(A/N: And we're here with the next chapter. Here's a fun fact though, when I first started the rough draft for this story, this was actually the chapter I wrote first. Typically, I start at the beginning and write through to the end, but for this story, I wrote some of the chapters out of order. You can probably tell what it will be about based on the chapter title, which means you know it's probably going to get pretty dramatic at times. Enjoy.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 17: Cemetery Visit

They were mostly quiet on the ride to the cemetery, neither speaking more than a few words. An awkwardness had settled in since they had left the school. Juri supposed it made sense; they were about to pay their first visit to the grave of the man who Shiori had once loved and who had impregnated her after pretending to love her but was really in love with Juri and wanted to free her of her love for Shiori. The whole relationship between the three of them pretty much screamed awkward.

But perhaps it wasn't just awkwardness that kept them silence. Perhaps Shiori was just lost in her thoughts, trying to decide what to say to Ruka once they arrived at his grave. That was certainly the case for Juri. This wasn't just some visit to pay respects. This was also about the two of them finding closure with the former captain. After all, neither of them had gone to Ruka's funeral; they had both been too upset at the time, wallowing in their own misery for a number other different reasons.

Almost as if she had been reading her mind, Shiori spoke up. "We should have gone to his funeral."

Juri briefly glanced at her before quickly returning her eyes to the road. "We both had our own issues to deal with. I think if we had attended that it would have been too much for either of us. I doubt anyone would have appreciated it if we ended up making a scene."

Shiori was silent for a few moments as she seemed to contemplate this. "I guess you're right." Looking down, she gently stroked her stomach. "You know, I never actually met Ruka's parents."

"Neither have I," Juri commented, not sure why she was bringing this up.

A few more seconds of silence passed before Shiori spoke again. "I'll have to tell them about the baby. They deserve to know. They'll find out eventually anyway. I think it's best if I tell them before then that I'm carrying their grandchild."

Not entirely sure where she was going with this, Juri glanced at her again. "I suppose. Do you want me to be there with you when you tell them?"

A sigh escaped Shiori as a look of concern crossed her face. "I'd appreciate that, but that's not what's bothering me." She looked at Juri worriedly. "What if they try and take my baby away from me?"

The orange-haired girl's eyes narrowed. "They won't."

"But what if they do? They lost their son not too long ago; it only makes sense that they would want to raise their grandchild in his place. What if they try and take custody of it? I'm so young, and I've shown that I can be pretty irresponsible at times. Plus, they're rich and have connections. What if it's decided that I'm not fit to be a mother right now? I don't even know how my own parents will react to the news. What if they won't help me because they'll think it would be better if Ruka's parents take it in?"

Suddenly pulling over to the side of the road, Juri stopped the car. Turning to Shiori, she grasped the violet-haired girl's shoulders tightly. "Listen to me, Shiori. No one is taking this baby from us. I won't let them. If your parents won't do anything, then I will. My family has more money and influence than Ruka's does. Regardless of how anyone thinks or feels about you, there's no doubt that I have a bright, successful future ahead of me. You're my family now, Shiori, and so is this baby. I can make sure that it will never want for anything. This is our baby, and I promise I'll take care of everything. No one is going to take our son from us. Understand?"

Tears had welled up in Shiori's eyes as Juri spoke, and they now flowed down her cheeks. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes before giving a small nod and muttering a light, "Mmm-hmm."

Juri smiled and leaned in to give her a quick kiss before taking the wheel again, and they were once again on their way to the cemetery.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The graveyard was very big, but not that hard to navigate. It still took some time getting there, but they eventually managed to find Ruka's grave. Even now, all these months later, it was hard to believe that he was dead, that his body was concealed in a coffin and buried six feet under her feet. It didn't really feel real, even though Shiori knew it was.

Slowly, she stepped forward, placing the bouquet of flowers she had brought in front of the grave, then she stood up again and walked backwards to stand beside Juri.

"Hi, Ruka," she finally said. Predictably, there was no response from the grave, and the two girls simply stared at it. "Do you think he can hear us?"

Juri thought about it for a few moments before answering. "I don't know. If the dead can hear us when we speak to them, then I'm not sure if the location matters. Still, I think it's a nice thought."

Shiori gave a small nod, accepting her answer. Juri glanced at her and saw that her eyes were wet with unshed tears. Her mouth moved a few times as if to speak, but no words seemed to come out. Reaching out, she took Shiori's hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.

"Would you like me to leave you alone for a bit?" she asked. "You can say whatever it is you have to say. I'll understand if you don't want me to hear it all."

Shiori glanced at her. "It's not that. I don't have anything to say to him that I wouldn't want you to hear, or that you don't already know. But…" she looked back at the grave and gave Juri's hand a squeeze, "would you mind leaving us alone for a bit? There are some things I would like to say to him on my own."

Juri nodded on understanding. "Very well. There's actually another grave I'd like to pay my respects to while I'm here. Stay here and say whatever you have to say, I'll be back later."

Shiroi nodded and Juri leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She then turned and walked off. Shiori kept hold of her hand until she was out of range before reluctantly releasing her. She watched as Juri wandered off to visit whoever's grave as she turned back towards Ruka's. It was strange, she'd practically rehearsed what she wanted to say on the car ride over here, but now she seemed to be drawing a blank.

"A lot has changed since you've been gone," she finally said to the grave. "I know why you did what you did. You really hurt me, Ruka. But, in a way, I suppose I deserved it after how I hurt Juri. Of how I was still hurting her, even without meaning to. But that's why you did everything you did, because you wanted to help her. I guess I can't really fault you for that."

Just as she knew she would, she received only silence as a response. She knew that the dead couldn't speak to the living, but in some twisted way, it almost felt as if he were giving her the cold shoulder, just as he did when he had publicly broke up with her and she had begged him not to leave her. That sounded so illogical, but it was how she felt.

Looking away, she hugged herself. "I really did love you, you know. You weren't the first boy I dated or even liked, but the love I had for Andou was just puppy love compared to what I felt for you." She paused for a moment, a blush filling her cheeks. "But… the love I felt for you is nothing compared to what I have for Juri. For what I always felt, even if I didn't know it."

She turned to look back at the grave. It may have been just a tomb she was talking to, but it almost felt as if she really were speaking to Ruka, as if he were right here. And no, that wasn't in reference to his corpse beneath her feet.

"Yes," she said in a serious voice. "Juri and I are together. We've been dating for several months now. We started going out shortly after… after you died. And I want you to know…" she turned away for a moment, trying to find the right words, "I want you to know that I'm sorry. I forgive you for what you did to me, because I understand why you did it. You had very little time left, and you were doing whatever it took to help the person you loved. That's why I'm sorry. You spent what little time you had left trying to free Juri from her feelings for me."

She let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. She saw a bird fly by, and the sight was almost poetic with what she was saying as a representation of freedom. "You succeeded for a little while. She was finally able to let go of her feelings for me and walk away. But… But I wasn't willing to let her go. I just couldn't; I was too selfish. I'm sorry for that, but also, not really, even though I know you basically sacrificed yourself for that outcome. And now… now we're not only together, we're completely in love with each other. In fact, we're engaged to be married." She let out a small laugh as she felt tears prick at her eyes. "How ironic that it took Juri letting me go in order for her to actually get me. And now she loves me even more than before."

She looked back at the grave, wiping away the stray tears that fell. "That's why I'm sorry. Juri's heart still belongs to me, and I know that it always will. You wasted your remaining time for nothing. But I want you to know that your sacrifice won't be in vain. You tried to make Juri give up her feelings for me because they were causing her pain. Well, I promise you, Ruka, I won't hurt Juri anymore. I love her more than anything. I plan on being with her forever, and I'll do everything I can to make her happy. So you can rest in peace knowing that even though you ultimately failed to put an end to things between us, your goal was still achieved. Juri is no longer unhappy, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Her hands moved to her stomach. She'd said what she had to say in regards to Juri and herself, but there was still something else she needed to tell him. This, however, felt even harder for her to say, even though she was still really just talking to his grave. Not knowing how long she had left before Juri got back though, she took a deep breath.

"There's… something else too," she began carefully. "Do you remember when we made love?" She frowned at her terminology. "Well, I guess I thought we were making love, but I guess it was just sex for you since you were just using me. You were probably even imagining I was Juri during it, weren't you?" She shook her head. "Regardless, it seems that something happened". A scoffing laugh escaped her, once again from her own words. "No, nothing 'seems' to have happened, something did happen."

She looked up at the sky as she once again wondered if he could hear her. Maybe he even already knew somehow; she had no idea how things worked for the dead when it came to the living world. But she still felt as if she had to tell him in some way.

"I don't know how aware you are of what's going on here from where you are, or if the dead even know anything of what goes on with the living world at all, but… I'm pregnant, Ruka. Pregnant with your child. And I'm guessing that was never part of your plan."

She looked back at the grave with a frown. "Or you just didn't care if it did happen. Either way, it did happen. And I'm keeping it. Juri and I are going to raise it together. We already love it. No, him, we're having a son. So, in the end, even though you used me the way you did, I'm actually grateful. In a roundabout way, you gave me and Juri everything we could ever want."

She reached out and placed her palm against the headstone. "So thank you, Ruka. Thank you so much. And… goodbye."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

It had only seemed right to Juri that she paid her respects to the boy who had drowned saving her sister while she was here. She knew where it was, as she always came here on the anniversary of his death.

That wasn't today, but she decided to pay her respects anyway while she gave Shiori some privacy. She figured that she must have finished saying whatever she had to say by now though as she headed back to Ruka's grave, and she hoped that Shiori had been able to get whatever closure she'd needed in regards to him.

That seemed to be the case when she returned. Shiori was standing before the grave with her eyes closed and her hands folded as if in prayer. She glanced at Juri as she approached and flashed her a smile. Juri returned it with one of her own as she moved to stand beside her fiancée.

"You alright?" she asked in slight concern when she noticed that Shiori's eyes were wet.

The violet-haired girl just wiped her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm ok."

Juri gave her a small smile then glanced at the grave. "Did you say everything you needed to say?"

Shiori looked at the grave as well. "Yes, I think so. I'm ready to leave if you are." She glanced at Juri. "Unless you have something you want to say too. I'm sure you two had some things that were also left unsaid, or some new things you want to say to him."

Juri frowned. Truth be told, even though she knew they would be coming, she didn't have anything to say. Or at least hadn't come up with anything. But Shiori was right, there were many things that had been left unsaid between them. She just didn't know how to say them, or what she actually wanted to say, if anything.

Still frowning, she looked back at the grave. "I'm not sure what to say."

Shiori was silent for a few moments before a look of understanding crossed her face and she reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "It's ok. Maybe just talking without planning on what to say would be the best thing to do in this situation." She looked from Juri to the grave, then back again. "Tell you what, I'll go wait in the car. You just take some time here and think about what you want to say, then come back when you're ready."

She then mimicked Juri's earlier action of leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek. Then she turned to walk away. Juri glanced at the grave and suddenly felt a spontaneous urge. Reaching out, she grabbed Shiori by the wrist and pulled her back. The violet-haired girl made a startled sound as she was yanked back and turned around. Before she could ask what Juri was doing though, the orange-haired girl pulled her in and placed a heated kiss to her lips.

Shiori's eyes widened in surprise, but a few moments later, she succumbed to the kiss and kissed her back. Juri continued to grip her wrist as her other hand moved to Shiori's lower back to hold her close, and Shiori's arms came up and went around her neck as they kissed passionately in front of Ruka's grave, almost as if they were putting on a show for him.

Finally, they broke apart, and Shiori was left utterly breathless as she looked up into Juri's possessive gaze. "What was that for?"

Juri just smiled at her. "Is there something wrong with wanting to kiss my fiancée?"

A blush stained Shiori's cheeks and a shy smile made its way across her face. "No, it was just a little unexpected." She removed her arms and stepped out of Juri's hold. "I'll see you at the car."

"Be careful," Juri found herself saying.

Shiori just giggled. "I'm pregnant, not invalid. I can walk to the car on my own just fine." She turned and began walking away again. "Take as much time as you need, I'm in no hurry. And when we get back to Ohtori Academy, we can pick up where we left off with that kiss."

She glanced back and winked at her before continuing on her way. Juri watched her departure for the next minute or two before letting out a sigh and looking back at the grave. She now felt a little awkward for possessively kissing Shiori like that in front of Ruka's grave the way she had. It had been a rather petty thing to do, but Shiori didn't seem to have noticed the reason behind her actions. Which was fine, because Juri certainly wasn't sorry she did it. But now what she supposed to do?

"Just talk without thinking, huh?" she muttered with a humorless smile. "Easier said than done if you don't know what to say."

Crossing her arms, she continued staring at the grave, waiting for something, anything to come to mind, yet nothing came to her.

"I really don't know if you can hear me," she began, just trying to find some way to break the silence, "but I don't have the words to tell you all the things I want to say. I'm guessing Shiori already told you all the important stuff, about what's been going on between the two of us, soon to be the three of us in a few months."

She fell silent as she ran out of things to say. She knew she was just stalling, though she wasn't sure why; she was talking to a grave after all. But still, the real words she wanted to say to him simply wouldn't come, and so she just stood in silence, trying to work out her thoughts and feelings.

She must have stood there for about five minutes before her mouth finally started working again, and when it did, she simply let the words spill out of her without thinking of them, just as Shiori suggested.

"I hate you," she said coldly, her eyes narrowing in disgust. "I've hated you for a long time. Even before you and Shiori started going out. It was unjust back then, based solely on jealousy, but I still hated you. I saw the way she looked at you, and it sickened me. I was angry and jealous, because I wanted her to look at me like that. I hated that you held her affection, and it just made me come to despise you. I know that sounds pathetic, it's not your fault she was crushing on you, but I hated you all the same."

She was surprised by her words. They weren't thought out, they were simply what was coming to mind, and she spoke them without thinking about them. But what really surprised her was how true they were, as if she were truly speaking from the heart. Perhaps Shiori really was onto something with the whole speaking without thinking thing.

"Seeing the two of you together was the most painful," she continued. "It hurt more than anything Shiori had ever done to me. But what was worse was seeing how happy she was with you. That made me hate you even more, especially since I knew that you weren't being serious with her. I knew you were just using her, and I knew it would hurt her even more when you eventually cast her aside. That's why I wanted you to break up. But even when you did, I couldn't stand to see her in so much pain. That was, perhaps, what hurt the most, seeing her hurting. Not just seeing her hurting, but seeing her hurt because of you."

Her arms went from being crossed to hugging herself, and she gripped her own arms tightly, her nails digging into her skin through her sleeves as she closed her eyes in remembrance. "Can you possibly imagine what it's like to love someone that much? That you would be willing to suffer just so they could be happy? I actually asked you to get back together with her, even though I knew you were just using her. Really, I don't know what I was thinking when I said that. I was just willing to do anything to get her to stop crying."

Opening her eyes again, she stared at his grave. As she did, she felt her anger begin to cool. Her grip on her arms lessened and she let them fall away to hang by her sides. She took a deep calming breath to get control of herself before continuing.

"Yes, I suppose you would know what it's like to love someone that much, considering how you spent what little time you had left doing. I know that it was all for my sake. We're the same in that regard, both willing to do anything to stop the one we love from hurting. That's why you did everything in your power to destroy what was causing me to hold onto my feelings for Shiori, even though you knew it would make me hate you more than I already did. That must have been painful. But you were willing to accept that pain, because you loved me."

Her hands closed into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I never wanted your love, nor could I ever return it, and not just because of my feelings for Shiori. Your feelings were your own though, and I couldn't blame you for them. What I can blame you for though is for what you did to Shiori. Bad enough you were knowingly hurting her, but do you also know how much that was hurting me? And I don't just mean the pain of watching the person I love be with someone else. I knew you were doing what you were doing for me, and that it would hurt Shiori in the process. Ultimately, that meant that Shiori was getting hurt because of me!"

She was suddenly overcome with the urge to kick the grave, and actually found herself bringing back her foot to do just that. She caught herself though and slowly lowered her foot, then breathed deeply through her nose and out of her mouth to calm herself.

"There are a lot of things I'm angry about and things that I hate you for," she continued more calmly. "I understand though. You were desperate and running out of time. You wanted to do what you could to help me, even if you had no right getting involved, even if you knew I didn't want or need your help. It was essentially your dying wish to save me. I can understand all that. And it's why I can ultimately forgive you for all most of what you've done."

Her eyes narrowed. "However, there's one thing I can't forgive. You hurt Shiori. Whatever way you intended to save me, you never should have done that, because it's the one thing that I can't forgive. I'm sure you can understand that. Having someone hurt the one you love is unforgivable. In fact, now that I think about it, it wouldn't surprise me if you actually hated Shiori. She did hurt me after all. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, she hurt me for years and was still hurting me. Did you find that unforgivable? Was that what made it so easy for you to use and hurt her?"

Suddenly unable to hold herself back, she lunged forward and grabbed the tombstone. In her mind though, she was grasping Ruka's shoulders as she shouted in his face. "Well, you failed! Your plan failed! I still love Shiori! No, I love her now even more than ever! I always will! And she loves me too! We're so intertwined now that there isn't anything that can tear us apart! I'm hers and she's mine! Your whole plan backfired; you wasted your remaining time for nothing! So you can just dwell on that forever!"

As her tirade came to an end, she was left breathing heavily from her emotional outburst. As she calmed down though, she soon became aware of what she was doing. She was now very glad that there wasn't anyone else around; she must look like a total fool shouting at a grave like this.

Regaining her composure, she released the tombstone and cleared her throat as she took a few steps back. "I suppose in the end I should say thank you though. In a weird, twisted way, I have you to thank for Shiori and me getting together. Your plan initially worked; I was able to walk away from her. But doing so is what caused her to chase after me. It also emboldened me enough to get her to give us a chance. And now we're together, having resolved our issues and worked out our feelings. It's been a hard road, but I've honestly never been happier."

Her emotions suddenly took a sudden change as her own words registered to her. It was true, Ruka's actions had caused her and Shiori to get together. If he had never interfered, then it's likely that nothing would have changed between them. This strange revelation suddenly had Juri awash with gratitude, even if she still resented Ruka for hurting Shiori, and that gratitude broke through the wall of anger and hate that had been built up towards him.

"So I guess I owe you for that, since you were the one who set things into motion that led to us getting together. In a way, I guess you still got what you wanted after all. You saved me from my pain, just in a way different from what you intended. We're not just together, we're getting married, and even expecting a child."

As she said this, a new kind of possessiveness suddenly overcame her. Not for Shiori this time, but for her child, their child, and her eyes narrowed at the grave. "I'm sure she told you, but Shiori's pregnant. You got her pregnant while you were using her to get to me. But make no mistake, Ruka Tsuchiya, you may be the biological father, but that is my child. Mine and Shiori's. What I told her was true. In a roundabout way, I'm the reason she got pregnant, because you had sex with her because of me. I'm more of a parent to it than you are. That baby is mine. You're nothing more than a sperm donor. I love it just as much as if I were the one who were pregnant with it. Shiori and I are going to get married, raise it together, and be one big happy family."

She fell silent again, having voiced her thoughts on the matter. It was strange how initially she didn't think that there was anything she could say, but once she had started, she found that she couldn't stop talking, and everything had just come spilling out of her once the dam had broken.

But now she was left feeling emotionally exhausted. All she wanted to do was go back to Shiori, take them back to Ohtori Academy, and then crawl into bed together and just hold her. And now, after having voiced all her inner thoughts and emotions, she felt as if she could finally let the past go once and for all, to truly close the book on that chapter in her life now that she had gotten everything off her chest and move on.

"So in the end, I guess I have you to thank for that too," she said, finalizing her thoughts. "There are things I can't forgive you for, but there are also things I'll be eternally grateful to you for. So… let's just call it even. I don't want to carry around this resentment anymore. I want to move on with my life and build a future with Shiori and our child. So I'll just say this just this one time." She bowed to the grave. "Thank you for all that you've done, Ruka. And now, goodbye."

With nothing more to say, she stood up and began making her way back to the car. For some reason, she felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Had she really began carrying so much emotional baggage without even realizing it? It was funny how just letting out all your thoughts and emotions could do such wonders, but she supposed that sometimes people just needed to express themselves.

When she reached the car, she found Shiori in the passenger's seat with her eyes closed, reclined back. She must have heard her coming, as her eyes cracked open as Juri approached, and she gave her a smile. "Hey, how'd it go?"

Juri let out a sigh. "Fine. You were right, sometimes talking without thinking is the best way to express yourself."

Shiori giggled. "I didn't say that exactly, but as long as you got to say what you wanted to say." She cocked her head to the side curiously. "Did you?"

Juri thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I think so. It was certainly more than I thought I had to say."

The violet-haired girl smiled. "Well, as long as you got it all out." She gave her a curious look. "So, you ready to head back?"

Juri nodded and walked around to the driver's side. "Do you mind if we stop somewhere in town first? There's a small errand I need to take care of; it'll only take a few minutes."

"That's fine," Shiori replied, and reached over to place her hand on top of Juri's. "I'm just happy being with you."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Juri woke up in the middle of the night. She sat up in bed, breathing heavily, her bangs sticking to her damp forehead she panted a few times before relaxing as she realized that she was in her room and took a deep calming breath.

Just a nightmare. Nothing more. Likely a result from an emotional visit to the grave and nerves. Everyone had the occasional nightmare, and heightened emotions or nervousness could trigger them as well. She couldn't really even remember what her dream had been about though; something about a zombie Ruka emerging from the ground and dragging Shiori under while Juri was left drowning in an ocean that had suddenly appeared.

A mumble to her right drew Juri's attention, and she turned to find Shiori still asleep next to her. A soft smile spread across Juri's face at the sight of her fiancée sleeping peacefully. She loved having Shiori in her bed, making love to her, watching her sleep peacefully, waking up next to her. Though she still had her own room, she spent most nights in Juri's room, even on the rare nights they didn't have sex; it seemed that Shiori was the kind of girl whose sex drive increased with the more her pregnancy advanced.

Not that Juri was complaining, she was always happy to make love to her fiancée. She would have simply had Shiori move into her room with her had she not already knew that administration would never allow it in light of their relationship. As if it really mattered since they were already engaged and were practically living together anyway.

Which brought her attention to the cause of her nervousness, which was likely the cause for the nightmare. So with one last look at Shiori, she gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her cheek, making Shiori smile in her sleep, before slipping out of bed. With her state of undress, she grabbed her robe and slipped it on to protect her from the night's chill and made her way across the room and over to a desk.

Pulling open the drawer, she rummaged around inside it until she found the small box she had hidden inside when they had gotten back to the academy. Popping it open, she looked down at the diamond engagement ring she had picked up today. This had been the stop in town they had made on their way back from the cemetery. She'd ordered to have it made after Shiori agreed to marry her.

Not that Shiori was aware that she had it. When they had arrived in town, she'd left Shiori in the car, telling her that she would be back in a few minutes, knowing that the ring was ready for pickup. She'd then entered the random store she had parked next to and gone out the back exit, circled the block, and entered the jewelry store to pick up the ring, then made her way back the way she had come. As far as Shiori knew, she had just been placing an order for her sister.

This ring was the cause for her nervousness. She planned on properly asking Shiori to marry her. Truthfully though, she didn't know why she was so anxious about it; she had already agreed to marry her. Still, something about the asking someone to spend forever with you was nerve-wracking. And while they still wouldn't be tying the knot for at least a few more years, she was very eager to see her ring on Shiori's finger. It was something she had been dreaming of for as long as she could remember.

"Juri?"

A gasp escaped her and she whirled around to see Shiori sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes. The motion had caused her to accidentally close the drawer, and she still held the box containing the ring in her hand. She quickly snapped it shut and put her hand behind her back, making it more than obvious that she was hiding something.

Letting out a small yawn, Shiori blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "What are you doing?" She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was 3:07 in the morning. "It's just after three. Is everything ok?"

Trying and failing not to look suspicious, Juri nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I just had a bad dream. Nothing to worry about."

Shiori just gave a smile and held out her hand. "Come back to bed. I'll make it better."

As enticing as that sounded, she had to hide the ring first. "Yes, I'll be there in a minute. I just need to take care of something first. Just go back to sleep."

She cursed herself. Why hadn't she just said that she needed to go to the bathroom? What exactly would she need to "take care of" at this time of night?

An inquisitive frown crossed Shiori's face, and Juri saw her eyes lower. She had taken notice of the hand behind her back, and now gave her a questioning look. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Juri asked lamely.

Shiori nodded at her. "That thing you're hiding behind your back."

"I'm not… hiding anything…" she mumbled, averting her eyes. What was the matter with her? It was very obvious that she was hiding something and was now blatantly lying about it.

She watched as Shiori's brow furrowed in suspicion and annoyance. "Juri, I can see you're hiding something. Why are you lying to me? What's going on?"

Juri tried to come up with something to say that sounded believable, but she had nothing. Finally though, she let out a resigned sigh. This hadn't exactly been what she planned, but then, when had things gone as planned regarding her intentions with Shiori? Besides, she was quite eager to see this done, so why not now?

Making her way over to the bed, she motioned for Shiori to come closer. The violet-haired girl cocked her head to the side before shifting to the edge of the bed, pressing the blanket to her chest to hide her nakedness. Juri almost wanted to laugh at the pointlessness of her doing that. She'd seen Shiori naked enough times to know every inch of her body and had engrained every delectable detail of her into her memory. There wasn't a single part of her she hadn't touched or kissed or tasted, and she wanted to have that forever. And with this, she would truly make things official, at least until they could truly cement things when they tied the knot.

"I told a small lie," she admitted as she sat down next to her on the bed. At Shiori's raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "When we went to town today, I told a small lie about the errand I was running."

Shiori blinked, looking confused. "You weren't placing an order for your sister?" When Juri shook her head, she asked, "Ok, then what were you doing?"

A shy smile grazed Juri's lips. "I was… picking up something I had already ordered."

"Ok," Shiori repeated, still looking confused. "You could have just told me that; you didn't have to lie."

Juri chuckled. "But that would have ruined the surprise."

"A surprise? For what?"

Heart pounding, Juri slowly brought her hand out from behind her back, revealing the small box. Shiori's gaze was drawn to it, and after a few seconds, her eyes widened in understanding.

"Is that…?" she whispered, looking stunned.

Juri's smile widened and she slid off the bed to kneel before her. "I know that we already agreed to getting married, but I wanted to do this right. I wanted to ask because it was what I wanted."

Taking one of the violet-haired girl's hands in hers, she popped open the box, revealing the diamond ring inside. She heard Shiori gasp at the sight of it and watched as her eyes became glassy. She hadn't had the time to practice what she wanted to say, but as she saw at the cemetery, sometimes just speaking without thinking was better than any planned speech.

"Shiori, you know I love you," Juri told her, simply letting the words come forth. "I've loved you for years. For a long time, it was painful, but I would endure that pain a million times if it would bring us together in the end. Being with you the way I've always dreamed of has made me happier than words could express. I can safely say that I love you now more than before, and I didn't think that was possible. I don't just want to marry you to help you, I truly want you as my wife. I want forever with you. I want you and me and our child to be together forever as a family. I know now that choosing not to believe in miracles was foolish and cynical of me, because I have one right here, and I never want to let it go. So, Shiori, I'm asking you now because I want to, and for no other reason. Will you marry me?"

Shiori's wet eyes had begun leaking during Juri's proposal, and her tears now flowed freely down her cheeks. Her mouth began opening and closing, as if she were trying to speak, presumably to give her answer, but no words were coming out. And when she finally did find her voice, she only seemed to be capable of emitting small whimpers as she squeezed Juri's hand.

Juri would have chuckled at how cute and amusing an emotionally speechless Shiori was if her stomach weren't twisting with anxiety. Shiori may have already agreed to marry her, but she still wanted, no, she still needed to hear that yes from her.

Finally, Shiori seemed to give up on trying to speak and instead just began rapidly nodding her head. It was good enough of an answer for Juri, who broke out into a big smile. Shiori smiled as well as she let the blanket drop from her chest and grasped Juri's hand in both of hers. She gave a small tug, and Juri got up and moved to sit next to her on the bed again.

Shiori was practically trembling as she held out her left hand. Juri plucked the ring from its box and gently took hold of Shiori's hand to stop it from shaking as she slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, but Juri knew it would; she'd had it made to fit her, knowing the violet-haired girl's ring size.

A happy noise that sounded like a tearful laugh escaped Shiori as she stared at the ring. She brought her hand up to her face, closing it into a fist as she pressed her lips to it. Then she turned her tearful gaze to Juri and reached for her, practically lunging at the orange-haired girl. She grasped her cheeks and pulled their faces together, kissing her furiously as tears continued to pour down her own cheeks. Juri held her close as she kissed her back with just as much passion, pouring all her love into her.

When they finally came apart, Shiori gave Juri a look of pure love and joy as she tried to speak again, this time managing to actually form words. "Yes, Juri. Yes, I'll marry you. Of course I will. I love you so, so much. God, I love you."

She rubbed her eyes, but they simply produced more tears. Juri had tears in her eyes as well, the joy of actually hearing Shiori accept her proposal sending her heart soaring. Now they were truly and officially engaged, and the ring on Shiori's finger was the proof of it. Like so many things, this almost didn't feel real. Was it possible to be this happy? She had dreamed of this moment for so long, and now it was finally hers.

Leaning in, she claimed Shiori's lips again, this time kissing her long and deep. As they kissed, Shiori's hands went to Juri's robe and she pushed it off her shoulders. Juri shrugged it down the length of her arms and then pushed it off the bed before reaching for Shiori. Their arms wrapped around each other in a tight embrace as they slowly fell over and flopped down on the bed, their lips never breaking contact.

Despite the late hour, sleep was the last thing on either of their minds as they made love for the first time as an officially engaged couple. Their pleasured moans echoed throughout the room as they brought each other to climax several times before the need for sleep finally caught up to them. And when it did, they curled up together, Shiori spooning against Juri, the orange-haired girl holding her securely in her arms, one hand holding hers, the other on her swollen stomach.

Juri lovingly nuzzled and pressed kisses to Shiori's neck and shoulder as they laid beneath her covers, not really needing them after their heated activities. Shiori let out a pleased, happy sound as Juri continued to press her lips to her sweat-damp skin before speaking.

"You're wrong about something, you know," she said quietly.

Juri pressed another kiss to her shoulder. "About what?"

Shiori pressed her own kiss to the back of Juri's hand. "About being the one to get a miracle. I'm the one who received the miracle." She reached back to stroke Juri's hair as she turned her neck to kiss her. "I never thought I could have a love like this. I never thought I could have you. I always thought you were so far out of my league that my love for you was joke. So I buried it until I didn't even recognize my feelings for what they were, and I twisted them into something ugly, and I hurt you because of it."

"Shiori," Juri whispered.

"Shh," the violet-haired girl gently shushed. "But even through it all, you remained my friend. Even when you had all the right in the world to walk away and leave me to lie in the bed of my own making, you still loved me and gave me a chance. You may have pushed me a bit at the start of this relationship, but now I thank God that you did. You not only brought me love and joy, but you saved me from the awful person I had let myself become. I'm so grateful for that."

She shifted in Juri's arms so they were facing each other, and they held each other close in a loving embrace as Shiori pressed their foreheads together. "So you see, Juri, it's really me who was the one who was given a miracle."

Juri thought her heart might burst in her chest if it swelled with anymore joy. "I'm glad you feel that way, because this miracle's for keeps."

Shiori giggled and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'm counting on it."

(A/N: So, as I said in this chapter's Author's Note at the top, this was actually the first chapter that I wrote for this story. You may have picked up a bit of a different feel for this chapter than the others because of it, but that's because I was still trying to find the flow for this story back then. But yeah, it looks like Shiori and Juri managed to get the closure they needed in regards to Ruka. There were a lot of complex feelings between the three of them, and I enjoyed exploring and dissecting them. The proposal afterwards may have felt like a bit of a repeat to when Juri asked Shiori to marry her when they found out she was pregnant, but like I said, that's because this chapter came first. I actually considered ending this story here, but it felt like I could squeeze out a little more plot, and there was still a pretty significant event in the series that was never resolved that I wanted to address, which is where the last few chapters for this story come from. We're entering the final act now, so stay tuned for it.)