EPILOGUE
The rain heavily poured when he decided to fulfill his promise to her.
He was five years late and it didn't matter.
It didn't matter if he never saw her alive again.
He would never know why she never responded to his letters.
He was content and dedicated his life to rebuild Esthar.
He had loved two women, and the fates had taken them away from him.
But one call from his past had changed everything.
"She's dead."Hugo told him.
He forgot all his responsibilities and packed his clothes to return to Deling City. He returned to fulfill a promise he made on one unforgettable evening.
The rain poured heavily when he decided to fulfill his promise to her.
He stood there, unannounced, as he listened to her eulogy.
He stood there, unannounced, as they were about to bury her.
Laguna's eyes drifted to General Caraway and his crying young daughter.
His heart contracted. She had Julia's features.
Everyone laid their roses and he came forward to offer his own rose. Laguna felt their gazes pierce him. He knew their thoughts. What could the President of Esthar be doing here?
He looked at the casket once more. It would be an outrageous request too see her face once more. He had no right. He was just a man from her past.
His gaze eyes met her husband's and saw jealousy. He saw anger. He saw hatred. He saw despair. Everything was brilliantly hidden underneath the schooled features of one of Galbadia's powerful men.
Laguna understood why. Hugo had revealed everything to him. Hugo was no longer bound to his promise to Caraway. Julia's death had liberated him. Everyone thought she died in an automobile accident while going on a vacation with her daughter. They never knew that Julia died to escape her husband.
Laguna understood why the General's eyes burned. Caraway was jealous that Julia loved him.
Then the unthinkable happened.
"Open the coffin." Caraway ordered.
Laguna's eyes widened. Did he hear it right?
He looked at the General once more. Caraway looked straight at him. "I'm sure she would have wanted to see you one last time."
Rinoa stopped crying and looked at the man her father was talking to. She recognized him. "Sorceress Knight?"
It was if Julia had risen from her casket. It was as if she had asked why it took him five years to return.
He patted the girl's head. "Yeah. Sorceress Knight is a friend of your mommy."
The men proceeded to open her casket and Laguna stepped forward.
The embalmer had done a great job. She looked so peaceful in her eternal slumber.
Laguna frowned. He would never see her again. He would never hear her voice. He would never hear her call his name.
He had loved two women on separate occasions, and both of them would lie underneath the earth forever.
He touched the glass covering and touched his forehead on it. Tears poured out. Tears of regret. Tears of pain. Tears of pain. Laguna sobbed, unashamed of the tears he shed for the woman who had stolen his heart. "I'm sorry if I never came back…. I-I'm sorry…..I'm so-so sorry..."
Everyone who read the old Timber Maniac issue then understood why the Esthar President came to Julia's wake. The mystery was solved. The woman whom he left behind was none other but the deceased wife of General Caraway, and that he, Laguna, had been the inspiration for Julia's sleeper hit, "Eyes on Me".
Caraway looked at the former Galbadian Soldier who wept his heart and soul.
He wanted to hate him. If only his wife had never discovered the magazine, they would have still been happily married.
But she found out.
It had been their daughter who discovered the magazine. It had been Rinoa who begged his wife to read The Sorceress Knight interview. It had been Rinoa who witnessed how violent he became when Julia wanted to leave him... and now, Rinoa believed he had killed her mother. He knew that their relationship would never be the same.
He wanted to hate Laguna, but he knew he had no right to.
Fury knew he had loved, bullied, manipulated, and deceived to have Julia.
In his mind, he remembered the words of the woman who took care of Laguna. Don't you believe in karma?
His response had been curt. It doesn't matter when she's finally mine.
Julia became his, and he dearly paid his price... his karma-The death of his beloved, and his life would no longer be the same again.
How would he live his life?
Life would continue. It would continue as it had always done. It would continue without the love of his life.
And his heart cried, as the heavens cried for Julia's passing.
END
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I would like to thank the readers who have read all 16 chapters and this epilogue.
It must have been a roller coaster ride, huh?
...
It wasn't? Well, let's assume it was! (LOL, just kidding)
I really enjoyed writing this fic, even if I had my initial struggles (abandoning this fic for almost 3 months for example). Yet I'm glad that I didn't give up on it. I can finally say that I have written a finished fanfic and posted for the world to see. *Yeah!*
Thank you to the people who left their comments and to whom I briefly exchanged PMs. You have been very encouraging and I found strength in continuing this story (despite the not-so-good ending). There have been people who pointed out what I could improve (P.O.V.) and I say, THANK YOU!
I think I've mentioned that English isn't my native language (reasons...reasons). But I hope that this story managed to leave an impression on you...
In previous chapters, I dropped hints that I'll be writing Raine and Laguna's story. Theirs will be a brief one (5 chapters), not the 16 chapter that this story became. I've already written bits of the important scenarios.
Unfortunately, I decided to delay publishing their story since I'm working on a Final Fantasy 7 fic (AerithxCloud) tentatively titled, "The Magdalen from Midgar". I've completed the drafts for the story and I'm in the process of editing chapter one. TMFM will be brief too (5 chapters). Once I'm done with Magdalen, I'll resume work on the RainexLaguna fic.
...I actually have plans to make this into a webcomic! (I've done webcomics too... check out .com , or keep posted at my artblog .com)
So thank you once again!
:D