|Moon's Note : This time on the top, 'cause I don't wanna disrupt the flow of the chapter. Well folks, this is the end. Gods, I'm getting all emotional over here. I hope you all liked the way it turned out. Small note : in the manga Karin graduates after the entire adventure (as well as that other thing, but I don't want to spoil in case some people don't know already), but because I might do a sequel one day, I had to give myself a little bit of room. I hope you don't mind too much.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. You are all awesome.

With Special thanks to :
Kishara-Hime, who gave me some much needed encouragement in the beginning by reviewing.
The Yoshinator, for never-ending support, which was always delivered short and sweet.
Amandalucia, who encouraged me to be more social with my readers.
CeruleanKiss, who really should watch out, because I'm sure this much cuteness is illegal.

And everybody else who has reviewed or even just read my story. I wish all of you the best of luck, and a very wonderful day!

|Maaka Residence, Two Weeks Later|

'We're home!' Junko shouted cheerily, throwing the double entrance doors wide open. Standing right next to her was Ren, hands shoved in his pockets. He still couldn't keep the smile from his face though. He gave Junko a pat on the head, admonishing her to be a little quieter.

'Junko!' Karin called out to her, rushing into her friend's arms. Junko caught the girl with a laugh, attempting to swing her around. Failing they bumped into Ren, who held the both of them upright with ease.

'I can never have an easy moment, can I?' he asked, trying to frown. He succeeded, somewhat. Until Junko grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down for a kiss.
'You big, grumpy vampire.' She said, full affection.

'Kyaah! So passionate!' Karin said, slapping her hands to her cheeks. The group was startled by Anju, who welcomed them home with a smile as well. 'You're late though. We were worried that the Brownricks had somehow gotten revenge on the both of you.'

'We got… side-tracked.' Junko explained with a blush as she scratched her cheek a little bit. Ren helped her out of her light coat, his expression unreadable. As she did so, the side of her neck became exposed, showing one set of bite marks that hadn't lessened at all. When Karin pointed them out, Junko shrugged.

'No need to worry about that. After all, it isn't like I have any bad aftereffects. And Ren says I taste just fine.' A tinge of pride colored her voice when she made that remark.

'Of course a good girl like you does!' A cheery voice suddenly sounded in her ears. Frail arms circled around Junko, grabbing her in a hug that would make a boa constrictor feel jealous. Long pinkish bit of hair made their way into her field of vision, adding more proof to who the person assaulting her at the moment was.

'Elda!' Junko choked out. Elda pulled her face close, surprising Junko by pressing a kiss on her cheek.

'I came back as soon as I could!' Elda announced. 'I thought those Brownricks would be more of a problem, but I had them whipped into submission pretty quick. Don't worry Junko, I even gave them some extra punishment for what they did to you.' The vampire woman added, giving Junko an affectionate pinch before switching over to Karin.

Junko massaged her throat, glad to be released from that death grip. She didn't know if she preferred an affectionate Elda all that much. She just barely managed to grab a disc flying through the air, grabbing at it in a panic. 'What's this?' she asked, surprised.

Elda looked at her with a smile as if she was a cat with a barrel of unguarded cream as she hugged Ren's arm tightly. 'That Glark… once I punched him around a bit he told me about the bet you guys made. I didn't waste any time in making him complete it, and I even figured out how to film it! That will really be something nice to watch, as often as we want.'

Junko smiled at that comment. Elda hadn't changed one bit. Carrera and Henry finally made their way to the entrance as well. 'Oh, it seems like everybody finally made their way back.' Carrera said, looking positively shocked when Elda hugged her as well.

'It's good to see that everybody came back from our little adventure without too much harm, isn't it?' Henry said, scratching the back of his head with a smile on his face. He looked at the teddy bear that Anju had managed to sneak into his mother's arms, but didn't comment on it. Junko noted that it was the same bear she had given Anju on the first day she had come into the house, but she didn't know why Elda was holding it at the moment.

Everybody chattered happily, energy spreading all across the room. Junko couldn't contain her laughter, talking excitedly along with the others. Suddenly Elda snuck an arm around her shoulders, pulling the girl closer.
'Say, now that I've approved of your relationship, when are you going to give me a great-grandchild?' she asked with a grin.

'Wha-what?' Junko moaned on the inside. 'Not you too!' she cried out in anguish. She had finally gotten away from all the fertility-crazed vampires!

'I want a cute one, you hear me? A cute girl with your gorgeous hair, and with my eyes. And Ren's nose.' Elda told her, tapping her nose with each requirement. 'Or, or… a handsome boy, with Ren's eyes, and James's hair! That would be a real heart-breaker right there. Junko, show me some family pictures of your side of the family, I need to know how cute that child will be exactly.'

'I don't think it works like that.' Junko tried to interject when Ren suddenly swooped her up. She threw her arms around his neck with a soft yelp.

'Don't start harassing her again, grandmother.' He told the older vampire as he started to walk away from her.

Elda immediately followed. 'No, I want to play with Junko! Give her back to me, Ren!' She pleaded.

'I'm not a toy!' Junko cried out in mock anger. 'Ren, run!' she told him. As her boyfriend obeyed a new round of mayhem spread in the Maaka house. For once the old house was filled with vibrant life.

|Fall|

'Karin, you'll be late for school!' Junko yelled up the stairs. The girl came bumbling down once again, managing to hit every part of the stairs in one way or another.

'Owwieee…' Karin complained, rubbing the top of her head. 'That really hurt.' She accepted her school bag from Junko gratefully, before getting back up to stand on her own two legs. 'Oh, I probably won't be able to say goodbye to you, right?' she asked, standing in the doorway. The sun poured inside the house, the weather already cooling down.

Junko nodded, untying her apron. 'Probably. We're leaving for the airport as soon as it's dark, since, well, you know.' She smiled, referring to the fact that her boyfriend was after all a vampire. 'But don't worry, we won't be gone for too long. We'll surely be back in time for your graduation.'

'But that's still a whole school year away!' Karin cried out. 'You'll come back in between those periods too, won't you? For New Year, and Christmas, and birthdays!'

Junko started to shove the girl outside the door with a good-natured smile. 'Of course, of course we will. Maybe even sooner, if your grandmother indeed sneaks along with us on the plane.' They wanted a vacation with just the two of them after all, not being encouraged by a much too energetic Elda.

'Junko…' Karin started, twiddling her fingers together, with a blush on her cheeks. 'Are you sure it doesn't inconvenience you?' Her gaze was directed towards Junko's neck.

The woman put a hand to her neck, on the spot where Karin had bitten her all those months ago. The mark still hadn't faded, instead being just as prominent as ever. 'No, I never even notice that it's there.' she answered truthfully. 'Don't worry about it Karin, all bite marks fade eventually. What about you? Any increases in your blood?'

Karin shook her head with a smile. 'None at all.' The facts were that Karin had not increased her blood once after she had given her final bite, to Usui Kenta. Just like the mark in Junko's neck, Kenta's showed no signs of disappearing any time soon. It worried the vampires in the house to some extent, but since they never complained about them – nothing a bit of concealer couldn't fix – they didn't really see what they should be doing about them. And besides, everybody knew they went away eventually.

Junko patted Karin on the head. 'I guess you're just like me for now, huh?' Karin's life had hardly changed, apart from the fact that she didn't have her blood outbursts anymore. This had made life easier on the entire Maaka household and was one of the reasons they were prepared to let the couple leave on their vacation. The other one was that Ren would throw a fit if anything happened to his careful planning.

'You'll be late, slacker!' she admonished Karin, sending the girl on her way to school. 'Get those knees up, Karin! Run!'

'Yeeeeesss!' Karin yelled back, indeed looking like she was putting in an effort to be on time.

Junko let out a deep sigh, feeling as if she was a mother who had just waved goodbye to her child. She let out a groan when she realized how much baggage she still needed to pack. At least she wouldn't have to worry about sun-screen on this specific vacation. With an excited giggle she shot to work.

|Two Months Later, Rome|

'Junko?' Ren asked, following the sound of her footsteps through the winding back streets. 'It's not going to run away, Junko!' He reminded her in exasperation. When his girlfriend had told him she loved art, he hadn't realized she actually meant LOVE.

'You never know!' she shouted back, peeking from behind a corner with a smile on her face. 'What is somebody decides to steal it this very night?'

'I doubt people will steal something from a church in the middle of Rome.' He answered her dryly, finally catching up with her. He grabbed the sleeve of her white cardigan, tracing a long finger across the back of her arm. She looked back at him with a smile, grabbing him by the hands.

'Oh ye of little imagination.' She chided him gently. They passed a garden, hidden away on the crossing of four streets. 'Pretty.' She commented, wishing she had brought her camera with her. Of course she had forgotten one thing, and that just had to be her camera.

Without a word they mutually decided to walk through it, hands entwined. It was their last night in this city, before they would continue on. From here they would leave Italy, going instead to Spain. Junko was very adamant about having a romantic walk on the beach at night.

'Remind me again, after Spain it's…' he asked her, eyes latching on to her lips. He watched as she spoke, only hearing half of it.
'Portugal! I hear Lisbon is a wonderful city, and they're having a cultural night fast around that time. And after that-'

Ren's mind traced off as he moved his eyes from her lips across the line of her cheeks. After pausing a moment on that gorgeous neck of her he let his eyes drop lower. She was wearing that shirt he adored, the one with the gauze covering that wonderfully warm spot between her breasts.

'And then…' Junko said, placing a finger beneath his chin, guiding his attention back. She pressed a kiss on his lips before she continued. 'Transylvania, of course.'

He let out a groan. 'I'm telling you, there's nothing of importance there.' His hands slipped around her waist, pulling her down with him on a stone bench. In a practiced movement she gave him a kiss on his earlobe, slowly. She was sitting down in his lap, wiggling until she was perfectly comfortable. Naughty.

'Maybe.' This time she kissed him on that sensitive spot just below his ear. She knew all too well how he would heat up if she kissed that particular spot when they were making love. 'But I still want to check. After all, the more I know about vampires-' another kiss, longer, making her toes curl from pleasure. '- The better I'll be able to blend in.' she continued, gasping for air.

She retaliated, slowly sliding her hand across his chest. Just before she would be reaching too low for decency she pulled back, kissing him on the nose. 'And maybe we'll come across Dracula. Imagine if I'll be able to interview him.'

Ren chuckled. 'Hmmm, and maybe my sister will go a day in her life without tripping over her own feet.' He said, running her black hair through his fingers. She was dangling one foot up and down in the air, creating a wonderful rhythm in his lap. He still had to ask something. 'Say, Junko… I still need to ask you something…' he started, not sure how she would react.

'Hmm?' she asked, inquiring. Her eyes seemed almost black in the night.

'Won't you miss the sunlight? If you stay with me?' he asked her. There was one place he would never be able to follow her. Into that wretched daylight that would burn him to a cinder if he should ever try that. But it wasn't fair of him to ask her to give it all up! He shouldn't ask her something like that. Even something like their vacation would be simpler if she didn't have to calculate the sunshine in.

He was surprised when she flicked his forehead. 'What was that for?' he asked, rubbing the sore spot.

'For asking dummy questions.' She chastised him, waving a finger in front of his nose. 'Ren Maaka, if you think for one moment I would leave you for something as silly as having differing living patterns I'll kick you.' she threatened him. 'And that's a very moot point either way. In case you haven't noticed, I live like a vampire most of my time now.'

He let out a sigh, looking away. Junko grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her. 'I chose you, Ren. If I can live with Elda, I can also deal with living at night.'

A clock started to chime in the distance. They counted the strokes together, Junko's arms wrapped around his neck. 'Midnight.' She announced happily. She pressed a kiss on his cheek, before surprising him by kissing him on the mouth. He returned the favor by slowly lowering her from his lap, until her back was resting on the stone bench, him hovering above her.

He got off, sitting on knees in front of her. She ran her fingers through his hair, a dreamy look on her face. 'How could I ever want to trade you for anything in this world?' She said softly, love clearly audible in her voice. To Ren her fingers still felt like sunlight made solid, sending sparks of heat everywhere she touched.

He grabbed her hands in his own, allowing her to sit upright. Had he ever seen anything as breathtaking as Junko in the night? With eyes so dark brown they were black in this light, and hair that would suck up any light that touched it? His eyes were drawn to her lips again, just barely tinted from their previous kiss. He cleared his throat, not believing he was going to say this. Maybe he was losing his mind after all. Or love changed people more than he had ever been willing to believe.

'Junko Akane…' he started. Her mouth started to drop open a little bit when she realized what he was doing. 'Don't look at me like that Junko, it's distracting me.' he ordered her. She closed her mouth again, eyes still as big as they had been before.
'Junko Akane… will you do this hard-headed vampire the honor of being his wife?' He shut his eyes closed at the last moment, rattling off the last few words as if they would get stuck in his throat otherwise.

This was scary. The seconds where she didn't say anything felt like they were costing him years of his life. Shouldn't she be saying something? Anything? How long was he supposed to wait for an answer? Was there a rule book for this kind of thing.

As he looked up he really started to panic. 'Junko… don't cry!' He started to pat his pockets for a handkerchief. Anything would do. 'Please don't cry, I'm sorry, Junko!' he started to ramble, and he knew it.

And suddenly he found himself tackled, arms around him as she started to cover him in kisses. He put his arms around her in a reflex, hoping she wasn't angry at him for asking. 'Junko, are you alright?' he asked her, eyes wide in panic.

She nodded, catching his face between her hands. She kissed him, as deeply as she could in an attempt to convey her feelings for him. 'Ren… my Ren…' she managed to say in between kisses. 'Of course I will. Of course I'll marry you.'

Suddenly Ren felt tears springing in his eyes as well. Dammit, that wasn't a manly reaction as well. 'Don't scare me like that.' He tried to say gruffly. It was hard to sound intimidating when he had a huge grin on his face. 'Next time I ask you a question, don't start crying.' He told her. He tried to ignore the tears stinging in his own eyes.

Junko kissed them away for him. 'Yes.' She answered him, again and again. Would there ever be any other answer to that kind of question from him? Was it a remote possibility? Junko thanked her lucky stars as Ren's cool hands encircled her waist, holding her close to him. He was firm underneath her, her Ren. Her heart felt like it was too big for her chest, nearly bursting from happiness.

'I do have one condition.' She told him, smiling as she pressed a finger against his lips. He took her hand, pressing light kisses on her fingertips.

'Anything.' He promised her. 'Doesn't matter what you ask, I'll do it!' He entwined his fingers with hers, his golden eyes almost seeming liquid in the night.

She leant closer to him, resting her cheek against his. The night smelled of flowers and dew… and of Ren.
'I want many, many more…' she said, pressing herself close against him. She imagined she could feel his heart beat against hers like this, almost in unison. '… more of these midnight kisses.'