Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this story…Disney and Square Enix (or SquareSoft) do…The plot is mine, though.

He could see her again.

Finally, after all this time, she was there. Standing in the fields at the old orphanage where they promised to meet. The grass was taller now…but at least she wasn't hidden.

She was standing with her back to him. Her hair swished in the light wind and her skin gave off a glow from the mid-day sun. What was left of her blue sleeveless coat hung in two strips at her hips and when they moved, the tiny purple and pink and yellow and white flower petals flew.

He smiled faintly at her and called out her name. Or at least, he was sure he did, because he felt his lips move but there was no sound. ...Rinoa... Slowly, but surely, she turned to him, not skipping or repeating, and the sight of her face, in crystal clear clarity, made his heart pound in his chest.

She smiled at him, eyes widening in elation and he smiled a little bit more as she began to run to him, kicking up dirt and some unlucky flower petals as she moved. And even though he expected it, her movements, all he could do was watch as she got closer and closer to him. Her arms were outstretched and she reached for him and he had a feeling that this had happened before but by the time he had enough sense in him to move, she was already there.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly as she practically ran into him without a sound. He felt her weight, her warmth, her heartbeat there and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The breeze was stronger suddenly, and he felt her hair tickle his face and he smiled.

Because he had gotten this part back, hadn't he?

He could feel her smile in his chest and he was expecting to see her look up at him when he opened his eyes, but when he did, everything was suddenly white. It took him a second to realize why and it took him another to realize that it hadn't been her hair that had been touching his face, it had been feathers. Millions and millions of soft white feathers.

Encircling them, hiding their forms from public eye, were her angel wings. Her bright, white, and solid angel wings. ...Rinoa... He must have been studying them for a while, watching them flutter and change colours in the wind, because it took him by surprise when he felt her kiss the underside of his chin. Immediately, he looked down at her and he caught her smile and her blush.

Her eyes were shining, big and brown and her face was glowing and he couldn't recall seeing anything else as beautiful as this. She blinked at him, smiling again, and he watched as her mouth opened slowly, forming the words he could hear in his mind. "...I love you..."

She giggled at the words, at the sudden surprise he knew was showing in his face, and he figured that she had used those words on purpose. To throw him off. To make him question if this really was a dream because he never heard her say that before. Slowly, she moved her arms from around his waist to around his neck. "Don't tell me you've forgotten......how much...I love you..."

He didn't trust himself to speak, so he shook his head instead. She smiled, satisfied, and brought her body flush against his again, in the soft embrace. He sighed contently, tightening his hold on her and hoped that he would never have to let her go again. He was about to respond to her, in words, to make sure she knew that he had never truly forgotten that little piece, when he felt another pressure on his arm.

She seemed to sense this pressure as well and while he thought she'd be surprised, her eyes showed none of that emotion. There was another smile, another drifting feather between them, before her lips parted slowly as she looked up at him. "Squ—"

"—SQUALL! Wake up! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

The image of Rinoa flashed out from his line of sight as Squall was jostled awake. He barely had time to respond before Yuffie set off again. "Wakey-wakey! Shakey-shakey! Get up!"

"O—Okay! Yuffie!" He had to blink several times, to adjust to the low light in his room from the bright light in his dream, before he felt even remotely awake. His room was practically spinning around him and it took another long second before he was no longer disoriented. "Okay! Stop shaking me!"

At the order, she immediately jumped away from him. "Good! Up! Up! Up!" She moved away from his slowly rising frame and went to his dresser. He watched her as she picked out a clean shirt for him to wear, and frowned slightly. Although there were plenty of questions buzzing in his head, the first to come out didn't take Yuffie by surprise. "How did you get in here?"

In her frenzy, she spun, threw him the shirt and huffed. Come on, Squall! Up! "Sora's about to duel with Xenmas! And you still haven't changed your code! So stop your dumb questions and get your day-dreaming butt out of bed!"

He caught the shirt with half a mind. ...Sora...? He's...? It took a second for the information to sink in but when it did, Squall moved fluidly out of bed and changed into the new shirt, his brain no longer fuzzed with sleep. His heart began to pound and his palms got sweaty and he couldn't believe how nervous he was when the situation hit him full force. ...no, you know why you're nervous. This is it. Everything is riding on this. ...but he's more than capable...

"Here! Squall!" Yuffie tossed him a pair of jeans and made her way to the door, her noise distracting him. "Change and meet in the Control Room! We're going to cheer him on!"

She thought she would have a head-start on him, at least a couple of minutes, but Yuffie realized that she should never underestimate Squall's speed. ...even if I'm still faster than him... She was barely down the hallway when she heard his footsteps coming behind her. ...after all, I'd rush out of bed too if I heard the news...

Her stomach was a mix of excitement and nerves and her head couldn't really decide on what to think. ...because this is important! It's what we've all be waiting for! This is the ending, isn't it?! Yuffie's heart was pounding at the possibilities when Sora won. And while she couldn't exactly ignore the tiny pessimistic voice, the optimistic side was shouting loud and clear. This is it! The ending! And everything's...going to end the way it should!

At that thought, there was a tiny warning in her head, a sad tone trying to remind her that if her optimistic thought was true, everything would end the way it should, but she ignored it. ...it's what we've all been waiting for...And when Sora wins...everything is going to be right again...and everyone will remember...and no one will have to be alone again...

"—When did he call in?" Squall's voice came to her suddenly, breaking her thoughts.

It took her half a step to respond and another to realize that he was practically in step with her. "About five minutes ago. I woke everyone else up first because you had the full-day shift yesterday and needed the sleep, you know? And Tifa called Cid back in from patrol and—"

"—What did he say?"

She knew she had been rambling from her nerves and knew that this wasn't the time for her to avoid questions, especially with Squall, so she caught herself mid-story and answered him. "He told us that he's about to go in! And we wished him luck! So, we all have to get to the Control Room and keep those vibes going, okay? No frowning from you!"

Yuffie had turned her head slightly in his direction and was surprised to see that he was still keeping step with her. Jeeze! How'd he get here so fast? His face was serious and she quickly made her face serious too, because this was important, as they rounded the last corner to get to the Control Room. Because this was it. What they have been waiting for. And everything else could wait. Her hands were a nervous blur over the panel where she punched in her code and she would have messed up her numbers if Squall hadn't told her that the last number was 'three, not six.'

...wait a minute... When the door swished open, Yuffie looked at him, the implications of his speech making her scattered thoughts stop short. "...how'd you know that?"

To that, he shrugged. "You're not the only one who can hack computers, you know."

She was about to point fingers and reprimand him, just like everyone else had done to her, when Squall simply shrugged again and walked past her without another word. He moved towards the computers, where everyone else was standing around, and Yuffie would have stayed there, slack-jawed, if Aerith hadn't come to her.

"Yuffie! Come on! You have to see this!" The taller brunette smiled, grabbing both of Yuffie's hands and pulling her towards the others.

"What? What's going on now?" Yuffie blinked, trying to understand exactly what everyone was staring at. The possibilities flooded her mind and her words came out as a jumbled mess. "Did Sora call in or something? Is it already over? Did I miss it?!"

"No, no, no." Aerith waved off her questions. "Cid has finally put his brain to good use!"

"...Never would have guessed that one..."

"—HEY!" Cid called out over his shoulder, hearing Yuffie's comment. "Just so you know, everybody's been calling me a genius! Wait 'till you see my work!"

"Well, what're you doing, anyway?" Yuffie rolled her eyes as she finally got close enough to see Cid on the floor, tinkering with wires and a metal box, with everyone else standing around him in a circle. "You know, Cid, now is not the time for one of your new inventions! Sora's out battling Xenmas! Tifa, didn't you tell him?"

"I know he's duelling with Xenmas, you little punk," Cid frowned, but not turning his eyes or hands away from the wires, "and for your information, I'm gonna give us a front row seat! Just...one more...Red over blue..."

Yuffie, still confused, turned to Squall for the answer. He turned slowly to her, feeling her eyes on his head, before explaining the information he had gotten upon reaching the group. "He gave Chip and Dale a little camera. And—"

"—OH!" Her eyes lit up as she interrupted him. "And that camera's with Sora and now we can see what he's doing?!" Squall blinked at her, at her sudden explosion of words, before nodding. "Oh! Cool! That's great! And here I thought we were going to stand around here and do nothing! Come on, Cid, you genius! Get that connection firing!"

"Yeah, yeah." The blonde man mumbled before sitting back. ...I swear, no respect around here... "There! Done! Tifa, hook me up!"

While Tifa plugged in the remaining wires to the computers, it was Aerith who filled in the rest of the details of Cid's handy work. "The picture might not be great...but the camera's so tiny, it could probably just be clipped onto his clothes...On his lapel or something. Isn't that amazing?"

Yuffie nodded enthusiastically, heart pounding. I can't believe this is actually happening! This! It's going to end today! "I don't care if the picture quality is garbage! At least we can see something! At least we can cheer him on sort of-kind of in person!"

With near-perfect timing, the video feed flashed on the computer screen at the end of Yuffie's statement. "There! That's it!" Cid pointed to the mess of static noise, dark blobs and flashes of light the second the screen turned on. Ah, come on! I'd expected better quality than this! He pulled his finger back slowly before adding, "...Well, I guess that's it..."

Every one of them, even Cloud, leaned closer to the computer screen, watching the indistinguishable shapes change and move around and listening to the bursts of sound that came through. Their eyes were squinted, faces frowning slightly, as they all tried to make out what was in front of them and trying to make their eyes adjust.

"Oh! Wait! There! Was that Xenmas? That thing?!" Tifa pointed to the mess of silver that currently occupied the middle of the screen. When a flash of light came to her eyes seconds later, the tall brunette woman nearly jumped, not expecting a change that drastic. What's going on now?

"No," Cloud frowned at the image, the sound of his voice surprising everyone in the room, "that's Riku."

"Riku isn't that tall!" Yuffie protested, turning to her usually quiet friend. "No way! It's probably the metal on Sora's keyblade!"

"Okay fine! That's not him! What about that one?" Tifa pointed again, this time to a blob outlined in a pinkish hue that became illuminated by a streak of white.

"Xenmas is pink?! Really?" Cid raised an eyebrow at Tifa's suggestion, "You really think the Lord of the Heartless is going to be pink?!"

"What's wrong with pink?" Aerith chimed in from behind him. "And besides, that's more red than pink..."

"That doesn't matter." Squall pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing at the argument that was about to start. Focus...Everyone, please, this is important... "What matters is that Sora's learned Final Strike. That streak of white that just passed. There, see?"

"Yeah! Go Sora! Do it again!" Yuffie pumped her fist in the air. When a similiar streak of white flashed on the screen, she cheered. The picture may be bad...but this is good enough! GO SORA! I hope you can feel this! She could barely contain her excitement; she was practically bouncing on the spot. This time, however, she knew that she wouldn't be reprimanded, because it seemed that just about everyone was getting jittery.

"Final Strike?" Cloud repeated, mumbling, after some time. "...That's Ultimate, isn't it?"

"You know, Cloud...?" Cid began, taking his eyes off the screen for a second and changing the topic of conversation slightly, "That's the most I've ever heard you talk in seven years."

While Cloud frowned and pursed his lips together at Cid's comment, Tifa shrugged, eyes wandering over between Cloud and Squall. "...Stranger things have happened, Cid."

The signal cut out a few times, the screen going completely black, and there were times when the strikes went the other way and they all heard Sora and Riku cry out. But even though they heard them, and they felt their nerves up in their throats, they all kept sending Sora as many positive thoughts as they could. Come on, Sora...Come on...You can do this...This is nothing. Get him! There! Because that was the only thought they could think of at a time like this.

All six pairs of eyes were glued to the screen and even though they knew the signal wasn't that great and expected a loss of it, when the screen suddenly went black and stayed black for several minutes, they were all taken back. They all stared for a few moments, trying to will the screen to turn back on, but when not even that worked, there was a collective nervous energy that sparked in the room. "Hey! What happened?!" Yuffie cried out first.

Immediately, after the shock wore off, Cid dropped to the ground and began tinkering with the box again. No...No! Not now! You don't fail on me right when the action's gettin' good! "Come on...Come on...Connect!"

Tifa's hands were shaking; the video was the closest thing they had to Sora right now and at a time like this, she didn't want to lose that. Oh, Sora...Come on! Please! "D—Do you think he was winning? I mean, you saw all the times he hit Xenmas, right? Him and Riku? Do you think they have the upper-hand?" Her speech came out fast and jumbled and it was Aerith who came to her side. "He has those Final moves and all...He has to win, doesn't he?"

"Calm down. Just...It's okay." Aerith looked Tifa right in the eye to calm her down a little, even though her nerves were firing too. "Cid's going to fix it and then, we can watch. Right now, just...Just focus on Sora and keep sending him good luck."

Even though Cid's eyes were on the box, the others were still watching the screen, hearts pounding and not liking the feeling of helplessness as they looked at the blank screen. But there wasn't much else they could do but stand around and wait for the ending, was there? ...Come on, Sora...You can do this...

Yuffie had begun to pace, Squall was busy tightening his fists and then relaxing them, Aerith and Tifa were practically shaking in their spots, holding onto one another and even Cloud got his nervousness out by biting the inside of his cheek. Because this was it. The moment they had been waiting for. The moment that everyone was counting on and all they could do was hope that the huge amount of pressure didn't get to Sora. Because it was a lot to ask for from one teenaged boy and it was a daunting task and even though they were confident in his ability, this was it. His one shot.

There would be no redo. No extra life. One time and that would be it.

Squall folded his arms across his chest in an effort to stop his movements. He steadied his breath and was surprised to hear no thoughts in his head. No chatter, no noise. Strange... To keep himself occupied, to not go stir-crazy, he listened to his heartbeat, to make sure that he was still there. With half a mind, he watched as Yuffie rushed past him, sliding to the floor to where Cid sat. "CID! COME ON! Why isn't it working yet?!"

"Yuffie—" Tifa tried to say before being interrupted.

"—I'm working as fast as I can, alright?!" Cid barked, still trying to hook them back up to the camera. "Dammit. Maybe he knocked the camera out...All the wires are where they are supposed to be!"

"But then how are we supposed to know what's going on? Come on! Try again!" Yuffie grabbed onto his sleeve, pulling it slightly. I have to know what's happening! This is it! Come on, Sora! You can do it! We believe in you! But I have to know! Come on!

All their eyes were moving from Cid's hands to the computer screen. All of their hearts were pounding and all of their thoughts were with Sora. But as Squall looked on, watching Yuffie and Cid and the screen, there was a point, a split second, when his heart stopped repeating its precise routine. It just stopped. And time just seemed to slow down for that second. He blinked twice, the forms of his friends not moving at all, before wondering if any of them were feeling this strange. ...what...? It was a feeling of detachment, as if he wasn't really there, as if he was slowly losing grip on the picture in front of him. He felt his mouth open, about to ask that question, when his voice suddenly cut out. "Hey—"

There was suddenly no sound. Except a light ringing in his ears. Except the music of clarinets and flutes and violins and cellos and he thought for another second he was finally losing his sanity when his vision slowly began to turn white. ...what...?! His throat was dry, a lump forming and cutting off his words again. "Guys—" His heart started to pound and he felt like he was falling over even though he was sure he was standing upright. He tried to move towards them, to raise his hands or something or anything to get their attention, but his body remained frozen. And while sudden paralysis would usually be a concern for him, there was none of that feeling. Just a strange sort of calm.

Because he understood now, didn't he? He knew why, didn't he?

Before he couldn't see anything, his eyes passed over all the faces in the room. Time was still slow, but his eyes were still fast and he could see that Tifa and Aerith and Cloud had slight confusion on their faces, looking around at everyone in that strange slow motion, suddenly very surprised to be in that room. ...because...this is it...isn't it? And as much as he wanted to know the real reason behind their faces, to share in this emotional episode, Squall couldn't let his mind linger on it because it was Yuffie's face that caught his attention.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth opened slightly and he had to wonder what he looked like to make her have that face. He watched as her lips formed his name, watched as she jumped up in slow motion from her seat next to Cid, and before his vision went completely white, watched as everyone else suddenly realize what she was running towards. The still and calm form of him. ...Yuffie...no...wait...I want...

"SQUALL!" Yuffie shouted, scampering towards the white pillar of light that was slowly beginning to engulf her friend. He was looking at her, she was sure that he was, and there was another second that passed when she remembered that circular band still pushing against her hip. Squall! SQUALL! Wait! She wasn't sure what was happening, wasn't sure if her heart could take it, wasn't sure if anyone around her was moving... All she could see was that Squall was slowly disappearing in front of her eyes, slowly disappearing under the light and the waterfall because this was what happened when things went back to normal, didn't they? And she knew it, didn't she?

Her hand reached into her pocket quickly, feet still moving towards him, and just before she couldn't see his face anymore, her hand reached out, thrusting into the pillar towards him. Yuffie was expecting some sort of backlash from the light, some sort of resistance, pain even, but encountered nothing. He must have seen her coming, must have seen her hand because the first thing she touched was his arm. There was a quick exchange, the light getting far too bright for her comfort, and she quickly made his hand into a fist once the ring was in his palm. Squall...

It was then that she suddenly felt the resistance, the high speed winds that were pushing up from the ground, and the sound of it was making her head hurt. She wasn't sure if anyone else had moved, and couldn't hear them, because all she could hear was the sound of rushing water. Or maybe it was a thousand waterfalls with...with violins? Yuffie felt her hand being pushed upwards and there was just a last second touch between Squall and her before her arm was shoved out of the column. ...wait...Wait! Squall! Her thoughts became frantic when she could see his form slowly start to rise. She was about to rush in after him, to demand that he stay at least for another week, to at least say goodbye properly because it really wasn't fair for him to just get up and leave like that. ...please...wait...

But Yuffie didn't move. She couldn't think. Because everything had to go back, didn't it? And as much as she wished it to be false, ...Squall wasn't part of her old world, was he? ...but...but... That logic held her back, and she could only look up and watch as Squall's form disappeared from her sight, the light getting brighter and brighter and brighter until she had to look away. ...Squall... And when she felt the tears begin to fall, she didn't bother wiping them. She let them move down her cheeks.

Because as much as this hurt, this was good, wasn't it? This was the ending that they had all wanted, wasn't it? ...because Sora won...because he won...Xenmas is gone and now...he's... Yuffie turned slowly to her friends, sobbing, unable to look at Squall's departure....because he has his own world...to get back to, doesn't he? She would have been so proud of her logical thinking, her calm, rational thoughts, and she was sure that Squall would be too, if she wasn't so busy crying...if she wasn't so busy wishing that Squall didn't have to go. ...but that's...where he—he... And as much as she tried to force herself to believe in the explanation, Yuffie simply couldn't. Not now. Not after all of that. ...but he's my friend too! He's part of my world too! You can't just take him away like that!

Yuffie brought her tear-filled eyes upwards, towards the window, and wished on all the shooting stars that were falling up into the sky to bring Squall back. Just for a second...Just to say—say goodbye... And as much as she wanted to enjoy the view of the sky with all its stars, she just couldn't. Because it hurt too damn much and who cares about stars when your friend disappears? Please...Please...That's just not...fair...

She wasn't sure when it happened, but Yuffie suddenly found herself on the ground, slamming into a kneeling position as she kept crying. It was Tifa who came to her first, moving quickly to her trembling frame, and holding her in a tight hug. The others in the room were quiet, slowly coming to an understanding about all of this, and it wasn't for another long moment before Tifa spoke. "...Yuffie?"

And if Yuffie wasn't hearing the violins and the cellos and the clarinets and the flutes, she was certain that she heard something else in Tifa's tone of voice that made the tears stop for a second. ...Tifa...? Something else that had been missing for about seven years. Something important. Something that was lost and found again. ...because Sora won... "T—Tifa..." Her heart was pounding again as she looked at her friend, seeing the spark in her eyes that told her everything. "Tifa..."

Yuffie started crying again. She brought her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly, because this was something she had been waiting for, wasn't it? This was something that was seven years in the making, wasn't it? ...She...Tifa...is... Yuffie pursed her lips together to stop the sound of her sobbing because she should be happy, shouldn't she? This was good, right? And while she wanted to listen to the optimistic voice again, the one that was singing at the back of her mind, the one that was finally victorious after all of that, Yuffie couldn't help the tears that fell. ...but...but...

"Yuffie...Don't cry..." Tifa spoke softly, patting her back, holding her own tears because it wouldn't do much good if they were both crying.

The taller brunette wasn't expecting anything but tears from Yuffie and was surprised when that quiet, sad voice came to her ears. The one that Yuffie would have reserved for any time when she wished for her whole friend back. "He's...He's gone...? Is he...gone?" There was a tiny hiccup at the end and Tifa simply nodded in the direction of the pillar of light. Yuffie could feel that movement, the up and down signal for 'Yes', and sniffed loudly. There was a sudden calm in her head, the optimistic singer being quieted by the sad logical thinker. ...but Squall has...been waiting for this part...for seven years too, right?

"He's going back home, Yuffie...Don't cry..." Tifa tried to console her friend, trying to smile, trying to believe in the justice in all of this, hoping that if she said it often enough, it would make this better.

"But this was home too, Tifa! For him! He was a part of us, too!" Yuffie stubbornly protested, stopping her logical thoughts and reasoning out loud because that so wasn't her area of expertise and if she did it anymore, she'd keep thinking about him and she didn't she say once that she was done crying over him? She didn't want to listen to that logical side anymore, but it kept spitting out words, because shouldn't she be happy? Her friends got their memories back and wasn't that something she had wanted for a long time? ...And if she could get that back, shouldn't Squall be entitled to it, too? Even if it means...him going away? ...but...but...

"I know...I know..." Using one hand for the hug, Tifa brought her other up to wipe her own tears away. Squall...You're finally...going back...This is...This was everything... Swallowing down her sadness, Tifa watched as the light pillar slowly began to fade out. The words came to her suddenly and it felt like she had no control over it, but it was the only thing she could think of to calm the situation down. Because what else could be said at a time like this? "...He'll never forget us, you know..."

Yuffie broke away from her abruptly, pulling out of the hug and using the back of her hand to wipe her tears. When Tifa's words finally registered in her head, when she turned slowly and saw the light fading out, she was surprised at the sudden calm thought that broke through her mind's chatter. ...No...He won't...He can't...Because memories like these...don't just vanish, right? There was a tiny spot of warmth in her heart at that sentiment; it didn't make the pain any easier, but it felt good to have. Because she didn't want to be miserable, did she? ...because he deserves...to get his wish, too...The petite ninja offered Tifa a tiny smile, sniffing, seeing Cloud and Aerith and Cid begin to crowd around them, and tried to put as much truth as she could to her words so that even she could believe in them.

Because this was good, wasn't it? This had been good, right? And what's not to say that it can't happen again? ...stranger things...have happened, right? "...He has the memory of an elephant, Tifa...He can't forget us...even if he tried..."

The first thing Squall thought of when he regained consciousness was why he wasn't feeling any pain. He could feel that he had landed on his back, could feel the grass and the earth being crushed beneath him and he would have thought that for sure, with this amount of impact, he would be in a tremendous amount of pain. A headache or concussion or something.

But he felt nothing.

His eyelids were heavy and his brain was fuzzy and groggy and nauseous. ...what...happened...? His body felt stiff and the last thing he could remember was seeing white. Seeing nothing but white and...and... ...Yuffie... and the ring and...and the looks on his friend's faces as they remembered everything and...and Yuffie running towards him. ...Yuffie...Sora...Sora won...? At that sudden thought, his mind jolted awake and his eyes opened in a flash.

Squall's vision came to him quickly but it took him a second to realize that it was night time...even though he was sure it was morning in...in... ...Hollow...Hollow Bastion...? He frowned slightly because the place name in his head didn't sound quite right, but he was sure that it was. Hyne...what...? Squall groaned as he tried to move, trying to piece together what happened before this, trying to push out the fuzzy, groggy mind and get back into gear and trying to get his body moving again because this was important, wasn't it? ...Come on...

He blinked twice, deciding not to move anymore because that was impeding his thought process, and focused up at the sky. Because that was something important too. Because something about seeing millions upon millions of stars falling up into the sky was good, wasn't it? ...because...because...Sora won, didn't he? Squall exhaled slowly, the memories of what had happened coming back to him slowly and when he remembered Yuffie's face, her tear-streaked face, his lips pursed together and his hands tightened into fists. But before he could even think along those lines, about the family he had for seven years suddenly vanishing in a pillar of white, and everything that they had done for him, Squall paused.

Because there was something in his hand. And he knew what it was, didn't he?

...she took...the ring... The thought came slowly to his mind and he had to blink once before his fingers uncurled around the object that Yuffie had given back to him. That she had made sure he had gotten so that he wouldn't...forget what it meant. His heart began to pound as his eyes strained to look at the object in his palm, that simple silver band that had started everything, that plan, the reunion, the understanding and the acceptance and his ability to finally be okay again. ...Yuffie... Squall looked back up at the sky and tried to calm down. Staring at all the stars, it took him everything he had to not acknowledge the fact that he was officially millions upon millions of light-years away from them all, that somewhere up there, Hollow Bastion was missing one member of its committee...

Because Sora won, didn't he?

And while he knew that he had every right to feel sad, to get angry and to let that pang of sadness engulf him and to be upset that he had just lost his family, and that fate had a cruel way of showing him how much he needed them all, Squall stopped himself and took a breath. ...because that means...that the ending we all needed...is here...the worlds are restored... He took another breath and started to move his body into a sitting position. ...and no one is alone anymore...Yuffie...isn't alone anymore... As his body rose, there was a dizziness, but he pushed it aside, trying hard to focus on the good in all of this, but failing as his thoughts continued. ...but I still want both...

And as much as mind wanted to return to the sadness, because he had every right to, he knew that Yuffie would yell at him if he stayed sad. She would stomp her feet and make little fists and command him to stop it because she had worked too damn hard to see him go back into his old ways, hadn't she? ...And he didn't want to be sad. And he didn't want them to be sad, either. ...at least...I remember them, right? ...That's something, isn't it? That I haven't forgotten...

His heart was pounding and it took everything he had to hold onto that one optimistic thought. ...and I don't want them to be sad over me, either...because they remember too, don't they...? Squall swallowed thickly, finally upright, and slowly brought his legs towards his torso so that he could stand. ...because Hyne wouldn't be that cruel, would She? After something like that...at least you still have that part... The grass pulled and tore under his moving limbs and finally, he stood. There was a slight imbalance to his step and he nearly fell over, but he caught himself. ...because they're going to be fine...the universe is righted again...

His eyes went back to the ring in his palm for a second, his heart practically exploding at the symbolism of it, before looking back up at the majestic night sky, it now being just a little bit closer. Wherever they are now...up there...Yuffie and Tifa and Aerith and Cloud and Cid and Sora and everyone is going to be fine...because the memories...are precious, aren't they? And no one...is alone anymore...because everyone...remembers... And even though he didn't believe in that nonsense, that shootings stars have no magical powers, Squall brought his head up and made a wish anyway. Because it couldn't hurt, could it?

I wish...for their safety...for a chance to maybe...be able...to see them again... As the wish passed through his mind, Squall's lips curled upwards into a tiny smile because he was surprised at his sudden optimism. ...the worlds came together once, didn't they...? So why not again...? After all of that...why not? His eyes moved downwards and he suddenly heard the sounds of violins and clarinets and flutes and cellos again. A familiar tune, all in perfect tone, and his heart began to slow down in his chest. ...because the light won...and that's something good, isn't it? ...those memories...will never vanish...Friends like that...

He had a feeling they were there, behind him, calling out his name over and over and over again, and even though he couldn't hear anything above the sound of the music and of Yuffie's laughter and Cid's mumbles and Aerith's smiles and Tifa's words...Squall turned anyway. Because he always had his back to them in his dreams, right?

His eyes scanned the familiar group of five, seeing Zell and Quistis and Irvine and Selphie all waving and crying and waving and pointing, and it took him a second to calm his heart down, to realize that it had finally happened, that seven years of everything had finally paid off, that he was finally in the fields of the purple and the yellow and the pink and the white flowers of the orphanage where they had promised to meet... It took him another long second to notice the blue and the black of her.

He could see her again.

She was standing with her back to him. Her hair swished in the light wind and her body was outlined in the white of the moon. What was left of her blue sleeveless coat hung in two strips at her hips but Squall couldn't focus there for long. Because she turned around quickly, eyes moving from the shooting stars to his frame, and he watched her as her eyes lit up and her mouth break into a smile and the tears begin to fall. Slowly, her hand moved up, to point to all the stars for a split second, before the rest of her body broke out into a run towards him.

And he watched her move, her feet kicking up dirt and flower petals, smiling a little to himself because this had happened before, hadn't it? And he knew who had done it and why. ...and friends like that...can't just vanish, can they? ...I'll never forget them... It took him a second, another smile, before Squall found the use of his legs and began to run to her, to meet her half way.

...I promise...

THE END. :D

So how many of you saw that ending coming? I was actually thinking of being mean and making Squall and everyone else forget about one another completely....but, that just wasn't my style.

Overall, I really enjoyed writing this fic. At times, it was hard, at other times, even harder...but I'm glad that I stuck to it and kept up with all my themes and styles. You know, all that stuff about Need Vs. Want, Dreams Vs. Reality, Friendship and the weather and all those LOVELY run on sentences (to symbolize mind chatter) and the idea of Being Alone Vs. Together... But all of you know that if this happens at the end of KHIII, IT WAS TOTALLY MY IDEA FIRST. XD.

I hope you all liked it. I know that my 'Falling Action' (the stuff that happens after the Rinoa-Squall reunion) was slow and not-up-to-MY-standards, but I've always had trouble with that area...so, I hope that I didn't disappoint.

Anyway guys, it's been a blast! From Emo to re-born! ^^ Hope y'all enjoyed it! This is Evil StormSister, signing off....Maybe for a while, not sure. Professional school is QUITE hard (even in its first week....)

Keep on Truckin'
Evil SS