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When we came back to our planet, Renton and I found ourselves in a familiar setting. In front of us was a large building with the words "Thurston Garage," and right next to it was a small house that appeared recently finished. It became clear to us that we were in Bellforest, the place where we first met.

As we approached the garage, we saw a familiar figure step out from the doors. He had on him the same white polo he wore and the same grumpy disposition the last time we met. His temperament immediately changed, however, when he caught sight of us. Renton's grandfather welcomed us with open arms and invited us inside for a cup of hot coffee.

It didn't take long for me to get acclimated to Axel. Despite his rugged exterior, he was always a gentleman at heart. He didn't mind my Coralian features at all; he called my wings beautiful and my gemstone immaculate, and teased Renton for having a fairy as a girlfriend. We spent all day musing about our old adventures and the things Renton missed in Bellforest while he was gone. Axel told us that the house I demolished was finally rebuilt from the ground up. I stepped in to apologize, but he immediately brushed the incident off and told me he had enough savings to get the house and garage repaired while Renton was away.

He toured us around the newly renovated house, including Renton's new room. To Renton's surprise, everything was immaculate and orderly. The room was neatly decorated with Gekkostate posters with the latest issues of ray=out neatly organized in the shelf next to his new worktable. I remembered burning down everything in his room to give it a "proper funeral" a long time ago. Silly me.

We spent the rest of the night sharing more tales of our old adventures. We told Axel about Charles and Ray, Will and Martha, Norb and Sakuya, Dominic and Anemone, and everyone else we had met along our journey. Axel was astonished to find out that I knew Adroc when I was a child, and that he raised me as a surrogate father. He was more astonished to find that Renton had accumulated so much experience over the span of less than a year, and that he was an entirely different person from the boy that had left a year ago. Renton credited his maturity to me and his time with the Gekko, and told Axel that he loved me and his family more than anyone else. But he had no idea how much I loved him more.

It didn't take long for everyone in Gekkostate to find out where we landed; Renton had a tracking device on him when he came to rescue me. Everyone arrived in Bellforest on the following day. Maurice, Maeter, and Linck were the first ones to set foot, and Renton and I couldn't be happier to see them again. Holland and Talho were the next to arrive and congratulated the both of us. They praised Renton for saving me and commented on how he was now a hero like his father. Gidget, Moondoggie, Hilda, Matthieu, Stoner, and everyone else onboard came out and celebrated our return. Axel was more than cordial to allow everyone to stay for a week, so long as we didn't make too much noise.

Three days later, everyone celebrated the official pacification of the Coralians and the downfall of the United Federation. I quietly relaxed with Renton in his newly decorated room while the children played with Axel in the living room. We both mused about how cute and embarrassing it was to have our names written on the moon and proceeded to talk more about the rest of our lives together. He brought up our promise of being together forever and discussed the idea of marriage.

I have heard from Talho and Gidget about marriage before. It was a full-time commitment, they said, and that it required a lot of work and dedication to keep two people together. They warned me of couples that ended up separated because of their unwillingness to compromise and have patience for each other. I was worried that such a thing might happen to me and Renton, but they assured me that it was still possible to keep a family together so long as we knew how to find a middle ground, continue to build ourselves, and love each other unconditionally.

From the moment I saw him kneel and pull out a ring with the first letter of our names, I was left speechless. He asked me to marry him and to formally adopt the children as our own. And in a heartbeat, I said yes.

We married a year later with the help of some friends from the Vodarac and from the people at Gekkostate. It was a bit overwhelming for the whole world to celebrate our marriage, let alone everyone christening our marriage as a holiday. Many people still refer our anniversary as the Day of the Great Union. For me, Renton, and the children, it was simply the happiest day of our lives.

Sadly, it was also the last time the Gekkostate was together. Yet despite the end of our adventures, the bonds of friendship remained. The disbandment became official right after our reception, but everyone made a commitment to keep in touch with each other occasionally. Gidget and Moondoggie became married, and together turned the Gekko into a shipping business with the help of Jobs, Woz, and Ken-Goh. Matthieu and Hilda went around the world as ref boarders and DJs. Stoner and Hap travelled around the world together to continue work on ray=out as a fully-fledged monthly news magazine. Holland and Talho got married and operated their own ref board repair shop with the help of their daughter, Diana.

Renton and I travelled the world for about a year during our honeymoon, and yet despite the many gifts our planet had to offer, our home was always with our family. It can still be overwhelming for us to be hailed as "heroes of the world," although we do our best not to get it in our heads. We never went around the world as much as our friends from the Gekko or our friends of the Vodarac preaching the co-existence of humans and Coralians, but we did our own fair share of good from time to time. Renton still works in the garage, but occasionally helps out in the Scub Coral mines with Tressor Laboratories to support us. I help Renton in the garage when I can, but there are still wounds from my past that need healing. I find time to help Tiptory and the rest of the Vodarac people rebuild their lost homes. She tells me that I've done more than enough to help her people, but I always say otherwise. I removed all traces of my military record with the help of Dominic and Anemone. My days of following orders as a military dog are over.

Despite all that, Renton and I always find time for each other and our kids. And much to the chagrin of our children calling us out on embarrassing parenting moments, we couldn't help but embrace the quirks of parenthood. Still, our big children love us as much as we love them dearly. They never cease to make me blush whenever they talk about their mama and papa as their heroes. But to me, they were mines.

And of course, we fulfilled Nirvash's promise of a new evolution by having two wonderful children of our own. Amber became our first, born seven months following our honeymoon. I see the same troublesome spark of her father in her eyes, but I know deep inside that her spark will take her places. And I couldn't help but feel optimistic for where life will take her. I guess I finally understood what Axel told me when we first met nine years ago.

Two years followed and we had our second child: Adroc II. We call him Ao for short, even though he shared his father's hair. I, too, see in him the same adventurous spark as his father and older sister, and a knack for LFOs and ref-boarding. Perhaps it's a normal trait for the Thurstons to answer the call of adventures; Axel, Adroc, Renton, and now our own little ones. It's admittedly a far cry from my desire to keep my feet on the ground these days, but I suppose life always beckons us to explore everything the world has to offer, be it good or bad.

I had imagined my big children jealous during my months of pregnancy, but they weren't. Regardless, they were as happy has they'd ever been when Amber and Ao came into our lives. And, of course, so was I.

I will miss the Nirvash. I will miss the many adventures I had with my old friend, and the highs and lows Renton and I experienced together with it. But I can rest soundly, knowing that Nirvash is in a better place and that the promise of a new life and a new coexistence is finally fulfilled.

I'm sure that many new adventures lie ahead in the future, but the life I have now with my family is amazing. And I know things will continue to be amazing, one day at a time. The love I share with my husband and children helped me build trust in myself to forge on ahead as an adult. Even if there'll be another Colonel Dewey in our lives, or another Command Cluster in the way, I can always count on the support of my family and my own abilities to move forward.

Looking back, my life wouldn't be as extraordinary and enlightening had I not crashed into Renton's garage some nine years ago. Perhaps I would've never given birth to Amber and Ao. Perhaps I would've remained oblivious to the beauty of life, love, and family. Perhaps I might have continued down a much darker path.

But I'm glad didn't. Because I met that strange little boy from Bellforest. And I never regretted it one bit.

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AFTERWORD

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To say that reminiscing about my old adventures from nine years ago was meditative and cathartic would be an understatement. I honestly don't know where my life would have been without the wisdom of Adroc and the kindness of my husband and children. Admittedly, I was afraid to remember all the grave mistakes I've made, but the unyielding support of my family helped me grant the courage to tell everyone all my painful and wonderful memories from many years ago.

While this is ultimately my story, this memoir was never the effort of one person. I would like to thank everyone for making this possible, especially the following:

Hap, Stoner, and the kind people of ray=out for helping me get my story edited and published for the public.

My dear friend Tiptory and the people of the Vodarac for their compassion and support.

Holland and Talho Novak for their gracious wisdom and generosity.

Maurice, Maeter, Linck, Amber, and Ao for giving me a chance of a better life and someone to look up to, and for becoming a proud mother to five incredible children.

Renton for providing me tireless assistance and steadfast emotional support during the making of this memoir, and for being the closest, dearest person in my life.

And of course, you, for taking the time to read about my extraordinary journeys with the strange boy from Bellforest.

Before you close this book, I leave two more pieces of advice. One is an old Thurston family saying, but I did my best to put it in my own words. True greatness is the willingness to embrace the love within yourself and the possibilities of a better future for you. But it cannot be begged, for greatness awaits if you yourself will work for it. The road ahead is difficult. You will fall many times, and some falls will be harder than others. But there will always be help from the people that love you no matter what. And it is up to you on what you will make of it.

And the very last thing I leave you is my own: life is often cruel. It can feel unfair, and its nature is often unpredictable and unyielding. But there is a concrete balance, and that is what makes life beautiful. Where there is darkness there is always light. When there is hatred and prejudice in the world, there is love and compassion. Whenever you feel the need to run away from it all, just stop and remember to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember what you fight for. For the first step you take is the first one into the light, and into a better, beautiful life.

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ET

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Author's Note: Whew, that was a doozy finishing and editing all this crap. Again, I apologize for the myriad edits I made to refine my story. Hopefully a couple edits at the very least will sneak through, if necessary, but right now I'm currently satisfied with this latest iteration.

I hope that I fleshed out Eureka's character a bit more, and I hope I did justice for her, Renton, and the kids in the end. Like Eureka, it was an amazing experience reliving the original series in its entirety once more. I know I've omitted certain points of the show, but I wanted to focus more on what I feel are key aspects of Eureka's life. Also, I hope you liked Eureka's version of the old Thurston motto ("Don't beg for it. Do it yourself, or else you won't get anything.").

If you asked me what Renton and Eureka deserved after the original series, it would be this. Considering the numerous hardships they had to surmount with their love in the original series, they don't deserve any iota of what happened to them in Eureka Seven: AO. Hopefully you will find enough closure for Renton and Eureka's journey in this narrative like I did.

Please feel free to review, mark it as a favorite, and reread it to your heart's content. Or rip it apart, print it on paper and burn it if you absolutely loathe it to the core.

And lastly, thank you so much for your continued support. And remember that greatness awaits only if you work for it.