Oh my Arceus…it's finally over! I can't believe it!
I'm sorry that this epilogue came so late. But I've not been having much time to write lately-the reasons that will be posted soon in my profile-which is not very fun, for writing is my life. But I have also started a new story, PMD this time. Check it out for your dear author, won't you?
So finally, Rose's past (and my depressing story) comes to a close…with my dear Eevee Valentina (I'm going to miss writing about her, you know…) finally happy, despite her wretched past and the friend who broke her heart. And, at last, for my [attempted] grand finale, the epilogue! A HUGE, MASSIVE, ENORMOUS thank you to everyone who's read this story and reviewed…you are all SO awesome and I never expected to have over one thousand hits and over fifty reviews…it's so amazing, and I am very shocked overall. I never thought a simple RP character would come this far…
This chapter is pretty much dedicated to all of you, but I'd also like to specially dedicate it to four people: HopeThePixii, who created the forum in which Rose was in, AND was a fan before this story was even thought up. Second, to Eternal Shining Pikmin, who has been determined to review everything first and was very kind in letting me use his Eevee for this chapter so we could finally get our danged Sunsetshipping! :) Third, to my awesome Art/English teacher who basically CREATED Marc and gave me Valentina's name, and last, to the computer, who crashed, destroying the original epilogue and allowed me to write a completely better one! Your four are all awesome, and thank you!
And now… (lights dim, dramatic music) the Epilogue!
Epilogue
My True Wings
"The flower that blooms in adversity in the most rare and beautiful of all."
-Six Months Later-
My mouth fell open into a neat O.
"That's what happened after I left?" I repeated, dumbfounded. "I…I just can't…it's impossible. That can't have happened. You and Twire never would have done that."
Before Point could protest, I cut in again. "But…tell me it again. Please."
Point across from me shrugged.
I hadn't been expecting to see Point again. Ever again. To tell the truth, I hadn't been expecting to even live this long.
A month ago, I had started to lose hope in the world, in my future. I was so unhappy with having no one to love and nowhere to go, I had never stopped thinking of suicide during that time. …Oddly enough, then my past- mostly Point-came back to find me.
And now, through my past, I was reviving that hope.
Ironic.
"You ran away." Point said simply, as the beginning.
"Marc came back to me in a rage, so upset about what you had done, about what was going to happen to you. He asked my advice, and yet, so ashamed on how he had treated you in your final exchange, I gave him none. I will never forget his bleak face as he went off to face his father and tell him the events of what had just happened.
"Iron, Twire, and I went to go see Marc the first chance we got. Marc seemed…depressed then. He had stayed indoors, in the dark nearly all the time. We had asked Isabella about it earlier, but she was no clues to what it was either. …Iron was oblivious to it all, of course. The moment the subject of you came up, he was already making cruel jokes about you being a freak. What I had remembered about your last night…I was so angry, I attacked Iron right then and there, in front of both Twire and Marc.
"That was the first time Iron had ever been defeated." Point added with a small smile.
"I ran away that night, just like you had barely a week before. I was afraid of the pack's wrath. I'm a coward, Rose, unlike you…
"I resolved to look for you, to make sure that you were okay. After two months of traveling throughout all of Sinnoh (and with no success, might I add) Twire joined me. He told me a similar tale to mine about defeating Iron and abandoning the pack for good, though for different reasons. We exchanged our last and brief conversations and then said our final farewells. I've not seen Twire since.
"Only once I returned to even close to where our pack was. That was about a month ago, just two months after Marc and Isabella's 'official' wedding thing or whatever. I went to go see him and his wife, and instead of finding two, I found five."
As I had.
"Their firstborn, and then twins." Point said, shaking his head. "Scar, Venus, and Indigo. Beautiful, beautiful kids, the twins especially. When I saw them, Venus and Indigo were playing with each other, Scar in his mother's lap. Marc was sitting away, looking at them with equal pain and love in his eyes.
"The first thought that entered my mind was you once again-rage was back, and I marched up to Marc, slapped him across the face and called him a cowardly, prissy a—hole." He gave a sheepish smile. "And he yelled right back at me, instantly defensive, saying that I was luckier than I realized, that I didn't have it as hard as he did-"
"You are so lucky, Point." I sighed. "You've never thrown yourself into passion's throes, aiming for the arms of your true love, the true, excruciating pain of the heart."
Point smirked a little bit and raised his eyebrows. "Wait a minute; who said that I've never been in love, that I've never had a true love?"
My mouth fell open slightly again.
"You-you have? Wait a minute! Who?!" I commanded of him immediately.
Point's grin spread farther and farther across his face as he watched my expression. When he spoke, he had trouble controlling his laughter. "Misty Showerfall. I believe you've met her before." He lost control then and collapsed into fits of laughter.
My jaw dropped even further. "Misty? Misty? Iron's mate? But…But last time I heard, Iron and Misty were still together as mates, and that Misty was going to have a baby…"
I figured it out then.
"FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS-!"
Point grinned again, this time ear to ear, still struggling to not break out into laughter. "You're right. She is going to have a baby…it's just not exactly Iron's baby."
"My Arceus, not his baby…you are infinitely more devious than I thought, Point." I said, shaking my head.
"It's just as well-"
"…Rose?" A quiet voice interrupted, and we both fell silent.
I looked up with a small smile on my face.
Yeah…um…remember what I had been saying earlier about finding someone who would, 'build me up, instead of tearing me down'?
Well…I think I found him.
But I can never tell him the story.
"You've spent over an hour talking to your little guest, Cheri's getting hungry but Dusk keeps protesting that we should wait for you - who's this?"
"Point Dimens." Point said causally, giving a nod of consent. "An old friend of Rose's."
It struck me as odd who easily Point used the word 'friend'.
And how quickly Point had taken to calling me Rose instead of…that accursed name, like Rose had really been my name all along.
"Hakumei Youji." The newcomer replied promptly, nodding in return. "It is a pleasure to meet you.
"You've known Rose for long?" Point asked politely, but with a frown.
"Rose and I have been traveling together briefly in that pack you saw earlier."
Point's eyes thoroughly examined Hakumei, as I had done many times before. Point's careful eyes didn't miss a single detail, like the silvery-gray mane and tip, instead of mine and Point's cream color. Point's eyes, however, especially lingered on the crescent moon scar just below his left ear.
A scar that had earned Hakumei a place outside of his pack.
Like me.
"Forgive me if I am prying…" Point's tone indicated he was not very sorry at all. "But…how did a pack of so huge like yours form, and why? I must admit, I'm rather curious."
"It's quite a long story, and now's not the time for the telling..." Hakumei replied graciously. "In short…we were attacked by a violent, pyromaniac Flareon who was bent on killing us all, and afterward we decided we should stick together. Though it was a bit more complicated than that, that's the story, all the same."
…Had you guys wondered about what had happened to Leon?
"Ah." Point replied in the same light manner.
"Would you like to stay with the pack for some dinner? Or spend the night?" Hakumei offered.
"Actually, I pretty much should be going…" Point said, rising to his feet and stretching. "I should go check up on Misty again…" He muttered to me, a small smile. "Things to do, places to see, people to talk to. It was nice to see you again, though, Rose, after six months-"
That's when the bushes rustled behind me-a twig snapped.
With a wild cry, I leapt up from my spot and whipped around; Point mirrored me, a fierce snarl ripping from his throat as he turned to face whoever had come up behind me. He had started to prepare to spring before I gave a slight shake of my head. Hakumei only back away slightly, his eyes not moving from the spot we had just heard the noise.
We waited; tense, ready to attack…
A Glaceon stumbled out of the bushes.
Oh…my…Arceus.
Whatever astonishment was showing on Point's face, mine must have been tenfold. With the sheer weight of seeing the very person I had sworn never to see again, I stumbled backwards and nearly fainted to the ground. Point was already shaking violently, yet with rage or distress I could not tell; poor Hakumei looked only confused by how strong our reactions were.
"Point? Valentina? Valentina?" The Glaceon breathed, his light blue face twisting between unease and gladness.
Point came to his senses before I did.
"Why-why-you honorless bloody b—tard!" Point swore, scandalized. "How DARE you show your face to us again! Why do you have to show your repulsive face back here, just to bring more grief to her and continue to crush her beyond repair, damn you, you heartless monster-"
With a sigh, the Glaceon turned to me.
"…Marc?" was all I could choke out.
My old friend stepped toward me, the warm smile that I had never seen since before this all began lighting his face.
"…Rose." He murmured to himself. The way he said my name made me sound like I was the most wonderful person in the world.
With a spark of anger I spoke, my claws glinting against the ground. "Why are you here, Marcus?" I asked him coldly, closing my eyes.
"I can't believe it…" He continued as if I had not spoken. "You're still the same as always…you're still alive…you're still the Valentina I remember."
"What do you mean…Valentina?" Hakumei asked sharply.
Marc took another step toward me, thinking nothing of the growls that were emanating from Point. He only had eyes for me "I've been looking for you for so long…" He said softly. "I've missed you. I've missed you."
At last, I found my voice.
"Ha! Like I'll actually believe that!" I shouted, my voice cracking on that one word. Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I saw you, you screamed at me to get out of your life and that you hoped I would be happy dying alone!"
"I…I did say that." Marc said anxiously. "But you have to understand-I didn't mean it, that night…after I saw my g-grandfather dead…I wasn't thinking clearly, everything I said I didn't mean! Lies, all of it lies! You have to believe me!"
My eyes closed again.
"No." I said harshly, and I heard Point snarl in agreement. "Those were some of the truest words you had ever spoken to me."
There were tears in Marc's eyes when I opened mine again.
"The pack…the pack would have forgiven your murder of that Elder, if only I had been on your side! But what's done is done…but…We can go back, Rose, both of us, they've agreed that... if it's what you wish…they will accept you back into the pack, accept you like you've never left. You could come back and have the life you always wanted, Rose…Please. Please."
That made me stop in my tracks.
"The pack wants me…back?" I repeated incredulously, all of my concentration broken.
Marc sensed my temporary weakness. "Yes, yes, they do!" He said, nodding vigorously. "Don't you remember our old ideas of what we were going to do when we were older-the silly ones, where we would be the bravest warriors and protect everyone, or the leaders-but the ones…" He outstretched a hesitant paw and ran it gently down my cheek. "The ones where we promised that we would be friends forever, that we would be together, no matter what? Where we would be respected by all of the ones older than us, that they would look at us and say, 'Look at those two! Their destinies are to make the world a better place; they are true members of our family'?"
"How dare you!" I said with a wild hiss. "How dare you-?!"
Marc looked into my eyes.
"It doesn't matter that it was your fault. None of that matter to me anymore. All that matters to me…is you."
I lost control then.
"YOU HAVE THE DAMN NERVE TO MARCH BACK HERE AND CLAIM THAT YOU'RE SORRY, THAT FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU CARED ABOUT MY HAPPINESS?! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST SWALLOW IT AND TAKE YOU BACK, JUST TO HAVE YOU BREAK MY FOOLISH HEART AGAIN THE SECOND YOU GET THE CHANCE?! ARCEUS, HOW I HATE YOU, HONORLESS JERK! I HATE YOU TO HEAVEN AND BEYOND, WHERE I THOUGH I WAS ONCE HEADED! NOT ANYMORE, FOR WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU- FIGHT ME BACK IF YOU'RE A MAN, YOU LYING, HEARTBREAKING B-TCH!"
With a furious snarl I sprang at him, and he didn't even put up a single paw to stop me.
I slashed my claws across his face and felt the icy skin tear underneath them, and I drew back to strike again, I saw that they were deep and long. But I felt no pity for the man who had betrayed me now.
I struck him again and bloody drops started to run down his face from the cuts; I did it once again, and it started to flow freely. I felt a savage pleasure as I watched the red soak through Marc's blue fur. My tail glowing as brightly as it had done that fateful night, I slammed it into him.
He was trying to not scream or show any pain-oh, I would change that! I sliced him twice in the side with my blade like tail, and two enormous cuts now joined the first. Satisfied, I continued to hack and tear at him, adding more and more injuries to the only person I had ever loved.
Once, out of the corner of my eye while I repeatedly slammed Marc back and clawed at him, I saw Hakumei start forward-looking like he was ready to help me-when Point threw out one arm.
"No." Point whispered in a hollow voice. "This is her battle."
Marc was becoming crimson, and I impatient. …Would he really not lift a finger in his defense as I mercilessly killed him? Concentrating all of my energy into this one blow, I smashed my iron-hard tail into him once more, this time more powerful than any move I had ever done.
He went flying and struck the nearby tree, and with a groan of pain coming from his lips his body fell back to the ground, back-first. I charged at him again and pounced on him, landing on top of him. My claws dug into his chest, fresh blood started to sleep over them as my claws held their place right over his heart.
One simple move, and I could kill Marc. For good. Let him feel a tiny fraction of what pain he had given to me. So simple…so, so simple.
"Do it, Rose." Marc whispered, tears starting to roll down his face. "Kill me."
I hesitated.
"Please, Rose, just kill me." Marc murmured, closing his eyes, though they continued to leak tears. "Arceus knows how much I deserve it. If I live in the Torn World forever and ever and be cursed to remain in an eternal nightmare-Rose, I deserve it for what I did to you.
"I was foolish to throw away the one person ever meant for me, to even hope that I could at least not live a miserable life. I was doomed to never be loved from the start. Isabella never loved me, and Arceus knows I didn't deserve her, either. That love she had shown for me was fake, all fake. Isabella was in love with Iron, and for months, she had hid it from me. Scar, Venus, and Indigo aren't even my children, and I suspected as much. They're exactly like their mother, and all four of them despise me, hate me-and so do the rest of them.
"Not even my father cares about me anymore!
"These six months without you have been excruciating torture- only until you were gone did I realize how much I truly loved you, how much I still do. I knew I'd lost you forever…but I had to see you one last time.
"Kill me, Rose. Please let me die, my Arceus, please. I see the fire in your eyes and know that's what you're planning to do anyway. I'm sorry, and I love you. If you have any fondness left of me, please, do one last thing for me-kill me, as I've deserved it all along."
I closed my eyes.
Then, with a quiet decision, I took out my claw from over his heart.
"No."
Marc's eyes flew open, as did his mouth. Point and Hakumei instantly mirrored him. "What?" The three of them asked at the same time, all three shocked.
I shook my head violently.
Hadn't I been trying to convince myself this whole time that I was a better person? Someone different, but someone better than the unwise child I had been? Someone who didn't kill, who wasn't a murderer? Someone who was worthy of having a happy ending.
I am a better person. I am. I am a new person.
Just not that broken-winged girl.
"Death…death isn't the answer." My voice cracked as I backed away. "I'm not a murderer. I'm not Valentina Petal. I'm not the person I once was, as I said before. I'm only a girl. I may be the loner girl, the forgotten girl, the broken girl. But not this…not death."
And then I fled.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm a bird with broken wings…" I sang, my voice being choked out as I fled from the three people who had ever truly cared about me.
This is why I hated life.
This was why I hated people.
I had no clue of where I was headed or even of where I was going- my vision was too blurred by those accursed tears, the stupid tears that seemed to always come in the worst times.
"At times, I dread my now and envy where I've been…"
"-Rose!"
Hakumei launched himself into my path, but I only rushed around him.
"Rose, please, listen to me-!"
"But that's when quiet wisdom takes control…" I sang quietly to myself as I scampered along. "At least I've got a story no one's told…"
That's when he seized my arm, and I, of course the weaker one, could not break free. He forced me to whirl around and face him, and he stared hard into my eyes.
"Rose, please." He pleaded softly. "Stop this running away."
"What else am I to do?" I begged, still weeping. "I've never done anything else but run, that's how I lived to know, how I escaped the physical death the pack would have placed on me and the heart death Marc had already sentenced. I've known of nothing else-what else am I supposed to do?"
Hakumei closed his eyes with a sigh, and then opened them again.
"Please." He pleaded again, searching my eyes. "Tell me the story. Tell me what happened, of how this all begin. Tell me of how you ran away from your home, and why. Tell me of how that person back there broke your heart.
Tell me the story you've been hiding from me all along."
"I finally learned to say…whatever will be will be…" I knew my pretending was up now, that my past could no longer be hidden and kept to myself to cry over. "I've learned to take…the good, the bad and breathe…'cause although we like to know what life's got planned…no one knows if shooting stars will land…"
He opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head, the tears coming fast now.
"I was a foolish girl six months ago, Hakumei, a very foolish girl. Someone who still believed life was easy, simple. Someone who believed in happy endings. I gave my heart to the wrong person, and later he betrayed me just for who I was. I was hated-and mistreated-heartbroken-and full of false hope. I thought I could be happy with you guys, but I can't be. Not with anyone, for no one has ever cared about me. I'm stuck by myself, and I'm used to it. It's worse than death, but there's no escape.
"These days it feels naive to put your faith in hope…To imitate a child, falling backwards on the snow… 'Cause that's when fears will usually lead you blind…"
With a shocked expression, Hakumei laid a paw on my arm. "It doesn't have to be this way, Rose…"
Scattering my tears with such a simple motion, I forced myself to shake my head again and pull away from his gentle touch. "But now I try to under-analyze…I finally learned to say…whatever will be will be…I've learned to take…The good, the bad and breathe… 'Cause although we like to know what life's got planned…No one knows if shooting stars-"
His paw on mine tightened. Attempting to wipe away my excess of tears, I turned my face toward him as I continued to sing, expecting to find a look of pity, one of sorrow on his.
He kissed me then.
And suddenly my heart was on fire.
"-will land…"
"Is the rope I walk wearing thin?" I sang wonderingly as I pulled away, a strange feeling spreading throughout my chest. "Is…the life I love caving in? Is the weight on my mind a heavy black bird caged inside?"
He laughed slightly, leaning his head against the top of mine.
"Say whatever will be will be…Take the good, the bad…Just breathe…'Cause although we like to know what life's got planned…"
He shook his head slightly and added his own line.
"Things like that are never in your hands…"
"No one knows if shooting stars will land…" I finished with a small smile as feeling of joy spread throughout me.
Marc had been my chains since I had loved him; only when I had let Marc go was I free. That had been my problem-I had still loved Marc. But not anymore. Marc and I hadn't been meant for each other-I saw that now. Clinging to that final dream had brought me down. Now, though-now I had true love's wings.
Now I was that new person.
With my true wings.
I sighed and turned to look back the way I had come. "I…need to tell them goodbye. I can't see them again..." I turned my head slightly to look at him. "Will…will you stay with me?"
He gave a small, sad smile.
"Always."
I specifically avoided Marc's eyes as I said my final words.
"…and I'm sorry." I finished. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've cost you, and I'm sorry you ever had to know me, Marc. But go back to the pack. Care for your kids, even though they're not yours. Don't treat everyone terribly…just because of what they did." I closed my eyes. "Forgive them for the past…the past…is just the past. It is nothing but memories that give us hope for the future."
Marc reached out and drew me into a final embrace.
"You know, Valentina Azalea Petal…there's only one thing I regret…we were meant for each other. And you know that." He said softly for only me to hear.
I pushed him gently away.
"No." I said. "We never were meant to be together. Goodbye, Marc. It was nice kno…I'm glad I was able to meet you."
Point nodded and interrupted me. "And it was nice meeting you too, Rose Petal. I'll be seeing you soon again, you can be sure of that." He gave a small smirk. "I'll be sure to get Marc home…to where he belongs."
He turned to Marc, who looked scandalized. "Let's go, you cowardly, prissy a—hole." He said, chuckling and digging his claws into Marc's arm, forcing Marc to walk away with him.
I watched both of them go with a smile on my face and in my heart.
What I had thought were my wings were my broken ones.
Now…I was flying on true wings.
THE END (THE REAL END, ANYWAY)
H/P