Epilogue

The Tower of Tokyo shone brightly in all its glory, welcoming locals and tourists alike. Akane Tendo was one of those locals, sitting at a table for two inside its newly renovated restaurant, which stood in the very best location to admire the view from the top. She rested her head on her upturned left hand as she peeked at her watch and realized her date was late, perhaps, too late.

The ice cubes in her drink were beginning to melt and blend with the liquid. Not wanting to catch the waiter's attention, who would in turn ask how much longer until her other party arrived, she touched the outside of the glass with the index finger of her right hand. In the blink of an eye, she transferred enough ice to cover the majority of the glass, lowering the temperature of the liquid inside. Satisfied with her work, she admired her hands and the power that lay within her.

Four months after her recent near death experience at the hospital, her body had completely recovered from the shock. Her last experience had shown her a new light of her life, and she had made adjustments to make sure her future was as bright as she wanted it to be. In a couple of weeks, she would be moving into her new dorm at Tokyo University. Three days after moving in, she would finally begin her undergraduate studies. After all the hard work and sacrifices, she was finally going to be able to enjoy her life. Soun and Genma had agreed to take turns to watch over the Dojo, and now that it was certified, Ranma and she could appoint an interim master and trainer to watch over while they were gone without breaking any of the NRD's rules.

Akane's thoughts were interrupted by a man standing next to her, catching her attention with his question.

"Have you been waiting long for me?"

Akane looked up and stared at the brown-haired boy, and then followed him with her eyes as he took the seat in front of her at her table. Akane tilted her head at the newcomer before she answered his question. "Not really."

Satoshi did not let her indifference affect him at all. "Hey, listen. I'm sorry about what happened. I shoulda stayed out of it. But, hey! We have college to look forward to now! We'll see each other all the time!"

Akane nodded and took a sip of her drink.

When she did not attempt to make conversation, he continued talking. "Have you been feeling better since, well, the tournament?"

Akane nodded again. "Much better, in fact. It's as if nothing ever happened to me."

Satoshi stared at her for a moment longer as she played with her straw. His staring was interrupted when someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned around to face a stomach in front of him. He then looked up and saw Ranma, his smile faded almost immediately.

"Hi, Satoshi. You're in my seat."

Akane smiled at Satoshi's reaction, but looked outside the window to avoid being caught relishing in his misery. Satoshi scrambled to get up from the seat and mumbled some apologies as he left the table.

Ranma, satisfied that he had scared the arrogant suitor away from them, sat in the chair and grabbed the menu.

"Sorry I'm late, Akane. I had to run a quick errand your sister was supposed to run."

Akane, who was now chewing on her straw, turned around to face him. He looked as if he had just run a marathon, but was slowly recovering his air.

"What errand?"

"Just, an errand. Hey, have you ordered yet?"

Akane shook her head. "I was waiting for you."

Ranma shrugged apologetically before calling the waiter and ordering for the both of them. After the waiter left, Ranma's legs began fidgeting as he patted the pocket of his pants, making sure the ring that was burning a hole in his pocket was still there.

"Are you OK?" Akane finally asked when she saw him pulling on his collar.

"Yeah, just coming down from the running."

"Running?"

"I was running here 'cuz I knew I was late."

"Very late."

"Yes, very late. I'm really sorry."

The waiter came back with two slices of chocolate pie and two cups of coffee. He distributed to the two guests before bowing to them and taking his leave.

Without further ado, the couple began eating their slice of pie. Ranma was not even hungry, due to his nervousness, but he still pretended to eat. Akane, unaware of his lack of hunger, continued to take small pieces of pie to her mouth as her eyes scanned the area around them.

"They really spruced up the place," she stated as she saw the delicate furniture and chandeliers and wooden floors.

Ranma nodded, unable to say any other words than the ones he had been rehearsing on his way here. He finally decided that if he waited any longer he would implode, so he made it a point to loudly dropping his fork on the small dish that held his pie before starting back at her.

Akane watched him as both his hands reached out and grabbed one of hers. "Akane, there's something I have to tell you. Something that cannot wait until we start college next month."

Akane nodded. "Me too. You first."

Ranma noticed that Akane had stopped eating her pie and stared at him, providing him her undivided attention. He took this as his cue. Akane had not remembered that he had declared his feelings to her when he brought her back from dead, so he had made it his goal to tell her again, now.

"Akane, I've been trying to tell you this since you came back from China, but something always gets in the way. So, I'm just gonna go out and say it before Satoshi decides to come back."

Akane knew where this was going, and it was exactly what she was waiting to hear from him. He lifted his eyes from their intertwined hands, and stared at her brown eyes.

"Akane, I love you. I am truly, madly, and deeply in love with you. And…and I want you to be my wife."

As he said so, one of his hands reached for his pocket, and he took out the ring, extending his arm so that the ring stood a few inches away from Akane's face. "Will you marry me?"

Akane smiled and took the ring from him, admiring how beautiful it was. Ranma's heart was about to leap out of his chest, waiting for her response. After staring at the ring for a few more moments, she grabbed his hand and deposited the ring back inside it, closing his fist to keep it safe.

Ranma, who had been watching the action of her hands, looked up at her with a confused face before she spoke again.

"No."

Ranma felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water hit him. "No?"

"The answer is no."

Ranma stared at her, looking for any sign that showed she was bluffing but he found none. His mind hit him with reasons why she would say no, and when he found a good one, his hope returned.

"I don't mean tomorrow, Akane. We can finish college first if you'd like. I just wanted to make it official."

Akane shook her head. "I know what you meant, Ranma. But the answer is still no."

Ranma's heart broke in a million pieces. He felt a knot form in his throat and his hands drip in sweat. "Why?"

Akane pulled herself away from him, readjusting the linen on her lap. She exhaled deeply and then looked up at him.

"I wish you'd given me a clue about this. I would have saved you the trouble."

"Akane, you're not making any sense."

"Ranma, I don't love you, anymore."

Ranma shook his head, making sure his brain was wide-awake and that his ears had not heard wrong.

"You love me?"

"I did, but not anymore. I don't want to marry you or even date you. It's over."

Ranma, whose eyes had begun to glisten, hit the table with his fist. His breathing became labored, trying his best to keep himself from blowing up the tower with them inside it.

"Akane! It doesn't make any sense! How could you just stop? After everything? No, I refuse to believe it."

Akane looked around, making sure the crowd was not listening in as Ranma's voice rose in volume. The last she wanted was to cause a scene.

"I just realized that being with you was not what I wanted in my life. You've been good to me, but the engagement is now over. We can split ownership of the dojo, and…"

"I don't care about the fucking dojo! Akane, do you have any idea, any idea at all of who you are to me? Akane, you're my life!"

"I know. But you are not mine."

Ranma stood up, placing the ring back in his pocket. He stared at her one last time, burning her face in his mind. "If you change your mind; I'll be waiting. Will you be OK?"

Akane did not respond. He decided to walk away from her without saying good-bye. Akane followed him with her eyes as he mingled with the crowd until he disappeared behind the double doors of the restaurant. Once he was out of sight, she returned to her pie and continued eating, as if she had not just ended the only serious relationship she ever had. She took a sip of her coffee to wash down the pie before a smirk reached her face. She looked to her right and stared at her reflection in the window as her mouth open one more time.

Only one pair of lips moved, but two voices simultaneously spoke.

"We are OK now. Everything will be OK now," she said, with a tint of gold in her eyes.

A/N: I was going to say: don't kill me! But there is no way I can get away with that. To anyone who is plotting to send me to hell and back, please remember that the last installment is yet to come. I love Ranma and Akane, but I also realize that you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. I won't be posting the story until I finish typing it up, so it might be one or two months before you see it here. I hope I haven't pushed you away with this, and I know I'm risking your loyalty, but I will give you the best read you've ever had in a while. Thank you all, very much, for your continued support, and I hope to see it when "Fix You," is posted to close the trilogy. Yup, I would listen to the lyrics from Coldplay, if I were you ;)