Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and it's characters are the product and property of rumiko takahashi and viz video.
A Bengal Tale
Part Thirteen
By Michael Fetter
It was another day, but darker than the last. The sun was no less warm and its rays no less bright, but a cloud of loss, thicker than any thunderstorm, blotted out Ranma's vision. A wind blew the morning fallen cherry blossoms to spiral through the current over the city. It was cool and strong, picking at her shirt and slacks that Akane had bought for her.
To anyone else, it was a school day, a workday, they saw loved ones off in the morning, a kiss and a promise to see each other in the evening. Ranma watched these people leave their houses and head off on foot or in their slightly used two-wheel drive family cars. She'd passed them often enough on the other days but it never really caught her attention how unalike they were.
Staring ahead into the rising sun, she headed off to the soccer field on Furinkan High School grounds. The yellow ribbon Akane had given her, wrapped about her pigtail, fluttering in the wind angrily, already in action for the fight to come.
~
Murmuring from a crowd sounded the same no matter what language was spoken. Ranma thought about this while she descended the slope around the field. The tribe of the Joketsuzoku Amazons stood ready along the sidelines, whispering to each other, displaying sharpened blades to the sun. Faces melded into each other as she looked about the crowd. All were adorned in armor and cheered for the coming bloodbath as they closed ranks around her, cutting off any escape. They were not the real challenge, but the numbers were greater than anything Ranma had faced before.
No fear showed upon her face. It was no surprise that the demon would dishonor the challenge in such a way. She had known this would happen but appeared anyway. It didn't matter how many stood in her way, the goal, Ryouga, was still the same. So long as he remained the world was not safe.
She found Cologne balanced upon her staff to the end of the assembled, her great granddaughter at her side. Mousse waited not far from Shampoo, swinging his chains in wide arcs across his body.
Sitting upon the ground, a smug grin gracing his cruel lips, the gagged teeth of his cursed form gleaming white. The black wings were folded in upon his shoulders and draped across the ground like a cape. Everything about him, the way he sat, the smile, every intake of breath was put forward to remind her of how terrifying and evil he was now.
Holding back the desire to shiver, Ranma tensed her muscles before the crowd of Amazons and pooled a bit of her ki, ready to use, within her stomach, warming her body from the inside out.
"I'm surprised you had the guts to show, Ranma!" Oni-Ryouga called as he stood and floated into the sky, several meters of air between himself and the ground. There was no effort in the display; anyone could see that. That much power . . . he was a monster.
Smirking, cockier than she felt, Ranma looked at his ability with as much indifference as she could. Anything Goes was an aerial combat style after all. "Surrrrprise you no get losssst on way, R-rowr-youga."
There was a bit of shuffling amongst the Amazons. Oni-Ryouga had actually almost gotten lost twenty-three times before they made it to the field. Then he almost got lost trying to sit down.
Growling, Oni-Ryouga sent the unspoken signal to Cologne for the Amazons to close the circle around Ranma. "You will taunt me no more, Ranma. Today I have my revenge! PREPARE TO DIE, RANMA!"
"I don't think so!"
Ranma looked over her shoulder to see Akane landed on the soccer field in a crouch after jumping the distance from the top of the slope. She wore her yellow gi, cinched at the waist with a black belt. Her hair was flowing freely in the wind now that it was short enough to not distract her in a fight.
Staring defiantly at the demon, Akane raised her fist to the sky. "Pussycat and I are going to spit on your grave when were done with you!" a red aura, angry flames whipping over her body.
"That's right!" Ukyou stepped out from behind the bleachers on Ranma's left, the large combat spatula spinning through the air as she curled it about her body in a deadly pattern of the weapons potential. The metal on her bandoleer reflected back the morning sun, giving Ukyou that extra edge of danger when you looked at her. She smiled at Ranma, finishing the last arc of her spatula's twirl through the air to rest the blade lightly upon the ground. "When we're done, I'll be putting up a special at my restaurant, Demon-Okonomiyaki!"
"And a fine feast it will be!"
"Hohohohohoho, I agree, brother dear. This little challenge should give us quite an appetite. I've always wanted my Demon protein in the morning. Hohohohohoho!"
Ranma turned again to her right and watched Kuno step around the nearest oak tree, his katana resting lightly against his shoulder, tapping slowly in a display of calm. He smiled smugly upon the gathered Amazons and their leader, counting off each one as if he were fitting them into his schedule for the morning. "Know fear demon scum! You face the mighty wrath of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, Deliverer of Divine Justice, the Rising Star of the Kendo Club, Tatewaki Kuno! Face my blade and know your fate is not far behind!"
"Well spoken, brother dear! But leave some of this rabble for me so I might test some of my various potions. I am the Black Rose, Best of St. Bacchus Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts, Kodachi Kuno! Soon you will all be tasting my whip!" The purple ribbon twirled about her leotard clad body, exploding in a flutter of black petals that swept across the area, dusting some of its victims with a paralysis potion she'd been perfecting in her lab.
Grinning savagely, Akane called ahead to her lover. "We're with you Pussycat. Now let's finish it once and for all!"
The cocky smile she hadn't used in many months, back when she was a boy full-time returned and Ranma adopted a loose combat stance, its very posture mocking those who would challenge her. Muscles loosened while the fire within her eyes gained a strong blue core. That moment, she had such clarity of mind, she spoke with her old voice. "You heard the girl Demon Boy, it's time fer ya ass kickin'!"
~
Things went quickly after that. Ranma dove straight into the largest pack of Amazons, Oni-Ryouga inaccessible as he ascended a distance into the air.
The less skilled warriors were weeded out in short time. Ranma shot in and out of people's immediate area with enough speed that most didn't realize she had hit them until their legs locked up and their heads hit the ground. She didn't want to hurt these women if it was possible. Many had been her friends during the short stay at the village.
The Kunos stuck together as they gauged the abilities of the Joketsuzoku. Each sibling seemed to do fairly well considering how unprepared the must be. Unlike them, the Amazons had devoted most of their lives to fighting. The difference in skill was glaringly apparent as the tow began attacking Mousse.
Over on the other side of the field, Ukyou had her hands full with Lotion, Perfume, and Hairspray. For her credit, Ukyou had already downed four of the girls Ranma had seen fighting in the tournament when they arrived. The last three seemed to be pushing her to the limits however. Sparing a second to focus on the fight, Ranma released a quick round of ki blasts at the three Joketsuzoku. Ukyou smiled at her as they crumpled to the ground at her feet.
Turning back, Ranma found Akane in a deadly lock with Shampoo. The sparring sessions and the time spent trying to survive in China had really improved Akane's ability considerably. She no longer went with her slow haymakers and took to the air in the more advanced Saotome Ryuu techniques. It was undeniable that the girl had been a fast learner. Ranma was certain if she had been unable to tap into the berserker or the Neko-ken, Akane could be an even match for her.
"Brother!" Kodachi screamed.
Tatewaki was overcome by a group of Amazons and was lying on the ground, attempting to vainly defend himself before the onslaught of powerful blows. His sister was dancing about the area paralyzing members of the Joketsuzoku with her potions and wrapping them up with ribbons she pulled from her tight purple leotard.
In an instant, Ranma was running to the Kunos aid, throwing a number of smaller ki attacks to thin out the group attacking Tatewaki. When she finally arrived, her fists connected with two jaws, throwing off the remaining Amazons.
"I knew you could not stay away for long." Kuno coughed up blood and grimaced in pain. "My presence is far too magnificent to be left long."
Rolling her eyes, Ranma checked the boy over. He was badly injured but should be able to recover considering his track record with these kinds of beatings. "You ssstay here. Thank you for-rowr help."
"Of course. A member of the house of Kuno could do no less for a goddess of such spirit." He crooned for a moment then collapsed into unconsciousness. Ranma sighed and stood back up. Akane was still fighting with Shampoo and looked like she may be losing.
Akane rolled backwards under the warrior maiden's thrust of her bonbori. Hand springing back to her feet she ran forward, dodging low to bring an uppercut to the girl's chin. One of the bonbori found her in the middle, crashing into Akane's side as she was completing the attack. It threw her off enough to let Shampoo escape with just a glancing blow that would still turn into a purple bruise later on.
Ranma caught her as she stumbled from the blow. It hadn't been too terrible, maybe just a little tender later. Akane almost jumped in shock at the sudden contact, expecting another attacker had set upon her. Ranma made herself known quickly. "I help you."
It got no further than that. Akane fell out of her hold as she was blasted from behind. Ranma turned to defend herself, the back of her shirt ripped and torn.
"I think not, Ranma. You have me to deal with first." Cologne laughed, her battle aura reaching higher than the last time they had fought. "I believe we were interrupted the last time."
"Go on, Pussycat." Ukyou called, landing beside Akane as she stood up again. "We'll handle this Amazon hussy."
Ranma still seemed reluctant.
"If you are so concerned about them I could take care of the problem for you." Cologne lifted a withered hand and let loose a large ball of ki in Akane and Ukyou's direction.
"NO!" Ranma flared with energy, propelling her to intercept the attack with her own body. Behind her Akane and Ukyou watched in amazement. Shampoo was still for a moment, rubbing her jaw. "Cologne fight R-rowr-anma." She growled, facing off against the old prune.
The Elder smiled maliciously and charged into battle, almost hop scotching with her cane across the field.
By now most of the Amazons were down and the school was beginning to fill with students, many of which hung around the soccer field watching the fight unfold. Kodachi screamed again. Mousse had thrown a barrage of throwing knives at her. She bled from a number of cuts. In return she called out an attack of a thousand clubs, beating Mousse to a pulp. It left her wide open for another Amazon to kick her in the gut. Kodachi's head cracked up against a tree and she fell limply to the ground, eyes closed.
"Pay attention!"
Ranma gasped in surprise as she was picked up and bodily thrown into the stands off to the right. She was moving to fast and couldn't stop herself from barreling into the steel structure, collapsing half of it in the impact. She cursed softly at the pain shooting through her back.
"Pathetic." Cologne spat. "Even my great granddaughter has better discipline than that." Ranma watched her circle, changing the nature of her ki. "Now you face three thousand years of Joketsuzoku Amazon fighting technique! Hiryu Shouten Ha!"
Colognes arm thrust into the air, no where near close enough to make contact with Ranma. The insane martial artist thought for a moment that the old ghoul had lost it until the winds around the area suddenly picked up, her with it.
"Yaaa!" Ranma was sent through the ringer as she was sucked into the vortex created by the old woman's attack. It was pulling her in every direction, feeding off the ki in her body. There was no way out until her ki was drained and then she would fall unprotected to the ground.
"Pussycat!" Ukyou and Akane called up, having disposed of Shampoo quickly with their combined efforts. Akane pointed off to the left and Ukyou nodded, limping over to the fallen Kodachi who was being harassed by the Amazon that had kicked her.
Ranma lost sight of them as the winds pulled her in another direction. Unwilling to be beaten so easily, Ranma cried out in frustration, pushing her aura a little harder, hoping to overwhelm Cologne's technique with raw power. The winds picked up and she was lifted even higher, but pockets were opening up in the curtain of the wind tunnel. Using her knowledge of Anything Goes, Ranma dropped herself through one of those holes, free-falling to the ground a half mile below.
~
Labored in her breathing, Akane pressed her muscles for the extra boost of energy to help Pussycat somehow. She could see flashes of red as her lover was swept through the whirlwind. Any shock she might've had to the sight of such a monstrous force was suppressed under meters of concern and anger. There was no way she was going to lose Pussycat to this shriveled up old bat.
"Kyah!" Akane flew through the air; classic side kick position aimed for Cologne's head.
The old woman's hands came up to grab her ankle and slam her painfully onto the ground.
Akane woke a second later an inch beneath the surface of the ground. Her body ached all over and felt like every bone was broken. A quick check proved her wrong, though it was still a good deal painful. "Damn it." She cursed and pushed herself off the ground in agonizing pain.
"Stay down girl." Cologne admonished her. "We're not truly here for you. Stay down and you won't be hurt any further."
Gritting teeth, blood speckling her lips, Akane pushed for any reserve of power.
In a sudden rush of wind, the vortex increased its strength, the wind tugging at her body where she lay. Ranma screamed again and Cologne chuckled in amusement.
"She should be easy pickings if the fall doesn't kill her first." Cologne commented lightly.
Akane's mind flashed with images of her lover, screaming in fear as she fell from the great height, completely wasted by the harsh winds. The muscles in her arms tensed as the vision of Ranma bounced off the ground and failed to stand up again. Akane's legs pulled in closer. Ranma was becoming surrounded by a pool of her own blood. Soft flares of red burned at the edges of her mind. Ranma's head lolled to one side, staring ahead blankly.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!" Akane screamed in pure hatred of the chuckling old woman and the torment she must be inflicting on her Pussycat. The red flared until she was highlighted an inch around by a visible aura of her inner power. Muscles felt less tight, bones knit stronger, Akane moved like a snake, striking suddenly at its prey.
"What?!" Cologne was hit by an unexpected uppercut and launched into the air.
Akane grinned in a manner that would later remind Ranma of her lover's cursed form.
~
Cologne flew by with a large bruise developing under her chin. Ranma twisted in time to kick the old woman before she passed by and send her screaming back down to the ground. Below her, Akane shuffled to one side and let the old woman fall, breaking through a foot of packed earth before her momentum came to a halt.
Akane shown like a little red flame on the battlefield, smiling up at the falling Ranma.
Ranma twisted again to be easily caught by her lover a dozen feet from impact. The landing was still a little rough but far better than what it could've been. Akane held her for a long moment, glad to see her Pussycat more or less unhurt by the experience.
Panting, Ranma scanned the area to assess their position in the battle. Things were not looking good. Kuno Tatewaki had been thrown hard into the ground and beaten to a state of perpetual black and blue. His sister was not much better off. Her fight with Mousse had left a dozen or more knife wounds bleeding over her body. She had collapsed at the base of the tree she'd been thrown against.
On the other side of the field, through the upturned earth and piled Amazon bodies, Ukyou could be seen, the broken combat spatula supporting her entire weight as she no longer had the strength to stand on her own. Wordlessly, she passed her apology for not being able to see this fight to the end by her side.
Pussycat acknowledged her support and told Ukyou to sit this fight out with a smile.
"That . . was . . easy." Akane huffed and shuffled to Ranma's side, looking more like a ragdoll run over by a steamroller than a sixteen year old girl.
Ranma wiped the sweat from her brow and kept a visual of the demon, smirking at them from across the field. "You staaay down now. Pussycat fi-rowr-ght."
Pulling herself up straight, Akane stared straight ahead to the cause of all their problems. "No way . . Pussycat." She smiled at the redhead, letting her know the strength of the bond they shared through her eyes. "We started this together, and we'll finish it together."
A second wind seemed to come over the taller girl and Ranma was transfixed for a moment by the beauty of Akane's fierceness. Nodding her understanding, Ranma couldn't help but smile at the upcoming battle, side by side with her love. The confidence swelled within her chest as she cleansed herself with a long, drawn out breathe that felt like fire. She could conquer the world in that moment if Akane desired it.
"Oh." Oni-Ryouga uncrossed his arms and dipped closer to the earth, his voice a tone of mock fear. "Are the two of you going to fight me? You're piddling little strength doesn't even compare to my power."
Taking a few steps, Akane and Ranma came to stand back to back, holding their fighting stances, feeling the tension in the others movements, reading the slightest adjustment to synchronize their attack like a finely tuned machine.
"Hmph." He waited leaving all vulnerable spots open to attack by all appearances. "This ought to be entertaining."
Not a word was spoken, but somehow they both knew. Ranma and Akane separated for a moment, flanking their enemy and moving in as swiftly as they could, dividing his attention and attacking from different angles.
Ryouga was there and then he wasn't. Akane flew backwards with a hit to the stomach. Ranma was barreled into the ground by an elbow to the back of the head.
Moving quickly, Ranma avoided the follow-up kick to her head and flipped onto her feet. Akane was back already, arms glowing red as she sought to slip an attack through the demon's defenses. Feet moving at blinding speeds, Ranma pooled some of her own ki into the kicks, increasing their strength and speed.
The demon continued to dodge or block, landing blow after blow against some vulnerable area. Akane fell more often than Ranma, but she continued to return with more vigor. Ranma attacked high, putting all of her effort into finding a stunning blow to slow the demon some. He went to block and Akane attacked, a fist slamming into his exposed abdomen.
Grunting in pain, Oni-Ryouga brought up a rolling wave of black energy. Unable to dodge because of the proximity, Akane was caught up in the attack, dragged by the energy halfway across the field.
Ranma pushed off of Oni-Ryouga's forearm and back flipped into Akane's path, catching her before she slammed into the hard earth. They breathed deeply for a moment, Akane trying to muster the strength once again to face the demon.
"Pussycat, I . . ." Ranma silenced her and leaned her body up against a pile of dirt. "I'm sorry I just can't-"
"Shh." She put her hand against Akane's cheek. "You do wonderful, Aka-rowr-ne. I faccccce him alone nooooowww."
"You can't." Akane pleaded, hoping for some way to leave this fight before it destroyed either one of them.
Ranma smiled at her reassuringly. "I can."
Akane blinked, understanding only came over her as she watched Ranma smirk and stroll of to the fight. "No, Ranma! Don't! What if you can't come back!"
~
"Ready for some more of the beating I was giving you, Ranma!" Ono-Ryouga mocked her as she strode up to the fight, standing a half dozen meters from her opponent.
Ranma stared at the demon, a look of determination in her eyes. The area was pot marked with ki blasts and impact craters. The wind was grappling furiously at her clothing and the loose bits upon the ground, carrying them up within the funnel of its natural force, then recirculating itself on the edges of the battlefield.
Ranma withstood the wind's attention for a few moments, staring intently at the smirking demon. "You no hurt Pussycat fr-rowr-iends. Pussycat maaake sure of it!"
It started as a low rumble, shaking loose gravel around her feet and forging small cracks beneath her. Her arms were tense and locked into a position for a chambered punch at her side. Mouth opened in silent scream, the rumble slowly rose in pitch as her voice began to sound through the area.
Sparks of golden energy jumped across her body, arcing into the sky then touching back down upon her. With a small explosion of energy, the wind was knocked away from her and a crater of ten feet in diameter formed around her. It didn't stop there. Ranma continued to scream until the pitch rose so high and steady that it curdled the blood to hear it. Eyes blue with the ki that swirled like a mad flock of birds in her soul, muscles strained and pushing the veins forth prominently in places, hair lost to the flow of energy floated lightly upon her head, Ranma turned to face the demon in an openly aggressive stance, standing in a half crouch, fingers spread slightly as ki claws reached out a foot ahead of her hand.
"That's good Ranma!" Oni-Ryouga laughed and set himself into a fighting stance. "About time you started treating this fight seriously. It will be your last, after all!"
She dropped onto all fours for only a moment, then seemed to disappear all together, appearing suddenly at Oni-Ryouga's side, lashing out with a vicious sidekick to his floating rib.
Taken completely by surprise, he flew across the area to tumble across the ground in a tangle of limbs and wings. The fall lasted only a moment and Oni-Ryouga was back on his feet, pushing off into the air and launching bolts of pure black at the red blur. The speed was unreal. He never suspected Ranma of such capabilities. She dodged and flipped through his attacks, making a beeline for the half-broken benches.
Bracing her legs a moment against the steel rungs, Ranma pushed off into a back flip that brought her left knee onto Oni-Ryouga's face. He fell to the earth propelled by the force of her blow. The leap Ranma had made seemed to hold her suspended in the air, a rogue angel to protect the weak. Her hands cupped together above her head and a blue ball of energy grew between them.
Crouching on the ground, Oni-Ryouga snarled and looked back up to the opponent he had spent a lifetime tracking down, through Japan, China, Jusenkyou, a veritable hell of distant lands. He would not fall before Ranma again. Spitting the dirt from his mouth, Oni-Ryouga pulled his hands back to his hips, fingers curled, black energy crackling.
Ranma saw the coming counter attack and gave in. Her mind fell blank to everything but the fight. Instincts of the Neko-ken powered by the Berserker showed her the path. She did not fear it any longer, there was light at the end of this journey, it sparked with blue and black, but she would overcome the obstacle.
Her vision passed for a moment onto Akane's limp form, watching the ending battle with concern. When it was over, Akane would be free to live her life again. One way or another things would be better for the young woman she loved.
Ranma stared straight into the demon's eyes, her own a solid blue of her aura's flames. This demon was not her one time friend; it was an enemy to be destroyed. Arching her back a bit more, Ranma finished loading her ki attack and shot forward, her hands and arms aimed at the demon below. "HA!"
"ROAR!" he returned with a blast of his own. It collided together with Ranma's attack, pushing at each other for some sort of dominance. The dark energy bored into Ranma's and it was followed by a great flash of light that left the whole area in a blanket of white explosion.
~
It was over.
Ranma stood within the crater of their opposing attacks. The area smoked along the edges where live grass had been singed with the energy. Her clothes hung in tatters on her shoulders, a light breeze swimming along her limbs to breath cold air onto her sweating body beneath the material.
Behind her, all that remained of the demon stood in shock for a moment, the four long slashes of her ki claws still visible across his face and torso. He almost denied being hurt by the attack at all until a thick black substance began to pour from his wounds. Hand shaking, he reached up to touch the slashes and feel how deeply they penetrated his body. To his horror, the hand never reached its destination while his body slowly collapsed into five pieces upon the crater ground. The head landing near the demon's leg, the shock still visible with the wide eyes and open mouth.
Smirking, Ranma felt like laughing, jumping in joy for her victory. Instead, she collapsed to her knees and let her eyes roll back into their sockets, the world suddenly going, inescapably, dark. It was her price for letting go so completely, but she knew it was worth it.
~
The power of the last blast left Akane so jostled that it took her a few moments to get her feet steadily beneath her. When she could walk without stumbling, Akane pulled herself out of the small protection the upturned earth had offered her.
She found Ranma lying face down in the ground, not far from the dissolving remains of the demon. Soon there would be nothing left of the enemy's evil presence but the signs of its last battle.
She should be crying out, Akane realized as she crossed the distance to her fallen love. She should be screaming out Ranma's name and praying that she was still alive.
It took her nearly five minutes to realize she had been doing so from the beginning.
~
They were sitting around the table in the living room, TV on but ignored as the two older sisters watched Akane staring blindly at the cup of hot tea in front of her. She'd been like that for some time, she realized. It was still so impossible to believe what had happened. Somehow she had known it would come but she had hoped there would be more time. Time for Ranma to begin to recover and know her completely.
The tea sat untouched, cooled with time, on the table, little chopped leaves settling upon the bottom of the cup. She'd seen them drift to the bottom, swirling in the little current. Watched the pattern they made change before her eyes until they came to rest as they were now, a meaningless fortune lost on the bottom of a caffeine drink.
"Just think of all those poor Amazons you helped, Akane." Kasumi tried again to see the bright side of what had happened. It didn't work the first time she tried it and it wasn't working on the twentieth time.
Nabiki remained silent. She wasn't used to giving comfort like Kasumi and knew she couldn't pull a convincing enough act. Even the words were impossible for her to find. So she just sat there, hoping her presence would impart compassion she couldn't express.
Brown-green liquid, swirling invisible lines of current, drifting tea leaves, settling particles, Akane didn't see the tea, the table, her sisters, or the living room of her home. She saw Ranma, lying limply in her lap, the trickle of blood running down her chin from the corner of her mouth.
"Haha! You've done it, Tendou! I knew you wouldn't lead us astray!"
Soun sweat-dropped at his friends praise and tried to figure out in his mind exactly how long they'd been gone and to how many countries they went through to get here. "Right . . . Well, let's do as the Master commanded. Look there's Akane. Let's start with her!"
Nodding at the good idea, Genma went into a fighting stance alongside of his friend and companion Soun. At once they issued a war cry to warn the victim and raced for her position, fists raised for combat.
Without turning, Akane whispered to the teacup, stopping the two men in their tracks. "Your Master is dead."
Paused in delivering their first punches, both men looked at each other, both faintly glowing with power. Blinking after a moment they stood back up, pressing down the creases in their uniforms. "Ah yes, we don't need to follow the Master's orders now that he is no longer with us."
Genma nodded sagely. "Of course, I was going to get to that." Neither mentioned the odd situation in which they were obeying a dead Master who's magic must have left them long ago. "Now then, how about a game of shogi, Tendou?"
"An excellent idea, Saotome." The board was out and pieces were being laid before anyone could blink.
"By the way, Akane, where is my son?"
Kasumi and Nabiki looked to their little sister expecting to see her cry. Akane rose from her seat and looked out into the hills just visible from their backyard. Her eyes shimmered for a moment before she blinked away the tears.
Soun and Genma were looking at the youngest Tendou expectantly, but were met with silence.
End Chapter Thirteen
* * *
A long one, but you know what they say about big finishes . . me neither, but I didn't want to write another chapter since the number thirteen fit the ending so well.
The epilogue is really just a wrap up of all the lose ends.
As always, send C&C to jehtek@hotmail.com
Or visit my website at: www.geocities.com/jehtek/
Ja ne.