It's hard to write a chapter like this... when I have doubts about afterlife in general. I'm well aware the chapter title sucks.

Sorry the chapter's late! I was working on the next part. Planning, blah blah blah and all that jazz. Characters aren't mine as you know already. :p On with the chapter!

Chapter Thirteen
A Kiss For Briar Rose

Kyo

The light is beautiful. It's calming. It's soothing. It's lonely. I can't feel anything but the ache in my chest, the ache in my heart. Funny. I always thought after you die, pain of any kind goes away... doesn't exist. So I must be in hell. I know I died. I remember my last moments perfectly. I remember everything that was important about that moment. The faces of my friends, the taste of bloody tears on my lips, and the agony filled chocolate brown eyes they fell from. And suddenly, I know exactly why I'm lonely. There could be a thousand souls around me... but still it would be as if they didn't exist. For none of them would matter if they were not Haru.

I died again. And this time I left him completely alone. I don't have any regrets about killing Hatori, but I didn't mean to leave Haru alone for all eternity.

"Hello." A soft voice sounded out behind me. I turn slowly, the floating sensation making it hard to make any movements at all. And as I drift around, I feel the air around me ripple out as if it were water. It's so warm, so beautiful, for a minute I want to close my eyes again. I smiled and leaned back. "Open your eyes. Please don't close them. I can't help you if you do." The voice is so close I could swear I felt the breath on my neck.

"Help me?" My voice is soft, almost a coo.

I hear a sigh. "Yes, help you get back to Haru." My head snaps up and I stare at the blond boy before me. Haru. Yes. I want to get back to him.

"How?" I ask part of me wanting to stay submurged forever in this odd combination of air and water. I'm tempted to lean back again and just close my eyes. What could it hurt? If I only did it for one second, it wouldn't do anything to me. Nothing could happen that fast.

"Keep your eyes open!" The blond almost snapped. "If you close your eyes, you will pass on. There's no way you could ever be together after that." His small fingers dug into my arms and the air/water around me became cold in an instant. I shivered and huddled my arms closer to me. He smiled a little bit. He was a boy, I could tell you that. Even if his voice and face made it debatable, his bare chest left little doubt, but the pink robe draped around him elegantly didn't help his case in any way. My teeth began to chatter.

"Could you turn upt the heat?" I growled, feeling my body go numb.

He smiled shaking his head. "I can't."

"Why not!" I shouted, rubbing my hands over my exposed arms furiously.

"You're the one in control here!" He giggled, floating/swimming circles around me, robe billowing out behind him beautifully. "You may be dead, but you control this area. This is where you wait to pass on. Like a private booth. Everyone controls their own until they're ready to leave. Do you believe in ghosts? Of course you do! I almost forgot what you did for a living. You know why ghosts stay behind, correct?"

I couldn't stop staring at the kid as I shivered my ass off. "Can you just get down to it?"

"Someones cranky." He smiled. "When people are murdered, or die unexpectedly, or kill themselves, or even kill others, their 'waiting area's' are like yours is now. Cold, uncomfortable, scary. You've lost the urge to close your eyes right?" I nodded once. "So do they and they can't move on. Though, most suicides and murder victims area's usually warm up and they close their eyes, passing on easily. But for some reason murderers have a harder time. Megu-chan says it's cause they're guilty and fear moving on. They stay in the cold for centuries sometimes... Ah! I got off topic!" His hands did a weird flipping thing that reminded me of Ayame. "Anyway, breathe, relax." My shoulders tensed.

"Just tell me what I have to do to get back to Haru."

It looked like he wanted to smile and frown at the same time. It would have been humorous if I hadn't been cold enough to shit ice cubes. "Right." His hand disappeared into one too big sleeve and he pulled something out carefully. I watched, curiosity almost killing me, as he opened his hand slowly.

A red butterfly flew from his fingertips and landed lightly in his hair. I had one of those crazy feelings... like it was looking at me. "This," the blond pointed to the butterfly, "is how you'll get back to Haru."

I stared at him for a moment. "Uh... Am I supposed to follow it?" I asked. That was the logical question to ask right? Apparently wrong. The kid starting laughing at me, not just laughing, full on Ohmigod-I-can't-believe-how-stupid-you-are-I'm-gonna-wet-myself laughing. The air/water around me grew hotter and hotter, until I yelped. I'm pretty sure I know what a lobster feels like in a boiling pot now. I spent all my efforts trying to cool the room down.

"It's a life." He whispered. "It's a heartbeat. It's a breath. It's a child's wish. I promised you would get it. Even if my master made me live in Hades for eternity." He let the butterfly crawled onto his finger and held it out to me. "If you take it. This room will disappear. Your heart will restart. You will begin to breathe. And there will be pain. You will be unconscious without the comfort of being detached from your body. But your body will be alive until you reach a stable point. And it's not guaranteed to work. If your body isn't strong enough... you'll die... and there are no more chances Kyo. The only reason you have this one is because your sister loves you, but she can only give so much."

He wants me to think this over? And what does this have to do with Kisa? "Who are you?"

He smiles brightly. "Momiji, Muse of the ever changing, indefinably future. Of course!" He chirps happily.

"Of course." I snort. "Do I eat the butterfly?" I ask reaching for it.

His face immediately becomes appalled and he pulls out of my reach. "No! Why would you think that!?"

"I donno! What else was I supposed to do with it!?!? Carry it around with me?" I shout back at him, face heating up in a blush. He smiles at me and reaches his hand towards my chest, but hesitates.

"Once I do this, I can't undo it. It will hurt." He chewed the side of his lip.

"Do I look like someone who hesitates because of pain?" I asked, making him smile widely.

"I guess not." He smiled. His hand is an inch from touching me and the butterfly begins to work it's wings, lifting off of the kids small pale finger. Trails of white floating on the air/water as it made it's way around me. It was beautiful. And in the white nothingness of the room, the red of it's wings smeared and creating patterns that had no name, no real definite shape, but they were beautiful nonetheless. The trails of white floated to my skin, leaving me glowing as they landed softly on me. I couldn't help moaning as they exploded across my body in soothing rhythm and I almost didn't notice when the butterfly melted into my chest, over my heart. For a moment it was wonderful relief.

My eyes snaped open to darkness.

And if I could have opened my mouth to scream... I would have.

Haru

"Don't! Stop!! Don't move him!" I shouted as Ayame and Uotani reached down to pull his body up. I looked over at the werewolves. They didn't look like they heard it yet. "Listen." I almost whispered laying my head on his chest, ear against his bloody skin.

Th-thump.

Th-thump.

Black eyes widened and grabbed his wrist. Th-thump. It was like a serenade to me and tears fell onto skin. His blood-song began flowing, breath began filling his lungs, and I could barely hold back a sob. Both humans pushed themselves down beside me, trying to listen for themselves. A collective sigh of relief sounded out through the night air. Kyo was alive...

"He's not breathing!" Ayame froze. Panic flooded me again. Ayame started preforming CPR, but Rin stopped him before he could put his lips to Kyo's.

"Virus."

"There's no time!" I shouted, ready to throttle the woman. She glared at me and bent down, blowing air into my lover's throat. His chest rose and fell before Ayame started compressions again. I looked up as I heard buttons being pushed to see the blond woman on the phone talking low and fast. Hiro just stood there staring at the man we'd all just accepted had died and our attempts to keep the heart that restarted beating. I'm kneeling by his side now. Out of the way of the ones who can save his life, but I can still hear ever forced breath, every labored heartbeat.

"Can we get him to the plane?" Uotani asked. I look over at her and nod.

"If I run... I can get there in time to push more air into his lungs." I whisper, letting my hands check his body for wounds that would complicate the movement.

"The major bones have healed already. He's got something complicated going on internally." Ayame whispered quickly, gently moving my hands aside when they got in his way. "One of his ribs has healed wrong. But that can wait." Rin has taken over preforming CPR and I watch her lips count slowly.

"Haru. When you get to the plane, there will be a man in a black suit and a red tie beside an ambulance. That's where you need to take him. No where else. The man works for our bosses and that team is well aware of what Kyo needs, what his condition is." I nodded stiffly. "Don't let them separate you from him. Until you get to the hospital, don't let him leave your sight." She whispered fiercely.

"Do you think I'd let them take him without me?"

She grinned. "We'll be there as soon as we can." I nodded again and as Rin blew air into his lungs, I lifted him from the ground and as soon as her lips left his, I ran. Air whistled past me and I was at the plane in seconds, my eyes searching the crowd. There. I darted to the man in the black suit and red tie, gently placing the body of my love at his feet and blowing air into his lungs before the man realized we were there.

"His heart. It's beating, but he's having trouble breathing." I stated coldly, drawing his attention to us. I see him flinch, but immediately motion for the team in the ambulance to assist me. They lifted him quickly onto the gurney, placing something over his mouth.

"Wait for his family. We'll take if from here." The man muttered, voice almost as emotionless as mine. I glared up at him and felt him shudder.

"No. You'll move aside. I'll get in that ambulance and you will take me wherever you take him. You won't stand in my way. And you will not argue with me." The paramedics working on Kyo looked at me like I was crazy. "Help him." My voice is ice and they quickly get back to work, pushing the gurney back into the white vehicle. I jump in quickly and sit by his side.

"Kyo!" I look up. My eyes meet briefly with Tohru's before the doors shut and we begin driving away.

-

The room smells horrible. I hate it here. I smell the blood. I taste the disease. I hear the dying. This is probably the most foul place I've ever been. Kyo's hand sits warmly in mine and I glance at the lightening sky. The sun will be rising soon, but I can't leave yet. I'm waiting for the others to show up. I lay my head on his chest and listen to the weak heart. It's working, it's keeping him alive, but just barely.

The hole Hatori had given him, the killing blow really, on his neck had taken an hour to close fully. I watch it fade slowly, now just a white circle on his bronze neck, and curse my Master again. I don't understand why he couldn't just let me leave and I don't understand how Kyo's heart started beating, but at this point I'm sick of asking questions. Fuck, I'm sick of answers too. After this shit, I think I deserve a century or three of nice and normal life. Kyo deserves it ten fold. I let out a shuddering breath and gripped his hand in mine gently.

"God! I was ready to rip that nurse a new one!" I jump as Uotani's voice reaches me from three stories below. "The sun's rising and Haru's still stuck in the hospital! Kyo's so gonna rip us a new one when he wakes up and Haru's injured from the sun!"

"Quit yelling blondie. My ears are aching already."

"What was that twerp?!" I smiled as the elevator opened and their footsteps came closer. I kissed Kyo gently and stood, waiting for his comrades to show themselves. Tohru came through the door first, brown eyes full of tears. She looked like a wreck, but she smiled and hugged me tightly around my waist before moving to Kyo's side. Ayame smiled weakly at me and stood beside Tohru. Uotani crushed her palm against the top of my head ruffling my hair, before flopping into a chair loudly. I waited for the werewolves to enter, I could smell the tension rolling off them, but they stood at the door. One on each side. As if guarding us. Guarding Kyo.

Ayame noticed me watching the door and spoke up. "Kyo has just killed a vampire Lord. His life is in danger. From those that want to establish their power. From those loyal to Hatori. From any of the remaining seven. Even other Hunters. Not to mention we have to keep an eye out for Akito..." I nodded. Of course. He's fighting for his life and people are still trying to kill him. I wonder briefly why I'm not surprised...

"I have to lay down." I mumble as my eyes start to close on their own. The sky is pink. The sun will be rising so soon. I feel pale arms on my shoulders and I met gold eyes.

"Someone get him to a car."

"No." My voice hasn't betrayed the dragging tiredness in mind. "I'm not leaving him." I mutter, climbing onto Kyo's bed. Everyone but the wolves begin to protest at once, their voices meshing in a very annoying manner, until it's just the silver haired Lover speaking.

"Haru, I don't think-"

"Hm." I cut him off and pop one of the white tiles in the ceiling up. The room falls quiet as I disappear through the hole quickly, hopping up and over. "If anyone stabs me... I'm killing the loud one." I whisper, pulling the white tile back into place. I almost smile at the shocked faces and the undignified squeak Ayame gives. And as I feel the the tile fall back into place perfectly, throwing me into complete darkness, the sleep of the dead falls over me.

Elsewhere

Hanajima picks up Momiji's stack of tarot cards. "Are you happy?"

"I could be if you quit messing me up." The blond pouted as she pulled the deck away from his grasp. "I'm happy those two get this chance. Of course I hate resorting to these things to see." He huffed again and flipped the cards over, reading each as they turned. "Yeah. These things totally suck."

"You just hate the fact you can't even see the different paths they could have to go through." Megumi sat almost perfectly still concentrating on the current path of a gathering of demons.

"It sucks!" Momiji moaned, pink robe billowing out as he flopped back. "If it had just been him, I'd still be able to watch out for them. Not that I'm not totally happy Kisa gave him one of her lives, cause I seriously am, but now that it's her energy in his body... it totally messes with my ablity to see him. And now those stupid kids are in a blind spot until that dummy opens his eyes! I know there are only two outcomes. He either dies, or he opens his eyes, but now I have no idea if Deneb is gonna have him killed or what. And his stubborn boyfriend probably won't leave his si-" A pale hand covered his mouth and he began laughing.

"Right back to the cards!"

Both black haired Muses rolled their eyes and watched Momiji concentrate over his ancient cards.

Kyo

I felt the sting of the needle as they pushed it into my body before the sweet painkillers were pumped into me. I felt the IV being pushed into my arm. I felt my rib being re-broken. I felt every single thing they did to my body. And I couldn't even wince through it all, let alone scream. I swear to god, if I wake up from this, it's gonna take a hell of a lot to even make me grit my teeth in pain.

I could hear the voices of everyone around me with crystal clarity, and every once in a while, I go numb. I'm thinking that's the equivalint of sleep. It must be. I try to stay in that numb area most of the time.

A tube was pulled through my throat this afternoon and I panicked. My heart didn't even respond to it. The stupid monitor just kept beeping at it's regular pace as if I didn't even exist. But my lungs filled themselves easily. It was a wonderful experience to have to pull air through my throat, instead of having it forced into my lungs.

I think it's night time. The air is cooler, the noises in the hall are becoming less frequent and I find myself wondering when Haru will wake up. I want to smile as I think of Haru, but my lips remain still. I want to roll over as well, the area between my shoulder blades is becoming tight and pain spreads from it dully, making me even more conscious of all the pain in my body. The sharp sting in my neck, the horrible throb from the IV needle in my arm, the dry ache of my throat. I wish this would end. I want it to end.

Somewhere in the Arctic Circle

I can't stop my smile. My body sways to the beat some lower demon is beating out. Lord Altair is dead. I laugh loudly and bite my lip. I knew it the moment it happened. His energy separating and flowing into the rest of us. I can barely contain myself. There's no way I can lose. That Hunter. The fiery one. The one that felt compelled to speak so freely against me. The one I wanted to keep for a moment. He died. I knew that as soon as it happened as well. The demon scout I sent to watch his movements informed me seconds after his heart had stopped beating. It was a waste, but a necessary one.

I can't stop from smiling. Life is looking good.

Haru

I awoke as the last rays of the sun slipped behind the mountains. I rolled my stiff body, working out the rigor type stiffness from my limbs, before pulling the tile from the ceiling and dropping carefully beside Kyo's bed. Still out of it, but I can hear the difference in his heart instantly. It's stronger. Beating in a steady rhythm, too fast for a human, but still too slow for a werewolf. I still take it as a good sign and smile, pressing my lips to his. "Oh. Morn... Evening? Uh, hey Haru."

I turn to see Uotani looking up at me from her book, smiling. "Good evening." I greet her. She stands and streaches, glancing at her watch.

"Do you need something to drink?"

"I'm fine." I whisper, my eyes returning to Kyo's face.

"I'll bring you something anyway. No offense, but you look terrible." She smiled and walked out the door. "And you two, you just look horrible." She laughed and I heard a deep growl. "I'm goin'." I heard her chuckle the rest of the way down the hall. She opts for the stairs and I listen to her footsteps before running my hands over Kyo's skin softly, his skin warming my icy fingertips quickly. I don't know how long he'll be like this, but I could careless. I can wait an eternity. I can wait forever for those eyes to open and for him to tell me he loves me.

"How's our sleeping beauty doing?" I look up at the stranger who entered the room freely and crouch over Kyo protectively, a low growl starting in my throat. "Whoa. Just cheaking on my patient."

"He's the doctor." Rin whispered.

I sniffed the air just to make sure. "He doesn't smell like one." I whispered, sniffed again and backed away slightly. He smiled at me, eyes giving me the once over before his smiled widened. I let my eyes go back to Kyo.

"So, are you related to him?" The doctor asked, taking notes as he checked my love over.

"He's my soul-mate." I stated as I sat down in the seat next to Kyo's bed. He laughed and smiled at me again.

"You don't mince words do you?"

I stared him straight in the eyes, letting all my boredom show. "No."

I don't meet his eyes again and he finishes quickly, leaving after his attempts to start a conversation fail. I press my forehead with my index finger and squeeze my eyes shut. Sometimes being a vampire sucks.

-

The nights pass slowly and every morning, as I crawl into the space above his bed, I fear closing my eyes. I'm afraid that while I lay useless someone will try to take his life again.

The third night at the hospital a vampire jumped through the window, and tried to jump on him. He was young and fell easily, but it made all of us even more uneasy.

The forth night his heart began skipping beats, before quickening back up. Now it was closer to Rin and Hiro's heart beats and less like a humans.

The fifth day they had to put the breathing tube back in when he stopped breathing.

The sixth night they removed it.

It's been nine days since he came to the hospital. Nine days since he died. Nine days since his heart stopped beating. I think I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. It's easier with the others around. Their nervous habits making mine settle deep within me, but when we're alone, I can't stop my shaking. My body rocks back and forth without me realizing I started and I can't stop it. I feel like I'm going to shatter. I find myself crying when there's no one around and before sleep takes me away.

Ayame enters the room before I can calm myself down. I wipe bloody tears from my face quickly and let the knees I'd drawn to my chest fall. I took several deep breaths and refused to meet his eyes. "They say he's stable now. It's just a matter of time before he finds his way back to us." He whispered, pushing orange hair from Kyo's heart shape face.

"He was stable a few nights ago. Then they had to hook him up to a breathing tube. I don't trust those doctors, but you're right. We just have to wait for him to find his way back..." Our silence is only broken by the frantic beep of the heart monitor. I felt like I was going to lose it.

So I began humming.

It was soft at first. Something to occupy my mind, just a tune to help numb myself. It wasn't until the tune ended for the second time, started a third time and Ayame filled in the words that I recognized it. It was the song Kyo had been singing in the shower with me the night he died. The song that, now, seemed almost ominous.

"If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied, illuminate the No's on their vacancy signs." Ayame's voice was soft and melted with my humming perfectly. "If there's no one beside you, when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark." The hint of sadness fit the mood perfectly. We continued and repeated the song several times. The room gave our song a deeper sound and tears made their way into my eyes. My chest gave a sharp squeeze and I felt the tears slid down my face, but my hum never wavered.

A soft groan made us freeze and I felt my body begin to shake as the look on Ayame's face told me it hadn't been him. I was standing at Kyo's side in an instant, hands still clasping his desperatly. But he made no other sound and a sob broke it's way through my defenses. He's getting closer, though. I reminded myself. The groan was new. As far as I knew, that was the only sound he'd ever made since his last 'I'm sorry' nine days ago.

So why was I feeling as if my heart was breaking all over again? 'Because for a minute you thought he was waking up...' The logical voice in the back of my head told me, but I barely registered it. Sometimes hope is a bitch. No. Hope is a bitch all the fucking time. I felt my mind numb itself as I shoved those thoughts away and pressed my lips to his softly.

He groaned again. I could feel Ayame shaking beside me and heard Hiro on the phone outside the door. Kyo groaned again and his hand rose shakily to his forehead. I held my breath as his eyes twitched behind the lids and I found myself praying they would opened. And for once, my prayers were answered.

His eyes opened slowly, flinching at the overbearing glare of light. The splash of crimson I hadn't seen in what felt like years instantly made my heart lift. All the uncertainty of the past few days washed from my mind the second they met mine. I wanted to rush to him. I wanted to bring him into my arms and never let him go again, but I held back. The IV stuck to his hand would have made it awkward at best, so I held back. He smiled. A very impish, delicate grin and turned his eyes to the golden eyed man beside me. He opened his mouth and the voice I thought I would never hear again spilled softly from his lips.

"I want a poptart."

Whenever you wake up in a hospital surrounded by people you love... always tell them what you want to eat before they start hanging all over you and you can't get a word in edgewise.

Oh, and trust me. After being unconscious for a few days... Cherry poptarts are fucking heaven. :L

Or pretty damn close to it.

I thought it was kinda funny Haru went through pain to remember Kyo, now Kyo goes through pain to get back to Haru. (that's not funny you say? i know. you can hit me.) This chapter, late though it may be, is brought to you by the song Relief by Chris Garneau. The next chapter is the last one for Butterfly. T.T Kinda sad to see it go, but also very very happy. Like I mentioned above, I'm already working on the sequel The Child's Waltz . So... You'll totally read it right? Cause I know you know you want to know what happens with Akito's 'Ruling Over The Humans' Scheme... and all the lovely lemons that go with it... not that I write good lemons... -.-' Anywhoo. I plan to have The Child's Waltz up about an hour to a day after the last chapter of Butterfly! Hurah.