This is the Epilogue. The end is finally here. Took me friggin' long enough!
~blah~ = thoughts, "blah" = talk
This is my first GW fic series, there is violence, strong language and it has the yaoi pairings of Heero & Duo and Quatre & Trowa. So if you don't like male/male pairings, then don't read this, or pretend that Quatre and Duo are chicks. Okay?

Eternity of Blood

Epilogue

By: Top Ace

The nightmare was over.

And I collapsed to the ground, the feeling of relief overwhelming everything else. I walked a bit unsteadily towards Heero, Shinigami and Hilde. Heero came over and put my arm around his shoulder and put his arm around my waist to balance me. I looked at Shinigami. His wound... there was no returning from a wound like that.

"Shin... Father..."

He chuckled, and gestured for me to come closer. "My son... Duo... I regret... having not spent more time with you..."
"Me too."
"I have something to give to you."
"What is it?"

Shinigami closed his eyes and held up his right hand. A sphere of pure blue light appeared. [1] He handed it to me. "Take this, my power, and my title as Shinigami, God of the Dead."

"I... I can't..."
"Dammit, I trained you to be my heir. You can't back out now!"

I smiled, and took the ball of power. I looked at it, and then I came up with a decision.

"How about I share this?"

Shinigami asked, "With who?"

I offered the ball to none other than... Hilde. "Hilde, you've always been like a sister to me. We might as well share the power like siblings should."

You all thought I was going to give it to Heero, didn't you? But Hilde really deserved it. She could manage the Shadow Lands; she was a good leader and she had organizing skills that nearly surpassed Quatre's. Besides, I was planning on staying above ground, thank you. While Heero is my lover and all, I don't think he would have liked to be separated from me all the time. So Hilde was the most logical choice.

Hilde looked up at me, shock written all over her face. She looked from me, to the sphere, then back to me. A smile cracked her face, and she held up her hands. "Sure, BROTHER, why not?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shinigami smile as we both put our hands on the sphere and its power surged through us. It was like being the ZERO system all over again...

I don't remember passing out, but I must have. I also didn't feel it when Shinigami passed on. I must have been out cold when he did. I think he made me pass out on purpose. I probably would have done the same thing; I wouldn't want my son to feel my death. However, the after effects of his death still touched me, like the ripples in a pond. You might not have felt the initial impact, but the waves that came from it still hit you.

I looked over at his dead body, and knew that now, I was well and truly an orphan. I tried not to cry, but a stray tear fell anyways. Warm fingers wiped it away. I sat up and looked at Heero. He looked normal. I mean, before the car accident that started all of this insanity. I silently wondered why.

~The power of resurrection...~

I heard Shinigami's voice coming to me from the other side. I knew he wasn't gone completely.

"Father..."

~Duo, with the power you have gained, you can fully resurrect Heero. He can be human again...~
"I sense a 'but' coming."
~Heh. Yes, there is a drawback. All the memories, all the events that have come to pass while he has been a vampire will be erased. He won't remember anything.~
"Dammit."

Hilde and Heero looked at me strangely, as if I was talking to myself. Then I realized that it did seem like I was talking to myself, because they couldn't hear Shinigami. Only I could, and only I could decide Heero's fate. What a decision. I drew Heero over to me, and we sat across from each other, staring into each other's eyes. I imagined the times, the memories, the time on the dining room table when I took his virginity and made him mine...

No. I couldn't erase those memories. I gingerly touched his cheek, and he leaned into my touch, his eyes closing and a small smile lighting his face. I didn't want to start all over again. I didn't care about the fact that he was still unstable. I wanted him the way he was, the way... the way I had made him. It was kind of a selfish decision, so I took a deep breath and asked him.

"Heero... I can make you alive again. I can make you human again."
"No."
"You didn't even hear the drawback, and you already have your answer?"
"Vampires can read minds, remember?"

I had forgotten... again. So he knew... his memories would be erased. "So... you want to keep me as your master?"
"Of course, baka."

I smiled at his little pet name for me. Of course, it meant idiot in Japanese, but I kinda liked it. I pulled him into my arms for a warm hug. He hugged me back, and we sat like that, enjoying each other's embrace.

"Ahem."
"Whoops. Sorry Hilde, guess I got carried away in the moment. You want me to resurrect you?"
"Nah, I kinda like having powers. Besides, if you resurrect me, who's gonna take care of the Shadow Lands?"
"Yeah... eh? How...?"
"Mind reading, remember? Besides, Shinigami told me while you guys were fighting. Said it was a lovely place. Kinda dark with lots of strange creatures. Sounds good to me."

I laughed at Hilde's last remark. Things were finally beginning to look up. But where were the others? Were they okay? I quickly got up.

"Oh crap! The guys! Where...? Never mind."

As I was panicking, Trowa and Quatre walked in, supporting a beaten and battered Wufei.

"Hey you guys, did we miss all the fun?" Quatre asked.

I smiled, ran to hug them, and we all had a great reunion.

I looked back at Shinigami's body. It suddenly glowed greenish-blue, then dissipated into a million sparkling lights.

"Rest in peace, dad."

It's been five weeks. Five weeks of complete and utter boredom.

I finally got around to selling my apartment, and now Heero and I live in a house on the edge of town, not far away from Quatre's mansion and Wufei's house. We all got together on occasion to relax and enjoy each other's company. The girls didn't seem to mind. In fact, I think they had their own agenda.

On a nice day at the end of July, Hilde came to visit. It wasn't exactly unexpected; she entered my dreams the night before to tell me. I guess she really is starting to act like Shinigami, since she did take his title and all. When I opened the door, she had a cloak, loose black pants and a black tank top. She had a smirk on her face. I knew she was up to something.

"What do you want?"
"What a way to greet your sister."
"Ha ha, very funny. C'mere!"

She tackled me, and we crashed to the ground, laughing. We got back up and we went to the living room. I tossed her a coke. "So, how are things goin'?"
"Pretty well. Under my control, the Shadow Lands are becoming a prosperous place. I still haven't figured out all my powers yet, but the aides there are really helpful, and they respect me."
"That's good."

We sat and talked for a few hours before she had to leave again. She told me she'd warn me before she came to visit again. I waved goodbye as she disappeared. It was kinda weird, she was there one moment, and then blink! She was gone.

That night, I had a dream.

"Duo..."
"Dad?"

We were in that same field, with waist high grass and a small stream running through it. The sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A perfect day. I watched as Shinigami walked towards me, holding the hands of a beautiful woman. Her chestnut hair glimmered in the sunlight.

"M... mom?"
"Duo, my son... you're so beautiful."
I blushed. "There's so many things I want to say..."
"You don't need to say anything. We can talk as much as you want when the time comes."
"When the time...? Oh, when I pass away."
"That won't be for a while, but I can wait. I'm sorry I wasn't there to raise you, but I love you, as all parents love their children."
"It's okay mom, and I love you too, even though I've never met you."
"I'm glad that you've managed to take care of yourself."
"I... had a little help."
"You have no idea how much I worried about you, how much I wanted to rush to Earth and gather you into my arms... but the rules in heaven...
"It's okay, I understand."

She smiled, a smile like mine. It was so beautiful... I can see why Heero constantly calls me his 'Angel of Death' nowadays. My mother was the most beautiful angel I had ever seen. Well, I had only seen one real angel and that was her, but I was sure that no other angel was as pretty as her.

Shinigami coughed, bringing me back from my random musing.

"Son, we have to go now, but we came to visit you, just one last time. We'll see you again when your time comes, but until then, you take good care of yourself, and of the one you love." As he said those last few lines, he looked adoringly into my mother's eyes. They loved each other so much that their love was nearly tangible. It wove itself around me, and I breathed in the essence of their love. I just hoped Heero and I would have a love that would last forever and a day, like theirs.

They waved goodbye, and flew into the clouds. Once again, my parents had left me. But this time, it didn't feel so bad.

"See ya later, mom, dad. 'Till we meet again."

I woke up feeling happy, and not groggy. That was a miracle in of itself. Heero wondered why I was so cheerful. I told him about the dream. He just patted me on the head and got dressed. He didn't have to say anything; I knew he was happy for me.

After I had gotten dressed and eaten breakfast, I looked at the calendar in the kitchen. Today was a Saturday, the last day in the month of July. It was also one of my off days. I lounged back on the sofa and grabbed my game controller. Yes, I still had that game, Death's Story. I had played for an hour each Saturday, but today I finally decided I would beat the damn game and see the ending. Took me freaking long enough.

"Playing that game again?"
"Quiet Heero, I'm concentrating."
"Hn."

Three hours later, I finally had enough levels to beat Satan. I tossed the controller aside, sat back, and watched my hard earned ending. "It better be a good ending," I mumbled. Heero suddenly appeared and sat beside me, and pulled me into his arms.

"The ending?"
"Shhh. Watch."

The words scrolled up, as the image of the main character and the mysterious woman in a shroud appeared. "He became an archangel and met the real angel of death, the woman who had been giving him secret help all this time." The woman's shroud disappeared to reveal a skin tight black outfit, and her flowing brown hair and green eyes took up part of the screen. "He fell in love with her at that instant, and they lived happily ever after..." They kissed, and a large "THE END" scrolled up.

"Not a bad ending, eh koi?"
"Hn."
"You gotta admit, that was a pretty cool movie."
"Hn."
"Fine, see if I care."
"Duo?"
"Yes?"

He pointed to the coffee table. There was an advertisement for 'Death's Story 2: A New Life.' I smiled and cuddled up to Heero.

"So... are you going to get that for me for Christmas?"
"Baka."

[1]: It looks like a genki dama (spirit bomb) from Dragon Ball Z.

Wow, it's been a while... *looks at watch* Damn, it's been a long time... I wanna thank all my readers, I want to thank all those who replied and stayed with me this entire time... *bows* Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

Feel free to e-mail me your rants and raves, just don't cuss me out, okay?