Wow, wow… WOW. I just received the ONE HUNDREDTH review! Holy man, this is beyond exciting! I love you guys so fucking much, all of you! :D

I can keep repeating myself so many times, but I think what you guys would rather is this long-awaited epilogue. Also, there's some news down at the bottom I'm sure a few of you will enjoy! ;)

Also, for those of you who play World of Warcraft (which I do on a regular basis, don't judge me LOOL) you may notice a name that appears in here that so happens to be the name of a certain Thundering Crimson Cloud Serpant in Pandaria... SORRY I JUST LOVE THE NAME, OKAY? LOOL (for those of you who may not know who I'm referring to, if you Google her - she's a BITCH to get LOOL weeks and weeks of slaving for skyshards -waves fist in the air-)

EPILOGUE

Fortune Circumstances

"Thanks again for agreeing to meet with her," Shiro looked to Kaori and smiled, "Blake is really excited to meet with you."

Kaori looked at him and nodded with her own bright smile, "It's no trouble at all, really! I'm sorry that I couldn't be there the day you brought her in to meet with Mikoto."

"Well, when we got there and half of your clan wasn't there, I figured you were with them," Shiro pointed out, "But, now's as good a time as any, right!"

Kaori grinned and nodded, following him into the building where the slates were held to rest. He led them both to an elevator and clicked a specific number of keys that created a secret code of sorts, before the elevator came to life and took them to the top.

"Is that the only way to get access to the top floor?" Kaori asked, motioning to the buttons off to the left side of the doors.

Shiro nodded, "They decided to change the security around significantly after the Green Clan and the Grey King invaded. They wanted to steal the slates in order to bestow their powers to every human in order to create a new world, but luckily, our new Gold King is as stubborn as the previous one," He grinned and sighed contently, "She is very much her uncle's niece."

"You seem to like her very much," Kaori looked at him slyly, "She wouldn't happen to be your lover, now would she?"

"As a matter of fact, she is," Shiro chuckled and smiled, "It took a while before things calmed down enough for her to breathe after having so much brought down on her all at once, before her and I could bring our friendship above just that."

The Red Queen nodded and smiled, "I'm happy you've found someone, Shiro. Everyone needs someone, and that includes the Immortal King."

Shiro winked, "Thank you."

...

"Ah, you made it!" Blake looked up from her desk and stood up, "And you've brought a friend with you!"

Rounding the intricate marble desk the Usagi had insisted she use, Blake trotted over to the pair and held out her hand to Kaori. The Red Queen in turn, held out her own and clasped her hand into Blake's.

"It's so nice to finally meet," Blake grinned from ear-to-ear, "When Shiro told me that Mikoto Suoh was getting married and that he would be the one to marry you two, I tried everything to get out of work so I could go and meet you and the others!"

Kaori giggled and smiled, "That's quite alright. You're always welcome to come for a visit with HOMRA, so please, feel free to."

"Thanks," Blake's excitement increased tenfold when she finally looked down to see Kaori's rather large, protruding belly, "And you're pregnant!"

"With twins," Kaori added with a wink, "I blame Mikoto. He jinxed me when Tatara's fiance Kyra had their baby girl."

Blake giggled, "Well, it must have happened for a reason."

Kaori nodded and rubbed her belly gently, "Not long now. I go in to be induced tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!" Blake's eyes bulged, as did Shiro's, "You're having your babies tomorrow and you're here?!"

"Of course," Kaori grinned, "I was getting cabin fever and there was only two people at the bar today, so I figured it would be easy for me to escape. Shiro helped too, when he called to ask me what I was doing for this morning."

Blake blinked several times before giggling, "You're so different from how I pictured you… Wow," She smiled and offered both Kaori and Shiro a seat, "I never would have thought the Red King would lead you alone so close to your due date."

"Trust me when I say, he'll be on his way shortly," Kaori sighed and waddled her way over to her seat, "He'll piece two-and-two together and be here within the next half hour, if that."

Blake sat down and grinned, "I'll let the Usagi know so they don't try to stop him."

"That would be advised," Kaori giggled, "Mikoto tends to lose his mind when he thinks I'm in distress."

"For obvious reasons!" Blake grinned.

After getting in touch with the head of the Usagi, the three fell into a pleasant conversation. Blake asked Kaori many things about her life in the clan and why she chose the rout she did, while Kaori would ask her how she enjoyed her new life as a King. Blake would admit that being the new Gold King was very hard, strenuous work, but would not stop smiling as she spoke of her uncle's final moments with her so fondly.

"He came to me when I stood before the slates," Blake looked down at herself with a smile, "I didn't think it was possible to see him before his soul finally departed, but as the slates power opened up, he and I got to say goodbye to one another."

Kaori smiled softly, "In a world where Kings with supernatural powers are the backbone and law of this city, nothing surprises me anymore."

"Agreed," Blake looked at her, "I think that's why I wasn't afraid when he came to me in that moment."

Shiro watched the two with a smile, "She's a fine second Gold King, and has already proven her powers and importance in such a little amount of time."

"Yes, I heard about you fighting the Green and Grey Kings," Kaori said, "That was very brave of you to take on two Kings all on your own."

Blake crossed her arms under her bust and grinned, "I have my uncle Joji's stubbornness and lack of fear when it comes to those things, so I was alright. Besides, I couldn't back down to a man! Are you kidding? I would die rather than let my arse get beat by a scrawny young man and or an old man who hasn't fought in years!"

Kaori giggled and Shiro sighed from beside her, "She's quite lively, isn't she?"

"That she is," Shiro chuckled and smiled, "Although, this is the first I'm hearing of her addressing those two in such a way."

"That's because you never gave me a chance to, Shiro!" Blake frowned, "You always tell everyone before I get to say anything!"

Suddenly, there was an alarm that went off for all but thirty seconds before a voice announced over the intercom about the Red Kings arrival and allow him passage through the building. Blake looked at Kaori, who sheepishly grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Good thing I warned you first, eh?" Kaori giggled.

It took all of two minutes before several of the Usagi and a very worried Red King walked out of the elevator. Blake dismissed the guards who had accompanied Mikoto, watching as he crossed the room with long strides to get to his Queen.

"You know," Kaori looked up at him as he stood beside her, his amber eyes boring down on her, "You could have stuck a note somewhere to let any of us know where you were?"

"I could have," She smiled innocently up at him, "But I just needed to get out of there on my own for a while."

Mikoto wasn't playing along, "Kaori…"

Having noticed the way the conversation was about to go, Shiro stood up and rubbed the back of his neck feeling nervousness creep up on him at the hard stare he was receiving from the Red King, "Actually, don't put the blame on her. I was the one who called her and invited her out."

Mikoto eyed Shiro for a moment before his shoulders dropped slightly with relief, clearly satisfied that Kaori was in the presence of a King he trusted, "Fine," When she scooted over on the small sofa she was sitting on, she pat the spot beside her and watched as Mikoto dropped down unceremoniously with his hands still in his pockets, "Next time, just call before you disappear."

"I will," She leaned over and kissed his cheek gently, "Sorry for worrying you so much."

Blake, who had been watching the two while talking on the phone with one of the Usagi, set her device down and looked at the Red King, "So… The three buildings and the several cars destroyed on the way here was you I take it?"

"Yep," He didn't even bother denying it.

Blake shook her head and sighed, "Well, I suppose I can pass this off as you being worried over her safety."

"That wouldn't be appreciated," Mikoto looked at her, "I don't need Munakata up my ass over a personal matter."

Blake giggled, "You don't get along with him very much, do you?"

Mikoto grunted and looked at Kaori, "It's a long story."

"Would you like to go?" Kaori tilted her head, noticing the look she was being given, "I'll take that as a yes."

Blake and Shiro both rose to their feet as Mikoto helped his wife up, "Even though we only had a small amount of time to meet, I appreciate you coming today, Kaori."

"No worries," Kaori smiled at Blake and then looked at Shiro, "Sorry for getting you into trouble."

Mikoto and Shiro shared a brief glance before the Silver King grinned, "It's all good."

"Come again once you've had those two lovelies of yours!" Blake waved as Mikoto lead Kaori to the elevator doors, "I really can't wait to see them!"

Kaori waved back and grinned brightly, "I will!"

Shiro and Blake watched them until they disappeared behind the doors, "I wonder…" Shiro muttered, reached up to cup his chin between his index finger and thumb.

"You wonder, what?" Blake looked up at him.

"Their offspring," Shiro looked at her, "I wonder if they will be born with Mikoto Suoh's powers, or if they will inherit a fraction of his flames and be technically like a strain."

Blake nodded slowly, "Good question. This is the first time a King and Queen have been brought together, isn't it?"

"It is, and it is also the first time one of the Seven have a pregnant wife," Shiro dropped his hand, "My sister, Claudia, always deduced that should one of the Kings ever produce a child, that it would be as powerful as the one who fathered it. Although, that was always a theory but it was one without the addition of a real Queen as the mother."

"So you're saying there are people out there that can actually become a Queen?" Blake's brow rose, "Isn't that like... A one-in-a-million shot?"

Shiro nodded and smiled, "It is, but I believe that there's a reason why the most violent and devastating of the Seven found his other half before the others," Blake waited patiently for him to continue, "The previous Red King was consumed by his flames after losing control, causing the Kagutsu Crater incident. When Mikoto rose to power, he became the second youngest of all the Kings at the time after Hisui Nagare became the Green King."

"That's quite a responsibility for a young person, isn't it?" Blake frowned, "I mean, I'm not exactly old but I wasn't a teenager or just a child when this happened."

Shiro nodded, "It can be a shock and a burden, that's for sure."

- x -

"Care to tell me the real reason you went out on your own?" Mikoto walked beside Kaori with a freshly lit cigarette between his lips, one of his hands in hers and the other deep in his trouser pocket.

Kaori felt his grip on her hand tighten slightly and sighed, "I told you, Mikoto. I just wanted to get out for a while and when Shiro called to invite me to go meet Blake, I said yes."

"And you couldn't leave a note or call to tell me where you were going?" Mikoto's eyes shot down to her, "Do you have any idea how worried Kusanagi was when he called to tell me that you weren't there?"

She narrowed her eyes slightly, "Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Mikoto."

Mikoto stopped walking and turned to her, ignoring the curious looks from the people walking around them, "There is an enemy clan out there waiting for an advantage, Kaori. Do you understand that?"

"I was with the Silver King, Mikoto. I'm fairly certain that he would have protect me," She brought her hand up to cut off his angry reply, "You forget that as your clan's Queen, I now have access to your personal Red sanctum. I may be pregnant, but I would still put up a fight and exert my own powers against anyone who came at me. I'm not entirely defenseless, you know."

He stared down at her for a moment before sighed deeply and running his hand over his fiery locks, "Damn it, why the hell do you have to be so stubborn?"

"I'm your wife and your lover for the past five years," Kaori crossed her arms, "I've gotten all of my bad habits from you."

Mikoto shot her a halfhearted glare before taking her hand again and pulling her into a leisurely pace, "Tell me next time you decide to do something, alright?"

"I will," Kaori looked up at him, "Next time please don't destroy a section of town to come look for me?"

He shook his head, "I'd of burned down the entire city to find you if you weren't with those two Kings. And for your concerns, there won't be a next time. If you do it again I'll stick to you like fucking glue for the rest of your life."

Kaori sighed softly, "I know…" Reaching up with her free hand, she rubbed his upper arm in a soothing manner, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Mikoto looked down at her, "Save your apology for Kusanagi, though."

Kaori bit her bottom lip and walked back to HOMRA with Mikoto in silence. When they arrived, all of the clansmen watched the two walk through the door but no one made a sound, having looked at the still-stressed look on their King's face.

"Kusanagi," Kaori pulled her hand away from Mikoto's and crossed the room, meeting the bartender halfway after he escaped the space behind the counter, "I'm so sorry..."

Kusanagi walked to her and looked down at her, "You scared the shit out of me, Kaori," He reached up and planted a hand lightly on top of her head, "I don't know who is worse. You, or your wayward husband."

"I heard that," Mikoto grunted.

Kaori smiled small at Kusanagi's words, "I promise I won't do it again."

Kusanagi looked down at her as if he were her parent, "No, you won't. You'll stay here in this building until tomorrow when Mikoto and I escort you to the hospital."

Akira couldn't help but grin as she watched Kaori nod slowly and look away from him as he reprimanded her. Even as he pointed to the couch where Mikoto had already seated himself, Kaori walked over silently and sat down without looking him in the eye.

"You know," Akira looked at him when he walked back behind the counter, "If I didn't know any better, I'd of thought you were her father."

Kusanagi chuckled softly, "Well, I am the oldest in HOMRA, so it seems only fitting."

Meanwhile, Kaori sat silently beside Mikoto as Anna rushed over to hop up onto the couch with her. Kyra and Tatara also joined them, sitting on the leather sofa across from their own while offering the two smiles.

"Kaori," Anna looked up at her surrogate mother, gripping her shirt tightly in her small fists.

Kaori looked down at her and smiled, "Yes, Anna?"

"Please don't leave us," He large crimson eyes watered slightly, "You need to stay with us."

Mikoto looked at Anna before looking at his wife, noticing the shocked expression on her face.

Sure enough, like all situations circulating around HOMRA this past year, Kaori's labor was completely unexpected and happened during a moment of reprieve after some turmoil. They rushed their Queen to the hospital, where the doctor who was scheduled to do her procedure the next day, took her in and began preparing for her for an emergency caesarian. Mikoto had been the only one the doctor allowed to join them in the delivery room, having had a nurse escort the others to a place they would wait for news.

Ironically, all of the Red Clan was stuffed into the same room they had been in during Kiseki's delivery, with them all waiting impatiently for news of their Queen. They'd been held up in the waiting room for over three hours when worry began to circulate in the atmosphere.

"They should have been done by now," Kyra frowned, "I hope nothing's happened..."

Tatara placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze, "I'm sure everything is fine. You'll see, Mikoto will walk in any minute down to give us the great news and possibly have the babies with him."

"I hope you're right," Kyra sighed and looked down at Kiseki, "What do you think, Kiseki? This your aunty Kaori will be alright?"

Kiseki reached for her mother's bangs that hung low from her head and made a giggling noise, which had been surprisingly enough to ease several Red clansman's mind while they waited.

Another hour passed before anyone heard commotion outside, each one holding their breaths as a nurse walked into the room, her face void of any over the top happiness.

Kyra's eyes immediately watered, "Please tell me Kaori's okay..."

The nurse looked at her and then to everyone, "You're all members of the Red Clan?" When they all nodded she offered them a small smile, "Well, I have some good news and some bad news."

Yata held Reina tightly to him when his lover began to shake, while Kusanagi gripped Akira's hand tightly to ground her. Everyone was silent but their eyes screamed the emotions shared by each of the clansman.

"Kaori suffered a very bad internal injury as well as severe blood loss during her labor," The nurse got straight to it, "We were able to deliver both her daughter and son through the caesarian, but there were complications during the process and we think because of the supernatural powers of her children, one of them created a tear through her uterus. If she hadn't arrived when she did, Kaori might not be here with us."

"But she's okay, though?!" Kyra repeated with distress, pulling against Tatara's hold.

The nurse nodded, "She's currently receiving a couple blood transfusions, but other than that she's alright. She won't be allowed visitors until she's stable and awake and has been checked on by the doctor. As for her twins, they're both doing well and are currently being held in the supernatural holding place where all strains are taken when born before returning to their mothers."

"How's Mikoto handling all of this?" Kusanagi was the one to ask the question that weighed heavy on everyone's mind at the relief of Kaori being alright, "I can't imagine he handled almost losing his wife very good."

The nurse looked at him and sighed, "Unfortunately, we had to sedate Mikoto during the process of delivering the twins," The grim expression on the bartenders face told her that he was expecting to hear something similar to the affect, "He's currently with Kaori in her room after fighting with the doctors to stay with her."

"Probably for the best you guys gave in," Kusanagi sighed.

The nurse regarded him with a small smile, "I'll let the doctor know that you've all been told what's going on, and I'll also pass the word on to your friend."

They watched as she excused herself and each heaved a heavy breath of both relief and anguish.

"Thank God she's alive," Kyra sobbed softly as she held Kiseki close to her.

Tatara nodded and rubbed her arms on a soothing manner, "She's going to be alright," He turned to look at both Yata and Reina, who were both in tears at the news and offered them a soft smile.

Meira and Kamamoto walked over to the pair and sat beside them, while Kusanagi handled the others. Akira took Kian and Rin off to the side and began talking to them, trying to relieve some tension.

Three hours passed when Mikoto finally walked in, now free of the medical garb that had been given to him upon arrival but the stress of the day's events were plainly drawn on his face. All eyes were on him as he walked over and sat down in the only free seat in the room, as Anna rushed over to be with him.

"How is she?" Kusanagi broke the silence.

Mikoto looked down at Anna, "She's awake," He slouched forward and placed a hand on Anna's head, "She's alive because of you."

"Mikoto..." Anna looked up at him, "Can I go see her?"

"Soon," Mikoto replied, "The doctor is there right now and asked to speak to her alone."

Tatara walked over and looked down at his King, "When do you get to see your babies?"

"They're being brought over as we speak," Mikoto looked at him, "Both were having a device put on them to temporarily seal their powers. It was the only condition that we had to agree to in order for the doctor to release them both to us after what had happened."

There was a knock on the door that pulled all of their attention over to a new nurse, who smiled and told everyone that they were welcome to go in and see Kaori now.

"Come on, Anna," Mikoto stood up and took her hand, leading her out of the room after giving each of his clansman a look of approval for them to follow.

When they got to her room, Reina and Yata burst forward to go be beside Kaori while Tatara took Kiseki from Kyra and let her join them. Rin and Kian, who were both still fairly new to the clan, stood back with Chitose and Eric while watching the others.

Kaori smiled softly at everyone, "Sorry to worry you all..."

"Don't be silly," Kyra wiped her tears away with her knuckles and smiled, "We're just so damn happy you're alright."

Reina was about to say something when a cry came from the other side of Kaori's bed, "Oh my God, they're here!"

"The nurse brought them a couple minutes before you all showed up," Kaori giggled, "And look, they even have Mikoto's hair."

All of the girls immediately took interest in the clan's newest additions, each jumping at the chance to look at the little ones and introduce themselves.

Both of the twins had fiery red locks, paired with pale skin and strong yet gentle features.

"Do you have names for them yet?" Kyra asked with excitement.

Kaori shook her head and looked at Mikoto, "We were going to decide once they arrived," She looked down at Anna, who patiently waited by the side of her bed and pat the spot beside her, "Come on Anna, don't be shy."

Anna smiled and crawled up, taking her spot nestled against Kaori's side and laid her head down on the woman's right shoulder. Kaori smiled softly and watched as the strain closed her eyes. Bringing her arm up, she wrapped it around Anna so she could hold her close.

"Can we hold them?" Reina looked at Kaori with wide eyes.

With a shake of her head, Kaori offered them all a small smile, "They've just been given a booster and the nurses said they both got a little sick when they were in the other room, so she said to let them rest before even I hold them."

"Poor things," Kyra frowned and stroked the little girl's cheek, "Not even ten hours old and you've already experienced tummy aches."

Mikoto wandered over and sat down on the edge of the bed by Kaori's hips, "How are you doing?"

"Well," She looked at her husband, "The doctor said that this will be my last bag for the transfusion, and my stitches are looking good so I should be clear to go home in a few days."

There was a wave of relief that crashed over the Red King, "Good. I don't like seeing you hooked up to all of the IV lines."

Kaori smiled softly at him, "I'm sorry for making you worry so much."

"You always have so nothing's changed," Mikoto chuckled slightly and looked over to the little baskets their children were currently resting in, "What in the hell are we going to name them?"

Kaori looked over slowly pushed herself into an upright position, with the help of Anna and her husband. After a moment of careful movements, Kaori swung her legs over the side so she could lean over to further inspect her beautiful babies.

"Good question," She mused and reached over to stroke her son's cheek and then to her daughter's, "We aren't as prepared as Kyra and Tatara were."

Kyra giggled and smiled, "I'm sure it'll come to you."

Kaori nodded and slowly stood up from her bed, feeling Mikoto's hands on her hips to help stabilize her as she carefully picked up her son and cradled him in one arm and then skillfully picked up her daughter. She looked down at the two for a long while in silence, admiring how beautiful and completely oblivious to the world and its wonders they both were. Mikoto smiled softly from over her shoulder, taking in the sight of his family and enjoying the way Kaori's features lit up as the babies opened their eyes.

"Well, now," Kaori giggled and leaned down to press her lips to her little girl's head first, "What do you think about Alani?"

Mikoto slipped his hands from her hips to around her waist and held her against him, watching as the delicate bundle of light pink with flaming red hair wiggled around in her blanket, "I think she likes it."

From off to the side, chuckles and soft giggles could be heard as the Red Clan watched their King and Queen together, holding the two bundles of joy they'd so patiently waited for. After a moment of admiring the small family, Kusanagi ushered each and every one of the clansman out of the room to give the two some privacy with their newborns.

Kyra looked up at Tatara and grinned before stroking Kiseki's cheek affectionately, "Hear that, my little angel? Your little sister's name is Alani!"

Tatara grinned and watched, motioning to Kusanagi that they would follow momentarily and looked over at Anna. She had still been laying on the bed and watching Mikoto and Kaori silently with a curious expression, waiting patiently to see the new arrivals. When she looked over at Kyra and Tatara, he motioned with his hand for her to join them and so she slid off the bed and padded her way to them.

"What about your son?" Kaori looked up at the Red King from over her shoulder and smiled, "It seems only fitting that you choose a name for the heir to your clan."

"Our clan, thanks," Mikoto corrected, "Hmm..."

Mikoto took a good look at his son, leaning over Kaori and resting his chin on her shoulder to take in the little ones features. Despite looking very much like his mother, Mikoto could also see the strong resemblance to himself in his child.

Having been told it was his son that damaged Kaori's body during the procedure, Mikoto couldn't think of any other suitable name other than what immediately came to mind.

"Kaen," His eyes flickered to Kaori's, "Because of his flames."

Kaori smiled softly and looked down at her baby boy, "Kaen, eh?" She watched as his eyes opened to look up at both Mikoto and Kaori, as if taking in all of their features, "He has your eyes."

Satisfied with hearing both names, Kyra silently excused herself while Tatara took Anna's hand and gently pulled her along with them after promising to personally insist to Mikoto that she deserved to the be the first to hold the new clansman.

He cast one happier smile at the two before exiting, watching as Mikoto helped Kaori back onto the bed before accepting his daughter into his arms. It was like seeing his King holding Kiseki all over again, watching as their fearsome leader fell into putty at the hands of an infant. Even more so when Kaori shuffled to the side so he could lay beside her and leaned his head against his wife's, allowing him to easily admire his three loved ones for as long as he wanted.

"She's going to have you wrapped around her little finger, you know that, right?" Kaori mused with a grin.

Mikoto chuckled and watched Alani test out her fingers by closing them around one of his own, "I think it's safe to say she already has."

Kaori giggled and nodded.

While Mikoto played with Alani, Kaori took the opportunity to nurse Kaen before having him settle in her arms, "I think he's going to be just like you," She looked at Mikoto and winked, "From the hair to the eyes – he's every bit of you."

"Hopefully he has your personality," Mikoto sighed, "I don't want either of them to have my temper and have to go through the trouble of disciplining them."

Kaori smirked, "You just don't want them to have your temper because then you'll know exactly what I went through back in the days when we were still young and in school."

"Yeah, I suppose," Mikoto reluctantly agreed, "Your mother is going to kill me, you know that? We just got on speaking terms now, too."

"Why would she kill you?" Kaori blinked before wincing at Kaen's sudden strong grip on her breast, gently pulling his hand away and holding it in her own, "Mum knows we're married."

Mikoto shook his head, "She told me the day I got you pregnant was the day she personally castrated me. Remember, that woman doesn't want grand kids."

"Oh yeah," Kaori giggled and grinned brightly, "Too late! We have two!"

"Yeah," Mikoto looked down at Alani and noticed she'd fallen asleep, "You're not the one who has to suffer physical abuse when we tell her that we have kids now."

Kaori smiled, "Don't worry, I'll protect you from my big, bad mother."

- x -

Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location sat four people and a very talented green parrot. One prettied himself up and was admiring his work in the mirror while a younger member was currently battling an in-game boss to level up his character.

Off to the side, sat the eldest member of their group as his sipped his canned drink in contentment, clearly enjoying how calm the day had been thus far. Beside him in a technologically advanced wheelchair, sat the most important figure of the group. He sat silently watching his clansman as they went about their daily rituals while every so often glancing towards a holographic screen with a peculiar sight.

"It's about that time, isn't it?" Tenkei asked, looking up at the bound man with interest, "Are you sure you want to stir that pot so soon, Nagare?"

Nagare nodded with a smile slowly playing at his lips, "It seems to be the only way that I can regain control in this game. She is well liked by all of the Kings, as well as having a direct line to the Dresden slates because of her union with him," He eyed the two on the screen and suddenly smirked, "She's the key piece to this game."

"Shall I go and retrieve her for you, Nagare?" Yukari asked, looking over to his King after finishing with the application of his skin cream, "I believe Sukuna and I are more than capable of gathering her from a distracted King without much difficulty."

Nagare shook his head, "Not yet, but we will move soon."

"We'll be ready!" Sukuna grinned, overjoyed at both his upcoming mission and his victory in the console game he was playing.

Tenkei sighed and chuckled, "You're all ambitious, that's for sure. Picking the Red Queen as your target will definitely get their attention."

Eight. Thousand. Reads.

WOW.

You guys are absolutely incredible and I feel so honored to have such an overpowering, wonderful audience who have faithfully looked forward to each and every update no matter how long or short it was. You guys honestly made my year, seriously. I can't express the feels going through me at this moment in time.

As I promise, here are the replies to your reviews before the special message at the very end! ;)

Takuya-hime-chan – Thank you so much for your reviews and I'm glad you enjoyed the ending! Hope you liked seeing the preview of the twins, as they are going to be quite the commodity quite soon. ;)

Gabby – Oh, my sweet, sweet Gabby! How I'm going to miss your reviews until I publish something else K-related! Starting with your previous review, I'm super-duper happy you enjoyed the reception/honeymoon chapter as well as Yata and Reina's! Besides, you know me! I always try to squeeze in some smutty goodness wherever I can! Haha :D Also, I agree with your comment about Reina and her lingerie LOOL (was totally thinking the same thing while writing it). Now for the final chappy, I really wanted to pull everything together in one final chapter but because I hadn't incorporated Shiro or Blake into the final piece, which was my driving force to make this epilogue. Also, I laughed at your comment about Mikoto being his usual self and not noticing Kaori's changing figure. Also, I agree with you about Yata finally getting his closure. I felt it was important to bring those two together and actually see a positive outcome rather than how it seems to always be shown negatively. I know its wishful thinking that one day they will actually be a friend unit again, but as the creative mind behind my two daring OC's, I figured I'd step up and brave both of their rage! And as always, thank you so much for your reviews. I can't express how appreciative I am to have a reviewer like you that gives such a blunt, honest opinion about my work and I definitely treasure that! :)

Halloween Witch – First off, I want to thank you so much for your reviews! I definitely agree with you on the fact that I teased you all long enough and finally gave in with Munakata's smutty goodness. I was complimented once by one of my readers for my ability to write his character really good even though he's not entirely my favorite, so I'm hoping he portrayed himself fairly good while in the heat of the moment! I also cherish the moments between Blake and Shiro and really enjoy keeping things slow with them as they seem to be my only truly innocent pairing so far LOOL (is that bad?). Now as for Yata and Reina, well… THE BOY BECAME A MAN! :D And let's all agree like you had said, that we need a man like Chitose? And also… Yes, I had to save the best for last and finally give Kaori and Mikoto the family they deserve! It was hard choosing a spot where I would have them put their own needs forward after watching so many of the others find their happiness. Not saying I was turning them into a sacrificial couple that put all of the needs of others before their own, but even though they had been together the longest it seemed only right to have it fall like that with a man like Mikoto. He truly is a unique character, and I think that's why I put him with such a flexible OC. Also, I'm happy you enjoyed Keirsten and Fushimi's little escapade! He definitely doesn't play around when he knows what he wants, eh? Like I said to miss Gabby, I really wanted to put Yata and Fushimi's relationship back together in a way that they could grow from their separation (listen to me making it sound like they're a couple LOOL) but keep it simple and allow it to fall into its own pace. Their naughty girlfriends are definitely sneaky though, right? ;)

MissAnimeMiss – Well my dear, you've been one of the reviewers that have been offering me your lovely comments since the beginning and I hope my work has lived up to your satisfaction! I hope to see you again very soon! ;) (read the bottom announcement)

Akakocat – There you have it, my lovely! I'm so happy to have put a smile on your face and have you stick around as one of my very first reviewers! Fear not, though! Our lovely HOMRA and the new arrivals are not riding off into the sunset quite yet, so there will still be more to come. ;D

Mrs.1DJessup – Haha! So happy I was able to erm… "Kill you" in a very good way! ;) As one of my darling reviewers, I appreciate every single comment you've left and hope to see you again very soon! ;)

LaughterLover98 – Voila~ I hope you enjoyed the little snippet of Fushimi and Keirsten's tangier side to their relationship shoved in the middle of all the fluff because, who doesn't love a random scene with smut in it? Right? :D I thank you very much for all of your lovely reviews and hope you will join me in reading the announcement below. ;)

Henie – Thank you for your review, and there you go~ Mikoto babies for all! :D I hope you will join me in reading the bottom announcement for more red-headed offspring-y goodness. ;)

Guest – Ahh thank you so much for your compliment! :D As above, I am extending the question to you as well and hope to put a smile on your face with this announcement! ;)

For those of you who hadn't reviewed in the last update or have reviewed in previous chapters but did not get mentioned here, I want you all to know that I thank each and every one of you as well as love you all to pieces! This wouldn't have gotten half as far as it did if I hadn't had the support group I came across and for that, thank you! –throws hugs and kisses and K plushies to all-

NOW. As for this announcement. :D

THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL. ;D

Yes, you read right! I couldn't just leave you all with that nasty cliff hanger and not have a sequel in the works! As a matter of fact, it's already being typed up as I had already written the first chapter to it in class the other day. ;)

Also, I WILL be posting a mini-series depicting Mikoto and Kaori's relationship from the ground, up. It will be based off of when they were both teenagers in high school and go from initial meeting to when the infatuation began. I'm sincerely hoping some of you all will join me in that adventure, as it will be the first of the two updated series to make its debut first! I have hand-written outlines for six chapters already and with Christmas break fast approaching, I'm hoping to get it all typed out and start shooting out mega-fast updates during my almost three weeks of boredom! :D

I won't give out any dates or times when to expect the sequel or the series about Mikoto and Kaori, but I will tell you all to keep a sharp lookout, as I am a very unpredictable writer and have (as most of you may have noticed) tend to get excited and post things ahead of schedule ;)

Also, I want to mention that I will be editing this entire series and attempting two chapters at a time, so if you go back and re-read and something is new, that's why! :)

Without further ado, I bid you all a tearful, temporary farewell and hope you see each and every one of you soon! I love you guys so very much, my darling readers! :D

~ Kayori, out!