I know I am one year late…. And I am extremely sorry. I have no real excuse, other than school and the regular things anyone can make an excuse for. I hope you will accept my apology for what a lazy writer I am. I hope that this last chapter will satisfy you. It's short, but I like how simple the ending was. To be honest…. I wrote this over a span of a year because I had a hard time ending this story…. But I'm glad I finally found the ability to end it. Thank you!

Chapter 25: Reality

"Mother, Father, would it be possible to take away my immortality?"

In small, cozy room decorated with vintage décor sat the King and Queen one side, while the Crown Prince sat on the opposite side. Emerald and lavender eyes widened in shock.

"W-why would you ask of such a request?" Atushi couldn't understand the way his son's mind worked. Shouldn't everything be settled and good right now? Masamune and Ritsu officially announced their love for one another and were happily enough? What brought this on so suddenly? Kiyomi's couldn't voice a single word and simply stayed stun.

"I want to go back to Earth and live the rest of my life with Masamune there. Being here isn't for him." The two rulers could see the seriousness in their son's eyes. They understood this wasn't a decision made on a whim, but one carefully thought of over the past couple days.

"But we can make him immortal and help him become accustomed to life here!" Atushi still didn't want to back down. No parent would want to know that one day their child will wither away and die eventually, especially when they had the power to stop it. He wouldn't be able to bear the death of his beloved son.

The brunette shook his head. "Masamune is used to life on Earth. Where everything goes through a cycle of life and death." He looked at his parents with tenderness. "Thank you for loving me and cherishing me. For leading me through life. For teaching me and guiding me as I grew up. I know I have a duty to our people, but I don't believe I'm the one to lead them towards continuous prosperity."

"You do have the ability! Our people adore you and want to see you as their king!" Kiyomi didn't want to let her son go and someday fall into death's hand.

The crown prince simply shook his head. "I don't have the courage or the ability to lead our people. I am weak, but I believe that Kei-nii has the power to rise and guide our people. He loves and adores every single one of them. He is knowledgeable and I feel he is even better than I am when it comes to such affairs. As the oldest, he has the right to ascend the throne. With Haruka at his side, they will surely lead our world with confidence."

"Ritsu…" Atushi and Kiyomi didn't know how to feel or what to do. They didn't want their son to leave…

The brunette rose from his spot and approached his parents. He wrapped his arms around them and said, "Thank you for all you have done for me. I will never forget it. I will always love you, as well, as Kei-nii, Natsumi-nee, Haruka, and Emiko. I wish I could be with you forever, but my place is by Masamune. He belongs to Earth; therefore I shall follow and live there with him."

The king and queen sighed, but in their hearts they understood their son. Atushi says, "Alright… We will take away your immortality, but you know this is not an easy task. Stripping your immorality is like stripping away a part of your soul. It will be utterly painful. Are you prepared for that?"

Ritsu chuckled and pulled away from his parents for a bit. "After all I have been through, momentarily pain cannot compare to the pain I have lived through for these long years."

"Will you ever come back to see us?" Kiyomi could not bear the thought of never seeing her precious son again. All her children were the light of her life.

Ritsu leaned back and tightened his embrace. "Yes. I love you all and this world; I can not stand not being able to ever see you guys again."

"Then Ritsu, your father and I wish you all the happiness you can ever find in your life." Kiyomi's eyes began to water. Being a mother and letting her children is hard, but in the end, all mothers must let her children leave the nest and fly.

"Thank you mother… Thank you father…"

…

Returning to Earth together became a surreal experience for Ritsu and Masamune. Masamune returned to his life, but with the one person he truly loves by his side again. As for the brunette, he needed to start life here all over again. He erased all those precious memories that he created on his time here on Earth with people he came to love and care. He has the ability to return those memories, but he chose to start anew instead. The two decided to rent a large apartment, instead of returning to the apartment complex they used to live in side by side each other. Memories were formed there, but they wanted to start anew together as well. After a long day of settling in, the two collapsed on their shared bed side by side.

"What do you plan to do?" The ravenette was curious what his lover wanted to do now that he has returned after so long.

The ex-prince smiled, "Maybe I'll become an editor again. Those times were fun."

"With me in Emerald again?"

Ritsu chuckled, "Maybe. It was hard, but I came to love it."

Masamune said, "As long I can be with you for the rest of my life, I don't care where you work. I just want to be with you." He embraced his beloved in his arms and buried his head into the soft brown locks.

The brunette returned that embrace and said sweetly, "I never want to be apart from you for the rest of my life either."

The ravenette yawned, "Lets sleep. It's been a long day. We have the rest of our life to babble about everything."

The younger smiled and responded, "You're right. I'm feeling tired as well."

In a sweet and tight embrace, the two lovebirds fell into a deep sleep. Neither feared of what they would have to go through in the future. What they experienced in these years were enough to show them if they can conquer amnesia and years apart, but still find their way back to each other, they will be to overcome any obstacle they encounter. No matter how numerous or difficult, they will be together till death do them apart. A silent vow made in their hearts that did not have to spoken.

In the middle of the night, Masamune awoke after a dream. Not a nightmare, but a lovely dream of a future the two could share together.

The ravenette cuddled the brunette closer to his body and whispered, "I know this isn't a dream. We will be together forever." And with those words he fell back into a deep sleep. This time, his dream will tell of a future of happiness.

The End.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT FOR THESE YEARS! Especially towards the end when I literally disappeared for long periods of time. I am thankful for all the reviews I have ever received. Each are still dear to my heart because I do read them from time to time whenever I try to come back to this story and write the last chapter. I hope that you all loved it! Thank you and I'm sorry for such a long wait for a closing.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Reviews are appreciated!

Love and Snow Kisses!