Epilogue 1: A Celebration

"So, you peeps ready to rock 'n roll?" Zell asked as he approached Squall and Selphie, who had been waiting in the hallway and talking quietly. Due to the relative seriousness of the function, all three of them were in full SeeD uniform.

"I'm ready," Squall replied, shrugging a shoulder several times to work out an imaginary kink before looking over at his companion. "How about you?"

"I've been ready for like, forever!" Selphie squealed as she thrust a fist into the air. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"A'ight, c'mon then," Zell ordered as he turned to head back the way he had come. "Everyone's waiting and stuff."

The young couple exchanged a smile as they followed their tattooed friend down the hallway below Deling City's mayor's complex. "We haven't seen each other in a while, Zell," Selphie remarked. "I mean, I know we've e-mailed each other, but… How've you been? How's Miss Sally? How's m-married life?"

Squall noticed her stutter and raised an eyebrow but said nothing; it had been several months since he and his traveling companion had started the new chapter in their relationship and marriage had been discussed, but Squall wanted to give them a little more time, which Selphie more than understood. It didn't mean that it wasn't hard for her to hear about Quistis' and Zone's surprise wedding, however, and Squall knew it. I need to get my act together and marry her he grumbled internally. We both want to, after all.

"It's pretty sweet," Zell replied over his shoulder. "We get up at the same time, make breakfast together, and…" there was a longish pause, "…stuff."

The couple following him both shook their heads in disbelief, though Squall rolled his eyes while Selphie giggled. "I'm glad you two are doing well, then," she said.

"What about the spaceship program?" Squall asked. "Last I knew, Dad-er, President Loire had authorized funding for it and you had a team, but that's about it."

"It's under construction as we speak!" Zell exclaimed, turning around to walk backwards as he pumped a fist. "Doc Odine's been working on the…whatchamacallit? Propulsion…? Yeah, that's it! The propulsion system!"

"So there's definitely been progress?" Squall followed up.

"Shee-yeah!" Zell cried, pumping his fist again before turning to walk normally. "In fact, he said some pretty cool things about my Time Magic idea! Can you believe it? I came up with something the 'Great Doctor Odine' hadn't thought of himself!"

"Good for you," Squall replied, chuckling at his friend's excitement. "I'm glad your idea's bearing fruit."

"Me, too," Selphie agreed as she unconsciously took hold of her man's arm.

The trio passed through a doorway into a large, well-lit room, part of which opened to a lower bay. Parked within that bay was a large parade float, mostly white with light-blue streamers and banners.

"Hey, guys!" Rinoa greeted as she waved happily from the middle of the float's platform; in contrast to the dark-blue SeeD uniform, she wore a puffy floor-length dress the same light-blue color as her usual attire. "Are you ready for this?"

"I've been ready for the last week!" Selphie giggled as she hopped the short distance to join her sorceress friend on the float and give her a hug. "Oh my gosh, Rin; you look absolutely gorgeous! Don't you think so, Squall?"

Squall stumbled, having crossed to the float just as Selphie had asked her question. "Um, yeah…" he replied, forcing himself to look at Rinoa while trying to not make it look like he was forcing himself to look at Rinoa; it wasn't that he thought she wasn't pretty, but he still wasn't sure how to talk to or about her given their former relationship. "You look really nice. Where, uh... Where did you want us to be?"

"Wherever you want," Rinoa replied with a smile, gesturing to indicate the massive float. "Knowing the two of you, I thought Selphie might like to be up with me, while you could be toward the back."

"Oh, I'd love to!" Selphie squealed, clapping. "But wouldn't I just be in the way? This is your parade, after all."

Rinoa smiled softly as she laid her hands on her shorter friend's shoulder. "You and Squall and everyone else are a very important part of my life; I would be honored if you'd be up there with me." She shifted her gaze over Selphie's shoulder to her former lover. "I'd love to have you with me too, Squall, but I understand that you don't like a lot of attention."

"I appreciate that," Squall grunted, though he smiled slightly. He looked around briefly before making his way to a back corner of the float; from there he'd have a good view of his charge and his girl while remaining inconspicuous. "I should have a good view from here."

"Squall!" Selphie exclaimed in a scolding tone as she covered her bottom with her hands. "Are you trying to see up my skirt? Again?"

"I thought I told you that I didn't mean to do that!" Squall protested as he shot to his feet; he still felt bad for seeing her unmentionables during their descent down the ladder back at Trabia Garden. He then saw the impish grin on her face and crossed his arms. "Not funny, Tilmitt."

Rinoa giggled behind a hand as Selphie made her way over to her beloved with a sympathetic smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Squall; I'm still getting used to that, I guess." She stopped before him and looked up into his furiously blushing face as she laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, stud."

Squall huffed a couple of times, then his mouth twitched into something resembling a smile as he gathered her in his arms. "Don't worry about it; I guess I'm just still embarrassed by it."

"Hey, you peeps ready?" Zell called from the entrance to the room. "The natives are getting restless."

"I think we're ready," Rinoa called while grinning at the young couple. "Selphie, are you gonna be up here with me?"

"Are you okay with that, Squall?" Selphie asked, taking a step back to brush some imaginary lint from her man's collar.

He gave her a small smile before jerking his chin toward their friend. "Have fun, you two."

Selphie giggled, hopping up to give him a peck on the cheek before joining Rinoa at the middle of the platform. Unlike Edea's float, the newest sorceress' float had no throne; instead it had a large arch in the middle, decorated with simulated roses and other flowers. Simulated birds had been placed to make it appear as though they were carrying the blue banners, each of which displayed the new sorceress' name. It truly was a work of art.

Lively music started to play and everyone took it as their cue to take their places, Rinoa taking Selphie by the hand to stand beneath the arch and Squall to his corner to lurk. Less than a minute later the doors in from of the float opened and it slowly started to move; unlike Edea's float, Rinoa's float was being pulled by one of Zell's custom-designed cars, piloted by Zell himself.

Squall kept a watchful eye as the float passed through the gates and into Deling City proper; he had once been part of an assassination squad and he was aware of the possibility for someone to want to make a name for himself – or herself – by killing the current sorceress. He knew that Rinoa was no threat to the good people of Deling, but that didn't mean that there might not be those who'd take revenge on the current Sorceress for the actions of the previous Sorceress. In spite of his apprehension he found himself tapping his foot to the bouncy, rhythmic, and happy tune – a definite contrast to the near-dirge that had been played for Edea's/Ultimecia's parade – that emanated from the speakers mounted within the float, and he allowed himself a brief smile as he watched two of his dear friends, his prior and current loves, as they waved happily to the gathered crowd. He put his hand to his ear, where a tiny earbud nestled. "How do things look from your position, Z?"

"All quiet down here, so to speak," Zell replied, and Squall noticed a slight delay between the sounds of the crowd around him and what he could hear from Zell's end. "Everything cool up there?"

"Affirmative," Squall replied. "Keep me advised. Squall out."

"Yeah, Zell out."

Squall closed the channel and looked behind him to find several vehicles of varying sizes and shapes trailing the float, as expected; security was going to be as tight as possible. He nodded his approval before returning his gaze to the girls as they interacted with the crowd; Rinoa almost looked like she was juggling, rapidly forming balls of magic in her hands to throw high into the air, where they would explode into a brilliant array of sparks, which floated lazily onto the crowd. Oddly enough, many of them felt energized at the display, and Squall couldn't help but grin at the knowledge that Rinoa was basically casting restorative spells over the crowd, using the 'fireworks' as a cover for her generosity. For her part, Selphie was clapping gleefully, hopping from one foot to the other.

Squall straightened in alarm as the Sorceress suddenly moved to the edge of the float and disappeared over its side, and he felt the float come to a halt. "Zell, what the hell just happened?" he hissed into his mike as he tightened his grip on the Lionheart.

"It's cool, dude; somebody brought their kid in a wheelchair, and Rin's just giving him a super-duper heal…yeah, he's on his feet again." Squall heard him report just as a large cheer rose from the crowd. "Shit, I think I'm gonna cry."

"Just…hang in there," Squall grumbled, annoyed at the false alarm as he watched Rinoa glide back over the edge of the float to land next to a wide-eyed Selphie. He then settled back for the rest of the ride; the parade route would be different than Edea's, with the float making two loops, once through each side of the city and under the Great Arch before heading back into the bay under the mayor's office complex. While it wouldn't be a long parade time-wise, Squall knew that it would feel like he would be on duty forever, worrying about his sorceress and his beloved.

Fortunately, the first loop was uneventful, and Squall felt himself start to relax as the float made the last turn to pass under the city's arch and continue into the bay. "Thank goodness for boring jobs, I guess," he grunted to himself as the parade crawled through the last leg of the celebration, Rinoa tossing magic everywhere, her radiant smile never leaving her face, and Squall couldn't help but wonder what things could have been like if...

A shot rang out, causing the assembled crowd to panic as the music stopped; fortunately, Rinoa was able to throw up a shield just in time to absorb the round, protecting her and Selphie as well as preventing the round from ricocheting into the panicked crowd.

Squall bolted from his position, putting himself between his friends and the likely source of the attack, Lionheart in hand, and he nearly slapped himself in the head as he hurriedly opened the channel. "Report!" he shouted, holding the Lionheart horizontally in front of him to hopefully block any subsequent attacks.

"Shots fired from unknown position, Boss," Irvine's distinct drawl sounded through the channel. "Orders?"

The young commander glanced back at the girls, who were holding each other, and he could see the slight glow of a Protect spell encasing them. He sighed as he considered utilizing Zell's trump card…or cards. "Zell, order you team into action. Have them locate the shooter and protect the crowd, then take Irvine to subdue the shooter."

"Got it." Still inside the vehicle, Zell closed the channel and then looked to the dashboard. "Spyglass, where'd that shot come from?"

"Stand by…" a voice replied from the car. "Target cannot be precisely located, but I have narrowed it down to one of the top two stories of windows from the Great Arch."

"That brings back some heinous memories," Zell grunted, then touched his earpiece again. "Overwatch, you and your boys protect the crowd. I'm gonna take Irvine and nab the bastard."

Back on the float, Squall flinched as the vehicle behind him suddenly bellowed, "Guardians: Transform and protect the humans!" Then, in spite of the seriousness of the situation and the accompanying anxiety he smiled at the sight of a young boy jumping back in surprise as the vehicles behind the float suddenly started to shift, rising onto newly-formed legs as they stretched out newly-formed arms. "Zell…" Squall murmured to himself as he saw Spyglass rise to a standing position in front of the float, "…you and Sally really outdid yourselves."

Indeed they had; after the Restoration Festival (and somehow unbeknownst to Squall) Zell and Sally had started on what would eventually become known as the Guardian Project, based on the characters from the 'giant robots' movie. With the covert assistance of two teams of skilled SeeDs, Zell had worked on the physical intricacies of the robots' dual forms while Sally had worked on the artificial intelligences of their new creations. Their 'offspring' ended up light-years beyond Esthar's already-impressive artificial creations, with Zell's efforts resulting in smooth conversion processes and overall movements, and Sally's efforts resulting in artificial intelligences that could truly think and learn. Once Squall had overcome his initial anger over the deception, the Guardians were added to Garden's staff as full-fledged soldiers.

Overwatch barked several orders to his subordinates before seeing Squall on the float before him. "Guardians moving to positions, sir!" he barked in a deep and rich though metallic-sounding voice as he saluted the Unified Garden commander.

"Carry on, Chief," Squall replied as he returned the salute.

"Sir!" Overwatch dropped his arm before turning to join his troops, who took up positions around the now-awestruck crowd. "Do not fear, citizens of Deling!" he announced. "You are under the protection of the Guardians!"

Satisfied that the artificial life forms had the situation in hand, Squall turned his attention to the pair still holding each other under the float's arch, though he kept his gunblade raised in a defensive posture. "Are you two okay?" he asked.

"That was so cool!" Selphie exclaimed as she thrust a fist into the air. "And he even got that 'wock wock' sound that he wanted!"

"That was pretty neat," Squall agreed with a smile as he shifted his gaze between the girls and the arch in the distance. Then he fixed his gaze on their sorceress friend. "Rinoa, you okay?"

The young woman nodded, though she still looked shaky. "I'm okay, I think; I guess I'll never get used to violence."

"Let's hope that none of us ever do," Squall replied before fully focusing on the arch, where Zell and Irvine were currently headed. "Damn, there're only two of them…"

"I could go with them," Selphie offered, stepping out of the protection of Rinoa's shield.

Before she could hop down, however, they saw a figure in a familiar gray coat running after the two SeeDs and Squall's gunblade lowered as he stared at the newcomer in disbelief. "Seifer…?"

"Can't let you guys hog all the fun," a voice as familiar as the coat replied through his earpiece. "Don't worry about Chicken-wuss and Cowboy; I got their backs. You just protect your women."

"M-My what?" Squall stammered, hoping that Selphie didn't have her earpiece turned on; from the look on her face, though, she'd heard every word.

His only response from Seifer was laughter before the channel closed.

It didn't take long for the trio to find the culprits, and Seifer seemed to take more than a little pleasure in shoving them into the back of Lockup, who had resumed his police van mode. "Congratulations," he sneered as Irvine shut the door to the vehicle, which locked on its own. "You four just won a one-way ticket to Garden Detention. Hope it was worth it." He then smacked the back of the truck and it drove off on its own, its guests crying out in terror at the lack of a driver until they were out of earshot. He then smirked at Zell and Irvine before turning his attention to Squall who, along with Selphie and Rinoa, joined them in front of the float. "You kids okay?"

"Everything's fine, thanks," Squall replied, ignoring the obvious jab. "And thanks for you help."

"Cid sent me, just in case things went south," Seifer informed the group, prompting raised eyebrows from nearly all of them as the crowd watched. "But I guess you had things under control, so I just decided to jump in 'cause I was bored."

"Well, thank you for your help, Seifer," Rinoa said, moving from behind Squall with her hands folded. "Are you hurt? I can heal you if needed."

Seifer took a barely-noticeable half-step back at the sight of his old girlfriend. "Naw, I'm fi-…" He trailed off as his eyes briefly lost their focus. "You know what? Fuck it," he snorted as he strode up to her. "One of those bastards got my arm. It doesn't look too bad, but…" He held out his gunblade arm, where a short tear could be seen, stained with blood.

Rinoa smiled at the unusual display of humility. "I'll have you fixed up in a moment," she said, then focused on his arm. When she finished several seconds later, she had not only healed his arm but had also repaired his coat.

"That's pretty cool…" Seifer mused, examining his restored garment. "She never did anything like that."

Squall and Selphie exchanged glances with Rinoa, and the three of them figured that he was referring to Ultimecia. "I'm glad I could help," Rinoa offered.

"Well, shall we get this party goin' again?" Zell asked, getting fired up.

"Are we ready for a parade?" Selphie asked the crowd, who started to cheer. "Let's do it!"

Rinoa levitated Squall and Selphie back onto the float, then turned to her old beau. "Would you join us, Seifer?" she offered with her hand extended.

The young man sighed heavily as he studied the proffered hand. Finally, he smiled a real smile as he reached out and took held of it. "Thanks."

She smiled and levitated the two of them up onto the float and he joined her, along with his fellow orphans, in the joyous celebration.