Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Bound Together ❯ Bound Together ( Epilogue )

Epilogue

Bound Together

 

I was once told that people are entwined in this net called destiny. No one can escape it, and no one knows what they are destined for. At times, our destiny will lead us to others in which our destinies may be intertwined.

 

Some much I didn't understand became clear to me once I had moved on. I found that I could not be with him, no, in fact, I feared at that point that I would never see him again. It was too sudden that everything had happened. When you've passed, you begin to understand what you couldn't see before.

 

Father…he had this disease calledschizophrenia. The voices in his head told him when his wife died that it was Tai-Shi's fault. He reacted to their voices and inside it pained him. He could no longer control his own actions, and the person he was slowly died inside after staring into his youngest son's eyes time after time as he followed the voices into torturing him.

 

He was the same way… He heard voices in his head also, but these were not as violent as father's. The abuse that he was put through caused him to escape into his mind, creating these voices and forever affecting his mental health.

 

After everything had happened…I can't bring myself to say his name… If only we were smart enough to understand what we do now, so many things could have been prevented.

 

Rei didn't fare so well. Not long after he died, Rei took his own life before his own son was born. This caused Maith some grief, but his son, who he named after him, grew up to be a fine man, and took over the Berth estate when he turned thirteen upon Maith's death.

 

Allen didn't take his death lightly either, but at least he had Sei to comfort him. He had closed everyone out of his life again, and had almost lost Sei because of it, but it was something he had told himself he had to do. He took the time he wanted alone to think of what he wanted to do, and what he needed to do. When he had settled everything, he was a changed boy, and took his training seriously to the point that the meek shy boy ceased to exist, leaving a confident leader.

 

Sei didn't show it, but he mourned his and my death. There may have been bitterness between us from the start, but there was still a mutual respect, and a small friendship that no one could compare. He didn't have time to mourn long for us before his father Len died. He was forced into becoming the head of his home, and preparing his father's burial.

 

If you are wondering, their relationship did work out in the end, with minor problems. A few years later, after Allen rightfully succeeded his father's name and held the title of Master of his estate, he confessed to his father the secret relationship that he had with the son of the Mori clan. Raze was bitter, but he no longer controlled his son, and had never accepted his son's decision to merge the two clans together, not even on the day of his own death.

 

I had later learned, after death, that I still had a chance to meet him again. Without asking what `it' was, I accepted. I wanted to see him no mater what it took.

 

“Yo, Li! What do you want me to do with this meat bag?”

 

“Don't hurt him! What did I tell you before I sent you out after him!” Li yelled at his inferior.

 

“Hey, I didn't do a thing to the kid. He was like this what I found him.” He said as he dropped the boy onto the ground in front of his superior. “Say, what did you want him for?”

 

Li slowly got up and knelt down before the small boy and rose his chin. Purple bruises littered his face as he was forced to look up. He was clearly terrified of him.

 

“Tell me your name…” Li asked as he looked down at him.

 

“Li…you know his name already.” His lesser began.

 

“Quiet you!” Li snapped. He looked back down at the boy and said again, “Tell me your name.”

 

“Sh…sh…Shi…It's Shi…” He said between sharp breaths of air.

 

“Isn't this one a cutie? Is he your new boy toy?” He cackled.

 

“Quiet Rei!” Li snapped again.

 

“Oh? A little touchy aren't we? So if he's not your toy, can he be mine?” Rei asked as he leaned over his boss.

 

“Just keep your mouth shut…”

 

“Don't order me around, wasn't it you that wanted to create this little gang with the four of us as equals?” Rei smiled as he motioned back to the short spiky haired blond, and the clean-cut, short white haired boy sat closely together watching Li's new “toy”.

 

“I suppose you are right…Rei…” Li said bitterly as he looked down at the quivering boy.

 

“Shi…I want you to join us…” Li said.

 

“What?” Sei bolted up, knocking Allen to the floor.

 

“Hey!” Allen yelped as he was flung to the floor.

 

“You can't be serious! The kid's terrified! What makes you think he would be any use to us?” Sei demanded.

 

Li looked back with a smile, “Like Rei said, wasn't it I who asked you three to create a gang with me as equals?”

 

“Yes, and as your equal, I don't approve of this decision!” Sei growled.

 

“Sei, do you not recall me mentioning a fifth?” Li asked.

 

Sei stopped, thinking back and grinding his teeth, “I said there will be a fifth, and since he was not present, I couldn't ask him when I asked the rest of you, and now I can.” Li smiled as he turned around.

 

“Sir?” Shi asked as he slowly sat back on his knees and help his hands close to his chest.

 

“Yes?” Li replied as he turned around.

 

“Do…do you know me?” Shi asked.

 

“What the hell is that?” Sei burst in again.

 

“What is it now?” Li sighed in annoyance.

 

“He doesn't even know who the hell you are Li! He's a complete stranger to us all!” Sei yelled.

 

“Calm down Sei. You're being too loud.” Allen sighed as he took his seat and sat back in his chair. “Li knows something more then he's letting on.”

 

Li smiled and looked back at Shi, “I know you better then you will ever know.”

 

Shi watched him, a bit nervous.

 

“I didn't hear any objections from you though,” Li said with a light smile as he turned to speak with Sei once again, “when Allen was one of the five I mentioned.”

 

Sei blushed and stumbled to form words, but couldn't.

 

“I didn't think so.” Li smiled and turned back towards Shi. “You're one of us now.”

 

Shi watched Li, and slightly hesitated to utter syllables.

 

“What is it?” Li asked, offering his hand to him to help him up.

 

“Is…is this like a family?” Shi had lived in an orphanage all of his life, and had just turned seventeen. His days were numbered at the orphanage now since he was close to becoming a legal adult.

 

“Yes. I suppose you can call us a family.” Li smiled as he turned around and looked over the other three leaders. “Welcome to our family Shi.”

 

Shi lightly smiled as he took Li's hand and was pulled up to his feet.

 

That last kick broke his rib's, piercing his lungs in the process. There was nothing no one could do to save him, or to easy his worry. I suppose that was the hardest thing for me to let go… It was my fault over what happened, and I'll forever live with the nightmare of reliving that moment each night in my dreams.

 

Shi…he's the reincarnation of his soul. He was left on the doorstep of the orphanage in an old fashioned manor and lived there ever since. He still has his short messy golden blond hair, and his baggy clothing, but he has no horrible scars. He may have a few cuts and scrapes, but there is nothing permanent on his delicate skin. That was a relief…

 

Allen is still the youngest of our group at sixteen. He comes from a family that is highly known for their kendo dojo in downtown of our city. Four days a week he teaches classes to elementary school students. This time around, Allen's taken his roll of a `warrior' a bit more seriously. He's the champion three years running in our district and no one can seem to beat him, except for his father.

 

Sei's family wasn't exactly the picture perfect one. His father owned a store that associated with Woodstock merchandise and anything from the early sixties. He probably even sold some under the counter merchandise, but we'll not discuss that. Sei is one of the top students in our class, and he is still the cheesy romantic he was when he was Sei of the Mori clan, it's not hard to see that Sei is the reincarnation of well…Sei.

 

I suppose the most surprising of us all is Rei's family. His father owns a medical clinic and is very successful at what he does also. Rei is also learning medicine to take over his father's family business, though, I'm not sure if I'd ever go to his clinic, due to passed differences that is… One of the good things is that Allen, Sei, I, and now Shi can all get free medical from Rei's family…as long as we're friends with Rei, and as long as we don't need anything surgically done.

 

Carine…she's doing alright. After what happened when father, she went back to the city. Even though she tried to separate myself from him, she never meant any harm. It's hard to believe no? All she ever wanted was someone to be her prince charming, even if he turned out not to be so charming. Her father ran a brothel, and was due to fall into that line of work unless she married away from the family. She went from family to family, telling her father that the boy had dishonored her and with that result came a battle to the death as you saw when Allen fought with her father. I only became the object of her affection after I had help Allen. Even though Allen had laid the killing blow, I was the one that saved Allen and gave him the chance to strike back.

 

Today, Carine is one of those girls men always dream about. She's smart, pretty, and sweet, but no one knows her sadistic side yet. She was brought up in a good family, far better off then some, and not much about her family life is known to the public, perhaps it's something she doesn't want known…

 

That just leaves me. I've grown up in a family with a mother, and a drunk of a father. I just can't seem to catch breaks with fathers now can I? I was a bit of a lonely child. I thought that the past was going to repeat itself, and I would lose my mother again at the age of four, but my mother never got pregnant, and she never died. I am happy about not losing my mother all over again, but I was upset when I came to find out that I wouldn't know where Tai-Shi, or if I would ever see him. School was a little hard to get used to, but it was all easy once you know exactly what you were doing.

 

I had learned at an early age not to tell people about my past life. No one understood, and others thought there was something wrong with me. My father had yelled at me about making up stories, and my mother just nodded her head and smiled, but no one ever really cared to listen.

 

When I entered high school, one of the first people I had come to know was Rei. He was known for flirting with anything that could move. If there was one thing I knew for sure, I knew that I had to keep a watch on him. As the saying goes, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, and that's exactly what I did. He soon introduced me to the new Sei and Allen, and they were the same as always, just with different family backgrounds.

 

I form this little gang of ours in order to collect information to find the reincarnation of his soul. It still took me over a year after I formed this gang to find him with Allen's contacts and Sei's tracking skills. When we did find him, I ordered our lesser to bring him in.

 

“What's the name of your family?” Shi asked quietly as he looked around the small group of rather scary looking people, in his opinion that is.

 

Li smiled as Sei and Rei sighed, “It's called Bound Together.”

 

Shi listened and was confused by the reaction of both Sei and Rei. “What's wrong?”

 

“Now you got him going.” Sei grumbled and slumped back into his chair next to Allen.

 

“Let him talk of his fantasies.” Rei smiled as he leaned over smiled at Shi.

 

“They're not fantasies!” Li growled and glared at Rei and froze when Rei leaned in close to Shi.

 

Rei turned and shrugged as he leaned over and whispered into Shi's ear.

 

“Breathtaking…” Rei again smiled as he walked out of the small room with a crooked smile.

 

Shi turned and watched Rei leave and rubbed his ear, “Breathtaking?”

 

Li sighed as he relaxed and drew his attention back to Shi with a soft smile.

 

“You see…” Li began as he pulled Shi over towards their chairs and sat him down in his large comfy chair, which was similar to a thrown, and slowly began his story. “I was once told long ago that souls of the living can live separate lives, but in the end their destinies are intertwined throughout eternity. Forever they'll live their lives, forever, bound together.”

 

The End

 

~ * ~

 

Author's Note: Well…sadly Bound Together has come to an end…the main story that is. I am thinking about writing the alternate ending I thought of (only contained Tai-Shi and Tai-Li). I shortened Tai-Li's and Tai-Shi's name so that people would get the hint that they are no longer related and have separate lives. This was the final scenario I came up with for the epilogue. I had planned a time skip from the start (or since chapter 15/16) and first thought of having Tai-Shi give Tai-Li a confession letter…but I couldn't form the words I wanted without slipping in “senpai” or “upper classman” since that is what Tai-Li would be to Tai-Shi. I may end up writing it later…but I don't know exactly how far that would get me… >.> But…hooray! A fresh start…but if everyone has been reincarnated (Tai-Li being the only one to remember anything), there's bound to be some trouble…and perhaps past mistakes will rise again? They are in a gang…so…who knows.

 

BT has grown so much, but it's plot stayed forever the same. The idea for BT was that no matter where the families end up, they'll always be bound together by fate (hence the title Bound Together). Also, I thought it would give it a stronger bond if I named their little gang Bound Together, corny yes…but oh wells. =3 Also…from the original copy, I changed it to the way I wanted it, (also persuaded by a reader's suggestion…her and I really think on the same track sometimes XD), I now made Rei remember…can you find the hint he gives?

 

You know…its sad seeing my baby finally finished. This was my first Boys Love story I wrote, and I hope it's not my last (since I'm obsessed with the genre). I've fallen in love with these characters…Tai-Shi, Rei, Allen, Tai-Li, and Sei are my favorites…in that order (sorry Sei). Tai-Shi was the first character I thought of before I came up with the concept of BT. Rei…he's my little antagonist…and he was never meant to be as evil as he was…it just…flowed? Allen…oh boy. He's your typical submissive character…but not? It's hard to explain. He's so frail, but in a cute way, and different then Tai-Shi. Sei's my fun character…but I never did have much fun with him in the story. His family is based off stereotypical hippies. “Free to the earth” and such. Sei's also my hopeless romantic, cheesy to boot. He does have a temper…and he gets jealous easily (he is mainly cold to Tai-Shi because he steals Allen's attention away from him), and Tai-Li saved Allen from death, which Sei would and could never forgive himself for that. Tai-Li always got the short end of the stick…it seemed…but he represents the loyal lover I've always imagined. Cold…but proud. Loving but cruel. Gentle yet…you get the picture.

 

I hope the epilogue cushioned the impact of the final chapter…I really do. I mean…I bet many of you readers figured I'd go with the “they lived happily ever after” ending? Well…if you've read this far…and thought that…slap yourself XD When have I ever gave you the hints they'd live happily ever after? If you didn't expect anything, and just read it through, then yay. And if you were one of the few readers who expected I'd do something “unexpected” give yourself a pat on the back.

 

But…to my readers I give you all many thanks…this series probably wouldn't have come this far without you. I love all your comments…and take them to heart (the good and the bad…but mostly got good comments).

 

Now…I'm going to share something with you that I haven't openly discussed with anyone. I've always wanted to make and anime/manga…but I don't have the skills or the contacts for either. If it was an anime…I would write to get permission to use these two songs for the opening credits and closing credits. The opening song I'd prefer is called `Dance to Me' by StorySide :B. “…cause you're why I've search this world…” It's such a pretty song…but the band is Christian…and I don't think they'd want their song to be attached to…well…you know what I mean. The ending theme would be a song “Hoshi ni Negai wo” which is translated to “Wish Upon a Star”. If anyone has read “Only the Ringer Finger Knows” novels, then the title would sound familiar to you…if it's the same song, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's the same one. I have images showing the sequence of how the credits would go…the ending credits would be like a slide show…still pictures. That's my vision =3. Silly no?

 

One day…perhaps readers of BT can hold a copy of BT in their hands…(of course the content would have some new elements…add ins and story updates), but that wont be until later when I feel confident enough in my writing. I need an editor x.x; I can only catch so many mistakes by myself.

 

Well…I would like to say thank you for sticking it out these last two years I've been writing this. It means a lot to me those who have read this from beginning when I was first starting. I hope you can tell my writing has gotten better also.

 

One last thing before I close BT…if you have an questions that I left unanswered, please…please message me. I'll answer them in the author's notes that I will post up soon.

 

Well…until next time…in Secret Tragedies of the Heart we'll meet again. It's an older story of mine, but I need to re-edit it…lost the edit a while ago…and kicking myself…but I only have to edit chapter 3-8, so it's not going to be that bad.

 

If you are not interested in it, no worries, perhaps we'll meet again in another story…I have plenty of ideas…just don't know where to start.

 

Until next time.