Beyond Journey's End

Himeji Kotori

- After her company, the Shadow Brokers, were dissolved due to the scandals that plagued it, chiefest of which is the "Han-Sui Bay prison camp" where they kept illegal prisoners and performed inhumane torture on them, Lady Himeji Kotori would completely disappear from all public records, only being mentioned from delivery courier receipts whenever she sends Christmas presents to the Iwasawa family's children. However, this is not a concrete proof of her continued existence, especially when you consider that if she is truly the one who sent a pair of Katanas to Iwasawa Kotaro, the great-grandchild of Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi, on his 12th birthday, she would already be 110 years old and it would be impossible for her to be alive alone.

- Rumors abounded that after the burial of Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi, where she was last seen in flesh, she requested for her soul to be sent to the next life and world where Lord Iwasawa would be reincarnated. This would be supported by the fact that she visited Shrine Priestesses Akizuki Hisako and Azusagawa Maaya who were the last two people (or at least the two that she can approach for it) who has knowledge about summoning Otherworlders. However the two would decline her request, stating that such powers and knowledge is outside of their reach. It was only after this that she approached some other beings of supernatural powers, requesting to be "transfigured" into the form of a local deity or a vengeful spirit for the sake of "protecting the land that her master and his kin ruled. However, all of these are speculations and even 500 years after she supposedly passed, neither her tomb nor remains has ever been found.

Princess/Shrine Priestess Akizuki Hisako

- To this day, the mechanics of the blessing that she and Shrine Priestess Azusagawa Maya received for their long services to their respective shrines are unknown. It has been noted from numerous photographs, painted portraits and memoirs of her family and friends that after her 30th birthday, she stopped aging altogether and would usually no longer be seen much in public, retreating to their respective shrines to meditate for weeks at end. She will only be seen at the yearly Harvest Festival of Kiko or the last funeral rites of her friends and family members in Kiko where she led the prayers of final sacraments.

- As the close friend, and to some extent, even the adopted sister of their founder and patriarch, Lord Hiroshi, she would be instrumental in guiding the succeeding lords of Kiko, aiding Lord Haruo throughout his rule and the eventual passing of the throne to Lord Kazuhiko. However, by year 1641 during the 6th year of Lord Kazuhiko's reign when Japan will be roped into the first world war, it was said that she would disappear completely, leaving the Iwasawa clan's descendants to their own devices. While rumors suggest that she and Lord Kazuhiko had a fight regarding whether it's worth it to support Britain's war against France and Spain, records such as her short journal suggest that she simply found it inconvenient to continue living as her present identity.

- The people of Furuya province's Sanctuary town will later claim that she took on the position of the Fox goddess Inari-no-kami after the guardian spirit's passing, and she is responsible for Kiko's farms and businesses never experiencing failure or collapse for the next centuries.

- An interesting fact is that due to the blessing that she received which effectively made her immortal, she also became barren and unable to continue her family line. However, she will take one of her nieces from her brother's line as her disciple, letting her take over the matters and continuation of Kaiho Sanctum after her disappearance.

Shrine Priestess Azusagawa Maya

- Similar to Lady Akizuki Hisako, she would receive a blessing that effectively turned her ageless and immortal. For the next few decades, she will aid in matters of politics at both the imperial and shogunate courts. It was noted by Shogun Amanogawa Denji that it was only because of the teachings and leading of his mother Mariko, his aunt Kichi and godmother Maya, that he managed to win the confidence of much of the House of Lords after his father's untimely passing.

- Rumors speak that the cause of her disappearance for several months on end was to find the missing Sea Dragon spirit and convince it to return to its shrine and empower the nation. She will eventually find the spirit but in a dead form, having long died after deliberately absorbing the radiation caused by the nuclear strike on the invading foreign armada during the Yamaguchi rebellion decades ago. However, these are only speculations, further backed by the fact that this rumor started within anti-nuclear weapon protest groups as a fear-mongering campaign.

- Like Lady Akizuki Hisako, she will disappear from public sight and knowledge after the outbreak of the first world war, rumored to have watched over the passing of Lady Chiyo and Lord Hiroshi's souls to the cycle of reincarnation before revoking her blessing of immortality and passing away at a private place, attended by either Lady Hisako or one of the sects of disciples that she fostered during her time as Shrine Priestess. Unlike Lady Hisako however, she will not name a single successor, opting to make her disciples choose the worthiest among them to take on her role.

Momiji Kurumi

- As a spiritual being, Lady Momiji Kurumi is effectively immortal and further empowered in regards to her longevity by her decision to retreat back to the Great Forest of Mori after the death of her master and friend, Lady Chiyo.

- Records from the Iwasawa clan suggest that she is still well and alive after centuries, making regular appearances in Kaiho sanctum in her Kitsune form during the yearly Harvest Festival. She would also be sometimes seen in Naka harbor, strolling around and buying light novels, mangas and figurines.

- At year 1873, she would appear in a television interview where she narrated stories of her time with Lord Hiroshi and the other heroes of yore times. While many were skeptical if she is truly who she claim to be, some became convinced after her last words during the interview steered public opinion away from making Japan join in the third world war, warning them that if Japan joins in, it will become the enemy of the entire to world. This advice will be well-timed after it was later discovered that France's casus belli (cause to declare war) to Germany was a false flag conspiracy done by rich merchants and bankers who wanted to break German hegemony in the continent's economy.

- By the early 20th century, she will completely disappear from any public appearances. While some people who managed to claim to have strayed into the Great Forest of Mori state that they saw her, these claims cannot be verified as truth.

Tanukichi Reiha

- Similar to Lady Kurumi, she will retreat back to the Great Forest of Mori after the death of Lady Chiyo. There, she will continue to grow as a Mujina yokaifolk and is said to attend directly to the Fox goddess alongside Lady Kurumi.

- Unlike her kitsune counterpart however, she will not be seen much in public, only mentioned on some sightings usually around the outskirts of Aoya where Lord Hiroshi and Lady Chiyo's tombs are located. It was said that she would clean up the place regularly and used her powers to ensure that the flower fields surrounding it are always blooming.

- A children's song would later be addressed to her that goes: "Racoon spirit from the forest, she rolls around and does her best. She might be small and cute to boot, but beware she's a fighting brute." Used in games of hopscotch, jumping rope and hide-and-seek, the song is said to reference the claim that she let tanukis bullied by children to bite and scratch them away to teach them a lesson.

People of significant influence beyond the end of the Kirin Lord Era

Handa Yukari & Imai Chito

- The twin founders and owner of Nuko corporation would pass away at ages 91 and 93 respectively from natural causes. During their time as the leaders of the company, they will be credited with creating over 70% of the heavy machinery and cargo ships in Japan.

- While they would be buried in Japan, they would send a bag of their hairs to Britain where even against royal protocol, it would be placed in a special chest beside the lead-lined casket of Queen Theodora III who acted as their mother and brought them back to Japan.

Misanagi Rinne

- After ruling as Kiko's Chief Justice and Special Court Judge for 80 years, Misanagi Rinne would pass away peacefully in the Misanagi estate in Aoya. Following her orders, she would be buried in her judge's robes, her gavel that is said to have been gifted to her by Lord Hiroshi and a booklet containing her writings back when she was still the leader of the "Fubuki-Gumi".

- While not many records of her later years remains as her life after retirement was mostly mundane, one thing that was recorded was that her last meal before her death was spaghetti and pizza that followed the recipe that she, Lord Hiroshi and Lady Chiyo was said to have shared before Lord Hiroshi became a Daimyo.

Kurayama Kaguya

- Like her predecessor, Kurayama Kaguya would work as the chief chambermaid of Naka castle until her retirement age when she went back to her home in Aoya. For the next few years, she would write numerous manuals regarding etiquette, manners and nearly all the recipes of her departed mother and legendary master chef Kurayama Rie.

- Much like her mother, she would fulfill her passion for one last time when she cooked dinner for her grandchildren and pass away in her sleep. She will be buried alongside her family and her name will be included in the Kurayama Culinary College's hall of fame. The year after her death, a building in the university will be named after her honor, immortalizing her name for centuries to come.

- It was said that at her funeral, Ladies Handa Yukari, Imai Chito and Misanagi Rinne would place cookies near her urn, signifying their sweet memories during their childhood when she would look after and play around with them all across Naka city.

Amanogawa Kichi

- She would serve as the legal counsel and advisor of both Shogun Riku and Denji during their respective reigns. Helping maneuver Japan around political upheavals and the mounting questions of whether the feudal system must remain after numerous Daimyos faced scandals.

- At the 9th year of Shogun Denji's reign, she will retire from her position and go back to Haguro province where she would help heal the rift between Haguro's people and the Shogunate. After Lady Himeji Kotori's influence in the province waned, she would help erase the image that Haguro's people are brutal killers still holding onto very old grudges.

- She will pass away at the age of 96, and as a member of the Shogunate family, will be buried in Yamato province for the next 12 years before the Furutani side of her family requested for her remains to be moved to Haguro where she was born and her husband, Furutani Yuuta, was buried. After a few months, her remains will be brought back to the side of her husband, reuniting them much like how they were reunited back then in their teenage years.

While many say that there are other notable individuals worthy of the same or maybe even more praise and honor that these people, not everyone would agree as their contributions to not only their nation, but the entirety of mankind is just utterly enormous. 

At present year 2025, life continues for everyone in this world. News about the success of meteorite mining operations at the asteroid belt spelled the end of mining operations in Earth and among many other fatal diseases, a cure for cystic fibrosis was finally found and modern genetic therapies are en route to wiping the disorder from the human genome pool.

Overall, there is hope in the future of mankind and all of this can be traced back to a certain young man who brought all of these developments to the hands of mankind... a man named Iwasawa Hiroshi, Lord of Kiko and the Last Kirin Lord.