.

Epilogue

.

Eruka collapsed into the sand, her bag of trash tossed aside. "I'm done," she announced. "I can't do it anymore. I'll live with getting glass stuck in my feet forever."

Jackson frowned down at her, arms set at his hips. "You've already pushed cleaning up the dead humans to the souls, some of which, might I add, are down here now." He paused, looking over to the souls shuffling around in the distance. "Is that...ethical?"

"I don't care," Eruka muttered. "I'm done. We've been doing this for hours."

As agreed, the non-dangerous souls were allowed to leave the Styx. They even agreed to perform some chores in exchange for rainbow star candy. Eruka had also kept up her promise to visit more often, and even played chess with the large soul leader every Tuesday.

"You're the one we're doing this for," Jackson said, nudging her with his garbage tongs. "You and your bare toes."

She wiggled them at him. "At this point I can't even feel my toes."

"Alright, then," Jackson sighed. "We'll take a break."

After the war, Jackson had moved on to lunches. He'd said it was a natural progression. Over one-thousand years, he'd cooked every breakfast possible, after all.

From her place planted firmly in a soft chair, Eruka watched him cook up burgers. Even with all his complaining, she could tell he was happier. Until it was gone, she hadn't realized how much of a toll Maba's control had had on him. On both of them.

"I want to thank you " Eruka said. "For everything."

Jackson looked at her in surprised, eyebrows high up on his forehead and a small smile on his face. "Where'd this come from?"

"I just want you to know that I appreciate you. You should know. You should've known this whole time," Eruka said. "And I haven't told you enough."

"I have known, Eruka," Jackson said warmly, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I appreciate you, too."

Ignoring her aching feet, Eruka rose shakily and wobbled over to hug Jackson. She squeezed him tightly until he grunted, but when she went to release him, his own arms wrapped around her and refused to let go for several seconds. When Jackson finally pushed away, he was blinking heavily and wiping under his eyes with a watery smile. "Alright then, enough of this. I need to finish lunch before Soul and Maka leave."

Eruka had fashioned a spell for Soul that allowed him to leave the underworld, in part connected to the scythe which Maka now wielded. Jackson had been equal parts devastated and ecstatic over the news that Maka and Soul were going off together-both happy for Soul, and sad to see him go. He'd grown awfully close with Soul over the past few weeks.

Soul and Maka had also been reluctant to leave, but almost immediately following Maba's demise, Maka had felt a calling within her chest to go to Olympus. That, and she'd begun to shock everyone in her path with a painful amount of static electricity.

It was a clear indication that she would soon become the next Zeus.

Jackson placed two burgers lovingly into a lunchbox and surrounded them with carrots and sugar snap peas from his garden. "They need their veggies," he told Eruka, lip quivering. "It's a long trip to Olympus."

"Yes they do," said Eruka. "Come on, let's go say goodbye."

Together they walked out the door to where Soul and Maka stood waiting, shoulder to shoulder.

"Are you ready?" Eruka asked, as Jackson walked over to hand them the lunchbox he'd personally carved.

"Yes," said Maka. She looked up at Eruka, expression serious. "I'm nervous, but hopeful. If what you say is true…" Maka shook her head with a breathless laugh. "I can't even imagine. Thank you for everything you've done."

"I should be thanking you," Eruka nodded to Soul, "taking this rascal off my hands."

Soul grinned razor-sharp teeth at her, right before reaching to pull her into a hug.

"Thank you."

"Okay, if one more person thanks me today I'm going to vomit." Despite her words, Eruka squeezed Soul back briefly before pushing him back towards Maka. "Go on with you! Go adventure and take over Olympus. Whatever it is kids do these days."

"We'll write!"

"You'd better!" wailed Jackson, magicking a handkerchief into the air and blowing his nose loudly.

….

Later, Eruka found Free hanging around his usual spot by the pomegranate trees. The area had turned into a floral wonderland, with hanging blossoms and curling vines. It boasted thousands of different colours, vines, and petals, all curling around each other in a mass orgy of petals. The cacophony of perfumes was almost dizzying.

Free sat in the middle of it all, Dog at his side as he cut into a piece of wood with a dagger.

"You missed saying goodbye to Soul and Maka," she said

Free's eyes darted up to her, a welcoming smile flickering on his face. "They dropped by on their way out. I figured it would be better if you dealt with Jackson's breakdown on your own."

Eruka sighed as she sank down on a rock beside him, the flowers on the rock curling away from her in blackened husks. "He's devastated," she said. "We sat on his bed until he cried himself to sleep. He gets so attached."

"And how are you doing?" Free asked, blowing away wood chips from his carving. Jackson had begun to teach him wood carving. Unfortunately, he was absolutely awful and no one had the heart to tell him. It didn't stop Eruka from loving and hoarding every single carving he gave her.

Eruka laid down against Free, her head cushioned on his bicep as she tangled her hands through his arm. "I'm okay. I'm happy for them."

"And are you happy?" Free asked.

Eruka turned to balance her chin on his shoulder, lips twitching. "What do you think?"

Free returned her smile, leaning over to kiss her puckered lips affectionately.

She found she loved him more each day, that time only deepened the feeling of warmth she found in his arms. Her sudden infatuation for him, she realized now, was only a fragile sort of affection. What they now had between them was slowly growing into a deep love that went beyond the physical.

"What are you carving?" she asked, leaning down to rub one of Dog's ears.

"One of your boobs."

To love was a wonderful feeling.