Author's Note: Here it is. The end. The epilogue's title is based off of the song My Hands by Leona Lewis, the song played in the english ending of Final Fantasy XIII. I totally recommend that you listen to it, if you haven't already!

S o S t a r s t r u c k

Epilogue

Will Not Let You Go

Lightning, wake up.

Lightning opened her eyes as she stepped onto the ground, the feeling in her hands returning to her as the crystal fell from her skin. Taking a breath of Gran Pulse's clean air, she looked up toward the sky, toward the fully crystallized Cocoon high above her head. A small smile formed on her lips, and she closed her eyes.

"They did it," she breathed, letting her hands rest at her sides. "They saved the world."

She heard foot steps come up behind her, and she turned around to face Snow, Sazh, and Hope. All of them, too, were staring at Cocoon with wide eyes, unbelieving of what had happened. Snow walked up beside Lightning and clapped a hand on her shoulder, and for once she didn't shove him away.

"No," he told her, smiling weakly. "They gave us a new one."

"That's one gift I'll forgive 'em for not wrapping," Sazh said with a wide grin.

Behind them, people walked out from the distance and looked all around, and PSICOM soldiers moved to guide them all to safety. No one saw the four near the crystal in the sky, the four who had saved them from fate. Hope started laughing out of relief, grinning when he saw Lightning smile weakly.

"Does this mean we completed our Focus?" he asked her, rubbing the back of his neck.

Snow shrugged his shoulders. "Cocoon's seen better days, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Sazh agreed, nodding his head. "And I'd say that qualifies as a demolition. Focus complete."

Lightning turned her head toward Cocoon's crystal again, her aqua eyes watching it shimmer in the light. "It...really is a miracle," she whispered, low enough for no one to hear her. She turned back to the others, just as Snow frowned all of the sudden.

"Wait," he stated, looking all around them. "We're...missing someone. I could have sworn that...there was someone else with us the entire time we were..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head when he gave up trying to remember.

Someone else? Lightning looked toward Cocoon again, frowning when she couldn't understand what he'd meant. But, for some reason, looking at the sky comforted her in her sadness.

Hope scratched his chin, trying to remember as well. "You know, I don't...remember anyone else who was with us. It was just the six of us, saving Cocoon. Snow, maybe you hit your head back there, or something!" He grinned again, and the blond man nodded.

"Maybe...We're not meant to remember," he murmured, turning his head as something caught his eye. In the distance, walking away from the crystallized Cocoon's base, were Serah and Dajh. He smiled widely and rushed forward to greet her, and Sazh ran after him to see his son.

Hope was laughing and smiling again, and Lightning reached for her lightning-bolt necklace when she watched Snow and Serah's reunion. But, when she touched her neck, she was surprised to find that her necklace wasn't there anymore. Lightning frowned for a moment, but when she turned her head toward the sky she smiled once more.

In the center of Cocoon's crystal, Fang and Vanille remained with their eyes closed and their bodies eternally crystallized with their hands entwined as they floated in the light.

"Not meant to remember, huh?" Fang asked, her voice sounded almost regretful. "That doesn't seem fair, Vanille."

Vanille's voice was just as sad, if not more. "It's a sad thing, but it was all we could do. Their memories of him were the price to pay for saving Cocoon, and Ivalice."

"Still think it would have been better for him to stay." She scoffed, "Then again, he's got a home, too."

Vanille laughed weakly. "I guess the leading man will get the happy ending he wanted them to have." She then quietly spoke to someone in a distant world,"It's easy to lose sight of things in a world as wide as this one...But if you keep going, you're sure to find what you're looking for - sooner or later."

In the world called Ivalice, somewhere outside the city of Rabanastre, Balthier slowly opened his eyes when he heard a calm voice assuring him that he would be all right. When Vanille's voice left his mind, he tiredly got to his feet and looked toward the sky, shielding his eyes from the blazing sun above.

"Sooner or later," he murmured, sighing as he tilted his head downward. "I hope you're right, you two."

Fran was standing at the gates to Rabanastre, lightly tapping her clawed foot on the sand as she watched her partner with curious eyes. She tilted her head to the side, and then he turned in her direction. Instantly his eyes lit up when she nodded her head to him, and he began to walk toward her. But, once he took a few steps, he looked down at his closed hand. He slowly opened it, his gaze softening when it laid upon the lightning-bolt necklace he held. With a weak, saddened smile, he turned his head and looked back toward the blue sky and sighed heavily.

Balthier turned away and walked to Fran, enclosing his hand gently over the necklace and closing his eyes. Fran eyed him carefully when he stood in front of her, but she smiled ever-so slightly when his signature smirk returned to his face. Together they walked into Rabanastre, ready to greet the new dawn.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this little story of mine! I love you all.

My loving thanks goes to Joshua Chung, who is the most amazing and wonderful person for leaving comments that continuously made me smile as I wrote. The same goes to The Giant Daifuku, who I must thank for being my inspiration to take the chance and write this little story! I love you guys!

So! The sequel will be out soon! It will be titled Bad Bromance, and will take place in Ivalice. ;) So, keep an weathering eye out for it!

Love, Cherri.