o-o-o

Epilogue.

Three years later.

o-o-o

I've always loved playing guitar.

"Mr. Ishida, you're such a nerd," one of my students called out, laughing along with his peers. I smirked and set my guitar aside. I had just made up an entire song for today's lesson, and I was getting mixed reviews on my performance. I bowed to the class, and then went behind my desk.

"The test is on Thursday. I will send the lyrics to your e-mails," I stated, wrapping up the last class of the day. As my students left, I heard a few of them humming the song on the way out.

Success!

Truthfully, that song sucked, but it was catchy enough to stick with them I guess, and possibly help them study. Next week, I was planning to recite one of the Epic Rap Battles of History.

I loved being a teacher.

Being a lifeguard just wasn't for me. Every day felt like a chore, and I just couldn't wait to come back here. I lasted about a year as a permanent, but that was all I could take. I didn't even have to ask President Eraqus when I came back; he hired me as soon as I walked into his office.

I used to wonder what people saw in me, but I realized that I never really saw those things in myself until now. There were things I was good at, and teaching was one of them. That wasn't to say that I didn't have imperfections, because what human being didn't, but for the past three years, I was really starting to recognize my true potential. I worked hard to get to this point, and I wasn't about to settle for anything less, even if the pay was more.

I got a slight raise, and it was steadily going up each year.

Pulling into my driveway, I sat in my car for a moment before going inside. As soon as I opened the front door, I immediately noticed how quiet the house was.

This was weird.

"Roxas?" I called, taking a few steps toward the kitchen. Damn it, if that kid left Ryo all by himself, he was going to get a beat down. However, my suspicions were put to rest when I found him, along with Ryo and Caesar in the backyard.

Oh yeah, Roxas lived with me now so he could go to college. My mom suggested that he stay with me rather than in a dorm, since I had all of this extra space in my two-story home. Also, the fact that I was a teacher probably had something to do with it as well.

I didn't mind. I trusted him to watch my son.

…Heh.

Ryo turned three a month ago.

He was generally a pretty quiet kid. Pop-up books were his favorite things in the world, and he was the only child I knew that didn't take too much interest in a tablet. (Not that I particularly wanted him to make a habit of those things). He and Caesar were best friends and he would always be near him. I never really had many disciplinary problems, except when he was tired.

Ryo hated haircuts, though. I tried not to let his light red hair go past an inch above his shoulders, but he would always have a temper-tantrum when it was time to go. Even when I tried to cut his bangs just to keep the hair out of his eyes, it was a struggle and generally came out uneven. He then would beg me to fix it, proceeding to cry once more when I went anywhere near scissors.

He's so funny.

Stepping outside, they both saw me. Caesar darted toward me as usual, and of course, Ryo followed. Roxas stayed at the patio table, focused on a game.

"Daddy!" Ryo exclaimed, reaching so that I would pick him up. I couldn't resist, but at the same time, I was trying not to hold him so much. After giving him a big hug, I set him back onto the pavement. He ran back over to the grass, where he had a few army toys set up. He was hiding them in the grass and basically having an all-out toy war.

I may have possibly read him a few history snippets.

"Bang, bang!" Ryo said, controlling both of the toys and striking one down.

Well, don't let me get in your way.

"Roxas, are you coming with us to the park later?" I asked, taking a seat next to him and keeping my eye on Ryo. Caesar ran back over to him, knocking over one of his toys in the process.

"Hey, that wasn't nice!" Ryo scolded, but of course, Caesar didn't have a clue.

"I've already been outside today," Roxas said, emerging from his chair and stretching. "Besides, I have homework to do."

"Oh, come on. You can do it when you get back. We won't be out long."

Roxas groaned. "Fine."

o-o-o

Lilah wasn't too fond of play dates anymore.

"I'm a big girl now! I don't want to play with a three year old!"

"Girl, you are eight freaking years old. Get over yourself, and go build that sand castle before I take away your karaoke machine," Vanitas said, sitting next to me on the park bench. Lilah pouted and went over to Ryo. He handed her a toy shovel, and she reluctantly took it. Roxas was doing what he did best—ignoring everyone around him while his eyes were glued to the game in front of him.

Oh well. I tried. Focusing my attention back to the sandbox, I sighed.

"We probably should have just gone to the beach," Vanitas said. "This is boring as fuck."

"Nah. I don't want them to pressure me to come back."

Ryo was pretty good at sculpting sandcastles; something I loved to do as a kid. It was weird for him to have the same trait. As I watched, I felt more and more appreciative that he was in my life.

Well, I felt that way every day, but I digress.

"He looks a lot like his mother," I said aloud, not really meaning to.

"Lilah does too, but I choose to ignore it. Have you heard from Kairi, by the way?"

Shaking my head, I clasped my hands together. "Nope. She hasn't asked to see him once."

"Sounds like Delilah."

"Her parents keep me up-to-date every now and then, though. You know, it's really scary to think that Kairi was diagnosed as a sociopath last year."

"Whoa, it's that serious?"

"Yeah. She won't be getting out any time soon. I almost felt bad for her, but now I see her for what she really was. People like Kairi don't change."

"Do you think she ever really cared about you?"

"Probably not, but I'm not worried about it anymore."

Vanitas leaned back. "Wow, that's pretty crazy. Oh yeah, by the way, I heard you went on a date the other night. One of the secretaries in the office, huh? That's not against the rules, is it? Is she legal, at least?""

Blushing, my face reddened a little as I straightened up. "Shut up. She's your age, and no, it's not."

"I thought you would be single forever."

"Oh, thanks," I said, laughing it off. "She was really nice, but I just don't see it going anywhere. There will be others."

I was about to continue when I was interrupted by someone.

"Ven! Vanitas! Sorry I'm late. I was closing a deal on this really expensive house!" Sora said as he came up to us. "I brought apple pie. Do the kids like that?"

"What the hell is this? Some kind of picnic?" Vanitas scowled, but then his eyes shifted toward the pie. "Oh, you said it was apple?"

"I want pie!" Lilah exclaimed, running toward us as if she had outstanding hearing abilities. Ryo followed closely behind, but obviously he wasn't as fast as she was. He climbed up on the bench next to me and watched as Lilah and Vanitas were each given slices. He wasn't very used to Sora yet, so he stayed close.

"Ryo, would you like a piece?" Sora asked, but he just buried his head in my shirt.

"Hey, don't be shy. I know you want some." Ryo looked up at me and nodded, still holding on tightly. Sora handed him a plate and a plastic fork. After a moment, Ryo took it and started eating.

"He's getting big," Sora mentioned as he cut a slice for Roxas, who had barely noticed his presence, but happily accepted the free food.

Sora had continued to work under Mr. Hikari. Real Estate seemed to be his thing, or so he says. Regardless, I was proud of him for taking the initiative in his own life instead once again.

Mr. and Mrs. Hikari had full grandparent rights, and saw Ryo often. I didn't mind taking him over there, and I actually found Kairi's parents to be pretty decent people. Although I was still surprised, yet confused that they would hand Ryo over to me just like that, I wasn't complaining. Whatever went wrong in Kairi's life, whether it be bullying or something else, ultimately affected her mentality, but it definitely had nothing to do with them. When I heard her diagnosis, everything made sense. Kairi felt no remorse for her actions, and Sora confirmed this with multiple visits in the past few years.

She just didn't care.

It was really quite sad. I actually felt something for her at one point. I guessed that was the power of a sociopath.

As for Riku, I heard that he moved away from the islands, but that was all I knew.

"God, we're like a single mom's club, but for dads," Vanitas said as he scarfed down his plate. "How did it come to this?"

Leaning against the park bench with my arm around Ryo, I shrugged.

"Daddy, you're not single! What about Miss Helena?" Lilah blurted out, her mouth full of pie contents.

"Oh, what is this, now?"

"Her science teacher and I had a little chemistry and now Lilah thinks she's going to be her new mommy."

"Whoa."

"You kissed her! I saw it!" Lilah added. Vanitas turned his head away.

"Good for you," I said, laughing. Sora sat on the pavement and listened to us.

"I guess I'll be social," Roxas said, sitting cross-legged next to him. "What's the topic?"

"Nothing. Start a new one," he grunted.

"Daddy, I don't like this part." Ryo set his plate on my lap. Only the crust remained, and I wasn't the least bit surprised. "You can have it."

"Well, thank you."

"Can I go play in the sandbox again?"

"Sure, kiddo. Lilah, go with him."

Lilah whined once more, but due to her father's intimidating presence, she obliged.

"Oh, hey, I left something in the car. I'll be right back," I told them, rising from my seat. As I made my way over to the parking lot, I heard the loud sounds of a baby crying coming from the SUV next to mine. A woman was desperately trying to calm him down. As I opened my car door, I looked back for a moment, but I decided to mind my own business.

"No, no, Xander, stop… please stop crying…" The woman begged, but it wasn't working. After retrieving my camera, I shut the door and locked it. She sighed and let out a frustrated sigh, which was just overshadowed by even louder crying.

"Is everything alright?" I asked. The baby was in the car seat, squirming. She looked at me and tried to play it off with a frantic nod and a weak smile.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Xander, my nephew, wants to stay longer but I have to go. However, I can't drive with him crying so much. He's been nonstop since I put him in the car."

I titled my head to inspect. "Maybe he's uncomfortable in the seat?"

She blinked a few times, and then turned to adjust it. I could definitely relate to her stress. After she undid the straps and redid them to just an inch looser, but still safe enough, he quieted down a little. She handed him a bottle, and he was set. She stepped away for a moment, watching in awe as Xander sipped away.

"Wow, thank you so much," she said, holding her hand out. "I'm Rachel."

"Ven," I said, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you." As our hands parted, I felt a strange tingling inside.

"You really saved the day, Ven. I have to get going, but maybe I'll see you around? I come here a lot with Xander."

"Yeah, definitely." I smiled. She smiled back and got into her car.

She was cute.

As she drove off, I started making my way back over to the others.

"Dude, who was that?" Vanitas asked right away, just as expected. I shrugged.

"Possibly a new friend."

"Ohh," Sora teased, tossing the plates into the trash can nearby.

"Uncle Ven, you were totally checking her out, I bet!" Lilah said. My face reddened once more, but I couldn't deny the fact that I may have been doing just that. My attention was diverted quickly to my son, who tugged on my shirt.

"I want to go home now," he said, rubbing his eyes.

We all said our goodbyes. I held onto Ryo's hand as we walked. Getting my camera wasn't completely pointless, at least. As I strapped him into his seat, I pictured Rachel's face in my mind for a moment. A smile crept up on me, and I couldn't help but feel good—not only about today, but about life in general. I liked the way things turned out, not only for myself, but for those around me as well.

Life didn't stop after the death of a loved one; it only ignited, and I was along for the ride.

o-o-o
o-o-o

A/N: This turned out to be longer than expected. That's it, guys. The first draft to this story is complete. I cannot thank you guys enough for sticking with it until the end, and I am definitely not going to let you down when it comes to getting this published. Just remember, that you had the privilege of reading the very first draft on fanfiction ;D I hope I can make Kristian's character as awesome as Ven.

Please leave one final review. Any and all constructive criticism will help tremendously in the rewrite.

As for Heart Station, I may complete it before I retire. I also did not forget about the oneshot I promised to MusicalSage. It will also be out before then.

Also, check out that word count.

Thanks everyone!