She stood alone on the grounds outside the castle of Alexandria, staring out across the lake at the town. She had been standing here for the best part of an hour, appearing perfectly calm on the outside but wracked with sadness and guilt on the inside.

It should have been me and not him she thought This was my mess, and he suffered from it.

"Come on Domino…you'll get a cold standing out here." Said Zidane from behind her, he walked up to her and put a comforting arm on her shoulder.

"You know, I keep expecting him to just turn up again, and say it's been one big joke."

"He's gone Domino…you'll have to come to terms with that one day."

"Don't you think I know that Zidane!" she yelled, turning on him "Don't you think that I wish that I could just hold my head high and carry on with my life…but when a part of your heart is wrenched away from you, you can't function, you can't think about anything beyond the moment that you're living now."

"Because you realise your own mortality and it scares you…I know Domino, I know."

Domino sobbed but fought hard not to burst into tears.

"How can I go on without him Zi?"

Zidane shook his head.

"I don't know, but you have to…you have to go on, for the memory of him if anything."

Domino nodded, remembering the last words traded between them.

"……goodbye Domino, live your life as though I never left you because…in your heart, I never did."

"Sorry?" asked Zidane

Domino started as she realised she had spoken her thoughts out loud. Shaking her head she began to walk towards the castle with Zidane.

"Nothing…come on, I take it the wake has begun?"

Zidane nodded

"I think TC would have been pleased with how we've done it."

She looked back across the lake, watching the autumn wind blow a leaf far into the sky across the still waters.

Let us, for a moment, follow that leaf, its red and yellow merging together in perfect harmony, let us trace its path just above the surface of the lake, dancing in random patterns influenced by the wind eddies.

We watch it land in the outstretched hand of the passenger of the Alexandrian ferry who examines it for a moment and then lets it blow away into the waters.

"Autumn's come early this year." Remarked Serrina, the boatwoman for this particular day.

"Indeed." Replied the cloaked figure, he had said very little since boarding the ferry, she presumed he was going to the wake at the castle, she hoped to get a chance to visit it later, if only for the free food.

Not so fast Serrina, have to watch your figure she chided herself.

"Ever been to Alexandria before?" she asked

The figure shook its head and said nothing.

Serrina shook her head gently as she guided the boat into the dock on the other side of the lake.

Give up gal she thought, and kept quiet.

The stranger began to hum a familiar tune as the dock approached.

Haven't I heard the Queen singing this song? She thought

The party was going strong when Zidane returned with Domino, she walked away from him and took up a place staring out of the window, alone as usual.

How long does a tear take to dry? Thought Zidane sombrely as he rejoined Garnet.

"Domino still grieving?" she asked

Zidane nodded as he helped himself from a plate of passing delicacies.

"Yes…I don't know how long she'll stay like this, could be months, could be years."

Garnet sighed and bowed her head, her long black hair falling back down in front of her shoulders.

"I know how she feels."

Zidane smiled and rubbed gently against her.

"Yeah, well, the difference is I came back."

"Yes, and then you went away again."

"Yes…but not any more."

Garnet looked up, her ears not believing what they were hearing.

"You're leaving Tantalus!"

Zidane nodded

"Yes…if anything, this adventure has taught me that life is too short to waste time without the one you love…when you find that special someone, you should hold onto them and never let them go…for one day you might turn around and find that they're not there and that day you will weep that you didn't turn around sooner."

Garnet gave him a long, tight, heartfelt hug.

"Welcome back Ziddy!"

"It's good to be back…Dagger." He said with a smile.

Not far away from the happy couple, stood Nagy and Proeliator, admiring the many races in the crowd of people around them.

"I wonder where Funaho went?" asked Proeliator

"I don't know…she disappeared after Domino attacked Jara, I hope she got out ok."

They stood quietly for a while, staring into their drinks.

"You see those rat-like people over there?" asked Proeliator suddenly

Nagy nodded

"I heard someone say that they're Burmecians."

Nagy raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Indeed…I also heard that they had a splinter clan called Cleyrans but most of them were wiped out." He said

Proeliator raised his eyebrows.

"Nasty."

Nagy took a sip of his beer and looked around him.

"I wonder what TC made of this place when he first got here."

"I should imagine he was as confused as we are."

Nagy laughed, almost spilling his drink.

"Adelbert Steiner." Said a voice, making Steiner turn around, behind him he saw Regent Cid.

"Regent, sir." He said, saluting.

"At ease Steiner…and call me Cid. After all you went through with Zidane, Garnet and now Thunderchild, I think you deserve it."

Steiner relaxed slightly and continued eating his slice of cake.

"So, what do you make of all this?" asked the Regent.

Steiner thought as he munched his way through the berries on the top of the cake.

"When I met Thunderchild he was battling a group of mercenaries from the Discworld, I was bringing a message from Alexandria for Zidane but happened to see the Cleyra come down and arrived in time to help."

Cid nodded.

"I heard about a man arriving from another world just after the Black Mages started attacking, naturally I was curious and since the Prima Vista was due to dock at Lindblum I decided to send someone out to bring him before me. He seemed a nice man, and yet slightly mysterious…fancy him being an original Terran."

Steiner nodded

"It's quite remarkable."

Regent Cid smiled and walked up onto a stage at the end of the room and cleared his throat, seeing him up there the room fell silent.

"Ladies and Gentlemen and other associated species, we are gathered here today to say farewell to our brave departed friend Yissan Gojenta, who in sacrificing his life to save the lives of everyone on this planet demonstrated that even in the darkest of times there are people who have the strength of heart to stand up against those who would commit atrocities."

Cid paused, looking around the room, he had the attention of everyone in the room, even Domino who stood unaccompanied by the far window, alone in her grief.

"What makes up such a person…what drives them? Often it is hard to tell…but I think in this case it is pure love, love for the one person who made his life complete. For many years both Domino and Yissan spent their lives apart, each one not knowing that the other existed…and then they were brought together again for one last time. Giving us the opportunity to come to know Yissan, and giving Domino another chance to be with him. For that, we are truly grateful. To Yissan Gojenta, a hero of this planet." Said Cid, raising his wine glass, everyone copied him, the whole room muttering 'Yissan Gojenta' and then the bustle continued as the party moved on.

Cid walked down off the stage as the door opened next to him, a cloaked figure walked in and looked around, the face obscured underneath a dragon mask.

"Where is the widow, I've come to pay my respects to her departed husband." he asked

Cid was slightly surprised, he thought Domino would stand out like a sore thumb in the corner, but nevertheless he pointed out the solitary genome to the man and the man strode into the crowd, walking towards her.

"Who was that?" asked Zidane.

Cid shrugged.

"I don't know."

Another tear joined the many which marred her face, Cids speech had broken the barrier she had tried so hard to build to keep back her emotions. This was a time she wished she was still a soul-less drone, with no feelings to take her over.

"Domino?" asked a voice behind her, for a moment, as it had countless times since she had lost him, her heart skipped a beat as she expected to turn around and see him standing there waiting for her. Instead she found a cloaked and masked man standing behind her.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to hear about your…hey, you're crying…"

She sobbed some more, unable to hold back the tears.

"Well…what do you expect? I've just lost my husband dammit!"

"But…didn't he promise he'd never leave you?" asked the man

Who told him that? Thought Domino

"He did…but…now he's gone…" she said, turning away to hide the next outbreak of tears which joined the others.

"And I feel so alone…" she finished the sentence with a sigh, perhaps getting used to the fact that she'd never see him again.

"But that's where you're wrong Domino…you're not alone and you never will be…I keep my promises."

She turned around in surprise, to see him standing there, just like she had dreamed ever since seeing him plummet to his death, seeing her staring at him he broke into a smile and dropped the dragon mask and held out his arms, inviting her to embrace him.

"THUNDERCHILD!" she yelled, throwing herself into his arms, he laughed and swung her around before putting her down and holding her close.

"You came back!" she sobbed into his chest.

"Of course I did…how could I go on without you by my side?" he asked with a warm smile, a tear trickling down from his eye too.

"How did you…?"

Thunderchild put a finger to her lips and made shushing noises.

"It doesn't matter…I'm here now…to stay, for now and forever."

She pulled away and looked him in the eye, her eyes wet with tears.

"Please, don't leave me again."

"I won't…I promise." He replied, taking her and hugging her tightly again.

The sound of someone clapping took her attention away from the reunion, looking around she saw Zidane and Garnet staring at them and clapping enthusiastically, Nagy and Proeliator held their glasses up in a salute to Thunderchild, their faces in broad smiles, all of the room was applauding them. Celebrating their reunion with them, whistling and cheering at the happy couple.

She turned back to Thunderchild and smiled.

"I love you." She said

"I love you too…for now, for always and forever."

Then they kissed, their fires of passion merging with their lips, reunited to stay together forever.

And so ends our story of three world and three hearts, brought together and torn apart through love, hate and jealousy. But it is only the beginning of the adventure that lies ahead for Domino and Thunderchild, rejoined together to face a life of whatever fate throws in their way.

But, what is certain, is that whatever they do face, they will face it together.

As one.

The End.