An epilogue.

Close! All Good Things ...
By Kagami

Akane tried to avoid staring at the ongoing roof repairs
occuring on most of the nearby houses as she made her
way home. It had been two weeks since the last fireball
intensive chase of Happosai, and the final parting with
her newest friends.

Lina had returned to her own world along with Gourry,
Amelia, Zelgadis and her mother, Ranma. That still seemed
... unnatural when she thought about it. The tall,
redheaded woman who had been part of Ranma, who had been
Ranma for more than twenty years.

She recalled her last attempt to ask Ranma about those
events.

"I don't remember," he had said. But his eyes had
shifted, and he hadn't been able to look her in the
eye. Knowing Ranma, that could have been due to his
obvious embarassment over his alter-ego, but what if
... Her thoughts backed away.

He had avoided Lina's mother, Akane realized, and she,
in turn, had made no real effort to seek him out. He had
also avoided Zelgadis, finding excuses to leave whenever
he had been around. Akane shook herself out of the gloomy
mood that had descended upon her.

Things hadn't been all dark. The cost of feeding three
extra bottomless pits like Gourry, Lina and Amelia had
almost driven Nabiki up the wall. It wasn't the fact
that she couldn't make money off them, but rather that
she couldn't make a profit off them. Akane resisted
the burst of giggles that threatened to overcome her.

Another positive was that she and Ranma had become
closer, much to the frustration of the other fiancees.
He still claimed not to remember her declaration
which had brought him back from near oblivion. But
he had changed in the way he acted towards her.

Still outwardly prickly and macho, but inside - inside,
her heart sang that he was hers, all hers.

With a smile on her face, Akane continued home.

---

Somewhere on the outskirts of Zefielia.

"Beefbowl, ramen, okonomiyaki," chanted Gourry.

"Tempura, sushi, teppanyaki," countered Amelia.

"Sashimi, donburi, yakitori," added Lina.

"Now, now, children. I know you're all hungry but
the sooner we reach the capital, the sooner we
can all eat. Not to mention that Luna is probably
very tired of waiting for us," Ranma murmured.

Lina started. She still couldn't get used to having
her mother around. Not to mention having Zelgadis as
a father. They had worked out a new relationship but
it was still tenuous.

"Besides," Zelgadis added teasingly, "the sooner we
get home, the sooner Gourry can start his courting of
Lina in a proper manner."

Gourry blushed bright red which was fascinating to
see, but Lina felt herself flush which wasn't nearly
so amusing.

"Zel!" she stormed, outrage crackling. "If you think
me and that ... that jelly ..." Somehow the invective
wouldn't come.

"Lina," Gourry said in a plaintive tone.

"And that's father to you, young lady," Zelgadis
shot back, half-laughing. He turned to hold Ranma's
hand. "Don't they remind you of another young
couple?"

Ranma smiled back. "Indeed they do, Zel-chan." She
turned to Gourry. "Take good care of my daughter now,
young man."

Gourry purpled, but Lina wasn't watching him. Instead,
she felt her outrage dissipating as she looked at her
parents. Pretty strange and weird parents, but hers
nonetheless.

"Let's just get home," she said, striding forth
and feeling the joy upwelling.

Life was good, she decided.

---

Amelia tried to avoid feeling morose or jealous as she
watched Zelgadis and Ranma. It seemed that everyone
else's dream had come true ... but not hers.

Zelgadis-san, she thought with a pang. Sometimes, the
way of justice just didn't seem to pay. Still, she
thought optimistically, there was that really strange
but cute guy she kept on running into back on Akane's
world. There was that Gate in Zefielia ...

What was his name again? Hibiki?

---

Ryoga stared at the strange wooden sign in front of
him. Atlas City - 6; Sairaag - 12. Where on earth
was he? This, he thought, is all Ranma's fault.

Just when he was looking for that rather cute girl
he kept bumping into. He had wanted to thank her for
saving P-chan, for Akane's sake, from the terrors
of Azusa Shiratori's return.

It wasn't because Akane and Ranma had virtually tied
the knot, he thought with a pang. Nor was it because
he couldn't find the Unryu farm or the Juuban district.
Or that she was cute, had short dark hair and her
name started with an A-.

No, he was only going to thank her for saving him
from a fate worse than death. Really.

Amelia. It had a nice ring to it. He continued
east past the sign, failing to notice that it
pointed west.

---

Ranma was currently short and female. He stared at
the bright water flowing beneath his favourite
bridge. It seemed that normal for him included a
Jusenkyo curse.

The past few months had been ... troubling. He had
kept most of it from Akane. He didn't think she'd
understand. Each of his seizures had sent a cascade
of memories of an unwanted life through his mind.

Memories of a life with ... Zelgadis. A guy. He
clenched his hand into a fist. He wasn't that Ranma.
She'd had been the creation of the mirror. That was
all. Nothing more. Certainly not a part of him.

Still, he hadn't been able to bear being in the
same room as either of them. It had been worse
when they had been together. He'd had to leave,
feeling sick to his stomach ... or had it been
jeal ... he quickly malleted the thought and buried
it deep in the recesses of his mind.

No, he had Akane. That was worth focusing on. And
something else as well.

"Lighting," he whispered and set the glowing ball
to dancing above the bright waters.

Life wasn't all that bad, he decided.

---

OWARI. Final comments?