It was the night after his wake. Everyone had left: the sorrow-stricken, depressed family members and friends of the loved human boy. His mother, overcome with grief, had retired to bed. Like I had so many nights before, I jumped up to the branch of that old oak tree that stretched its branches towards the human’s bedroom window. It was still slightly ajar from when I left that last time, just three hours before his death. I knew it would be the last time. I knew he was leaving, and I had come to say goodbye. He had insisted on spending the last few days of his life at home, where many of his cherished memories remained. When I sprinted out the window that one last time, I couldn’t help tears from flowing down my pale cheeks. I knew I would never see that one person that I’ve loved so much ever again, and that’s what hurt the most.

I wrapped my fingers around the bottom of the window frame and pushed the window open silently, and slid into the cool room. Nothing had been touched. The bed was still unmade from when his stepfather carried his lifeless form out of the room, his entire body shaking from quiet sobs. School textbooks and open journals were spread about his desk, not once touched since his sudden illness. The closet door was slightly ajar, and inside I could see the long green and white tunic he wore whenever called on a mission. His scent still wafted around the room, and I tried to absorb as much of it into my senses, to try and remember what it felt to be around him, surrounded with his presence.

Several minutes later I brought myself to take the steps over to the door, which had been slammed shut in his mother’s frustration, anger, and sadness at her son’s death. Silently opening it, I stepped into the hallway and followed the familiar path down to the living room, where the flowers, pictures, and fragrances were still set up from his wake earlier that evening.

Crossing the wooden floor, I approached the well-made casket, which was still open, allowing fresh air to cascade around the boy’s face one last time before it was forever darkened. My heart sped up and my throat ached as I came to stop just inches away from the edge. His head lay on white satin pillows and flowers were arranged around his silhouette. He wore white robes and his crimson hair was spread across the sheets. Is simply looked as if he was sleeping peacefully in his own bed, but he would never get that chance again.

I shook my head when I remembered that I had come for a reason, and that was to say my last goodbye. I reached under my cloak and pulled my tear gem out from against my chest, holding it in my shaking hands. I stared at it for quite a while before slipping it off my neck. I laid it across the edge of the casket, and with trembling fingers, reached behind his neck and felt for that one certain rose. His hair was warm and tickled my fingers as I grasped the stem and pulled it back towards me. As I looked at it, weakening power surged from the petals and thons, yearning to be back with its master. So many memories were connected to this one simple rose. It was the rose that had first injured me in our first meeting, it had slain many demons, and protected the weak, and now, it would die with him. Its wielder was gone, so it, too, would leave. The petals were becoming more frail and tender with each passing moment as its power weakened even further, as it had no way to keep its power strong, as its master was now dead.

I placed the rose on his chest and perfectly situated his hands over it. His fingers seemed to fall just right, as if protecting the rose, the one that had always protected him. Now I picked up my tear gem. It was warm from my own body heat. Squeezing it in my palms for a few minutes more, I wrapped the cord around that human boy’s wrist, hiding it under his palm. It lay next to the rose, the petals wrapping around it, hiding it.

“Goodbye Kurama,” I whispered, reaching out to stroke his hair. “I love you. I know you probably knew that, but I’ll say it anyway.” Despite the oncoming tears, I couldn’t help myself but grin a little. “Please, wait for me on the other side. If I wasn’t able to be with you in this life, I will be in the next.” With trembling lips, I leaned down and kissed his forehead, the skin cold beneath mine. With tears only shed once before, I fled the scene, ruffling the curtains as I flitted out the window and back into the cool night air, bitter wind biting at my skin and freezing my tears.

Takara Taji