Spiked Punch:

EPILOGUE

It was years down the road. Recca and Kurei were now working together to retrieve all the lost madougu. It was a joint venture for the brothers, what with their history, what with their heritage, what with the blood that they shared, they owed it to their forefathers and their that they worked together to revive and salvage whatever they could of their clan's lost history together. With kurei's connections, expensive and difficult to obtain pieces could be carefully maneuvered out of the lime light and watchful eyes of avid collectors of Japan's ninja artifacts. While the pieces trapped deep in the slimes and sludge of the underworld death kombats and assassination would be retrieved by Recca and his faithful band of friends who had together once long ago entered a Dark Matial Arts Combat under the title of 'Hokage'.

It was difficult at first to put their differences aside. The numerous attempts on each other's life was not easy to just brush off and bury in the past like just another memory. There was always that wariness and that fear of being backstabbed by a brother. But soon over time, the call of the same blood that ran in their veins bound them closer and closer together. They became a formidable team, renowned in the shadowy underworld and respectfully whispered with fear and admiration in dark corner on the streets of Tokyo in the wee hours of the morning amongst bands of lurking criminals and crime lords. They watched each others' back now. With no room for mistakes, their skills had increased exponentially in the few years they worked together. Training and very real life and death situations had called for, demanded that synchrony in their attacks and oneness of thought. One could say they were inseparable. Almost.

"Nani?! Another one stolen?! At this rate we might as well guard the stash ourselves, then we won't have to keep going out on missions to retrieve the weapons! I thought you were a professional?!"

"Stop complaining. You knew this was bound to happen."

"What do you mean I knew it was bound to happen?! You said you had your best men guarding the artifact! God, I can't wait till this damn collaboration is over! It's been 3 bloody years!"

"Likewise, likewise. I'm getting sick and tired of your whining and complaining, Recca."

So that was life for them the two brother, flame-casters born with the power to wield flame in the palm of their hands. One cursed, one eternal, both as powerful. Always the one-sided quarrel before a perfect retrieval. Regardless of their complaints of each other, both knew that their partnership would last long after their business dealings come to an end. Blood after all does run thicker than water, likewise by blood are these brothers bound to each other.

-In Vino Veritas-

It was a shy awkward start to their relationship. The 'morning after' that caught them off guard after that night proved to be a hard mental barrier to overcome. Their relationship had almost not materialized but after weeks of avoidance and sick with pining, there was a confession on a rooftop that changed their lives forever.

Her eyes shifted nervously from left to right as she shuffled on her feet. Being alone on a rooftop with him clearly made her uncomfortable. Her stomachs were doing flip-flops and she frankly didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Having no experience in such matters, she had decided all those weeks ago to avoid Mikagami. She would never live down the blush that arose every time she caught sight of him and recalled that morning when she opened her eyes to find his face just inches away from hers. They had fallen asleep on the couch with their noses almost touching. All she could do that time was stare. She took in the sounds of his soft moth-breath, noted the angle at this his lashes fell against his cheek, and when they fluttered open the clear blue of his eyes. She shook herself out of her reverie. She knew she was blushing again and it was worse now as he began to walk over to her. Hesitantly, she raised her pink stained face to meet his gaze. Eyes scrunched up in defiance, she asked brusquely, " What did you want in calling me up here?"

There was a long pause.

Apparently, she wasn't he only one who was feeling uncomfortable. Mikagami repeatedly brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck nervously as his eye seemed to dart about the place, conspicuously avoiding her. Finally, he took a deep breath and steadied his gaze on her as he reached out both hands to hold her firmly by the shoulders. His hold was not tight or possessive, but it was firm and amazingly gentle at the same time.

"Fuuko, I need to tell you something. I haven't stopped thinking about you since that night. My thoughts keep going back to what you said. I know I shouldn't hold you to your word because you were inebriated, but you said you loved me… and I can't help but feel that I share that sentiment." Here he broke eye contact and continued rambling, she had never seen him this way before, a complete ball of nerves, unsure and stumbling. It was inexperienced stumbling, candid, totally uncool, but sweet. Somewhere between his explanation about making lunch and thinking about her all the while, she stepped up on tip toes and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

There was initially the sense of disbelief of having found one another in such a way that was almost laughable. Neither had a history of being alcoholic, but still, the road to their union was fraught with stories of alcohol, beer cans and of course, spiked punch. Neither had thought it possible in a million years that such conflicting personalities as they had between them could ever have survived the fall-out from the numerous quarrels their relationship had weathered, but what they say about opposites attracting did after all hold some truth in it. Her blustery temper would always be calmed by the ease at which he moved against the flow of her arguments. He always found a way to pacify her, somehow.

"Extra lessons again?! Don't you know when to quit? This is the fourth time this week you're postponing our date! You better get this fixed before I fuujin your ass for playing me out again."

"You know I don't organize these extra lessons myself, Fuuko. Stop being unreasonable. I'll make it up to you, I always do right?

"But, Mi-chan! It's not the action but the principle behind it!"

"Why don't you call Raiha out for a drink? Come home by 8 tonight and I'll make sure it's worth your while. Hmm?"

"I guess I'll look forward to dinner then."

Raiha had since then taken on the role of friend and confidante, there was no other way to put it. Bound by fate, they shared a twisted history together. With or without the Madougu, their shared experiences had forged an undeniably strong bond between them. Dinner that night may have been a mistake, but their friendship was not. Even if nothing serious had come of it, the intensity of emotions and the almost tangible thread of fate that connected them drew them together to look out for each other till the arrival of that fateful day when their psychic devices would decide who should live and who should die. Till then, all that is left is to savour and cherish that bond they shared.

So it draws to a close and the tale to an end, I can't for sure say that they lived happily ever after because you dear reader know that it doesn't happen that way. Life after all is not that simple, but these cherished moments, even if that is all they may be, mere moments, must be treasured and remembered. Relationships are formed but while some last some do not. So remember to hold dear what you have at the present moment and when the time comes to move on, remember that it's the experience and the lessons learnt that count. Life and love are after all complicated things and it takes more than a lifetime to fully comprehend them.

The End

A/N: I apologise for the extremely late and cheesy ending. But I hope that this time round it's an adequate end to the series. Thank you all who've been here all this while to support this fic of mine and I can now safely and finally declare, it is over. Thank you for you attention and readership. I appreciate the time you've taken. Thank you so much.