Well, like I told you guys before, this was going to end soon, and I wasn't lying. So here it is: the final chapter of Sunrise. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I thank you for just taking the time to read my humble fan-fiction. I will probably be writing more Shiki fanfics in the future, but my next multi-chapter story is taking place in a completely different fandom. Before that however, I'm posting a short story I'm currently writing along with this one (set in the XXX-Holic fandom).Anyways, please enjoy the last chapter of Sunrise.

Sunrise Chapter Four

End

July 30th, 1990: 8:35 PM (Seoul)

As the blood seeped from the wound, Toshio wondered what he did wrong. He'd been anticipating an attack from the former murderers, but this was not the plan. Instead of the little murderess lying on the ground with her blood splattered on the walls and having her cute little head in pieces, it was him with the fatal blow. He glanced down to see that the hand was still in his stomach, puncturing several vital organs.

He should've known that this would happen, should've been more prepared, but he wasn't. Revenge was the only thought on his mind as he remembered everyone that died those fateful months five years ago.

Of course the little murder princess was fine, in the arms of her blue-haired former butler. The bullet was in the hands of the purple-haired teen that still looked as calm as he had when they'd all met only moments ago. Choking up a bit of blood, he looked back into the eyes of his assailant.

Seishin looked back with a sense of calmness that scared Toshio. Seishin sighed and slid his hand out of Toshio's side as gently as possible. Still, it hurt like hell for Toshio. Flicking his hand of the blood that still coated his hand towards the ground, Seishin spoke softly. "I'm so very sorry that I had to do this to you; if this had been in our college years, I would've defended you when the authorities came. However, things have changed."

"You and I are different people than those children from the past; I have a family now." he looked back to the three other vampires who were intently paying attention to the small conversation. "It may not be a…conventional family, but it is one none the less, I would be very saddened if one of them were taken from me."

Toshio listened to Seishin's speech and a small part of him in the part of his heart that died when his village did agreed with him. Once upon a time he would've done the same thing for his wife, and even his old, angry mother. Family was family; blood was blood.

He slumped against the door of his car and slowly slid down, groaning in pain the whole way. Toshio was not only a doctor, he was a realist: he was going to die, and it was going to happen soon. The only way someone could survive a wound like that would be if they were already a vamp or were being sired. No thanks, that's not an offer Toshio was willing to agree to.

"I would offer to save you with the gift of immortality, but I already know you'll reject it." Sunako was now out of Tatsumi's arms and was slowly making her way towards Toshio's bloodied form. As she got closer, Toshio attempted to give her his most menacing glare; she just smiled sadly and sat down beside him. He coughed, and more blood spewed from his mouth, but the young-looking vampire didn't even flinch.

"Dr. Ozaki, I'd like to help you on your journey to the next life," she said calmly, slowly taking his hand in hers. "I know you hate me more than any other creature on this earth, and I accept that. I did terrible things to you, and I'm not asking for forgiveness. Still, I'd like to help ease your passing. Will you let me help you? If you don't want it, we'll leave you here and call an ambulance anonymously; you will die, but it'll be in a hospital and not on the ground."

Toshio stayed silent and contemplated. He could die painfully and slow and alone, or quickly and painlessly. The shrinking logical side of his brain was dwarfed by the side that screamed for the end of the pain and for death.

"…Yes…" He wanted to at least sound reluctant, but he could barely rasp out that one measly word. Knowing that he was willing, Sunako slowly lifted his hand to her lips. Her fangs sprung out at the sight of the fresh blood, and Toshio flinched. He'd seen it countless times before, had killed many bloodsuckers with that state of teeth, but now was different. He was going to die; the vampire's he'd evaded five years ago were going to kill him, and it was okay.

He barely even noticed when her fangs slipped through the skin on his wrist and attacked his veins. In a faraway numb place he noticed the feeling going from his hand slowly, but he just sighed and began to lean back further into the car.

His descent was stopped by Seishin's gentle hand holding his head. He looked intensely into Toshio's eyes; being that he'd lost so much blood that he couldn't formulate a verbal response, Toshio merely nodded in consent.

Seishin at once attacked his neck, and this Toshio felt it. He could literally tell that the life was being sucked out of him. Seeing Seishin's enthusiasm, Sunako quickly picked up her sucking pace and Toshio sucked in a large amount of air.

So this is what it felt like. As Sunako promised, it didn't hurt. Rather, he just felt his body become unnaturally calm and still. The pain in his stomach faded away, as did all motion in his torso and below. Trees and streetlights began to blur together, but the four vampires surrounding him were oddly still in focus. He hadn't even realized he was crying until Seishin gently wiped his tears away.

"G…god…d-damn…" Toshio rasped out, and Seishin slowly smoothed his hair down. If this wasn't so…final, it might've felt odd. In all their years together, Seishin and Toshio had never had such a…intimate moment in their friendship, so it was fitting that it would be the last one.

A mouth moved on his ear, and he would've flinched if he had the effort. "It's alright now; you can sleep." Sunako's calm voice drifted through his mind like a command, and Toshio felt himself drifting farther and farther away, as if on a tide going out to sea. He slumped back even further into Seishin and let out a slow, shaky breath.

'I'm just so tired now, I think I'll…'

August 17th, 1990: 4:45 AM

SOTOBA

They buried the body with excruciating care; the corpse was in a plush velvet coffin with a beautiful oak outside. The three men lowered it slowly into the freshly dug hole, which was quite nice for being dug with spades. The coffin reached the ground with a soft –thump- and the men climbed out of the hole. The girl gently tossed the bouquet of white roses on top of the coffin; the men did not speak.

Slowly two of the men began shoveling dirt back onto the grave; the other man and the girl went back to the car to grab the grave marker, made from the very trees around them. They carried it back together, silent as the forest surrounding them on all sides.

The two men were already done shoveling the dirt back onto the coffin and had already cleared a space above the grave of branches and weeds. The third man slowly lowered the marker into the soft earth and the other three people around him gently padded the dirt around it. When they determined that the marker was stable, they all slowly stepped away. It stood simple yet proud, very similar to the man it was dedicated to.

The four said no words, choosing instead for a moment of silence to remember the man. After several minutes, the four walked back towards the car and into the night, and the sunrise that came beyond it.

September 20th, 2011

SOTOBA

The dare was simple: go out into the old forest by the burned town and do a rubbing of the lone, nameless grave marker in the middle of the forest. The young boy assigned loved the nighttime and had no problem going out alone. He found the grave with ease and quickly pulled out the required materials.

While leaving, he noticed that a small, fresh white rose sat at the base of the grave marker. Shrugging it off as a stunt pulled to try and get him to run away, he calmly walked back towards the meeting area.

Arriving back early, the boy was met with pats on the back and other kids his age grabbing at his paper to make sure he went through with it. A cheer went out as it was verified, and the leader of the group that initiated the dare came down to shake his hand.

He thanked everyone and smiled, but stopped as the rose came to his mind.

"Who put the rose there? Is that to try and scare people off?"

The leader looked at him, face now completely serious, and told him with utter conviction that the rose had always been there, since the grave appeared.

Eventually all the children went home, including the young boy that went to grave. Sitting on his bed, he suddenly remembered he'd never actually read the rubbing. He jumped off the bed and grabbed his bag, tearing it open in search of the paper.

The grave rubbing had no mention of a name, birthdate or death date, or anything to identify the man, only a simple phrase.

He wanted to save everyone.

END