Aftermath

“Is it over?”

“Yeah.”

“You came back. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but why? Why did you come back?”

“I had to protect you from him.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What happens now?”

“That depends on you.”

“What about you?”

“I have to go.”

“What?”

“Don’t be like that. You know that I can’t stay here with you. I have to move on.”

“Will I see you again?”

“I will be with you every day.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes.”

“Can I hold you?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

-----------

The family was found in the middle of a yard of an abandoned church. Spike was the first one to wake up. Sakura and Miya lay on either side of him. The broken gravestones told him that this was reality. He didn’t know how to react. Spike closed his eyes. Nothing. He couldn’t hear a thing. The voice in his head was gone.

“Heh. So that’s it then?”

Spike opened his eyes when heard his wife stirring awake. Sakura was staring up at him with tears on her cheeks.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Why are you crying?” Sakura shook her head as she wiped away her tears. The tenshi-chi sat up. Her husband didn’t need to ask anymore.

“Papa? Mama?” a small voice asked. Sakura and Spike turned to see their daughter sitting up. The cowboy patted her on the head.

“What happens now?” he asked. Sakura shrugged and shook her head.

“Hey! Hey!” someone yelled at them. The family looked up to see a person in dirty white robes. They turned to someone down the road.

“Guys, I found them!” they shouted. More people ran to join them.

“It really is over, isn’t it?” Sakura asked. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. Her husband patted her on the head.

“Yeah,” Spike said. The angels flew over and gathered up the family. They took them back to the inn they were supposed to stay in.

However, there was one angel who was conspicuously absent. She didn’t run over to her family. There was one more loose end that was still flapping in the wind. This angel was the only one to see. She went off to take care of it as fast as she could.