In The Lap of Luxurious Love

When we returned to the Living World ten days later, we found out that the causalty numbers were worse than first thought, especially from our house. There had been couples shot dead where they stood, holding each other as they died slow, painful deaths. As I looked at the list, each name ripped at my heart, especially when I saw the names of two people in what seemed t be huge black letters on the page. "Kurama, you may want to come see this."

"What is it, Koi?" he asked from behind me. Speechlessly, I shoved the papers at him, having circled the names. "Oh, no... Not Hilde and Ami..."

"Ami Maxwell was... my sister..." I said. "Does God have some sort of grudge against me?

"Hush, my little one," Kurama said. "You have many people here who care about you. I would like it very much if you would consider me to be a part of your family." He quickly turned my wheelchair around like a whirlwind, startling the shit out of me.

"Kurama, what are you doing?" I cried.

"I'm asking you to make me the happiest man in the world by..." He stopped, kneeling in front of me with a beautiful gold ring. "By becoming my husband." My hand came to my mouth as my eyes filled with water and my throat choked back a sob. "Duo Maxwell, I've fallen under your spell, wihtout completely understanding how. I've loved you from the first moment we met, although I didn't show it at first. But now, I can't help myself from loving you with my whole heart." He took my hand and kissed it. "Will you marry me?" I couldn't stop myself from smiling, and I nodded as he slipped the ring on my hand. "You won't regret this, my love."

"I know I won't," I said, and we kissed passionately. I suddenly FELT my groin come to life, for the first time in nearly two weeks, making me jump. "Whoa, what just happened?"

"What do you mean, Duo?" he asked.

"I just got hard," I gasped. "And I felt it! I can't move my legs, but I felt myself get hard." He chuckled and kissed me.

"That would be the effects of my healing seeds going through your blood," he said. "Last night while you were asleep, I slightly opened the wound in your back and inserted seeds into your bloodstream that will help you make a much better recovery than without it. You were sleeping so soundly that you didn't even stir or make a sound as I made the modification." His eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, and he began to caress me through my pants, exerting a heavy moan from my lips at the sensation. I had never felt such an immense pleasure as I felt with him, and I knew that I had made the right decision by agreeing to marry him.

"I love you, Kurama," I said, uttering those four little words to him for the first time. He picked me up, and carried me gently into the bedroom, where love was TRULY felt between us for the first time.
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"Duo..." I heard as I slept. "Duo, can you hear me?" In my dream, I lifted my head from the chest of the sleeping Kurama. There in front of me, stood a bright angel, the man I had loved while he had been alive.

"Heero?" I said. "Is that you, Heero?"

"My dear, sweet Duo," he said with a smile. "I'm so glad that you're happy."

"I AM happy, but I'd be so much better if you were still alive," I said. "I miss you." He embraced me, his touch like that of soft feathers, his kiss like the touch of falling rain.

"I love you so much, my Duo," he said. "But now you must learn to live on without me. The children we talked about... They need you. They need parents to care of them now that their realy families have been killed."

"You mean... take in children of the victims?" I asked, and he nodded.

"The ones who need you the most don't even know that nay other family exists besides their mothers," Heero said. "You may not see me, but I'll guide you to them."

"Thank you for coming back to me," Heero," I said. "You know about this, right?" I held up my hand and showed him the engagement ring, and he smiled sweetly.

"Yes, and I know that he'll make an excellent husband for you," he said. "I only wish I could've been here to share your happiness. But know this, Duo, I will always be watching over you. Do not expect to see me again until your time comes, but I will guide you to the things that need to be done as best I can." As my eyes fluttered open, I could still sense Heero's presence in the room. Kurama was awake now as well, and he looked at me sleepily.

"You looked peaceful," Kurama said. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Heero was here, and he said..." I stopped, not sure what I should say. "He said that there are children who need us to raise them."

"He's a mind reader, then," he said with a smile. "I wasn't going to mention it to you until after we were married because I didn't want to scare you, but I've wanted to raise children for a long time."

"I'm glad you're as eager to do this as I am," I said, kissing him softly. Forgetting myself for a moment, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand quickly.

"Duo!" Kurama cried as I fell to the floor.

"Damn it!" I said, my heart breaking on the floor with the same force as my body had fallen. "I thought I could walk, now that I can feel something down there."

"Have patience with it, Darling," he said, picking me up and sitting me back up on the bed. "I don't know how long it'll be before you're able to walk, but I'd love to have you at least standing for our wedding."

"I want that too," I said, embracing him again. "I love you."
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It took longer than normal to plan the massive funeral service, with thousands of guests planning to attend from around the country. Using my own powers of matter manipulation (not to be confused with Alchemy), I was able to create a large stone with the names of the nearly two thousand victims, with a sculpture of what I had seen that day, a pair of young lovers, holding each other as they lay dying, with the words on the base of the statues reading as follows: "Fare Thee Well, My Beloved. May God Keep You Until We Meet Again."

Unfortunately, there was not enough room in the Estates Cemetary for each person to recieve their own grave, so those who died with their partners were buried in the same casket, and in cases where a child had died with a parent, or the entire family was killed, they were all buried together as well. I had never seen Kurama so disheartened as I saw him on the day of the funeral. He kept looking at pictures of Sheila, Hiei, and Heero, and he barely spoke. I was reminded of how Heero had done the same thing over Relena's death, and I wished there was something I could've done.

At the funeral, I was surprised when Kurama's name appeared on the program as a singer. I'd never heard him sing before, nor did I know that he had ever had any experience with it. Half-way through the service, he rose and went to the front of the chapel. "My friends, friends and family members of those whose memory we honor today, I would like to tell you how much I loved each and every one of them, as you did. They were what helped me survive through some of the worst times of my life." The music began playing, and I instantly recognized a song from Les Miserables, the very popular musical from over a decade before.

(Author's note: I changed a couple of words in this to make it a little more appropriate for the situation. I do not own any songs or characters from Les Miserables, but I love the music!)

There's a grief that can't be spoken,
There's a pain, goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables,
Now my friends are dead and gone.

Here they talked of new beginnings,
Here it was they lit the flame!
Here they sang about tomorrow,
And tomorrow never came.

From the table in the corner,
They could see a world reborn,
And they rose with voices ringing!
And I can hear them now!
The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion
At the mercy of a smoking gun...

Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me
That I live and you are gone.
There's a grief that can't be spoken,
There's a pain, goes on and on!

Phantom faces at the window!
Phantom shadows on the floor!
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more!

Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for!
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends... will sing... no more...

As the song ended, Kurama's face was contorted with a mix of emotions, and he collapsed under the weight of it all. I was glad that I was so close, because I bolted out of my seat, defying all logic as to my ability to walk, and caught him before he landed to hard. Several of the boys ran up to us, concerned for their master's health. "Stay with us, Darling," I whispered. "Stay with us."

"My boys... My girls... My children..." he sobbed. "I'm sorry I left you! Please forgive me for not being here to protect you!"

"Stop it!I cried. "This wasn't your fault, Koibito! Don't blame yourself for something you could've done absolutely nothing about!" I felt his strong arms wrap around me, and I held him as he sobbed. I slowly helped him up and back to his seat, and several of the boys knelt in front of him, making sure he was going to be okay. "Don't worry too much," I said. "He loved them all, just as he said, and losing them and Hiei at the same time is incredibly hard on him. Go back to your seats." The funeral continued, but after just a little while, Kurama got up and gestured for me to follow him. Now unable to walk again, I wheeled my chair to the back of the chapel.

"I can't stay here any longer," he said. "You can stay if you wish to, but I just don't have the strength."

"No, I'll come with you," I sighed. "Sit on my lap."

"Are you sure I won't hurt you," he asked, and I shook my head.

"It's about time I bore some of your burden, instead of always letting you carry me," I said. He smiled sadly, and kissed me as he sat down. "Just promise me that we'll come back to visit the grave as often as possible." He kissed me again, and nodded. "I love you, my Youko."

"I love you too, my Shinigami," he said.

End Chapter 7