Once again, spoilers lurk beyond this point, especially in the story-specific sections. You've been warned.
On 'Junctures'
- Suggested CD tracks:
'Sacrifice' for the first scene with Taka on the stairs.
'To Hold or Not' for the scene by the waterfall.
'How Do You Feel?' for the start of the classroom scene.
'For You' (music box version) when Kana starts reading her essay.
'Sacrifice' again, for the scene with the three girls.
'Thank You' for the scene in the park.
'She Was Weeping Sadly' for Kana's deathbed scene.
The first five KLS stories I wrote were conceived as one-offs. They were designed to stand alone, and given 'complete' endings. As far as I knew while writing them, any one of them could have been the last KLS fanfic I ever wrote.
That changed with 'Imouto and Oniisan', which demanded a follow-up. At about the same time, I realised that I couldn't tell KLS stories indefinitely. I didn't want to keep doing it until readers got sick of me (something I had already been worried about after just one story).
So I realised I needed to move things towards closure. Sure, I had Kana and Taka back together. But I hadn't justified it. I needed to do some more exploration of why they belonged together. I couldn't just arbitrarily end somewhere, tack "and they both lived happily ever after" on it, and expect anyone (least of all me!) to be satisfied. And so I came up with the idea for the finale.
For this story, though, all I needed to do was start showing why Taka and Kana need each other. And so, I took Taka on a rather horrible journey through the life of a Kana who didn't have a big brother – to show the difference his love and protection has made to her life.
And next... to show how Taka needs Kana. It won't be pretty. But I hope people will think it's worthwhile.