...And alas, we arrive at the epilogue! Glad to see you all again :)

Wow, can you believe it? This is the last chapter. Almost surreal, isn't it?

Ah, well. I've realized that writing epilogues is always bittersweet for me :) It's been almost 2 years since I first began this fanfic, and the journey was an absolutely incredible one. I want to thank you all for being there to experience it as I stumbled through - no words could describe the gratefulness I feel at the fact that you guys are here to read this last part with me :)

All right, I'll talk later then - go on and read!

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

x.

Epilogue

x.

They say happy endings only come true in fairytales. But, as May continued to stare at the dark, tiled ceiling, the brown haired coordinator wondered whether or not that were completely true.

She gave a worn sigh, not even a full one, but just a half-hearted attempt, before turning under the comforter again and trying once more to let sleep claim her. It didn't, but she hadn't really expected it to either. Her weary eyelids snapped open again without persuasion, stubbornly refusing to close, too keyed up to rest and too exhausted to do anything else.

It had been a long day, in more ways than one. Putting the thought into words always made it seem more real than anything else would. May's mind gave up on trying to sleep and drifted alongside those words, floating away in a tangent of broken memories, flashes of sight and recollections. Battles. Ribbons. Time. Glitter. Sun. Tears. Promises.

(golds and whites and pinks.)

Her emotion palette threw up its hands in a sort of exasperated acceptance, finally admitting to its swirling contrasts of darks and lights, disappointments and elations, a blooming flower of sweet milk in bitter black coffee.

Stretching a bit, May shook her head and slowly sat up, propping herself against the pillows and matching her breathing pattern to those of her friends, sound asleep around her room. They would be heading back to Sinnoh tomorrow, she realized with a slight frown, knowing deep down that the moment had been bound to arrive sooner or later. The thought alone was enough to make her realize how much she would miss them, even though they were still physically present, lost in dreams and fatigue and wrapped cozily in their sleeping bags.

Pushing the rest of the covers off and drawing her knees silently to her chest, May turned her frown into an uneven smile as she considered the next stretch of her waiting adventure as a coordinator. Perhaps she would explore a whole new region this time, or maybe even go back to a previous one to see how much had changed in her absence. Her blue eyes softened dimly at the thought of going back to Hoenn again, surrounded by family and friends and familiarity. She craved and adored adventure, yes, but, over the course of her various travels, she had begun to realize that, over time, she really missed home too. May supposed that feeling would never leave her, no matter how much her heart pined to see the world. It was a nice feeling though, almost like the satisfying soreness that came with working out, so it was okay.

Keeping a light hum in the back of her throat, May shifted on the mattress again and turned her eyes to the Johto Ribbon Cup sitting regally on the nightstand, glinting softly in the dark. She reached out to touch the gold with one finger, sliding it from the rim to the base in a sort of unquenched, timeless awe.

Mine. Finally mine.

This had been her goal since she had first started her journey, years and years ago, May realized. She laughed quietly at the thought, flipping through the days and months and wondering where the time went, marveling at the ethereal glow that came with accomplishing one's dream after so so long.

Time to set a new goal, she supposed. However, even though she had theoretically reached the finish line for this one, May still felt a bit unbalanced, as if she were still missing something. Her hand retracted from the Ribbon Cup, feeling its tangibility and tilting her head in confusion as to why she still didn't feel a sense of…closure.

Closure. That was it. May still felt unfinished, as if she were still waiting for something. Her gaze dropped from the trophy and back to the nightstand. Perhaps the closure had nothing to do with her journey, or her travels, or her goals.

Maybe it had something to do with him.

Her half-ribbon necklace lay quietly in the space next to the Ribbon Cup, full of promise and color, blue stones, pink-white, gold center, fine chain. May couldn't help but feel a bit warmer as she gracelessly slipped into sentimentality.

The smile on her face didn't disappear, but only grew wider.

(I do care May. I always did.)

There were still many things she hadn't told him about, but she supposed what they had said tonight was enough, for the moment. He wanted time after all. He needed it. Perhaps she needed it too.

Ash…

May allowed her eyes to slip to his form as she thought his name, grinning softly at his peaceful, sleeping face.

(If he had found peace, then she was happy for it. For him.)

It didn't mean that she still wasn't disappointed about it. The fact that he had leaned away from her attempt to kiss him still stung a bit, but not completely in a bad way. At least, in some areas, her emotions were a bit clearer than they had been before.

She finally had some answers.

He feels something for me, and I do too. Perhaps, in time, we will be together someday.

May yawned, still not tired enough to sleep, so decided to crawl out of bed and wait for the exhaustion out on the balcony, the soothing blanket of night air. It was still lovingly clear, the moon bright and lulling enough to perhaps bring sleep.

Feet touching carpet, May followed through with the thought and padded quietly to the French doors of her hotel room, pausing only to affectionately brush her hands across her pokeballs scattered on the coffee table. The red-white spheres brought her a sort of comfort and love that she couldn't find with anyone else.

My pokemon…

Resting her fingers on the cold door handle of the glass doors, May turned around, her eyes once again drawing toward his sleeping form.

Ash.

She left the door briefly, turning to walk back toward his sleeping back, kneeling down beside him. Those dark amber eyes were closed, his lips curved into a small smile.

(May…)

Her heart pulsed in time with his steady breaths, connecting them.

"Thank you Ash. I understand. I really do. Maybe, someday, when you're ready, we can be together."

The words were barely a whisper, but she said them with all the true emotion she still retained. The black haired trainer next to her didn't respond, his undisturbed and continued breaths indicating that he was truly deeply asleep.

May bit her lip, leaning over, her soft hair swirling around her shoulders. So beautiful. So dense. So adventurous. So Ash.

(The half that made her truly whole.)

Her heart picked up tempo, beating to the sweet, silent melody of him, of her, of them.

And then, impulsively, oh so impulsively, May leaned further and gently brushed her lips against Ash's, stealing the kiss he had denied her before.

Thank you.

"Ash?"

Breaths, gentle and soft as sleep.

May smiled.

"I think I love you."

And, leaving a part of her heart with those words, May finally stood up, walking back to the glass doors and out into the balcony, the night, leaving him behind.

(love.)

The French doors clicked shut.

And Ash opened his eyes.

I…

Voice thick with sleep, the black haired boy lifted a lethargic hand to brush his fingers across the place May's lips had been, giving a gentle smile.

"Yeah. Me too."

x.

(I promise)

x.

The End.

*tears up*

Ah, sorry, this is just...unbelievable...

(well, I am a hopeless romantic. Looks like May got her kiss after all) ;)

Anyway...

A bit slow paced, yes, more so than I originally intended it to be. Tell me what you think of it though~

But, more importantly, I just want to say a last thank you to all my readers - for trekking on this journey with me. This was my first multi-chaptered story after all, and it truly means a lot to me. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, so so much. I had a wonderful time on this adventure and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

So, farewell for now! Don't worry, I promise I'll be back soon (I'm working on more ADV fics as we speak), and please feel free to drop by to tell me how you felt about this epilogue, or perhaps the whole story in general if you want :) I endeavor to write more for this fandom, and I promise I'll show up again in the near future, with a whole new story, a whole new beginning in store :)

Love you all! Hope you have a wonderful day :)

Kisses,

WingsofRain