And so, life goes. And goes.

A clinic in Nerima, a sign, newly painted. "Ono, Ono and Saotome. Moxibustion, Acupuncture, Pressure Points, Midwifery, Therapy and General Practice."

A redheaded woman puts a box down on a desk upstairs in the office part of the clinic and looks about the place.

Nostalgia fills her as she unpacks her gear and she smiles softly to herself as she remembers scrapes and bruises, pats on the back and other advice in a clinic with the same atmosphere as this one.

Another box is put down near to hers and she frowns. "Kasumi-nee-chan, no carrying heavy boxes. You're six months in. I'd have thought you'd remembered that from last time."

Tendou Kasumi, gravid in her second pregnancy already, sighs exasperatedly at Saotome Ranko.

"Ranko-chan, you know I know what I'm doing. I did specialise in midwifery after all." She chides. Ranko smiles at her.

"I know. And I'm not sure how you managed all of that while also pregnant and raising a newborn. Then you went and did it again right near the end."

"Mostly by taking a year out and joining you, dear." Kasumi says, smiling at her sister. "Though the residency was certainly a headache."

Ranko laughs, "I suppose, but I'm glad I've waited this long as Ucchan advised. I don't think I could have dealt with it like you."

Kasumi giggles. "Well, when you've helped raise two girls as troublesome as Akane and Nabiki, not to mention dealing with Father I suspect a newborn was easy. Certainly, Mirai cried a lot less than father ever does."

Ranko laughs. "Isn't that the truth." She says, shaking her head. "At least he finally passed the dojo down. I heard Akane took out another dojo destroyer the other day."

Kasumi nods. "Oh, yes. Humiliated him, really, but it was his own fault. It was that Kumon boy again, the one who pretended to be Ranma that time."

Ranko giggles. "Oh, we really tricked him that time." She says. "At least he didn't destroy anything this time…" She sighs. "I wonder if Ranma would have liked him…"

Kasumi puts a hand on Ranko's shoulder. "I'm sure they'd have fought like demons."

Ranko laughs and nods. "Yes…" She sighs and reaches into one box, and then another, bringing out their licenses, their doctorates. She smiles warmly and runs a hand down the glass frame of her own.

"We did it, Ranma." She whispers softly. "Just you watch us go. No one else like us in this area will suffer like we did again."

Kasumi smiles as she helps Ranko set the office up, though the younger woman insists she takes it easy.

When they're done, the two women look around their new clinic. It's not the same one Toufu had before – with the three of them practicing together now, they'd decided to open a larger premises close by, but a little closer to Juuban.

Between the three of them being somewhat known, they'd already had patients hammering on the door before they'd opened.

"Well then." Kasumi says, moving to the kitchenette that's just out the way of the office part of the building. "I think some tea."

"Sure, Kasumi-nee-chan." Ranko smiles. She walks to the window and looks out across the street below. She sighs happily, looking at her hand on the sill adorned by a ring with a small gem set into it. "We'll have to change the sign sometime soon." She murmurs, a happy feeling inside her.

"Yes." Kasumi says, making Ranko jump. She hands the redhead a cup. "When you two decide to finally tie the knot."

Ranko blushes. "Well, now I'm all licensed and practicing, I suspect Mother's going to want that to move on fairly quickly. She wants grandbabies." Ranko laughs. "I suppose I wouldn't mind starting our family now, either."

Kasumi moves to stand next to her. "There's something to be said for having all the noise around you." She says, sipping her tea. "Though it's hard work, it's rewarding."

Ranko turns and leans against the windowsill, looking out over the office of their clinic. "Like many things, I suppose." She smiles and takes a long drink of her tea.

Kasumi does the same. "Yes."

Ranko rolls her neck to work out any stiffness from moving the things in. She smiles and looks around at her clinic. Her best patients have been patient, and with the items she ordered from China, she's ready to start proper practice and figure out how the water did its job.

But right now, she's just happy to have succeeded

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Ranko stares as the vision in the ball clears. She straightens her kimono out and blushes. "Wow." She says a smile on her face. "Kasumi-nee-chan was glowing." She looks up at the owner of said crystal ball and looks hesitant. "I… is that what will happen?" She asks, nervously.

The girl behind the ball has pink and curly hair bouncing in twintails from her head. Dressed in a two-toned waistcoat with a floofy skirt, long white socks and pink mary-janes, she looks like a youngster playing magical girl. But what did Ranko expect of a tent on the edge of the festival offering looks into the future; normalcy?

"Well…" She says, finger to her mouth in thought. "It's an odd magic, but no, it's what could happen. Life, after all, is what you make it, Ranko-chan. Nothing is ever set in stone."

Ranko blinks and then laughs. "You're right." She says. "Thank you for the entertainment, though."

The girl inclines her head and Ranko leaves the tent, joining up with Ryouga and taking his arm. "How was it?"

"It showed me being a doctor." Ranko says, laughing softly. "So like all of those fortune telling things, it showed me what I wanted to see I suppose."

Ryouga laughs. "Well, if it lights a fire in you to do what you want, all the better?"

Ranko smiles at Ryouga. He leans down to kiss her, and they spend a moment that way until they let go and return to walking. Looking forwards now and only backwards to smile at times gone by.

The future's still unwritten, after all.

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A/N: Aaaand that's it for Changeling, at least this one. Coming up is Athetos, spinning from Chapter 9 but that won't be a happy story until quite late.

I'm very tempted to do a sequel sometime, but I'll let this particular playground rest while I work on another project.

Thanks everyone for sticking with it to the end if you have, and I hope you enjoyed it!