Until the End
Epilogue
Ranma glanced lazily out the open deck of the Saotome Dojo, the cool summer breeze wafting in and rustling his clothes. He released a contented sigh as the sounds of the front door being opened and closed rang out.
"Were back!" a feminine voice called out. The sounds of footsteps carried down the hallway and stopped just outside the doorway. "Jeez, have you been sitting there since we left?"
Ranma smirked back at Akane and lay back onto the floor.
"Well, I did get up once to go grab a sandwich," Ranma replied. He quickly caught Akane's purse which she had thrown at him.
"How did the shopping go?" Ranma asked casually, flipping himself back up to his feet so he could follow her into the kitchen. Akane began unloading all the groceries onto the table and smiled.
"Kagome and Natalie got along like little thieves, and both proved that they could be a real handful when it comes to buying clothes," Akane explained. "Thanks again for not coming along."
Ranma gave her a pat on the shoulder and let his hand dip down to cup her buttocks.
"I'll make it up to you," he said with a coy grin,
"Hmm," Akane moaned as she leaned back into him. "Did you have anything in mind?"
Ranma opened his mouth to reply just as Kagome and Natalie came tearing down the hallway screeching and laughing.
"No running you two!" Akane warned as she dashed out into the hall after them.
It had taken a week or so, but Natalie took to Akane nearly as well as she had to Ranma, and Akane, being the person that she always had been, was already treating the Russian child as if she were her own. The fast friendship was between Kagome and Natalie was not lost on Ranma, as he could see Akane's general good nature shining through the child.
It had been about 3 weeks since they had arrived from Siberia, and each day Ranma was reminding himself just how lucky he was to have survived that war, and to have also had Ryoga come through it as well. Once he had arrived back, Ranma had immediately attended the funeral for Kenji Yoshida, the sergeant from his platoon from when Japan had been fighting on China's side. Ryoga had attended to funeral as well, saying that he owed his life to the man as much as Ranma had.
Being reunited with Akane and Kagome had been like a dream. He hadn't any idea just how much he had really missed the two until he saw them standing on the tarmac as the Navy plane touched down. They had all shared an embrace that seemingly lasted forever, and Ranma had wept openly to feel both of them in his arms again. Akari and Ryoga Jr had joined in the hug as well, as did Ishii once he had dragged Ryoga from the plane. Ryoga had been fidgeting all the way from halfway across the Sea of Japan, and he had nearly passed out when he saw Akari and his son waiting for him. Akane and Akari had just about feinted dead away when they saw Ryoga step off the plane, looking all the world like nothing was wrong with him. The hug that started then lasted even longer than the previous one.
By the time they had gotten back to home, everyone had been pretty exhausted, but they all stayed up into the very wee hours of the morning regaling each other with stories about what had happened in the past 6 months. Ryoga had been quiet most of the time, seemingly pleased just to have his arm around Akari's shoulder. Ranma had confronted him right before they all were about to retire for the evening.
"Why so quiet man?" Ranma had asked him.
Ryoga had looked at Ranma for a long moment, his eyes calm even as they conveyed a deep sense of sadness.
"Even on the plane over here I couldn't imagine that I was actually coming home Ranma," Ryoga had replied. "I had given up hope in the prison, and I wanted death to come to me, and now not even a month after that moment, I'm back in Japan, Akari with me, and you and Akane, and our children. Just thinking about what would have happened if you hadn't rescued me.."
He had trailed off and Ranma quickly enveloped him in a hug.
"You are home Ryoga, and you are never gonna leave again," Ranma whispered softly to him.
Ryoga had wept then, for the first time since leaving the Chinese prison camp he wept openly and freely. Ranma had held him as closely as he could, making sure the man had all the support he needed.
It had been a couple of minutes before Ryoga's tears had subsided, and by then Akari had crept up on them, and tapped Ranma on the shoulder, motioning for him to hand Ryoga over to her. Ranma had watched silently as she held Ryoga close whispering something into his ear.
Ranma had gone to bed that night feeling more complete than he had in his entire life. He had held Akane close to him, breathing in deeply just so he could smell her and know that she was there. All it took was for Akane to say that she had missed him for Ranma to start crying, the full weight of everything that he had seen and done had came crashing down on him and he had wept.
"We're back!" Akari called out as she closed the front door behind her, effectively snapping Ranma from his thoughts.
He stepped out of the kitchen and smiled as Akari, holding the hand of Ryoga Jr, and Ryoga started down the hallway.
"How'd it go?" he asked as he accepted a kiss on the cheek from Akari and picked Ryoga Jr up from the floor.
"It was weird," Ryoga started, "seeing my name on the tombstone."
"Well, now that we've got that unpleasant business out of the way, how about we all go out for a nice picnic and enjoy the weather?" Ranma asked as he handed Ryoga Jr off to Ryoga.
"Best idea I've heard all day," Akari smiled.
===================
"Hey Akane! If you run any slower it'll be dark before we even get to the park!" Ranma taunted as he leapt from the rail he had been running on to run alongside his wife.
Akane's eyes flashed for a moment and she got an evil smirk as she suddenly lurched forward. Ranma, thinking she was about to fall, leaned in to catch her, only to have his arm gripped by Akane, and then have her pivot, flipping him over her to send him crashing into a nearby tree.
"Gee Ranma," Akane said in her sweetest voice, "If you don't mind I'm sure everyone would like to get to the park before sunset so if you could quit lying around."
Ranma grumbled as he got to his feet. He turned around to see Ryoga and Akari trying to hold back their laughter as they walked by him.
"Don't you laugh Ryoga, I'm betting that with what Akari knows she can send you flying too," Ranma warned as he rubbed his back.
Ryoga looked down at the women holding his arm.
"Really?" he asked Akari. She blushed brightly and nodded her head. "Well, maybe we can have a little sparing match later on."
If it had been possible, Akari blushed even harder as she gripped Ryoga's arm tighter and pressed herself against him.
"I-I'd like that," she said shyly. Her shyness made Ryoga blush and the two looked like they were 16 again with the way they were carrying on.
"Oi, what's this? You two look like your going on your first date," Ranma commented as he strolled by. His comment elicited a growl from Ryoga as he blushed even further and he leapt at the pig-tailed martial artist.
"You're dead Ranma!" Ryoga shouted as he chased after the laughing Ranma.
Akari shook her head slightly even as she laughed at the way the two were carrying on. Deciding that she didn't want to get left behind Akari started after the two.
=================
The cool summer day had waned off into a beautiful dusk, and the Hibiki and Saotome families reclined on a pair of blankets they had brought with them. Ranma was curled up with Akane on one blanket with Kagome and Natalie sleeping off to the side, and Ryoga and Akari were right beside them with a sleeping Ryoga Jr between them.
"What a perfect day," Akane sighed contently as she nuzzled her head into Ranma's chest.
There was a moments silence as everyone took the time to gaze at the sun as it slowly dipped behind the downtown Tokyo skyline. The city seemed to be asleep from this distance, adding to the serenity of the moment. The view was breathtaking, even as the cool night air finally began to work its way into their clothes.
"It's getting pretty cold," Ryoga commented as he pulled Akari closer to him, mindful of the sleeping child in between them. Akari smiled at him as she leaned in to kiss him.
"We'll head back in a little," Ranma said, his hand slowing caressing Akane's hair. He smirked to himself when he felt Akane's arms grip him tighter to her.
"This is the first time in a long time that we've all been able to go out together," Akane remarked.
"And it most certainly won't be our last," Akari added as she brought her head down after kissing Ryoga.
The others nodded at her words and a silence befell the group. Finally, Ranma slowly released his hold on Akane and looked over to Ryoga and Akari snuggled on their blanket. They both looked at him as he shifted closer, moving Akane into a sitting position. He extended his hand and smiled.
"Friends forever," he said quietly. The others mimicked his motions and set their hands on top of one another.
"Friends forever," they all echoed.
=====================
They arrived back at the Saotome Dojo just a little past one in the morning. They put the children to bed and began to move to their respective rooms. Ryoga stopped just outside of the room he and Akari shared.
"Is something wrong?" Akari asked when she noticed he had stopped.
"You go on ahead of me Akari, I'll be in a bit," he said softly as he let his hand run down her cheek.
"Are you sure your alright?" Akari questioned. Ryoga nodded his head and leaned in to kiss her once on the lips.
======================
Ryoga had exited the house after bidding Akari goodnight, and hopped up onto the roof. He made his way to the tip of the roof, settling down to stare up at the night sky.
He knew that there were things on his mind, things that were beginning to take their toll on him. He had gone nearly half a decade trapped in a prison, enduring beatings and emotional torture that had caused him to come to the decision that he was going to end his life. If it hadn't been for Ranma and Phil, he would be dead by now, never knowing the joys that he felt now, knowing that he had his Akari back, and now had a son.
"It's never going to get easier will it?" Ryoga asked himself as the night sky neglected to answer him.
"Maybe not easier, but the pain won't be as strong after awhile," Ranma answered from behind him, startling Ryoga. He saw the confused look in Ryoga's eyes. "Akari asked me to go find you, she didn't want you getting lost."
Ryoga wasn't sure if he should be touched or insulted. He decided to go with touched, as he doubted that Akari would send Ranma out after him just to find out why he was acting strange.
"It's tough isn't it?" Ranma intoned as he saw the pained look that had been on Ryoga's face return. "Dealing with everything that has happened."
"My memories aren't going to let me forget what I've seen," Ryoga said, as much to himself as to Ranma.
"You can't forget what you've been through Ryoga, but you can come to terms with it," Ranma replied sadly. He himself had been dealing with his own personal dragons that he had acquired since coming home from the newly ended war. It was tough, but he had taken Akane's advice and was beginning to open up about what he had seen and done. He could barely fathom what Ryoga had to be going through, but he knew that keeping it bottled up would cause more damage than it might heal.
"I don't suppose I have much of a choice now do I?" Ryoga asked with a grin.
"You'll always have a choice Ryoga," Ranma told. "But if you want to get better your going to have to do it."
Ryoga sighed deeply and sank down against the roof. Ranma settled in beside him and looked up at the stars as he continued.
"It might be a good idea to get some help with this you know. There are therapists that specialize in this stuff."
A long period of silence set in between the two as Ranma waited for Ryoga to respond.
"But I'm scared."
The tone of Ryoga's voice tore at Ranma's heart more than he thought could have been possible and he quickly moved over and wrapped Ryoga up in a hug.
"I'll be here for you Ryoga, we'll all be here, every last one of us," Ranma whispered as he felt Ryoga choke back a sob. He rocked Ryoga back and forth, much the way someone did to a new-born.
"Thanks Ranma," Ryoga croaked out once he had gotten himself under control. "You have no idea how much I owe you for everything that you did for me."
Ranma shook his head. "I only did what I had to do buddy, and it's nothing that you wouldn't have done for me if our places had been reversed."
Ryoga smiled. "Well, it might have taken me a bit longer to find the camp but I suppose your right."
The two shared a laugh as Akane's voice rang out.
"Are you two finished up there cause if you are there are two girls that would really appreciate having a warm body to snuggle up to!"
There was a moments silence as the two stared at each other before laughing again. Together they jumped down off the roof and made their way inside. Akane and Akari were waiting for them and smiled sweetly as they latched onto their men. Ranma bid Ryoga and Akari goodnight as he and Akane made their way up to their bedroom. Ryoga and Akari made their way to their room, stopping off to look into Ryoga Jr's room.
"Are you feeling better now?" Akari asked.
Ryoga nodded as he pulled her to his chest and held her close.
"I'm better than I've ever been."
====================
Author's Notes: Well, here it is, the culmination of 3 years work. To all my reader's out there I want to thank you once again for your continued support.
This has been a different story than "Balance of Power" which was more about telling the main story, and often drifted away from our central characters. I'd like to think that Until the End has instead been about the relationship between men in arms, more so in the case of the friendship between Ranma and Ryoga.
I am effectively ending this series with the release of this epilogue, and I do not have any future fan fiction projects in my mind, so you all may not hear from me in awhile. But don't think that this is goodbye, as I have become engrossed in reading the manga of Inu Yasha and as it's at about volume 36 I can imagine that it's nearing its end, and depending on how Takahashi decides to end it I may just decide to write a piece about that.
Epilogue
Ranma glanced lazily out the open deck of the Saotome Dojo, the cool summer breeze wafting in and rustling his clothes. He released a contented sigh as the sounds of the front door being opened and closed rang out.
"Were back!" a feminine voice called out. The sounds of footsteps carried down the hallway and stopped just outside the doorway. "Jeez, have you been sitting there since we left?"
Ranma smirked back at Akane and lay back onto the floor.
"Well, I did get up once to go grab a sandwich," Ranma replied. He quickly caught Akane's purse which she had thrown at him.
"How did the shopping go?" Ranma asked casually, flipping himself back up to his feet so he could follow her into the kitchen. Akane began unloading all the groceries onto the table and smiled.
"Kagome and Natalie got along like little thieves, and both proved that they could be a real handful when it comes to buying clothes," Akane explained. "Thanks again for not coming along."
Ranma gave her a pat on the shoulder and let his hand dip down to cup her buttocks.
"I'll make it up to you," he said with a coy grin,
"Hmm," Akane moaned as she leaned back into him. "Did you have anything in mind?"
Ranma opened his mouth to reply just as Kagome and Natalie came tearing down the hallway screeching and laughing.
"No running you two!" Akane warned as she dashed out into the hall after them.
It had taken a week or so, but Natalie took to Akane nearly as well as she had to Ranma, and Akane, being the person that she always had been, was already treating the Russian child as if she were her own. The fast friendship was between Kagome and Natalie was not lost on Ranma, as he could see Akane's general good nature shining through the child.
It had been about 3 weeks since they had arrived from Siberia, and each day Ranma was reminding himself just how lucky he was to have survived that war, and to have also had Ryoga come through it as well. Once he had arrived back, Ranma had immediately attended the funeral for Kenji Yoshida, the sergeant from his platoon from when Japan had been fighting on China's side. Ryoga had attended to funeral as well, saying that he owed his life to the man as much as Ranma had.
Being reunited with Akane and Kagome had been like a dream. He hadn't any idea just how much he had really missed the two until he saw them standing on the tarmac as the Navy plane touched down. They had all shared an embrace that seemingly lasted forever, and Ranma had wept openly to feel both of them in his arms again. Akari and Ryoga Jr had joined in the hug as well, as did Ishii once he had dragged Ryoga from the plane. Ryoga had been fidgeting all the way from halfway across the Sea of Japan, and he had nearly passed out when he saw Akari and his son waiting for him. Akane and Akari had just about feinted dead away when they saw Ryoga step off the plane, looking all the world like nothing was wrong with him. The hug that started then lasted even longer than the previous one.
By the time they had gotten back to home, everyone had been pretty exhausted, but they all stayed up into the very wee hours of the morning regaling each other with stories about what had happened in the past 6 months. Ryoga had been quiet most of the time, seemingly pleased just to have his arm around Akari's shoulder. Ranma had confronted him right before they all were about to retire for the evening.
"Why so quiet man?" Ranma had asked him.
Ryoga had looked at Ranma for a long moment, his eyes calm even as they conveyed a deep sense of sadness.
"Even on the plane over here I couldn't imagine that I was actually coming home Ranma," Ryoga had replied. "I had given up hope in the prison, and I wanted death to come to me, and now not even a month after that moment, I'm back in Japan, Akari with me, and you and Akane, and our children. Just thinking about what would have happened if you hadn't rescued me.."
He had trailed off and Ranma quickly enveloped him in a hug.
"You are home Ryoga, and you are never gonna leave again," Ranma whispered softly to him.
Ryoga had wept then, for the first time since leaving the Chinese prison camp he wept openly and freely. Ranma had held him as closely as he could, making sure the man had all the support he needed.
It had been a couple of minutes before Ryoga's tears had subsided, and by then Akari had crept up on them, and tapped Ranma on the shoulder, motioning for him to hand Ryoga over to her. Ranma had watched silently as she held Ryoga close whispering something into his ear.
Ranma had gone to bed that night feeling more complete than he had in his entire life. He had held Akane close to him, breathing in deeply just so he could smell her and know that she was there. All it took was for Akane to say that she had missed him for Ranma to start crying, the full weight of everything that he had seen and done had came crashing down on him and he had wept.
"We're back!" Akari called out as she closed the front door behind her, effectively snapping Ranma from his thoughts.
He stepped out of the kitchen and smiled as Akari, holding the hand of Ryoga Jr, and Ryoga started down the hallway.
"How'd it go?" he asked as he accepted a kiss on the cheek from Akari and picked Ryoga Jr up from the floor.
"It was weird," Ryoga started, "seeing my name on the tombstone."
"Well, now that we've got that unpleasant business out of the way, how about we all go out for a nice picnic and enjoy the weather?" Ranma asked as he handed Ryoga Jr off to Ryoga.
"Best idea I've heard all day," Akari smiled.
===================
"Hey Akane! If you run any slower it'll be dark before we even get to the park!" Ranma taunted as he leapt from the rail he had been running on to run alongside his wife.
Akane's eyes flashed for a moment and she got an evil smirk as she suddenly lurched forward. Ranma, thinking she was about to fall, leaned in to catch her, only to have his arm gripped by Akane, and then have her pivot, flipping him over her to send him crashing into a nearby tree.
"Gee Ranma," Akane said in her sweetest voice, "If you don't mind I'm sure everyone would like to get to the park before sunset so if you could quit lying around."
Ranma grumbled as he got to his feet. He turned around to see Ryoga and Akari trying to hold back their laughter as they walked by him.
"Don't you laugh Ryoga, I'm betting that with what Akari knows she can send you flying too," Ranma warned as he rubbed his back.
Ryoga looked down at the women holding his arm.
"Really?" he asked Akari. She blushed brightly and nodded her head. "Well, maybe we can have a little sparing match later on."
If it had been possible, Akari blushed even harder as she gripped Ryoga's arm tighter and pressed herself against him.
"I-I'd like that," she said shyly. Her shyness made Ryoga blush and the two looked like they were 16 again with the way they were carrying on.
"Oi, what's this? You two look like your going on your first date," Ranma commented as he strolled by. His comment elicited a growl from Ryoga as he blushed even further and he leapt at the pig-tailed martial artist.
"You're dead Ranma!" Ryoga shouted as he chased after the laughing Ranma.
Akari shook her head slightly even as she laughed at the way the two were carrying on. Deciding that she didn't want to get left behind Akari started after the two.
=================
The cool summer day had waned off into a beautiful dusk, and the Hibiki and Saotome families reclined on a pair of blankets they had brought with them. Ranma was curled up with Akane on one blanket with Kagome and Natalie sleeping off to the side, and Ryoga and Akari were right beside them with a sleeping Ryoga Jr between them.
"What a perfect day," Akane sighed contently as she nuzzled her head into Ranma's chest.
There was a moments silence as everyone took the time to gaze at the sun as it slowly dipped behind the downtown Tokyo skyline. The city seemed to be asleep from this distance, adding to the serenity of the moment. The view was breathtaking, even as the cool night air finally began to work its way into their clothes.
"It's getting pretty cold," Ryoga commented as he pulled Akari closer to him, mindful of the sleeping child in between them. Akari smiled at him as she leaned in to kiss him.
"We'll head back in a little," Ranma said, his hand slowing caressing Akane's hair. He smirked to himself when he felt Akane's arms grip him tighter to her.
"This is the first time in a long time that we've all been able to go out together," Akane remarked.
"And it most certainly won't be our last," Akari added as she brought her head down after kissing Ryoga.
The others nodded at her words and a silence befell the group. Finally, Ranma slowly released his hold on Akane and looked over to Ryoga and Akari snuggled on their blanket. They both looked at him as he shifted closer, moving Akane into a sitting position. He extended his hand and smiled.
"Friends forever," he said quietly. The others mimicked his motions and set their hands on top of one another.
"Friends forever," they all echoed.
=====================
They arrived back at the Saotome Dojo just a little past one in the morning. They put the children to bed and began to move to their respective rooms. Ryoga stopped just outside of the room he and Akari shared.
"Is something wrong?" Akari asked when she noticed he had stopped.
"You go on ahead of me Akari, I'll be in a bit," he said softly as he let his hand run down her cheek.
"Are you sure your alright?" Akari questioned. Ryoga nodded his head and leaned in to kiss her once on the lips.
======================
Ryoga had exited the house after bidding Akari goodnight, and hopped up onto the roof. He made his way to the tip of the roof, settling down to stare up at the night sky.
He knew that there were things on his mind, things that were beginning to take their toll on him. He had gone nearly half a decade trapped in a prison, enduring beatings and emotional torture that had caused him to come to the decision that he was going to end his life. If it hadn't been for Ranma and Phil, he would be dead by now, never knowing the joys that he felt now, knowing that he had his Akari back, and now had a son.
"It's never going to get easier will it?" Ryoga asked himself as the night sky neglected to answer him.
"Maybe not easier, but the pain won't be as strong after awhile," Ranma answered from behind him, startling Ryoga. He saw the confused look in Ryoga's eyes. "Akari asked me to go find you, she didn't want you getting lost."
Ryoga wasn't sure if he should be touched or insulted. He decided to go with touched, as he doubted that Akari would send Ranma out after him just to find out why he was acting strange.
"It's tough isn't it?" Ranma intoned as he saw the pained look that had been on Ryoga's face return. "Dealing with everything that has happened."
"My memories aren't going to let me forget what I've seen," Ryoga said, as much to himself as to Ranma.
"You can't forget what you've been through Ryoga, but you can come to terms with it," Ranma replied sadly. He himself had been dealing with his own personal dragons that he had acquired since coming home from the newly ended war. It was tough, but he had taken Akane's advice and was beginning to open up about what he had seen and done. He could barely fathom what Ryoga had to be going through, but he knew that keeping it bottled up would cause more damage than it might heal.
"I don't suppose I have much of a choice now do I?" Ryoga asked with a grin.
"You'll always have a choice Ryoga," Ranma told. "But if you want to get better your going to have to do it."
Ryoga sighed deeply and sank down against the roof. Ranma settled in beside him and looked up at the stars as he continued.
"It might be a good idea to get some help with this you know. There are therapists that specialize in this stuff."
A long period of silence set in between the two as Ranma waited for Ryoga to respond.
"But I'm scared."
The tone of Ryoga's voice tore at Ranma's heart more than he thought could have been possible and he quickly moved over and wrapped Ryoga up in a hug.
"I'll be here for you Ryoga, we'll all be here, every last one of us," Ranma whispered as he felt Ryoga choke back a sob. He rocked Ryoga back and forth, much the way someone did to a new-born.
"Thanks Ranma," Ryoga croaked out once he had gotten himself under control. "You have no idea how much I owe you for everything that you did for me."
Ranma shook his head. "I only did what I had to do buddy, and it's nothing that you wouldn't have done for me if our places had been reversed."
Ryoga smiled. "Well, it might have taken me a bit longer to find the camp but I suppose your right."
The two shared a laugh as Akane's voice rang out.
"Are you two finished up there cause if you are there are two girls that would really appreciate having a warm body to snuggle up to!"
There was a moments silence as the two stared at each other before laughing again. Together they jumped down off the roof and made their way inside. Akane and Akari were waiting for them and smiled sweetly as they latched onto their men. Ranma bid Ryoga and Akari goodnight as he and Akane made their way up to their bedroom. Ryoga and Akari made their way to their room, stopping off to look into Ryoga Jr's room.
"Are you feeling better now?" Akari asked.
Ryoga nodded as he pulled her to his chest and held her close.
"I'm better than I've ever been."
====================
Author's Notes: Well, here it is, the culmination of 3 years work. To all my reader's out there I want to thank you once again for your continued support.
This has been a different story than "Balance of Power" which was more about telling the main story, and often drifted away from our central characters. I'd like to think that Until the End has instead been about the relationship between men in arms, more so in the case of the friendship between Ranma and Ryoga.
I am effectively ending this series with the release of this epilogue, and I do not have any future fan fiction projects in my mind, so you all may not hear from me in awhile. But don't think that this is goodbye, as I have become engrossed in reading the manga of Inu Yasha and as it's at about volume 36 I can imagine that it's nearing its end, and depending on how Takahashi decides to end it I may just decide to write a piece about that.