MIAB

Epilogue: Lost in Thoughts All Alone

Japan, November 23 10:17 a.m. 

In an abandoned facility hidden in a dense forest that would've been overlooked by the visitors had they not known the way, a small group of teenagers were gathered, all of them placing flowers in a memorial that listed the name of several people that only some of them knew.

"I can't believe you finally decided to come, Ri-kun," Shun said, replacing the withered white roses for new ones. The boy was dressed in black jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt. He moved his bangs aside, revealing a scar on his eye, "I'm pretty sure that they're happy to see us." He leaned on Hikaru's shoulder, his twin wrapping an arm around him. With both of them wearing the same clothes, people would've confused them. However, Hikaru's scar on his cheek and Shun's scar on his eye now told the twins apart.

"You did take forever to visit," Aya answered, her blonde hair – plus her 'skunk' streak – tied up in a loose ponytail. She was dressed in a dark red sweater, a black skirt, knee-high white socks and a white scarf. She held in her hands a vase filled with fresh asters for the fallen children.

"I was tied up in a straight-jacket, Aya-mermaid," Riku said, Kaori holding onto the handles on his wheelchair. Riku's hair had grown past his ears and was wearing a dark blue sweater and black pants. He was knitting something, smiling down at it, "I don't know the excuses of the others."

"Cheeky brat." Kaori laughed. The brunette had kept her hair short, her mismatch-colored eyes no longer hidden by her long bangs. She was dressed in dark brown pants, a white shirt, a black vest and dark blue blader gloves while Arion's bit hung around her neck proudly.

"Let's not fight in front of everyone," Nami stated, chastising the others. The young girl didn't have her trademark twin ponytails, but had her long hair down. She was wearing a dark pink sweater, a dark blue skirt and white knee-high socks. She was also cleaning up the altar.

"We weren't fighting." Kaori answered back.

"So, why did we all decide to come here instead of helping the others organize Tyson's birthday party?" Raul asked, Julia placing small toys on the altar that served as a reminder for the others that had not survived. The twins, like Hikaru and Shun, were wearing identical black pants and red shirts, although Raul was wearing a black scarf.

"To pay our respects to our friends," Hiro answered, Ann clinging to him. The oldest of the group was dressed in a dark gray shirt, a red jacket and dark blue pants while Ann, the second eldest, was dressed in a black dress, as if mourning the death of the children. Her bangs covered her eyes while she remained silent.

"Right," Raul said, reading the names of the other children that had not survived the Forsaken Fallen. His eyes softened, "It's been ten years, huh?"

"Crazy, if you think about it a lot." Kaori said, pushing Riku so he could read the names. He crossed out Ann's name, the same way he had done to Rin's. It gave him some happiness to do that, at least.

"It all started in this place," Aya sighed, lighting incense candles. They were all silent, as there were no words to describe how they all felt. She kneeled down, the others doing the same, "This is where we all met. Us, Tyson and Rin. And Fuyu-san, of course."

"I always looked back on them as bad memories," Nami started before smiling, "Now, after all we've been though, I think I can see the positive thing about it."

"And that is?" Hikaru asked, hugging Shun closer to himself, as if keeping the boy away from his girlfriend, something Nami did not appreciate.

"Meeting you guys," She said, "getting to understand the beasts." They were all silent, glancing at the spots where Chaos had once branded them with his mark. Those brands had disappeared three days after the Forsaken Fallen had been defeated but it seemed they'd always feel its presence, no matter what.