Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and the Fruits Basket characters do not belong to me. They are the property of Natsuki Takaya.

I am definitely a a little sad as I post this final epilogue to the tale of Shigure and Tohru. For those of you I haven't already told, I am taking a hiatus from fanfiction for a while after this. I have some original plot ideas with original characters that I want to do some work on.When I am writing fanfiction all of my efforts and ideas go into the story in the hopes that I can make it a story that people will enjoy. It seems I have succeeded in this aim if all of my wonderful reviewers are to be believed. As much as I love Tohru and the Sohma family, it's time to let it rest for a while. Now I want to place that same focus and energy into an original idea that I have been playing with since October of last year. I will post to my profile page on this site if I get chapters posted online. I do have plans to do so, I'm just not sure where I will be posting yet. Also, my LJ is under the name of otaku mom with an underscore between the two words. I'll post a notice there as well.

Please enjoy this final chapter of IOR and let me know if I have succeeded in tying up all of the loose ends. I know there are a lot of stories within this one that could have been developed more fully but they are not central to the Tohru/Shigure plot and that is where the focus of this story was intended to rest. If I've left any unanswered questions, let me know. I can always edit either the epilogue or the previous chapter. I realize that the previous chapter could have been included as part of the epilogue, but it made sense to me to divide it into two parts.

Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people who have read my fics and a special thank you to all of those who have left reviews. It is because of your feedback and interest that I have had such a wonderful time in the world of Furuba fanfiction. ja mata...Otaku Mom

Epilogue My Angel Forever

The Parthenon glowed white in the moonlight illuminating the couple standing in its shadow. Shigure and Tohru stood with their arms around each other.

"It's so peaceful here Shigure."

Shigure smiled at the woman in his arms. "It is Tohru-kun, and beautiful."

They stood for a while longer and then returned to the Hotel Parthenon. Shigure unlocked the door and then lifted Tohru in his arms and carried her across the threshold.

"Shigure…" Tohru couldn't help but giggle, "We've been here a week. Don't you think I could walk in under my own power by now?"

"What! And deprive me of the pleasure of holding you in my arms? Tohru-kun, how could you be so cruel? I must make up for all of the times I wanted to hold you and couldn't. That just might take a lifetime, you know." His voice lowered suggestively on the last line.

Tohru sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder. "Shigure-san, of course I can't be that cruel. Do as you please.' She allowed him to carry her to the big bed in their room.

"Perhaps next time we should get a room with only one bedroom."

"Let's not, I'm attached to these rooms. This is where we shared our first real kiss and you turned me into a dog…I don't want to change a thing. And then there is another matter, next time we come to Greece, it may not be just you and I. There are consequences to our actions you know."

"Shigure-san!" Tohru's blush could probably have been seen from the Parthenon if there was anyone to watch.

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her. She responded enthusiastically and things proceeded in a natural fashion.

After a while she murmured, "Shigure, do you ever miss it? Turning into your Zodiac form I mean."

He loved the way she still alternated between calling him Shigure-san and Shigure depending on the situation. Usually he was Shigure-san when he teased her and she became embarrassed or if they were in company she would often address him as Shigure-san . She was still so impossibly polite at times he thought fondly. Then there were the times when it was just the two of them and she would address him as Shigure.He had to admit he liked those times the best. He loved being with just her and being the focus of all her attention.

"Not really…I can hold you now that my form doesn't change and I will never regret that." They eventually fell asleep in each others arms. Tomorrow they would return to Kythira for the remainder of their honeymoon.

Later that night Shigure awoke and watched Tohru's sleeping form for a while. The moonlight illuminated her features and she looked like an angel. She was his angel and he knew he would never tire of watching her. Eventually he realized he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon and he wandered out to the living room where he had left his journal on the desk. He picked up his pen and began to write.

She was just a slip of a girl when she came to live with us…

And now she's a woman and my wife. Somewhere in my life of misguided selfishness I must have done something right to have this precious woman love me and consent to be my bride. I finished the book that I began with that line so many months ago and it is on the shelf for all to read, even my nefarious family. Most people will believe it's just one more best-selling novel in a line of best-selling novels which suits me just fine. A few will know that it's a chronicle of my life since the time she came to live with us and I don't really mind that either. It's been a series of ups and downs but I've found that the crazy wonderful life I always dreamed of; it really does exist.

I hesitated to publish that book because it bared my soul and told so many of my secrets, but somehow that doesn't really matter anymore. Somehow one slender slip of a girl makes it okay because she loves me. She recognizes all of my faults, she understands that I am sometimes cruel, sometimes selfish, and that I frequently manipulate people for my own enjoyment, but she still loves me.

I guess I still find it hard to believe that one person, at least, finds me kind and loveable. And this is in addition to my intelligence, charm, talent, and good looks.

Shigure grinned as he set the pen down. He would show this to Tohru in the morning, she would get a laugh out of it and then he would probably get a kiss. He returned to bed and to the sleeping woman that would be waking up by his side for the rest of their lives.