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It had been a simple request, so even though it came from what were practically strangers, Ange felt obligated to go through it. The kitsune girls had been clear, they wanted to be buried next to the memorial for Red, or Donner as they had known him. It felt wrong to do it with no other ceremony, so a small group of mourners had been put together.
The sun shined down on the memorial, either apathetic to or in spite of the funeral. Even with that sunlight, the Lake of Remnants had a grim aura that was hard to dispel. Knowing that it wasn't far from where the DP0 incident had ended at least one world only made it feel more macabre. But, to Ange it also gave more credence to the mythology of the lake, that at times you could see the spirits of the dead.
There were four gravestones on the small island at the lake’s center. The oldest was the simplest, dedicated to a great mercenary. Next to it was a gravestone that had two names written on it. A cloak covered it, left undisturbed either out of reverence for the dead or reverence for the warning about the explosives that would destroy any grave robbers. There was a hole in the cloak, due to it coming from one of the Donners that Elena had shot.
Originally, Ange had been fine with not giving Red a grave, on the basis that he was still alive in the Shadow Gallery as Arkaneis. Then while reflecting on the Second Black Lightning with the others, the argument had been made that the various Donners weren’t too different from the Red that Ange had known. The split between Arkaneis and Donner had only happened after the last time Ange had seen Red as Red, so all the Donners should have had the same memories of Ange that Arkaneis did. Then shortly after that discussion, Ange came upon the cloak that belonged to one of the Donners and he took it as a sign.
Next to the cloaked gravestone were two newer stones. An umbrella had been buried into the ground behind one, continuing to cast shade over its user and her companions. The other had a sword to help mark the grave, the hilt resting comfortably under the umbrella. It hadn’t been the kitsunes idea, Jackson had suggested it. Even without the iconography, the names ‘Kiyoko’ and ‘Kaya’ were written clearly on the graves.
In addition to Ange and Jackson, there were only a handful of others. Ange hadn’t even bothered asking Jenn to get the inevitable rejection. Cyphr felt it was wrong to attend the funeral of strangers. Elena had been out of contact and was likely uninterested regardless. Renzo knew the kitsunes past, so he had agreed to come. Tiger, Shaz, and Amy came out of general sympathy.
Everyone present was dressed a step more formal than they usually did, with Ange in his usual formal suit. Although Jackson still kept his yellow hat, which looked even more hideous when paired with black clothes, like an unfashionable bumblebee.
None of them knew what to say as the sun continued to shine. The rays shot down at an angle that struck Kaya’s sword, giving it a bright, defiant shine. Amy laid foxgloves at the graves.
Ange took out another letter Kaya and Kiyoko had written. It was addressed to Donner, so reading it to his grave only felt natural. As Ange recited the kitsune’s final message to their one ally he noticed the effect it had on the mourners.
Jackson was holding his hat to his chest out of respect, and something about the blur that counted as his face started to seem more water like. Shaz made no effort to conceal his noisy tears. Renzo looked out across the lake. Amy clung tightly to Tiger, though Tiger seemed to be the one who was comforted. A contemplative silence hung in the air once Ange finished reading the letter. The sun started to descend in the sky.
“This is fucked up,” Renzo said. He turned around to face the others. “I know they were happy in the end, but the fact that even after Bonzaga’s death they could only live for as long as they were made to… what the hell.” Renzo clenched his fists. Ange couldn’t recall seeing Renzo so angry before, but they also had rarely spoken.
Tiger had the familiar look of someone reading the room, his tail was raised up. “I find their story inspiring. It’s hard to say that they didn’t have a point when they were planning to blow up that summit. Yet despite everything, they were able to make their own happiness. They didn’t let Bonzaga define them after his death, they were too strong for that.” Something about Tiger’s words didn’t seem so inspiring to Amy, who looked at Tiger with a sad, knowing expression.
Despite his usual prejudice, Ange found himself nodding in agreement with the mutant. He blamed Cyphr for that, she wasn’t keen on Ange being prejudiced against her boss and he worried it would be a deal breaker for their relationship.
Jackson tightened his grip on his yellow hat. “I used to brood about how I could die and nobody would notice or care. It doesn’t sound like Kaya or Kiyoko ever cared about who else would mourn them, because they had each other. None of us ever had a chance to know them personally, and that was how they wanted it. And we’re still here to mourn them, which I’m sure they never expected. They carved out the best life they could.”
“Somehow all this talk about them being happy just makes me want to cry even more,” Shaz blubbered.
“I feel the same way. I never even saw those two, but you can tell from their letter how much they loved each other and Donner,” Amy said. She wiped away her tears and sniffled.
“Their lives were tragic, but I still get what the others are saying,” Renzo said. He put a hand on Shaz’s shoulder. “You know a thing or two about making the best of a shit situation too, right Shaz?”
“It’s still hella sad.”
Once again a complete silence fell on the small island. Shaz was right in the way that made it hard to respond. After a while the silence become unbearable.
“Well, there’s not much point in hanging around longer, is there?” Ange asked. He patted a hand against the spot where he normally had a gun holstered. “Kind words don’t mean much to the dead, and we shouldn’t act like we knew them well, that’d be disrespectful.”
“You have a point.” Jackson bowed his head towards the graves, then turned to head down the island. The boat they had taken to the island was still waiting by the shore, which could be seen from the graves due to the island's small size. Jackson only put his hat back on once he reached the boat.
The others left to follow Jackson, only Ange was left by the graves. Amy whispered something to Tiger. Shaz tried to wipe away his tears in vain, as more kept falling. “Ange, are you coming?” Renzo asked.
“Go on ahead, I need a few more seconds.”
“If you say so.” Renzo turned his attention to catching up with Shaz. The two had seemed to grow even closer after Elena had dumped Renzo. It reminded Ange of some his own past friendships, in a way that sometimes made him jealous enough to order another drink at Johnson’s. He turned to face one old friend in particular.
“I don’t know what those girls saw in you Red. You fucked up the last girl you saved after all. But, wherever you are, I hope they keep you company.” Ange had nothing else to say. He turned around and looked out towards the lake.
The walk to the boat felt like walking through a battlefield right after the battle, far too empty and silent. Ange’s delay hadn’t gone unnoticed, he got more sympathetic looks than he wanted when he stepped onto the boat.
With the final passenger onboard, the boat began its journey to the edge of the lake. Ange didn’t let himself look back towards the island where a wolf, a shadow, and two kitsune laid in eternal rest. That wasn’t how any of them had lived.