Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

Note: At last we arrive at the final chapter of 'The Soundless Lovesong!' But, is it truly the end of their love story? Are we going to be left to wonder what happens to Murata and Iris after they finally confessed their love for one another? Well, the answer to that is a big fat NO! Now, before I say anything else I should warn you that I'm going to be a little mean because I'm cutting this chapter shorter than I usually would for a final chapter. I'm doing this because I wanted to set the stage for a special sequel that's going to start immediately after this one leaves off. And because I'm curious to see how you guys react to the ending. So please, leave me a review as soon as you finish reading this chapter and let me know what you think of the ending, whether or not you like the direction I'm taking it, or if you have any suggestions for how the sequel should go after this. Well in any case now that that's out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the final chapter and be sure to watch out for the sequel 'The Melodies of Life' coming soon!

Epilogue

Eyes wide with shock, Murata whispered, "Iris, what did you just..."

Tightening her arms around him, she repeated in a weak, breathless voice, "...Ken I...love..."

Unable to hold it back any longer Murata's eyes suddenly swelled with tears and he pulled Iris into a tight embrace. No one had ever been close enough to him for Murata to let them use his first name, with the exception of Yuri of course who actually preferred to call him Murata anyway. Even though the two of them were best friends. But hearing Iris speak for the first time and having the first word that she uttered be his current name instead of 'Janis,' it filled him with such unspeakable emotion that for the first time in his life Murata showed them a more vulnerable side of himself that they had only seen once before when Iris lay dying in his arms and he asked the Great One to save her.

When she said his name, Murata took it as a sign that the love Iris had wanted to confess to him for so long were meant for the person he was in this life and not just a remnant of their past lives together. For his sake, Iris wanted strive to pave a happy future for Murata so that he never had to feel chained down by his past as the Great Wiseman or anyone else ever again. That way Murata could finally obtain the peace she felt he deserved more than anyone else who fought against the darkness that once threatened their world...

"I can't believe it, Iris can talk now! How did that happen?" Yuri gasped, although like everyone else in the room he seemed both shocked and elated by this startling new development.

"Perhaps the Great One did more than just purify the poison from her body, he must have healed some part of her spirit as well," Conrad suggested.

Upon hearing this, Murata quickly let go of Iris as he dried his eyes using his sleeve and replaced his glasses before looking back at everyone with an unusually bewildered expression on his face, which was rare for him. "I suppose that's possible but...why? All I asked him to do was save her life, so for him to have done something like that is-"

"Isn't it great though Murata? Now Iris can tell you all about herself in her own words instead of having to write them all out like before," Yuri beamed happily, "And I'm sure there's a lot you still want to ask her about right?"

Blushing slightly, Murata nodded just when Iris tugged at his sleeve and tried to speak again, "Can...I say..." but her voice trailed off weakly and she leaned against his shoulder, feeling rather breathless since this was the first time she had ever spoken aloud.

Stroking her head and pulling her closer, Murata smiled and said soothingly, "It's alright, you don't have to push yourself to say anything else right now Iris. We'll have plenty of time to talk. Ok?"

Iris nodded and closed her eyes serenely, feeling relieved but at the same time wishing she could tell them all how thankful she was that everyone was safe and for how much they had supported her up until now. There was so much Iris wanted to say. But for now, confessing her love to him would have to be enough...

Especially since it was the one thing Iris thought she would never be able to do.

Before long, Iris was back to her old self again and could even manage to form short sentences. At least, for short periods of time. It would take some time, but since Geisila was put in charge of Iris's voice therapy she was making huge strides. Of course they also hired the services of a specialist who was due to arrive any day now so that Geisila could resume her usual duties and leave Iris in their care.

"Does this...look alright?" Iris asked Murata quietly, blushing slightly as he appraised the dress Lady Celli had given her as a gift for a party that was being held that night.

It was a light teal-colored dress with a thin lavender lace draped over it that was designed with tiny flowers and butterflies trailing up from the hem. The collar was cut in a high v-neck and the sleeves were short and frilly, overlapping like flower petals themselves. And to finish off the outfit, Lady Celli and the maids helped put her hair up with a net of pearls and a simple silver necklace with an opal pendant at the base.

Iris wasn't used to being dolled up like this, at least not since her mother passed away, so she felt a bit shy about showing herself off. Especially to Murata first. But he insisted on seeing her in it so Iris relented to put the dress back on even though the party was still a few hours away. She kept the hair up though since it had taken them almost an hour to finish since her hair was so long; it was tied up in a small bun where the netted pearls were holding it in place while the rest was loosely spilling down her back.

Chortling softly, Murata finally replied, "Yeah, you look just like a real Princess Iris. I'll have to make sure to keep an eye on you so no one else tries to make a move on you."

Rolling her eyes and pushing him slightly, Iris pouted, "That's not funny. You are the...only one I'll ever love..." then she trailed off and averted her gaze, feeling ashamed that her voice still sounded so weak and quiet.

"I know," Murata said a little more gently, taking her by the hand and giving it a squeeze. "I was only teasing. Besides, I've never had a girlfriend before-at least not in this lifetime-so I'm kind of new at all this, sorry."

"Ken..." Iris smiled, bringing both their hands up and placing the back of his against her cheek.

"Iris, you know-" Murata blushed and scratched the back of his head with the other hand, "-it's still kind of embarrassing when you call me by my first name. I mean my parents do all the time but with you its different. Its special. So uh...if you don't mind, for now could we just-"

Iris nodded, and with a sympathetic smile she whispered, "Alright, I understand..."

Relaxing his shoulders-which Murata hadn't realized until then were very tense-he eased his hand out of Iris's and hugged her gently, smiling, "Man, I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Iris. I feel like I can tell you anything and you'll understand right away even if I don't say anything. I don't have to keep any secrets from you or hide my true feelings the way I'm used to. Before I met you I never realized how many feelings I've still been holding back, even now after everything I set out to do was over. I thought I made my peace with that, and then you came along and opened my eyes. Me, the high and mighty Great Wiseman! At least, that's what I always thought. But now, I'm just a normal boy dating a wonderful and beautiful girl that loves me for who I really am. And I couldn't be happier."

Feeling tired from talking so much in one setting, Iris simply nodded with a smile as Murata released her and left soon after he gave her a fleeting kiss on the lips and left to go get ready himself. After all this wasn't a normal party they were attending, it was a gathering of the nations who were a part of the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance so that they could socialize and strengthen their bonds. And Iris for one was going to continue to work very hard to strengthen her relationship with Murata as well, especially since Iris could sense that even though he loved her he still seemed unsure of himself.

Some part of him still felt like he would always be Janis and the Great Wiseman in her eyes, and therefore Murata didn't know how to act around her the way he was now because Iris didn't know who he was back on Earth. Here, he would always be seen as a Double-Black, the reincarnation of the Great Wiseman, and someone as equally important as the Demon King in this world. That was something Murata couldn't change. And that was why, as Ken Murata, he felt shy about being addressed by his first name and being treated like that's all he was to Iris here in this world when so many others still saw him as a clever strategist and Yuri's closest adviser.

As an Empath Iris understood his feelings of uncertainty, but as someone who cared about him so deeply on a personal level it was hard for her to see him like this. Somehow, Iris had to figure out a way to make things easier for Murata and banish the last of his doubts. And so with that Iris changed out of her dress and left to go help the others with the rest of the preparations as well. Besides, maybe that would give Iris enough time to think of what else she could do to help Murata open up to her a bit more and not still feel so reserved.

That night, elegant music played throughout the ballroom as Yuri's guests danced and mingled with one another. And just as Murata feared, Iris's beauty kept catching the attention of the nobleman present at the party and several of them asked her to dance with them. She tried to refuse but since her voice was almost non-existent Iris kept getting swept away to the dance floor. And since Iris could hardly speak each one of her escorts simply thought she was shy and idly chatted about this or that until the song ended and another took their place...

The whole time, Iris kept searching the crowd for Murata but saw no sign of him which troubled her greatly. Surely he should have been easy to spot with his black hair right? Feeling a bit distressed and overwhelmed in Murata's absence-especially with the confusing maelstrom of emotions all around her-Iris was about to make her way towards the hallway to get some air when she suddenly felt a hand take hers and before she could even blink, Iris was standing on the balcony.

It was so sudden that for a moment Iris was disoriented, especially since as usual she felt the emotions of the person who had touched her hand. Iris knew it wasn't Murata right away, and yet, there was something strangely familiar about their touch that she couldn't quite place. It was only when she looked up that Iris realized why she recognized this presence, and her eyes widened in shock.

"You're..."