The sun was just coming up over the hills of the forested area when Ryo finally spotted Mia's large house. It took him a near-death experience to realize how weak he was, and how callous and blind he had been. He ran like the wind, matching White Blaze's running speed as he made a dash for the house.

When he was a hundred feet away, he was starting to feel the ache of his protesting body, which had been forced to run through the night to get there. When he reached the porch, he was starting to feel the relief at being home. When he had his hand on the doorknob, he started to feel anxious. He could talk to Mia, and finally tell her what he had longed to say for so very long. But… by the time he took his first step into the house, he started to feel his heart breaking.

Mia's house was silent and dark, almost as if nobody had ever been there. It was empty and dim, and that was exactly what his heart felt like. His chest was tight, and he almost couldn't breathe. Why wasn't anyone there? Ryo ran around the entire house in desperation; trying to find something, anything, to tell him where his friends and Mia were. He was running through the kitchen, his last place to look and slumped against the table in defeat. However, that's when he noticed the small note. It was from Cye.

Cye was the responsible type, and Ryo was glad that one of his friends had bothered to leave a note, indicating where they had gone off to. Though, what was written on that note only made the fist around his heart tighten, and he once again rushed out of the house with his loyal companion.

Ryo,

Mia says goodbye. We went to the airport with her. There are leftovers in the microwave. Sorry.

Cye.

Ryo was out the door in a flash with White Blaze at his heels. Never in a hundred years did he think Mia would leave his side, and he could only blame himself for acting like he did the night before. But, he was determined to make everything right again! He only hoped he wasn't too late.

At the airport, Mia hugged all of the guys and then knelt down to embrace Yuli. They were all trying to keep smiles on their faces, but they never could fool her. Yuki, however, wasn't good at saying goodbye, and he sniffled when Mia pulled away.

"Are you sure you have to go away, Mia?"

"I think I do, Yuli."

"But, you're our friend! How can you just go away?"

"Oh, Yuli…"

"He has a point. You don't have to leave, Mia!"

"Rowen, you should understand. Talpa and the dynasty has been laid to rest, and so there isn't any reason for me to stay."

"Except… to stay with us!"

"Yeah! Don't break up the team! You're one of us, and you always have been!"

Mia shook her head. Looking to Sage, she smiled. He was always the understanding one, and he didn't try to get her to stay, like the others. Of all of them, he understood her reasons for leaving, and she thanked him for that. It made leaving a little easier.

"Listen, I've gotten a job offer in the states, but this is the only chance I have to take it. I would earn more money than I do at the university here. I've left my house with all of you so you have a place to crash, but I just don't think I can let this opportunity pass by."

Yuli couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and he started bawling into Cye's shirt. The water bearer patted his head gently, trying not to cry, himself. Rowen stepped up and hugged Mia once again.

"Promise you'll come back for a visit as often as you can!"

"I'll try… Oh man, I'll miss you all…"

The moment wasn't meant to last, as the announcer's voice rang out on the loudspeaker, saying that flight 28 was now boarding. That was Mia's flight. So, Rowen let go of her and she picked up her bags. The group watched her walk to the gate, and waved until she disappeared onto the plane. After she was out of sight, all heads went down. None of them wanted her to go. Then, Cye looked down at Yuli, who was still crying, and dispelled the silence.

"We should have known… that this day was coming. Should we really have expected her to stay with us forever?"

"I don't know… This makes sense, but I still hate it."

"I want Mia to stay…!"

"Yuli… don't worry. She'll come back, someday, and in the meantime, you still have us!"

"Speaking of which, why isn't Ryo here?"

"He wasn't in his room this morning. I have no idea where he went off to."

"Poor guy… I know he had a thing for Mia. He's gonna be crushed!"

"Yeah, especially if he doesn't know she's gone."

"Well, I left him a note."

"Still, we should probably get home so we can tell-"

Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion by the window. People started gathering, and they were gasping, and pointing towards the runway, where Mia's plane was rolling towards the runway strip. Then, someone mentioned a boy and a tiger, and the ronins and Yuli ran to see. Just as people had said, they all saw a raven-haired boy riding a tiger alongside the plane. It was Ryo.

"Ryo!"

"What the hell is that crazy-head doing?"

"He'll get himself killed!"

"Ryo! Hey, Ryo!"

"Ryo…"

On the plane, Mia was crying. Saying goodbye was harder than she thought it would be, and the moment she got to her seat, the tears started falling. She didn't want to go, but the pain of being there was just too much for her to handle. It isn't easy to face what she was afraid of, Ryo not loving her, and she accepted the fact that she was running away. Mia felt horrible for doing that, but she couldn't take it all back. At least, that's what she thought.

The plane was almost to the runway when the people sitting around her started shouting. They said there was someone riding alongside the plane, and Mia's heart almost stopped. She turned her tear-streaked face to the window, and saw Ryo and White Blaze running next to the plane. He looked desperate, and was trying to flag down the plane, heading up towards the cockpit.

"Ryo! White Blaze!"

When the pilots spotted the boy and the tiger, much to their surprise, they decided to stop the plane. (Though, you should know that pilots are used to this kind of thing. It happens in a lot of romance movies) They started to slow down, just before reaching the runway, and Mia got up form her seat. A rolling stairway rolled up to the door of the plane, and Ryo got off White Blaze, completely exhausted. He had hoped she was there. When he saw her get off the plane, the biggest smile appeared on his face, and he started walking towards her.

Mia saw Ryo walking her way, but she still couldn't believe it. She thought he didn't care, but then why was he there? She approached cautiously, even though the tired smile on his face wasn't scary at all. When he got to her, he almost laughed.

"Wow… I'm glad I caught the right plane!"

"Ryo… Ryo, what are you doing here?"

"I'm stopping you from doing what I know you don't want to do."

"But I thought…"

"Listen, I know you're leaving because of how I acted last night, but that wasn't what I wanted. I know I hurt you, but now I can tell you the truth!"

"The truth?"

Ryo slowly reached out and took Mia's hands in his. He held her hands to his heart and took another step closer.

"Mia, it took a lot of courage to tell me you loved me, and that in itself proves how much stronger you are than me. I was afraid…If I fell in love with you, I thought bad things would happen to you because of it, and I didn't want you to fall into danger because of me! But Mia… I now understand that accidents happen all the time, and sometimes, there just isn't anything we can do about them! But if we're together, we can keep each other company and protect each other! I thought I lost you, a while back, but you came back, and I didn't know what I would do if I lost you again."

Mia's voice caught in her throat, and she didn't know what to say. She could only listen to his words, and feel his strong hands enclose hers. She was faintly aware that she was shaking, and his palms were sweaty. He was sweating, she could tell. He was afraid he was going to lose her, and it touched her almost-broken heart.

"Mia, losing you then wasn't any different than right now, and I see that! I don't want to lose you ever again, so please…"

"Ryo… why… why do you keep looking at me like that? Why do you say these things now?"

"Mia, you know I don't lie, and last night I said I wasn't sure if I could return your feelings. But I had a life-changing experience, and I figured it out. I know that I would miss seeing your face every morning at breakfast. I would miss the long car rides around the city and countryside; I would miss the walks in the woods… I would also miss… the smell of your perfume, and how sweet your hair smells. And I definitely would miss how you stare at me when you think I'm not looking, and how you're always so gentle and sweet… how you're strong for me when I think all is lost…"

Ryo moved his right hand and reached up to caress Mia's cheek. It was soft, but there were still trails of dried tears there. He ran his fingers over the dry streaks, making them vanish. Then, he lightly cupped her cheek and pulled her face closer.

"Mia… I'm never afraid when I'm with you. That's because… I love you. I love you with every inch of my tiger heart…"

When his lips came in contact with hers, her heart fluttered. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she melted in his arms. He kissed her softly, but deeply. It all felt so right. And when he pulled his face back, she made up her mind.

"Mia… would you please forgive a fool like me…?"

"Oh, Ryo…!"

She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his once again. She knew she could never leave Ryo, as long as she lived. She should have seen it before… love meant feeling lonely when she's not in his arms, and feeling cold all over. Love meant that saying goodbye to saying farewell, and there are always pains in love…pains she was willing to endure for him.

When they parted again, they heard people cheering. They were the people from the plane, including the captain, and looking up to the window, they saw the other ronins waving at them. Yuli was jumping up and down, and that made Mia laugh. Then, she was suddenly lifted off her feet, and Ryo spun her around. Both were laughing, and both knew they would be happy, together.

For as long as they both should live…

Owari.