Kyungsoo’s friends and family were gathered in a cemetery on the outskirts of town on a rainy day. An open grave waited to receive the glossy cedar coffin covered with wreaths of flowers. Standing at the front of the groups was Kai, dressed in a dark rd suit, his long hair loose,damp and curly at the ends. Beside him stood an older woman, Kyungsoo’s mother and she gripped Kai’s hand like it was a life line in a storm tossed sea.

“We are gathered here today to lay to rest the body of Do Kyungsoo. He died before his time but in the few short years that he was here, he lived a life that was so full and a gift to those who knew him.”

A young priest stood at the head of the coffin, long dark robes hung to his feet and an large wooden cross was clasped in one gloved hand as he spoke to those gathered.

“Let us not mourn the passing of this young man but rejoice in the life he lived.”

One by one each person gathered filed past the coffin and placed a rose on it. Kai waited until last and as he watched the mourners head back to the cars that were parked along the path in the cemetery, he placed one rose and nodded to the priest before he walked away, alone in the rain, to a limo with tinted windows and got inside.

As it drove away, he took one last look behind him, knowing he would never come back here.

~~~~

Reaching the banquet hall reserved for the after burial meal, Kai got out and waited for Chen and Minseok, who were in the car behind him, to join him at the entry.

“Man, I can’t believe it”, Chen said as he gave Kai a one armed hug. Min went to the other side and hugged Kai’s other side.

“This is just another phase. Things have to get worse before they can get better”, Kai said softly, a sad smile on his handsome face.

“The guys are all in there waiting, we better hurry”, Chen said as he opened the door and ushered the other two inside.

Soon the three were seated at a table with their cluster of friends; Chanyeol and Baek were passing around small paper cups filled with soju. Luhan and Sehun went to fill bowls with soup that none of them would eat but kept in front of them to blend in with the crowd.

Kyungsoo’s mother sat at a table with two young men beside her, Kris tried to keep her distracted from crying as Tao pressed her gently, his deep voice soothing, to eat so she wouldn’t lose her strength.Lay and Suho went around to check on the rest of the guests, making sure that they had enough to eat and that their cups never stayed empty.

These eleven men had assumed a family role in this whole affair and Kyungsoo’s mother was the only one that knew Kai had been his boyfriend. In truth, they were all Kai’s friends, with the exception of Baekhyun, who had grown up down the street from Kyungsoo their whole lives,but he was dating Chanyeol, making him part of that group.

“Mother, you need to eat. Kyungsoo would want you to stay strong”, Tao said as he helped her fill a spoon with soup and bring it to . Her lips trembled as she opened them and let him fill and he watched as she swallowed.

“I was no aware that my son had so many wonderful caring friends”, she said with a weak smile as she patted Kris on the hand.

“Not all of us are wonderful, Chanyeol can be a jerk sometimes”, Kris said with a grin and a wink. Kyungsoo’s mom chuckled and smiled back at him.

“How long do we have to stay?”, Kai said, as his eyes darted around the room nervously, searching for something. He nodded his head quickly at the four that were scattered through the room and they made their way over to him, having said goodbyes and finishing their tasks.

“Are we dropping you off at home….or?”, Chanyeol said as he led the way out to the parking lot.

“Yeah. I have my own plans after that”, Kai said as he got into the back seat of Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s car. The other guy left in separate vehicles, headed for the airport, where they would all meet later.

“Do you need to stop and get anything?”, Baekhyun Kai as Chanyeol pulled away from the curb.

“Nope, got everything I need at home”, Kai said from the backseat as he leaned back and relaxed, a smile curving his full lips.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes as he checked the rear mirror and got into the turn lane.”I’m surprised you managed to wait this long. Hell, I think we all are, you aren’t known for your patience.”

Kai waved him off and settled deeper into the seat,”Some things are totally worth the wait”, he said with a chuckle and started to hum off key under his breath as the car navigated it’s way through the early evening traffic.

~~~~

It had taken more than one day for Kyungsoo to resurrect, three to be exact and Kai had been a nervous wreck until the smaller man’s eyes finally opened, a hint of red mixed with the deep brown. Kai hadn’t left his side and it had been up to his friends to make sure he didn’t starve for those three days. Once awake, Kyungsoo had been ravenous and against his better judgement, Kai had fed him straight from his own wrist while he waited for the others to go and get the pseudo blood that would be his regular diet from here on out.It wasn’t unusual for vampires to share their own blood in an emergency and this was definitely one of those.

Sated with blood, Kyungsoo sat with Kai and made his own funeral arrangements, knowing that this would be the only way that he could keep his new identity safe. Kai had taken the responsibility of informing his mother and had been a great comfort to her in a time of extreme grief. Kai felt a little guilty for deceiving her but the alternative was not appealing, their existence was a secret and it must remain so. Five days after his ‘death’,plans to lay him to rest were completed and their new life, overseas with the others, had been arranged. Now they just had to wait.

~~~~~

Kyungsoo bounced on his heels anxiously as he stood at the front door of Kai’s empty house and watched out the window. Everything had already been either given away or the things they needed had been sent ahead of them to the States.

He had been sad to leave his home behind, everything he knew, all the people he loved but he knew that this was the only way. Unbeknownst to the mourners he had watched from a distance as they ‘laid him to rest’. He was thankful that Kai had been there to lend his mother strength and he felt like he could leave her knowing she would be okay. Of course, there would be people checking in on her and Kai even promised to make occasional trips back to Korea just for her.

The roar of an engine made him grip the door knob as he saw Chanyeol’s car pull up to the curb and Kai flew out of the backseat and ran up to the house. Kyungsoo barely turned the door knob when the door was yanked open by Kai and Kyungsoo found himself wrapped tightly in arms that were covered by a coat that smelled of rain, the perfume his mother always wore and the scent that was entirely specific to Kai, the one that smelled like home to him.

“Was it very difficult, my love?”, Kai asked as he pressed a gentle kiss to Kyungsoo’s temple. He had known that Kyungsoo had planned to go to the cemetery and he knew that it would be a difficult way to say goodbye to the only living family he had left.

“Not as much as I expected. I love my mom very much but I don’t think that it would be good for her to know that this is how things really turned out. At least this way, she can hold onto the good memories of me”, Kyungsoo said as he rubbed his cheek against Kai’s coat.

“I’m ready to get out of here”,Kyungsoo said as he pulled away and looked behind him at the empty house. This had been a place where he had shared so many memories with Kai, many happy and also the bad one, namely all the times he had run away. Kai led him to the car and with a screech of tires on wet pavement, the four men headed for the airport, they all had a flight to catch,the beginning of a new phase of their lives.

But now there would be no more running….. Kyungsoo had finally gotten the thing he wanted most and he knew it would last forever.

(I feel like I should be hiding in a bomb shelter as I post this chapter. I wanted to create some suspense and I think I accomplished it. Yes, this is the final chapter, but I have some drabbles planned so make sure to sub so you can get the notification when I do.