A/N: I must admit, I've been wanting to write this chapter for quite a while now. It's vital to Penelo's character development and will influence her actions in the future. And a certain favorite pairing of mine gets a little more attention, the last that it will in the context of this story. Because I'm sad to say that we're nearing the end, and I'm gaining momentum for what I feel is a great ending. This'll honestly be the first fanfic I've ever really finished, all the others are in progress, are oneshots, or have unfinished sequels. I'm not very good at ending things, but I'm so excited as to how this will end.

Yours Truly:

Dear Larsa,

I know I probably don't have to tell you how good it felt to rush into your arms the moment you got off of your airship. I hope you felt as good as I did when I laid eyes on you once more. You've grown up so much since I last saw you—you might actually be taller than me now. But it felt so good to be in the arms of my companion, my knight in shining armor, my confidant, my best friend, after a year of not seeing you. When I met you, I never could have imagined that it would be so hard to be without you, or to feel so good to be reunited with you.

I do believe that I spotted your head guard, for he seemed quite startled by my sudden appearance and quite confused as you handed me a letter, but I didn't care. I never have. It felt good to read your letter, as it always has, but it felt even better to hear your voice and to hear you say to me, "I've missed you so much," because I think I've wanted to hear you say that since the moment you left. I've been wearing your necklace every day since you gave it to me, it's so terribly special to me that it feels as though it is a part of me, sometimes. Ashe asked me about it once, and I told her the story. She was quite impressed, I must say, and I was just as proud as I have always been to have you as my companion, even if I only get to spend time with you once a year.

I suppose I really don't have to tell you how these last three days have been, do I? These are the best times of my life, and every moment spent with you is so bittersweet. But I'm only experiencing the latter part right now, because I can't stand to be bitter when you're around. I suppose I don't really have to tell you how much I love spending this time with you, even if it is our last week together, but I should probably explain what happened at the wedding.

You and I were seated, luckily, for hoards of Rabanastre's people wanted to witness the marriage of their Queen. They stood in every place they could, filling the streets. I enjoyed dressing up a bit, I must admit, and Ashe provided me with a lovely red dress to wear. She insisted that it was nothing special, but I heard talk that she had it specially made for me. Anyway, I won't waste ink talking about dresses and such things. There are some explanations due. As the ceremony began, I heard an airship, and I knew. Vaan was here. I knew that in the end, there was no way he could keep himself from her wedding. I suppose, in retrospect, I knew all along that he was in love with her. I suppose I always knew, in the back of my mind. But it got pushed away by everything else that I have been thinking about, lately. Vaan and his love for Ashe were pretty far down on the list, I admit.

The priest was well into his spiel and I still hadn't seen Vaan anywhere. I remembered what you said about having a hunch that her wedding was to be disrupted, so I was a bit worried. Was he okay? I asked myself. I was more worried about Vaan than I have been in a long, long time. It was then that it really surfaced in my mind that he loved her. It all made sense. Suddenly, I excused myself. I walked through the row of white chairs, impolitely pushing past many people. I knew where he was, but I had no idea what he was thinking. I pushed my way through the crowded streets to the East End, where I entered the empty Sandsea. It was then that I began to wonder why my instincts had led me here, but it was far too late to be questioning myself. I soon figured out that it was terribly hard to get up stairs (especially the old ones at the Sandsea) in a dress, and I realized why Ashe hates them so much. They're terribly hard to move around in.

Sure enough, my sky pirate friend was standing on top of the Sandea roof, leaning on the chimney and watching the wedding. It was almost like a scene from a painting, his back was turned to me and his wind was blowing in his hair as he surveyed the city below.

"What are you doing up here?" I asked softly, to the point I wasn't even sure if he heard me.

"I could ask you the same thing, Penelo." He said, without turning around, before adding in a slightly nasty voice, "I thought you had a wedding to attend to."

"I thought you had an obligation to her." I said, rushing up to the edge of the roof, to look him in the eye.

"Obligation? What obligation does a sky pirate have to his Queen?" He said, narrowing his eyes.

"You are not just any sky pirate, and she is more to you than Queen!" I shouted. I was so angry at him, for letting this go, I really didn't know what to do.

"She has far more obligation to her country than I do to her!" He yelled back, over the wind.

"Which is why you should abandon her? Vaan, you can't just keep running away!"

"I'm not running away! I'm just doing what's right!" And his words stung a little bit, because I knew that maybe he was right. Maybe he was fulfilling his obligation to his Queen, but not the one he loved.

"You—you promised her!" I said, hurt. No one had told me, but I knew. "Are you willing to let her go?"

He narrowed his eyes. I knew the conversation was finished. "It's not about whether I'm willing, Penelo. It's about convincing myself and everyone else that I am. No matter what you say, I'm doing what's right. I'm not interfering with that wedding. This is what she wants."

"Vaan—you're so stupid. All she--" I cut myself off, and I turned around and walked out. I couldn't stand to be there any longer. He didn't need to hear it from me. He already knew.

I'm really worried for him. But I'm so frustrated, I don't know how much of it I can take. All that's worth mentioning now is that Ashe's wedding went smoothly, as planned, and while she and Basch are on their honeymoon, Vaan is on an airship with a former Kiltias, flying the skies in the hopes that he'll be far enough that he won't be able to think about her anymore. It's so painful to watch him let her go, because I know that two years from now I'll have to let you go, too. But Vaan and I, well, Vaan and I are different. But I can't even begin to imagine how hard it will be to let you go, after all this time...

I know now, without a doubt, that I will never find a love like this.

Yours truly,

Penelo