you this today. Well, the florist recommended this to me. She said they're in their best bloom."
Kusanagi pulled the chair towards the bed. Observing Yayoi's peaceful sleeping face. It's like seeing her at that first time. That time she was sleeping inside a chamber. Maybe that's why Tatara fell in love at the first sight. Seeing how peaceful she sleeps, one might want to just drown in the peacefulness.
Tatara...
Kusanagi started to hum a song.
"Hey wake up! How long are you going to sleep?"
Yayoi's eyes jerked up. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was the view of Munakata, a distorted view and she was down on the asphalt.
"Hey."
A soft hand touched Yayoi's shoulder. She pulled herself back in response.
"Hey, don't worry. It's me."
"Tatara?"
Yayoi's mouth felt open as she couldn't believe her eyes. Tatara sat beside her, looking as fine as ever. Tatara grinned at Yayoi's frozen face.
"Are you all right?"
The next thing that happened was Yayoi throwing herself to him. Her hand circles him tightly. He laughed with that sweet and calming laugh.
"You missed me that much?", he asked.
"I do! I do! I do!"
Tatara heard her starting to sniffle.
"Hey, don't cry! Aren't you supposed to be happy to see me?", asked Tatara.
Suddenly her sniffling stops and she sat back.
"What?"
"I'm dead?", she asked.
Tatara gave a small laugh.
"No, you are not dead. This is..."
Tatara stopped to arrange his words.
"The bridge to the afterlife?", continued Yayoi.
Tatara shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know."
Yayoi felt relaxed as Tatara gently patted her head. How she missed it, this gentle side of him.
"Just accept this as me making a long distance call to check up on you.", Tatara said with a smile.
Yayoi felt her eyes started to water and she drops her face back to the mattress and cry.
"Hey! Hey! Why are you crying again? Don't cry. While you're here, this is all about you."
Tatara lifted Yayoi's face and wiped her tears with the back of his hand. His hand was warm, this was not a dream.
"I lied to you.", she said.
"It doesn't matter."
"I could've prevented you from death if I hadn't lied."
"What? Dispatch all the Rabbits you had? But it's not your fault. It's not about you."
"You fell in love with Nemu, not with me."
"Both of them are still you. I loved both of it."
Tatara runs his hands softly on Yayoi's hair.
"You are a great person. I am forever grateful to have you."
"Me too."
Tatara places a soft kiss on top her head.
"I'm going to miss you.", Yayoi said sadly.
"So do I, now, I'm going to sing you a song."
The crossroad where people would walk and stray,
It's where we both met that day
Looking up at our same longing eyes,
We stared ahead of our time...
Kusanagi finished the last melody. He started to miss that Tatara.
"Kusanagi-san?"
Kusanagi almost fell from his chair due to the surprise.
Yayoi was awake.
"The song...", she said softly.
"I... uh... I just came into my mind..."
"Tatara sang it for me..."
Kusanagi formed a smile in his face.
"Of course he did."
THE END
(don't worry, there's an After Story!)