When the last reporter was gone, when the alter and decorations of the now cancelled wedding ceremony were taken down, when the last question was answered and both reporter and wedding guest alike had their fill of information, when Kaede retreated to her office, when the guards resumed their daily tasks, when Tsukasa seemed to have the media under control, Tsukushi sought Tama out.

She found her in her room, sitting on a armchair facing outwards to the night sky, still wearing the wedding attire Kaede chose for her, minus the shoes which were discarded into the darkness of the room. The moon was enough light for her,' Tsukushi figured, she walked over to her and sat down in the chair next to her.

"The truth is finally out there, isn't ?" she said, her voice sounded more tired than usual, Tsukushi nodded, ignoring the fact that Tama wasn't even looking at her. Tama smiled at the stars, "All these years were for nothing, weren't they?"

"Of course not!" Tsukushi turned to her, she grabbed Tama's wrinkled hand, Tama looked at her, "You saved me Tama, you gave me the courage to stand up for myself, to fightback and I'm grateful to you for that, without your story, I might have given up," she whispered.

"I guess, in a way, I'm glad too. To not be able to hold a child and say that it is yours, after those precious nine months, after the blood and tears and pain you went through to bring them into this world, is a fate worse than death. Tsukushi, don't you ever forget that." Tsukushi nodded, Tama then turned again to her, "But there's something I don't understand. How did you find out?" Tsukushi's eyes became dots; did this lady have an aneurysm? "You gave me those letters, remember? The ones you left on the doorstep," she said, Tama cocked a wrinkled eyebrow at her, "What letters?"

Tsukushi laughed, what a funny woman, "Don't act dumb, Tama, the ones from Koutaku to you," Tama's widened, she stood up, "Koutaku hid those from me, I had no idea where they went, even at his deathbed he would not tell me where they were." she said. "B-but someone sent them to me and if it wasn't you, then," she reached into her pocket and pulled out the now wrinkled paper, it was the letter to her, one of the ones that hadn't been lost when she threw them out the window, she handed it to her, "Who sent me that?" she asked. Tama stared at the letter, and started, and stared, all the while slowly sinking to the floor, when she could sink no deeper, she stared to cry, Tsukushi didn't really know what was going on, "Tama?"

"This is Koutaku's handwriting," she said, looking up at Tsukushi, a cold chill ran down her back as the words set in, Koutaku, a dead man, or rather a ghost was the one pulling all the stings? Was he was the one who sent Tsukushi on this quest? He was the one who…Tsukushi screamed as everything hit her, Tama looked at her, "My parachute wouldn't deploy…and then did for no reason…a wind pushed me straight towards the mansion…I was captured…and someone showed me how to get out, could that have been…"

Tama smiled and looked out the window, "Saved my life, the previous Mr. Domyoji did,"

Tsukushi decided to leave Tama alone after that, she needed some time, before she did, though, she left her the diary. Tama no longer had the burden to bear; it should have never been a burden to begin with.

"Tsukushi," the warrior of Eitoku turned to see Tsukasa walking towards her, he looked tired, but happy, his tux already shed and replaced with a t-shirt and pajama pants, Tsukushi smiled at him, "Hey," she said. "Well, I spoke with my mother, who will be speaking to Tama in the morning,"

"Really?" Tsukushi looked at him with interest, "What for?"

"For her share, 20% of the fortune Koutaku had left behind will be transferred into her account," he said, "Is that a lot," she asked him, how much was 20% exactly, anyway?

"1.5 Million dollars," he said, he then had to catch Tsukushi as she fell, "1.5- you'll kill her!" she screamed, Tsukasa laughed, "Well, that's what you get when you marry into the family, besides, she also needs Tama's blessing,"

"For?"

"The marriage of my father to my mother,"

"It's a little late, don't you think?" Tsukushi asked, Tsukasa just shrugged, "We may not do everything right, but we do do it thoroughly,"

Tsukushi hesitated before asking, "So…what about your father? Will he be told?"

"My mother's told him, he's on a flight back as we speak,"

"WHAT!?!?!?" Tsukushi couldn't believe it, "Your father, the man who made you, father? Domyoji Shosuke-sama father?" Tsukasa didn't share her excitement, "Is it that suprising?" he asked, "Yes!" she said, "Your mother was one thing, but your father, I was starting to believe he didn't exist!"

"Why you-," Tsukasa started to tickle Tsukushi, who now laughing was struggling to break free, she pushed at him and started to run, but he caught her blazer and pulled her back to him, "Oh, no, I have you right where I want you,"

Tsukushi turned to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, Tsukasa was surprised, but welcomed it with a return. When she pulled away, he looked at her, "Are you o.k.?" he asked, Tsukushi nodded, "I was surprised when I saw you like that, but I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing in the same situation,"

"No, I mean are we o.k.?" the concern in his eyes brought about an unbearable pain in Tsukushi's chest, she grabbed his hands, "We're just fine, after all, who the only girl that can kick you into shape?"

He pulled her to him and smiled, "And who'll let you get away with as much as I do?"

Tsukushi grabbed his hand and started to lead him down the hall, "Come on,"

"Where are we going?" he asked sounding almost child like, Tsukushi looked back at him with a look in her eyes that was unrecognizable, they were clear, as they always were, but the tomboyish glint, that raunchy, commoners way about them was gone, instead they were refined, delicate. It hit Tsukasa like a ton of bricks, Tsukushi looked just like a girl at that point, and from there he understood that tonight she would be his.

As she pulled him into his bedroom and pressed up against his form, she took into account the horrible reality that without Mayuki this would not be happening, she would not be kissing him the way she had, they would not be delicately undressing one another, their bodies would not be joining in the most deepest and passionate ways as they were now doing, what she had learned, what Mayuki had taught her was not to continue fighting so much, but to appreciate what she had when she had it, before she had to lose it, and she did, with all of her heart she did, as she arched her back and wrapped her legs around him, as she scratched at his back urging him to quest deeper and deeper into her, she appreciated every detail. Right before the final moment, the ultimate joining that is the simultaneous climax, she whispered into his ear, "Marry me, Tsukasa," to which he replied by releasing his seed, but just for the record he pulled her to him, kissed the sweaty top of her head and murmured a loving, "Yes, I will,"

EPILOGUE

She didn't dream too much, what for? When you're as old as she was, you didn't really need to, you'd seen everything, done everything, and were content as a cucumber. Dreams were for those who still hadn't found what they wanted, that and the older you got the more blurred the line between dreams and reality got anyway, so when she rested, it was to rest, nothing more.

Tama walked into her room and plopped down on the bed, the wedding was over; she danced the night away as best she could, the wine was drunk, the cake eaten, the bride and groom sent off in good faith. She was even wrong for once in her life; the dress Tsukushi picked hid the baby bump very well. Tama laughed to herself, that ending should have been the one she and Koutaku had all those years ago, if either hadn't been so stubborn. Well, she couldn't complain, she had it very well, no longer did she have to struggle, she lived the cushy life, and she hated it, so many times did she have to be reminded not to get up at 5 in the morning to clean. That bratty grandson of hers won't let her lift a finger, she retired to the life in the lap of luxury, not because she wanted it, but more so because she knew her age, she wasn't going to be able to life that life any longer anyway. Still, no one but she was allowed to clean her room.

Tama got up, straightened everything up, changed out of the dress Tsukushi got for her into some simple flannel pajamas and went to bed.

She was running through a field of poppies in the country, it was so beautiful, the grass was so green, the sun bright in the deep blue sky, but it wasn't hot. Someone was chasing her, Tama felt arms fly around her waist and pull her back; a moment of panic at the thought of re-fracturing her hip was quickly erased when she realized it was the hip of her 20 year old self! She landed softly on the grass and felt the weight of a person as they rolled onto her, the sunlight disappeared behind his head and she found herself face to face with the one she loved.

"It's you!" she cried, hugging Koutaku, he was young as well, very unlike the cancer consumed, bed ridden 78 year old she bade farewell to- the 21 year old she fell in love with all those years ago. He just smiled, "I've missed you, so very very much," Mayuki released him, lied back down on the grass and ran her hand along his cheek, "How have you been?" she asked, he grabbed her hand, "Good, lonely without you, but I've been keeping tabs," he winked, Mayuki laughed, "So I've heard, are you happy with what your grandson has become?"

"Very happy, even more so that our son has accepted you into his life," he said, Tama just shrugged, "Was it that hard, I raised him anyway," Koutaku's smile then faded, "I regret it, not having the courage to fight back, I regret not having the ending that Tsukasa got," Tama sighed and stared up at the sky, " I did too, Koutaki, I did too, but as our situations were very similar, they were very different as well, there was so much more riding on us staying apart," she figured. Koutaku shook his head, "I still should have announced you as his mother after Kayuga died.

"Now, now," Mayuki whispered, soothing Koutaku's unruly curls, he stared at her, "What's done is done, and now everybody knows anyway, we can let it all rest,"

"That we can, that we can," he agreed. For a good while Koutaku and Tama just lied there on the grass, watching the clouds lazily float by, Tama reflected on her life, where she had gone, where she was and where she would be, she even allowed herself to relish in the fact that she was dreaming for the first time in decades. When time passed a bit more, Koutaku got up and extended a hand to her, "Ready?" he asked, Tama looked at his hand, then back at him, she looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled and grabbed it, "Yes," she answered, "I'm ready,"

Tsukushi would happen by it on the honeymoon while she read the newspaper over a cooling cup of coffee:

Takashi Mayuki, age 84 died in her sleep November 12th, 2003. "It looks like she died dreaming, so we're not worried about foul play," a servant commented.

She had to read the line 4 times over before it set in, tears already started down her face, "The doctor's appointment is for 2:00 koi, so let's get going," Tsukasa walked in, still fiddling over a tie that wouldn't stay put. When he saw her, he stopped, "What wrong?"

Tsukushi stared at the paper, focusing especially on the words "died dreaming", the fetus in her belly fluttered, as though telling her it was o.k., Tsukushi sobbed once more, for Tama, and sighed, "Oh…nothing, I was just finishing a beautiful love story, that's all,"

Holy, shnykies! It's done! This story are finished! I never thought I'd get it done, especially since I started it and didn't really have an ending, and here it is, in owwwwllll it's glawwwreeee :D Lol, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I hope I kept you on edge and surprised you with who Takashi Mayuki really was, I remember reading the story from HYD, when Tama was talking to Tsukushi and told her how Domyoji's grandfather had saved her life, and the idea was kind of accidentally convieved. Well, I'm done, if you still want to review, by all means  Anyway gotta go, "One Night Stand" and "Born in Sin" are still in the works. BYEEEEEEYEEEEYEEEEEeeeeeeEEEEEeeeeeeee…EEEEE.