The ice drops melted into the streaming rivers below and the sakura were all in bloom, swaying gracefully under the light of the sun.

But still, even after spending the one full free month Yako could spend visiting Lila in Italy, Japan hadn't changed. It was the home she knew so well.

She'd locked the door behind her, throwing her luggage aside and aimed for the bedroom. "Hey. I'm back!"

"Clearly."

"...What?" The sight of him had sparked something deep within her again. Taking a long holiday was a prize in itself, but then, coming back to where the most important person in the world to her would be waiting was a comfort above anything else. "...Didn't you miss me, great lover of mine?" And she merely grinned as she said this, pushing on her toes to suddenly seize his neck with both hands and she kissed him meaningfully, her fingers threading up, remembering the feel of him.

As they lingered frozen like that for those few added seconds, Neuro eventually moved her backwards without another sound.

Once they fell and hit the bedding, with her pressed firmly beneath him, he started to breathe her scent in slowly to draw a tingling energy out from her lips already as they thrived over the sheets.

Yako let a short throaty laugh rise up between their embrace. "...I'll just take this as a yes."

"Yako." he muttered in warning while he dragged his teeth lightly down her shoulder...which frankly, was a good sign, because it showed her he was savoring the fact that she was back in his physical reach once more. "Shut up."

And now, currently having all her bags and boxes unpacked, Yako was getting readjusted to the bustling of city life as the year continued to pass her.

She sighed.

She sat at her desk within the quiet solitude of her office, deep in thought, biting at her little nail and kept tap-tapping her pen upon the papers laid out in front of her accordingly. The latest major headline featuring Neuro and Kazue's accomplishments were absentmindedly drawn up on her computer screen on her right; though she was really staring to her left, towards the shimmering ancient artifact Neuro had granted her three months ago. It was a small vial with a jeweled lid tie to a long silver chain—a vial Neuro had once gotten from a Naiad all of things, apparently—and it was now hers.

What the vial actually contained had gained many mythologies and different names over the centuries as far as she could remember.

Most commonly, it was called as the Élixir de vie.

Elixir of Life.

It was a gentle green rain that was beating down upon them as they stood on the old red bridge in the park, and Neuro then dangled the token in front of her eyes before dropping it into her awaiting palm.

She sniffed in the chilling breeze that followed and gazed back up at him, cheeks flushing. Her hand fisted around the chain and she wordlessly brought it to her chest.

The gesture alone was so simple and so small that, somehow, it in fact had just become the most powerful thing he had ever done for her. Literally.

Neuro insisted the decision was to be hers, and hers alone. Whether she said yes or no to opening the vial, he'd find a way to respect her for it no matter what.

Should she ever drink it, there would be no turning back, not one inch. At all. Her humanity would be not just erased, but it would be extended, stretched to limits unknown, to the edge of eternity.

Although, that would be another worry set aside for another day.

Yako sighed yet again, heavily. Today all she needed to focus on was finishing up her annual letter to Miss Aya since prison visits were becoming rather seldom now.

Blinking, she glanced down and skimmed over what she had already jotted down before her lunch break an hour ago.

... I cannot believe it has been another two years since I've last seen you in person. Time really does go by fast when you don't pay close attention to it, doesn't it?

My life these days has been more hectic and more chaotic than ever. But I assure you I am not complaining, because honestly it feels good to have it that way this time around. It keeps me sharply on my feet instead of making me lose myself. I am always looking forward to a new day to arrive. And as I've informed you in my previous letter before this...I have officially moved on from detective work with Neuro since then, and I got a new degree. I am now a licensed psychosomatic advice columnist for recovering lone victims or couples once involved in severe misconduct, or for criminals from our institutions who wish to seek help during or after their prison sentence.

Secondly, Neuro and I are still quite solid with all things considered. Currently we are living together in a home I have purchased five months ago—and thankfully it is only two blocks from our offices. Our chairs are white, our curtains are purple, the tabletops are black, and the walls are pale yellow —just finished painting them last night—and I still have liitle specs of it dried up in my hair. As always...Neuro thought he was being hilarious when he attacked me with the roller.

And well, apart from that, I think I will let you in on a little secret, Miss Aya. You'll the first to know between you and me until I see Neuro later on tonight—that I'm going to be thinking about buying a baby crib this coming week.

Always your friend,

Katsuragi Yako

Wow, after ALL this time, this final chapter went out with a BANG! right? Nah, I know, I know. I kept thinking no, no, no, don't leave it like this! It's so short! You're better than that! Questions are left unanswered and there could be so much more to explore what's blooming between Yako and her favorite demon.

It's just that...I genuinely loved working on this story, and it gained a lot of positive attention, which I honestly did not expect in the beginning. I am sooo flattered for that, my faithful readers, and I just didn't want to strain the plot here to the point where it loses its charm, running in endless loops.

BUT—to MAKE UP for this, if it's any consolation at all—there will be a SEQUEL!

(In the meantime check out my little 'Heart Over Mind' collection if the reader wants to see more of Neuyako done by me.)

Thanks!