Aftermath
By Karasu Yurei and Kouri Arashi
Epilogue
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“And you don’t seem the lying kind
A shame that I can read your mind
And all the things that I read there
Candle-lit smile that we both share
And you know I don’t mean to hurt you
But you know that it means so much
And you don’t even feel a thing.
I am falling, I am fading, I am drowning
Help me to breathe.”
-- Lain, "Duvet"
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Two years later . . .
The room was filled with laughter that was the result of lots of champagne and sake, plus a rather large, well-frosted wedding cake. The newlyweds sat at one end of the huge table, one with a large grin plastered to his face, the other with a traditionally stoic look.
Kamui was seated next to the groom, as the best man. Fuuma was across from him; he’d been the other best man, since the couple didn’t know many women. They were joking back and forth across the table. Kamui had drunk just a bit too much sake (one full cup) and was rather tipsy. Fuuma was rolling his eyes.
Nataku was sitting next to Fuuma, looking almost normal, except for the scarf, that was still tied around his waist. Yuuto had finally just given up and agreed to let Nataku stay with him. He was sitting next to Nataku with a look of resignation.
Kakyou was sitting next to Kamui. He had somehow managed to duplicate his Dreamscape outfit. Subaru said that this was because Hokuto told him where to shop, and Nokoru volunteered to help pay. Kakyou was eyeing the cake. Once he’d gotten back into eating, he’d decided he liked sweet things.
Seiichirou was sitting next to Kakyou, having decided to dig his way out from underneath the magazines to come to the wedding. He’d been scarce for a while, having decided that he needed to spend more time at home, with his family.
He was also fascinated with the one-month old child Subaru was holding and his equally adorable twin that was in Seishirou’s arms.
“They’re adorable,” Seiichirou said. “How do you tell them apart?”
“Well,” Subaru said, “when I’m changing diapers it’s easy . . . but for more practical purposes, this is Seimei. Seishirou is holding Hokuto. She has a green ribbon in her hair.”
“Green?”
“Well, it was pink, to identify her as a girl. But then my sister protested quite loudly and insisted I change it to green. She said it would match their eyes.”
“Well, it’ll be easier to tell them apart when they’re older,” Yuuto chipped in.
“I wouldn’t be too certain about that,” Seishirou said, calmly taking his daughter’s foot out of her mouth. “When Subaru and his sister were sixteen, it was not easy to tell them apart. When I first met them, I had considerable difficulty.”
“You never told me that!” Subaru protested.
“It would’ve been a bit rude, don’t you think?”
Everyone laughed.
Sorata elbowed his new wife. “Ne, Arashi-chan, do we get to have any kids?”
“We haven’t even had our honeymoon yet, dear. Don’t start pestering me now.”
“I see marriage hasn’t changed you much,” Subaru said with a smile.
“I’ve been married for twenty minutes,” Arashi said.
“Besides, it hardly changed the two of you,” Kamui said, grinning at Subaru and Seishirou. “Even having kids didn’t change you much.”
“I object,” Subaru said. “I think having kids changed us.”
“How so?” Fuuma asked.
“We’ve soundproofed our bedroom,” Seishirou answered in a totally serious tone of voice.
“Now, is that because you don’t want to hear them, or you don’t want them hearing you?” Sorata asked.
“A combination of both,” Seishirou said, before Subaru could get embarrassed.
“Okay, having kids changed me,” Subaru said, glaring in general.
“Oh?” Kamui asked.
“Sure. We keep more food around the house, so I eat more now. He insists that I eat so I’m ‘healthy enough to raise the children.’” Subaru smirked. “It’s worth it, though, to see my Seishirou-san being cute.”
“I am never cute,” Seishirou said flatly.
“Of course not,” Subaru said with a grin.
“So where are you going on your honeymoon?” Yuuto attempted to return to conversation to the bounds of sanity.
“O-ki-na-wa!” Sorata cheered.
Arashi sighed.
“You need to loosen up,” Sorata said.
“You need to get a hold of yourself,” Arashi told him.
“We just got married, I’m allowed to be a little excited,” Sorata said.
“And the dozen cups of sake you’ve drank has nothing to do with this.”
“Not at all. I can drink far more than that without getting woozy. I’m perfectly capable of holding my liquor.”
“Unlike some of us.” Fuuma grinned at Kamui.
“Shut up!” Kamui glared at him.
Fuuma grinned, reached over the table, and ruffled Kamui’s hair.
Sorata stood and announced, “I’m going to go put some music on, and then we’re going to dance,” he announced.
“Uhm,” Kamui said. “Arashi’s the only woman here, and I’m sure you’re going to dance with her, so who are the rest of us going to dance with?”
“We can watch them and laugh at them,” Fuuma said.
Kamui turned to Subaru. “Hey, let me and Fuuma watch the kids and the two of you can dance.”
Seishirou raised an eyebrow. “We don’t dance.”
“We’ll stay right here, thank you,” Subaru said.
Music began playing; Sorata came back over and pulled Arashi onto her feet. She went with a sigh of resignation.
Hokuto reached up and grabbed Seishirou’s nose. Seishirou grinned, pried her hand free, and began to tickle her.
“So you’re never cute, ne, Seishirou?” Subaru asked, remembering for once to leave the honorific off.
“Subaru-kun?”
“Nani?”
“Shut up.”
“I love you too, Seishirou-san.”
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Kouri: So that’s that. A nice ending, dontcha think?
Karasu: Now we can move on.
Kouri: ::glares at Subaru and Seishirou:: You guys liked it, right?
Subaru: Uhhh….
Karasu: Right? ::looks intimidating::
Seishirou: Subaru-kun, this might be a good time to humor them. They are, after all, the authors.
Subaru: ::nods decisively:: Right. Of course we liked it.
Kouri: ::pouts:: Liars.
Subaru: Just next time, can you . . . not . . .
Seishirou: Invade on our private matters?
Kouri: Very elegant, Sei-chan.
Karasu: If we hadn’t invaded, the two of you never would’ve gotten anywhere anyway.
Kouri: ::snickers:: Or gotten any.
Subaru: ::turns bright red:: That’s not fair.
Karasu: Authors do not have to be fair. Merely amused. What do you have to complain about? You got each other, you got your magic, you got to have kids… I mean, come on!
Kouri: Yeah, this is the nicest we’ve been to characters in a long time.
Subaru: This was nice?
Kouri: Sure. Mean would be, say, writing you into a lemon with . . . ::looks at Karasu for help::
Karasu: Yuzuriha.
Subaru: ::pales::
Karasu: Or possibly her dog.
Subaru: ::hides behind Seishirou::
Kouri: See, we were being nice.
Subaru: Seishirou-san . . .
Seishriou: ::steps forward:: Don’t worry, Subaru-kun. I’ll deal with this.
Kouri: Oh, will you now?
Karasu: You’re gonna what?
Seishirou: ::glowers::
Karasu: Don’t make us write you out of existence.
Kouri: Or into another lemon. That goes badly. For all concerned.
Subaru: Seishirou-san, I thought we were going to humor them . . .
Karasu: That’s it, we’re making your children hooligans.
Kouri: Let’s go write it! Now! Nownownownow!!!
Karasu: Oh, fine. I guess this is the end.
Subaru: ::sighs:: Thank God.
The End.
Dear God, what have we done?
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