Epilogue: Postlude in G Major

The busy world of Tokyo pedestrians was oblivious to the young woman with the long, beautiful hair who sat alone in a nearly empty street side cafe. Her chic light rain coat matched the crisp linen table cloth covering her table. The establishment had just recently opened, but this was perhaps the one and only chance she would have to try it.

Her high collar partially hid her face as she lifted the cup of coffee to her lips. Several groups, large and small pass by in their various school uniforms. Though she had often walked with them on the very sidewalks before her, passing the same street vendors and people on a daily basis back then, she was a stranger to them now, and they to her.

Spilling out from the small leather brief case on the table were her cell phone and a few documents. Kaname had just reviewed an intelligence report from Wraith on Amalgam. As expected, others have risen up to fill the void left behind by Dubois and Leonard. Whether or not they were of the same quality as the former leadership remained to be seen. Certainly, Amalgam still had enough resources to pose a threat to the world. Mithril would be watching.

A small file folder on top of the stack included specs to new technology Leonard had left behind. This had been raided from the Italian villa where she had once lived. Recognizing his handwriting on one of the plans, Kaname sat back and tapped her fingers lightly on the pages. With her mind going through the various specs and notes in her head she thought carefully of some countermeasures she might be able to employ if ever Sousuke or the others were going to face this new beast Amalgam was planning to build. As she heard his footsteps approaching, she put the report and other documents away in her briefcase and tucked away her Mithril identification card that read, "KANAME CHIDORI, Technical Division Consultant."

Sousuke approached her table and quietly pulled up a chair placing two one-way bullet train tickets to Nagoya on the table. The arrangements had already been made by the Mithril intelligence division. The furniture to their apartment would be set up shortly before their arrival. Kaname only had one more thing to do before they were on their way. She slid out an envelope with a handwritten letter to her father and sister from her brief case. Her family had wondered why they had not heard from her in a while, but they were not overly concerned as all of the previous communications and messages from Jindai High School regarding her disappearance had been intercepted by Amalgam before. She had disappeared over a year ago now, and the police considered her case a cold case file. Even her friends had given up on her ever returning. They did hope secretly that she and Sousuke were together and happy.

Kaname had the Mithril intelligence division create a dummy corporation to convince her family that she had been hired as a consultant with them, which wasn't too far from the truth. Though she had never really graduated from Jindai High, they also forged her diploma and sent it back home to him. She wrote in her letter that she would be doing extensive traveling for the company, and it was providing room and board for her in Nagoya while she completed her externship. The only return address she could give them was a post office mailbox, however, to keep them at arms length.

Just then, as Sousuke and Kaname were getting ready to depart, Ono-D and Kyouko walked by the storefront directly opposite of them across the street, unaware of the couple watching them intently. They laughed cheerfully as they waited at the stop for their morning bus to take them to their college campus nearby.

Kaname almost immediately stood up, unable to take her eyes off of them, and her mouth partially opened to shout out a greeting to them, but she held back. Sousuke placed his hand over hers. She looked at him and gave him one of her bright, signature smiles.

"I know," she said as she watched them board their bus. "It's just really good to see them again."

"I know," Sousuke smiled. He offered her his hand and helped her up.

"Do you miss it? The life you had with them?" he asked quietly.

"I do. But now I can live a life moving forward on my own terms, and I don't have to hide what I am or what I can do. And I'm still among friends." It was not an easy thing to accept her fate. She had spent many months at Leonard's side trying to find her place in the world. Now Kaname's job was to protect everyone and everything important to her, including those she left behind in her old life, and especially Sousuke. She readily put her talents to use for this one objective.

Kaname felt reinvigorated as the caffeine started to kick in and she tugged him along behind her as they left the cafe for the train station. Her single carat synthetic diamond ring on her left hand glittered in the morning light. Though it could also be activated as a tracking beacon, it was by far the best present Sousuke had ever given her.

Finis.

Author's notes: I finally caught up with the novels and am currently awaiting the release of the next novel that Gatoh-san indicates is the "climax" of his stories. Though his plot was not what I expected and he killed off some and made traitors of others, I really want to know what happens next. His spin on the story was entirely different from what I had imagined for Kaname and Sousuke. I thought my story was dark, but his is MUCH darker, so I really hope that another publisher picks up the novels for everyone to be able to read.

My story for Kaname makes her stronger, choosing the wrong path and then finding some redemption in the right one, with a new purpose. She rises up to the challenge and reinvents herself in a new life, leaving her innocence behind, but her strength and her determination intact. Her love is what guided her back to Sousuke and vice versa. (It's just like him to give her practical jewelry, isn't it?)

I hope you liked it. I tried not to make too much of a denouement in the end or tie everything up with a pretty bow. My apologies to Tessa, Mao and Kurtz fans. That's all I had to say about them, so you can use your imaginations to figure out what happens next. No one dies in my stories.

Until next time,

-Kero (9/1/09)