E p i l o g u e :
                                
     The "Kuonji Okonomiyaki House" was a cross between a grand
western restaurant and a traditional okonomiyaki place.  The
place was a lot larger than Ucchan's, and several young women
were cooking on the long griddle that lined the counter.  The
place was packed with young couples, as it was on every night
since its opening.  There was also a small stage with karaoke
machines in front of the restaurant, on which a long haired
boy with hair tied up in a high ponytail was singing a hauntingly
sultry song.  With incredible eye-contact that spoke volumes to
his audiences, the singer skillfully lured them into a
particularly sensual twilight zone.

     *Take my hands,
     Oh, take my whole live too~,
     I can't help,
     Fallining in love with you~.* 

     A beautiful girl with flowing dark hair smiled at the boy's
confidence and boldness from behind the counter,  remembering a
time in the past when he had acted like a timid little doe.       

     Things changed, a lot. 

     The singer finished his last act with a thrown smoke bomb,
mysteriously disappearing from the stage.  The young people
cheered loudly.  This handsome boy was no stranger to the hip
crowd.  As an upcoming idol singer, Konatsu has the type of
cross-gender sensuality that was especially attractive to the new
generation of Japanese.  He was a "bishonnen", and a top quality
one at that.  More than that, his incredible dancing skill and
on-stage charisma had marked him as an undeniable true talent
instead of just another boy with a pretty face.  Also, his
spectacular potrayal of a ninja in his new movie had showed off
another talent of his: martial arts.  It was rumored that he was
the lover of the boss of Kuonji's Okonomiyaki House, even though
both claimed that they were only friends.  Anyway, Konatsu still
made a habbit of performing at the okonmiyaki place every
weekend, despite his rising fame.  

    
     Looking at her new restaurant with her glistering dark eyes,
the girl smiled contently.  Finally, her childhood dream of
honest prosperity had come true.  In a month or so, twenty
smaller sized okonomiyaki restaurants, all entitled "Ucchan's",
will open themselves at various urban spots of Tokyo.  They were
the franchised branches of her restaurant, each of which selling
her rich styles of okonomiyakis all over Toyko, and in about a
year, with even more branches, all over Japan.

     The reason for such rapid success?  Ran-chan.
           
     Enclose together with his very brief letter for her was a
check containing a shocking number of digits.  He claimed that it
was his family's repayment for the shame and poverty that the
Kuonjis had suffered after Genma had stolen Ukyou's dowary, her
only livelihood at that time. 

     She was shocked at first.  How on earth did Ran-chan get all
that money?  He didn't leave a forwarding address, and Ukyou had
no way of finding him on her own.  For a moment she was worried
that he had done something stupid in order to repay that huge
dept to her.
     
     Her fears were calmed almost immediately as Akane had come
over to tell her about the Ran « manga.  She was pleasantly
surprised that Ran-chan had finally learned some kind of money
making talent.  That is what sustains a man in the real world. 
In the past, everybody had assumed that Ranma would have
eventually turned out just like his father.  Now, through his own
struggle, that unfair assumption had been killed off once and for
all. 

     Not only that, but a month after that first letter, Ranma
had sent another much longer letter to apologize for his
"cowardice and withdrawl" from her.  He claimed that he shall
return on a certain night.

     And tonight was the night that he had promised to return to
her.

     Anxiously, Ukyou waited behind the counter as her hirehands
began to clean up the place.  It was almost midnight, and the
customers were beginning to leave as the store hours were about
over.  One thing puzzled her though: why was that last letter
written by traditional oriental ink feathers instead of Ranchan's
usual ballpen scribbings?     

     And that wasn't the only mystery about Ran-chan either.  Why
was it that "R.R." had kept such a low profile even after the
manga had became a success?  At first she thought it was because
Ranma was afraid of Soun's pestering had he discovered the Dojo
heir's whereabouts.  But Mr. Tendo had calmed down long ago,
through Akane's less than gentle methods, and there was no longer
any need for that.

     <All that would be explained tonight.>  Ukyou thought as she
waved her hirehands goodbye after they had finished their work. 
Konatsu also left, desperately needing sleep for some recordings
at the studio tomorrow.  Ukyou walked outside of the front door
of the restaurant, anxious for Ran-chan's arrival. 

*         *         *         *         *         *         *

     Hiding in the darkness of an alley by the corner, two
figures were watching her.  One of them was apparently pushing
the other out to the open street.

     "Be a man about it!"  He whispered harshly.

     "You brick-brain!  I can't believe that you would actually
set me up like this!"  Another whisper could be heard.  "Sending
her a letter under my name to tell her that I would come-"

     "It is about time for you to stop running away from her,
from everybody!  I did what I had to do!"  The first voice
hissed.  "Now go up to her before it is too late!"

     "What about you?  It's about time for you to show yourself
too!"

     "Dammit!  You know that I am different!"  The first voice
sounded frustrated.  "I am not wanted by anyone here!  But you,
you have her to go to."

     "Ryoga . . ."  The second voice dimmed.  

     "Listen to me, Ranma.  Ukyou did NOT mind that twisted mess
had happened to you in junior high.  She loves you just for
existing in this world.  You DON'T turn away from girls like
that, especially not when you feel the same way about her!"

     Ranma hesistated for a moment.  ". . . but what about you
and Akari?  It didn't exactly went well after you told her about
us . . ."

     Ryoga's voice was sad.  "My case is different.  Me and Akari
are just not suited for each other.  She likes me simply because
of the fact that I can beat her sumo pig.  And I, I liked her
simply because she was pretty and gentle and that she gave me the
attention that I desperately needed.  I never did really
understand her . . . and that situation was mutual.  That was why
it went so badly . . .  Now GO!"  

     "Then why are you staying here?!"  Ranma asked, still trying
to delay the inevitable.

     "Because I'm not the one that she is expecting!  I'm not
even sure if I'm one that she wants to see right now, especially
not after she's found out about what had happened between us. 
Besides, even if she didn't mind, this IS the night of you and
her reunion: it is neither the time nor the place for me to show
up."

     "Ryoga, if she won't mind about me, she won't mind about-"

     Ryoga cut him off.  "But I do . . ."

     Ranma winced at the heaviness in his voice.  It hadn't been
easy for Ryoga to put the past behind him either.  Ranma put a
hand on his shoulder. 
     
     "Ryo-"

     "Now GO!"  Abruptly, Ryoga pushed his forever indecisive
friend out into the main street, into Ukyou's plain view. 
     
     "Uc . . .Ucchan . . ."  Ranma stammered, losing all his wits
at the sight of her.  A gentle night breeze tossed strands of her
soft, brown hair around her face as bits of starlights were
reflected in her dark eyes, making the girl looked more illusory
than real.  Ranma's heart skipped a beat.  Could this unearthy
apparition even stand the sight of someone like him, now that his
past was naked to her starlit eyes?     

     The unearthy apparition, however, didn't hesistate in
leaping over and pulling him into a tight hug.  

     "Ran-chan . . ."  Ukyou breathed out the word as she buried
her face in his shoulder, stunning him.  "Finally . . . you come
back!"  Ryoga looked at them wistfully from the dark alley. 
After splitting up with Akari and travelling for eternity under
guilt, he had ran into Ranma by accident.  Ranma was enrolled in
another highschool(naturallly) far and away from Nerima.  Under
the watchful eyes of his mother, Ranma had improved quite a lot
in the schoolwork that he never did pay attention to in the past. 
He had also gotten quite an income by selling episode after
episode of his past to a manga artist, sugar-coated and through
coloured glass, and with his REAL curse to back him up on it. 
Apparently, he was also quite gifted at writing comically
prankish dialogues: something about him that had never been quite
appreciated when he did it verbally in the past.   

     After seeing his unkept state, Ranma had offered him a room
in the new Saotome resisdence to stay at.   Ryoga had accepted
such hospitality just so that he could be able to repay his first
friend by reuniting him with his love.  Now that it was done, it
was time for him to disappear once more for both their sakes: he
himself was the living reminder of Ranma's dark, disturbing past,
and could not risk showing up too soon least he destroyed
everything.
  
     Besides, even though Ranma didn't know yet, Ryoga had long
been cured of his misdirection problem.  One is only lost when
one wills himself to be lost by closing his eyes to this world. 
Finally brave enough to face reality, it was time for him to go
back home, and start a less absurd life.  When his friends were
ready to see him again, they shall find a new man with a more
honorable purpose in life.        

     With that, he leapt up over a rooftop, and disappeared into
the dark but star-dotted sky.

     Meanwhile, Ranma was still shocked by the intensity of
Ukyou's embrace.  "Ucchan, even after all that you have known
about me, you still . . ."

     "Ranchan, your past actions . . .that with Ryoga and all . .
. wasn't entirely honorable.  But under such a desperate
situation, I . . . I might have done the same thing too." 

     "Ucchan . . ."
    
     "Don't be too hard on yourself: it's unfair to not only you,
but me and the others as well.  It was all in the past now: don't
let it ruin the future."  Ukyou's eyes were getting teary as she
looked up at him.   "Besides, if you love me, my heart is yours
to hold on; and if you don't, just tell me, and my shoulder will
still be yours to lean upon.  Either way, I will still care for
you, just as I have for almost everyday since I have known you
when we were five."  Ukyou's voice dimmed.  "Even during the ten
years that I have hated you . . . I was still in love with you. 
It's just that . . . I wasn't strong enough to keep that love
from
turning into hate then . . . I am now.   So DON'T ever just ran
away from me like that again!"  
     
     "Never again, Ucchan.  Never again."  Tears flowed freely
down Ranma's face as he returned the embrace. As they both stood
there, supporting each other with their embraces, Ukyou saw
something through her teary eyes over Ran-chan's shoulder.

     It was the pointed top of the now familiar tower of the
cathedral, outlined with stings of lightbulbs to give it a shiny
outline by night.   On top of it was the now light dotted cross,
upon which Ukyou had made a wish.  That wish had finally come
true, after bringing her through a necessary journey into
darkness that she didn't think she was capable of undertaking in
the past.  But through the twinker of hope and faith within her,
she was able to come back out into the light not only save and
sound, but a much improved person as well.  Smiling gratefully at
the shiny symbol of Christ, Ukyou again rested the side of her
head upon the shoulder of her wish came true. 

                   T h e    E n d