Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is the property of SquareSoft. Really. Not mine, it's SquareSoft's.
Epilogue
Squall's eyes shot open, and he snapped up from his pillow. His breath came in quick gasps, and he scanned the room frantically.
After a moment, he relaxed his tense muscles. I'm at home. This is my bed. He sighed with relief, and glanced to his right. That half of the bed was empty, the covers having been tossed over on top of Squall.
His eyes again wide with fear, he jumped out of bed. Where is she? He pulled the door open and stepped out into the small hallway. He heard a light clinking in the other room. Stealthily, he slipped into the dining room and looked into the kitchen.
Standing there in her pink nightgown was his angel, alive and well. She looked to be doing something over the stove. From the delicious aroma, he guessed it involved some form of eggs and sausage. He released the breath he'd been holding in, and tried to force his heartbeat to return to normal.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," he heard her say. "You gonna stand back there staring at me all morning?"
"Maybe," he replied, walking toward her.
Rinoa turned her head toward him, and Squall felt a wave of warmth wash over his spirit. She was radiant this morning, as she was every morning. And every afternoon, evening, and night, for that matter. Her gleaming, raven-black hair caught the simulated sunbeam from the overhead "skylight", and her eyes sparkled with life and energy.
She said to him, "You sound out of breath. Are you okay?"
Squall nodded and smiled. It had only been a dream.
"Good, because I made a breakfast that'd knock your socks off, if you happened to have them on." She winked.
Squall wrapped his arms around her and drew her into himself, clutching onto her dear warmth and taking in her scent. "God, I love you," he murmured in her ear. Her recovery had taken so long, but had been worth it. This body had finally become virtually indistinguishable from her original one.
"And I love you, my knight."
"Achem!"
They turned their heads to see a young brown-haired girl in an oversized T-shirt entering the kitchen. "Should I leave you two alone for a while?"
Squall chuckled. "Yeah. Give us about a half hour."
"Squall!" Rinoa chided, trying to suppress a giggle. "It'll be a few minutes, Lexie. Why don't you get dressed? We're going to be…leaving, soon after we eat." Her voice dropped a notch.
Alexa nodded a bit more solemnly. "Okay." She walked back into her bedroom and shut the door. Music started blaring from the room a few seconds later.
"How old is she again? Five, or fifteen?" Squall asked.
Rinoa shrugged. "I'm worried she'll think she's ready to leave home by the time she's six."
"Well, we'll just have to find some Odine bangles and tie her down with them, won't we?"
Rinoa shot him a look. "Very funny."
Squall raised an eyebrow. "You act like I'm joking."
"Don't make me hang you from the ceiling, Commander." She smiled slyly at him.
Squall immediately shut up, unsure if Rinoa was actually kidding. The two of them finished making breakfast together, and were just placing it on the table as Alexa emerged from her room, wearing a white blouse under a red jacket, brown pants, and matching brown calf-length boots. On her hip was tied a coiled cable of leather. She sat down at the table, waiting to be served.
"What did we tell you about that?" Squall admonished.
"What?" Alexa replied precociously.
Squall and Rinoa both pointed at the weapon on her hip. "No weapons at the table. You're not fighting any grats in here," Rinoa said.
"I'm saving myself a trip back to my room; I'm bringing it with me. If we run into any monsters there, I want to help." Alexa spoke smartly, as if she were in a political debate.
Squall sighed. "You can bring it when we go, but there aren't any monsters in here. One thing you need to learn is respect for your weapon. And respecting it is not getting maple syrup on it."
Alexa sighed melodramatically. "Fine." She jumped up from the chair and stomped back to her room. Music again began blasting from the open door.
"Did I forget respect for your parents?" Squall muttered, just loud enough for his wife to hear.
"You'd think it'd go without saying," Rinoa said, kissing his ear. He put a hand over his ear and smiled. As frustrating as Alexa could be at times, they both loved her dearly. She was so very special to them, for many reasons. She was their daughter, and their only child. The only real flaw in Rinoa's new body was that it was incapable of conceiving and carrying children. It was a fact they had learned to live with over the past two years, and accepted it as a small price for Rinoa's new lease on life.
The music cut off, and Alexa returned to the table. "Okay, now can I eat? Please?" The final word, as it came out of Alexa's mouth, sounded as if it described the most disgusting object humanly imaginable.
Rinoa sighed and handed her a plate of French toast and sausage links. Alexa immediately began to dig in.
As Squall started eating his own breakfast, he said, "How is weapons training going, by the way?"
"Great!" Alexa said through a mouthful of toast and syrup. "Instructor Markson's taking us to the Training Center next class. I'm officially the youngest student at Garden trained at combat!" She raised her chin with pride.
Squall gave a half-smile. "I knew you'd excel."
Alexa looked down into her breakfast, somewhat embarrassed to have been complimented by her father. "Uh, yeah, whatever."
"You're welcome," Squall replied wryly.
"Okay guys, let's eat up. The Ragnarok will be ready to leave in an hour, and we're expected at the Cape by eleven-hundred." Rinoa sat down and began eating. Squall gazed at her. Her body didn't really need food. Or sleep, for that matter. Yet she both ate and slept like a normal person, so she could feel normal. Plus, he wagered, she had missed both luxuries for such a long time that she made sure to take the time now to enjoy them.
"Squall?"
"Huh?" Squall shook his head, and realized he'd been daydreaming.
"C'mon, hurry up. You still have to shower after we eat." Rinoa was looking at him as she continued her meal.
"Yeah, Dad. Jeez, you yell at me…" Alexa quipped. Squall shot her a look, and she immediately shut up.
"So do you," he said to Rinoa. Then, to Alexa, "And you: you don't get to talk back to me until you're a teenager". Then, in a completely childish gesture, he stuck his tongue out. Alexa, in turn stuck out her own tongue, which was loaded with half-chewed French toast.
Rinoa shook her head and rolled her eyes. A few years ago, I would've had Squall committed if he stuck his tongue out like that. He's finally getting that childhood he missed out on. Just hope he doesn't teach Lexie any more bad habits.
*Quistis awoke to the sound of a baby crying. She opened her eyes and focused her powers into wiping away the disorientation from having been awakened so suddenly.
She looked over at Seifer. Sleeping like a baby. Typical. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching her arms.
The baby continued whimpering. Quistis sighed and walked on bare feet over to the crib along the wall. She gazed down at the infant that was whining for all she was worth.
Hungry again? Quistis thought to the baby.
I'm hungry! Hungry! Hungry! was the infant's response.
Quistis gently lifted the infant up to her chest, and then pulled up the right side of her T-shirt, exposing her breast. The baby immediately began suckling at her nipple. Purrs of satisfaction quickly replaced the baby's cries.
Hmmm, better, Quistis heard in her head.
She smiled back. You're welcome, Jessa. Remind me to teach you manners before you turn one.
She carried the baby, still attached to her bosom, out of the bedroom and into the living room. She sat down on the couch across from a young blonde boy who was playing a handheld video game.
"Hi, Mommy," the boy said, not looking up from his game.
"Why are you up so early, Tracker?" Quistis whispered.
Tracker shrugged. "Dunno."
Quistis sighed. Tracker, who was about one-and-a-half years old, was always taciturn. However, his mind moved at a mile a minute. He was a very intelligent boy, much of which Quistis knew was related to his being the son of the Sorceress. Because he was male, his body couldn't absorb any of her power in the womb, as Jessa's had. However, he was still mentally maturing at a highly accelerated rate. He had already learned enough hand-eye coordination and patience to play his favorite video game nearly every waking moment.
At least he won't be alone, Quistis thought. Two children of the Sorceress living at Garden, both hyper-intelligent. My children, the geniuses. She smiled. I guess all the midnight feedings, dirty diapers, and floor cleaning do have a bright side to them.
"Why ya smiling?" Tracker asked without looking up.
Quistis shook her head. "Just happy, is all. You could tell without looking?"
"Heard ya smile."
Quistis nodded. Tracker may not have inherited any powers, but he seemed to be very keenly attuned to the world around him. She'd bet that, With his eyes closed, he could probably enter a crowded room and tell you the name and facial expression of everyone inside. It was an ability Quistis did her best to encourage, and always asked him about, in hopes of better understanding it.
"You're getting better at that," Quistis said.
"Oh." Tracker kept his attention on his game, which was bleeping away with his frenzied button pressing.
"You should turn the volume down on that when people are sleeping in the house," Quistis said, reaching over and flicking the volume control on the game.
"Oh, sorry," Tracker said, not diverting his eyes.
Jessa began to whimper again. More more more, said a tiny voice.
Boy, you sure are hungry this morning. Quistis pulled her away long enough to lift the left side of her shirt and allow the baby to feed from there.
"Hi Dad," Tracker said.
A second later, Quistis heard a wide, deep yawn. She looked up to see Seifer, in his boxer shorts, standing in the doorway. He rubbed his eyes, but kept them transfixed on her.
"Yes?" she asked with an innocent smile.
"Feel like I'm missing the party," Seifer said, rubbing his eyes.
"No, you're not missing anything. Especially breakfast. You're making it." She winked.
"Yeah, yoo makin'," Tracker added. He gave a small, sly smile.
"Oh really?" Seifer asked, approaching the couch. "And which little boy is going to help, huh?"
"Dunno," Tracker replied.
In a wide, sweeping motion, Seifer scooped Tracker off the sofa with one arm and set the boy on his shoulder. Tracker squealed as he flew through the air, dropping his game onto the carpet.
"C'mon, kid. You're for breakfast this time! How does everyone feel about Fried Little Boy?" He winked at Quistis and carried a playfully protesting Tracker into the kitchen.
Quistis shook her head with a smile, and realized that she didn't feel the suckling against her breast anymore.
She looked down, and saw Jessa looking back up at her, expectantly, with her lip trembling.
Hurts, Quistis heard in her head.
You ate too fast. We'll fix that, Quistis replied as she placed Jessa at her shoulder and began patting her back.
Quistis sighed, and took this moment alone to reflect on the path that had led her to this moment. The past couple years had truly been a long, winding road. Quistis had been pregnant with Tracker when she inherited the powers of the Sorceress. A few months before her son was born, Quistis had used those powers to resurrect her best friend, and had felt a new world open up to her. She learned to not fear her powers anymore, nor what she would do with them. They became a part of her, and not the invading parasite she had originally felt them to be. She remained as an Instructor at Garden, and in short time became one of the planet's foremost experts on magic, outside of Edea Kramer and Otto Odine themselves.
And now, after those tumultuous times, here they were, a family. Sometimes, Quistis still couldn't believe it.
She'd been a mother for about a year and a half, not including the nine months she'd spent carrying Tracker. So much had changed in just the past two years. Not just with herself, but with Seifer as well. He had grown up a lot, taking on more responsibility with his own life and his relations with others. She could tell he felt like somewhat of an outsider in a family of Sorceresses (and a genius toddler), but he did his best to be a good father and help raise Tracker to be better than he himself had been as a child. True, Seifer did like to avoid getting up for the midnight feedings, but Quistis had a way of coaxing him into it every now and then.
She heard a small burp over her shoulder. Quistis lightly touched Jessa's mind with her own, and found the baby to have fallen fast asleep. She felt a warm sense of safety and love from the child, and allowed it to fill her soul.
Most of her life Quistis had felt that being in charge and leading others was what life was all about. But now, she knew that was a mistake. Real happiness was sleeping on her shoulder. It was two males, child and adult, making breakfast in the kitchen.
And most of all, it was the fact that, for the first time in her entire life, she was truly, irrevocably satisfied with who she was.
*The Ragnarok touched down on the hill by the Cape of Good Hope, near to the lighthouse. Its forward hatch lowered, and down it walked three figures. One tall and thin, clad in a blue waist jacket, black pants, and black boots. The second was a head shorter and less muscular than the first, wearing a light blue open-front blouse over a black shirt, light blue slacks, and black calf-length boots. The third was about waist height to the first, in a red jacket over a white blouse, brown slacks, and brown boots.
Rinoa, her Angel Wing weapon strapped to her right arm, cradled an armload of roses, chrysanthemums, tulips, and carnations. Squall and Alexa each held two roses, and their weapons were holstered at their hips. This was a trip that had made many times before, but after today, they knew they might not return for some time.
The short trek across the open field was uneventful. Some time after her rebirth, Rinoa had gained the GF Diablos' ability to repel all but the strongest of monsters, and prevent them from attacking. It had helped them in more than one situation, especially since she and Squall tried to minimize their use of Guardian Forces. They had made so many memories that were too important to them to risk losing, no matter how much power they gained in the process.
When they reached their first destination, they all stopped and stared ahead of them. Ten meters before them, they saw two headstones, similar in shape, and adorned with varied carvings of angels holding torches and flowers. The stones stood in silent vigil near the edge of the cliff before a patch of grass several meters square.
They approached slowly, all holding hands and mouthing silent prayers. When they reached the headstones, Rinoa lowered herself to her knees. She closed her eyes, and laid the entire bouquet of flowers on the ground in front of the right headstone.
That marker read:
HERE LIES
Jett Leonhart
Taken Before He Could See
The Beauty Of The World
Born: Died: August 20, 3025
The bottom square under "Born:" had been left blank, since Jett had been killed only three months before his birth was due; he had only lived six months, and all of them in the guarded world of his mother's womb. Although unborn children who died at the same time as their mothers traditionally did not receive separate markers, Squall had insisted upon it. At the time, he had wanted to remember all that he had lost in a few fateful minutes of his own failure, that he might never again allow such loss to befall anyone, least of all himself, again.
After a few seconds, Squall and Alexa also fell to their knees, and each placed a single rose on the ground in front of Jett's headstone. Rinoa's eyes were closed, her head lowered.
"I miss you so much," she whispered. Squall placed an arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wish you could have gotten a chance to see what life had to offer. And what a great father and sister you have."
Alexa looked up at her mother. As independent as she was becoming, she always would love her parents. And it pained her to see her mother cry. She wrapped her arms around Rinoa's waist and hugged tightly.
"Thanks, guys" Rinoa sniffed. "But I…I don't know why, but it just feels like…I feel like I'm abandoning him now."
"You're not abandoning him, Mom," Alexa said. "You'll always love him."
"That's right," Squall agreed. "When we lost you and Jett, it left a big hole in our hearts. Because you came back, you filled the part of that hole that you had occupied. But there's still a hole that will always be there. We can never replace him, but we can move on, and give the love and caring we would have given Jett to someone who needs it just as much."
Rinoa wiped away a tear and nodded. She could tell how much Squall and Alexa hurt from losing Jett, but they could never understand how she, who'd carried the dear child inside her, felt so empty at times, knowing that child would never emerged into the world to create his own destiny. No matter how much time passed, she would always bear that guilt in her soul.
With a kiss to Rinoa's forehead, Squall took his other rose and laid it in front of the left headstone. Alexa stretched and tried to place hers, but her arm wasn't quite long enough to reach around her mother. Squall helped by placing the rose for her, and then took her hand tightly in his own.
The second tombstone read:
Here Lies
Rinoa Heartilly Leonhart
Beloved Mother, Wife, and Friend
She Will Always Be Missed
Born: Died: March 3, 3003 August 20, 3025
After Rinoa's rebirth, they had considered removing the headstone, as she was no longer dead. However, Squall had decided to leave it, since Rinoa's body was still, and would remain, buried underneath it. Also, Rinoa wanted her body to keep Jett company, and she never wanted to forget how lucky she was to have a second chance at life. Every time she looked upon this monolith, she was reminded of her great fortune at being able to live again. Squall and Alexa always accompanied her, and left roses at the grave, as a remembrance of all they had almost lost.
Alexa sniffled, and clutched her mother tightly. "I love you, Mom. Please promise me you'll never go away again."
"I'll do my best, sweetie," Rinoa replied, placing a hand on Alexa's shoulder. She sniffed back her own tears.
They all knelt there, holding each other, saying their prayers and silently thinking to themselves.
After a few minutes, Rinoa spoke up. "Okay, I'm ready."
Squall nodded and, kissing her on the cheek, stood. After he had helped the ladies to their feet, he gave Alexa a kiss to her forehead. "Want to take the Ragnarok down there?"
Rinoa shook her head. "It's a nice day. Let's hike down."
They trekked down the hill, hand-in-hand where possible, until they had reached the grassy level ground that bordered the beach. A cool ocean breeze rustled their hair as they approached their destination: Edea's orphanage.
Now fully restored to its original glory, the shining stone building was quite a sight to behold. The marble pillars gleamed in the midmorning sun, and the flower garden, now over three acres in size, gave the place a vivid glow of life and beauty. It was better than Squall had ever remembered, or even imagined it to be.
Upon their arrival at the front walk, they were greeted by a thin woman clad in a black dress and black pumps. Squall smiled with a bit of nostalgia. He felt scant memories return to him: memories of fireworks and games of war, of his Sis, Ellone, and the friends with whom he'd grown up.
Edea waved at them. "Hello there! It's so good to see you all!"
"Hello, Matron," Squall said.
"Hi!" Rinoa called, waving enthusiastically.
"Hey, Matron!" Alexa shouted, breaking away from her parents and running up to the woman. Edea knelt down and took Alexa in her arms, hugging her tightly.
Squall and Rinoa could see Edea's smile had a tinge of sadness in it. Rinoa asked quietly, "Edea? What's wrong?"
Edea shook her head. "These are all my children. I know that someday, eventually they will all leave to live new lives, but that doesn't make it much easier to say goodbye to them."
"I promise we'll visit," Squall said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I know you will. But I suppose this is what a mother feels like when her children move away on their own. This is what I felt each time one of you left, when you were around his age. You just have to learn to be happy for them, and let them go." Edea stood, lifting Alexa in her surprisingly strong arms. "Shall we?"
Rinoa nodded. They all walked inside, coming to a stop in the foyer. "We'll just be a minute," Edea said, placing Alexa back on the ground and stepping out of the room.
Rinoa felt excitement at what they were about to embark upon, but still could not shake the pain she'd felt from seeing her son's grave again. Squall noticed her falter, and placed a loving hand on the far side of her head, covering her ear and cheek. Rinoa leaned her head onto his chest, and Squall wrapped his arms around her.
I hope we can do this, Squall.
Squall kissed her forehead. We can. I promise.
A moment later, Edea emerged back into the foyer, carrying a small knapsack in her hand. She turned back to the doorway from which she came and said, "Come on, now. They're waiting."
Seconds later, a young boy poked his head out of the doorway. He had thick brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a round face appropriate for a boy of seven. He stared at Squall, Rinoa, and Alexa for a moment, and then stepped out into full view.
"Hi," he said shyly.
Rinoa knelt down, bringing herself to his eye level. "Hi, Jarod. We're so happy to see you again!"
Squall knelt down also, smiling at the boy. "Hey, Jarod. How are you doing?"
"Okay," Jarod replied, before running to hide behind Edea.
"Jarod, we've talked about this," Edea said. "You're going to go live with Squall, Rinoa, and Lexie now. They're your new family, and they love you very much."
Jarod clutched tightly to Edea's waist and shook his head vigorously. "I don't wanna go! I wanna stay here with you, Matron!"
Alexa walked up to him. Jarod cowered slightly, but was not as intimidated by the younger child. "Hey, c'mon," she said with the cocky smoothness of an automobile salesman, "I mean, they're okay for adults, even if they are a little weird. But they're really nice. We live at Balamb Garden, remember? You ever been there?"
Jarod shook his head, but stared at Alexa. She continued, "Well, when we get there, I'm gonna show it to you. It's really cool! It's really big, and it flies! I mean, one day we might be in Balamb, and the next day, we fly over Trabia and see all the pretty snow. And we come by here a lot too. You can visit Matron and all your friends. But there's a not of nice kids at Garden, too!" She winked at him. "I'll show ya around, introduce you to all the cool kids. You're gonna love it!"
Jarod lightened his grip on Edea's waist. "R-really?"
"Yeah. Oh, I forgot! They have, like, all the latest technology from Esthar, too. Video games, and simulators, and all sorts of cool stuff! Maybe I'll even let you listen to my music. Maybe. So, whaddya day?" She held out a small hand to him.
Squall and Rinoa watched as he looked at them, and up at Edea. Edea gave him a look of reassurance and nodded.
Jared reached his hand out and took Alexa's. "O-okay, I'll go."
"Great! Well, come on!" Alexa yanked him away from Edea, nearly toppling him off his feet. As he righted himself, Rinoa held out a hand to him, and he hesitantly took it. After looking into Rinoa's face for a second, he gripped her hand more firmly and looked back at Edea.
Edea smiled at him. "We'll miss you a lot, Jarod. Come back and visit us anytime."
"I will, Matron. I promise."
Edea handed Squall Jarod's bag. "Oh," Squall said. "I almost forgot. We have something for you, Jarod." He opened his jacket and pulled out a baseball cap. On the front of it were embroidered Garden's ying-yang symbol and a SeeD attack boat speeding below it. "I know you like fast boats, so we thought you'd like this." He held the hat out to Jarod.
Jarod looked at it for a second. "For…me?"
Squall nodded. Jarod slowly reached out and took the cap, looking at it. Slowly, he put it on his head and looked up at Squall. Squall patted his head, pushing the hat down on his brow slightly. "Perfect fit."
Rinoa looked up at Edea. She knew long goodbyes wouldn't be good for Jarod, and it would be best to leave shortly so he could start getting used to being away from the orphanage. Edea, sensing Rinoa's thoughts through her expression, nodded.
Rinoa looked back down at Jarod. "Okay, Jarod, it's time for us to go home."
*"Wow," Jarod said as he looked over the railing.
Rinoa giggled. "That was about what I said the first time I saw it." They looked out into the ocean that spread endlessly before them. The evening sky had taken on a red hue, filling the heavenly theater with deep, brilliant color. Although they had only started their day six hours before, Garden had traveled far enough west to bring them into the sunset.
"Hey, thought we'd find you here!"
They all turned around to see Seifer stepping out of the door from the Garden corridor. Quickly behind him came his son, the small bundle of blonde energy, and Quistis, holding a calm, sedate infant.
"Hey!" Rinoa waved at them. "Out for a stroll?"
"We heard you'd gotten back a little bit ago, and since you weren't at home, we figured you'd be out here." Quistis walked forward, enjoying the salty ocean air as it blew her long, unbound hair freely behind her. "Hi, Jarod. Remember me? We met a couple years ago."
Jarod glanced up at her, then bashfully turned away and stepped behind Rinoa and Squall.
"He's still pretty shy," Squall said. "He'll come around."
Alexa leaned toward Jarod and whispered, "They don't mean to talk about you like you're not here, ya know. They're just adults." She giggled and elbowed him playfully.
"Okay," Jarod said, trying to protect himself from being jabbed again.
"Aunt Quisty's cool. Uncle Seifer's a little silly, but he's okay. Watch out for Tracker, though." She pointed to the toddler stomping around the balcony, roaring like a Moomba, and yanking on an orange cord connecting him to Seifer. "He's a little hyper most of the time."
"Hey there, kid," Seifer said, kneeling down. He stuck his face toward Jarod. "How are ya?"
Jarod shrunk back a little. "Okay."
Seifer laughed. "You know something? You're just like Squall. Way too shy. It's all right, we'll break ya in." He adjusted the boy's cap, and then patted him on the head.
Quistis clutched Jessa tightly to her chest and kept a few feet away from the railing. As much as she trusted her own grip on her child, she didn't want to take any chances. It was a long way down to the gravity rings, and she had seen firsthand what they did to something as hard as concrete. She was glad Seifer had attached the protective leash onto Tracker.
"How are you doing?" Quistis asked Squall and Rinoa.
"Good, we're doing good," Rinoa said. Although the question sounded innocent enough, Rinoa knew the underlying meaning. How are you feeling with your new son, and your visit to the one that passed away?
"I'm very glad for you. We both are." Quistis smiled.
"Thanks, Quisty," Squall said.
"For everything," Rinoa finished. "None of this would be possible without you."
Quistis smiled and turned her head away, feeling a bit embarrassed. "It's lovely, isn't it? It's been a while since I've taken the time to come look at a sunset."
"Yeah, it is," Rinoa said, turning back around. "Maybe we should have Nida change our course so we can keep with the sunset for a while." She felt Squall's arm around her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back, and then both looked down at Jarod. He had turned from them and was watching the sunset as well.
Quistis felt a strong hand at her waist. She looked back to see Seifer, who planted a kiss on her forehead. She smiled, and kissed him on the lips. As they kissed, they heard a cooing from between them. They both looked down, and saw Jessa giving them a wide, toothless grin. They both laughed at the infant's cuteness.
Alexa managed to sedate Tracker (by picking him up off his feet) long enough to get him to look at the sunset with everyone else. Then, suddenly, she released the boy, who immediately sprinted as far as his leash would let him, mocking her by sticking out his tongue and blowing her a raspberry.
She didn't pay his teasing any heed. She felt something strange behind her. She turned back, and could see nothing except Garden's external wall and the door they'd used to exit out to the balcony. She scanned the whole platform behind her, but found nothing of what she'd just felt. As soon as the feeling had appeared, it had vanished.
She'd had visions before, from what her parents had told her. She couldn't really remember them, but somehow, this one felt vaguely familiar, as if she'd seen it earlier in life. After a few seconds, she shrugged and turned back to the sunset with everyone else. If it were important, she'd worry about it later. She joined her parents and new brother at the railing, losing herself in nature's beauty.
On the balcony of Balamb Garden, two families, all friends, watched the sun finally dip below the ocean's horizon in a burst of breathtaking color. With all the pain and trials they had survived, to have this time to simply live was a luxury they would not squander. Every second would count.
Because they didn't know when the next Sorceress from the future, mad dictator, or omnipotent monster would appear and threaten their existence again. And being soldiers, it was their job to fight.
Fight to protect the world. Fight to protect their home. And fight to protect their children.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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Thanks to everyone for reading Love Beyond Death, my first FF VIII fanfic! I plan to thank you all individually on this page, and I'll add it a little later.
After some careful thinking and advice from reviews and personal e-mails sent to me, I decided to remove the last couple paragraphs, which were basically foreshadowing for the sequel. I was trying to set the stage for the next story in this line, but it just looked too out of place, and too much like a commercial teaser. I decided that this story should be able to stand on its own, in case something happens to me where I don't get to write the next part of the storyline.
Anyway, thanks again for reading, and be sure to check out my other fics! I will be updating When The Dream Ends, an FF X fic, shortly! See you in cyberspace!