(Hello my lovlies! Well, this is it. This is the final chapter to the main story. A bonus chapter will be coming out soon, but my heart is fairly empty with the ending of this story. I wouldn't call it a writers block, it's more of a writers grief. So, thank you. Each and every single person that has made it to the end. To my beautiful beta St. Minority: You are one of the most amazing beings on this earth, and this story COULD NOT have been made without you. Thank you so much for listening to me bitch and whine when these two were giving me a hard time, or throwing ideas at me when my head was empty. To all of my readers: You're the reason I kept going. And you're the reason this story can now be filed under complete. The amount of reviews, follows, and favorites is astonishing and brings me to tears. Thank you so much, for all the love. And remember, there will be a chapter 20, I just have no idea when my heart will be ready for it. Thank you, and enjoy!)

Chapter 15/ Faded

"These shallow waters, never met

What I needed

I'm letting go

A deeper dive

Eternal silence of the sea

I'm breathing

Alive"

Faded by Alan Walker

"Wait... farewell?" Yata asked confused. Saruhiko took his hand, seeming to understand the situation better than him.

"Yes, Yata. You're getting on that ship and getting away from this God-forsaken place. This is not the world I want you in," Mikoto's voice was touched with sadness, something Yata had never heard before.

"And... you're okay with me leaving? And being with Saruhiko?" Yata asked, more for confirmation for himself. Mikoto lit a cigarette and took a drag before answering.

"You're happy with him. I'm won't get in the way of that," Mikoto replied calmly. Izumo gave a half smile, a bit of pride showing in it. Yata's eyes stung, but he didn't hold his tears back. He stepped towards his uncle, paused for a brief moment, and then flung himself on Mikoto for a back-breaking hug.

"Thank you," Yata managed through his sobs. Saruhiko watched for a moment, then his attention was drawn to Reisi. He had no idea how, but Reisi was holding himself with ease against his two opponents. The raven head watched with amazement before Izumo stepped into his sight.
"Erm..." the blonde started awkwardly. He looked towards Yata, who was still crying into his uncle's chest.

"So, I knew what was going on when I found Yata's bedroom empty. I mean, Yata has told me most of everything that's happened with you two, so I kinda figured something like this was going to happen soon. Anyway, here. This is some of Yata's life savings. I'll keep the rest in case you guys have an emergency or want to visit or something," Izumo explained rather badly, but quietly. A whole wad of cash ended up in Saruhiko's hand.

"Oh. Wow. Ummm..." Saru had no idea how to reply.

"Promise me you'll take care of him? Whether or not it works out, please just take care of him?" Izumo suddenly became stern, but not in a harmful way. Saru looked away for a moment before meeting the blonde's eyes.

"I will. I promise. He makes life worth living," Saruhiko whispered, unsure of his voice. Izumo's shoulders relaxed and he gave a gentle sigh, then held out his hand to shake for Saru. The teen took it, nodding and giving a slight bow. Izumo smirked and joined the other two.

Saru watched them for a moment before he felt like he was intruding, his gaze falling once again on Reisi. His dad. Nagare may have said something harsh, but it was true. There was no blood shared between him and Reisi. But what did blood matter in relationships anyway? Reisi had no reason to take him in, and Reisi's life would have been easier if he hadn't. But there Reisi was, fighting two super-powered men, for his sake. Maybe not just for his sake, obviously, but he wouldn't have ever had to fight against Nagare if Saruhiko hadn't been dropped at Scepter 4's door.

"Hey," Yata's soft voice interrupted the raven head's depressing thoughts. Yata grabbed his hand like a life line, his own trembling from emotion, tears still falling down his face softly. Saruhiko looked confused for a moment.

"Your turn, Reisi!" Izumo called out, flinging a fire snake at Yukari. Mikoto skipped the flair and burst the whole area around Reisi with his aura. The Blue King gave them a thankful nod and jogged over to the boys.

"May I?" he asked Yata gently, not even out of breath from his fight.

"Of course," Yata replied with an encouraging smile. He let go of Saru's hand and walked over to a crate that was still intact, sitting down to observe his uncle and Izumo.

"I hadn't planned on ever saying goodbye to you, so I don't have my thoughts planned for this," Reisi began, looking slightly nervous.

"I don't have to go. If you tell me I can't, then legally I can't leave," Saruhiko replied, looking at anything but the Blue King's face.

"Yes, well. I am telling you to leave. Go somewhere safe. Live life. Be happy. Live that life you told me you could have, because it is better than what is here," Reisi spoke gently, his voice shaking the tiniest bit. Saruhiko looked at his dad for a few moments before looking down in guilt. The Blue King gently grabbed the teen's shoulders to look him in the eyes.

"I am proud of you. You've found love. Not a fickle kind of love that will fade over time. It's a love that will last forever. You've already accomplished something many people, including myself, have failed, or will fail, at. I support you, Saruhiko. And if you ever need me for anything, my door will always be open for you," Reisi's voice grew steadier as he spoke. Saru wouldn't allow himself to cry, not here. His body trembled in response to him not showing his emotion.

"Okay. Thank you," he replied simply, the easiest way he knew how. The Blue King nodded once and pulled him into a hug, which Saru returned.

"Have a safe trip. If you can, call me when you arrive wherever it is you'll end up. Don't worry about time differences; you know I don't sleep often. Once you're settled, we'll talk about living arrangements and the like," Reisi said all this while he was guiding Saru to sit with Yata.

"We'll be fine," the teen replied.

"I highly doubt that, given you both are underage in basically all countries except Japan. But once people speak with me, you'll find the world a little bit easier to handle," the Blue King said lightly with a smirk on his face. Saru clicked his tongue.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll call you," Saruhiko gave a dramatic sigh.

"Good. I love you, Saru. Never doubt that, please?" Reisi stopped walking to say this.

"Love you too, dad," the raven head replied with a gentle smile.

"Try to get him to eat and sleep better, huh Yata?" the Blue King said to the other teen jokingly.

"Yes, sir!' Yata half saluted. With one final look to the both of them, the Blue King turned to rejoin the fray against the Green King.

The boys sat in silence for a couple of minutes, watching their families slowly overtake Yukari and Nagare.

"We'd better board," Saruhiko said with a tired voice.

"Yeah," Yata matched his boyfriend's tone. The two boys slowly gathered their bags, both feeling an indescribable feeling of guilt and exhaustion. They held hands as they walked towards the passenger loading bay, waiting in silence for their turn.

"Wait, do you have tickets?" Yata asked suddenly.

"Pretty sure we don't have to worry about it. In three... two... and one." Just as Saruhiko said "one," Seri walked up to the ticket handler and whispered in his ear, pointing to Saruhiko and Yata. A nod later and Seri bowed, then faced the two teens to bow again.

"Thanks, Seri," Saru called out.

"Wha?" Yata asked dumbly.

"Scepter 4 is getting our fare. And I'm sure much more," the raven head replied. Yata looked between Seri and Saru, shrugged, and bowed his thanks.

"Somehow this feels worse," Saruhiko muttered as he led Yata gently by the arm onto the boat. Yata choked a bit, hiding his face into his lover's chest. Saruhiko held him in silence, watching his dad give the final blow to Nagare with his saber to the back of the neck. The Green Sword of Damocles disappeared from the sky, followed by the others soon after. In a whirlwind of green and gray smoke Yukari disappeared, his laughter echoing through the docks. Saru watched Seri handcuff Nagare, knowing exactly where Nagare was headed. The raven head briefly wondered what would happen to the Green King.

The horn on the ship blared loudly announcing its departure; and everyone, all of Scepter 4 included, faced the ship. Mikoto and Izumo pumped their fists in the air.

"No blood! No bone! No ash!" the two voices rang out. Yata joined in proudly, still crying.

"Men, draw your swords," Seri gave the command almost too quietly.

"We of Scepter 4 carry out duties of the sword. Forgiving neither war in the sanctuary, nor chaos in the world. We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is pure!" Scepter 4 chanted together, swords glinting in a ceremonial salute. Reisi raised his saber, sheathed it gracefully, then bowed to both boys. Everyone else followed.

"Thanks guys," Saruhiko whispered, tears making their way slowly down his face.

One Year Later

"I'm home!" Yata called out to the apartment, laden down with groceries. He used his foot to close the door, more loudly than he intended.

"Yes, that's Yata. He just walked in, hang on," Saruhiko grumbled with an eye roll.

"It's dad. He bought plane tickets for us, leaving next week," Saru updated his boyfriend quickly, his hand over his phone.

"Wow, surprise surprise! But what about work? I mean, I'm sure I can take time off since it's a bit slow..." Yata started.

"He's already talked to them, of course," Saru clicked his tongue with annoyance.

"Ah, so he's planned this. Alright then, I'll start packing after dinner. How long will we be staying?" Yata asked as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Just shy of two weeks," Saruhiko responded, putting the phone back to his face to continue talking to Reisi. While not the best apartment in the world, Yata and Saruhiko had managed to find a lush two bedroom apartment (with the help of Reisi Munakata as a co-signer.) They took some of their savings to furnish it: a love seat, couch, TV, queen size bed (Yata moved a lot in his sleep), and a desk for the office. Izumo had shipped the rest of their stuff from Japan, which was mostly entertainment for when the two had time off. Yata had found a job at a grocery store as a cashier, while Saruhiko took a job as a night security guard for a science lab. Although both boys were a year shy of legal "adult" age of 18, their employers were pleased with their skills and overlooked having underage workers.

"Tch. Such a pain," Saruhiko grumbled as he walked in the kitchen to help put the groceries away. Saru was normally asleep right now, and probably hadn't had his coffee yet. Yata set a cup out to get coffee going for his lover.

"Nah, not really. We knew they were getting anxious to see us," Yata replied with a shrug as he put some water on to boil.

"Then they should come here," the raven head snapped back with a tired voice. Yata sped up his coffee making process as best he could.

"I've never flown before," Yata changed the obviously sore subject. Saru raised an eyebrow towards his lover.

"I hope you don't get sick," Saru said with a sigh as he put noodles in a cupboard.

"Leave those out, I'll use them for dinner. Why would I get sick? I eat properly, unlike you," Yata gave a teasing smile.

"Tch. I eat fine. Flying is boring. Good time to sleep," Saruhiko replied with a yawn and a stretch. Yata hummed in response as he gathered pots and pans to start cooking. Steam rose from the kettle that was on the stove, letting Yata know the water was ready to make coffee.

"Should we have Sally watch the house while we're gone?" Saru continued the conversation from the dining room table, taking out his phone to look at the various contacts he had.

"No, she has a new boyfriend. Who knows what she'd do with the whole place to herself. How about Brandon?'" Yata replied while adding cream and sugar to the coffee he had made for Saru. The raven head had claimed Yata was the best ever at making coffee, but he knew Saruhiko just hadn't ever had someone make it for him before.

"Yeah, he'd be fine. Probably will just play games the whole time," Saru gave a shrug.

"Alright, I'll pack later. Here's your coffee, my dear. Oh, and if you're going to pack knives, please don't hide them. It'll only slow us down for boarding," Yata looked sternly at the raven head. Saru gave a chuckle, getting up and kissing Yata on his forehead.

"Yes, my love," he answered gently before going to the living room to drink his much needed caffeine and wait for dinner.

One week later

"Yata! Saru!" Izumo's voice called out over the crowd at the airport. Both boys looked over to see a waving Izumo, a hunched over Mikoto with a cigarette in his mouth, and a rather excited Reisi bouncing on his heels. Yata laughed and hopped over to them, grabbing Mikoto and Izumo into a group hug. Saruhiko walked over and stood awkwardly by Reisi, who gave up on staying straight faced and smiled widely. He scooped Saruhiko into a great bear hug, almost lifting the teen off the ground. Saru had grown in the past year and was about three inches shy of Reisi's height. The raven head blushed the tiniest bit, patting Reisi's back during the hug.

"Look at you guys. Saru, you're so tall now. Yata, you've managed an inch or two even!" Izumo laughed. Yata grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"I have food ready at the bar. Let's go and we can catch up," Izumo said excitedly.

"We talk every week..." Saru mumbled quietly. Yata nudged him gently, shushing him.

The group had a big lunch, talking well into the evening. The Kings told the boys that Nagare was still in Scepter 4's care, his sentence of 5 years had begun a few weeks after the teens had left. The bar had been expanded into part restaurant, part bar, which helped immensely with business. Scepter 4 and Mikoto's gang started working together, keeping most all of Shizume City safe. Even Izumo and Seri had openly started dating. The talking quieted down a bit after Reisi received a phone call related to work.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Yata asked Saru. Saru nodded, feeling the need for some fresh air.

Yata seemed to have a plan in mind because he led the raven head through various alleys and streets.

"That's where we first ate together, remember?" Yata pointed out a familiar looking restaurant. A fond smile graced Saruhiko's face. Lost in memories that had almost been forgotten, Saru hadn't noticed that Yata had taken them back to their high school.

"Remember this spot?" Yata asked as they ended up behind the gym, where they had officially started dating.

"A lot of making out was done here," Saru teased, pulling Yata near him.

"Mmmhmm," Yata replied dreamily as Saru gently attacked his neck. Yata pulled away slightly to gather his thoughts.

"Saru..." he began. The raven head ignored him, pulling him close again.

"Wait," Yata protested, stepping back. Saru sighed and clicked his tongue. He hated when Yata wasn't in the mood. Yata took a deep breath.

"I had planned on saying more than this, but I've never been good with words," Yata started, a slight tremble in his voice. Saru's eyebrows creased in confusion. This didn't sound good at all.

"These past two years have been amazing. I don't ever want to forget them. I hope I never do. In fact..." Yata continued.

"Wait... Yata..." Saru interrupted, his voice edging on panic. Yata held up his hand to silence the other teen.

"In fact, I want to look back at my life when I'm dying and see nothing but memories of you. Saruhiko Fushimi, will you please marry me?" Yata's voice struggled a bit, but he took a breath to steady himself. He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a silver band. Saruhiko's eyes grew wide with shock, then stung from tears wanting to fall.

"Yes, you idiot."