Fruits Basket Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Neko's Healing ❯ Epilogue ( Chapter 25 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or Ranma.

 

Enjoy!

 

25 - Epilogue

 

Yuki ducked as an anonymous, furry yellow projectile sailed through the space where his head had been a moment before. A second flying object nailed him in the gut as he looked back to where the first had landed, trying to understand just what was going on. He caught it reflexively with both hands before it could fall to the floor, looking down to find the stuffed orange neko he'd bought for Yume last year. Yuri's bright yellow stuffed duck was now sprawled awkwardly on the floor behind him, after its impromptu flight.

 

A third and a fourth stuffed toy bounced off his shoulder and cheek as he looked back into the room, beginning to seriously wonder if running away would be a good idea even as he flinched away from the painless, but completely unexpected impacts. Maybe letting an unusually frazzled-looking Kyo talk him into coming upstairs to check on those vaguely disturbing thumps and bumps and squealing sounds hadn't been such a good idea, after all...

 

Carefully stooping to retrieve the pink and purple neko, and the--he always shuddered slightly before touching that thing--white stuffed snake from the floor, he asked in as mild and calm a voice as he could manage, “Yumi-chan! Yuri-chan! What are you doing?”

 

Twin sets of crimson eyes widened with surprise whipped about to focus on him, before identical expressions went from exhilarated to guilty. The half-dozen stuffed toys still sailing through the air plopped down as two small bodies stopped their hectic movements to stand perfectly still, side-by-side. The twins recovered quickly, faces lighting up with an almost unholy glee as they suddenly launched themselves at him, with stereo shrieks of “Yuki ji-sa-a-a-an!!”

 

Yuki caught the twin projectiles in his arms, helpless to stop a broad smile from stretching across his face as they wrapped scrawny limbs about him like humanoid barnacles, hugging tight. He gave up and laughed even as he staggered back under the impact; the twins were now at more than forty pounds each, and growing like weeds. It wouldn't be long before he wouldn't be able to catch them like that anymore.

 

“What are you two doing up here? Your father is actually looking frazzled!” The laughter in his voice told the girls they were already forgiven for whatever they'd done. They giggled into his shoulders before letting go and dropping lightly to stand on their own. He had to stifle a snicker as he took in their decidedly ragged appearance; the twins were harder on clothing than he and Kyo had been on Shigure's house, back when they'd fought all the time.

 

Yume's short, violet-purple hair was sticking up in all directions; Yuri's long, bright orange locks looked so snarled, Yuki nearly shuddered to think of how they could be gotten out without cutting it all off. The thought briefly crossed his mind that Yuri had managed it on purpose, just so Yume wouldn't feel so upset at her own recently necessary haircut. The twins' parents had refused to simply cut hers, when they'd finally given up and cut the horribly snarled mess from Yume's head last month.

 

“Yuki ji-san, we were just--”

 

“--prac-ti-sing our kata--”

 

“--with a bit of--”

 

“--crea-ti--ti--creat--vy--ooooh!” One small foot stamped the floor in fury as the word slipped right out of the little girl's mind, interrupting the smooth flow of speech from them. Adorably cute face scrunched up with too-familiar frustration as her sister covered a grin with her hand, the five-year-old finished sullenly with, “Aw, you know what I mean!”

 

Yuki bit his lip to keep from laughing. He bent over with hands braced on knees to look her in the eye, and said softly, “Cre-a-tive-ly. Right?”

 

Crimson eyes lit up with an almost incandescent smile, frustration already forgotten. The ghost of an image of what the girls were going to look like when they got older flickered across Yuki's mind's eye. Both of their parents were beautiful, if in different ways. And on top of physical beauty, each of the twins had more than a trace of Kyo's feline grace, as well as that almost feral individuality that would not be controlled. The girls also had Xian Pu's stubborn sense of pride--as well as the Amazon's rather regrettable ability to wrap most of the male half of the species around their little fingers...

 

Amazingly, Kyo wasn't one of those. The girls had yet to work their way around a firm “no” from their father--though it wasn't for lack of trying! Even their mother had occasionally given in to them, on minor things. Luckily, they hadn't thought to try going behind his back to do what they wanted; not yet, anyway.

 

Yuki was quite convinced that Kyo was going to have a heart attack, when the twins hit their teenage years and all those smitten boys started trailing around after those beautiful smiles... It was entirely possible that all of their Sohma “uncles” would have a collective heart attack, himself included. The girls would certainly never lack for glowering, violence-prone chaperones! He almost felt sorry for anyone who might be foolish enough to help them try sneaking out to meet with boyfriends, in the future. Yuki had seen Kyo really, truly angry only once. It had been a...rather...inspiring sight!

 

He yanked his thoughts back to the here and now, as the twins started talking again.

 

“Yeah! That. We were--“

 

“--adding our stuffed friends--“

 

“--into our kata--“

 

“--to make it more fun!”

 

“Besides, it helps--“

 

“--train our reflexes!”

 

Yuki smirked with amusement as he listened to their detailed explanation of just how they'd changed their kata, long used to how the twins spoke as if they were one person with two mouths. They'd been doing it since they were babies; their wailing had always been in stereo. It had taken a whole six months after they learned to speak to get the girls to speak one at a time as much as they did. Even Kho Lon had given up trying to get them to each complete a full sentence before switching speakers, at least for now. Everyone hoped they'd out-grow it in a few years.

 

The nezumi figured Ranma must have been babysitting again, and the girls had pestered him into teaching them something “neat” in martial arts. Kyo and Shampoo had wanted the girls to keep the martial arts training strictly in the dojo; it was only Ranma who turned everything up to and including breathing into training. The pig-tailed martial artist absolutely could not resist girls of any age, though--especially when their eyes went watery! Two of them were absolutely undefeated in wrapping Ranma around their little fingers.

 

Now Kyo and Shampoo would probably have to spend a month or more undoing the “damage.” Ranma obviously hadn't learned his lesson, yet. Last time, he'd taught the twins the fine art of Martial Arts Dining. The next day, Shampoo, vein popping on her forehead in irritation, had taken both groaning, over-stuffed girls and stalked straight over to the Tendo-ke, where Ranma had been forced to nurse them through their stomach-aches.

 

After Shampoo dented her bonbori a few times on his head, that is. Again. It was the Amazon's favorite method of chastisement; Yuki rather thought she must have about a hundred of the things in storage, the way she went through them...

 

The time before that, Ranma had taught Yume and Yuri to fence-walk. Which necessarily involved teaching them to actually jump up onto the fence. As if the twins weren't hard enough to keep in one place before that! Never mind the falling lessons that had nearly given Yuki a heart attack, when he'd seen them. Kyo had used his Neko-ken mastery to drop Ranma head-first off a few fences, when he found out. Then Shampoo found out; and dented her bonbori on the hapless Ranma-chan's head (the ladle-lady having nailed Ranma as he fled past her, Kyo in hot pursuit).

 

Martial Arts Calligraphy had been...interesting. At least that stunt had taught the twins some writing. Cleaning the scribbled attempts off the walls and furniture and floors and, kami bless, ceiling--Shampoo had stood over Ranma with tapping foot and ready bonbori to keep him from flat-out inventing Martial Arts Scrubbing, or some such nonsense.

 

Kyo, who'd annoyed enough to feel creative, took a sudden interest in Ranma's college grades. They'd shared several classes that year, and the neko had decided that if Ranma was going to interfere in his daughters' education, it was only fair he tutored Ranma in the pig-tailed martial artist's worst subjects. Whether Ranma liked it or not, his grades were going to improve.

 

It had taken Ranma three months before that lesson wore off. Then he taught the twins how to steal food from other people's plates at dinner, just like Ranma and his father always battled over meals. “Speed training,” he called it... More scrubbing and another dented bonbori followed that episode, along with Ranma being drafted to help Kho Lon in the Nekohanten's kitchen for a week. Which stretched to a month, as Ranma couldn't seem to resist annoying the Matriarch--he annoyed her so much, she decided she just couldn't do without his company for a few days longer. Then a few days more. And a few days after that...

 

Yuki had a sudden image of the Tendo dojo buried in stuffed animals in retribution for this latest stunt, while Ranma ended up with a bonbori dented so deeply it was stuck to his head, and chuckled. He'd begun wondering if Ranma was doing things like that on purpose. It usually happened when Kyo had been too busy to spar with him for a week or more, after all.

 

He'd better say something to the girls that was helpful to their parents, though, or he might end up watching the twins for an extended time. Once had been enough, thank you very much! About a half hour was the limit of the tolerance of Yuki's poor nerves. The twins were too creative at entertaining themselves!

 

He put on the sternest expression he could manage, burying his laughter as the girls finally finished their long explanation. Some of his amusement still showed in his voice when he spoke, though. “That's very good, but you both forgot something very important, didn't you.” There was no question in his mostly-serious tone.

 

Twin sets of crimson eyes were riveted to his face, wide with sudden worry. They blinked at him, then turned to share a look of confusion. Turning back to Yuki, they said in unison, “What?”

 

Shaking his head in mock disappointment, Yuki sighed. “Your kata was martial arts, right?” Two heads warily nodded as one. “Where do we practice martial arts?” Two pairs of red eyes went impossibly wide as the girls gasped in sudden consternation. They were only five years old, after all; their attention spans weren't all that long yet. They were far from stupid, though, or slow on the uptake. They'd simply been having too much fun, to remember they weren't supposed to tear their room apart!

 

Yuki nodded, then shook a finger at them in mock sternness. “Exactly. `Only in the dojo.'” He glanced about at the semi-ruins of their once-neat room, and sighed sadly. “This just doesn't look like the dojo, to me...”

 

It took the three of them nearly two hours to right the mess. Yuki could hardly believe they'd done all that in a mere half hour! It was like a tornado had come through that room! He sat down on Yume's bed when they were done, wiping sweat from his brow as he gave the now-straight room a final look. The twins collapsed on Yuri's bed, bouncing slightly.

 

Movement at the open doorway drew Yuki's eyes. Kyo was leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed and hipshot. He looked much more in control of himself than he'd been when Yuki arrived, gazing at his too-energetic daughters with a tired smirk, and more than a touch of relief in his eyes. He nodded at Yuki.

 

“Thanks. I was about ready to yell for Kho Lon; they're absolutely full of it, today. I don't want to know what they were doing, do I...” Red eyes half-lidded with tired amusement under raised eyebrows, Kyo tilted his head to the side and rolled his eyes towards his cousin as Yuki chuckled, rising to his feet.

 

“It wasn't a problem, really. They were just...being creative--“ He flashed a smile at the girls, who giggled back at him, “--using their stuffed toys to make their kata more fun. It worked too well; they forgot they're supposed to keep the martial arts in the dojo.” Twin expressions of guilty remorse zeroed in on their father and opened fire with the tears, making those big crimson eyes look pitifully watery.

 

Kyo snorted and shook his head, appearing completely unmoved. “You girls must really hate to have Ranma baby-sit you, don't you.”

 

Crocodile tears evaporated and their expressions went confused. The girls traded a worried look, then stared at their father. “We don't hate--“

 

“--having Ranma-kun baby-sit!”

 

Yuki barely caught the twitch towards a smile at the corner of Kyo's mouth, in an otherwise serious face. “Of course you do. Otherwise you wouldn't try so hard to convince us to not call on him any more!!” Kyo tried to project annoyance into his rising voice, but Yuki rather thought the girls weren't buying it--any more than Kyo ever bought their fake tears. He watched the three of them subtly tease back and forth for a few minutes while sounding almost like they were fighting, before Kyo pointed out the time, and insisted the girls get ready for bed. It only took five more minutes of arguing before they were trudging off to the furo, pajamas in hand, looking like they were going to their own executions instead of going to take a nice, long soak in deliciously warm water.

 

Shaking his head in amazement as he stared at their retreating backs, Yuki followed Kyo back down into the private dining area of the Nekohanten. “I just don't understand that. The girls love baths--you're going to have to fish them out in an hour, protesting the whole time...why on earth do they make it such an ordeal to get them in there, in the first place?”

 

Kyo snorted as he sat down, stretching long legs under the table as he slouched down in the chair. “Don't ask me! They came up with that all on their own--nobody they know makes it such a production. Must be they just don't want to go to bed yet.”

 

Settling in the chair across from his cousin, Yuki carefully stretched the kinks out of his back and neck. Deciding to indulge his curiosity, he asked, “How long has it been since you sparred with Ranma?”

 

“Huh--? Oh...yeah. That does get me in trouble, doesn't it.” He chuckled. “That baka must think he's been getting too predictable--it's only been three days.”

 

Yuki sighed, half frustrated. Ever since the curse was lifted, Kyo had been letting his “true self” show. No more continual show of anger; no more hiding his real skills...no more pretending to be a baka. The neko's perception was a great deal more refined than anyone had ever guessed--and he was disgustingly better at picking up subtleties in people's behavior than Yuki was. It figured that he'd known what Ranma was doing, long before Yuki thought of it.

 

After seven years, the nezumi was finally getting used to that--though he didn't particularly like it. It helped that Kyo wasn't attacking him for stupid reasons at the drop of a hat anymore; if he wanted to get Yuki to spar, the neko simply asked, now. He only resorted to insults and goading to get into a fight when he knew Yuki was in a bad mood, and needed an excuse to cut loose. The nezumi usually ended up thanking him by the end of the fight, when he was feeling less...stressed.

 

Shifting forward to lean his arms on the table, Kyo cocked his head at Yuki. “You haven't stopped by in a couple months...everything all right at the Honke?”

 

Yuki raised an eyebrow as he stared back at Kyo. “Blunt as ever, I see. Yes, everything is all right back home; just hectic. All those wedding preparations, you know.” Violet-gray eyes rolled as the nezumi shook his head in a show of disgust, his voice dry as dust. Kyo stifled a snicker. “I don't know why they absolutely had to all get married in the same week! I suppose we're lucky they didn't decide on the same day. The ladies must have it in for the rest of the family...”

 

The snicker burst free as Kyo leaned back, grinning. “Heh. I bet Shigure's been getting enough material for two or three books out of all the hubbub.”

 

Yuki stared flat-eyed at him, trying not to smile. Amusement danced in his violet-gray eyes in spite of himself. “He's the worst of the lot! Ever since Akito said “yes,” that baka has been practically floating on the ceiling all the time! We're lucky to get one coherent sentence out of him all day. And your. Sister...” Kyo nearly burst out laughing at Yuki's pointed emphasis, as well as the hysterically funny glare the nezumi leveled at him. “Have you spoken with her, at all, this last month?”

 

Grinning, Kyo nodded. “Yep. Disgustingly happy, isn't she.”

 

The nezumi sighed heavily, letting his torso tilt forward until his head dropped onto the table with a hollow thunk; hiding his own smile. His voice was muffled when he muttered, “'Disgustingly happy' my foot--the woman's downright giddy! You don't have to live with it.”

 

Yuki still had occasional flashbacks to the bad days of the Jyuunishi curse, when it made Akito do such terrible things to them; but overall, he'd finally gotten used to the “new” Akito. It helped a great deal that she not only acted like an entirely different person, but her vastly improved health had made it hard to miss her gender. She literally looked like someone else.

 

There were flashes of temper, and cutting words in that markedly soft and venomous voice, that reminded Yuki a great deal of the cursed Akito; but her intent now was not solely to hurt someone. There were times Akito had to intimidate the clan's more stubborn Elders, among others; those were some of the tools she had available to use to keep them in line, without resorting to having Kyo demonstrate his martial arts on someone.

 

Which had happened, a couple times. No one else in the entire Sohma Clan was anywhere near Kyo's Mastery--including Sohma Kazuma. When the neko casually “showed off” some of his more spectacular techniques, such as the claws of ki from the Neko-ken, it took all the bluster right out of the blowhards.

 

It took all the hentai out Shigure, too--for up to five minutes at a time. Yuki had many fond memories of that first year after the curse's breaking, watching Kyo “play” with his older cousin and now future brother-in-law. It took Akito that whole year to get over her flabbergasted feeling at having such brotherly “protection,” before she could try to convince her “little” brother to quit trying to scare off her boyfriend! By then, it was obvious to everyone that Shigure was really serious about having a relationship with Akito, so Kyo laughingly laid off. He'd still growl threateningly while glaring, when Shigure did something particularly hentai--but the neko was otherwise letting Akito deal with her inu, all on her own.

 

The rest of the formerly Jyuunishi-cursed hadn't changed all that much, especially the older ones. Akito and Kyo were the ones who had changed the most. Since they'd all retained their “links” with the animals of their curses, along with the enhanced senses, the main change in the rest of them had been happiness. Without the threat of transforming, they were now free to live their lives as they wished--and to love as they wished, without fear of the curse's reprisal.

 

Hiro and Kisa had stayed a couple. They were now officially engaged, as of last year--the ceremony was tentatively set for another five years, after they'd both graduated college.

 

Ayame had married his assistant, Mine-san, some four months after the curse was broken. Their daughter Hitomi was now three years old, and Mine-san was pregnant again.

 

Kureno, surprising everyone but Tohru, had proposed to Uotani Arisa within the first week of being cured. They'd been married after the year of dating that Uo insisted on to get to really know each other. Their son Kentaro was six months younger than the twins, and a regular playmate.

 

Momiji had finally gotten over his preoccupation with his father having “adopted” him back into his family. His mother was not going to get her memories back, but at least Momo could now be told the truth about his being her older brother. The two had quickly become inseparable.

 

The usagi was in great demand among the single ladies of the district. He'd even gone on a couple dates with Shampoo's sisters, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, though nothing had come of it. Momiji was a people-person, loving to meet new people all the time; he hadn't yet formed a permanent attachment to anyone, other than his family.

 

Ritsu had started to grow a backbone. He panicked and apologized only half as much as he used to, and had even begun wearing men's clothing--at least part of the time. Ranma's friends Konatsu, and Kuonji Ukyo had taken him under their wings, explaining with more than a bit of humor that they felt a sort of kinship with a fellow gender-confused person. Konatsu was still a practicing kunoichi, confusing at that was for Yuki to understand, and had been a great help to Ritsu in gaining some self-confidence. Konatsu wasn't just dressing as a girl for comfort; he'd been raised to think he was a girl, while Ukyo had been living as a boy for ten years, while she chased after Ranma.

 

The almost panicky arrangements underway at the Honke were a result of three separate weddings scheduled to take place in the same week. Shigure and Akito were to be the last, on a Saturday--theirs was to be the most elaborate ceremony, as Akito was the Sohma Clan Head. The huge guest list for their ceremony had all of the Honke's the servants in fits; the entire clan was scheduled to show up, from all over Japan, just for starters! They'd have to be housed and fed and entertained for days!

 

The Thursday before, Hatsuharu and Rin were to be married--Rin having finally admitted to returning Haru's feelings. Haru hadn't gone Black since Rin proposed to him; he just wandered about in a sort of daze, a silly grin playing on his face.

 

The truly surprise wedding was to be the first, on that Monday. No one--not even Shigure!--had ever remotely guessed that Kagura would fall for--of all people--Hatori. From the tatsu's perpetually bemused expression these last few months, even Hatori hadn't expected Kagura's interest!

 

The two matched each other well, surprisingly enough. Hatori's perpetual calm and level-headed nature could defuse Kagura's infamous blow-ups of temper; while Kagura's indomitable will kept him from overworking, hauling him out of his shell and making him live. Hatori's quiet, thoughtless acts of consideration had somehow, one day caught her attention, and then her interest--after she had discovered that “her” Kyo was no longer available, and the subsequent two-year-long trip to attend an America college that kept her from doing something regrettable about the situation.

 

After her return, the buta had gradually found herself watching Hatori, and had quickly noticed how alone the tatsu was--just as she felt she was. He didn't date; he didn't seem to go anywhere, or do anything that wasn't related to his work. She'd also noticed the subtle things he did for others; he truly had a kind heart, behind that cold façade he wore.

 

After almost a year of watching his lonely existence, Kagura had made a decision--and promptly “kidnapped” him on a date. He hadn't been given a chance to say no. Hatori wasn't all that much older than Kagura, and she was determined to make him remember he wasn't an “old man” at all.

 

Three years later, Hatori had surprised both of them by casually asking Kagura her feelings about marriage. She'd frozen, eyes huge; her mind making connections and jumping to a conclusion Hatori hadn't quite anticipated. Then she'd squealed and screamed “Yes!!!” before a suddenly flustered tatsu had quite realized she'd taken his attempt to sound her out on it, as a flat-out proposal.

 

Since he'd been planning on working himself up to asking her anyway, if it sounded like she was interested in marriage, he'd simply smiled through a shell-shocked expression and hugged her, as she excitedly glomped the breath out of him. It had been a cozy, romantic candlelight dinner in his home, after all...even if Kagura had been the one who cooked, he still couldn't have planned it better. Kagura's enthusiastic response just--moved his timetable up, a few months.

 

Yuki pushed himself back upright, shaking his head to clear it of reminiscence. He gave Kyo a half-hearted glare, then sighed. “All six of them are being disgustingly sweet.” His violet-gray gaze sharpened on the neko. “And if you join in the family campaign to get me married off, so help me, I'll help Ranma come up with things to teach the twins!!”

 

Kyo desperately tried to hold back his snickers, but wasn't very successful. He held a hand over his mouth to at least try to cover his grin, but those red eyes were sparkling with obvious high humor. His voice shook with suppressed laughter as he tried to keep his tone innocent, “What--you and Tohru not tying the knot yet?”

 

Eye twitching, vein popping up on his temple, Yuki grabbed a pillow without looking and nailed Kyo in the head with it, even as the neko collapsed in helpless laughter.

 

“That was not funny, baka neko!!”

 

Through helpless laughter the neko shot back, “Oh, yeah, it was!!”

 

Kyo had been mercilessly teasing Yuki for five years, now--ever since he found out Tohru and Yuki felt about each other, the same way Tohru and he felt about each other: as siblings. The neko thought it was hysterically funny, after the two years they'd spent while they all lived at Shigure's house, dancing about and posturing at each other like a pair of tom-cats over a female in heat.

 

Yuki sniffed and turned his nose up, eyes closing as he turned away--trying very hard not to let any amusement flicker across his face. Kyo knew very well Yuki had been seriously dating one Kuonji Ukyo for two years now. He had a close friendship with her that had steadily grown into more, ever since the day Kyo and Shampoo introduced them. Ukyo's ever-present, bubbly zest for life and her chosen career had fascinated Yuki, who had been floating through life without a clue what he wanted to actually do with himself. In turn, his quiet manners and razor-barbed wit in her defense had drawn Ukyo's interest. He used words where she'd used her battle spatula, and generally got better long-term results.

 

After a whimsical offer to teach him her family's Martial Arts Okonomiyaki proved the nezumi actually had something of an affinity for it, he'd agreed to become her student full-time. He'd been mesmerized by the peculiar idea of food-based marital arts, and found himself fascinated by the mechanics of operating a restaurant. He'd been doing Ukyo's books for several years, now.

 

It had mainly been Yuki who arranged things, when it was time Ukyo found a bigger building to move into. He was good at the parts of business the chef hated--namely, finances, and bookkeeping of all kinds. Ukyo was wonderful at dealing with the customers and suppliers; while Yuki still had trouble dealing with people, especially large groups. Their partnership had grown into a comfortable sort of relationship, that was still deepening.

 

Tohru, surrounded as she was by overprotective and mostly male friends, had still managed to find a boyfriend brave enough to wade through them all in order to date her. She'd met Suzuki Ryosuke in college, and he'd somehow managed to satisfy Uotani, Hanajima, and practically the entire Sohma clan that his intention towards Tohru had nothing hentai about them--in spite of having a temper nearly as volatile as Kyo's. A year younger than Tohru, Ryosuke wasn't more than a third dan in martial arts, but he was a master of dirty street fighting, having lived mostly on his own in a rougher part of Tokyo since he was twelve years old, following the deaths of his parents. He was more than able to protect her from bullies and such--even though he wasn't worthy of mention on the Nerima Ward scale of martial artist.

 

After surviving Kyo's first grilling of him, the rather confused young man found himself as a student at the Tendo Dojo, paying for his teaching with labor at both the dojo and the Nekohanten. Ryosuke had thought after that first meeting that Kyo hadn't been satisfied he was good enough for Tohru, and would forbid him from seeing her; he couldn't understand why Kyo would act like a mentor, even while cussing him out every other sentence! It kept him on his best behavior around Kyo, who quickly became as much a big brother to Ryosuke as he was to Tohru. It helped that a giggling Tohru made certain to explain Kyo's gruff manner to him as soon as she realized it was baffling him so.

 

As Kyo got his laughter back under control, Yuki found himself gazing out the far window, looking pensively at nothing as his thoughts settled in a direction he'd avoided for a long time, now. As a comfortable silence deepened about them, he turned back to look at Kyo--once his enemy, now arguably his best friend. They knew each other better than anyone else; their personalities complimented each other. Without the curse forcing them to be enemies, they'd quickly gone back to being friends.

 

The neko was comfortably balancing his tipped-back chair, staring at Yuki with his head cocked, face thoughtful. The tiredness was gone from his face, Yuki was glad to note. He was respecting Yuki's sudden change in mood with silence.

 

“Ne, Kyo...”

 

Kyo blinked and came out of his own thoughts. “Yeah?”

 

“It was worth it, wasn't it.”

 

Red eyes blinked again, in confusion, as his brow furrowed. “Hunh? What?”

 

Yuki gazed about the private dining room, one hand waving about. “All of it--everything.” Violet-gray met red, serious as death. “Everything we went through; all of our lives.”

 

Kyo sucked in a deep breath, glancing down for a moment as he thought about it. When he looked back up, his face showed a strange mix of sadness, happiness, and contentment. “Yeah. Yeah--it was. If we hadn't lived through--all of that, we probably wouldn't appreciate what we've got now...we probably wouldn't have it at all. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and all that. So...yeah; it was worth it.”

 

They both smiled, in agreement. They wouldn't have chosen to go through their lives, in the way they'd been forced to...but the rewards made everything worthwhile. A muffled squeal and a soft splash from upstairs drew a wince from the neko, as Yuki's smile changed to a full grin.

 

Oh, yes; it had been worth it, in the end.

 

-.-.-.-

 

::sniffling:: WAAAAH! It's the end! I've gotta give `em back now! ::bawling eyes out::

 

Many Thanks to all who reviewed! I'm glad so many of you enjoyed my story. I'd imagine another one will demand to be written in a month or so; either a brand-new fic popping into my brain out of nowhere, like this one did--or maybe one of my gazillion half-done, mess-around fics will suddenly shape up into something decent.

 

Until then, take care!

 

-Crazy