Three Families : Til Death Do Us Part
A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Seriously, though, I think that for the amount of views, I should have gotten more. But, whatever. This is the last chapter, and those of you who have stuck with this story will not regret for doing so. Prepare yourselves for the last chapter of Three Families! Read and Review!
I
Amelia McWhorter sat in the car of her adoptive father, Kurama Shuiichi. He had grown older, the hair at this temples greying. Then again, his aging was probably bumped up from all the events he had been through.
"Thank you for driving me."
The blonde, who was now seventeen years old, leaned back in the passengers seat.
"No problem."
The Irish teenager stared out the window.
"Will you visit me?"
The doctor slowed and stopped at a stop sign.
"Of course." He slowed down at a house. "Remember, no matter what you learn, that will always be your second hand information." They were at the end of a dirt driveway. "The medicinal herbs, pastes, and acupuncture treatments I have taught you have been around the Shuiichi family since the beginn–"
"I know, Dad. I know."
Jin's sister smiled and began to stretch, getting ready to leave the car.
"So... how do you know these people again?"
Amelia was getting her backpack.
"Their daughter goes to the same private school that I went to. I was like... a kid who would show her the ropes and stuff." His daughter got out of the car, Kurama following suit. She dragged two suitcases out and slung her backpack over her shoulders. "She's... eight now, I think."
Kurama nodded, then saw the small briefcase that Amelia had. He almost smiled.
"Call me when you get to college. Remember, I gave you a number for a cab so th–"
"I know."
They stopped and began to laugh. Kurama shook his head.
"You're great. The greatest thing that happened to me."
His voice wasn't full of pure love. No. It was tainted by seeing Amelia's brother die. By feeling his blood on his hands and fulfilling his one request. It was a hard love. A love that emerged from death and mayhem.
"And you to me." Amelia hugged her Father. "I love you."
Kurama closed his eyes, his nose buried in her blonde hair.
"I love you too." He pulled back and smiled at her. "Now, after the babysitting, you go give medical school a run for their money!"
Amelia gave Kurama a mock salute.
"You got it!"
She turned, dragging all of her things down the dark, stone driveway. Kurama watched until the shadows swallowed her completely before stepping back into his car, driving back to New York City.
And as he drove, the lights on the highway fading into one fuzzy stripe, he began to think about Hiei.
II
Hiei grunted as he jumped the gates to Windsor Castle. His eyes squinted as he landed on the other side. He wrapped himself in his cloak and began his planned trek. He knew where all the cameras were and all of the Guard's shifts.
He arrived at Saint George's Chapel. Without pausing or even thinking, the once infamous Boss of the Jaganshi Family stepped inside, the heavy doors closing after him.
III
As Amelia saw the house come closer into view, she began to think about her brother Jin. She was sure that he would have been so happy to hear that she was going into medical school at seventeen. He would be brimming with joy.
That is... if he was still alive.
The future doctor arrived to the fair house. It was nice, three stories and a Victorian feel to it. The home of Aisha Sellick.
Amelia sighed, still a bit nervous after knowing the girl for years. The only thing was... she had never been over her house before.
A slender index finger pressed on the doorbell, an electronic tone filling the lit house.
The door swung inward, and Amelia looked down to see a grinning Aisha. The smaller girl sprang on Amelia, almost knocking the wind out of her.
"It's so good to see you!" The little kid detached herself from the teenager to see all the bags. "Are you moving in with us?"
Amelia laughed as she allowed herself to enter the house, rolling in the suitcases and keeping a tight grip on her medicine briefcase.
"No, no, just going off to med-school."
A loud and dreamy exhale came from a doorway. Amelia turned to see a woman... a beautiful woman leaning on the doorway. She had a regal look to her a proud smile emerging onto her face.
"Wow. Good for you. You're only seventeen, right?" Jin's sister could only nod as the tall woman walked over, her high heels clicking on the floor. "Aisha has talked a lot about you." She extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mrs. Sellick, but you can call me Monique."
The blonde teenager shook Monique's Sellick's hand, smiling. That was when another person's voice entered the room.
"Aisha, don't forget your manners."
The little girl flushed with a self-critical embarrassment. She cleared her throat.
"Amelia, I'd like you to meet my Mother and Father, Monique and Elias Sellick."
Amelia's eyes traveled to Elias. His cold stance and piercing eyes were enough to scare any man, so the teen didn't feel abashed when she shivered under his stare.
"Aisha has said the greatest things about you." He slipped his arm around his wife. "It's an honor to meet you."
Although Amelia had never met this man, she was almost certain that such statements did not come from Mr. Sellick often.
"Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well."
IV
The stone was cold in the chapel. Hiei walked though the church, aware that all the saints in the stained glass were watching his every move. The organ was quiet. The priest was gone. Hiei was all alone.
He stopped at a white marble coffin. Candles flickered around it. Piles of gifts from locals and the Royal Family themselves gathered around the foot of the fantastic coffin.
The ex-Boss touched the lips of the carving of Botan. He closed his eyes and parted his lips.
"There's a place for us..."
The low tenor voice wavered as Hiei Jaganshi began to sing.
"A time and place for us..."
V
Mrs. Sellick was in a dark blue dress. It was very... fitting. Amelia wondered if they were going to a really fancy restaurant, since Elias was dressed in slacks and a white shirt and tie. Elias took off a long black overcoat and slipped it on.
"Name your price when we get back." His eyes shifted to his daughter. "Stay out of trouble."
Aisha nodded and waved as her Mother and Father walked out of the house, the rumble of the engine of their car filling the air. Amelia set down her briefcase.
"So, what do you want to do, Aisha?"
Amelia watched as a smile spread across her lips.
"Let's play knights!"
The teenager smiled and nodded.
"Okay. Tell me how."
Aisha grabbed Amelia's hand and dragged her down the hallway, up stairs, and into her room. She found two bamboo sticks.
"We joust, in order to protect the King and Queen!"
Amelia fumbled with the stick.
"Okay. Outside, though."
They both rushed to the door. Soon, the cracks of sticks were being heard. Amelia was slower than the trained little kid. Still, it hurt when the bamboo stalk hit the teen in the legs. Biting her lower lip, the teen only pushed herself further.
The moon was their only light, and the thrill of the night pumped them. Amelia felt herself experiencing the childhood she never had. The grins and laughter that she squashed out of herself in the Orphanage.
The sticks were dropped and hands were the only weapons.
Kurama didn't tell Amelia all together what happened to her brother. Jin... her dear brother. The one person that kept her going in the silence. The one love that she waited for. The love for her brother... and the only person who showed up was some guy who said he knew him.
Amelia tickled Aisha, making the little girl squeal.
The first thing he told her was that her brother never strayed from the path of virtue. Kurama told her that he worked day and night to avenge the death of her parents. To make a good life for the two of them.
Their breaths came out in puffs in the chilly night air.
Amelia cried a lot. To hear that her brother had joined a Crime Family, for her... was overwhelming. She felt so small... like she had done nothing but given up her speech. There were several nights were Kurama did not get any sleep. She kept on wondering why Jin didn't want to be saved. That was the last thing Kurama told her.
"Can we go back inside now?" Aisha breathed deeply. It had been hours... their eyes adjusted to the dark. "I'm tired."
He gave up his life because he felt the sin was too great. Jin thought that Amelia wouldn't be able to look him in the face. Unable to touch him, hold him, cry with him if he had killed another. Even if that person was responsible for the reason why their life went to shit. Amelia had screamed in rage. She had scraped her throat to nothing. Screaming at her dead brother for leaving him. For being an idiot and thinking that Amelia would stop loving him.
"Sure."
VI
The air was cold and still. Dust was suspended in the air as Hiei took another breath.
"Hold my hand we're halfway there..."
He took off his cloak. He took a piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it around his mouth, gagging himself. Hiei gripped the edges of the marble tomb and bit down on the cloth, his eyes squeezing themselves shut as he began to push the top.
"Hold my hand and I'll take you there..."
The royal white stone grinded and moaned as it began to move.
VII
Aisha rubbed her eyes, coming out of the bathroom in her pajamas. Amelia walked her upstairs, tucking her into bed.
"Before I go to sleep... can you tell me a story?"
The Irish teen smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"What kind of a story?"
The little girl, her hair a midnight black, leaned against her pillow, her eyes glazed over with a sad misty gleam in them.
"The best story ever. One that you can fall in love with."
Amelia paused for a long time. Before Aisha thought she had forgotten or ignored her, Amelia began to speak.
"Once upon a time, there was a Thief, a Princess, a Witch Doctor, a Merchant, and a valiant Knight." Green eyes closed, deep breaths were slowly being taken. "The Princess was in disguise as a servant... and one day, the Thief wandered into her home, wounded and needing help."
"While she was mending him, the Princess fell ill." Aisha's eyes widened. She was ensnared by the tale. "The Thief had a pain in his heart. He didn't know why, but he felt bad when he normally would have left."
Aisha snugged into the sheets.
"What happens next?"
"Well, the Thief calls all of his bandits together. He says that he had to protect this servant and help her get better. He summons his Witch Doctor who was his best and most valued friend. And... in all the excitement, the valiant Knight slipped in as a spy."
"The Princess became better, but the bandits had grown too fond of her. The Merchant, who was sly, had even fallen to the Princess's kind heart. The Knight, who was going to bring down this Family of Bandits, began to doubt himself."
"How could he hurt his friends? He had grown accustomed to the Witch Doctor. He respected the King of the Thieves. He decided that he would stay... and help the servant girl home."
"But not all was well with their plan. An evil Witch came after them, telling them that their precious servantwas actually a Princess."
Aisha sniffed.
"Oh no! The Thieves better not leave the Princess for the Witch!"
Amelia shook her head.
"It did cross the King of Thieves's mind, but he realized that he couldn't leave the Princess alone. He had fallen in love with her."
VIII
"Somehow..."
Hiei lifted up the top, the muscles in his arms on the brink of ripping in half. He quickly placed the top on the ground. He panted, ripping the gag off of this mouth as his eyes finally focused.
The moonlight shone through the windows in the roof of the chapel. Its silver beam washed over the Princess. Her eyes closed, her entire body still as death... she looked beautiful. Hiei touched the side of her cheek.
"Some day..."
A loud gasp for air was heard.
The Princess sat up, clutching her throat. Her pink eyes now sparkled with life. The color rushed back to her cheeks as she began to shake.
"Somewhere..."
Hiei hushed her, letting her sip the water from the bottle. The Princess could only clutch him, taking everything in. Taking in oxygen. Feeling her heartbeat again.
Feeling... life...
IX
"The Princess began to come up with a plan of escape. To sail across the seas where she could return to her people and rightful place as heir to the throne."
"The King of Thieves agreed, but deep down, he did not want her to go. He had started to think of living with her, of leaving his Family of Bandits."
"That was when the Witch swooped down from the skies, cackling and throwing magic spells at the bandits. She said she was after the Princess, and the bandits rose to fight. The Witch Doctor used his vines to fight her. The Knight used his sword. The Thief used his dagger."
"But... the Princess... who could not fight... was fatally wounded."
"The Witch was defeated... but... the Princess still lay on the ground, on the edge of life's line. The Witch Doctor could find no cure, and was helpless as the King of Thieves began to cry."
"That was when the Knight, valiant and innocent, stood and offered himself to the Gods. He said, Take me, Take me and spare this Princess!"
Amelia turned to Aisha's wide eyes.
"If you want to help the Knight, clap you hands. Do you want to help him and the Princess?"
The little girl nodded, her short hair bouncing.
"I do! I do!"
"Then clap your hands!"
The two girls quickly clapped, their hearts racing.
"So the Gods looked down at the Knight. They said, Good Knight, you are indeed a great man."
"The Gods took his soul, bringing him to Heaven. He waved goodbye and said to the King of Thieves, Love her. She loves you and you love her."
"The Knight disappeared from the living world and watched as his friends mourned him. The Witch Doctor and the Merchant began to write about him, documenting their adventures. The King of Thieves left his Family of Bandits and sailed over the sea to the Princess's land."
Aisha yawned.
"Do they live happily ever after?"
Amelia smiled and kissed the small girls head.
"Of course. The two arrive and become married, bringing an age of peace and love to the entire world..."
Aisha smiled as her eyes drifted shut with sleep. Amelia turned off the light and slowly got up and off of the bed. Closing the door, the teenager sighed. Tears began to fall as she though of her brother, up in Heaven.
I know that is where you are, Jin. I know... I know...
X
Hiei helped Botan out of her coffin. She was still shaking as Hiei grunted and lifted the top back onto its proper place. He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. He kept on whispering to her, whispering and whispering that he would never leave her. Never again.
They ran out of the castle. Well, Hiei had to carry the Princess. He quickly jumped up and over the Gates. He kept on running, to the airport. When they slowed, Hiei finally talked, his voice calm. As if Botan had never died.
"I've got a house in New York State. We'll have plenty of money. I'm not a Boss anymore."
Botan still had tears of joy streaming down her face.
"Together?"
Hiei nodded.
"Together."
XI
Amelia was on the couch, sleeping. The door opened, and Mr. And Mrs. Sellick stepped inside. Instantly, the future doctor was up, rubbing her eyes and standing to greet them.
When her eyes focused, she blushed and looked down at her toes.
Mr. And Mrs. Sellick were kissing, slowly. Monique pulled away, teasing smile on her lips. That was when they both realized that Amelia was there.
"Oh, good evening, Amelia."
Elias smirked.
"Hn. Stayed up all night, kid?"
Amelia nodded and the husband and wife motioned for her to come into the kitchen. Jin's sister noticed the marks on Mrs. Sellick's neck. Fighting the urge to giggle and look away, Amelia bit her lips. They had gone out to dinner... and then had... sex.
"How much do we owe you?"
Monique smiled, her pink eyes sparkling. Amelia shrugged.
"It doesn't matter. It's always a joy to be with Aisha."
Hiei rolled his eyes as he took out his wallet.
"She's a demon, I swear."
Amelia returned his chuckle. Botan poured herself a glass of water, then another for their babysitter. The blonde teen took it, sipping it.
"Amelia, you seem so ambitious for a girl your age."
Jin's sister knew it was an abstract form of a question. Even Elias Sellick wanted to hear an answer as he leaned up against the window sill.
"I guess... I guess that I'm trying to make my brother proud... because... I... I don't know."
The husband smirked.
"If your brother isn't impressed at you getting into Medical School at seventeen years old, I think I'll have to give him a piece of my fist."
Just as Monique and him were beginning to laugh, Amelia tilted her head down.
"He's dead."
The two fell silent. Mrs. Sellick touched Amelia's shoulder.
"Oh, sweetie, we're sorry–"
"It's fine." Amelia knew she sounded cold. She knew, and she didn't care. "Jin McWhorter... he was great, and I know that right now he's looking down at me... telling me, 'Work harder, Amelia. Work hard and achieve everything that you possibly can."
Amelia's green eyes didn't see Mrs. Sellick turn ashen grey. They didn't see the tears behind her eyes. What she did hear was a low grown from Elias. His pain... in both body and soul, was apparent.
"Shit... fuck..."
He rolled up his pant leg, and Amelia found herself looking at a... bullet wound.
"It acts up... sorry, Amelia..."
The teenager could only stare. Her eyes were opened. Suddenly she could see everything. She saw the short man in front of her. His black hair and red eyes. She saw his well toned body. Amelia saw his cold and smug attitude with the authority to run the Jaganshi Family. Amelia saw Hiei Jaganshi.
She also saw the regal pose and air of Botan. She saw the little crease in the dress at her stomach. A crease where scar tissue would be from a bullet wound. Amelia saw a crown on her head. A Princess. A Queen. Amelia saw Botan, Princess of England.
"Oh... oh my God..."
Amelia covered his eyes as her throat tightened. As tears poured out of her, sobs rocked her body. Botan got up, hugging her.
Amelia could only clutch onto her.
"They... they t-t-t-told me y-y-y-you were d-dead!"
Hiei stared at the sobbing teenager on his kitchen floor.
"We know..." He looked out the window into the night sky. "We know."
XII
Kurama sped down the country roads of New York. Amelia McWhorter had called him, tears and mucus weighing down her voice. All she had said was that she needed to be picked up, right away.
The doctor sped down the driveway, dust kicking up. He almost forgot to park his car as he dashed to the door, yanking it open.
He ran into the warm house. His green eyes darted around the room for his daughter. He turned at voices, charging.
When he entered the room, all of his speed was met with a brick wall. His legs suddenly stopped working. His heart stopped beating. His lungs stopped breathing as he blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.
"Hiei?" The ex-Boss of the Jaganshi Family was drinking tea with... "Botan?" the Princess. Amelia was sniffling still. Her eyes were red from past tears. "W-what... w-what...?"
Hiei walked towards him, his face as flat as ever. That bastard.
"Kurama... you've done great..."
The doctor was paralyzed. He wanted to scream. To scratch at Hiei for leaving him. For leaving and not even calling. Not once. He wanted to cry at seeing Botan... alive! Alive and well! He wanted to laugh... to laugh and just put all of his grief in the past.
Instead, Kurama lunged forward and swept Hiei up in the fiercest hugs he had ever given. Hiei's arms jerked... until finally patting his old friend on the back. The gold band on his left ring finger glittered.
"Why did you leave? Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me!"
Hiei closed his eyes, squeezing the doctor. His friend.
"I know... I'm sorry." Kurama began to sob, though no tears would fall from his eyes. "I'm sorry..."
XIII
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Yukina sat at Kurama's apartment. Yusuke's hair was starting to turn grey, and he had grown a mustache.
"Kurama, what's up, man?"
Yukina had been pouring tea. Her belly bulged with life... with Kuwabara's future child.
"You are so uptight."
The doctor and Boss of the Jaganshi Family sighed.
"I'm fine. Just wait for a few more minutes."
XIV
Aisha, Botan, and Hiei stood outside of Kurama's door. Botan kissed Hiei, softly. Chastely.
"Are you sure about this?"
Hiei nodded.
"It's been long enough. Fate led us to Amelia."
There's a place for us...
Aisha tugged at her mother's skirt.
"Who are we visiting today, Mommy?"
A time and place for us...
Botan smiled down at her daughter. Her pride and joy.
"Old friends. Great friends."
Hold my hand and we're halfway there...
Hiei's hand slipped into his wife's. He squeezed her hand slightly.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there...
Aisha straightened her back for good posture.
Somehow...
Botan took a deep breath.
Someday...
Hiei's other hand reached out and knocked on the door.
Somewhere...
The door opened. Hiei, Botan, and Aisha stepped inside. They moved towards the living room, and they looked into the eyes of their friends. As the entire world stopped, as the entire world held its breath, Hiei began to think of everything he had been through.
The death of Chuu, Jin, and Mukuro. Rescuing his sister. Watching Botan... the one woman that he had ever truly loved... get shot and die. He remembered being in the hospital room, asking her if she trusted him. Giving her three drops of Kurama's potion. Giving her three days of death.
As the world held its breath, Hiei saw his wedding. The small wedding. He saw himself pacing in the hospital room when Aisha was born.
"Hiei?"
His chest burned. Botan bowed her head in greeting. He loved Botan. He really did.
"Botan?"
The eyes of their friends were terrified. Terrified, astonished, and in utter agony.
"Is that really you?"
The three of them stood as time stopped. Hiei suddenly realized that everything was going to be okay. He had been to hell and back. He had sinned. He had murdered. But he was going to be okay.
He squeezed his wife and mate's hand. God he loved her.
"It is." He let out the breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "It's good to see all of you again."
"And the King of Thieves said to his Family of Bandits, I have missed you all. The Queen declared all of the Bandits Knights of Royal Honor. The King of Bandits remained retired from his life of crime, but knew his place in the world. Beside his wife and Queen."
"When asked about what he had been doing for all of those years when he had been overseas, the King of Thieves told them the truth. He said, I have found the one I love. And... as my Father told me, when you find the one you love, never let them go."
"And the Family of Bandits, the King and Queen of Thieves... lived happily ever after until the end of time..."
"The End..."
XV
A/N: Yes... it's over. I'm sorry, but it is over. But Botan isn't dead, and everything is good again, right? Okay, well, I would love to hear your feedback. Did you like the ending? Did you see it coming? Did you cry? Did you laugh? Or did you just get indigestion? Please, review. I love this story so much... and I hope that you do too.
Love,
Orphan Mia.
P.s. If you couldn't tell, I've picked out the song Somewhere from Westside Story since the beginning. And I've just watched E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.