It had been a long walk to the top of the mountain, but now, as Lon'qu and Florina stopped to take their breath, they were greeted by the breathtaking view of all of Regna Ferox, as well as the distant lands of Ylisse and Plegia. The bitter autumn cold whipped at them, and Florina shivered under Lon'qu's jacket. The swordmaster, even though he had grown accustomed to the cold climates of the north, was chilled on top of that mountain, though he made no effort to take back the jacket he had lent to Florina. Even through her shivering, Florina was glad Lon'qu had taken her to this mountain. The view was incredible, and they truly felt like they were the only two people in the world.

"I used to come up here to think," Lon'qu told her, his eyes brushing the stretching lands. "It was always so quiet and peaceful."

"And beautiful!" Florina added. "Is that snow?"

He followed her gaze to the light, dancing flakes in the wind. "Aye," he replied. "You are certain you aren't too cold?"

Florina shook her head, though her teeth chattered ever so slightly. "I'm used to the cold," she told him. "Besides, it's worth it just to see such a beautiful sight. ...Especially with you."

Lon'qu looked over to her, but Florina was concentrated on something faraway. She gave a content little sigh before speaking again. "I really cannot thank you enough," she told him. "When I first came here, when Lissa and Chrom found me, I was such a scaredy cat. I didn't think I would ever be able to succeed, and I thought I would never see Lady Lyndis again. But you, you inspired me to work harder. You taught me to be independent, but not overly so, because everyone needs a friend to rely on. Maybe we both learned that the hard way. Either way, I'm glad I could learn that with you. I don't feel so nervous talking to you anymore. In fact, I enjoy our time together. All that you've taught me, it will go a long way with me, I promise."

Lon'qu looked away too, watched the waltzing snow fall. "I must apologize for how I treated you from the very beginning," he said in a low tone. "I was too impatient, and immediately marked you off as a novice fighter. I do wonder how much more I could have taught you if I had been open from the beginning. I wonder how much more we could have accomplished."

Florina looked to him then and shook her head. "But don't you see?" she asked. "It was because you were so cold that I felt I had to work twice as hard. You wouldn't accept help from me otherwise, because you thought I was weak. So if I tried extra hard, you wouldn't think I was weak anymore, and you would accept my help. I even have you to thank for being mean!"

Lon'qu chuckled softly, but his laughter soon died down. As they looked off at the setting sun, both were filled with an understanding. "You have to go," Lon'qu said quietly.

Florina nodded solemnly. "I've enjoyed it here," she said softly. "Be sure to tell the others that, will you?"

"Will I see you again?"

She looked back to him for that. "I don't know," she admitted. "I hope so. I don't like saying goodbye to my friends."

"How will I know you've made it back to your home?" Lon'qu was watching her with hopeful eyes.

Florina considered his question. "Don't worry, you'll know," she assured. "I'll tell everyone where my skills comes from. I'll tell them all about my amazing teacher, the Great-um." She paused suddenly, and her cheeks colored. She turned away quickly.

Lon'qu's brows furrowed. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

Florina awkwardly pawed at the dirt with the toe of her boot. "I, um, I never did get your name."

Lon'qu paused, completely bewildered. Had his name not come up once? How had she not even dared to ask him? He seemed angered by that for a moment, but soon his expression fell away, and he started laughing heartily. His uncharacteristic laughter filled the space around them, until Florina was sure it could be heard by the villages below. When she saw his expression, she laughed along with him. All this time, and it hadn't even come up.

"Lon'qu," the swordmaster replied when he finally stopped laughing. "My name is Lon'qu. I cannot believe I hadn't told you before."

Florina giggled. "Lon'qu," she repeated. "The Great Lon'qu." She was silent a moment, lost in thought. Then, her hand found his, and the two stood there watching the sunset. When Lon'qu looked to Florina, he saw tears in her eyes.

Wordlessly, Florina dug into the pocket of her dress, and she pulled out something. Without meeting his eye, she held it out to Lon'qu, an offering. "I thought you might want to keep this," she said quietly, her voice wavering. "You know, to remember me by."

Lon'qu looked down at her hands. In them was a cherry blossom, a sakura flower. The edges of its petals were already fraying.

"I picked it from the field on that island, in Mountain Village," she explained. "I thought it might be a nice gift. A memory of the girl who disappeared with the sakura. It's... It's really dumb, isn't it? It'll be dead in a few days. I'm... sorry. I'm sorry I have nothing better to give you."

Lon'qu took the flower from her hands and stared down at it. Such a simple little gift, and yet, it meant the world to him. It had been so long since he'd received a gift from anyone. This little blossom, this was the reminder of all they had been through, all the hurdles they'd have to overcome. He shook his head softly. "I could not ask for anything better," he told her. "You have given me your kindness and friendship, though I am far from deserving. Perhaps it will die, but my memories of you and the time we spent together never will."

Florina looked up at him, her teary eyes shining. A smile lit her face. In the next moment, her arms were around Lon'qu, pulling him close. "Thank you," she whispered near his ear. Her tears fell freely onto his chest. "Thank you, Lon'qu. I won't forget you either, I promise."

Lon'qu was startled at the sudden physical contact. It was enough to send the blush back to his cheeks. Still, he placed his arms around her tiny frame, and he hugged her back. They remained like that for a while, until there was a noise behind them.

Their hug broke, and the two of them looked to the portal behind them. It looked much like the mortal Lucina, then Marth, had come through so long ago. Now, it was ready to reclaim the warrior from Illia. Florina gave a sad look towards Lon'qu, knowing now was the time. It was finally time to say goodbye.

"I don't like saying goodbye to my friends," she told him again. Tears were still trickling down her cheeks. Her smile was sad, but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "So I won't," she told him confidently. "I won't." Slowly, Florina walked up to Lon'qu. Placing both hands on his chest, she got on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. With both of them blushing, she turned away, towards the portal. "This isn't a goodbye," she told him. "This is... this is a 'see you later'. We'll meet again someday, okay?" She turned around, just as an aura from the portal wrapped itself around her body. "So," she said, the smile on her face widening. "I'll see you later, Lon'qu. Be well, my friend."

Before Lon'qu could even think to respond, the portal continued to claim Florina. He tried in vain to grab her, to bring her back to him, but it was no use. Before long, Florina was gone, and the only indication she'd been there at all were her small footprints in the trail.

So that was it. Yet another woman had been taken from him. She was off to a distant world, a world Lon'qu could only read about in history texts. Florina really was gone, and all he had to show for it was a little cherry blossom. He stared down at the flower in his hands. So delicate, and beautiful, and fighting to survive despite the cold, despite being away from other cherry blossoms. Lon'qu tucked the flower gently into his pocket and turned away. The whole world greeted him now, a world without Florina. No, he would not mourn her. See you later, Lon'qu. She would be coming back. And when she did, he would show her. He would grow strong for her. When they met again, he would be ready.

"Aye," he said softly. "I'll see you later, my friend." The wind carried his voice through dancing snowflakes and pounding raindrops, through up currents and down currents, through the boundaries of space and time, to the distant ears of a purple-haired pegasus knight from Elibe.

The end.