A/N- For those of you who actually wanted to know how this story ended, I apologize for the delay. However, due to the delay, I believe the ending turned out better, even if it was depressing to write some parts of it.

Note: Remember that Sora, Riku and Kairi are in their early twenties in this story. Any inconsistencies with the previous two chapters will be fixed eventually (meaning I'll go back and edit, and maybe edit this one as well).

Disclaimer: I don't own anything form the Kingdom Hearts series.

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At the Twilight City hospital…

Axel and Kairi had been separated into different emergency rooms, Axel being put in a room with Marluxia and Larxene, as their injuries were not as life threatening. There had still been no word where Riku was. Demyx thought that he may have been injured, but no one had remained at his house. This meant that it was more than likely that Riku may have been pursuing whoever had started the attack.

Once their injuries had been seen to, Axel, Larxene, and Marluxia were left in a hospital room to rest and recover from their ordeal. Marluxia and Larxene soon drifted to sleep, but Axel had remained awake. He was still feeling guilty, and hoping against hope that Kairi would be all right with his last minute decision with the item he had given her before they had left his house.

"Axel? Is that you?"

Axel started at the softly spoken question, and sat up in bed, glancing to his right. In a bed next to a window lay Zexion, who was looking back at him calmly. "Hey, I didn't know they put us in the same room." Axel paused, rubbing the back of his neck, looking sheepish, "You feel any better? Demyx made it out like you were at death's door by the way his voice sounded."

Zexion left out a strained chuckle, "Earlier that may have been the case, but I was extremely fortunate." Zexion touched a hand to the side of his head, where it was wrapped in bandages. The slate-haired man smiled wryly, "The doctor told me I was very lucky. If it had been an inch or two in any direction from where I had been hit, I could have been killed instantly."

"Jeez…" Axel grumbled, running a hand over his face, "Did you figure out who those crazy bastards were?" He hoped that the police would torture the criminals they had apprehended or something like that.

Zexion lay back down in bed on his side with a slight sigh, avoiding touching the aching back of his head with the pillow, "The people that cornered Demyx and myself were most likely part of the same group that had been seen harassing Sora about gaining access to a top secret project in the corporate building he worked at. It appears to be the case, because it seems that Sora had overheard some of this groups' conversations about the project. Therefore, they likely assumed that Sora knew how to gain access, though I somehow doubt it. Then again, people like the ones who attacked us don't always make sense." Zexion fell silent as the hospital room door opened.

"Zexion! You're awake!" Demyx's happy exclamation could be heard before the person the voice belonged to appeared in the room. Demyx's mullet/mohawk styled hair was in disarray as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey Demyx." Axel said, completely unfazed by Demyx's sudden appearance, "Did you have any luck finding Riku?"

Demyx crossed the room, shaking his head in response. Before he could reach Zexion and Axel's beds, a pillow flew through the air to smack him right in the face. Demyx stumbled backwards into a wall, "Oww…" Demyx rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the wall, and then his face where the pillow had struck him, before pouting at the pillow thrower.

An irate Larxene glared at Demyx from her own bed, "Don't make me get out of bed and smack you."

"S…Sorry…" Demyx apologized in a small voice, wondering how Marluxia was able to deal with her. They lived together, after all. It was a wonder that neither of them had killed or injured the other yet.

Larxene cast a glare in Axel and Zexion's direction, before getting out of bed and going over to Marluxia's. Larxene poked Marluxia until he mumbled something sleepily and rolled over to make room on the bed. Larxene snuggled under the covers, and once comfortable against Marluxia's back, sent a final glare at the other males in the room before settling down to sleep.

Demyx moved quietly over to Zexion's bed, and, without warning, threw himself onto Zexion in a hug, drawing a grunt of surprise from the smaller male, "I'm so sorry Zexion! I should have done something! I should have been paying better attention to my surroundings!"

Zexion wriggled beneath Demyx's lanky frame, trying to free himself, "It's all right Demyx." Zexion said in a strained voice, not appreciating the unnecessary movement of his head and body in general.

Axel managed a weak laugh, "Let go of him, Demyx. Let him breathe."

Demyx abruptly let go and sat down on a nearby chair, cheeks reddening in embarrassment, "Sorry." He looked at Zexion anxiously, hoping that he was forgiven.

Zexion shook his head as he settled back down, "It's fine…"

Demyx, after making sure that Zexion was all right, and that he was forgiven for his spontaneous action, he turned to Axel, "I'm glad that you guys aren't too badly hurt." Demyx trailed off, wilting under Axel's intense gaze, "W…What is it Axel?"

Something had been nagging at Axel since he and Kairi had met Demyx at his home. "What were you going to say earlier? You looked like you wanted to say something after Kairi had said that she was hoped that Sora would be all right." Axel asked tonelessly, staring at Demyx unblinkingly. He felt uneasy for some reason.

Demyx twiddled his thumbs, looking away from Axel, "Oh, ah…ahahaha…that is…um…well…"

"Demyx…" Axel said warningly.

Demyx got up and hugged Zexion again, drawing a faint sound of protest from the injured man, "Lexaeus…he told me that the people he had sent out…found Sora…"

Axel stared at the back of Demyx's head. No, it couldn't be… "And?" Axel prompted lowly, almost not wanting to know, but needing to hear it anyway.

Demyx buried his face against Zexion's chest, "They…they found him dead. Lexaeus learned that Sora refused to help the group gain access to the top secret project, even though he didn't even really know much about it. Sora only knew what he had overhead the group who wanted to steal it knew about it."

Zexion wriggled free, and Demyx cried into the blankets instead. Zexion sighed, patting Demyx lightly on the head, while trying to ignore his own throbbing head, "It seems that it wasn't the answer the group desired. Did Lexaeus learn anything else?"

Demyx mumbled some incoherent words (in Axel's opinion) but Zexion apparently understood him.

"The group was targeting Kairi because they thought that she might have known about their arguments with Sora." Zexion interpreted for Axel.

Demyx nodded glumly in agreement into the blankets and sheets, sniffing.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." Zexion said, as Demyx tilted his head to the side to see who it was.

The door opened, revealing Lexaeus, who entered the room.

"Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you got to after taking Zexion and me to the hospital," Demyx stated.

Axel realized that Lexaeus appeared uneasy, "What's up?"

Lexaeus shook his head in irritation, "The three who were apprehended by the police managed to escape while being taken to the station.

"What?" Axel exclaimed, rising out of bed abruptly and startling Demyx. Axel's next statement was smothered by a pillow to his face.

A peeved Larxene sent a death glare at the red head, "Shut up already!"

Axel threw the pillow back at her with a snarl, "You shut up! The assholes that attacked us got away!" Axel rounded on Lexaeus, "Where are they? Where did those bastards go?"

Lexaeus was momentarily taken aback at Axel's sudden rage, but managed an answer, "It appears that they've fled to the warehouse across from the corporate building Sora worked at. The police are gathering their forces and will raid them soon."

Axel was already finished changing out of a hospital gown and into some nearby clothes by the time Lexaeus had finished speaking. Axel ran out of the room with a limp, a look of determination his face.

Zexion shook his head despairingly, "Lexaeus? Would you please go with him and make sure that he doesn't get himself killed. Kairi will be upset to hear about Sora's untimely demise. She doesn't need anyone else leaving her life so soon."

Lexaeus nodded, "I will go." He turned and rushed out of the room after Axel.

Demyx sat down on Axel's now empty hospital bed, a worried expression on his face, "Will he be all right?"

Zexion managed a faint shrug, "As long as he doesn't do anything too rash…" Zexion let out another sigh, "Which he will most certainly act in anyway." Zexion gasped as a pillow hit him with deadly accuracy from across the room, causing pain to flare through his head as the world spun out of focus for a moment.

Larxene was half out of bed, another pillow in her hand ready to throw, "Are you going to be quiet yet? I have a damn headache and I don't need you idiots babbling and making it worse!"

"Calm down, Larxene," Marluxia murmured, his uninjured hand reaching up and grasping Larxene's nearest arm, in an attempt to keep her from causing anyone else anymore injury.

"…Fine, but if they wake me up…" Larxene trailed off, letting the warning linger as she shot Demyx and Zexion a look of pure evil, before settling down in bed again.

Marluxia patted her arm sleepily, "Yes, yes, you'll make them rue the day they were born, call them horrible names and use them in target practice."

Larxene turned and gave Marluxia a kiss on the cheek, "Like I said, as long as they're quiet…"

Zexion made himself comfortable in bed again, in no mood to deal with an angry Larxene. At least Marluxia had put an arm around her back in an attempt to keep her from rising and causing trouble.

Demyx lay down on Axel's abandoned bed, hugging a pillow to his chest. He was afraid to make any noise at all, lest Larxene make good on her threats. He'd seen what Larxene was capable of, and he didn't fancy seeing what would happen to him. Demyx closed his eyes. He was, however, a little distracted by the thought of where Riku could have gotten to.

xxx

Axel hadn't even bothered looking for a vehicle on his way out of the hospital. He was on a one-track mind as he walked swiftly along the sidewalk, his injured leg seemingly forgotten. Axel hadn't even realized that Lexaeus was following after him. Axel passed by the ruins of Kairi's house fifteen minutes later, and within a half hour arrived outside the corporate building that Sora had worked at. Axel halted, staring at the abandoned warehouse across the street. So that was where those guys had run off to.

"Axel, what do you think you are doing?" Lexaeus asked, "It would probably be a very good idea to wait for the police."

Axel began to cross the street, "Yeah, you do that, but I'm going in. I can't forgive them for what they've done to Kairi and to Sora!"

Lexaeus watched as Axel reached the warehouse doors and snuck into it. Lexaeus took out his cell phone and dialed the police, hoping that the police were already on their way.

xxx

Axel kept to the shadows as he made his way around the warehouse. It did appear to be abandoned, but Axel wasn't so sure. On the way in, he had found a flamethrower, and had brought it along with him despite the added weight. Axel crept behind a few storage containers, hiding behind them as he peered around them cautiously. Thirty feet away stood a group of people who were arguing amongst themselves. He recognized those who had attacked Demyx's house, and turned the flamethrower on. They wouldn't be arguing for much longer.

With a deep breath, Axel threw himself from behind the containers, and put the flamethrower on full blast, "Eat this you dirty bastards!" Flames erupted from the end of the torch, heading right for the stunned group of men, whose arguments were forgotten by the sight.

xxx

Demyx had escaped the hospital room and Larxene's irritability, deciding to go and check on Kairi. The hospital staff should know by now if Kairi was going to be all right or not. The nurse had allowed Demyx inside with a smile, which he took as a good sign. Demyx approached Kairi's bed nervously, hoping that she was fine. Demyx brightened up instantly when he saw that Kairi was awake and sitting up.

Kairi smiled when she spotted Demyx, "Oh Demyx, I'm glad to see that you're all right."

"And you are too. Everyone was really worried," Demyx responded, sinking down into a chair in relief. If only Axel had come to check on Kairi, he wouldn't be in danger of being hurt again.

Kairi touched the bandages beneath her shirt, "The doctor said I was very lucky. He said that if I hadn't been wearing the bulletproof vest, I probably wouldn't have made it."

"Bulletproof vest?" Demyx echoed, tilting his head in a questioning gesture.

Kairi nodded, "Yes, I didn't recognize it at first when Axel had me put it on at his house. All I have are some bruises and one partially cracked rib." Kairi paused, looking around the room, "By the way, where is Axel? I wanted to thank him." Kairi turned back to Demyx, who now looked uncomfortable. She frowned a little, "Demyx, where is he?"

Demyx avoided eye contact, "He…he went after the people that attacked us. They escaped from the police and went to their hideout in the warehouse across from where Sora works…" Demyx clapped a hand over his mouth and swore under his breath, quickly turning his attention to Kairi, who had risen out of the hospital bed. Demyx hurried over to the door and planted himself in front of it, "You can't go after him Kairi. You might get hurt!"

Kairi smiled sweetly at Demyx, "You don't have to worry about me so much Demyx. I'll be fine."

Demyx shook his head several times, "No, I won't let you!"

"Demyx…" Kairi said with a strained smile, approaching Demyx, who had plastered himself against the door.

Minutes later Kairi hurried out of the hospital, hoping that she would be able to reach Axel before he did anything stupid. Even Sora wouldn't have acted so rashly, and wanted to make sure that Axel wouldn't get himself injured.

Back inside the hospital, a bound and gagged Demyx struggled to free himself. He hadn't known Kairi could be so scary. Just when he was about to give up, a shadow fell over him and the gag was removed. Demyx glanced up and let out a gasp, "Riku! Where have you been?"

Riku shook his head, "I was trying to find those people that attacked you all. I lost track of them and came here." Riku looked over Demyx's head at the empty hospital room, and his eyes widened. Riku's gaze went to Demyx, teal eyes fierce, "Where is Kairi? The nurse said she was in this room!"

"She…she went after Axel. Those guys that attacked us? Their hideout is the warehouse across from where Sora used to work…" Demyx clamped his mouth shut as a look of shock crossed Riku's features, the past tense not escaping his notice.

"Sora's…gone? They killed him?" Riku asked numbly, the pain and loss evident in his voice as he choked out the question.

Demyx nodded, unable to say anything. Riku would have found out eventually, but Demyx didn't think that it would be a good idea for Riku to chase after them in case he ended up injured or dead as well.

Riku turned away, his expression now unreadable, "Does Kairi know?"

"No…I…I couldn't tell her…" Demyx responded in a small voice.

Riku took a shuddering breath, "Sora told me...that he was going to propose to her, you know, after he got his promotion. That would've been tomorrow." Riku clenched a fist, and Demyx shrank against the chair he was tied against at the look of fury and pain that had entered Riku's eyes. Without another word, Riku sprinted out of view, and it was only then that Demyx realized that he was still tied up. Demyx's voice echoed after Riku, "Hey! You forgot to untie me!"

Riku didn't hear him. He had let Kairi down. He hadn't been able to protect Sora. Riku grit his teeth. He wasn't going to let these people get away with harming his friends without answering to him. They were going to regret what they had done to Sora, and in turn, to Kairi. Even now Riku was desperately trying to push beck the memory of Sora excitedly showing him the rings that he had bought, and how Sora had been embarrassed that he had waited for so long and hoped that Kairi would still say yes and marry him when he would come home that day after being promoted.

xxx

Kairi skirted by Lexaeus without being seen, as he was lost in an argument with someone on the other end of the phone. Kairi went into the warehouse, and felt her way along in the dark. Faint light streamed up ahead, and Kairi could now make out large storage containers. Soon, she began to hear low voices arguing, before she heard a distinct voice cut through the mostly quiet warehouse.

"Eat this you dirty bastards!"

"Axel…" Kairi murmured worriedly, moving toward the source of the voices. Why was Axel attacking people? Shouldn't he let the police deal with them? Kairi peered around the containers and saw Axel torching anything within reach, animate or inanimate, anger etched on his face

The men were shouting at one another, trying to avoid the flames and deal with the one who had started it. "Get him Xigbar!" A blond man shouted, scrambling backwards from the flames.

The man wearing the eye patch, Xigbar, fumbled for his gun as Axel drew closer with the flamethrower.

Kairi heard someone breaking into the warehouse, and assumed that it was the police. Kairi turned back and saw that Axel was too distracted to notice that he was being targeted by someone else, a white haired man with blue tinted tips. Kairi dashed out from her hiding place toward the red-head, "Look out Axel!"

Axel turned the flamethrower off, shocked yet pleased that Kairi appeared to be unharmed. Then, he let out a gasp as the situation they were in sunk in, "Kairi? What are you doing here? Are you crazy?"

"Ansem!" Xigbar yelled over the flames flicking at flammable crates, cursing as he realized that his gun was stuck in its holster.

The white haired man, Ansem, aimed the gun at Kairi instead, a nasty smile on his face.

Riku suddenly came out of nowhere with a cry of fury at the sight of a gun aimed at Kairi. Riku knocked Ansem over, causing the gun to go flying out of his hand. Ansem snarled in fury and started to grapple with Riku, straining to recover his gun.

Axel rushed towards Kairi as Riku and Ansem went rolling out of sight. Kairi hurried toward him, stumbling as a gunshot rang out. Axel caught her and fell to the ground with her, and this time Axel could tell that it wasn't good. Axel heard Riku let out a cry of pain, and Xigbar swearing as Axel rolled and threw himself on top of Kairi as more gunshots rang out. This time, however, the bullets were being fired by the police, who had finally arrived.

Once things had gone silent, Axel sat up and cradled Kairi gently, choking back a gasp as he felt warmth against Kairi's back. She hadn't worn the bullet proof vest. Blood was seeping from between Axel's fingers as he tried to staunch the blood flow. "Hang on; I'll get you to the hospital." Axel murmured as he carried Kairi out of the burning building and out into the breezy evening. Stars dotted the sky as they danced around the full moon.

"Axel!"

Axel turned and saw Riku hurrying toward them, his upper left arm being clutched by his right. Axel avoided Riku's gaze and muttered, "She was hit. We need to get her to a hospital."

Axel and Riku froze as Kairi coughed and struggled for breath as she snuggled up against Axel's chest. She smiled faintly as she gazed up at the sky. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Axel glanced up at the sky, swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes, it is."

Kairi gripped Axel's shirt loosely, "It's a bit cold out, isn't it?"

Riku clenched a fist again as Axel closed his eyes, breathing in deeply in an attempt to calm down. It was a warm evening. Axel began to walk as fast as he dared, Riku keeping pace along side him, sadness replacing the anger in his eyes. Where was the ambulance?

"Axel?"

"Hmm?" Axel came to a halt, his injured leg finally beginning to hurt. He doubted that he could make it all the way to the hospital without his leg giving out.

Kairi smiled faintly up at him, "I'm glad you're not hurt."

Axel swallowed roughly, "You will be fine too." Please, please let an ambulance appear. He thought silently.

"Riku? Is he okay? I thought I saw him there too."

Riku moved closer so that Kairi could see him and managed a smile, "I'm right here. I'm fine."

"That's good. You and Axel really are reckless…" Kairi tilted her head up at Axel, "What about…Sora? Did anyone find him?"

Axel couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. He didn't want to see her sad. Riku, who stood nearby, couldn't say anything either. However, had Kairi seen the haunted look in Riku's eyes, she would have known in an instant what had happened to Sora. Hating himself for it, Axel lied, "Yeah, Sora managed to get out of the city. He was planning on coming back as soon as he could."

"I hope he'll be here soon," Kairi aid softly, closing her eyes.

"Kairi?" Riku questioned, his voice cracking. He couldn't take this. He couldn't lose his two best friends. A few tense moments passed before Kairi responded.

Kairi opened her eyes and gazed through blurry eyes up at Axel, seemingly not seeing Riku looking over Axel's shoulder worriedly. Kairi smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "Sora…it's you. Axel said you'd come to see me. I'm sorry I was angry at you when you went to work."

Riku looked away, dreading what was surely to happen. He couldn't take much more of this. It felt like his heart was being crushed.

Axel held back his own tears. Kairi thought he was Sora, which meant she must be close to slipping away. He decided to play along, wanting her final moments to be happy. "It's not your fault. I didn't want you to become involved. I'm the one who should be sorry."

Kairi shook her head, "We can both be sorry." Kairi reached up and brought a hand to rest on Axel's right cheek lightly, "Why are you being so formal, Sora? Don't you usually greet me with a kiss?"

Axel's heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. Him? Kiss Kairi? He exchanged glances with Riku, who nodded his head slightly before looking away again, his emotions in turmoil. Axel turned his gaze back down to Kairi. She didn't look too well, and probably wouldn't make it to the hospital, even if an ambulance turned up now. Axel, after a moment's hesitation, leaned forward and brought his lips to Kairi's in a soft, tender kiss. Kairi tried her best to return it, her strength fading quickly. Axel pulled away and looked down at Kairi. She was smiling faintly, her attention over Axel's shoulder.

"Oh, hi Riku. Didn't know you were here. Make sure Sora gets home after work? He stays up late…" Kairi closed her eyes, "I'm tired Sora…" She took a deep breath and when she let it out, she said something softly before going limp in Axel's arms.

Tears dropped onto Kairi's face as Axel took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered, "I love you too, Kairi…"

Only Axel would never know if she had still been talking to Sora, or if she had had a moment of clarity, and had actually been speaking to him.

Riku's face was full of pain as he looked disbelievingly over Axel's shoulder at Kairi's peaceful face, "Is she..?" He choked, unable to accept what he was seeing.

Axel, however, could say nothing, in as much shock as Riku was, and it had nothing to do with their injuries.

Xxx

Sora and Kairi's funeral was held in the afternoon the next day, and many showed up, from co-workers to family to friends and even a few acquaintances who had only met them in passing. Even though Demyx couldn't see them, he knew that Axel and Riku were listening in nearby. Demyx sighed sadly. Kairi's death had been hard on Axel, but Sora and Kairi's deaths were hardest on Riku, who had grown up with them since they were children. Demyx hoped that they would talk to their friends and not suffer alone in silence.

From a nearby tree, Axel and Riku stood watching the funeral, but neither could bring themselves to come any closer until everyone, including Demyx and Zexion, had left.

Axel and Riku both approached the graves slowly, as if expecting to see one or both of the deceased come back. Axel knelt before both of the graves, while Riku stayed back a bit further, the silver haired young man still not fully comprehending his friends' deaths.

Axel bowed his head, "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect her, Sora. I tried. I really did. And I'm also sorry that you never really liked me. We might have been able to be friends...who knows…" Axel drifted off and gazed at Kairi's name etched into the stoned grave marker, "Kairi…I don't know whether you meant me or Sora yesterday night, but I do love you. I just knew that it would never work out, so I never asked you out or anything." Axel placed a tiny flower on top of the grave and stood up.

Axel stared down at the flower, "I am sorry, I did my best. Maybe we'll meet again sometime…" Axel walked away from the graves and retreated to where Riku was standing, and waited as he went forward to pay his respects to his friends' graves.

Xxx

Three months had passed since Kairi had died, and Axel was staying at Riku's house while he figured out what he was going to do about getting another place of his own. He hadn't known at the time that the group that had attacked him had destroyed his house as well. Axel was currently by himself, as Riku had checked himself into the hospital, feeling depressed and suicidal. Their deaths had hit him especially hard, and Riku had been having a difficult time getting on with his life when many things around him ended up reminding him of his lost friends. However, Riku knew that Kairi and Sora wouldn't have wanted him to do himself harm, and had let Axel have free reign of his house while he was gone.

It was late afternoon when Axel went to visit Kairi's grave. He was about to leave when he noticed Demyx approaching him. Demyx gazed down at Sora and Kairi's graves for a moment, before turning to Axel, "I've been trying to get a hold of you, but you weren't answering your calls." Demyx rummaged around in a pocket and took a small necklace out of his pocket and passed it over to Axel, who accepted it silently. "The doctor found that with Kairi the day she died. You recognize it, don't you? You were the one who gave it to her." Demyx laughed, this one genuine, "Oh, we all thought it was a great joke to make Sora jealous, but Kairi must have thought otherwise if she kept it with her all these years." Demyx fell silent as he heard Zexion calling to him from a distance.

"Oh, gotta go. Come hang out with us sometime, all right? You and Riku need to mingle with the living." Demyx began to walk away, but paused and looked over his shoulder at Axel, who was still staring at the necklace, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. When Kairi left the hospital to go find you, she said that if she hadn't been seeing Sora…" Demyx broke off and looked away to compose himself, "Kairi said that she…she would have liked to have been with you." Demyx fell silent and shuffled his feet, "Talk to you tomorrow, all right?" Seeing the faint nod, Demyx left Axel alone.

Axel stepped forward and looped the necklace around a bottle of flowers, smiling sadly. Then, without a word, he turned and trailed after Demyx.

Two butterflies, one pale pink, the other pale blue, landed on the charm, wings fluttering as the wind gently buffeted the necklace.

The late afternoon sun blazed down, causing the necklace to shine brightly. No voices could be heard, only the slight howling of the wind, and the tiny butterflies movements.

The denizens of the graves found final rest and peace amongst loved ones, as the butterflies moved on, twirling around one another as they moved on with their lives.

xxxxxxxxxx

A/N- I finally finished this story! It took me long enough. Ugh

And since this is angst/tragedy, there was more violence/death for the M rating, and not as much romance, as the circumstances didn't really permit it.

I'd forgotten all about how sad the ending was. It would have been even sadder if I had kept it the way it was (where Axel and Riku die too) but adding more of Riku into the story changed it. Yeah, don't know what else to say other than: here it is, the ending of the story that took me way too many years to finish.