Epilogue

Message from Matrim: Thanks to everyone who read it, liked it and asked/demanded me to write more. This is dedicated to VM who was so nice and sweet and cool for putting it up on her site and for being my editor and for writing sugoi fics as well and this is also dedicated to sumizome who will find out why when she finally finishes the story.

--Three months later--

Every time he sang Yokan, he was reminded of her. It wasn't her favorite song, just one of them. But it was the last song he sang to her before she left. He sang it to her the night before they ran in the rain. One of the first nights she was ill.

They said that he sang better now and that he sang with his heart. He tried to forget her but couldn't. He tried to go out with other girls who asked him suspiciously, "Who is that girl you're with in the picture?"

"Someone special."

"More special than me?" They would ask.

He wouldn't answer. He would change the subject. No matter how many times they demanded he take them down, he wouldn't. And he'd be furious even if they touched it. To say the least, Kyo wasn't enjoying his past few months.

He walked offstage after his performance, ignoring what everyone else said, and went back to the dressing room and sat down heavily on the chair. The others came in after him and Shinya knelt in front of him and took his hands. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess," the vocalist shrugged, "I don't know." He sighed, "No. It's getting harder."

Shinya smiled at him, sympathetically, "It's only been a couple of months--you can't expect things to get better in so short of a time, do you?"

Kyo ran a hand through his hair, "Shin-chan, you've been saying the same thing for three months. It isn't getting better. It's making me wonder if I will ever feel normal again. I can't live like this--begging God to just let me get to the next day. And then it starts all over again, 'Let me get to Tuesday, God, that's all I ask!' I've been saying that for so long!!" He looked up away from Shinya's eyes, "Every little thing I did with her reminds me of her. Stupid stupid stuff. Ne, Shin-chan, don't you miss her, too, sometimes?"

Shinya took a seat next to Kyo. "Mm. I miss her jokes and I miss the reassuring way she spoke to me."

"You can call me crasy if you like..." Kyo offered. Shinya shook his head and gestured for him to go on. "But--sometimes--when it really gets bad, when I can't sleep at night, I feel like she's with me. She's wrapping her arms around me from behind like she used to and resting her chin on my shoulder. Then I start crying because I miss her so much. The feeling of her being there doesn't go away until I fall asleep and in the morning, it's gone but I feel much better."

Shinya nodded. "Sometimes, I feel like she's right there. And then whatever's bothering me--whether it's a question or some kind of problem--it's solved. The answer just pops into my head--well, after I've gone through a few questions. You know, she used to do that when she was here. Ask me a few questions so that I'd come to the conclusion myself."

"Has your rose wilted, yet?"

"No. Dooshite? Has yours?"

"No, but every time I think about it, something says, 'Are you that ready--'"

"'To forget me?'" Shinya finished.

They stared at each other then began to laugh nervously. "No way," Kyo said.

"We're going nuts."

"Absolutely."

It got quiet between the two of them. "She was real, right?"

"She tasted real."

"Kyo!"

"I was just saying," he laughed, the first time in three months that he felt like doing so, "You should know--she saved you a dozen times!"

"Seven times. And she really didn't do anything. Just yelled, 'CUT' most of the time.

"I miss her."

"Mm. So do I."

They turned around to face the mirror and was about to take off their makeup until they saw, Kyo's/Manami's scorpion ring and a white golden tipped angel feather as long as Kyo's forearm. Kyo took the ring just as Shinya took the feather. "Sore wa--" Kyo began.

"--nan desu ka?" Shinya finished.

They looked at the feather and ring, looked at each other and ran out the door. "Hey!" Toshiya called out, "Where are you going?"

They didn't bother to answer as they ran through the backstage area, avoiding fans, fellow musicians and crew members. "Manami?" Shinya called.

They slowed as they realized they had searched everywhere. "Crap. Someone's messing with us." Kyo said, angrily and felt like throwing the ring down on the floor but didn't. He stalked back to the dressing room. The door was closed with Die, Kaoru and Toshiya standing outside of it, smiling three Cheshire cats.

"What's going?" Kyo and Shinya demanded.

"Trust us." Toshiya's hands covered Kyo's eyes.

"Hey!" Shinya cried out as Die did the same to him.

He heard the door open as they walked them in. Kyo whirled to rid himself of Toshiya's hands. He froze as he heard,

"What are you doing with my ring? And feather?"

He turned and there, sitting on the vanity table where Kyo once sat, with her legs crossed was Manami. She wore the same blue shades, her vinyl pants, a baby blue shirt and the kerchief that Toshiya told her she looked cute in. "Is this a dream?" He heard himself say, "Are you real?"

"I don't know," she said, with that mischievous grin he knew so well, "Do I taste real?"

In response to that, Kyo ran and practically jumped in her arms, and kissed her. She responded as he slipped his tongue through slightly parted lips by meeting it and he smiled as traced a finger lightly across his jawline and down his throat. He broke off the kiss for air and smiled.

"Well?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Ne, Manami, where are your wings?" Shinya asked, as he came near. She ruffled his hair.

"Carefully tucked away. It wouldn't do to ruin this shirt, but I'm very proud of them."

"Your scars are still there," Kyo pointed at the barely visible marks.

"Hai. They'll never fully go away," Manami replied, "But they're gone from here," she said, laying a hand on her heart, "Because of you."

"What are you doing back here?" Shinya asked.

"I've been reassigned--hear me out before you react," Manami said, quickly, seeing the panic in their eyes. She took out a message with golden script on it and read, "'The seraphim Manami has been appointed by the voice of God'--that's the Metatron by the way--it's a bunch of angels who are his secretaries--" she informed them and went on, "'--by the voice of God to become the full guardian angel of Toshiya of Dir en Grey, Die of Dir en Grey, Kyo of Dir en Grey as well as continuing her duty as Shinya of Dir en Grey's guardian angel.'"

"Are you sure you can handle all of us?" Toshiya asked, winking. "We're quite a handful, y'know."

"I know, but I've handled you before."

"What's wrong, Kaoru?" Shinya asked, noticing Kaoru's confused and sad face.

"I've been left out. I'm always left out..."

Kyo turned to face him and stuck his tongue out, "No, you're not. I'M the one who's always left out!"

"No, I'm left out! Manami, read it again!" She did so. "See, I'm left out! What about me? Where's my angel? I don't get the attentions of you? I'm not good enough?"

"Maybe you take good care of yourself already," Toshiya suggested.

"Maybe," Kaoru said, uncertainly. He still looked a little worried.

Manami spoke up. "Oh, you? Don't worry about it! You've got an angel. Speaking of which, he was supposed to come here with me...where the hell is he?" She looked at her watch, "He's late! I'm training him, you see. He doesn't have his wings yet so they put me in charge of him because I know what it's like to go through that. It's not fair, I tell you. I didn't have anyone to guide me when I was trying to earn my wings...where is he?"

There was a sound which resembled a gunshot combined with a large pane of glass shattering. A figure lay in the middle of the room, curled in a ball and unmoving.

"There he is. I told you, those entrances'll kill you." She teased.

"Mmn..." moaned the figure.

"Get up, idiot. You're supposed to be an angel." The figure stood up and everyone stared as if not quite believing what they were seeing. Manami smiled and placed an arm around him. "Kaoru, this is your guardian angel-in-training, hide. hide, this Kaoru-kun."

Kaoru choked, "hide-sama?!!!"

hide raised his head after dusting off his clothes and smiled. "Hi."

"hide-sama?!!"

"Do you know him?" Manami asked.

The entire band stared at her as if she were insane, "Manami, this is hide."

"Yeah, and--?"

"hide was one of the most amazing people in J-rock!!!" They all snapped.

"What do you mean was?" hide asked. "hide-sama?!" Kaoru managed again. He looked like he was about to faint. Toshiya grabbed a chair and made him sit. hide smiled at him again.

"This is Kaoru's idol! Are you nuts?!" Die yelled.

Manami rolled her eyes, "Will you get off my back? I died twenty years ago! I don't know these things!"

"Doesn't heaven keep up with these things?" Kyo asked.

"Well...let's remember, I was wingless. No one talks to anyone who's wingless. Unless they're training them. In which no one spoke to me. He's the lucky one!" Manami said, glaring at Hide.

"That's bullshit. You knew Tori Amos!!" Shinya pointed out.

Manami ignored him. "You take good care of that one, do you understand me? He's a good boy! And if you get him killed--"

"Hai, hai!"

"Chotto matte kudasai!" Kaoru called out weakly.

"Nani?" Manami and hide asked.

"Does this mean I have to go through what Shinya went through?"

Manami, Shinya and hide looked at each other and smiled. "Oh, you'll know soon enough, Kaoru, you'll know soon enough."

The end

(Or so I thought until everyone clamored for a sequel and then it turned into a monster of it's own--it can be found in the links below. Somewhere...)

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