My final chapter! Well, I'm considering uploading an alternate ending which isn't very different from this one. If you guys want it I'll upload it. Apart from that, I'm now in retirement. I might write little one shots every now and again but I doubt very much that I'll ever write a full story.

Thanks to anyone who's ever reviewed, favourited or alerted me: Everything little things give me greater inspiration to continue my stories.

Hope you enjoy this chapter and that you like the ending!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade

Chapter 20

Ray took Mariah's hand in his own, squeezing it gently. It was cold, so cold. Her entire body was. Yet she looked so peaceful. Her face had been made up so no trace of the suffering she had gone through before death was evident. Her hair flowed around her body and her white silk slip made her look angelic. She could easily be sleeping if it wasn't for the stillness of her chest. Asleep in her wooden ebony bed cushioned with blue satin. Seeing her lying in her coffin had made the realness of the situation all the more clear. She was gone from his life, though not from his heart.

It had been two days since Brooklyn Kingston had fallen. Two long days. There wasn't one person without an injury, be it serious or minor, emotional or physical, with the former being more common. They had had their share of deaths, not just at the final fight but also throughout the course of the entire struggle. So many people close to him had been killed it was hard to believe it was really all over and they were safe again. He couldn't even remember how that felt. That morning he had made his first steps in the street where he didn't have to conceal his identity nor worry when people recognized who he was. In two short days the Resistance had gone from wanted criminals to celebrated heroes. Unfortunately the relief still hadn't hit him yet. It felt empty without Mariah to celebrate with him, among others.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Kenny. One eye had a patch over it from the battle but it was healing. He looked strange with his thick glasses and eye patch, like some sort of impractical pirate. Beside him was Garnet. Her normal flawless complexion had an ugly bruise on the cheek.

"She looks beautiful," she said.

Ray nodded. "I know she does. She always did." He looked up at the bright blue sky. There were no clouds in sight. It was as clear a day as if it were summer and not winter. Despite the flawless sky he shivered as a crisp wind blew. "How long before the crematorium is ready?"

"Not long now. Another few minutes and then they can take the coffin in. Everyone else is already inside waiting. You should go inside."

"Not yet. I'll wait until Mariah's going in too." He sighed. "Kai would have wanted to be here. Hiro too. He was there with her right until her last breath. It seems unfair that he couldn't be here for her final sending off. Fate's been cruel to him."

Kenny nodded. "It has. But at least he doesn't need to worry anymore, right? We should count our blessings."

Their conversation stopped when a limousine drove through the crematorium gates and pulled up just meters before them. From the driver's seat a black suited chauffeur got out and opened the passenger door. Ray watched in surprise as Lady Hilary got out, accompanied by a bodyguard. She was dressed entirely in black and held her hands meekly in front of her.

The three of them went to bow but she shook her head. "Please, that's not necessary. I don't come here as a princess I come here as a friend of Mariah's. I don't want to he treated as anything else."

Nodding, Ray smiled sadly. "She would be glad you came."

She stopped in front of Ray and took his hand briefly. "It's a shame that the second time we've met has to be under such circumstances. I know how it feels to lose some one you love as much as you loved Mariah but you need to remember she's always with us. Her spirit will never leave." She walked over to the coffin and stroked Mariah's hair. "She's the best friend I ever had. Probably the last friend."

"You seem alright," Garnet said smiling warmly. "I mean, we don't normally let people into our group but we could make an exception for you. After all if Mariah and Kai both thought you weren't bad then I guess we can give you a shot."

Hilary laughed. "I'd like that. Kai spoke about you all so much I feel as if I already know you. Garnet, isn't it? And Kenny?"

They nodded. "It's weird. Most of the time we couldn't get two words out of him but put him together with you and he doesn't shut up." Kenny pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I don't know what you did to him but you changed him."

For a second they all saw tears in her eyes but she quickly batted them away. "We both changed each other. For the better, I think. What will you do with the ashes?"

"I'm going to scatter them in a flower field. She would have liked to know that it was her that made them grow.."

"Yeah," Hilary agreed. "She would have."

An attendant appeared at the crematorium doors. "We're ready."

More attendants appeared to carry in Mariah's coffin, closing over the lid for the last time. Ray wiped away a tear as he realised that he would never see her face again. That was it. Her body gone from the world forever. Silently they all followed, brought together by the grief over the loss of their friend's life and the lives of all the fallen.

Three months had passed and Spring was in the air. Hilary could almost smell it as she walked through the empty graveyard to the memorials. After coming of age Hilary had been crowned queen at a lavish and extravagant ceremony and unfortunately with that came the courting business her royal advisers had put her through. It seemed inappropriate for a queen to be unmarried, they said, or without any sign of a suitor. She had wanted to laugh in their faces. She would be better off ruling on her own that with any of the pathetic men they'd introduced her too, thinking they would be great for the role of king. Even if Hilary was looking for a suitor to the throne she wouldn't even dream of lowering herself to be spotted with those sorry excuses for men. Every single one of them were always the first to say that they had never approved of Brooklyn nor his reign yet she had witnessed them falling over their feet in order to please the late ruler. Compared to Kai they had nothing.

Compared to Kai...

Everything was compared to Kai. Men, members of parliament, even herself. She constantly wondered if the way she was doing things would have been the way Kai would have done them if the roles had been switched. Probably not. Kai would have done a much better job. He wouldn't even rely on the advice of others in making his decisions; he would always know what to do.

That wasn't to say that she was doing a bad job. In the short time she'd been queen already the country was getting back on its feet. Employment rates had never been higher and the number of cases of homelessness lower. The poverty she'd once witnessed on the streets were gone. The country was a much happier one with flourishing feedstock and other industries. Economically they were among the strongest in the world. It had certainly been a turnaround. The faith of her people in a monarchy had been restored and she'd been accepted as their queen with open arms. It also helped that she'd lowered taxes.

She stopped at the graves of her parents and laid down one of her small bouquets of flowers. She wondered if they were proud of who she had become. No longer was just some mild mannered princess raised to obey societies rules. She had grown into a strong woman whose personal sacrifices were many yet willingly given up for her beliefs. She bet they'd never have imagined it would have been their daughter who would lead the country into a flourishing and powerful economy on the world map.

Next she stopped at Mariah's memorial and laid another bouquet down. There wasn't a day that went past when she didn't think about her. She missed her sorely. All of the Resistance – well, there was no Resistance now. All of her friends did but their lives went on. Tala had been recruited into the army and had already started getting promoted up the ranks. Garnet was living off the inheritance her parents left her with and was trying to promote herself as a singer. Kenny had launched his own computer data protections company which was already taking the market by storm. Everyone else had decided to go to college and finish their interrupted educations. Neither of them knew where they would be in five years time but they all knew where they'd been.

The first task she had carried out on becoming queen was letting it be known to all that they were heroes and that she wouldn't be there if it weren't for their resilience, determination and courage. She had knighted all of them and gave full pardons which included Mystel too. For Hiro and Kai she had awarded them post-humus knighthood and medals of honour. There had been a special memorial service held for all of those who had lost their lives for the cause, a service that had lasted nearly three hours by the time all of the names of the deceased had been read aloud for all to remember. Now it was over their families could be happy knowing that their loved ones hadn't died for nothing nor in treachery.

She came to the last grave and lay down her last bouquet and led her fingers trace the engraving on the plaque. 'In loving memory of Sir. Kai Alexander Hiwatari. No man had more courage,strength nor love. In life he lived through his actions. In death he lives through our memories and hearts. The world mourns the passing of its greatest hero.'

Despite the looming spring, a cold tinge hit her skin and she pulled her shawl further onto her shoulders.

"It's a strange feeling," a voice from behind her said softly, "looking at my own grave."

Hilary turned around and smiled in pleased surprise. "Kai! You're not supposed to be discharged for another three days yet."

"They said my recovery's been so speedy they'd let me out early," he took her hand and looked at the gravestone. "It's amazing how much I've missed."

"Well you have been sleeping for most of it."

He grunted and moved closer to Hilary. A moment like this he thought he'd never have the chance to have. Now it didn't matter who saw them together for they were both free. No longer did he have to fight and she had to sacrifice. They could live for each other, with each other. It was a feeling like no other.

"Won't you miss it?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Miss what?"

"Your name."

"It's only a name. Not who I am or where I've come from. Besides, I could never have a normal life under the persona of Kai Hiwatari and now that all the fighting's over there's no need for him anymore. He can rest in peace and I can live. We can be together."

Smiling, Hilary turned to him. "That's the best part though I'm going to have some time explaining to my council that our next king is some unknown with no known esteem. No doubt there'll be a lot of disappointed young hopefuls out there who were eying up the crown." They were silent for a few minutes, just happy to be in the others company in the freedom of outside. "Who would have thought that the leader of the Resistance who overturned a tyrant would one day rule the country he once defended? Ever funnier is that no one will know he's doing it."

Kai slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her into his body. She breathed in the scent of his cologne and felt the crisp iciness of the air melt around her. The strength of his arms made her feel safe and secure and it suddenly hit her that she would never have to be out of them again. At the start of their relationship nothing would keep them together apart from their love but, through their losses and struggles, now nothing would keep them apart. Both of them were free, finally. No holding back. Of course it wasn't just them, it was everyone. There was no one who had to hide their faces from the sun just to escape unjust persecution. Nothing could be better. From the nightmare their lives had once been they had finally woken up to a dream world.

Tilting her face upwards, she closed her eyes. "Kiss me. Kiss me like you've never kissed me before."

Wrapping his hands more firmly around her, he pulled her in to him so there was not distance between their bodies. With on hand he tilted her face towards him and kissed her softly yet with more passion than he'd ever felt before. He felt the breath leave him when he felt the deep, overwhelming love for her build up inside him, driving him crazy yet keeping him sane at the same time. He would happily die for her and indeed, standing in front of his grave, in a way he had. Everything he had done since meeting her he had done for her and he would do it again with no regrets nor fear. Everything he had risked, every chance had brought them together. With all costs he would be damned if they would ever be apart.

Time was lost on them when they eventually pulled away for each other. Kai kissed Hilary's forehead and she lay her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Gently he stroked her silky hair. "Hils?"

"Hmm?"

"You know I love you, right?"

She sighed happily and smiled into his chest so he wouldn't see it. "I had a hunch you might but I still love to here it."

Chuckling softly, Kai took her hand. "I better take you back to your car before your bodyguards hunt me down and I get arrested for kidnap. After avoiding it for so long it would kind of suck for it to happen after Kingston's dead."

Hilary nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. When will I see you again?"

"I can't believe we're still asking that question."

"Well I've never met you before. I met Kai Hiwatari but he's dead. This Kai's a stranger. We need to officially meet."

"How about Friday?" Kai asked, smirking and he took a mock bow. "What better way for the princess to meet her Prince Charming than at the ball?"

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