Rim: Well, we've finally reached the end of our journey. It's been a grueling year and a half since this first began with a dream I had. Who would have thought this story would leave to such an epic story plot. Thanks everyone for reading, and I hope you enjoy what the last chapter holds.

Special thanks especially to you B.T. for sticking with me even when I freaked out, Silverm and Na-chan for being my background cheerleaders. And Silverm for being generous in offering to "rape" my works to help me figure out why I was freaking out so much. And let's not forget Chaco for the sheer point of…well…you being you. And Kegom who is such an awesome person for all the kind words for all my stories so far. I don't know what I would do without you all keeping me sane. This chapter is for you.

-oooooo-

"Why?" Tyson whispered the dark blue angry energy swirled around his body as he held his brother's lifeless body to his chest. The air around him was heavy with Dragoon's power as it poured from his like the tears that trickled down his face. He wasn't aware of the dark blue wings made of light sprouting from his back; he wasn't aware of too much anymore except his brother's cold body cradled in his arms, and the man who had caused this unbearable pain to stab straight to the core of his soul.

"Why did you have to destroy the last remnants of a life that you've ripped out of my hands? Why did you have to ravage any hope that we could have a normal life? You've taken away the one thing in this life that could still give me joy, just because of wanting the power I was born to? If you want it so much, then you can have it!"

Dark blue energy ripped the floor up under them as jagged claws of power rushed at Kai, who stood perfectly still. His eyes flashed, a bolt of crimson lightning splitting Tyson's attack in half, however a stray sliver broke through.

"Hell," Kai cursed, raising his hand to create a barrier that deflected the energy around his father and himself. The guards that were standing by weren't so lucky, their screams filled the room as they were mowed down; one of the guards hit the wall, the energy ripping him apart until there was nothing left but mangled body parts. The other guards were torn limb from limb prior to hitting the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy when his power is finally mine to control," King Boris chuckled, observing the massacre around him.

"If only it had been you," Tyson glared, his eyes glowing pitch black. The Earth uprooted around them, turning into sharp spikes. "Why did you have to get my brother involved? Why couldn't you have left him alone? If I took everything precious away from you, would your heart break the way mine now is?"

"Master Tyson, please stop this!" Nanako shouted. "Killing him won't bring your brother back. If you kill him, you're no better than they are!"

"I don't care, Nanako," Tyson shook his head, placing his head into his brother's matted hair. His eyes still burned with tears that caused his soul to ache for vengeance. "I don't care if I end up like him. You can't ask me to just turn away after he's taken away something so precious from me. You can't…I just can't…"

"Please Master Tyson," Nanako pleaded.

"Stop asking me things that I can't say yes to," Tyson muttered, lifting his face from his brother's hair. It pained him to still be able to pick up the scent of chrysanthemums though the blood. He would never be able to see his brother smile again, or pout whenever he teased the younger about being a baby. Nor would he ever watch his brother sleep without a care in the world, while Tyson watched over him.

Tyson could still remember the first time his mother let him help her feed his baby brother. How carefully his small two year old hands held the bottle with serious concentration that it caused his parents to laugh. He remembered holding out his hands as his little brother crawled to him, or carefully leading his brother along, taking steps until Kenny was able to walk on his own. His name was even his brother's first word.

It was Tyson that Kenny came to when he was lonely, that he held onto when their mother died. That Kenny looked up to for guidance growing up, that was his best friend in the entire world. Now that Kai had taken all that away, what did he have left to turn to? Who was he going to assure that they could rebuild their kingdom to be just as beautiful as it had been like before they left? Who was going to place his faith solely in Tyson's words?

Who?

The answer was no one. Kai had made sure that he set fire to all of Tyson's hopes and dreams. Stripped him of the last piece of his humanity, leaving him vulnerable to the harsh world he never knew previously to meeting the crimson eyed devil prince. No part of Tyson now felt human anymore. His soul bled with no way of stopping it from happening. This was what Kai and his father wanted, so he was going to give them everything they deserved. He would give them every strand and fiber of power he could muster from his jagged heart.

"Master Tyson! You have to stop this," Nanako implored once more before a wall of concrete rose around her, obscuring her view of what was happening. "Master Tyson! Your father, mother, nor brother would want you to do this! Please listen to reason! If you use Dragoon's power for vengeance, it will only end to your ruin!"

"I don't care anymore. I don't care if it destroys me from the inside. As long as I can take Kai and his father with me, then I'll be satisfied with that," Tyson whispered into his brother's hair. "Then I can join you on the other side."

"You must know that there is nothing in this world that I hold dear to my heart, at least anymore," Kai informed, raising his hand to summon a bolt of crimson lightning obliterating the spikes around him. He needed to redirect Tyson's attention so he could make a break for more space. There was no way he would be able to keep defending himself and his father if attacks continued to hurtle at him. And he didn't dare turn his back for a second on Dragoon's successor.

"You don't even value your miserable life?" Tyson chuckled bitterly. "Then why do you fight so hard to keep it?"

"Because my father wants your power," Kai said simply. "If I am to die, my fondest wish is that his dreams of controlling this world are met first. That is why I continue to defend it."

"Your father…you'd do anything for that man, wouldn't you?" Tyson spat disgustedly. "If he told you to die right now in order to get my power, you would do that too, wouldn't you? You're nothing but a lap dog who rolls over at every command its master gives it!"

Creating another spike, he hurled it at the barrier Kai constructed. The projectile crumbled to pieces of rubble; however Tyson used Dragoon's power to pick them up, continuing to hammer down on Kai's barrier until the pieces of rubble were nothing but dust particles.

"If that's what I must do to please him, then that's what I must do. You may say what you like about it, but isn't that what sons do? Without him, I would not have been given life in this body. Without him, I would not be able to sleep well at nights in safety. Without him, I would have starved or had to beg growing up had I been anyone else's father. It is a privilege to be so fortunate," Kai answered.

Deciding to go on the offense, he pushed his barrier out further, taking a step forward, away from his father who was watching the spectacle with morbid amusement. Raising his hand, Kai forced the roof above the bluenette to rain down on him. A dark blue barrier erected around Tyson, obstructing the debris's path. Flashes of blue energy hurled itself at Kai's barrier once again in counterattack.

"There's a difference in what you should do for your father, and what you shouldn't do for him," Tyson argued.

"Are you saying you wouldn't do the same thing for your father?" Kai questioned, trying again to get through Tyson's defenses, but failing in the task as another counterattack struck at his barrier.

"Of course I would never do something like what you have done. My father ruled in peace. He hated the thought of anyone dying for foolish reasons. My mother was the same way. She taught me that every life was important, no matter age, birth, or status," Tyson said.

"Yet here you are, trying to kill me and my father," Kai smirked. "What a turn of events, I wonder what she would say about you now."

"Don't you ever mention my mother from those murderous lips again!" Tyson screamed, creating another projectile, hurling it at Kai. "You didn't know her. She was the kindest woman I've ever none. She loved life so much, and when she died…the entire kingdom felt her lost, not just those closest to her! My brother clung to me that day, sobbing about why she had to leave, he was too young to understand she was sick…I took care of him all these years in her place…"

"You would never kill for her?" Kai asked, thinking about his own mother. It had been such a long time since he allowed himself thoughts of her. Everyone in the castle said his looks were gifted from that woman that centered his life. She lived for his father, he didn't know why when he spent no amount of time in the same room with her. There were times Kai didn't see his father for days on end even.

Yet it was his mother's faith in the man which kept him in high expectation. Upon her last dying breath, it was her wish that he did all he could to help his father any way possible. Swearing to it, he was now making good on his promise. Light in Kai's eyes flashed, the projectile exploding into hunks of burning rock.

"No, no matter how much I loved her, I would never," Tyson shook his head.

"Stop toying with him and finish this up now Kai," King Boris ordered.

"Well, that's the difference between us," Kai stated. "I follow my mother's will through what my father has me to do. My mother meant the world to me also before she died. I had no one after that but myself."

"It doesn't have to remain that way, you can break the chain you were shackled to," Tyson shouted. "That way, you can die in peace."

"Peace…how lovely that word sounds," Kai murmured, creating another bolt of red lightning. Throwing the energy at Tyson's shield, hoping to make a direct blow, he was surprised when his attack deflected back at him. Tearing through his shield, Kai managed to shift so that he only caught the hit in his shoulder instead of his heart where Tyson had been aiming.

Looking up, he saw the fog of anger clear from the bluenette's eyes. The once black orbs flickering with revenge, now were filled with tears. The wings on his back burned bright than in anger. Hissing from the pain, Kai placed his hand to the wound, blood pouring from his shoulder which went numb from the pain. Had Tyson learned to control Dragoon's power that quickly, quelling his fury?

"Nanako's right," Tyson sighed, lowering his eyes to the top of Kenny's head. "This path I'm trying to go down will only end up in ruin. I will never be satisfied with killing you, that's not what my family would want. Just leave my kingdom and go back to your own. I will never allow you to control me to tear apart what other's hold precious."

"Boy, if you back down now-" King Boris started.

"I know father…I know," Kai nodded.

"Kai…you know if you continue…now that I have control over Dragoon's power…"

"I know," Kai interrupted. "But as I said before, I'm following my mother's wish. I will do anything to make her happy, even if it means dying for my father. So, shall we end this?" Kai lowered the barrier that he had around himself to walk forward.

"It's not too late to turn around and stop this. I will allow you to leave in peace as long as you never come back. Now that Bakuten has a new king whose able to summon the power of the guardian spirits, no one will have a chance to dissolve the hopes in my heart that this country will be beautiful once again," Tyson replied, laying his brother's body down gently, standing up to face Kai. Placing a barrier around Kenny's body, he readied for this final stance.

"If you believe in your ideals, then show me Tyson that I'm wrong," Kai said, gathering energy.

"I will," Tyson declared, pulling his power out from every corner of his mind. "There's no turning back Kai." Without saying a word, Kai pushed everything he had at Tyson, at the same time executed the same plan. Their powers collided, attempting to cancel each other out. The blue dragon roared fierce at the screeching red phoenix as they fought for control over the situation. The energy in the air intensified, sparks flying everywhere until something close to a subsonic wave erupted in the room, tossing both princes back. Dragoon and Dranzer both let out a shriek as the room all but exploded with their power.

Tyson shield his eyes from the explosion of light that also expanded concurrently with the energy. When it was over, there was only silence within the room that surprisingly survived the astronomical shockwave. Breathing heavily, Tyson made an attempt to pull his body up, only to discover it was riddled with small cuts and bruises, what energy he was able to muster left his body almost immediately, causing him to fall back to the ground. Slowly turning his head towards where his brother's body was, and where he had shelter Nanako, he sighed with relief to find they were still safe under his barriers.

"Master Tyson!" Nanako called from the other side of the concrete barrier. "Master Tyson, are you okay?"

"Na…na…ko…" Tyson coughed.

"Master Tyson!" Nanako said, her voice coloring with worry. "Let down the barrier, if you're hurt maybe there's something I can do to help you."

"Not…now…" Shifting his attention to where Kai and his father was, he was horrified to discover Kai on his feet, despite the claw marks covering his body. The Russian prince lowered his hand, equally breathing as hard as Tyson was. "How…"

"I've had more control over my power than you have," Kai said, slowly. "I thought I was dead for a second…I thought this time I would really be destroyed…you've disappointed me, Tyson."

"I hate you…" Tyson whispered. It was over now, he knew he didn't have the energy left to summon up Dragoon's power for another counterattack. The rest of his power was in shielding his brother and Nanako from stray attacks. He would never lower those barriers and place them into anymore danger than he had allowed to happen.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he listened to the slow clicking of boots against the concrete as Kai neared him. How was he ever supposed to face his father and mother on the other side at letting down the kingdom they so loved? Fear crawled to the back of his throat, drying his entire mouth as he pictured what was going to happen to his country after his death. Disgust filled his stomach, thinking about all the people in the world he wasn't able to save from heartbreak.

"Tyson…"

The clicking of the boots stopped in front of him, silence laying heavy on his head. Daring to look up into the face of his murderer, Tyson found that Kai's eyes weren't on him. In fact, the glazed over crimson eyes were turned towards the barrier around Tyson's little brother. The faint crimson wings sputtered in power, dissipating before blinking back into existence.

"Lower your barrier around him…" Kai asked softly.

"No…please don't harm him…" Tyson begged.

"Lower your barrier around him," Kai repeated.

"I won't…" Tyson shook his head.

"Hurry up and lower the barrier…before I lose Dranzer's energy. I won't be able to summon it again for almost a good week. By then your brother's soul will have left us," Kai said.

"What…what are you talking about?" Tyson blinked.

"I guess you were right after all. I do value my miserable life more than anything else," Kai said, a bitter smile curling his lips upwards. "I've failed my mother, there's no reason left for us to fight over your power."

"What…" Tyson's sentence faltered, his eyes falling on the spot where Kai had been shielding his father. The only thing that Tyson was able to make out from the massive splatter imprint on wall was the outline of a body before the energy of both Dranzer and Dragoon's shockwave ripped it to pieces, leaving only a black imprint. Nothing else remained of the Russian king.

"At the last second when the shockwave erupted, my barriers weakened, and threatened to come down along with the ceiling. When I thought I was going to die, I saw a woman with blue hair, who told me it was okay to let go of the past. I thought it was my mother, but she had such kind eyes…she was different than my mother. A calm settled over me, and I reinforced my barriers and kept the ceiling from collapsing in on us," Kai explained.

"Kind eyes…" Tyson smiled, thinking about those eyes watching down over him. "My mother it seems has saved the land she loves."

"Your mother…that would explain why I weakened at her request," Kai murmured. "Lower your barrier, Tyson."

"What do you plan on doing?" Tyson wondered, still hesitant to do as the Russian prince order. Even though he has stopped his father's plans, it did not mean that he was still to be trusted.

"Suzaku's phoenix power of rebirth," Kai replied. "Now lower your barrier."

"Kai…thank you…" Tyson said, drawing the barrier back into himself. Using that energy to slowly sit up, he watched Kai walk over to the motionless body, kneeling down beside it.

Laying a hand on the brunette's head, Kai closed his eyes, summoning what he could muster to beckon the boy's soul back into his body. The wings on his back blinked several times, then faded as Kai removed his hand from Kenny's head. Tyson waited in anticipation for signs that Kai had enough energy to bring his brother back. The seconds ticked on with no change. Just as Tyson was about ready to give up hope, his brother moved slightly.

"Now…we're even," Kai said, moving away from Kenny's body to allow Tyson to scramble over and cradle his brother's body in his arms.

"Yes, we are even now," Tyson cried, placing his cheek to his brother's hair.

"My father's men will have likely fled the castle from our fight. It's best if I round them up, and herd them back to Russia," Kai stated.

"I'm not going to ask you to stay," Tyson remarked.

"I know. I'm not going to ask you to say that," Kai voiced. "I suppose, this is goodbye then Prince Tyson?"

"Yes…goodbye Kai," Tyson said, turning his attention back to his brother. He listened to the clicking of the boots, until his ears could only hear the echoes off the silent walls. No matter what he felt, there was no way he could allow it to get in his way of what had to be done. The first manner of business was his brother, then those around him who had suffered, then his kingdom. Maybe one day he could allow himself to consider if it was the best decision to let Kai just walk away.

-oooo-

-6 months later-

"King Tyson!" A messenger ran up to where Tyson and Nanako where overseeing the crops that were finally growing back. It had taken extensive work over the past six months in making Bakuten look half as good as its previous glory. There was still so much more work that needed to be done in other areas, but by the end of the next summer, Tyson had a feeling that everything could be good again. At least on the outside.

His people were still feeling effects from the invasion, and needed his attention constantly. This time around, he could do something for them, and used Dragoon's power to assure them that nothing of the same would ever happen like before. It was a good feeling to have his people trust him, and support his rise into power after properly burying his father.

Tyson turned to the messenger who was running towards him with a letter. Slowing down when he reached Tyson, the messenger bowed to him, before handing him the crimson paper. With a frown, Tyson looked down at the seal before handing it back to the messenger. Turning his attention back to the fields, he sighed.

"Burn it…"

"Tyson, are you certain of that?" Nanako questioned. "It's from…"

"I know it's from him," Tyson nodded. "Burn it…"

"Yes sire," the messenger replied, bowing one more time before running off to take care of the order. Nanako stared worriedly at her king, seeing the turmoil of emotions flickering in his eyes. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she stared at the sky.

"You know he's going to keep writing," Nanako voiced. Tyson said nothing, there was nothing he could say. He had promised himself that he wouldn't read a letter Kai sent him until he got over his feelings. After this long, he could finally admit to himself that what he felt for Kai, more than betrayal was a want he had to deny himself for the sake of his people.

"And I will keep burning each letter he sends," Tyson countered. "I should go find Kenny."

"You know where he is," Nanako countered to his statement.

That was true, since being brought back by Kai, and Tyson had given Tala a proper burial, Kenny spent almost all his days in front of the grave, talking to it. It saddened Tyson to know that he had dragged his brother through all these events, and instead of being able to protect him, the scars his brother carried could not be healed by him. Walking towards the gravesite, Tyson could already pick up the sound of his brother's voice on the wind.

Coming into sight minutes later, Tyson stopped short of the brunette who was seated as usual in front of the gravestone. His knees were drawn up to his chest, as he said something to the grave, Tyson couldn't make out. The bluenette wondered if the nightmares had finally stopped bothering the brunette, he seemed more at ease than the previous months as the weight of their trip to Russia settled in.

"Brother…" Kenny called, sensing his brother's presence.

"Yes?"

"Had things been different…if…this…if it was different…could you have…"

"Loved Kai?" Tyson finished the sentence.

The brunette nodded once, still unable to bring himself to say the name of Tala's brother. He still hadn't forgiven Kai for what he had done. Somewhere in his heart, he knew what Kai had done to Tala was more human than anything anyone could ever hope to have done for him, had he lived. Yet his heart still hated the Russian prince for coming to that decision on his own.

"I love him now, despite everything," Tyson said bitterly. "That's why I don't response to his letters or even read them. Because I know that I would never be able to do what our country needs to recover, if I did."

"Tala…his whole life…he reached out for someone and he found me," Kenny whispered, his eyes blurred as he stared at the gravestone. "He found me, and I could do nothing for him."

"No, you did more for him than anyone had, I'm sure of it," Tyson replied, seating himself beside his brother and stroking his hair. "The ice around their hearts melted. The control of their father vanished, and they learned to feel. At least, that's what I believe. Maybe one day we will be able to understand."

"I hope so."

"I hope so too," Tyson smiled. "One day...I hope I understand too."

-end-