So originally I was going to write twenty chapters but I thought that this might be a nice ending so it's nineteen chapters now. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter Nineteen :: An Unexpected Ending

Kyoko stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at Chiori, "Excuse me," she said nervously as Chiori nodded. Kyoko paused as she reached the area where the four were talking. Kuu ran his hand through his hair for like the sixth time that conversation and Julie had her head tilted and resting on her husband's shoulder.

"Do you have any idea..." Yashiro began before falling silent, that last night Kuon had seemed a little off. He felt something like this might happen but also pushed that off as a nightmare, Kuon had to have more will power than that, yet at the same time as he thought about it although Ren had had more will power, more determination, more drive that didn't mean Kuon did.

"I don't want to think about it," Julie whispered, "My baby..." she broke off into sobs as Kyoko got to the point where she could hear them.

"When's the funeral set?" Lory asked Kuu, "Do you need any help arranging it?"

"We wanted to do it in America where they'd allow us to have the body, but we'd like to take the urn here entrust it with you, LME was his home more than America we know that much," Kuu replied as Julie broke down again. "I mean...I was fearing that he would but...I didn't want to think he'd actually do it the first day."

"It's hard for anyone to predict," Yashiro told them feeling that Lory was taking over this conversation from Japan's side and he was just background.

Kyoko froze looking between them, the word funeral scared her and she wondered whether Kuon had been beat up by the gangs that he had apparently insulted or if there had been an accident but the four people didn't seem to notice her presence.

"It's hard when any member of the family kills themselves," Lory said with a frown, a look cf complete misery on his face as Kyoko blinked. It had to be someone else...please let it be someone else. "For Kuon to shoot himself in the head."

Kyoko froze, every bone in her body feeling ice cold as she stared between the people. "What?" she asked them nervously. At that all four people turned to look at her, "Is what you're saying correct...that Kuon-san is no longer on this earth? That he has in fact gone to hell?"

Julie jumped back slightly surprised about that, "I wouldn't...s-say he's gone there," she whispered as Kyoko looked down.

"Suicide is a crime," she whispered, "It's also easily preventable...or not so easy depending on the person. Why didn't he attend therapy?"

"It was the first day Kyoko," Kuu said using a slightly harder tone than he meant to towards the girl who was breaking down into tears, "We had thought about it, we were going to try but...he..."

"It's too late Kyoko-chan," Yashiro replied, "I'm sorry..."

Kyoko let the tears slip down her face as she turned to leave. "And after I'd learnt to finally love again...he abandons me." With that she left before anyone could stop her.

One Month Later

Kyoko lay on a bench, holding Corn and trying to close her heart again but it wasn't working, whereas she had turned cold and vengeful towards Shoutaro when he had left her, she couldn't harbor those feelings towards Kuon. As she lay there, one arm dropping off of the bench and the other covering her eyes with Corn held in it she felt something wet against her hand.

Blinking she smiled at a tiny puppy who was licking her before hearing it bark at her, "Corn?" she asked as the puppy barked again. Looking up she saw the owner and sighed. "Go back to her," she whispered as the puppy growled and then barked at her.

"Aww he seems to like you," the owner called as she looked at the golden retriever, "Would you like to keep him? I have too many of them right now," she said looking back at the four other puppies she was walking. "His name's Ren."

"Ren?" Kyoko sat up straighter and the puppy jumped into her lap, "How old is he?"

"He's about one month old, one month exactly," she said as Kyoko blinked. That's the time that Kuon died.

"Yes," she nodded, "He reminds me of someone I love."

"Oh you have another dog?" the girl asked, "Ren's really friendly, quite a gentleman."

"Once upon a time," Kyoko replied as she cuddled Corn tighter.

The End