Post by Hayate on Aug 7, 2009 15:23:11 GMT -5
Tales of the Epitaph
Final Chapter: The New World
{Three months later…}
~ City of Dun Loireag, Kingdom of Mac Anu ~
~ Albaday, Innis-Lunae 4, AC2039 ~
*in a humble Dun Loireag home, Nanao and Mitsuru are seen; Mitsuru opens up the oven and takes out a pot roast before turning back to face Nanao*
Mitsuru: It’s done! Hahaha! *sniffs* Mmm… Smells good.
Nanao: *smiles* …Yeah…
{After leaving Atrum Neux, Nanao and Mitsuru retired to a small home in Dun Loireag, where they live together happily. Nanao began raising Mitsuru as a mother figure, and in time, Mitsuru learned to smile again.}
*moments later, the doorbell rings*
Nanao: Hmm? Wonder who that is.
*approaching the front door, Nanao unlatches the locks and opens the door to see…*
Nanao: !!!
*…Beatrice*
Beatrice: Yo. Miss me?
*as Mitsuru hides behind, Nanao takes a defensive position, ready to protect Mitsuru from anything*
Mitsuru: …
Nanao: …
Beatrice: …Heh.
~*~*~*~
~ City of Breg Epona, Kingdom of Lumina Cloth ~
*in a Breg Epona delivery room, Nina lies in a hospital bed cradling her newborn baby daughter in her arms*
Baby: *crying*
Nina: …My baby… My Kylia…
*several feet away, Gabi could be seen with his arms crossed and a wide grin on his face*
Gabi: Hehehe…
{After surviving his battle with Hartz several months before, Gabi returned home to be with his wife Nina. Under half a year later, they celebrate an addition to their family: daughter Kylia.}
*moments later, a nurse enters with an envelope*
Nurse: Mr. Gabi?
Gabi: Hmm?
Nurse: This arrived for you a short while ago.
*upon receiving the letter, Gabi opens it up and reads it to himself*
Gabi: … *smirks* Hah.
~*~*~*~
*elsewhere in the city, inside the Breg Epona Academy of Magic, Hanabi is seen standing among a row of students; the students at her side were all practicing elemental magic; Hanabi holds her left arm out above her and points her palm upward*
Hanabi: …
*Hanabi concentrates her magic energy, and a red sphere soon appears in her palm*
Hanabi: …Conflagration, burst forth! Vak Don!
*throwing her arm down, Hanabi fires a fiery meteor towards a distant target; the target explodes upon impact*
Hanabi: Hah! I did it!
*spinning around, Hanabi looks over at Professor Citan, who offers to her a congratulatory nod*
Hanabi: *blush* Hehehe…
{Hanabi continues to excel in her magical studies at Breg Epona’s Magic Academy, under the supervision of the ever-supportive Citan Uzuki.}
*an academy clerk shortly enters with an envelope in his hand*
Clerk: Pardon the intrusion, professor. A letter for you from Mac Anu.
Citan: Hmm? *opens up letter* …Oh-ho…
~*~*~*~
~ Dol Dona Village, Kingdom of Mac Anu ~
~ Magiday, Innis-Lunae 5, AC2039 ~
Sumomo: Daunian Arte: Gan Tsugou!
*from beneath the ground, Sumomo summons roots from underneath the soil to attack Yuasa; Yuasa skillfully evades Sumomo’s attacks with her footwork*
Yuasa: You’ll have to do better than that, Sumomo!
{Sumomo continues to develop her proficiency in the ninja artes of Dol Dona under Yuasa’s occasional guidance.}
Sumomo: …Heh!
*as Sumomo clenches her right hand into a fist, a single root that had slipped past Yuasa’s defenses grips her ankle…*
Yuasa: Huh? A-Aah!
*…and before she could react, she’s hoisted up into the air by her leg*
Yuasa: *sweatdrop* Hahaha… You’ve gotten better…
Sumomo: *bows* Thank you, sensei.
{The carrot-haired ninja girl repeatedly surprises her teacher with her skills.}
*just then, a messenger ninja appears before Sumomo in a puff of smoke, handing a letter to her before vanishing in another puff of smoke*
Sumomo: Hmm? What’s this? *opens up letter* …Ah! It’s from Kazuto!
Yuasa: The prince? What’s it say?
*to Yuasa’s surprise, Sumomo suddenly starts to walk away, buried in the kingdom-sent letter’s contents*
Yuasa: H-Hey! Sumomo! Don’t just leave me here! …Ugh. Fine. I’ll do it myself then.
*putting her hands together to form a seal, Yuasa negates Sumomo’s magic, causing the root to release its grip on her leg; she proceeds to fall on her head*
Yuasa: OW!
~*~*~*~
~ The Daybreak, above the Crimson Sea ~
Ciel: ETA to Fort Ouph, Mr. Vyce?
Vyce: ETA 5 hours, Captain.
Ciel: *turns on ship intercom* How’s it look from up top, ‘Gilly’?
Gilgamesh: Nothing but blue skies from here to Mac Anu, Captain.
Ciel: Ahhh… Gotta love the summertime.
{Ciel and the Arc-en-Ciel crew continue to patrol the seas and skies of Lumina Cloth from the Daybreak airship. In time, Ciel’s new crew had grown to the size and reputation of his previous one.}
: I’m back! How do I look?Ciel: *turns around* Hmm?
{In addition to its newfound notoriety, the Arc-en-Ciel crew also witnessed a recent addition to its ranks: Lucia Lancaster.}
*Lucia is seen several feet behind Ciel with her long light-brown hair tied into a ponytail and wearing adventurous clothing similar to Ciel’s*
Ciel: *blush* …Stunning…
Vyce: *whistles* Quite a catch there, Captain. I admit I’m a little envious.
Ciel: S-Shut up! Keep your eye on the sky!
Vyce: *laughs* Aye-aye.
Lucia: Hee-hee!
~*~*~*~
~ Capital of LeGable, Kingdom of Mac Anu ~
*the entire Mac Anu Royal Guard is seen assembled in the castle courtyard; the last member -- apparently the captain -- is seen approaching*
Guard 1: Uh-oh… Here he comes…
Lieutenant: Royal Guard! Atten-hut!
*the soldiers stand in uniform rows and columns as their captain approaches; the captain positions himself before the army, and the soldiers all salute*
: Good day, soldiers.Royal Guard: Good day to you, Captain Kaeion, sir!
{During the months that followed the final battle against Cubia, Kaeion’s pardon was eventually pushed through, thanks to some strings pulled by Prince Kazuto. Afterward, he joined the Mac Anu Royal Guard, quickly rising through the ranks and attaining captaincy.}
Kaeion: I hope you’re ready for quite the workout…‘cuz I’m gonna run you all ragged during today’s exercises. I’m not gonna lie -- some of you might not survive the experience.
Royal Guard: *gulp*
Kaeion: Combat drills! Go!
Royal Guard: Sir, yes, sir!
*with that, the soldiers turn right and head towards the training grounds*
Guard 1: Ugh… Here we go again…
Guard 2: I’m still aching from last week’s drills…
Kaeion: Soldiers! I said “combat drills”, not “teatime”! MOVE IT!
Both: S-Sir, yes, sir!
~*~*~*~
~ Arche Haokar, the City of Elves ~
~ Lilithday, Innis-Lunae 7, AC2039 ~
Aylia: How’s the patient in Room 5 doing?
Kaori: Much better. I think he’s close to a breakthrough.
Aylia: That’s good to hear. …Good job, Kaori.
Kaori: Heh. Thanks.
{Soon after the final battle against Cubia, Kaori returned to her home in Arche Haokar. Helping out around Aylia’s clinic, she went on to perfect her talent in Elven medicine and even developed advances in home remedies and disease control.}
Aylia: Hmm… I wonder where Mello is with that bundle of twinkle grass.
*just then, Mello bursts in through the front door with several stalks of glittering grass in his arms; his hair was a mess, his face was dirty, and his attire was torn in several places*
Kaori: Aah!
{Mello lends the occasional helping hand as well.}
Aylia: *sweatdrop* Hehehe… W-Welcome back, Mello…
Mello: *panting* Don’t you “Welcome back, Mello” me! You see what happens when I do you favors!? I either almost get eaten, almost get hacked to death, or both! And do I get any real appreciation for it!? NO! It’s always “Thanks, Mello, see ya later”!
*all of a sudden, much to Mello’s surprise, Aylia approaches without him noticing, leans in, and kisses him gently on the cheek*
Mello: !!!
Aylia: …I appreciate everything you’ve done, Mello. Thank you truly for your help.
Mello: *blush* Oh, whatever…! *turns away* Freakin’ nuts, the both of ya…! *walks away*
Kaori: *giggles* He’s like putty in your hands, Aylie.
Aylia: Heh. Got that right.
~*~*~*~
~ Capital of Lia Fail, Kingdom of Lumina Cloth ~
*on the palace training grounds, the Lumina Cloth Imperial Forces are seen performing rigorous drills with their knight swords, while Jack Russell watches*
Imperial Forces: Hah! Hyah! Hah!
Jack: Good! Keep it up! Don’t slow down!
{Following Saber’s desertion of the Imperial Forces, Lieutenant Jack Russell took up the reins in her place and now leads the knights of Lumina Cloth as their captain.}
*atop a nearby overlook, Saber watches as Jack’s knights conduct their drills; in addition to her red cloth and silver armor, she now wore a white balmoral and cape*
Jack: …Hmm? *turns around and looks up at Saber* Ah! *turns back to the knights* Atten-hut!
*in the presence of Saber, the Imperial Forces all face towards her and salute*
Saber: …
{Upon her return from Al Fadel, Saber was offered her old position as Imperial Forces captain, but instead took on the role of serving as Princess Kyoko’s personal guard.}
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
~ Town of Naval Monte, Kingdom of Mac Anu ~
*at the outdoor café on the west side of town, Shiro could be seen chatting up one of the waitresses*
Waitress: *giggling* Oh, stop!
Shiro: Hehehe. …You know, I never did catch your name, Miss.
Gwen: …Gwen.
Shiro: Ahhh… Gwen… A lovely name for an even lovelier girl.
Gwen: *giggling* Stop it!
{After the final battle, Kazuto returned home to LeGable, while Shiro travels the world, perhaps in search of that special gal.}
Shiro: So, listen. A friend of mine’s having a little…“get-together” on Sayaday. I’d be honored if you’d be my date.
Gwen: Oh? What kind of get-together?
Shiro: *smirks* …A wedding.
~*~*~*~
~ Capital of LeGable, Kingdom of Mac Anu ~
~ Sayaday, Innis-Lunae 10, AC2039 ~
*in the city streets and capital courtyard, hundreds of people from all over the world had gathered to celebrate a wedding; two figures could be seen making their way down the center of the courtyard; one figure was Saber, and the other’s face was concealed by a lavish wedding gown; the two make their way to the top of a long staircase, where Kazuto was waiting; nearby, Kaeion, King Shirai, Emperor Kaito, and Empress Ryoko were seen; the veiled person reaches the top of the stairs and stands before Kazuto; Kazuto pulls back the veil to meet Kyoko eye-to-eye*
Kazuto: …
Kyoko: …
{The day after Kyoko’s coming-of-age ceremony in Lumina Cloth (her 16th birthday), the marriage between her and Kazuto took place.}
*Kazuto and Kyoko’s kiss signals everyone present to cheer and applaud*
{The alliance agreement between Mac Anu and Lumina Cloth had finally come to pass.}
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
*a short time after the wedding, Ren and Zero are seen standing in the LeGable city plaza, where a statue of Sakuya had been erected in her honor; the monument even housed the blade Sakuya once wielded*
Ren: …Sakuya…
Zero: …
*before long, Kazuto descends from the courtyard to join her*
Kazuto: Hey. You weren’t around during the festivities.
Ren: Oh. Kazuto. …I was never a big fan for parties.
Kazuto: *looks up at Sakuya statue* …You miss her, don’t you?
Ren: Of course. Don’t you?
Kazuto: Hard to say. It’s a little different in my case. I didn’t know her as long as you did, but…I guess a part of me will always wonder how it would’ve been if Sakuya and I grew up like a normal brother and sister.
Zero: Who knows? Perhaps Sakuya would’ve ended up marrying Kyoko instead.
Kazuto/Ren: *sweatdrop* …
Zero: … *sigh* Tough crowd.
Kazuto: …So, Ren…what will you do now?
Ren: I managed to get in touch with Kenpachi. He’s going to help me rebuild Carmina Gadelica.
Zero: *ahem*
Ren: …Oh. And Zero’s helping too. Hehehe.
Kazuto: Heh. That’s good to hear. Just know that Father and I will be glad to lend a helping hand as well if you ever need one.
Ren: Thank you, Kazuto.
Kazuto: No. Thank you, Ren. If you hadn’t saved me from the Royal Guard that day several months ago, I wouldn’t even be standing here today. …I owe you my life.
Ren: …Kazu…
Zero: …Perhaps I should excuse myself?
Ren: *blush* B-Be quiet, Zero! Let’s go!
Kazuto: You’re leaving already?
Ren: I’ll be meeting with Kenpachi soon. Besides, I told you already. I was never a big fan for parties.
Kazuto: …
Ren: Oh, don’t have such a sad face. That’s not how I want to remember you. C’mon. You’re the one who always smiles, no matter how bad or hopeless things get.
Kazuto: …Hehehe. I am, aren’t I?
Ren: There it is. That’s the face I want to remember. …Take care of yourself, Kazuto. I’ll see you again soon.
Zero: *bows courteously* Until next time, young Prince.
*with their backs turned to Kazuto, Ren and Zero depart from LeGable; Kazuto watches as they fall out of his line of sight, while the sun shines brightly down upon the capital, reflecting off of Sakuya’s blade*
THE END
