Woo hoo! The final chapter is here! You guys realize that this will make my first completed story, right? Yay me!
crystalfeathers: I'm excited, too! I'm working on the first chapter right now, but I may have to rewrite it. This story didn't turn out exactly like I had planned.
xEternal Wingx: OMG! I'm a Squally lover, too! And August 23rd was his B-Day? I never knew that! Sweet! And, yes, I do think you're slightly insane, but I am, too. I'm adding Gir in the sequel and will sort of be advertising your story.
kingdomhearts soar: I'll be sure to read your fanfic!
By the way, I wrote this while listening to "Every Time we Touch" by Cascada.
Chapter 14 - Celebrations
"This is just too good to be true!" I whispered after my sip of a special champagne blend specific for Imperfects. "We're free of Maleficent's grip!"
Midnight, however, seemed a bit less than joyful. "But the Heartless are still here. We still have them to worry about."
"Midnight, they should be scared of us by now!" Cherry laughed, hiccupping.
"Cher, maybe you should let up on the champagne..." Truff suggested. I couldn't help but giggle. My eyes scanned the room, specifically to my friends.
Cherry, one of the first Heartless that I had dared to talk to. Sure she could be weird at times, but she was still my best friend. I could tell that she and Truff belonged together.
Mauve, the Search Ghost that Cherry almost turned in when she had turned evil. He had resisted the Dark Love spell at one point, proving that he was very powerful, despite his lack of physical strength.
Truff, the Rare Truffle that was trained for fighting. Sure, that Star girl had a crush on him, and he seemed to like her a bit, too, but Cherry was the only one for him.
Coral, the Bouncywild that also had a heart. She was quite tricky, seeing as how she managed to "play along" with Midnight's scheme without being told to or caught. I was still wondering what Cobalt had been so worried about during the battle.
Cobalt, a very powerful Powerwild who, too, had escaped death thanks to an Imperfect's quick thinking. I didn't know that much about him, but I did know that he and Coral were tighter than bark on a tree.
Litra, one of my newer friends who helped teach me magic. She swore a lot but was smart and dang good with magic. I don't think I would have escaped that weird capsule thing if she hadn't taught me the lightbulb secret.
Finally, there was the Black Fungus that I had fallen in love with, Midnight. He was so brave, so heroic... Everything about him was perfect. And yet, I couldn't seem to bring myself to tell him how I felt. What if he didn't feel the same way? It was then that my eyes diverted to our Bodies, Calil and Thgindim. They were sitting at the table across from us in the Hollow Bastion dining hall, holding hands and staring at each other lovingly. It was then I made my final decision:
Tonight, I was going to tell Midnight that I loved him.
Tlaboc suddenly stood up and began tapping on a glass. Everybody, may I have your attention? he requested. Everybody in the room, including Leon, Yuffie, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked over to him. Thank you. Today is a special day. We have finally rid ourselves of the evil witch that wanted to conquer the world, Maleficent. If it hadn't been for Sora and his friends defeating her clone, she might have been too powerful to handle. The human, duck, and dog all beamed brighter than the sun itself. Now, I know Sora and his friends will have a long day tomorrow, seeing as they still have to defeat one last threat, Ansem. We needn't worry about him coming here since he's waiting for Sora in a distant world.
"And hopefully, he'll never come in this direction," Midnight chimed in.
Thank you for your input, Midnight, the Black Fungus' Body stated. Now, I have heard that Leon and his friends wish to rebuild this world into its former glory: a large, prosperous town brimming with beauty. We shall allow them to do so and find a new home of our own, whether it is in the newfound city or in a distant world. Either way, we can at least know that we will once again be allowed to live in peace.
Yrrehc, Cherry's little-spoken Body, giggled. Well, I suppose that's enough chatter for now. Let's celebrate!
With that, several objects were thrown into the air, whether it was a magic spell turned into fireworks, bananas from a Bouncywild, or a Wizard's staff. It was a toss of victory. I purposely tripped and cast the most alluring Curaga spell anyone had ever seen. It seemed to bathe the room in a green and yellow light of glory and victory.
That's what it was: Glory and victory.
x x x
I sighed and rubbed the mattress of my bed in the same room that I had always slept in. This would probably be the last time I felt that mattress. Honestly, I would miss it a bit. It reminded me of what I once thought I was: the only Heartless rebelling against Maleficent and her goons. Boy was I wrong!
"Hey, Lilac," Midnight whispered from the bed next to me.
I rolled over and faced the Black Fungus. "Y-Yeah, Midnight?" I answered, trying not to make my voice sound too shaky.
How long have I been hiding this from you?
"There's, ah, something I... need to tell you."
Are you hiding something from me, too?
"What is it, Midnight?"
Whenever you talk to me
My heart goes wild and I split into three
The Black Fungus seemed to hesitate. "Lilac... Remember that night that... that I... kissed you?"
Your lips tenderly touch mine with grace
"How could I forget?"
That feeling just can't be replaced
"Well... I... I didn't do it because of the phony Dark Love. I did it... because I'd fallen in love with you."
Will I ever find the right words to tell you?
My eyes began to tear up and leak more than Niagara Falls. "Midnight," I breathed, walking over to his bed as he sat up. "I..." Before I knew it, he had me in another kiss, this one more passionate than the last one.
Do I know if you feel the same way, too?
When we broke apart, I was holding back sobs of joy. "Midnight, I love you, too!"
We were silent for a moment. Two mushrooms. Two colors. Two powers. We were both different, and yet we had one same cause: defeating evil and defending all that is good. Finally, we embraced, both of us crying silently. We had done it. We had finally completed our two biggest goals.
Let your heart guide the way to me, love
Let the light of me shine on your from above
If you say yes, one thing I can promise, dear
If we're nowhere close, I'll always be near
A human by the name of Erica Jong once said, "Love is everything it's cracked up to be... It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for." Well, Ms. Jong, all I can say is...
I couldn't agree more.
The End.
I just HAD to end with a famous quote of love, and I stumbled upon that one on the 'Net! Naturally, I don't own it, Erica Jong does. But I do own the little poem at the end which I think I'm gonna turn into a song. I like doing that.
I wanna thank all of my wonderful readers and reviewers for taking time out of your day to pay attention to this story. Without your guys, I don't think I would have ever ended this.
By the way, without all the author notes or anything, this story is 36 pages (give or take bit because of some spacing issues) with very narrow boundaries.
