DISCLAIMER: Concurrent with fair dealing clauses of the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42) of Canada and fair use clauses in copyright legislation in other nations, this is a work that was created solely for entertainment purposes. Furthermore, it is posted freely on the Internet without expectation or requirement of remuneration.

EPILOGUE

Everybody talks about a new world in the morning.
A new world in the morning so they say…!
I myself don't talk about a new world in the morning.
New world in the morning, that's today…
I met a man who had a dream he had since he was twenty.
I met that man when he was eighty-one.
He said, "Too many folks just stand and wait 'til the mornin'!
Don't they know tomorrow never comes…?"
Roger Whittaker, New World In The Morning (1970)

Kimitsu, Sebone Mimōko's private apartment, Monday 12 July 2010, early morning…

"Oh, gods…!"

"Was that good?"

Mimōko's eyes were fluttering as her mind tried to regain control over herself as her nude body quaked from the powerful orgasm Ranma had just given her with only her tongue. "Oh, Ranma…" the senior student moaned as she allowed her equally nude lover to take her into her arms. "You do that to me every morning, I might die…!"

"Can't let that happen," Ranma said as she leaned up to kiss her beloved's right earlobe. "And besides, we're going to have to get used to oral sex, especially after I get unfrozen when I experience my first period. That'll be the time your body will be ready to start bearing children. Or if we do it normally, we'll need protection."

The older woman nodded. "Hai…much that it would tickle my parents pink and make your mom the happiest woman on the planet, I'm not ready to be a teenage mom."

"And I'm not ready to be a teenage dad or mom!"

She blinked, and then gazed at her. "Would you consider that? Being a mother?"

Ranma blinked, and then she shrugged. "Maybe not…but the chances are there. Especially if someone really catches me unaware and I get raped." A shudder raced through the redhead's body; as Mimōko knew, that had become a deep fear of hers — even if she then didn't understand the actual mechanics — ever since she had returned to Japan and had started attending classes at Fūrinkan and interacted with guys like Bosabosa Daisuke and Chanpatsu Hiroshi, who boasted all the time about 'making the C mark' with a girl. "After all, skilled as I am, I can be beaten. Shan proved that."

Her lover nodded. "Are you angry at Akane because of that?"

Ranma shook her head as both moved to get out of their shared bed and proceed into the bathroom to wash up and perform their morning ablutions. "Nah! I was willing to let her blow off steam when I realized how much she hadn't learned how to control herself. 'Sides, none of us back then could predict how far Shan was willing to go."

Mimōko nodded as she headed in first to relieve herself, Ranma pausing at the door to give her some privacy. "Yeah, that's true," she mused as she sat down at the toilet. "Well, don't worry about it. Kyoko'll knock it out of her eventually. You can't be a successful ninja if you can't keep control over your temper."

"Or any type of martial artist."

"Hai, true."

After they had finished with the porcelain goddess, they got the shower going and spent a very luxurious time under the spray of hot water worshipping the other woman's bodies again as they washed themselves down. That had been pretty much what they had done ever since they had left the Moroboshi home in Tomobiki in the wake of Hibiki Yoiko's birth the previous morning. After Ranma had written the entrance exam on Saturday just before they had come to Tomobiki to deal with Genma and Kodachi, the couple took the time to get Ranma's new school uniform — she wouldn't be allowed the luxury of using her tang and trousers for the next month…though after her body was unlocked and she was once more subject to the full effects of the curse she gained at Zhòuquán-xiāng, that might change — as well as something of a wardrobe for her to wear outside school. And while there had been a chance to get out and around to mingle among normal people now that all the questions about engagements had been dealt with finally thanks to Genma's banishment to China, Ranma simply wanted to be at her beloved's side in bed or in the shower, learning more and more about the many intimate arts as she finally overcame her considerable initial shyness about being so close and personal with a woman with the same passion she had once dedicated simply to fighting.

Once they were clean of both sweat and the more heady smells of sex, they dried themselves off and dressed…or rather, they dressed each other, pausing to kiss as they put on each item of clothing. At the end of it, after Mimōko's silver magatama earring marking her as a fighting A-rank tōshi was put on, they headed into the kitchenette of the small apartment they now lived in — the building was owned by the private consortium that helped administer the Nan'yō Academy; the other apartments here were used by other tōshi attending that school who actually hailed from other parts of Japan — to prepare breakfast. Fortunately for them, there was no need to make lunch bentō as the school had a fully-staffed cafeteria that was well-supplied and stocked.

As they enjoyed that — holding hands, of course — the doorbell rang. "Mō-chan! Ran-chan! Are you two still in there?!" a familiar and very cheery voice called out.

"Door's unlocked, Sonsaku! C'mon in!" Mimōko called back.

The main door opened to reveal Mago Tsueko. "I'm sorry to disturb you!" she called out as she led in a small group of people: Tsueko's cousin Meguru Ichiyu, her lover and bond-mate Kuonji Ukyō (also now in a proper Nan'yō girl's uniform), Ranma's sister Kikuko and her wife Nǚ Shānpú (who were also dressed and prepared for school).

"Aiyah! The Lady Mimōko has such a warm home!" Shampoo mused as everyone took off their shoes in the genkan and headed into the kitchenette.

"It's a temporary home as long as I'm attending Nan'yō. Once I'm off to university, Ranma can live here on his own full-time…if we don't get our own apartment," Mimōko said as she nodded to her schoolmates, and then she grinned on seeing how a certain okonomiyaki chef was now dressed. "Hey, U-chan! Looking pretty good!"

Ukyō laughed. "Well, even though I'm a little behind in my schoolwork, I decided that I needed to spend some time in classes. 'Sides, Shan-chan's great-grandma is going to watch over Okonomiyaki U-chan's while I'm in school. Two of her cousins are actually coming in from the Joketsuzoku village to help run the place; they're actually pretty excited to meet the 'Noble Spirits of the Sangoku' and present themselves to Hiromi-chan when they get here and get a chance to tour around." A smirk crossed her face. "They're actually descendants of Hiromi-chan's past-self, if you can believe that!"

Tsueko giggled. "Oh, I'm sure Kōtchi would love to meet more of her 'beloved kinsmen,' just like she did the captain of the Zhèng Hé. Remember that?"

Laughter filled the room. "So what do you think's happening now with Ka-chan and Mii-chan?" Ukyō then asked as their hosts finished up their breakfast.

"Miiko should be facing her own 'reception committee' at Seito sometime today; they're a little more laid back about it than we are…but still, Haneko will insist on it," Mimōko explained. "As for Kanami, well…" She shrugged. "Much that I can understand why she wanted to live with her grandmother in Taitō, I hope she won't get bored." Kanami would attend her first class at Shinobugaoka High School, a public school near Ueno Park, this morning as well. "Surprises me that Tariko and Shinobu went along with it; Shikuko and Miyako were happy to transfer to Tomobiki."

"Obaba's as lonely as Ofukuro was," Ranma stated. "Especially now that Ojiji's gone from Obaba's life. Kanami doesn't mind it." A grin then crossed her face she winked at her lover. "'Sides, she'll be probably racing between Taitō and Tomobiki on the tops of all the trains every time she wants to go on a date with Tariko and Shinobu!"

Hearing that, people gaped at her, and then they laughed…

Close to the front gate of Nan'yō, later…

"Hey, Mō-chan!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Mimōko blinked, and then turned to gaze on a sheepishly-looking man with shaggy hair — which was now a few shades darker than Ranma's hair as a girl — and rugged looks, though he wasn't currently dressed in a proper Nan'yō man's gakuran. Gazing at Wan Yuruji — whom she still thought of pretty much as "Hidari Itsuji" — Mimōko blinked before she took a deep breath, and then she walked over to stand in front of him, fists to hips as she glared at him. Staring at her, Yuruji blinked before he lowered his eyes. "It's so odd to see you without that eye patch anymore, Mimōko," he said with a contrite voice. "You look good."

"Don't try that with me, Shishi!" she said, sneering out his actual battle name as she fought down the urge to unleash Zǐmíng on him, and then she took a deep breath before she relaxed herself. "You, buster, owe me an explanation."

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. Look, Mimōko, I'm really sorry for what I did when it came to making you fight Tsueko, much less goading Shikuko to take down Suguta." A shrug rolled his shoulders. "Then again, think about it, huh? That was me — Ōin Shishi — following the fate I was cursed to acknowledge as my own until Hiromi came along and knocked it all sideways." He then smiled, a little of his old devil-may-care attitude flashing back, which actually made Mimōko grin. "And I'm glad it's over now…though I know — hell, we all know! — that some dork out there won't accept it." He then gave her a stern look. "But I will not apologize for taking up the battle-name 'Saji Genpō,' much less using the real name 'Hidari Itsuji.' I had a reason for doing that, Mō-chan."

She gazed at him for a moment, quickly sensing that he was unapologetic about that, and then she sighed as she nodded. "Hiromi says you had an honourable reason for doing that, Itsu-…" She caught herself, and then breathed out, "Sorry, Yuruji." She then nodded up towards space. "And Michiko-san backs it up. So does Negako-san. Now, please — if our friendship still has meaning to you — tell me everything."

He returned her gaze, then he nodded off to his left, towards Mimōko's right rear. "It's because of her, Mō-chan," he said as she looked over.

Standing by a nearby telephone pole was a very pale, slender girl about the same age as Oka Yuzuko. Dressed now in plain civilian clothes, she had a black cape draped over her body, which matched perfectly her long raven hair, tied now in two high ponytails behind the temples of her head. Her face was pierced with pale green eyes. A guarded — almost frightened — look was now etched on her face. On noting that all the people standing close to Yuruji were looking her way, she winced as she tried to hide herself behind the telephone pole. "Damn! Skittish little thing, ain't she?" Ukyō mused, her heart instantly aching on seeing the terror in the younger girl's heart.

"Who is she?" Ichiyu asked.

Yuruji sighed. "She's Hidari Mijiko," he declared. "The real Saji Genpō."

Silence fell as people took that in, and then Shampoo turned to gaze on the reborn Minister over the Masses during the early reign of the Xiàoxiàn Emperor of Hàn, the man who had conspired to unleash Lǚ Bù against Dǒng Zhuó, using his adopted daughter Diāochán to entice the legendary Flying General to turn against his own adopted father. "Then why is it, Lord Yuruji, that the Lady Mijiko doesn't attend Rakuyō? Or perhaps even here at Nan'yō or over at Kyoshō? Why do you keep her away from school?"

"Because she would be eaten alive, Shānpú," Yuruji explained. "In many ways, she's like Ten'i over at Kyoshō. Atop that, the magical power she inherited from Master Fǎngyuán manifested itself pretty early in this life." A sigh escaped him. "She has telepathic capabilities, almost like Charles Xavier does in the X-Men films. Atop that, she can manipulate a form of genjutsu. Illusion magic. The same type of stuff you read in Naruto, believe it or not!" He shook his head. "She has no control."

The others took that in, and then they exchanged looks. Ranma then sighed as she walked over to place a hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing, man."

Yuruji blinked, and then he smiled, nodding his thanks. Looking at Mijiko, Tsueko was quick to see the younger girl relax, though she was still on guard. "Yeah, Saj-…!" She caught herself, and then giggled. "Ooops! Sorry, Ōin-san! You did the right thing!" The new leader of Nan'yō then hummed. "But if Saji-chan doesn't have control over her powers, why didn't you go talk to Negako about this?"

He jolted, and then laughed as Ranma pulled her hand away. "Hakufu, why would I do that?! Actually go over to ask the Black Death to help Genpō?!"

"You can do it now."

Eyes locked on Ranma as they absorbed her words. The redhead then shrugged. "After all, isn't the 'Black Death's' own sister your reborn emperor?" she then asked.

Yuruji gazed at her, and then he sighed. "Maybe." He then straightened himself before nodding at the transformed martial artist. "Take care of Mimōko, Ranma."

Ranma nodded. "I will."

Smiling at that, he headed off. As people watched him go, Mijiko ran off to follow him, moving to avoid anyone else that came close to her. Included among them were Tano Tsukuhito, Oka Yuzuko and Oroka Shikumi. They paused to watch as their schoolmate headed off with his current companion, and then moved to join the crowd around Ranma and Mimōko. "You were right, Sonsaku," the tallest of Nan'yō's "four divas" then said as he gazed on Tsueko. "Maybe Saji will get the right help she needs from Negako-sama." He then sighed. "I ran into Ōin yesterday. He told me everything."

"And you were right as well, Ranma-kun," Shikumi said as she stared at Mimōko's lover, smiling in approval. "He did do the right thing in the end."

The others nodded. "You think they'll be back?" Ukyō asked.

"I believe so," Tsukuhito said, and then he took a deep breath. "It's time."

With that, everyone turned and walked the last twenty or so metres to arrive at the front gates of the Nan'yō Private Academy. Once there, Tsukuhito then moved in front of the others to face off the large crowd of students awaiting the arrival of their new leader and their new schoolmates, the first non-tōshi to attend Nan'yō for quite some years…and, in Shampoo's case, the first ever member of the Noble Tribe of the Nǚjiézú to ever attend a school filled with students touched by the souls of the Sānguó.

Taking a deep breath, the giant fighter then screamed out, "ATTENTION, ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE TIGERS OF DŌNG WÚ! PRESENTING NOW — WITH THE BLESSINGS OF OUR FORMER LEADER, ENJUTSU KŌRO-SAMA, AND OUR RETURNED EMPEROR, RYŪKŌ KYŌREI-SAMA — THE NEW LEADER OF THE CHILDREN OF THE TIGERS OF DŌNG WÚ AND NAN'YŌ ACADEMY: SONSAKU HAKUFU-SAMA!"

Immediately, all the students there bowed their heads as they saluted Tsueko with right fists pressed hard into their left hands. Seeing that, the new leader of Nan'yō sniffed back tears — even to now, she felt she hadn't really done anything truly leader-like for these people despite many of them having gone with her on the mission to Yaminokuni — and then she made a salute with her own hands as she bowed her head in thanks. After a moment, she took a deep breath as something from many years in the past whispered into her mind, and then she screamed out, "WHAT ARE WE?!"

Everyone jolted on hearing that bellowed question from Tsueko, and then — to the surprise of all the tōshi who had come with Tsueko this morning — a clear-eyed Amai Mushiro smiled before screaming back, "WE'RE HUNGRY TIGERS!"

Tsueko smirked…and then looked annoyed on seeing all the confused looks among the others. "I didn't hear the rest of you lazy idiots!" she snarled out, which made them all jolt in fright as her eyes turned into dragon slits. "WHAT ARE WE?!"

They got it that time. "HUNGRY TIGERS!" all of Nan'yō bellowed out.

Hearing that response, Tsueko nodded as she allowed the beast within her to relax and her eyes went back to normal. "Good!" she snapped as people around her grinned, quickly sensing she was trying to make this specific moment in their lives as light-hearted as possible. "Now that's what I want to hear from you guys no matter what we're going to face in the future!" she declared. "Believe it or not, I never really understood what this whole stupid 'fate' business was about when I first came here!" She pointed to the where the rock that had been destroyed three months earlier by Moroboshi Hiromi had stood; it had yet to be replaced despite people not knowing until quite recently what had happened to it. "I looked at what was written on the rock Kōtchi wrecked when she came to get Jutsu-chan's old body and help Kannei-san here get control of his life back…and I said to myself, 'Hey, this is one cool place I can live with!'" As whoops, cat-calls and cheers echoed from the crowd, she then allowed the smile to slip from her face. "But right now, my tigers, we face something much different than what we faced in our past lives. If this life played out like it did for me before, I'll be soon dead at Tsu-chan's hand and my sister — and yes, she's out there! — would have to come in and take over." A shrug rolled her shoulders. "And if this life played out like our first lives did, Kōtchi and her wives would be dead, Fu-chin would have killed Taku-san, then get killed herself by Sō-chin later! Mō-chan here would have to kill U-chan, then die too! And…" She shook her head. "Well, to hell with that 'fate!' I WANT TO LIVE! WE ALL WANT TO LIVE! AND WE'RE GONNA LIVE! RIGHT?!"

A thunderous roar of approval echoed from the crowd, and then they fell silent as a tear flowed down their new leader's cheek. "You know, for those of you who were there with me down in the Dead Grove or heard what happened down there…" A sigh escaped her. "I meant what I said when I quoted King Henry when he said that speech before he kicked the hell out of the French at Agincourt! You — ALL OF YOU! — are my brothers and sisters!" She allowed another whoop and cheer to echo from the crowd before adding, "And yes, my tigers, I am proud to call Sō-chin my brother! I am proud to call Ryūbi-chan my sister! And I'm sure as hell proud to call Shigi-san my most righteous brother and Tsu-chan my most wonderful sister! And if we all are to survive and live on past our years here just like Setsu-sempai and all the Attendants — and yes, my cousin Sonchū-chan and all the Kōshi Kasshi, too! — to get on with our lives and live to happy old age, we're gonna have to be brothers and sisters!" She took a deep breath. "I'm not the smartest cookie in the jar, guys, but I know enough to borrow another quote from Shakespeare. Right now, we all face an undiscovered country. And I'm right now as scared of that as you all are. And if you aren't scared, then you're stupid!"

Raucous laughter echoed from the crowd as people slapped each others' backs and hugged each other as they cheered their new leader's words. As silence finally fell, Tsueko took a deep breath. "The Great Master said a long time ago that a long journey starts with one step. Let's take that first step now and if something comes along to try to turn us away from the trip we wanna take for the rest of our lives…" She then grinned. "Well, my tigers, we know what to do about that, don't we?!"

"HELL, YES!" someone yelled out.

Another wild scream echoed from the crowd, and then they applauded before a voice barked out, "HOLD!" As people stopped to gaze on Mushiro, the tonfā fighter took a breath before he saluted Tsueko. "Sonsaku-sama, before we head off to classes, we do have business to attend to this morning." He indicated Ranma with his hand.

Tsueko blinked, and then she laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, that's right! Silly me! I forgot!" As people howled with delight at her show of her normal genki self, the new leader of Nan'yō turned to gaze on Ranma. "Ran-chan, you ready?"

The redhead nodded. "Why not? You bringing this, Kannei?"

He nodded. "I am," Mushiro said before he gazed at Ukyō, Shampoo and Kikuko. "And please don't worry, ladies. You also have reception committees ready for you when you wish to face them before we go to first classes. But let me say this first." He then gazed on Ranma. "Hayashi-san, we all here at Nan'yō have heard what you've endured! That any person could live through all of that speaks highly of you! You may not have been reborn from the time of the Three Kingdoms and the fall of Hàn as we — and your sister now going to Seito, whom we all know as Ryūen Kunrō — were, but I will say this and personally beat the shit out of anyone who denies it!" He then saluted the redhead with his hands. "You, my friend, have the heart and soul of a true tōshi. Therefore, may I — no, may we! — have the honour and privilege to spar with you today?"

Ranma blinked, and then nodded, saluting the tonfā fighter back. "Let's do it."

Whoops from the crowd. "All at once or one at a time?" Mimōko asked.

The redhead smirked. "You gotta dive into the deep end sooner or later!"

Hearing that, a roaring cheer of approval came from the crowd as people immediately moved back to give the thirty tōshi who wanted to test their mettle against a student of Musabetsu Kakutō — and one also trained in the Neko-ken! — opportunity to take up positions. The crowd around Ranma also moved back, though Mimōko, Kikuko, Shampoo and Ukyō all gave her kisses for good luck before they got clear. Once Ranma was quick to note whom she was going to face — atop Mushiro, it was quite the crowd, a hell of a lot better than the idiots Akane once had to face at Fūrinkan; Hope the girls at Yoshū are giving her a good challenge, Ranma then mused on thinking of her former fiancée — she nodded as she took up her own stance. "Fu-chan, you wanna call the dance?" she asked.

"Okay!" Tsueko chirped as she moved to place herself between Ranma and Mushiro, the latter drawing out his tonfā and preparing himself. Once they were all ready, the new leader of Nan'yō raised her hand. "Everyone, ASSUME!" On noting that people were now braced and ready to charge, she then smirked as she made a fist and dropped it.

"BEGIN!"

And the fighters all charged…

The End…For Now!

WRITER'S POSTSCRIPT

I will end the story here, but will add short side stories — I won't call them omake as they may not be as light-hearted as omake should be — to explain what happened to some of the many characters brought into this story. I am also planning both sequels and prequels, which will see this universe crossed over with one of my favourite television series, the universe of a very controversial book that came out in Japan in the late 1990s and the universe of a series of alternate history adventure books from the 1980s and 1990s that — in its own way — influenced my early writing, that inspired by a fanfic story I read at this website in the Airwolf listings.

Until then!

WRITER'S NOTES

1) The final Ikkitōsen character notes:

Ōin Shishi (Wan Yuruji) — who was known more commonly as Saji Genpō (Hidari Itsuji) — was one of the initial instigators of the early battles Sonsaku Hakufu (Mago Tsueko) faced in the manga after she transferred to Nan'yō at the start of the series. He first appeared in manga episode #2; he reveals himself as to what he truly is in manga episode #80 and ends his life by throwing himself off a mountain cliff at the end of manga episode #82 after helping Tsueko's dragon awaken. His past-self is Wáng Yún (137-192 C.E.), who was the Minister Over the Masses at the time of the start of the reign of the Xiàoxiàn Emperor of Hàn; this position was one of the so-called Three Ducal Ministers (Sāngōng) who directly served the Dragon Throne and helped administer the government bureaucracy. He was the man who instigated the assassination of Dǒng Zhuó by Lǚ Bù…though the assistance of his adopted daughter Diāochán (first mentioned in Part 50) is fictional as the person used to seduce Lǚ was reported to be a simple servant girl. Wáng wouldn't live far beyond Dǒng's death; he would allow himself to die when people threatened Liú Xié.

The real Saji Genpō (Hidari Mijiko) is a character who was the primary antagonist in Ikkitōsen - Great Guardians; she has never appeared in the manga. A young girl who — just like Ten'i Orai (Sakan Somumi) as hinted above by Yuruji — had suffered profound abuse and hazing in her life, she would soon come to demonstrate considerable psionic and magical power; it was Mijiko who effectively brought back the dead Ryofu Hōsen (Sebone Shikuko) at the request of her "Onii-san" to effectively allow the reborn Flying General to settle all things with people such as Ryomō Shimei (Sebone Mimōko) before ascending to the next life. Mijiko's past-self is Zuǒ Cí (unknown dates of birth and death). Historically seen as a native of Lójiāng, he was believed to be a Taoist sage and mystic who had lived all the way to his three hundredth birthday. Zuǒ was pretty much a background character in China during this time, though he supposedly earned the interest of both Sūn Cè and Cáo Cāo before he finally retired and returned to his beloved mountains to continue perfecting his art. In this life, due to her total lack of control over her powers, Mijiko allowed Yuruji to assume her battle name when he wanted to mask who he really was from other tōshi.

2) The "Hungry Tigers" nickname for the Children of Dōng Wú is taken straight from Dynasty Warriors 6 (known in Japanese as Shin Sangoku Musō 5). In the first cut scene concentrating on Sūn Jiān, the Tiger of Jīangdōng demands to know what his warriors actually are spiritually.