Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma or Inu yasha.

Epilogue

          Ranma stood in an office, with Akane, waiting. It was really a very plain room, but there hadn't been time to decorate it. He supposed he would see many offices like this in the future. Many more than he really wanted to. But what could he do about that? Nothing is perfect…

          The sharp clacking of heels upon marble alerted them to Nodoka's approach. She was to inform them when their 'guests' arrived. Her presence signaled to Ranma that they would soon be greeting Saffron and Herb, the two leaders of the largest youkai factions in the Eastern lands.

          After the death of the elders, the majority of the Joketsu opened up to the idea of treaty, albeit reluctantly. The news of their battle had evidently spread to the neighboring communities, both youkai and miko, and from there had traveled to Saffron and Herb, who seemed to be impressed.

          Ranma chuckled. It wasn't long after their victory that he received word from the two leaders. He could remember that day, when Akane ran up to him, the open letter in her hand, breathless and laughing. She had grinned handing him the paper, her words still rang in his ears.

          'They think you're invincible,' she had laughed. And after that he had known things would work out to his satisfaction.

          He kept in touch with Mousse and Shampoo, who lived a short distance from Jusenkyou and Joketsuzoku. There they could help keep things under control, if the need arose. Ranma had also decided that he was definitely going to stay on good terms with Rin and Sesshomarou. And not for purely diplomatic reasons, either.

          "Ranma."

          He glanced up at his mother.

          "They have arrived."

          Ranma nodded, glancing at Akane once, before preparing to leave the room with her. Nodoka's voice stopped him.

          "Wait," she held out her hand. Ranma stared at it silently for a moment, before accepting it cautiously. "You've done well. I know I can expect great things from you."

          There was something in her eyes as she shook his hand with all the warmth of a business partner. It was not love, never love, but… maybe a kind of respect. And he would have to live with that.

          She dropped his hand. "Go."

          And it wasn't as bad as he had thought.

He and Akane turned and continued down a cold hallway, pausing at the great oak doors. Those were the doors to his future. Perfectly rectangular, with an almost orange hue and peeling finish and stainless steel knobs. They were ugly, yes, but no matter what was behind them, they were just doors. It really didn't matter what they looked like.

He raised his hand to the knob, and paused, looking down to Akane at his side. She met his eyes and, with an encouraging smile, took his hand in hers. Ranma rubbed his thumb across the ring on her finger.

They were engaged now, in both human and demon terms.

He grinned at her and opened the door, ready to see the other side.

It wasn't perfect. Nothing was. But he could live with that.

It wasn't perfect. It was just close enough, though.

Author's Notes: There it is. Short and sweet. Especially that short part, but honestly, what else would you expect from me? Just look at my chapters! I have trouble writing anything over 2,000 words. So thanks to everyone who read this far and stayed with me and my horribly short chapters. I really want to say thanks to everybody who reviewed, because without all of you I wouldn't have gotten this far. You really encouraged me and helped me out through my first fic.

I loved writing this. The battle scenes were sometimes beyond tedious for me, but it really was a lot of fun. I want to end it here, however, so I can go on to start new fics. (Actually I already have started one, but that's besides the point) This ending does leave a few loose ends, but that's what I was going for. I mean, look at the Ranma series. Nothing is resolved with that ending, but you already kind of know what's going to happen.

I probably won't write a sequel because you already know Ranma is going to become lord of the eastern lands. I really don't think that there is much more for him to do, so sorry for anyone who wanted a sequel. I really hope you enjoyed reading my first fic.

I just have one more thing to say: I'm still debating whether or not I'm going to write a shampoo/mousse sidestory. I've had a few people say I should, but I'm not sure yet. If I did write one, it would probably not be too long, nor would it go over all the events of the story. It would probably skip around a lot because I'd assume you know what happened. It's still a possibility, so tell me if you want one and I'll do my best.

So, thanks and bye for now.