~Epilogue~

Puzzle Pieces

There is a fairytale for you.
Hoping your dreams, they will come true.
And if you find a way, please let me stay with you.
Life doesn't give the best,
So find the rest
In you…

So the years soon will pass
And you'll grow old and wise.
Some fairytales will be turned into life.
You'll have to find out the right thing to do,
And what burns inside of you…

You will be strong.

~Fairytale, by Neja

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

"What are you going to name her?" Tamaki demanded while popping his head out from behind Nurse Yume. She rolled her eyes at him good naturedly and let him ask the question, which silenced the room as all of them waited with baited breath for the naming of their youngest member of their family – the first of the second generation of the Host Club.

My heart skipped, and I stared first at Caleb, who smiled in understanding, then Takashi, with his beautiful heart and kindness, and finally our daughter. She was so small, with her little body and blonde hair and slanted silver eyes. Small, but perfectly imperfect. Like Takashi, Sarah, and me…

Remember, Sammy, Angels will always watch over you.

My lips touched her soft hair, above her eyes.

"Hello, Morinozuka Angel."

Fifteen Years Later

Three children walked down the familiar street amidst the chaotic noise of the early morning crowds. One, though with longer legs, walked just behind the others and carefully surveyed her surroundings for threats to herself and the younger two children, who cheerfully skipped ahead of her, their fingers laced together. Upon reaching the first of the huge buildings, both of them paused abruptly, turned around to face their older sister, and offered her two identical smiles from beneath identical black hair and blue eyes.

As the older of the Morinozuka Twins, Haruki spoke first. He was more similar in personality to their mother, Morinozuka Sammy. So Haruki bounced forward to hug their older sister around her waist, playfully rubbed his face into her stomach, and chirped, "Danke, Onee-chan, for walking with us!"

As the younger of the Twins, Kazuki had the tendency to be quieter, more observant. He was only six, but Kazuki was more reserved and closer in personality to their father, Morinozuka Takashi. "Ah! Arigato, Onee-chan," Kazuki echoed with a warm smile.

"You're welcome, Haruki, Kazuki," Angel said, warmly, and with her trademark crooked grin; it reminded the Twins of their Otou-san. Then, like their Mom, Angel leaned forward, wagged her finger in their faces, and teased, "You two be good today, and if you can't be good…"

All three exclaimed, "Don't get caught!"

Haruki and Kazuki laughed with Angel, before the former two turned to enter the gates of Ouran Elementary School. Haruki bounced cheerfully into the building without another glance back, but Kazuki paused briefly to smile slightly at his big sister and lift his hand in a wave. Angel happily waved back and then continued onward, by Ouran Elementary and Ouran Middle School, and toward…

"What the Hell?"

Amused, Angel walked slowly to the wrought iron gates, which curled its fingertips around the edges of the brick structure like ivy. She slowly tilted her head to the side, and beneath blonde hair, two slanted silver eyes narrowed in speculation. It was a nice building, with lots of old charm and natural beauty; the stained glass windows and the clock tower really captured her attention. There was one tiny thing about the building, however, that really bothered her…

Removing her cell phone from her skirt pocket, Angel pressed the familiar icon for her big family home phone. A small picture of her family – her father had her mother in his lap, with one arm around her waist and the other around the back of the chair, holding the hand of his only daughter and smiling down at his young sons – was up. Several of their pets could be seen in the background of the picture as well. Thankfully, Uncle Tamaki had been in charge of taking the picture, or that big goofball would have been in the picture, too…

"Guten tag, Liebling!"

"Hello, Mom," Angel dryly greeted her mother. There was a scuffle in the background, during which time Angel patiently waited for her crazy parents to quit wrestling for the phone. Eventually, Angel sighed, "Otou-san, Mom?"

"Ah?"

"Yes?"

"…Why is this school pink?"

Her Otou-san snorted in laughter, but her Mom clapped her hands together in excitement and happily exclaimed, "Great question, Angel-chan! Actually, I have a pretty funny story for it, too! See, I was about eighteen, and when I went to that school for the first time, I met this vampire with glasses. His name was Kyoya, but I called him Steve…"

After listening to her mother retell the story (with the occasional comment from her father), Angel returned her phone to her pocket and smiled, leaning against the fence with her gray eyes closed and head tilted back to the bask in the warmth of the early morning sunshine. Their story was quite the tale, and although Morinozuka Takashi and Samantha May Steel had their share of troubles and misunderstandings, it had turned into a real life fairytale. Here's hoping that I will be that lucky…

A voice, soft but masculine, called down the stairs. Angel blinked, surprised to hear that the new person was walking down here, and lifted silver eyes up to meet his. Violet eyes were warm and friendly, but hidden deep within their depths, Angel could still find something else, something painful, burning brightly like wildfire, and barely contained. He smiled down at her. "Hello. Are you new to this school, too?"

"Hai," Angel politely responded, leaning forward to bow at the waist. Then, Angel reached for his hand, taking him by surprise, and offered him her firmest handshake. Her parents had both insisted that Angel know how to greet people of other cultures, and the girl had the feeling that this boy, though Japanese, would appreciate the gesture.

One final puzzle piece slowly slipped into place…

"My name is Morinozuka Angel. What's yours?"

"Sohma Yuki…"

***Author's Note***

The End. :)

Thank you all for reading the last chapter of Picking Up the Pieces!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Be safe, have fun, and always try to live life to the fullest.