The Last I Love You Ataru once again woke in a cold sweat, his heart beating a million miles a minute, and tears flowing from his eyes. Looking out the window he noticed the sun was just starting to rise. He walked over to the closet where Lum usually slept hoping beyond hope, like he had been doing for the past few months, that everything that happened was just a bad dream. Ataru slid the closet door open quietly praying to see Lum's angelic face sleeping therin,with Jairten in her arms, but reality hit him once again as only her tiger skin blanket was there and nothing else. Grabbing the blanket and holding it tight the memory of that day came rolling back over him as it so often did nowdays...... +++FLASHBACK+++ It was almost graduation time and suprisingly Ataru had made the grade, even if by just a very narrow margin. He was looking forward to post graduation events but first he had promised to see Lum off as it was also time for her to go home and renew her passport so she could stay on earth. Ataru smiled to himself, a while back before Lum's abuction by a now former fiance {author's note: referance to Final Chapter, I can't remember the characters name} he would have been overjoyed at her leaving for a while so he could go on his girl chases in peace. Since that event though he had found himself mellowing out somewhat. This is not to say he had given up on chasing girls, he just didn't do it as often. He also found himself spending time with Lum and even taking her out on the occasional date. It was with these thoughts in his head that Ataru arrived at his back yard where Lum's UFO was parked. Lum had just put Ten on board when she noticed her Darling walking up. "Darling you came!!" Lum exclamed happily. She had been a bit worried that he might not show, after all old habits do die hard sometimes. "Of course I came, I said I would didn't I." Ataru responded. He knew that she had thought that he might try to skip out but decided not to say anything about it. Lum just smiled and ducked into the saucer for a second and came back out with a small box. She walked over to Ataru and handed it to him still smiling. "Whats this??" Ataru asked eying the box that now rested in his hand. "Open it and see." was all Lum would say. A bit of paranoia reasserted itself in Ataru as he slowly opened the box. Even though Lum had not tried any of her contraptions on him or tried to make him eat some of her cooking lately he still didn't want to take any chances. All that rested in the box was a tiger striped locket on a silver chain. Ataru took the locket out of the box and poped it open. Inside was a lock of green hair and a picture of Lum with the words 'Happy Graduation darling, Love Lum XOXOXOXOXO'. He replaced the locket back into the box and said "thank you Lum it's Lovely."smiling once again at her. "Oh Darling I'm s glad you like it" Lum squealed as she glomped onto Ataru, "Since I won't be here for graduation I thought I would give it to you now". "LUM-CHAN WHEN ARE GOING TO LEAVE?!?!?!?" Jairten yelled from inside the ship. Lum sighed and broke off the embrace. "I will be gone a few days but I'll hurry back as soon as I can," she said as she got into the ship "I love you darling." was the last words Ataru heard as the door slid closed. A few minutes after Lum had launched Ataru started getting a real queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach,while watching the thin stream that Lum's ship was leaving in the upper atmosphere, as if something really bad was going to happen. As if on que a bright flash of light appeared right where Lum's ship would have been. The queasy feeling soon became a feeling of utmost dread and fear as he watched what seemed to be a shooting star, except it was daytime and therefore to bright, fall from the point he had last figured Lum's ship to be. The falling object grew brighter and and brighter as it streaked towards the ground, and Ataru found him self running in that direction yelling Lum's name over and over. A few seconds before the object impacted Ataru could swear he heard Lum's voice whisper 'I love you Darling....' and he heard himself say "I love you too Lum-chan". He could almost mentally visuallise Lum's smile as a Blinding white light when off along with a very loud earth-shaking boom. The Oni arrived a few days later to help recover the wreckage as the inside of the crater was a bit on the ionized side. Ataru sat behind the barracade the entire time not moving, when he saw them bring up a charred body out of the wreckage that seemed to be holding a smaller body in it's arms. Seeing this Ataru screamed out in anguish and passed out. The funeral was quite elaborite as Lum's parents, and Shutaro Mendo pitched together making sure Lum had nothing but the best. Durring the burial people would stop by and express thier condolances to the family's and Ataru. While everyone wept Ataru just sat there like a zombie. Sakura could not help but worry about Ataru after the service was completed so when she returned to the temple she consulted her crystal ball, but no answer was forthcoming. +++END FLASHBACK+++ Sakura looked up from her crystal ball as Ataru walked in, what suprised her was what Ataru was wearing. He was wearing Lum's blanket as a cloak along with a tiger striped locket on a chain and on his finger he wore the ring Lum gave him when they had first attempted to get married. Ataru walked up and whispered something in her ear. Sakura nodded and went into her room returning after a few moments with a monks staff.... Almost the entire town was out looking for Ataru after he had been reported missing. When they asked Sakura if she could scry for him in her crystal ball all she would say is "Why? all he's done is go for a walk". Epiloge..... Sakura was out tending the graves when she noticed someone over by one of them. "Who is that??" she wondered as she hobbled her old bones over that direction. "There hasn't been anyone over at those graves in 20 years" she mumbled to herself remembering that it was the Moroboshi plot that the person was at. When she finally got over the person was just getting ready to leave. Sakura noticed he was wearing a old and worn cape with tiger stripes. Something about this tickled her memory but she was not quite sure what it was. The gentleman turned to face her as he he heard he r approach. He bowed humbly to Sakura and started to walk away. Just before he was out of earshot Sakura heard him say "Good to see you again Sakura-san" then he was gone. Looking down at the grave marker she read the name of the grave the man had been bent over 'LUM'. She also saw two small dolls sitting on the marker, one of a boy in a school uniform and one of a green haired girl with horns. The dolls seemed to be holding hands. Sakura looked off in the direction the man had gone and said "Good travels Ataru". FIN