EPILOGUE

The rain continued to pour down as I walked down the muddy path. It rained in the spirit world, too. I wouldn't have minded on any other occasion. After all, it wasn't cold, it wasn't overly messy, and, after all, it was just rain. But it sort of matched how I was feeling.

I'd been wandering for about a week. I didn't know where Aqua, Fai, Amber, Jade, not even Mokona, had disappeared to. Mokona probably had Larg waiting for it to show it the way. I was glad, at least. I didn't mind making my way alone. It felt good to have some time to think things over.

My main concern, of course, was Kurogane and Sakura. Four hundred and seventeen years...being a vampire, my appearance hadn't changed much. I only appeared to be about eighteen. Maybe nineteen. But still, did they even remember me after such a long time? And Kurogane. I was still worried about the whole fight with his replica at the forest in the final battle. It couldn't get to them, I'd been assured over and over again...but I'd let it go once I saw him myself.

Sakura probably didn't have any more feelings for me after the time had gone on like that. Me, I couldn't forget her, being surrounded by three girls with her first name as their last. I hadn't been lying to Mokona when we were standing above the city: I had never fallen in love again. Even though Fai and Amber had eventually gotten married, and Shaoran and Jade, of all people, had developed a relationship. I was close to Aqua, who admitted she had a crush on me, but it never became serious, probably because I didn't let it, and she didn't, either, on my behalf.

Down-hearted, I sat down by a tree and curled up into a ball, resting my head on my arms. I would find them, I knew I would. But who knew when? I just had to be patient. I just had to keep looking. I couldn't give up.

The gentle sound of the rain was rather calming, if not a bit annoying to walk in, and it showed no signs of letting up. I sighed. No point in just waiting around. I got to my feet. It started to rain even harder as I continued to head down the path I'd been following for three days.

Was I even going the right way? I needed to find them. It'd been three hundred years since I'd talked to Aqua, Shaoran, and Jade. They hadn't lived extended life spans. Amber and Fai were probably united at this point, they'd died at the same time, after all. Kurogane was probably still looking after Sakura. Soel and Larg were...probably telling funny stories in a tree. I couldn't imagine them doing anything else. I put my hand in my pocket and tightly clenched the aventurine crystal. I would find them.

"Hey," said a voice behind me. I realized I'd stopped walking and was just staring into the distance.

"Kid."

I turned around. I knew who was there almost immediately.

"...Kurogane?" I asked. I was worried he was just going to disappear in front of me. I'd grown use to seeing my friends in my dreams, just to have them vanish as I woke up.

He stood right there, as if trying to work out who I was. I probably looked a little different, being four hundred and seventeen, not sixteen, as he'd known me.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Syaoran?" He finally said.

I hugged him. What else was I going to do? I was sure he thought I was going to do something that preserved my dignity. But I didn't care.

I found it funny that, as old as I was, he was still taller than me.

He put a hand on my head. "You haven't changed a bit, kid," he said. He didn't sound like it bothered him. I stepped back. The rain was falling a lot harder, and I stopped brushing the droplets of water off my face, now glad it was raining, because, I wasn't sure, but I might've been crying.

"I've missed you guys so much," I said. "All of you."

"We're waiting by the place you and Fai buried us," he said. "We've all been looking for you since Ming told us that you came here. I told them I'd venture out a little further, and they could wait back."

I nodded slightly. "I...was actually a bit worried about you..."

"Shaoran told me. That Fei-Wang Reed is a bloody coward, isn't he?"

"Bloody dead coward," I agreed with satisfaction.

"Come on, the princess has been longing to see you since the second we left. Those sisters, the magician, the pork buns, and...the other children...have been waiting as well."

"Aqua, Amber, Jade, Kunou, and Leo," I said. "Amber and Fai were Kunou and Leo's adoptive parents, did either of them tell you that?"

He gave a short laughed. "Too embarassed. Lets go."

I followed him towards a large Sakura tree and a sword jammed into the dirt. I guess the burial spots we'd given them had formed in both realms.

"Syaoran!" Yelled two voices, and I felt myself get barreled over by two hyperactive, familiar twins.

"Aqua, Jade, it's good to see you!" I laughed.

"We met Sakura!" Aqua said. "You two are so perfect together! I'm so glad I shipped you two when I was alive."

Kurogane gave me a weird look.

"Fai didn't tell you that we wrote mangas about our life story?" I asked, cocking my head.

"Nope, he was hoping we could discuss when we all got together."

I nodded, standing up. "Is Amber here?"

"I thinks she and Fai are making out behind a tree," Jade laughed.

"They are not," Aqua hissed, elbowing her sister, who laughed harder.

"Are the Mokona's telling each other funny stories in a tree?" I asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Kurogane said, snorting with laughter.

"Yeah. Where's Sakura, Kunou, and Leo?" I asked. I had to stop myself from saying 'Mainly Sakura.'

"The two male twins? They're trying to convince their parents that they're old enough to sword fight. How old were they when they died?"

"...About...fifty three? They were in a car accident," I said regretfully. "Ironically, though, despite the fact they had hard lives, they grew up to be pretty good therapists."

Kurogane burst out laughing. I covered up my laughter with a cough.

"I think they were happiest at about the age of fifteen, though, because that's the age their spirits took."

I nodded slightly. "Where's Sakura?" I probably didn't sound as patient this time.

"She's dancing to the sound of the wind somewhere a little further into the forest nearby. The girl's got a gift to hearing music in the air, or something sort of weird."

"It doesn't surprise me." I admitted with a shrug before walking straight forward and heading for the trees. Before I did, however, I came to a stop. There was something I wanted to show Kurogane...

"Kurogane. Your sword. May I see it?"

He seemed a bit confused, but didn't object, taking it out of its sheathe and handing it to me before stepping back. It had been a while since I'd done this, I hoped I hadn't gotten too rusty. Taking an even breath, I yelled "Hama Ryu-o-Jin!"

A large amount of energy exploded out of the sword , flying in all directions. Though it obviously didn't do as much damage as it would have done outside of the spirit realm, it left large glowing slashes on the trees that represented what would've happened, what would've fallen down, and what might've exploded.

There was a long silence, and I handed his sword back. "...Um...what do you think?" I asked, feeling a little insecure.

Slowly, he grinned. "Nice. We're going to have to practice sometime, kid."

"Y-Yeah." I couldn't hold back the satisfaction that I felt. "That'd be fun."

"You go find the princess, OK? I'll get everyone else." I nodded and made my way through the trees. Kurogane didn't follow me, and I'm sure I know why, other than just looking for everyone else.

I found Sakura in a clearing. Whatever she was hearing, I wasn't, but she looked happy. She also looked beautiful.

"Sakura?" I called quietly, not really wanting to interupt here. She stopped in the middle of a spin and turned to look at me. Her eyes widened.

"Syaoran...?" She sounded hopeful. I took a slight step forward. She walked cautiously over to me, and slowly, she wrapped her arms around me.

"Oh my God, you're real," she whispered. I nodded slightly and hugged her, too. She squeezed me tighter, muttering "Oh my God," over and over again.

"I thought you'd forget about me, actually," I muttered.

"Never," she responded. She then grabbed my wrist. "Come on, I want to hear what you and Fai have been up to, Shaoran, too."

She was so full of energy that it made me smile. We both technically raced each other to the sakura tree, where the rest of the group was waiting.

Aqua and Jade let out joyful cheers and started clapping. I found myself turning slightly red in the face.

"So, how have you been, Syaoran?" Fai asked. I smiled slightly. It'd been two years since I'd seen him and Amber, who were standing side by side, arms around each other.

"Well, it's been...interesting. Hanging out with Mokona...well, it made the best of only having a cripple for company. A dying cripple, might I add."

"Soon after you died, Syaoran published a book about vampires!" Mokona giggled from the tree.

"Syaoran!" Amber scolded.

"Eh, no one's going to find out. It's not like I have living blood relatives left. Besides, you can't fault me, you two became magicians."

Kurogane and Sakura turned to glare at the two. Fai smiled cheerfully, Amber turned bright red.

"What'd you do, Syaoran?" Sakura asked.

"Erm...I became an author. I published our life as a fictional manga with Fai, and once that was complete, I started publishing books. They were all sort of strange and violent. I even made up what happened to Hanshin, since I was never given the full story. It was fun."

Sakura smiled. "I learned how to fight with a sword. I've been practicing what I learn against Kurogane. I'm not good, but..."

My eyes widened. "That's cool!" I was actually pretty surprised.

"...Syaoran, you really mean 'that's hot,' don't you?" Shaoran teased.

"Shut up," I whimpered, cringing. I could hear them all pretending not to laugh at me.

"What about you guys?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I've been exploring the spirit realm. Running into others. I met up with the guy who destroyed the furniture back in Oto," Kurogane said.

"Ryuo-san?" I asked.

"Yeah, him. He's gotten better. I still beat him, though."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Figures."

"I saw Princess Tomoyo, too. She's actually hanging around the area."

Sakura giggled, and Kurogane shot her a glare. I didn't ask.

"What about you three?" I said to the sisters.

"Practicing magic. The twins over here have learned to use elemental powers, which I guess you can do as a spirit." This was Amber speaking.

"It's fun!" Aqua said, smiling.

I glanced at Kunou and Leo.

"Competing," the two said, grinning. I laughed. Those two were so funny.

"Nothing important, really..." Shaoran muttered. I gave him a glare. "I don't believe you."

He sighed. "I've been working with two forest spirits."

"...I might know who you're talking about. A boy and a girl who live by a river and keep the area balanced. They used to grant wishes. It's thanks to them we were able to free you."

"...No wonder they thought they knew me," Shaoran remarked. "I owe them a thank you."

"...Hey, I think they also gave me a feather, too...Sakura left before I gave it to her..."

"What happened to it?" Sakura queried, seeming a bit uncertain.

"...I don't know. Maybe it's floating around Silver River, just waiting to be found...whatever powers it held are gone now..." I smiled. "I'd like to think someone who's going through hard times will find it and feel consoled, somehow..."

Everyone fell silent, and I noticed Fai, Shaoran, and Mokona were smiling. The thoughtful quiet was interupted by the sound of Aqua sniggering, trying to cover her amusement at a specific memory and failing miserably.

"I want a taco," Aqua giggled. All of us who got the joke laughed. Those who didn't stared sort of blankly.

"Long story short, it's how we re-entered Silver River. As for me, I've been talking to Ming. I'm considering helping the little creature with its job," Fai announced.

"I'm not sure whether to find that cool or feel bad for you," I muttered. He shrugged.

"I offered." I nodded.

"What about before you died?" Sakura questioned. "I mean, in more detail, I guess..."

"We can sum up our lives by saying Aqua and Jade became a famous band, Syaoran became a well known author, Amber and I became magicians, Leo and Kunou became much needed therapists, and we all got drunk a freaking lot!" Fai summed up. The group doubled over laughing.

"I even bombed Tokyo," I put in quietly, and both of the Mokona's fell out of the tree laughing.

"Wait...what did Shaoran do?" Sakura asked, glancing at him. He mumbled something so quietly that no one heard him. I gave him a look. "There's nothing to be embarassed about. After all, becoming a traveler is perfect for someone who's been in a capsule for a long time. You and Jade had a short relationship. You had fun, we kept in contact."

"Not enough," he sighed. He must've been keeping that serious regret inside of him for a long time, anyone could tell from the tone in his voice. It made me sad, too. We'd grown apart after some time, I guess. I shrugged. "I was hoping we could exchange more e-mails, but it's OK. As long as you had the time of your life." He nodded. "I did." With that all said, I turned to face Sakura.

"I was wondering...Kurogane said...you were hearing music, or something, earlier?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you've just got to listen closely enough, maybe you'll hear it, too."

She put a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, follow me."

I glanced back at them. Most of them were hiding their mouths behind their hands. Shaoran, Kurogane, and Fai were all nodding their approval.

"Lead the way," I said.

We weaved our way through a lot of trees and stopped at a clearing. It was a different clearing then where I'd found her before. The grass was a lot greener, it was a lot wider, and it was surrounded by mist, which provided an eerie touch that I sort of liked.

"Trust you to find a place like this," I said, a slight grin on my face. She laughed shyly.

"This is where the music I hear is the loudest. No, I'm not insane."

"I don't believe you are."

She closed her eye and wandered into the field. I stayed silent, trying to pick up the music in question.

Sakura started dancing. I couldn't help but watch. She was good. I felt my heart begin to flutter, and my face turned bright red.

And then I heard what she was dancing to. I can't describe it. It was loud, echoey, meaningful...and Sakura's movement matched it perfectly. Or, maybe that's just how I saw it. She meant the world to me, and if there was anyone who could so something perfectly, it would be her.

I felt her grab my wrist. "Sakura, I don't dance," I muttered, my face turning an even brighter shade of red, if this was even possible.

"I'm pulling you in anyway," she said, laughing playfully as she dragged me into her dance. I hardly moved, because my feet suddenly felt like they were made of lead. But she didn't seem to notice. She did all the movement, she just had me guide it. I didn't mind, because it made her happy, and I was glad to at least be assisting her again.

"Did you fall in love with Aqua?" She asked. "You two looked pretty good together."

"No," I muttered, shaking my head. "There's no one out there better than you." And I believed it, too. She was the friendliest girl I'd ever met. She was likeable, caring, and she actually cared when you spoke to her. I felt like she was much too good for me. But she didn't seem to think so.

"Even if its been over four hundred years?"

"Yes."

"You're the best," she said, stopping to look me in the eyes.

"No, I'm not," I disagreed nervously. She shook her head, and then glanced down at the grass. "I was wondering...if...um..."

"A kiss?" I guessed, cocking my head. "Whatever you wish, princess." I smiled.

She returned the smile. "Call me that again, and I'll slap you."

And then she kissed me. I could hear the others finding the field, stumbling upon this scene, but I really didn't care. I was reunited with all my friends. I was dead, but I couldn't remember being happier. It wouldn't have made a difference to me if the world started to collapse around us; we were all together, and that's all that mattered.

The End

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who finished reading through the story, to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who enjoyed it! I have a question to ask: I've been considering writing this in Fai's point of view. It would clear up the way some of the scenes worked in my mind, and it would reveal some of the things Syaoran heard throughout the story as lies, and go into more detail of skimmed scenes. It would also make my Fai obsessed friend Starsight very happy o0'. Anyway, if you could PM me or review the story with a response to this, that would be great. Again, thanks! =D