Sometimes I think about all that I've done here. Not just with this story, but with all of them. The multi chapter works, the one shots, hell, even the short lived collaboration, and I just… I just can't help but feel bad about them. Not because the story is shit or anything, or that I hated what I made, but… I'm not happy with them. I loved what I had written when I made those chapters, but that was so long ago, more than three fucking years for some of them. In that time, so much has changed. I've cut characters and created more. I've revised storylines and got rid of some altogether. I've changed how I look at aspects of writing. Most importantly, I've matured. I've changed how I write and I've gotten better at it. My style has become more refined and I've reworked how I write. There were some chapters that, looking back now, suck absolute ass because I wanted to write so much that I stayed up until dawn working on a chapter, and it rarely turned out well. I've become better with details and dialogue and story and pretty much fucking everything. And, looking back through it all, I'm not happy with a lot of what I've created. It doesn't reflect who I am now. I sometimes wish I could just redo it all, and no one would remember what it was, only what it will be. There are just so many aspects of the characters and worlds I've created that I didn't express in my writing. So much of the care and love I have for my stories is shared solely by me, just because I didn't show off my creations like I wanted to. For instance, no one but me knows that Izaak's favorite coffee style is a white mocha with whipped cream. Or that Alice can't drink too much caffeine, or else it gives her some minor anxiety. There's that, and so much more. My characters may sometimes seem 2-dimensional, and that is entirely my fault. I just couldn't couldn't show them off right. I couldn't do them the justice that they deserve. Sometimes I wonder if I can now, as well. I want write for a living, but, truth be told, I don't know if I'm able to. I don't know if what I create is good enough to even be considered to be bound on paper, let alone purchased...

But, I digress. No one comes here for me to ramble and vent. You came here for the final chapter of this story. And that's what I'm prepared to give you. So, let's get going.

Red Sky Morning

My heart hadn't left my throat for days, and I could tell that it had no desire to do so. I sighed quietly, pulling my sister closer to me. Everything just seemed… surreal. Nothing felt right. It all felt like a dream. Even as I watched the coffin get slowly lowered into the hole, I still expected Izaak to come out of the house any moment, his signature bed head loosely smoothed down and a cup of coffee in his hands, a goofy smile on his face. I glanced back to the house at the thought, just in case my wishing somehow worked. Just on the chance that he would poke his head out of the door, wondering why everyone was outside. He'd ask why we all looked so sad. Make a joke about a whose funeral it was, completely missing the irony, or just choosing to ignore it. A small smile snuck across my lips at the thought, despite the fight going on against my tears.

"He deserves better." Markus's voice quietly said, bringing me back to reality.

I turned back to the ceremony, my eyes falling on the roughly made box holding our friend. Really, a box was all it could be considered. A large, ugly rectangle nestled in the dirt, held together with a box of spare nails from somewhere in the house. Truth be told, he did deserve a much more attractive resting place, after all he's done for us. Rell's father even offered to buy us one. But they didn't care. Rell and Markus wouldn't listen. They insisted that he shouldn't have some bulk produced box. He deserved one made by hand. By his friends. It took them four days of work. So many failed attempts. Multiple trees. But they wanted to do it. Finally, they were at least somewhat satisfied with the coffin they made. It wasn't attractive, no. But it felt right. I rested my head on the Lucario's shoulder, entwining my hand with his and planting a small peck on his cheek.

"It's perfect, Markus." I told him. "Izaak… Izaak would have loved it. I'm sure it'd mean a lot to him."

He let out a quiet sigh, wrapping his arm around Azura and I, before replying, "Arceus, I hope so."

We all stood silently for a moment, everyone looking down at the open grave, the setting sun casting our shadows over the ground. Finally, someone moved, Rell's father stepping to the edge of the hole and extending his arm, before dropping a single black rose onto the coffin. He stepped back, and there was a moment of hesitation before Ash followed suit, leaving April's side to step forward and let his flower fall. As he moved away, April went past him, Eve resting on her shoulder. Izaak's sister paused at the grave for a moment, before slowly releasing her own bloom into it. She kept her arm extended for a moment longer, allowing Eve to walk on it and drop the flower held between her teeth onto the small pile. My eyes followed the two as they moved away from the hole, but I kept my venom in check after my threats about their whispered argument on the morning… on the morning after everything. April threw a wary glance at me, but she held only sorrow in her eyes, disarming me immediately. There was a small pause, before two quadrupedal Pokemon slowly made their way to the front, a rose held delicately in each jaw. The Houndoom and Mightyena came to a stop, dropping their own flowers to join the others. As Axel and Grace rejoined our ranks, Sylva stepped forward, his head hanging low. As he reached the grave, he froze for a moment, silent. Watching the young Umbreon, I couldn't help but feel a heated shame rise in me at my explosion at him a few days ago. The anger directed towards him. He wasn't at fault, but I wasn't thinking straight. I had called him worthless. A waste of air. So many other things that I'd never thought I'd say. But he didn't cause this. He was just trying to help. After a few moments, he kneeled down and gently placed his rose on the coffin. As he rose, he turned his sightless eyes to me for a moment, and I mouthed out "I'm sorry." He stood, but didn't move, seemingly stuck in place. Alice came to join him, releasing her flower down to the rest, before wrapping her arm around Sylva and leading him away. When they returned, Rell and Markus stepped forward together, both of them dropping their roses into the grave. I hesitated for a moment as they came back, Markus wiping a few tears away, before I slowly began leading Azura up. I let my flower go first, watching it flutter down slowly, but Azura held onto hers. I glanced to my sister, her face blank and dry, having shed all the tears possible for many days straight. She didn't move, instead just keeping her eyes on the final resting place of her fiance.

After a few moments, I heard her quietly whisper out, "I love you, Izaak. And I always will."

She slowly reached her arm out and dropped her rose, finishing off the small collection. We stood there for a few moments more, the world silent, as if even the forest had paused to mourn. As the orange glow in the sky began to fade, Azura and I wordlessly turned, and I led her back into the house, leaving the others behind.

As I stepped out of the house, I spotted the moon on its slow descent in the sky, sliding ever so slightly through the starry night. The forest had resumed its sounds, albeit somewhat quieter than normal. I hesitated for a moment, before moving across the yard, heading to the freshly filled grave. As I reached it, I sat down beside the mound, sitting cross legged in the moonlight. My eyes moved to the polished headstone placed after Azura and I left. This, unlike the coffin, had been made professionally, but still by hand. I leaned closer in the low light, attempting to read the engraving. It lacked his name, only holding two lines: "Though you're dead and gone, your memory will carry on". As I read and reread the words, I felt the tears I had held back for days finally come, two steady streams starting down my cheeks.

I paused for a moment but didn't even bother to try and collect myself, before saying, "Hey. I… I'm sorry. I know that… I know that I've been hard on you lately. I guess I just… I didn't think." I chuckled through my tears, adding, "Yeah, I know. Not surprising… I just didn't stop and consider anything. I just assumed you were being an asshole or something. I-I just wanted Azura to be happy. I wanted you to help her recover. I never really thought about how everything had affected you. I guess… I guess that I was just being selfish. I wanted my sister to be happy, and I… I just never really thought about anyone else as much. And I'm sorry, Izaak. I really am. I know that you and April had mentioned your past… mental health issues before, but I… I just didn't think anything of it. I just thought it was in the past, and that it would stay there. I wanted everything to be better. I thought you weren't bothered by it anymore. But, I… I was wrong. I was wrong and I was stupid. I never meant to cause this. I never meant for my nagging and pushing and insulting to hurt you enough to… enough to…"

I trailed off here, my tears keeping me from speaking any longer. I uncrossed my legs and pulled them to my chest, hiding my head in them. I tried to compose myself, but I couldn't manage to. I just sat there, crying, soaking through my jeans.

Finally, I lifted my head up and struggled out, "I'm sorry, Izaak. I really am. I hope you can forgive me."

For some reason, I hoped for a response of any kind from the air, but none came. I waited a few moments, before resigning myself to defeat and rose to my feet.

"I'm sorry, Izaak." I repeated. "And… I love you. You were to best friend and brother I could have ever asked for. I just hope that wherever you are now, you've finally found the peace that you deserve."

I paused for a moment to wipe the tears from my eyes, before turning and starting back to the house. As I reached the door, I stopped to turn around and look back, my eyes falling on a fresh black rose resting on the grave. I froze in disbelief, but a small smile crossed my lips after a few moments.

"Goodbye, Izaak." I said for the final time. "And goodnight."

...

Pretty much all of the characters belong to me, and are my property.

Pokemon and all associated properties belong to Nintendo as the sole owners.

...

Bonfire belongs to Knife Party and the release label, Big Beat/Earstorm

The Mortician's Daughter belongs to Black Veil Brides and the release label, StandBy Records

Hurt was originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails and released through Interscope Records, before being covered by Johnny Cash through Universal Records

...

Special thanks to Voided-writer (formerly known as Sylvas) for the usage of his character Sylva

And to Diamondstor2, for all of the help he's given me with critiquing my work and helping me grow as a writer

And, finally, to all of you, the Lunar Knights, for reading this and sticking around through the years

X3