"Farewell, Jeanne."

And the shadow disappeared at the same moment the first rays of sunlight filtered the clouds.

It was morning.

And it was time to start a new life.

……………………..

The final chapter of Akuma is wholeheartedly dedicated to Miko-chan and her imouto. Thank you guys for…five, six, seven, eight (can you guess that I'm bangag? And a little feverish too…but then again, it could be because I saw Naruto-kun today :D)

……………………….

When their lips touched and met and held each other in frightening intensity and desperation, she realized that she loved him.

She loved him. Deeply. She didn't care if there was no logic; all she was aware of were the sparks she could see.  The feeling of her toes losing contact with the dewy grass underneath her feet and the withering of her wits as his kiss singed the subterranean awareness of her soul.

And suddenly, it was gone. He had withdrawn, smiling sadly, and yet his eyes twinkled with happiness. So that was 'bittersweet' was.

"So this is…love." Amazement and reverence filled his murmur. "It's…"
"…a miracle, Monsieur," she finished, her eyes welling up with fresh tears. "Now I know what I want to do…I want to be where you are."

"Jeanne…"

"You said you only have to kiss me and I will follow you barefoot to the end of the world. A-And here I am," she whispered. "Take me with you…anywhere!"

He shook his head slowly. "I-If I tell you that I'm on my way to destroy the world…?"

"Then you will have to kill me first!" she said, determination on her face.

He gazed at her for a moment, trying to discern her emotions. Finally, he planted a kiss on her forehead tenderly. "My plans were ruined already, I'm afraid."

"You won't push through with your revenge anymore?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Yes. If only for you, I won't end the world just yet," he said lightly.

"Then this whole thing is not a mistake after all," she said, eyes shining. "It's…fate."

"Fate," he agreed. I was reborn so I can meet you in this lifetime.

Life is kind, even to someone like me.

"Goodnight, Jeanne. Sleep tight."

"Will you still be here tomorrow?" she asked, fear in her scarlet eyes.

"Here, there, and everywhere. I'll always be by you."

……………………………………….

"You know better than to think you can take even Jeanne away from me." The harsh edge of Lyserg's voice, spoken quietly so as not to disturb the girl but still sharp as a blade to his ears, broke the silence in front of Jeanne's carriage.

"I love her," he said calmly.

"Love?" The dowser laughed mockingly. "What does a devil like you know about that word?"

"Whatever I know about love, I learned it because of her," he replied. "And she loves me back."

"Do you know what you just did, Hao Asakura? You corrupted her purity! You destroyed her innocence!" he yelled, not able to suppress the volume of his voice anymore. "You ruined her--"

"And does that mean you love her less?" asked Hao sharply.

Silence.

"Don't try to turn this topic around. You are not worthy at all to love her—"

"Which makes both of us stand in the same ground," Hao countered. "She deserves something much more than your conditional love. How can you talk about purity and innocence? Can't you love her even without those?"

"That is absurd! I love Jeanne for who she is! You're trying to shift the blame on me so you wouldn't get confronted with what you did to her!"

"And what exactly did I do?" asked the Asakura. "Yes, I abducted her, but I never wronged her. There were times when temptation calls for me to take advantage, but I didn't, because I had fallen for her."

"I had fallen for her not when she was a quiet, meditative nun in the sheltered convent, in her best clothes and appearance. I loved her most when she would rebel, or when she would insult me or nag me. I loved her in her dirty white linen gala, I loved her in a thin silk robe. I loved her when she hadn't washed her face yet just as much as I adored her when she was fresh and clean. I loved her in eloquence of Latin prayers and delightful French profanities."

"I love the entirety of her. I love all her dimensions. I LOVE HER!" he declared, silencing the Londoner. "But I can't…" he said quietly. "I am not the man who could be worthy enough for her."

"I see…" Fury vanished in Lyserg's face now that he understood that the devil had changed. It was one he thought was impossible, but then again, nothing was impossible in miracles.

And Jeanne was a miracle. A gift to both him and the devil Asakura.

"She will hate me tomorrow when she finds me gone, but I trust that you will soon learn how fortunate you are to have an angel like her in your life, and I will be at peace. Take care of her." He looked at him straight in the eye—the man whom he would trust his most precious treasure of all. "Love Jeanne with all the love your heart and soul can command. Love Jeanne not because she is a saint, but because she is a sinner. It is only when you see her imperfections and accept them wholeheartedly can you only say that you truly loved her,"

When he got up, dirty mantle fluttering in the wind, Lyserg made no move to speak or harm him even. He merely watched as the man made step after step, slowly fading from his vision.

And strangely, he was saddened.

His archenemy had every chance to take Jeanne with him, basing on what he witnessed awhile ago.

And yet, he went away.

Because he could not give security.

Because he could not promise a good life.

And because he knew someone else could do a better job on taking care of his beloved.

Hao turned one last look at the carriage. He smiled, the smile he dispenses whenever he teases her or cheers her up.

"Farewell, Jeanne."

And the shadow disappeared at the same moment the first rays of sunlight filtered the clouds.

It was morning.

And it was time to start a new life

…………………………………………….

Hao gazed at the silver-haired young woman standing in front of a grave.

The same lustrous locks, the same graceful posture…

Jeanne…

Even after two decades, he still hadn't forgotten her. He never did. The love he had for her was too great an emotion that he knew it was once in a lifetime—if ever his heart would beat again, he was sure that it would be lesser in intensity.

He decided to come out of the bushes where he hid, watching her. Clutching his own bouquet of flowers, he went towards the white-painted crucifix and placed his offering on it.

"You are the one who deluges my mother's grave with fresh flowers every night, aren't you, Monsieur?" she asked.

"Yes. I had been longing to do this ever since, shower her with blooms," he replied, smiling good-naturedly. "And what made you decide to visit her grave tonight?"

"My father died days ago, and in his dying breath, he told me that my mother had always waited for night visitors." She smiled sadly. "You see, Monsieur, I never really knew my mother. She died giving birth to me." She wiped a tear quietly from her eyes. "N-Now that I'm alone, I thought that this is the best time to get to know Mama…maybe she would come down and comfort me. It's not much to ask, isn't it?"

"What is your name, child?" he couldn't resist asking.

Her scarlet eyes, exactly like her mother's, looked up at him. "Keiko."

"Beautiful. Beautiful name…Keiko." His chest constricted. "Do you know that I had the privilege to meet your mother before?"

"Really?" Her eyes widened excitedly.

"She was a very good teacher. All the rudiments of love and care in me, I learned because of her. Yet she lets her action speak for her. The best lessons in life she taught me was shown by her love." He sat down, a nostalgic smile on his weary, matured face.

"She was witty; never there was a dull moment with her that was etched in my memories. "

"Her faith was unshakable; she believed her convictions with all her heart and soul. That was how pure her heart was."

"She was the most compassionate, most forgiving person I had ever known. Her heart was so big that even without much effort, her love was able to melt the burning ice of revenge within me."

"Your mother was a miracle. A beautiful miracle," he finished, barely aware of the tears threatening to spill down.

"She must be a truly amazing person," said Keiko, eyes wide.

"Amazing…and much more than that," he said.

"You know my mom so much, so can you tell me something that boggles me about her?" she asked.

"Sure."

"My father said that every night, my mother used to sit by the window and look out, as if waiting for someone. The mysterious night visitor, perhaps. He told me that the night visitor is a shadow that would disappear only when the first ray of morning peeks through." She looked at him curiously. "By any chance, do you know who that night visitor is?"

"Would you still want to know him even if I tell you that he made your mother miserable?" he asked.

"On the contrary, Monsieur. My mother wrote in her diary that the man gave her the happiest moments in her life."

"I-Is that so…" He got up. "Do you have somewhere else to go?"

"N-No…"

"Do you have plans?"

"No…"

"Then would you like to come with me? I can introduce you to that man you want to know about," he said.

"Really?" Her eyes shook. "Take me to him!"

"It will be far…"

"Anywhere, Monsieur!" Her eyes lit up in excitement.

He smiled warmly and took her hand. "Alright, let's go."

He gave one last look at the grave. Even if there remained sadness and pain, as well as small regrets…he would still not change any event in his life.

"Farewell, Jeanne."

And the shadows disappeared at the same moment the first rays of sunlight filtered the clouds.

It was morning.

And it was time to start a new life.

…………

the end

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……………

syao's notes

I know it seemed that Hao did not love her enough to take the risk of loving her, but at least he did love her enough to set her free to do things he thought was the best for her. He shouldn't have decided for her, but then again, if I let Jeanne go with Hao, then Asakura Hao would lose his humanity—his fears, his insecurities, his issues. I figured that it would take him a lot of time before he learns courage and willingness to risk all or nothing.

The ending wasn't happy, but at least I was satisfied by the resolution…if ever a real solution was presented, in your own opinion  ;;

So that's one less fanfic in my ongoing list. 15 more fics to go!!!