Realm Sagas: Story 30: At the End of the Journey By: Chandra Rooney --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Legal stuff:~ Once last time *sigh* ~Corporation/Companies~ Sonic & Knuckles, and all related characters/likenesses/concepts © of Sega and Archie comics. Sephiroth and any other FFVII character/likeness/concept © of Squaresoft. Any reference to FFVII or Sonic/Knuckles has been made with the knowledge that these characters are used without permission. ~Guest Characters~ K.T.E/Jack Mamoru is © K.T.E. Vampire Sephiroth is © Vampire Sephiroth. The Green Gibbon!/Midori Saru © GG!. All three are used with the knowledge and permission of their creators/players. ~My Characters~ Moon Guardian, Ashrire Guardian, Lirsage Sephiroth, and all other original Realm Sagas characters including Goddesses Eien and Akugou and the God Midoriiro Ryujiin are © me, Chandra Rooney. Any concept or plot-line is also © myself. So, naturally, all the characters/ideas presented are my own unless otherwise noted. No Realm Sagas character/likeness/concept/event can be used or made reference to without my expressed permission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Far away, I'm going where I want to Don't want this journey to end Even the worst of days I end with a smile Far away, embracing all the magic I wanna go beyond this day With my eyes on my dreams I keep walking on As far as I can Get along, try again" -- "Get Along", The Slayers Opening Theme "The darkness....the rain....now, tell me The moon....the wind....now, answer me The birds....the clouds....now, tell me The waves....the shadows....now, answer me Far....far....in the distance far away At the end of the journey, what will there be?" -- "Midnight Blue", The Slayers: TMP Ending theme ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter One: Local: The House, A city, The Sephiroth Family Home Realm There comes a time in every life where you get the chance to look Destiny right in the eyes and know what the universe has in store for you. Now, depending on what kind of person you are, your reaction can vary. Some meet those eyes dead on and fight the good fight. Some say a pray and hope for the best. And some turn tail and run. It's that whole "flight or fight" thing that's part of our nature. The truth is no one can tell when one of those life-altering moments is going to fall from the sky, land right between your eyes and effectively knock you on your ass. Maybe those forces of creation think it wouldn't be any fun if you did know. Or maybe we used to be able to tell, but somewhere along the way we forget how. The point is it happens, and usually when you're not ready for it. So hypothetical situation: you're standing among four people that you've come to trust with your life staring Destiny, in the face. And she's not that bad looking. But she does want to kick your ass, and you can bet that she's gonna. In this case, however, Destiny happens to be a slightly off-balance, all powerful goddess of Chaos named Akugou. In most situations your chances of coming out of this little life-altering moment *alive* aren't very good. Most people don't have what it takes to face off against a power-hungry immortal. So what do you do? Fold your cards and leave the table? Or screw up your courage, grab a big ol' sword and prepare to most likely throw your life away and not really accomplish anything? Shakespeare once wrote "what man can escape his fate?". An interesting question. Perhaps no man can. So it's a damn good thing if you're a woman. Moon sucked in a deep breath, and prepared for the worst. Darkness and shadows had infested the room. She couldn't see the alter anymore...maybe it had crumbled to dust centuries ago. Akugou controlled their fates now and time was meaningless. Stories and myths, legends and folklore could only give you an interpretation of Chaos. They called it Unbalance, Destruction, Evil. Then to help you feel safe, to give order to something that couldn't be controlled they gave it a form. They gave a name, a persona. That was the power, you see. When you give something a name and a face it loses the power of those unidentifiable fears. It becomes cataloguable, filible, and basically you can place it in some order. And let me tell you Chaos does not like to be ordered around. "At long last, after a thousand years of waiting, I am free." Akugou smiled. "Free at last to extract my revenge on those foolish enough to think they can imprison the force of Chaos!" See, like I said. Chaos does not like to be ordered around, or imprisoned, or catalogued, or filed. Mind you Chaos doesn't have an ugly persona. Quite the opposite actually. She' a tall woman with large golden eyes and long golden hair. Dressed in a long black gown, and radiating power. Why a woman? Oh who knows. Maybe it's because "hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned". And believe Akugou was feeling pretty scorned and ready to do some serious furying. "This is definitely a bad thing." Ash concluded. "Draw your weapons." "Don't be an idiot," Gibbon told him. "This is *Akugou*! You don't stand a chance fighting her on a physical level. She's a goddess!" "And I'm part god right?" Ash asked. "So are you and so is Moon. Together we're one- and-a-half gods. So let's kick her ass." "You amaze me, Ashrire. Yet again you managed to say something even more stupid that you ever have before!" "The Gibbon has a point," Lirsage spoke up, smiling. "None of you are at a compatible enough power level to attack her. Anything you throw she can easily deflect." "What about you?" Jack asked. "If you know all the Lores then you must have some sort of spell that can do something." "The most powerful attack magic I know is Shadow Lore. And using a Shadow spell is like asking Akugou to destroy herself for us." He laughed a little. "I don't think she's going to do that, do you?" "The only thing that can fight Chaos is Order," Moon said softly. "So someone cast an 'order' spell," Jack suggested. "There's no such thing as an 'order' spell," Gibbon replied in a huff. "There's time spells, healing spells, spirit spells, transformation spells, illusion spells, elemental spells, summon spells, manipulation spells, but there's no such thing as an 'order' spell!" "Oh. Well...crud." "We can't fight her on a physical hand-to-hand level..." Moon was saying. "But what about on a spiritual level?" Gibbon stared at her. "An astral level?! You'd be swallowed up by her!" "Of course! It's a ridiculous idea! Wonderful call, Midoriiro!" Lir smacked him on the back. "Okay so none of your magic works," Ash interrupted. Ash had too been too busy in deep thought to realize the conversation had now progressed beyond that concept. "So let me have a shot at her." Gibbon started to yell, but Lir calmly cut him off. "Why you can try young Prince, but it's a waste of your strength! Chaos and Chaos would just cancel each other out! Oh dear, eh?" "I think our only chance is an astral attack," Moon said softly. "You'd be swallow-" Gibbon began. "If it's our only chance then we have no choice." "But-" "If you have a better suggestion spit it out." "We can't all attack her," Gibbon looked at them. "If we do, there'll be no one to act as second-string in case we fail. We'll go two at a time." "I've got a better idea," Ash spoke up. "Jack and I aren't strong magic-wise. Why don't we attack her on the physical level after you've gotten her distracted at the astral level?" "That's the stupidest -- No wait, that's actually a pretty good idea." "I'll go with you and Moon, Gibbon," Lir said smiling. "I think Ash just insinuated that you were," Gibbon replied. "And what's with that damn smile? We're about to face off against the goddess of Chaos!! Can't you see this is serious?" "Just because we're about to fight for our very existence and throw ourselves into a sea of chaos for the sake of the realms doesn't mean that we have to be all gloomy about it! It's our last moments of life! Let's enjoy them!" "What the hell are you on, boy?" "Hey," Jack broke in. "You guys ever notice the bad guys just sit around and wait for us to finish talking before they attack?" "No one said 'bad guys' had to be impolite," Lir told him. "In fact most of modern time's evil people are quite well-mannered. The truth is they just want your full attention when they threaten your life." "Could you please just shut up before I kill you?" Gibbon snapped. "Aw, what's the matter?" Lir asked still smiling. "Aren't you having any fun, Midoriiro?" Gibbon slugged him. A good, clean upper-cut to the jaw. Lir staggered backward, caught completely off-guard by the attack. "Gibbon!" Moon gasped. "What is wrong with you?!" "I'm sick of this jerk being in my face!" Akugou's laughter echoed through the room. "You shall be the first to serve me in my new kingdom." "Hey, we're talking here, lady. Hold on a minute, would you?" Ash yelled. Jack pulled out his sword. "She must be one of those few impolite bad guys that are still kickin around." Akugou walked forward. "You think you can attack me? A ha ha ha! I admire your spirits! So bold and passionate! You'll make excellent demons." "What if we don't want to be demons?" Ash yelled. Akugou laughed and flicked her wrist. The two of them vanished. Moon screamed. "Ashrire!! K.T.E!!! Noooooo!!" Lir pouted. "Now, that certainly wasn't very considerate. I was hoping I'd be allowed to kill Ashrire myself." "They're not dead," Gibbon told Moon quickly. "She's just removed them from this plane. They're still alive...somewhere." "Well...if at first you don't succeed-" Lir began. "Shut the hell up!" Gibbon slapped him with the Ring of Change. "You stupid demon! This isn't a Game anymore! We're going to die!" Lir rubbed his cheek, then grinned. "We all die sometime, Midoriiro. But if we chose to serve Akugou we can have long, happy lives before we do!" Akugou laughed. "My darling, you have done well." She came forward and kissed Lir's cheek. "You've outdone even your father. And they didn't suspect a thing." Moon blinked. "Lirsage...what is she saying?" "Oh don't be silly Moon!" Lir hopped up. "You've come so far! Can't you solve this one last puzzle?" "She's controlling him again," Gibbon told her quietly. "Probably happened when he cast that last spell." "He invoked her power to do it," Moon realized. "And she took control. What do we do, GG!?" "We kick his ass and hope after we finish off Ms. Chaos over there that he comes back to his senses. And if he doesn't, well it's no big loss, right?" "No, not right!" She snapped. "I'm tired of this! I want my life back!" She turned to Akugou. "It ends here." Akugou smiled. "Yes, it does." Then it all went black. Chapter Two: There are many theories about alternate worlds, and just as many about the spiritual plane. It's all part of that problem with people. It seems they can just never agree on one explanation for how something works. So let me give it to you straight up. People don't really know anything at all. That whole mumbo jumbo about Heaven and Hell...that's crap. Honestly that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It is clearly one of those concepts devised by some self-righteous so-and-so that can only see the world in terms of Black and White. Another problem with people is that they just can't seem to realize that there is no Black and White. It's like these mundane terms of Good and Evil. All crap. Listen carefully, kids, there is no strictly Good or Evil person. Everything is a Balance. That beautiful shade of silvery-gray that falls between White and Black, Good and Evil, Order and Chaos. And y'know the Forces of Creation really aren't so spiteful that they'd damn someone to eternal pain and suffering in some pool of lava just because he made a few mistakes. Now I know what you're screaming; what about one of those real mean suckers that really oughta get knocked around? Then they can bet they're gonna spend a long time drifting around before they get to go back. Kinda like being sent to your room to think about what you've done, only different. You see in the spirit plane there isn't anything to do but think. So you can bet souls are pretty happy to get back to the physical plane. And y'know, Fate'll kick your sorry self around in the next life to help make up for any real nasty business you were responsible for. It's called karma, and it can be a real pain in the ass at times. So there is really only one place after death. Not Heaven, not Hell. Just someplace to cool your heels and decide what you're going to do next. And this happy home to the dearly departed is where our friends had hoped to try to attack Akugou from. But they didn't exactly make it there. They ended up scattered throughout the Nether Realm that Akugou had been imprisoned in. Kinda funny, don't you think? Ahem, uh...nevermind. Each of them is going to have to face Akugou. If they can survive and win then they might just stand a chance of making it back to the physical plane. If the can't defeat her they'll become corrupted, unbalanced, and probably end up as low-class demons. You know, the bad kind that lacks any real free will. The mindless minions of Chaos that exist only to pillage, slaughter, destroy and all that fun stuff in the name of the Dark Mother. Somehow I doubt it would appeal to them. Ashrire was alone. He was cold, worried about the others, and just generally not very happy. I never even got a chance, he thought. I wonder if I'm dead. This isn't what I thought it would be like. <> Huh? He looked around. He was still alone. The voice seemed to echo in his mind and his ears. What lies? <> Who are you? <> But I'm Ashrire... <> I don't understand. <> And how do I do that? <> Memories stirred in his mind. Faint memories from a long time ago. <> Yes. He did. He remembered when he was 12 or so. His father had taught him how to speak to it, and it had told him about his past. <> Yes. I was devastated. I couldn't accept it so I convinced myself it hadn't happened. <> Yeah. I guess I didn't realize that he had no way of knowing what the Phoenix had told me. I guess he didn't tell me because he didn't think I was ready to know. He was trying to protect me, wasn't he? <> I was really self-destructive. I was scared of myself, and I stopped caring about what happened to me. <> He nodded. And I made up the whole story about being captured by Robotnik and having the emerald explode. It was the only way I could explain my powers. <> No, I was still too scared of what the truth meant. <> Yes. It wasn't real feelings for me...she knew that in the end. <> It felt right. And that scared me too. <> No. It just feels right. "That's because it's who you are." It was a real voice. One identical to his own. Ashrire turned and saw the other boy. He was smiling slightly. "Is this some kind of trick?" Ash demanded. "Who are you?" "I'm who you have to become before you can defeat Akugou." The other walked forward. "I'm you. Or rather who you could be. Self-deception is what Akugou feeds off of. You wonder why she chose you for her Game? It's more than just because you're the son of Eien and Dimitrius. It's because you're perfect for her to control. You can't admit the truth to yourself, so you'll fall for any illusion she creates." "I understand..." Ash nodded. "But how can I-" "You have to walk through the fire." A wall of flame appeared between them. "You have to let the lies be burned away." "But what if I don't have the strength?" "You won't know unless you try." Ashrire looked at the fire. It was hot. But he understood it could only hurt him if he was afraid. He closed his eyes and stepped into the flames. They burned. But he didn't. Chapter Three: Jack walked around aimlessly. He wondered where the others were. "Hee hee!" He blinked. "Is someone there?" "Let's play!" a little voice called. "Gomen, but I don't have time to play. I have to find my friends. Do you know where they are?" "It's hide an seek! You find me!" Jack sighed. "Listen kid I don't have time-" A bush beside him rustled. "Hey, c'mon kid. If you know where they are just tell me!" "You have to find meeee!" came the muffled reply. He sighed, looked behind the bush. A small red echidna with a brown hat smiled back up at him. "Heh? What the-" "I'm k.t.e!" "Uh...aki." He blinked. "I'm gonna help you," the little echidna sat on the ground. "Uh...aki," Jack sat too. "How are you gonna help me?" "Don't you worry about nuthin!" k.t.e nodded. "Everythin gonna be oh-tay. You worried?" "Of course I'm worried. I'm an adult. There are all kinds of things to worry about." "You're not!" k.t.e hopped up. "You gotta stop worrying and have fun! You want to grow up way to quiwckly. That's yucky! You stop feelin bad about havin fun! Grown up things can wait till you're grown up, right?" "Hai." Jack nodded. "I think I see what's going on. You think Akugou can use this against me, right?" "Yeps!" "So you're warning me. Well...who sent you?" "You did!" k.t.e smiled. "Now I'm confused." Jack scratched his head. "S'oh-tay! You're not supposed to know everythin. You wanna hide now?" He chewed on his lip. "Gomen, but 'Hide and Seek' was never really my thing. Maybe some other time." The scene vanished. Jack moaned and opened his eyes. He was kissing floor, and every part of his body hurt. He managed to sit up and look around. "Hey, you pulled through at last," Ash knelt beside him. "I knew you would." "What happened?" "I'm not sure. It seems like we just faced some sort of test. I'd say we passed." Jack looked around. "Ash, where's the others?" "They're still in there. That...whatever place that we were in." Ash looked. "And Akugou's been sitting all glassy-eyed since I came out of it. I think she's busy with them." Jack stood with some effort. "So now's our chance." "No." Ash shook his head. "We can't destroy her, Jack. If have to find some way to imprison her again. It's the only way to restore Balance." "How do we do that?" "I...don't know." "Well...crud." Ash looked at the boy standing obediently by Akugou. "But I think I know of someone who just might..." Chapter Four: It's funny how things never go the way you want them to. It's also funny how things have a way of working out. But I'm not going to ramble anymore. It's getting late and you just want to know what happened, eh? Gibbon looked at Moon. "You okay?" "I think so," she looked around. "Where are we, GG!?" "I guess we're...uh...well...I really don't know. I guess we're here to fight Akugou." "What's the plan, Gibbon?" "I...uh, kinda hoped you would know what to do," he replied. "I've gotten as far as we have to get her back in the Black Materia." "Balance has to be restored," Moon nodded. "If we destroy her then Balance can never be returned." Gibbon smiled. "I see you've given some thought to this." Moon swallowed. "Can we beat her?" "Yes. But you have to understand how she fights. She won't face us herself. She'll try to break us by turning our doubts and deepest fears against us." "I'm afraid of spiders," she admitted. "No, not those kinds of fears," he looked at her, serious. "Deep down in your heart what are you afraid of? What have you always been afraid of? Those fears are what she's going to know about." "What do you mean?" "Well..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm afraid that I've lost my purpose." "What?!" "I know I know...it sounds stupid...but you don't understand. It's hard for me, Moon. I'm...old. Older than Sephiroth, but I won't ever look it. I've been around since before the realms were travelible. I...was born during the Dragon Age. I've lived so long that I just feel like I've forgotten what it is I'm living for. I mean, look around us. Hardly anyone worships the Old Gods anymore. Elemental magic is becoming unpracticed. People are turning away from the old ways. They're turning to science...I'm worried that there isn't a place for me in this new age. I mean, I don't even tell anyone who I am anymore. And if I did...you think anybody remembers what a Ryujiin is? I...we...need it. We can't live without people knowing about us, Moon. What if there isn't any use for magic?" "You're...afraid of becoming useless?" Moon asked. He nodded. "Gibbon! You're not useless! What about us?" "Us? Nani?" "We couldn't have gotten here without you!" She smacked him. "I mean, sure, sometimes you act like you have cotton for brains, but you're far from useless! Who cares if the world forgets what a Ryujiin is for so long as *you* remember?" "I...never thought about it that way." He scratched his chin. "You know...you're right. I did help you guys a lot, didn't I? Sugoi...we haven't even faced off against Akugou yet and I already feel like I've won!" Moon noticed he was starting to fade away. "Hey, wait! You can't just leave me, GG! I can't beat her, glup, alone!" "It's okay," he faded in and out. "You just have to have a little faith! We'll be with you..." Gibbon sat up. He had a splitting headache. "Gibbon!!!" Jack yelled. "Where's Moon?!!" "Oiiiiiii," he glared. "Don't yell..." "She...didn't make it?" Ash asked, his mouth twitched. "Why..are we all here but she isn't?" "It's her turn." Gibbon muttered standing. "So you two schnooks passed the test. Congratulations." "What test?" He sighed. "Am I the only one who understands what's going on?" Jack and Ash nodded. "All right. Listen carefully. Before we can return Balance to the worlds, we have to find it within ourselves. Akugou doesn't fight us. She just sets up situations for to face ourselves. Our greatest doubts and fears. She tries to trap us with our own faults. The more Balanced someone is the easier it is for them to defeat her." "So...how do we stop her?" "We've done all we can. We have to hope that Moon can pass the test. If she can, then Akugou will be resealed inside the Materia. It was the spell that my father placed on her. He was a great believer in the power of the spirit." "What...about Lir?" Jack asked. Gibbon snorted. "I think he already lost the fight. But it's okay. So long as four of the five of us can beat her it'll be enough." "So, we wait." "Hai. We wait." I'm alone, Moon thought. Oh, Goddess I'm all alone here. I'm alone and no one can help me if I can't do this. What is she going to do to me? What will she make me face? Think, think. What are you afraid of most? "Being alone," she said softly. "I'm afraid of being alone." "You know what I'm afraid of?" a voice asked. She turned. "Lir! I'm not alone!" "I'm afraid of ending up just like him. And I failed, didn't I? In the end I'm no different from my father." "You only failed if you gave in to Akugou," she told him. "Come on, Lir. Together we can fight-" He laughed bitterly. "Why bother? Chaos is part of me. Akugou explained it to me. Shadows is what I am. He was right. I can't deny my nature. I should embrace it." "You're right. Chaos is part of you. It's part of me. It's part of everything. We have to accept that. But nothing could have a shadow in the dark. You need to have light to create them." She closed her eyes. "Can you feel the light? It's warm and peaceful. I can feel it even in this Abyss. I told Gibbon I was afraid of being alone. But that's stupid. If this light can reach into even this Abyss how can I ever be alone? How can anyone?" "Light...?" "Light." She nodded, putting her hands over her heart. "In it I can feel everyone I know. They're all here with me. Jack, Ash, Gibbon, even Tonia and Leslie. They're with me wherever I am, and they'll always be. They're waiting outside for me. Gibbon said he would, and I know he is. He, and Jack and Ash are depending on me. I won't let them down. Their light gives me all the strength I need, and no Darkness, no Chaos could ever destroy it. You know why? Because it's the light of Hope and Balance that shines in every soul. It took me till now to realize that. It makes me sad that you can't feel this light, too." "Why would you be sad for me?! I'm not the one who's going die!" "You're afraid. You think you don't deserve to feel it," she opened her eyes and smiled. "But it doesn't matter. Everyone deserves the light." "I...fear nothing! You're trying to trick me! You're playing games with my mind! Why don't you fear me?! You're all alone! No one can save you!" "You don't make a very convincing Lirsage, Akugou." Moon held out the Eternity rod. "So..." Lir's form melted away to reveal Akugou. "You know. But it does not matter. What do you plan to do with that toy stick?" Moon brought the rod before her. "Soul..." She lifted it high in the air, twirled it around her head, and leveled the top horizontally with Akugou. "...Illumination!" A brilliant light began to gather in the tip of the wand. "What are you doing?! I am Chaos! You cannot destroy me!" Akugou laughed. "I'm not going to destroy you..." Moon told her. "Just reseal you. Balance Restore!!" The light grew and grew. The rod began to shake in her hands, could she hold all that power in check long enough? The Light of Balance was not meant to be focused and commanded. It was meant to exist freely in every living soul. Was this going to work? She never got a chance to see. The Eternity Rod snapped in her hands, and the light blinded her. Ash felt it before he even saw it happened. "Gibbon, Jack! What the hell's going on?" The other two looked up to see Akugou's form twisting and melting in a brilliant silver light. She grew smaller, smaller, until nothing but a black orb remained in the air. "The Black Materia...it's been restored!" Jack gasped. "What does this mean?" Ash asked Gibbon. "It means-" he began but was cut off as a final explosion of light swallowed the Materia and it vanished. "Is it destroyed?" Jack asked, as spots danced across his vision. "No," Gibbon rubbed his own eyes. "It's just...displaced." "Lir.." Ash pointed to the figure getting up off the floor. "Think he's...back to abnormal?" "I dunno..." Jack stepped forward as Lir walked past them. He didn't really seem to see them. He still looked a little dazed. "Lir..?" he caught his arm. Lir looked down at the hand, and then pushed it off. "Who are you?" "Lir, It's me...It's Jack, your brother?" Jack swallowed. "Look, we're all here. Ash, and Gibbon, we won Lir, and...are you all right?" "We didn't win. You won. Now let me go." Lir shoved him off. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Ash demanded. "I need to go do what I need to go do," Lir replied. "I won't go any further with you. I can't. Not until I find my Balance. I'm too much of a danger to you all." "Why you son of a-" Gibbon growled. "Don't you walk away from us!" Jack held him back. "Gibbon don't!" "Let him go!" Ash hissed. "It's his choice." "The smug bas-" "Why don't you go check on Moon?" Gibbon sombered up. "Hai...I'll do that..." He walked away. Jack looked at Ash. "Lir's..." "Let him go, Jack. If he comes back, then he comes back. If he doesn't...then we give him the time he needs." He gave him a odd look. "When'd you grow-up?" "Hmm? Oh I've been like this for about...20 minutes now. Where have you been?" Chapter Five: Moon woke up on the floor of the house. She sat up, and noticed someone had been nice enough to put a blanket around her. "Hey, kid, you made it!" Gibbon dropped down beside her, grinning. "How do you feel?" "What happened?" "You mean you don't remember? You resealed Akugou back inside the Black Materia! We won!" "Did we." "Hai. The Black Materia has vanished. It's going to take a very long time and a very ambitious person to find it." She swallowed. "You're all okay?" "Hai. Moon, I felt some sort of extremely powerful magic. I think...I think it was the Light of Balance. Did you cast a spell on Akugou?" "I...broke the Eternity rod." She paused, then continued quietly. "When she first came, she looked like Lirsage. I guess she thought I wouldn't attack him." "But you saw through her disguise." "I almost didn't. Did...Can I ask a strange question?" He nodded. "Hai. Shoot." "We're...did you guys..." "I knew you'd feel it." He turned serious. "I guess you want to know what happened to the real Lir." "Did you kill him, Gibbon?" "Nai...Ash wouldn't let me. He's a sissy. Lir left. He said he wouldn't go any further with us. He couldn't, not until he found his Balance. He was too much of a danger to us. What a schmuck." "Where'd he go?" "He...uh, didn't say. He just said he needed to go do what he needed to do." "So it's not a perfect ending." "It's pretty damn close if you ask me." She didn't answer. "Ahem. Well, I'll be heading back to the Green Hill Zone. I've got to make sure Spam hasn't destroyed it." "They'll be worried about what happened to you." "Hah! They probably still don't know I'm gone." He stood. "You'll come visit?" "Yes," she replied, accepting the hand up. "Gibbon?" "Hai?" He asked. "Thanks for being there." "Heh? Oh, no problem." "Well, we should probably stop holding-" "Hai...probably..." he let her hand go. "Moon, I-" "Yes?" "Uh...you can call me Midori. Gibbon is a little impersonal." He cleared his throat. "Considering all we've gone through, and..." "I'll visit." "I know." "Uh, sayonara, Moon." She gave him a quick kiss. "Take care, Midori." He stared at her for a minute, then nodded and walked away. And she stood there and wondered why she let him. Epilogue: That was three months ago. Moon and Ash returned home. She never told her brother or Jack about the kiss. Ash made amends with his father, and the two of them became just as close as they'd ever been. Moon went to visit GG! a few times, but it was awkward for both of them. Having Ash tag along with her didn't help matters. But the oddest thing was, Ash and Gibbon stopped fighting. K.T.E returned to his own realm to complete his training. He's doing very well, and his father is very proud. Tonia and Leslie, by some small miracle, returned unharmed in their own realms. Of course they have no memory of any adventures they had with the Realm Protectors. I think Eien had something to do with it. So the chapter ends; the saga draws to a close. It's a damn good thing too, the sun's starting to come up and Lirsage has school. It's awful that I had to use his hand to write this, but ghosts can't hold pens and someone had to mark this all down in the Book of Shadows. Since I'm the only one that knows the whole story there wasn't much choice to the matter. Not that you'll probably ever believe it was me who recorded this. It *is* in Lirsage's handwriting after all. But, as I mentioned before, it couldn't be helped. Oh, well. I guess the time has finally come for me to sign off. Good luck Protectors. You'll need it. ~ Gabriel Sephiroth THE END First Draft completed 12:20 am, Dec 7th, 1998 Second Draft completed 10:42 pm, Dec 7th, 1998 Final Draft completed 9:51 pm Dec 8th, 1998 ~Moon~