This is it folks.  The end of it all.

Thanks for staying for the ride.

------------------
Epilogue

	Ukyou awoke with a start, a sudden jerking sensation flooding her
entire body.  She instantly felt a hand close around hers.  She pulled on
it hard, bring it to her chest.
	"Ken?" she asked anxiously, turning to peer out at the person
suddenly next to her.
	"I'm sorry," Ranma said quietly.  "He's not here."
	Ukyou looked crestfallen, but only momentarily.
	"I saw him, Ranma!  I saw him right before I woke up.  He was
there, and he was holding me and we were together again," she babbled.
	"Ucchan," Ranma started, trying to choke back memories, "do you
remember anything?"
	Ukyou stared into Ranma's eyes, losing herself for a moment before
the flood of memories jolted her.  She could see it in his eyes.  The
haunted look, one that made him appear so old and worn.
	"Everyone's dead?"
	Ranma chuckled slightly.
	"No, everyone's alive," he replied.  "Well, almost everyone," he
added somberly after a moment.  "Mousse is gone.  So is Ryouga.  I don't
know who else might be gone."
	"Shampoo?"
	"No, she's alive.  She's really hangin' in there.  It's got to be
tough for her."
	Ukyou paused and looked around herself to see a familiar room.
	"Is everyone-"
	"No," Ranma interrupted.  "I took you home.  Everyone's back at
the dojo, cleaning up."
	"Cleaning up?  What's going on?"
	"You've been unconscious for a day now, Ucchan.  There's a lot
you've missed," Ranma replied quietly.
	"Talk."
	
	Ranma sighed.  He wasn't sure how Ukyou was going to take it.
Everything they once thought was so permanent, the carnival-like insanity
their lives wrapped them in, and the never-ending saga of fiances and
challenges now were gone.  Gone were the days of seeing Shampoo run
headlong into him, grabbing him with a carefree abandon that at once
frightened him and made him feel needed.  The days of talking freely with
Ukyou about nearly anything were over.  Sparring in the dojo, or
practicing by the pond were different too.
	He took it as best he could, but what about Ukyou?  Her life was
just as lop-sided as his was.  She dressed as a boy for the vast majority
of her life, acted like one, sought him to seek revenge, and then
flip-flopped into his "cute fiance."  Then there was Ken.  The instant
bond that formed between the okonomiyaki chef and Ranma's friend,
developing into love in mere days, shocked and relieved him at the same
time.  It was good for him, and it was even better for Ukyou.  Now that
too was different.
	"Talk," Ukyou said frankly.
	Ranma gazed at her face searching for something that would let him
postpone the inevitable.
	"What happened, Ranma?  Tell me what happened," Ukyou insisted
quietly.
	Ranma took a deep breath.
	"What do you remember last?" he asked.
	"Ken being there for me, holding me," she whispered.  "I must have
passed out after that."
	"It looked like you died," Ranma whispered.  "Ken got up from
where he was and looked like he was ready to kill himself again.  He just
looked at you and there was this pain," Ranma managed lamely.  "It was so
crazy.  I could almost feel him wanting to cry and scream and die all at
the same time.  Everyone just stopped.  All the fighting just stopped this
was so insane."
	Ranma stopped, looking past Ukyou as if he were looking back in
time.
	"He finally just cried, Ucchan.  He just stood there looking at
you and whimpering for a minute at most.  Then that guy in the suit tried
to do something.  I don't really remember what it was but it made Ken go
nuts."
	He stopped and took another breath.
	"I remember Mom telling me that I looked like I was inhuman when
Angela made me realize how much power I could control.  Ken must have been
ten times that.  It looked like he was ready to do that thing again, you
know, when Cologne died."
	Ukyou simply nodded.
	"He just did something really weird and then Cassius was flying
back and everyone was confused - everyone but Andrew.  Andrew just stood
up and looked at Ken like it was completely natural.  They just looked at
each other and then touched the symbols on their clothes," Ranma
continued.
	"And then everything was okay?" Ukyou interjected.
	"No.  Not really," Ranma said with a sigh.  "They just stood there
with this gold light around them.  It just got brighter and brighter until
none of us could see anymore.  I had to close my eyes, and I grabbed
Akane, trying to protect her."
	"Everyone died?" Ukyou asked quietly.
	Ranma shook his head.
	"That's when Ken and Andrew stopped being Ken and Andrew.  When I
looked, there was this guy that looked like Andrew wearing the same gi and
hakama, only it was all gold.  He had the chest thing that Ken wore, only
it was all black.  He had some spear in his hand and it looked like it was
burning, Ucchan.  It looked like it was ready to start everything on fire,
but it didn't."
	"Was it Andrew?"
	"No," Ranma said with a chuckle.  "Angela just looked at the guy
and said it was Illumination.  It was some kind of mix of Andrew and Ken.
It had to do with those Ether-things.  I really didn't understand much of
the explanation."
	"So what was he?"
	"I dunno.  It doesn't matter.  All that matters is that once that
guy showed up, everyone split.  I mean everyone.  It was like they didn't
want to know who or what it was, they just wanted out.  The two gaijin
brothers wanted to leave, but Illumination wouldn't let them.  They just
got caught in some gold fire or something and couldn't move."
	"What happened to everyone else?"
	"I dunno.  I really didn't pay attention.  That's when Akane
started crying.  Shampoo was dead, and so was Nabiki.  Tofu-sensee was
hurt bad, and Kasumi was trying to keep him awake.  Haruko's husband was
dead too.  Poor guy got swarmed or something."
	"Are they-"
	"No," Ranma interrupted.  "That was the craziest part.  He just
dragged the two gaijin guys over and did some crazy magic to make everyone
act normal again.  Tofu acted like he just woke up.  So did Darian, and
Shampoo, and everyone else for that matter - everyone but you.
	"Mom tried to say something, but the gold guy just ignored
everyone.  He dragged the gaijin brothers outside and said something I
couldn't understand.  Some strange magic happened again, and Faith said
Nerima's supposed to be normal again.  After that, those two disappeared
and then the gold guy just split into Ken and Andrew again," Ranma
finished.  "Well, not really Ken and Andrew, but close enough," he added
after a pause.
	"I don't get it," Ukyou said shaking her head.
	"Andrew looked the same, but he was still in that gold light, and
almost looked like he had these feathered wings on his back.  Ken didn't
look like that.  He just looked normal, but dirty - really dirty, you know
what I mean?"
	Ukyou nodded slowly.
	"He had these wings too," Ranma continued.  "They didn't look
right.  They just looked like some bat wings or something like that.  It
wasn't pretty to say the least; and he had this look, Ukyou.  It was that
same look he had when he put you down.  That same hurt look.
	"Well, Faith touched Andrew, and he kinda disappeared in a little
shower of light," Ranma finished with a chuckle.  "It was actually kinda
cute."
	"And Ken?"
	Ranma's expression sobered dramatically.
	"Well, Angela touched Ken and he just faded out of view and sank
in the ground like there was this big hole there.  Then she disappeared.
No good-byes or nothin'.  Faith just wouldn't say anything, so she wasn't
much help.  Haruko didn't want to talk about it for a while, but Darian
must have said something before she left because she turned around real
quick."
	"What did Haruko say?"
	"Andrew was fine.  He returned to where he belonged, with Faith.
They're off doing whatever they do.  Ken didn't get so lucky."
	"What happened?" Ukyou asked frantically.
	"He's gone, Ukyou.  He's not comin' back."
	Ukyou fell back onto her bed, stunned.
	"Ukyou, you remember when you got stabbed?  You were dying, Ukyou.
You were going to die, and then you did something to make Ken live again."
	Ukyou numbly shook her head, tear beginning to flow freely.
	"Haruko said you gave your soul to him and you gave your heart
too.  She said that kind of love was enough to put Ken's soul to order, to
give him the structure he needed.  It came at a price though, you had to
die for that to happen, but Ken didn't want that.  He broke the rules
again, Ukyou.  He took one of the souls he'd won in some fight and gave it
to you.  He just gave it to you and made you live again without Haruko's
consent."
	"So why doesn't she just kill me and get it over with?!" Ukyou
shouted suddenly.
	"Because she can't," Ranma said quietly.  "It's part of the
punishment for Ken."
	"Punishment?"
	"Ken's alive again, and while it's not something they had to break
the rules for, it's not a good thing either.  On the other hand, you were
supposed to die back there.  Angela knew it and that's why she never did
anything to get rid of you when she could have.  She knew it all along."
	"I was supposed to die?"
	Ranma nodded slowly.
	"You were supposed to die and Ken was supposed to live again, but
Ken didn't want it that way.  He broke the rules so you could live again.
He thought he could get away with it."
	"Where is he now?  Is he dead?"
	Ranma shook his head.
	"Tell me!" Ukyou shouted, grabbing Ranma's shirt in her fists.
	Ranma slowly pried Ukyou's frantic hands from his shirt.
	"Ukyou, he's being punished.  He's going to be for a long time.
If Angela killed him, it would have put things right then and there, but
she wouldn't.  I don't know if it was because she hated him for what he
did, or if she still loved him.  She just didn't say anything.  Instead,
Ken's somewhere they won't say.  They said he's condemned to eternal
damnation now."
	Ukyou sat frozen, transfixed where she sat on her bed.  Ranma
looked at her, and gently lay her on her bed again.  She made no move to
protest.  He looked at her as she lay on her bed, whimpering softly, tears
streaming from her cheeks.
	"Is she going to be okay?" a soft voice asked.
	Ranma turned to see Akane standing in the doorway.
	"I don't know," he whispered.
	Akane stared at her ex-rival and felt nothing but sorrow and pity.
They'd been through so much, and in the end, after she'd finally found
love after Ranma, she had to lose it.  It was as if Fate were playing a
cruel joke on her.
	"How long were you there?" he asked after a while.
	"Not long.  Your mother's downstairs.  We came by to see if you
wanted any help looking over her."
	Ranma sighed.
	"I don't know.  Ucchan's suffered through so much.  I just wish
she got something more out of it."
	"Are you going to be okay?"
	Ranma nodded.
	"I'll be fine. I'm just angry that this could have happened."
	"Losing all those super powers?" Akane said with a smile.
	Ranma looked at her evenly, sobering her quickly.
	"I'm sorry, Ranma," Akane said quietly.
	Ranma took her hand in his.
	"It's not your fault Akane.  I'm just frustrated that after all
this, Ukyou doesn't win.  She was one of the good guys.  Doesn't that
count for something?"
	"I guess it's just like the three women told us, war is hell,"
Akane said quietly.
	Ranma simply stared at Ukyou as Akane left.  He heard the sounds
of her walking down the stairs slowly fade away.  It was followed minutes
afterwards by the sound of the restaurant door opening and closing.
	Ranma's mind turned to the future.  He was the fortunate one.
Ryouga and Mousse were dead, their time having come and passed.  Shampoo's
future was uncertain, but everyone begged her to stay.  Even Akane asked
that she stay, but whether it was out of courtesy or true empathy, Ranma
couldn't tell.  His wedding was probably going to come quickly, set upon
by his parents and Akane's parents alike.  Yet despite the anxious cheer
the thought of marrying Akane should have brought, Ranma remained sullen.
It simply wasn't going to be the same.  He'd wished he would have made
peace with Ryouga and Mousse before the wedding, even invite them to the
wedding as friends.  Now he would be making peace with them at a grave.
As Ranma sat and brooded over everything, one thought couldn't help but
stand out.  War was futile.  There were no good guys, no bad guys, just
people that died.
	Ranma sighed heavily and fell back into his seat.  He covered his
face with his hands and let go of his emotions.  He wept, but not for
himself.  Outside, the clouds covered the stars and moon cast a pale light
over the city.  A blanket of silence descended on the city, and all that
could be heard was the sound of one man's tears.


That's all folks.  G'night.

*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Ethan Tsai
1 N. College Street
Northfield, MN 55057

TSAIE@Gridley.ACNS.Carleton.edu
http://public.carleton.edu/~tsaie/ethan.html

Quote of the day:
"You'd win if you stopped hitting my foot with your head."
	-The Amazing Spider-man