Forever yours

Epilogue

Kagami's Pov

The man walked down the streets, his hands in his pockets and a lost look on his face. People stared at him when they passed, whispering and wondering if he was some sort of model. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans but his hair was a striking crimson colour and his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. He stopped at the door to the café and I waved him over to where I was.

"Ah you got my message Akashi how are you, we haven't seen you around this year."

Akashi sat down, taking off his glasses to reveal heterochromatic eyes, one golden and the other red. He looked out the window and sighed.

"I was looking for him. It will be seventy-years today since his disappearance. I came back only because of that otherwise I would still be out there. Are you still doing the annual trip to the site?"

I nodded and sipped my coffee, staring over my cup at the demon. He looked tired, which was something I hadn't seen before. I understood his pain, I missed Kuroko with an ache that wouldn't go away but no matter the pain I felt, it would have to be agony for Akashi. I remembered after the fifty year mark passed and Kuroko still hadn't appeared. An exorcist suggested that maybe he had died that day on the battlefield for good, I had to stop Akashi from ripping the man's head off then and there despite the fact I wanted to throttle him myself. I gripped my shirt where I had been fatally injured. Kuroko had sent his life force inside of me and had saved me and gifted me with immortality. The power that flowed through me made me have faith that he was still out there somewhere, I am sure we would have both felt it if he was dead.

"Yea, it will be only you demons and Momoi this year. In fact I was going to pick her up after this if you wanted to come with? She will be happy to see you. Aomine has been looking after her since she can't walk anymore."

He looked over at me and I saw the sorrow in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that Akashi. I have come to terms with it over the past seventy years. I will say goodbye to many more people in this long life of mine. I don't know how you did it with Kuroko all those times."

I saw him clench his hands into fists and I saw a pained look on his face.

"It was horrible but I knew he would come back to me but this time? I just don't know anymore. He should have been here, he promised!"

I reached forward and squeezed his shoulder and we sat in silence.

Akashi's Pov

"Akashi! When did you get back?"

I smiled at the woman in the wheelchair in front of me and kissed her withered cheek. Her pink hair had long since faded but her eyes will still a bright bubble gum pink as she smiled up at me. I clasped hands with Aomine and Kise.

"Midorima and Murasakibara said they will meet us at the hill."

"Very well, let's get a move on."

Aomine pushed the wheelchair with Momoi in and Kise led the way with Kagami as they talked about a new training camp they were organizing between demons and exorcists. I was glad to see that despite my absence things continued to run smoothly. Kagami had proven to be a great leader to the exorcists and the peace between humans and demons had blossomed with the both of us working hard. There were still some troublemakers out there who didn't want to abide by the commandments but we had handled them. After the fiftieth year marking Kuroko's disappearance I had handed the reigns to Midorima while I went off, scouring the earth for any sign of my blue haired lover but had found nothing. A breeze whipped past me and brought me out of my musings. We were standing on a field outside of town. Long ago this had been the battleground of the final battle between the allied forces and Haizaki's army. Now the ruins were simply rubble and walls no higher than a foot tall and the trees had been cut down but standing in the middle was an incredible stone statue. Despite it being over sixty years since it had been built it was still in perfect condition. It was of three men standing together. The two taller ones were clasping hands, the one on the right had wings sprouting from his back and the one on the left had a ringed staff in his other hand while the smaller one held both of their wrists, guiding them to shake. I stared up it for a long minute, seeing Kuroko's features.

"I wish they had kept my eyebrows out of it. At least now not many people come here and then seeing me pester if I know who it is in the statues or if I know who built them."

I smiled at Kagami.

"At least the ones that matter know what happened here. Let the humans think it was just some crackpot stoneworker who decided to set something up in the middle of an abandoned field. This is part of history now, like it or not, you helped in creating this new life."

Kagami also looked at the monument that depicted the forming of the pact between exorcists and humans and I saw his eyes mist up.

"Not alone we didn't."

We followed the others up the hill and saw Midorima and Murasakibara already seated and as usual the purple haired giant had food in his mouth. I greeted them and then let them say hello to the others as I moved over to the statues. A large amount of flowers, coins and food were already at the base of the statue and I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"Where are you Tetsuya?"

We ate our meal and talked together over what everyone had been up to. Aomine and Kise had finally been allowed to marry and had set the date for next year. I had been overexcited for the news and unsaid went the hope that Kuroko would attend with me. Momoi was dozing off against Aomine, signalling that we should get her back to the home when we saw a hooded figure make his way over to the statue. We watched as he laid an offering at the statues feet and then turned towards us. He walked close and stopped a few feet away before throwing back his hood to reveal a mess of silver-grey hair.

"Mayuzumi! Where have you been?"

The half demon, half oracle moved forward and took the offered place next to Kagami and helped himself to a scone.

"You and your mother disappeared after the eclipse and we haven't been able to find you."

"My mother is dead, she died a few years ago."

I felt a twinge of sadness and knew the others felt the same. We had all come to love and respect Kuroko's surrogate mother and were sad to learn of her death. He stood up, grabbing another scone and handed me a piece of paper.

"Go to this address tomorrow."

With that he turned, pulled his hood up and left. I opened the note with trembling hands to see an address for a town in another country. Midorima was already dialling his phone.

"I will get you on the first plane there."

"We will take care of forging your papers for travel."

Kagami was also on his phone and I smiled at them in relief, unspoken was the hope that this was a led to Kuroko, why else would Mayuzumi come out of hiding?

The next day I found myself on a small street littered with shops and restaurants and made my way down until I reached number eleven and gaped in awe at the small café called Rebirth. With a trembling hand I turned the handle and walked in. I was instantly hit with a sweet vanilla smell and felt tears in my eyes. A small figure moved out from the back, cerulean hair shining in the sun light and I was moving without knowing it, scooping the bluenette into my arms, his own thin pale arms going around my neck and small sobs shaking his frame.

"I missed you, so much."

He moved back, azure eyes filled with tears and a bright smile on his face.

"I told you I would find you again."

AN

Thanks for reading guys, I hope you liked the story