Note: WOOHOO! I got 201 reviews!? Yeay! I was WAITING for that many reviews and I am sooo thankful to those who gave me that! Anyhoo, here is the FINAL FINAL chapter! My dear sweet Epilogue! Hey! That's a cool name! looks around, then clears her throat Anyway………….ENJOY! Oh yes, this chapter will end from the girls' POVs.
Epilogue – The Journey Ahead
Selphie's POV
So many things have happened during those months. Thoughts ran in my head, love ran in my heart and relief ran in my chest. Leaving high school was the only thing that made me worry. What was I going to do now that I was to leave the life I have known for four years? Part of me wanted to cling to that memory the first time I met my first love, and part of me wanted to run and forget the sad memories that recently came by. However, time wouldn't stop for me. It couldn't. It wanted me to move on with my life and make new ones.
"Are you ready?" I looked up and smiled, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it as gently as I could. I took my time to look into those clear blue eyes and remember the joyful times we spent together. I took a long deep breath and walked down with him towards an unknown hallway.
"I can't believe we're here," I gasped out loud, looking around in awe at the plastered walls filled with what seemed like signatures from the previous students who have graduated.
He sighed and let go of my hand gently, examining the 'signature of walls' as I has grown accustomed to calling it and sat up straight again. "Ah!"
Startled, I blinked, my heart almost leaping out of my chest. "What is it!?"
He grinned and pointed to a signature just by the library entrance. "It's my dad! My dad graduated here! I didn't know he did…." He glanced back down at the name and smiled proudly at it.
I have never seen him so proud as I watched him. At first I thought he has lost all his memories about his parents, especially his dad, but it was a good thing he hadn't forgotten. That was what made me love him even more. I smiled and grabbed his hand gently once more to assure him that not everyone had left him…that I was still here for him. And he knew as he squeezed my hand back. "My Aunt told me that my dad also had an injury while playing football and couldn't play for a year. So I guess that makes us even."
"I guess so," I whispered, smiling at him.
"Hey! You two!" The two of us turned and glanced behind us to find my big brother carrying a large box marked, 'Selphie's clothes.' I grinned, a sweat dropping nervously from the sides of my face. "Do you expect me to carry all this stuff for you!?" There was irritation in Garrett's voice but I knew he was more than happy to help us out move to our new dorms.
Zell grinned, walking over to Garrett and taking the surprisingly heavy box from the older man. When the blond began to carry it in his arms, he suddenly realized how heavy it was as he glanced at me. "What the hell is in this box!?"
Garrett winced, stretching out his arms from carrying the box all the way from Zell's car to the building. "Apparently, Selphie's clothes…" he mumbled. He went back outside to the car once more and came back a few minutes later with my luggage.
I smiled. "Oh come off it! You two are strong! I mean you don't expect me to leave ALL my clothes at home do you!? Besides…I need all of them!" My boyfriend seemed to have figured out that I have grown into a woman because he didn't say another word after that as I lead him and Garrett down the hall to the girl's dorm room.
It took me a moment to pry the two boys' eyes away from girls who would leave their rooms with just towels around their bodies asking for deodorant from other rooms before we finally made it to mine. I opened the door and was shocked to see Quistis sitting on one of the bed closest to the window, going through her things. "Quisty!?"
The blond girl looked up, looking as shocked as me. "Selphie!?"
"Oh my goodness!!!!" I yelped, running up to her and giving her a crazy hug, which I was used to doing to people whom I haven't seen for all of the summer. I could hear Zell dropping my heavy box down, followed by another dropping of something on the ground, which told me was my older brother lazily putting my luggage on floor. "Are you going to be my roommate!?"
Quistis smiled. "I guess so."
I nodded and glanced down at her things she still needs to put away and noticed a picture of her and Seifer with one arm around her waist. Beneath this framed picture were letters addressed to her and some that were addressed to him. "How is he doing?" I suddenly asked, picking up the picture from the box.
The blond girl didn't seem to be surprised that I had done this, because, after all, she had become my best friend. We kept in touch for the whole summer of course, but other times we were too busy to even bother to call each other during the last two months. "Oh, he's fine. He got into that school he's always wanted, but he won't be starting until October 1st…"
"What happened? Why so late?" I asked without thinking as I watched Zell from the corner of my eye looking out the window. My big brother came back inside the room with the second set of boxed clothes, which I didn't even realize he went to get.
"He told me that something came up with the person teaching the class so they had to put it off for a month or so. Seifer's going to spend the whole month here and visit me during the week, so we'll be spending all that time together."
I smiled, happy for the change in Quistis. Ever since she started dating Seifer Almasy, she seemed quite happier and content with herself. It was nice to know that she had a 'Knight in shining armor' coming down to visit her. It was sweet that even if Seifer was all the way in San Francisco right now, pursuing the career in Engineering, they loved each other more. I realized that their feelings grow deeper during a long distance relationship. "You must be really excited about it!" I took the liberty to look through the letters, in which Quistis didn't mind either because she knew I wasn't the type to brag about stuff.
The blond girl blushed. "Of course." She watched me go through one letter from Seifer and began reading it. It was the most recent one from him, just about a week ago. It was the sweetest letter I have ever read and I couldn't help but blush at the wonderful words Seifer said to her.
"That's everything…Do you still need us or what?" I looked up, still enthralled by Seifer's sweetness and glanced at the two boys standing by the door now. Grinning, I handed the letter back to Quistis and stood up, giving my big brother a hug first, before saying good bye and then to Zell.
"Are you going to come visit me once in a while?"
"Hah hah! Very funny Selph! Now, I better go…" He gave me a kiss on the nose, turned and left. "See you in a few hours!" he said as he waved.
Oh! Did I forget to mention that Zell and I have entered the same college together?
Quistis' POVIt took me a while to register that he was no longer staying here in Seattle, but I have grown accustomed to him telling me all sorts of bad news. He had asked me whether I was fine with this and all I could do was nod at him and give him a smile that gave off the lie in my heart. Seifer knew I wasn't, but he just embraced me anyway, hoping it would go away. I knew I couldn't stop him from pursuing his career…I wouldn't want to be the one to keep him from reaching out to his dreams. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him, wishing this was all a dream.
"I'll write to you everyday, I promise," he whispered to me.
I felt comfort from those words because I knew they were the truth. And when the time came for him to leave, it was those last hours of being with him that truly hit me. There were never ending tears falling from my eyes in which Seifer tried so hard to wipe away. "Hey, what did I tell you before? I promised I'd write didn't I?"
I just smiled and nodded. "I know…but I can't help it." I leaned my head against his chest and just allowed him to put his arms around me once more. It was a wonderful feeling – to love someone who loved you back.
And he was gone…
Summer wasn't the same without him. I spent two months writing to him everyday, wondering what he was up to, whether, in a joking way, he met a nice girl there. He replied, in a joking manner that he did. She's a lot older though, he wrote. I don't think she's the right one for me. Besides – I already found the right person for me and she's reading this right now…Just reading from his letters made me cry. Even if I couldn't hear his voice, even if I couldn't see his handsome face, the letters made us feel closer.
When the middle of October came, I had found myself in the same situation as Seifer…packing all the important things into bags and boxes and leaving behind the room I have known to cherish and love. Aunt Charlotte and Travis both gave me a hug good bye, but not before Charlotte handed me a letter from Seifer that arrived this morning. Her excuse for not handing it to me was because she thought I was far too busy with packing all my stuff, but I knew she just wanted to read it herself. I could tell by the way the envelope was re-licked to hide the fact that she DID read it.
I shrugged it off anyway and hitched a ride on a taxi towards Balamb University. Along the way, I reopened the letter from Seifer and read it inside the taxi. I wasn't prepared for the letter that Seifer had given me because it wasn't like him to write something so sweet and --- poetic.
Dear Quistis,
Do you believe that there are Angels?
It is said that there are angels in Heaven above
And they shine with light of an inner love
Of these things I had not a clue
But that was before I found you
For in you I've found a love that is so right
It shines all around with the brightest of light
It comes from somewhere so deep within
That it has no beginning and knows no end
Your love is a light that brightens each day
Of all the people you see on your way
Wherever you go or whatever you do
All see the love that you have inside you
That God sent you here to a place where you'd be
Sharing such love with someone like me
Is proof for me that angels exist
And are filled with love that no man can resist
I thank God each day for finding the time
For looking down on me and making you mine
So yes there are Angels in heaven above
I know because God sent me one to love…
I love you Quistis Trepe… (BTW: I didn't write this poem…I thought it'd be something you'd like to hear from me for once! XD)
Sincerely your hunk,
Seifer
I read and reread the letter so many times, not even realizing that a tear had fallen from my eyes and was smiling at the same time. He made me laugh, a familiar personality in which he shared with only me and no one else. With other people, Seifer Almasy was not that familiar with making jokes or laughing out loud in front of his or my friends.
"Miss?" I looked up from my letter towards the taxi driver's rearview mirror. He gave me a slight smile, nodding towards the destination. I turned my head and looked out the window.
We were finally here…
The building stood tall and somewhat overwhelming, but this was now a reminder for me that it was time for me to move on with my life and continue pursuing the career I have always dreamed of.
Being a lawyer…
"Thank you," I said to the driver as I handed him the tip. The driver gave me another nod and got out of the taxi to help me get the luggage out of the trunk. I stepped out and the driver handed me my backpack and finally my luggage.
It was a new life for me now.
But Seifer…you made it better.
I adjusted my backpack on my back and grabbed the handle of my luggage and stepped towards my future.
Rinoa's POV
She was four now and I had to be prepared for her to look like her father – a man I knew I would never see again. She had his eyes, his hair and his smile. It was the same thought that ran in my head two years ago.
The door swung open and I lifted up my head to see him walking towards me. He gave me a slight smile, which he wasn't used to yet and sat down beside me. "He agreed," he said, placing a hand on mine that was resting on my lap.
My heart made a giant leap from its spot and I glanced down at the item wrung around my middle finger. This was it…the largest step I have ever taken from everything else. "Are you sure you want to do this, Squall?" I asked him. Even I wasn't sure, but I loved him. He said he would take care of me and from the way he looked at me I knew I had found the one man who would be the father to my child.
Squall blinked, as if what I had said had marked me insane, but he just smiled anyway and wrapped his arms around me. I wasn't sure how Ian would react to this news when Squall decided to speak to him about the proposal, but once Squall got out of the room his eyes told me it had gone well than I thought it would be. His embrace was the definite answer that, 'yes' he was sure of the journey that we were about to embark.
I felt something moving to my left and noted to myself that my Diana had awaken from her nap. She opened her deep blue eyes towards me and called out my name. I smiled and caressed her cheek and her dark hair and looked back up at Squall. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Squall stood up and went over to the other side of Diana and picked her up in his arms. My little girl wasn't sure who this man was, but she felt too comfortable to even bother guessing as she laid her head down on his shoulder and went back to sleep.
He was ready…
For OUR journey ahead.
GoodGurl: Wooh! Finished! FINALLY! I hope you enjoyed yourselves reading this story! I hope to hear from you more on my next story….which is now a Millenium version of Final Fantasy 8! Please review! Thank you for those who made this story possible! hugs and kisses TO YOU ALL!