This does not reflect my view of certain event of the manga at all - far from it. Miles away. I just... I don't know. They just don't seem to be sad.

Warnings : Spoilers for the manga, from volume 13 to the very end.

Disclaimer : Nuh-hu. Shirodaira Kyou, Mizuno Eita and all.

The funeral is strange.

The sun is shining bright and birds are chirping in the blooming trees. Kousuke is sweating in his smart dark suit, and he keeps mumbling under his breath while trying to loosen his tight collar in a way that would neither suffocate him nor make him look disrespectful. Because he's never been big on tradition and formal rules, but the last thing he wants is to look disrespectful right now.

Ryouko looks up from the buttercup flowers she's fixing in the ribbons of Rio's pigtails just long enough to send him a short, stern glare, and the boy stops fidgeting. Rio smiles in the sunlight and waves, with her hand holding a bouquet of chrysanthemums, at Eyes walking up to them. He smiles back, a small but honest smile, and says : "It's time."

They nod and follow him. Kousuke starts messing with his collar again, and freezes when Eyes catches him but the pianist doesn't even frown the slightest bit. Instead, he asks : "Why don't you leave it open if it bothers you ? We don't need you to choke, never mind how much some of us would appreciate it."

Kousuke opens his mouth to say something about disrespect, then closes it and tugs his collar open. He knows Kanone would never have minded.

Narumi Ayumu is there, waiting for them by the brand-new gravestone. He's not too close, so as not to look like he's imposing and to show he doesn't mean to intrude — yet close enough to let them know that he's there on purpose.

"Hizumi's not allowed out," he says, "else he'd have come. He's really sorry."

"I know," Eyes simply answers, and no one seems surprised by the lack of bitterness in his calm voice.

Ayumu nods, curt yet the tiniest bit apologetic. "He wanted me to bring this, though," he adds, handing him a plain white envelope.

Eyes accepts it silently and slowly flips it around, examining it carefully. It's sealed and all the writing says is 'to Kanone Hilbert'.

Eyes extends his arm in Kousuke's direction without even glancing at him, and the boy wordlessly produces a lighter from a pocket. And winces when Ryouko stares at him with a deep frown. "No, I don't smoke, but it comes in handy sometimes, you know ?"

"It does," Eyes simply agrees, giving him the letter.

Kousuke steps forward and sets the paper aflame above the gravestone, before dropping it and watching it burn to ashes. The small pile is stirred by a light gust of wind and some of it is picked up, flown away on a warm breeze ; it's kind of fitting.

Rio has brought flowers of all colours except white and black ; zinnias, forget-me-nots, carnations, poppies, pansies and periwinkles, and no irises. Some of them she's wearing in her hair or pinned to her summer dress — she made a necklace out of heather and she stands on her tiptoes to slip a small azalea in Ayumu's buttonhole. Among the bouquets, Kousuke sets down one of Kanone's favourite stuffed cats that he found laying around when he went to empty the old apartment, sitting up next to a small glass figurine of a bird taking flight which Ryouko bought the day she got out from hospital. Eyes has brought no gift, but he raises his fingers to his mouth and presses them to the name engraved in cold stone.

There isn't any testimony or speech. Eyes only whispers "see you, brother" when he leaves, last.

Rio says she'll be back for Obon ; Ryouko can promise no such thing because of her competitions, but Kousuke does. Eyes just nods, not seeming to remember or to care that he's leaving for a tour in Europe next week.

"Give my greetings to Hizumi," he tells Ayumu when they exit the cemetary.

"Of course. He'd like it if you visited him one of these days, by the way, he's getting quite bored." Ayumu rolls his eyes and the older pianist almost snorts. "Well then, I'll be on my way now — oh, and before I forget," he adds, suddenly turning to Rio. "If you tell me next time you're around, I'll try and remember to bring melon."

The girl grins eagerly and coos while he pats her head with a small amused smile, before taking his leave.

The rest of them follow Eyes to his penthouse and collapse on the couch, Ryouko leaning on Kousuke and Rio's head in her lap, gray hair and yellow flowers splaying over her and Kousuke's thighs. Eyes sits at his piano, back very straight yet relaxed, and starts playing.

He doesn't play 'Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude', but he thinks he might add it to the répertoire of his next concert.