Epilogue

I pull my scarf closer then gently place the bouquet of flowers onto the grand, silver grave. The snow falls gently and I brush off the pile covering the smooth headstone. I read the name etched into it and the little quote under. "Even in the face of death, stand strong and be trumphant."

"Hey, Leon." I say quietly. "Germany is so cold during the winter. You really loved this country though, huh? I do too. It's cold, but at least the food is warm and tasty. Sorry I haven't visited in a while. Yeah, I'm doing fine. Don't worry about me. They're all doing fine too. How are Shenbad and Lucy?...I miss you. I miss you all a lot. Sometimes it's hard, but I'm okay. Even though Zaroff is gone, a war still rages on between the Free Army and Zombies. Haine? I don't know. He's off fighting somewhere, I sure of that. They patched up his wounds after our fight with Zaroff, then he took off. I haven't seen him since... Most of the Zombies rejoiced after they learned Zaroff was dead, but his true followers still won't give up. It seems most of his army were people that didn't even want to be a part of it. It's weird, but a lot of people say I'm a hero for killing Zaroff. But in reality... he didn't have any guards with him when he fought us, not one. I think...I think he wanted to die. He wanted someone to kill him. It's sad, don't you think? No matter how crazy he was, I think a part of him still held onto his humanity. Deep down...I believe he knew what he was doing was evil and wanted to die...The Free Army wanted me to continue fighting, but I gave up my gun. I haven't given up, of course. I've just decided to fight another way. On the plus side, since winter came, the cold killed off most of the monsters around here." I feel the warmth of a jacket being placed around my shoulder and turn to see Braun.

"Quit hoggin' her, Leon." Braun smiles down at the grave. "Do you want her to catch a cold?"

"Braun," I laugh. "Is that the only thing you can say? We haven't seen him in so long."

"Ah, I guess you're right." He says sheepisly, scratching the back of his head. "How's the weather up there, man? Don't forget to say hi to Shenbad for me. My foot's doin' alright. Did you get a load of Ruri's new arm, though? Her pop sent it! He's a pretty good man. Yeah, the arm is all hi-tech, it's really cool. I told Ruri I could wire it up with a sweet machine gun, but she said no." I roll my eyes and Braun grins.

"He's still the same as ever." I sigh.

"Well," Braun shrugs with a smug expression. "What can I say? Sorry Leon, I know it was short, but we've really gotta go. The children are waiting for us at home." He places an arm around my waist and I blush.

"Braun!" I exclaim, pushing away. "You make it sound like we're a couple!"

"Well we are raising children." He points out.

"Yeah!" I blush. "Axel and Lexa! Sorry about that, Leon. It's not what you're thinking, so don't freak out. Braun and I started up a foster home for kids that lost their parents in the war.Since we just started, it's only the four of us." 

"Aw, come on, Ruri!" Braun laughs. "I wanted to mess with 'im a little more!"

"I'm pretty sure you'll be cursed for fooling with the dead." I sigh, placing a hand to my forehead. I smile at him then at the grave. "Well, goodbye, Leon. I'll try to visit more often." Braun places an arm around my shoulder and we turn to walk away.

~~

I stare up at the gray sky and hold my tongue out to catch drifting snowflakes.

"Five minutes, my ..." I grumble, looking down at my watch. I lean against the shop, waiting for Braun. People walk past me left and right through the busy town. Suddenly I catch the sight of something in the corner of my eye and move into a nearby alley to investigate.

"It's been a while," General Crimson smiles, walking out of the shadows. I gasp and take a step back. "How have you been, Miss Scarlet?"

"What are you doing here?" I question. 

"Running from the law." He grins. "Because of you, I'm one of the most wanted men in the world. I've come to take revenge."

"What?!" I exclaim and he snickers.

"Joking." He grins. "I...I came here to thank you."

"...What?" I say again, blinking in confusion. He smiles.

"Because of you, I can finally smile from the bottom of my heart." I look into his eyes and see that they've changed completely. No hint of sadness or emptiness. His face is kinder and more open.

"...Well," I begin and smile back. "That switchblade really helped. You know, I'm sure if I told everyone you helped me, your death sentence would become void...."

"No," He grins, "I was Zaroff's right hand man, afterall. One act like that doesn't help. Besides, I like it this way. It's kind of exciting. Always being on the run, bounty hunters, keeping away from the police. I feel kind of like a pirate." I shake my head with a little laugh.

"Ruri?" Braun calls. I glance behind me.

"I have to go." I say. General Crimson grabs my arm to stop me.

"Here." He says, placing a white envelope into my hands. "That's for you." Before I can ask him what it is, he pushes me out of the alleyway and disappears. I smile then join up with Braun.

~~

February 6, 2054

1:13 PM

Dear Diary,

Sheeda is going to bring her little brother here later today. He's only three, so it would be dangerous if she had to take him everywhere. Her older sister was taking care of him, but ever since she passed away, Sheeda's been at a loss at what to do with him. It's a good thing she was able to find Braun and me. It's been some time since I last saw her. Sheeda's been leading Free Army troops underground Southern Ukraine to search for any Zombies still hiding around. She's the same as ever, but we get along far better than back at the Free Army training camp. I still can't believe she was able to save my diary from that place. I thought for sure you were going to be lost forever.

You're never going to guess who I ran into today in town! Crimson! He's changed a lot since we last talked. I can see it in his eyes. I offered to try and get his death sentence nullified, but he refused. I should've seen that coming. He's such a weird guy. Plus, he's started trying to grow a beard. It took me a second to realize who he was, haha. Anyways, he gave me a letter before we parted ways. Let me tell you what it said:

"Dear Ruri,

Sorry I haven't been keeping in touch. I wanted to contact you sooner, but it took a while to find out exactly where you were. There are a lot of things we left unsettled, so I'm sorry for leaving after the fight with Zaroff. It's just... I wanted to give you some time before I told you.

After we fought Zaroff, a girl came up to me with your diary and asked if I could give it back to you. It freaked me out because she looked exactly like Lucy. Let me just apologize in advance for reading your diary. The temptation was too much. Needless to say, I ended up asking her to give it to you instead. And...

I never knew you felt the same as me.

Do you still remember what Leon told you back at the Free Army training camp? The day we were all trapped together in the communications room? The truth is...he pretty much took the words out of my mouth.

I don't remember when I started falling for you. So many times I wanted to tell you, but I could never say anything. Even in what could've been our last moments together, I still couldn't tell you. I'm sorry. I can't even write it out now!

I lo...I lov...

Why is this so hard?

...I know I can't replace what you had with Shenbad, and I'm probably coming off as egotistical for even sending you this note to begin with. I tried to give you as much time as possible, but I could only wait so long. I've been holding back my feelings long enough though, right?

Listen, if you forgive me for sending you this letter, I want you to meet me up on the first day of September. In Hokkaido, Japan. You'll find me waiting in the biggest lavender field. What better place and time to teach you how to find Sagittarius? Maybe if we're face to face, it'll be easier for me to say...those 3 words.

Sorry, this is getting sappy. I read your diary. I know what you want to hear.

I hope you'll meet up with me. Until then, stand strong and be triumphant.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Yours truly,

Haine."

Can that boy write letters or what? Of course I'm going to go meet him!! It's true, I'll never forget Shenbad. Not ever. But Haine also holds a special place in my heart. I better brush up on my constellation knowledge! Suddenly I'm really excited! September is so far away though...

But...it looks like I really will, finally, be able to see those lavender fields again... ♥

~~

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Oh wow, I can't say thank you enough!!!!!! (  ;___;) Thank you to everyone that read this all the way through to the end and took the time to comment! It always made my day to see I got a new notification!! m( TTuTT)m

The cool thing about this story is I'm ending it exactly 1 year after I started it! :) Which...is kind of sad because that just shows how slow I am at updating when it's not summer. xD Anyways, I thought it was pretty cool. xDD

Seriously, thanks for reading. :) This story got off to a rocky start, but I had a lot of fun with every single chapter I wrote.

THANK YOU!!!!!!! :)

 Sheeda

 General Crimson