Everyone was shocked as they looked at Maya, who had magically bleached her hair from brunette to blonde.
"M- Maya?" Vivian was confused.
"Ethan was the first snow-- You're absolutely right, Death." Maya looked at Death.
"So, he is Life's first child?"
"Since death is represented by ice and life by snow-- I think you guessed it correctly."

"How did Margaret know it?"
"She was the second child-- Ethan's little sister. Unfortunately, she died but Ethan survived."
"How?"

"She secretly reincarnated him everytime he died, to a different foster parent."
"Parhi wasn't his real mother?"
"A surrogate mother is what we would call her."

"This is making my head spin."
"But you get it now, right? After the first snow hit the ground-- Everything fell into place."
"Yeah, it did."
She smiled.

Ethan looked at her with surprise. "It's you," He looked at her.
"Who is it?" Vivian asked.
"...The girl that saved me from drowning that day." Ethan said.

Maya moved towards Ethan "Do you know why you couldn't die after all those efforts?" She asked as she looked into his eyes "I saved you, everytime. I will do that today too." Her yellowish white wings stretched out from her back and her white key appeared on her neck.

"Who are you?" Vivian asked.
"Just like you are Death's blood, Ethan is my blood." She smiled as a white book appeared in her hand.

"The Bulosum--I knew it" Fate said. "Life," Lucus said.
She touched her fingers on her lips and then pressed them on Ethan's lips "Your heart has been true even in the most struggling periods of your life. This proves it. I still dwell in you." She smiled. Kirito's hair turned red and he had a white key on his neck.

Vivian's Antabulam began shining and as she opened it, Ethan's name disappeared. His soul was back into his body!

"But how?" Vivian looked at her.
"Seems like you've forgotten. Angels can't die, right Death?"
Lucus looked at Maya "No way,"

"Have you been well, my friends?" She looked at them. The 10 on her key turned to 11.
"What? Can't I break some rules?" She laughed.

"But how... Is your blood into Ethan?" Fate asked.
"Well...Just like Death. I made a kid with another angel in heaven, but because he was formerly human, our kid was a "half-human". Thank you for being kind to them Fate."

"So, Ethan's an angel too?" Vivian asked "The spring angel of Life is what you have with you." Maya smiled "I missed you, Death, Fate, my pals" She said and they all pressed their foreheads together. Their wings shone bright and so did their eyes.
"It's been like fifteen hundred years or so since we last met." Life said.

She moved away and looked at Ethan and Vivian "So, what's the plan, prez?" She smiled "Can I get a hug now or should I go practice more?"

Ethan went ahead and hugged Maya tightly "You are perfect. You don't need practice."
"Well, thank you. Finally, you believe me-- I told you I don't need practice."

"We have to go. The morning is setting in the mortal world." Fate said as she held her book "I need to bury his soul."
"Life," Ethan said "Do you grant wishes like Death too?"
"Yes. I do. What-- You're going to wish something from me?"
"Will you fulfill it?"
"What is it?"

When Fate reached the gates of hell,  she opened her book. Kurosava's soul came out of the book. He looked at the doors before him.
"Looks like this is the end," He smiled.
"Uncle," He heard a familiar voice and turned back.

It was Ethan. He had huge white wings on his back "... Why is everyone I know an angel?"
"We're good at keeping secrets." Ethan smiled.
"Too good actually. So, you can't die? Now I just feel like I wasted those nine years over nothing."
Ethan fell on his knees and bowed before Kurosava "What are you doing?"

"Apologising. I should have done this long ago but I never realised that I owe you one. You are right, I've always treated people roughly and that's why I end up losing them. But you know why I did that-- Because my own father didn't love me, so I thought nobody else would. And when I tried to resist, my mother paid the cost. I'm not strong, this is who I really am. And it hurts like hell to be so weak. I know deep down, you still care for me, uncle."

"Why would you think that?"
Ethan raised his head and got up.
"Because... You never tried to hurt me when you could've. I took everything away from you, so as my duty, I, Ethan Evaganza, the spring angel of life and energy, will bring it back." He smiled.

Kurosava widened his eyes "No way..." A lean, young woman with big brown eyes and black hair stood behind Ethan's wings. She looked at him and smiled "Hello, Ellios."

"Maria..." She ran towards him and fell into his arms "See, you can hug me now-- I'm cured."
"This is a dream. And if it is, then I never want to wake up..." Kurosava hugged her tightly and began crying.

Ethan's key turned from 0 to 1. He had broken a rule by bringing a soul from heaven to hell but he didn't seem to care.
"You should go back. I'm going to hell whereas you belong to heaven."
"As long as we're together," She said "You can make hell... feel like home. If we both can't find heaven, it's okay. We can walk through hell together."

The doors to hell opened and they both walked inside happily. Ethan looked at the door close.
"You've always made me proud without exception." Life stood behind him. He turned towards her.

They both went down the stairs while flying on their wings "I always thought that life and death were enemies." Ethan said.
"No, we aren't enemies. We just hate each other."
"I guess that's the same thing--"
"But, life still sends death countless gifts and death gets to keep them forever."
"... Why can't you be straightforward?"
"It's a personality trait."

They reached the ends of the stairs where Vivian, Fate and Death were waiting for them.

"How was it?" Vivian asked.
Ethan smiled "Perfect."
"God has invited us back again. You too, Death." Life said.
"To heaven?" Death asked.

"Yes, I told him what I did to you. I'm lonely without you people around. Let's go home." The white stairway opened. There were no blue stairs anymore. Death turned towards Vivian. "Do you want me to go?" He asked.

"As uncle said, it hurts to let people go when you don't want them to."
Death looked at her.
"But, it hurts more if you force them to stay even though they want to leave." She smiled.

"You have grown, Vivian." Death said as Fate held his hand.
"Will we meet again?" Vivian asked.
"Well, if Fate allows then why not?" Death said with a grin.
"Oh shut up." Fate said.
"Why? Don't you love me?"

"I don't! Your dick is smaller than my toes!" Fate said as they walked on the stairs.
"Have you seen it already?"
"Go to hell!"
"Well I was gonna do that if Vivian didn't mess up. Now, I'll have to break all those rules all over again."

"Don't you dare!"
"That old man needs to control his temper. Man!" 
"You wanna be banished again?!"

Life laughed as she walked behind them. She turned back as the stairs began disappearing. She waved at Vivian and Ethan. They waved back.

She pointed at Ethan's hands. He looked at them and found a white Bulosum in his hand. His hair was red but his eyes remained of the same colour. He looked at Life but they were gone. They looked at each other.

"So, I'm the angel of death and you're the angel of life. Wait-- Doesn't that mean that I can stay beside you without reducing your life?!"
"I guess so," Ethan opened his book.

"Oh my God!" She shouted.
"Calm down--" She grabbed his collar and kissed his lips. He kissed her back as the sun rose up between the buildings. Their wings shone bright in the sunlight. They moved away "Ethan, I love you"

"I love you too, Vivian."
"Know what else you love?"
Ethan raised his eyebrow.
"Freedom."

That morning, they fled. Nobody knew where they went. They were nowhere in Japan. Sejok searched for Vivian and Mr Hiomi searched for Ethan. They took nothing from their apartment, not even clothes. And the heirloom which Mr Hiomi gave to Vivian was kept on the dining table. The only thing that was missing was their wedding photograph.

They were never seen anywhere again. Many people had speculations that maybe they were killed. While the angel couple moved to a remote village in Germany, far away from the mundane life of fame and money. Somewhere over the rainbow, where nobody knew them and nobody could ever reach them.

The only time they visited the outer world again was when they decided to visit Philippines. They visited Kirito's grave for Ethan to release his burdens. He changed the tablet from Ethan Evaganza to Kirito Hiomi.

He looked happy as he looked at his past and visited his mother's grave with Vivian.

"I never had a chance to be soft. I was always bloody knuckles and shards of glass. I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me. But now when I'm with Vivian, I feel like... I can forgive myself.
Rest easy, mom."

They walked on the yellow, dried leaves, through the graveyard, dressed up in long coats and boots. It was winter already. Vivian asked Ethan "Will you always love me?"
He smirked "I love you for now. Ten years later, I'll love another girl and she'll call you "Mommy"."
Vivian blushed "You have no shame."

The bartender, Arata, stood inside his bar and cleaned the glasses as Aoi sat beside him with a blueberry breezer in his hand "I still wonder if the tale is true. If someone really killed them or did they become angels and return to heaven. They left behind an entire business."

The bartender smiled "Life is also an exciting business... And most exciting when it is lived for others"

Life decided to grant some of her own wishes too, Fate had to suffer the toll.
"You know I really wanna make you mine!" Life shouted as Fate stood beside her. They were both in a punk rock concert, surrounded by huge men covered in sweat.

"Everyone is so sweaty. Ew" Fate tried to move away but she was constantly being squeezed in the crowd.
"That front man of this band is like-- so hot!" Life said.
"I'm a classical loving angel... Why this vulgar torture, Lord?" Fate said.

Vivian and Ethan decided to open a pub to earn their living. Ethan would make the beer from the vines in their garden while Vivian would sing. Unfortunate for him, angels can't get drunk or feel high.

Vivian would sing among the village men inside the pub as they would howl and celebrate every day of their lives. Life couldn't be simpler or happier.

Their wedding photograph hung in their bedroom in all its glory. They watched the world age and die. New people would replace the old. But still, it was unchanging. Years went by and by, and they went on, hand in hand.

"A simple life with the one I love, would be the best gift from heavens above." Ethan sat on a frozen lake, with Vivian into his arms.

"Not really," Vivian said "Heaven has more gifts than that to offer."
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
"Well, life isn't gonna be so simple after what I'm about to tell you..." She looked at their reflection on the ice.

"What is it?" Ethan asked.
She leaned towards him and whispered "We have a third member joining us soon," He blushed.
"We multiplied?!"

Vivian began laughing. He hugged her tighter "I want relive once again by raising the seeds of our love. A world that harness such love shall never perish." She kissed him gently on his eyes.

'You are an angel of life 
I'm an angel of death 

My heart will hate me forever for committing to you
But I love this heart who hates me
If you love it too.'

Lucus walked in the same graveyard as the chirping of birds surrounded the graves. He had fulfilled the dying wishes of thousands of free souls till then and no grave was left crying. He reached that silent grave again. He sat on it and closed his eyes.

"Our girl has grown, Margaret" He smiled. There was silence again. Atleast for a while.

"...She has" A voice said from the depths of the grave. He looked at it with surprise. Then, he smiled.
"So, you finally listened to my heart's final prayer?"

"You are divine enough to ask and important enough to receive."
"Thank you, Margaret. Now rise and I'll take you to heaven with me so you can rest forever." A beautiful woman with long, black hair got up from the grave.

"I can't. If our blood remains here, then so will I. I'm sure Fate will keep you happy. It's difficult for angels to fall out of love but please don't ever show her that you still love me."

Death smiled as she disappeared. He looked ahead at the other graves. One with Kurosava's name on it and the other just beside him was Maria's grave.

He sat in silence with his eyes closed. "Life, Fate and Death, these are such simple concepts. But they still managed to write a book out of them." He opened his black wings and flew towards the blue sky leaving behind black feathers.

Margaret appeared back on her grave as she watched him leave "May you have heaven in your heart, starlight in your soul and angels all around you. You'll know when they are around. Afterall," She picked up one of his fading black feathers "Feathers appear when angels are near. And hope is the feather that reminds us that we have wings."

Ethan walked behind a little girl. He didn't seemed to have aged a day. It seemed to have rained a moment ago since the road had small puddles and the smell of Earth filled the air. He held a closed umbrella in his hand.
"Behati, if you fall and make your clothes dirty, your mom is going to be very angry." He was speaking Tagalog.

She ignored him and playfully walked ahead-- lost in her own world, taking small steps with her small feet, jumping over the puddles. She turned towards Ethan.
"Tatay," She looked just like Vivian when she was seven, with her long pink hair and Ethan's blue-green eyes.
(Tn// Father)

"Yes."
"Do angels exist?" She asked curiously.
"What do you think?"

"Aunt Fate told me that no matter what lies ahead of me, angels are already there."
"Then, I think they do exist." He held her hand and they began walking.
"Will I ever meet one, tatay?" She asked.

Ethan chuckled "I think, for now, I'm enough." As they walked, a small leaf fell on her hair from the tree above. She looked up and smiled as she saw two black feathers slowly falling down from one of the branches.

"I know that was you."

The End