Wow, it took me a really long time to do this. Sorry for the huge delay. I kind of got tired of my fanfic for a while, and it kind of grinded to a halt. To tell the truth, after reading the whole fanfiction, I was kind of dissappointed. Oh well. Apologies if this fanfic seems kind of stupid or crappy or badly written or whatever. I just wanted it done. That's also why I didn't follow up on other loose ends I created when I was writing. Epilogue: In the last part, Cloud and Squall ended the conflict with Jenova, destroying her, Ultimecia, and Sephiroth in a final, colossal battle. Squall succeeded in rescuing Rinoa, and the last traces of Jenova, her monsters, and her lair were destroyed by the final barrage of Galbadian missiles. In addition, Zell and Cid Highwind struck an interesting bargain: Cid would lend his technological expertise to remodeling the Ragnoroks, and Esthar would in turn supply Cid with Estharian technology to further enhance his own legendary airship. Chapter 36: Time to PAAH-TAAY!! A week had passed since Jenova was defeated, and despite the victory, most of the people in Garden were depressed. Many students and SeeDs had lost friends and comrades during the battle with Jenova's minions, and President Caraway's death had hit everyone hard, especially Rinoa. Caraway's funeral had just taken place two days ago, followed by the memorial for the fallen SeeDs, and the morale within Garden was really low. "Everyone's so depressed," Selphie moaned. She, Irvine, Quistis, and Zell were in the cafeteria. "Yeah," Irvine said. "We gotta do something to make everyone feel better." "Like what?" Quistis asked. "What else?" Irvine said, his tone indicating that whatever it was, it should be obvious. Selphie then caught on, her face brightning. "A PAAH-TAAY!!" she shouted, her favorite words. "Organize a party?" Zell said. "Yeah, like back when we were in FH, trying to get Squall and Rinoa together," Selphie said. "We can even play in our band again!" "Oh, no," Quistis said, shaking her head. "Leave me out of it.You remember how terrible my piano- playing was, didn't you? It ruined the whole song. I have no musical aptitude." "Maybe not with instruments," Zell agreed, "but how about singing?" "Me, sing?" Quistis said in shock. "Yeah, you're not that bad," Zell replied. "Sometimes when I walk by your office between classes, you have your headphones on and I can hear you singing while you're working. You're pretty good." Quistis's face had by now turned red with embarassment. "Okay, so we've got Quistis singing," Irvine said. "I suppose you're going to play the electric guitar again, right Sefie?" Selphie nodded eagerly. "And Zell, what did you play?" "Bass guitar," Zell replied. "I'll play the violin," Irvine said. "But we still need someone to play piano..." "Someone say piano?" they heard from a nearby table. The SeeDs looked up to see Cloud and Tifa sitting nearby. "Yep," Irvine said. "Can either of you play?" Both Cloud and Tifa nodded. "Yeah, but we both agree that Tifa's better," Cloud said. "You wanna play in our band for the party?" Zell asked. Tifa smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said. Tifa actually loved to play piano, and her dexteritious fingers and hands were perfectly suited for the instrument as well. "Whoo-hoo!" Selphie shouted. "We've got our band!" "Hey, wait a minute," Cloud said. Everyone turned to regard him. "What does every party need?" "Beer?" Irvine said. "Cake?" Selphie asked. "Hot dogs?" That was Zell. "A DJ." Cloud corrected. "And I know the perfect candidate..." It was the following morning, and Squall was getting up to do his daily routine when he noticed a flashing light on his phone, indicating he had a message. Squall tapped the button and played it. the recorded voice said. Another voice, the first message, spoke next. The voice was emotionless, female, and recorded. Squall hit the button again to play the next message. Selphie's voice screamed. Squall grinned. One could count on Selphie to lift everyone's spirits when they're down. That night, Squall went back to his dorm and changed into his SeeD unifirm, which was a rare occurence for him, since he hated to wear the outfit. Then he walked over to Rinoa's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer for a few moments. Squall wondered, and not for the first time, if Rinoa was alright. After all, her father had died a little over a week ago, and Squall didn't know how well she was taking it. Then the door opened and Squall's thoughts were interrupted at the sight of Rinoa. Her eyes were a bit red from tears, but aside from that, she was seemed fine. Then Squall's attention was drawn away by what Rinoa was wearing. Her white dress! The one he'd first seen her in, on that first day they'd met over a year ago. Wow, Rinoa looks even better in it now than ever before, Squall thought. Rinoa smiled and reached forward, putting her hand under Squall's open mouth, and then closed it for him. "Uhh...ready to go?" Squall asked. Rinoa smiled. Of course she was ready to go! Everyone in Garden was going to be there tonight! With that, the couple left the Dorms and headed for the ballroom. Indeed, everyone in Garden did attend: SeeDs, students, faculty, and even a few Shumis and Moombas who were visiting Garden at the moment. Everyone converged on the ballroom, to find a huge stage had been set up at one end, where Selphie's band was finishing their preparations and Headmaster Cid was going over his short speech one last time. Elsewhere, the cafeteria crew were working hard to finish the huge amount of food (including an ample amount of hot dogs) that would be necassary for a party this big. Selphie looked over the gathering crowd of people, watching for her friends, both old and new. It wasn't hard to spot Cloud's friends, since they stood out like T-Rexaurs in the middle of a Cactaur family reunion. Selphie spotted Barret and Cid Highwind first, then Red XIII and Angelo, who were in the midst of a small crowd of curious Moombas and Shumis, Squall and Rinoa, Seifer and Kura, who were being watched by an ever-protective Syric, who had discarded his armor, and Fujin and Rajin, standing at the back. Nida and Yuffie had entered together, which was a bit of a surprise, and Selphie spotted Vincent staying in the back, far away from everyone. Well, that was Vincent for you. Laguna, who had recovered from his wounds, was also in attendance, along with Ellone. After Selphie had figured most of Garden was in attendance, she turned on her microphone. "Hey! How's everyone doing tonight?" she asked. A deafening roar came back, with the loudest voices being those of Barret and Rajin. "Whoo-hoo!" Selphie shouted. Headmaster Cid walked over, and she handed him the microphone. "Tonight," he began, "is a celebration, of life, of joy, of love. It is these things that we live and fight for. Life, joy, and love. They bring us together, and have brought all of you here tonight. And that is what this is all about. But even more than that, this night is for everyone gathered here. We are all the same, brought together by those things we all fight for. Tonight we celebrate life, joy, and love, and even more so, we honor those who fight for them. "Tonight is your night! Enjoy it!" As Cid finished his small speech, the whole crowd burst into thunderous applause and cheering. Cid handed the mic back to Selphie and stepped down off the stage. "Let's get this party going!" Selphie shouted as she took up her guitar. Zell and Irvine picked up their instruments and Tifa sat down at her piano. The crowd loosed an even louder cheer, and then the Trepies squealed in delight when Quistis (somewhat nervously) stepped forward, mic in hand. Tifa began to play her piano and Irvine his violin, then Selphie and Zell joined in as well, and Quistis began singing "Eyes On Me," which was just about everyone's favorite song. At first she was a bit shakey, but as she continued singing the song, Quistis became more confident. Couples quickly paired up, while those who didn't have partners quickly began finding them. In the middle of it all, Rinoa and Squall were dancing, slowly and serenely. When the song finally ended, everyone burst out into applause. Selphie and her band took a bow, and the she took up the mic again. "Thanks everyone!" she shouted. Then Selphie pointed to the side. "Now, everyone say hello to our new DJ, Cait Sith!" Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing to see that Cait Sith was, in fact, the DJ. The mechanical Moogle/cat toy immediately began to hop up and down in excitement as he began playing a popular Dollet dance song. Selphie and her band hopped down off the stage, and Zell and Quistis quickly paired up, while Tifa joined Cloud. Selphie and Irvine, however, had a different plan. Irvine reached into his deep-pocketed trenchcoat and produced a video camera, and the pair began moving around the room, recording the party. Irvine and Selphie kept alternating the camera back and forth, though when Irvine had the camera it would occasionally shift towards nearby groups of SeeD girls. Whenever that happened, though, Selphie was quick to get Irvine's attention back with a mock glare and a playful slap to the back of the head. They spent a long time walking around the dance floor, filming the multitudes of couples. Finally, the dancing began to wind down and some people dispersed, though plenty stayed on the dance floor. Irvine and Selphie got plenty of shots of their friends, both old and new. They filmed Zell, stuffing his face with hot dogs as always, sitting at a table with Quistis and his adopted sister Tani, the girl with the pigtail. A moment later they filmed another group talking at a table, this time Barret, Cid Highwind, and Laguna. As Irvine and Selphie passed, they caught a bit of the conversation. It seemed that Cid was trading his flight and engineering expertise for Estharian tech. Several minutes later they filmed Red XIII and Angelo, playing with a large group of kids, Balamb Garden's junior classmen. Beyond them, leaning against a wall and drink in hand, was Vincent, staying quiet and keeping his distance from everyone as he always did. After a few minutes, Irvine and Selphie turned their attention to the dance floor. They had to move around Headmaster Cid and Edea, who were chatting with old Bugenhagen, and then approached and moved among the throng of dancers. They got plenty of shots of Cloud and Tifa, Seifer and Kura, and Squall and Rinoa. Then Irvine, who was weilding the camera at the moment, filmed an odd couple. "Nida and Yuffie?" he muttered in surprise. Selphie looked in the direction he was pointing the camera. Irvine was right, she realized. Nida and Yuffie were dancing. "Well, that's an odd couple," Irvine remarked. Selphie nodded in agreement. Zell had told them of how he'd hooked the two up, but it still seemed strange that those two would get together. Especially considering the minor fact that there was a 5,000 year time difference between them. Selphie and Irvine continued to wander around the dance floor, and found themselves near the stage beside Cait Sith. At this point Selphie turned to Ivine and winked. Irvine grinned in reply. Selphie's next idea was coming up. Selphie grabbed the mic from its stand. "Hey, everyone!" she shouted. The whole crowd turned its attention to her. "Kareoke contest!" she shouted, hopping up and down in excitement as the crowd cheered. Immediately over a dozen SeeDs and students moved forward, also excited and eager to join in. Zell was the first one there, and he leaped on stage, grabbing a mic. He pumped his fist in the air, and the audience (particularly those from Balamb) cheered thunderously. Zell picked up his mic, and told Cait Sith what song he was going to sing. Cait Sith started the music, and deep, loud rock music blasted out the speakers. "Hey, I'm feeling good tonight!" Zell shouted to the cheering audience. "I feel ALIVE!" Everyday is a new day I'm thankful for every breath I take I won't take it for granted So I learn from my mistakes It's beyond my control, sometimes its best to let go Whatever happens in this lifetime So I trust in love You have given me peace of mind I feel so alive for the very first time I can't deny you (I feel so alive) I feel so alive for the very first time And I think I can fly Sunshine upon my face A new song for me to sing Tell the world how I feel inside Even though it might cost me everything Now I that know this, so beyond, I can't hold this I can never turn my back away Now that I've seen you I can never look away I feel so alive for the very first time I can't deny you (I feel so alive) I feel so alive for the very first time And I think I can fly And now that I know you (I could never turn my back away) Now that I see you (I could never look away) Now that I know you (I could never turn my back away) Now that I see you (I believe no matter what they say) I feel so alive for the very first time I can't deny you (I feel so alive) I feel so alive for the very first time And I think I can fly I feel so alive for the very first time And I think I can fly I feel so alive for the very first time And I think I can fly And I think I can fly And I think I can fly And I think I can fly "Alive" by P.O.D. The sheer volume of the cheers from the audience was deafening. Zell pumped his fist in the air, then leaped down off the stage, tossing the mic the next person in line. Several hours had passed, and the party was still going strong. Seifer and Kura were seated at a table to the side. Seifer had removed his normal gloves and grayish-white, battle-worn jacket, wearing only his pants and his sleeveless blue shirt. As they sat, watching the party and talking idly, Kura noticed that Laguna and Cid Kramer were walking up to them. "Ah, Seifer," Cid said as they arrived. "We were wanting to talk to you." "But unfortunately," Laguna said, "the Headmaster of Garden and the President of Esthar have a difficult time moving through crowds at parties." "So many people wanting to say hi, or shake your hand," Cid finished with a shake of his head. "But we finally got through, so we could speak with you." "What is it?" Seifer asked. "To put it simply," Laguna said, "Due to your role in more or less saving the world, I've decided that your debt to society has been repaid." "That means that I'm no longer in Esthar's military?" Seifer asked. Laguna smiled and nodded. "There'll be a lot of people in the military who'll be happy to see you gone." Kura's eyes widened, and her incredilous expression demanded an answer as clearly as if she'd asked the question out loud. "Seifer," Laguna began, "is arrogant, undisciplined, and impossible to control. Its nearly impossible for him to work in a military unit, unless he's working alone." Kura looked back to Seifer in surprise, but Seifer wore a bored expression on his face, as if he'd heard this a million times before. "Now you know what I had to put up with," Cid said to Laguna. The Headmaster then turned his attention back to Seifer. "Seifer, since you are no longer a member of Esthar's military, I have decided to allow you to be re-admitted into Garden." Seifer's eyes widened, and Kura's expression brightened. "However," Cid continued, "We have concluded that you are too unruly and undisciplined to become a SeeD." Seifer's mouth dropped open, and his expression turned to one of shock and disbelief. "So, instead of becoming a SeeD, I have decided that your battle skills would be better used to train both students and SeeDs." Seifer's mouth opened wider. "You want me to become a weapons instructor?" Seifer asked in disbelief. Cid nodded. Seifer blinked a few times and looked down at the floor. After a few moments of contemplation, Seifer looked back up at the Headmaster. "Balamb Garden Instructor Seifer Almasy," he said, emphasizing each word. Seifer flashed his classic rakish smile. "I like the sound of that." Squall and Rinoa stepped outside, onto 'their' balcony, the one where they'd shared their first kiss, and where they often went during parties to be alone and gaze out into the stars. To their surprise as they stepped out onto the balcony, they discovered that they weren't alone. Standing to the side, gazing up into the sky, was Syric. The crimson-furred lion Guardian Force seemed to be lost in thought. Squall and Rinoa both decided to leave the GF alone, so they wouldn't disturb his thoughts. So they stood together at the railing, looking up at the stars above. They remained there for a while, until Squall felt that someone was watching him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Syric looking in their direction. The lion GF moved away from his spot and stood beside them, also looking up at the stars. Squall and Rinoa could tell that he was wanting to say something, so they waited a few moments. Finally, Syric spoke. "This is my last night as a mortal," he said to Squall and Rinoa. "When the sun rises, I will no longer be Kura's knight, but instead her Guardian Force." Squall nodded, but neither he nor Rinoa said anything. "I've been a mortal for two hundred years," he continued. "Two hundred years..." Syric sighed, and then smiled. "And I still don't understand you mortals." Squall and Rinoa chuckled at that. "I suppose Seifer will become Kura's knight now?" Squall asked. Syric nodded. "Syric?" Rinoa asked. The GF turned to regard her. "You're the GF Greiver, right?" Syric nodded in reply. "And you said that you had been serving Kura's anscestors as a knight for the last two hundred years?" Again, Syric nodded. "Did they name you Syric?" "No," Syric said with a chuckle. "The majority of Sorceresses in Kura's family that I served called me by my true name. Kura, however, started calling me by the name of Syric Foren, which, in the old Centran language, means 'loyal guardian'. We adopted that as my name when Kura attended Centra Garden." "And your armor was a means of disguising yourself, right?" Rinoa asked. "Yes. Actually, Kura desgined the armor, basing it on the suits of dragon armor from the Dragoon Knights of the old Centran civilization. The armor certainly drew stares, but that was better than having a mortal, red- furred, lion Guardian Force walking around." Syric glanced back into the ballroom, at the students and SeeDs partying, and a smile appeared on his face. "Well, the secret's out now, but I suppose it doesn't matter anymore." With that, he turned around to Squall and Rinoa and dipped into a graceful bow. "I enjoyed talking with you," he said, and then walked back into the ballroom. Squall and Rinoa watched them go. Then Rinoa turned to Squall. "Is it just me, or are Guardian Forces really weird?" she asked him. Squall grinned. "Must be why they're so compatible with us humans," he said. Then, the couple turned back to the railing, watching the stars above. After a while, Rinoa noted a shooting star flashing past overhead, and she pointed up to it. Squall also saw it as well. He remembered a similar circumstance just over a year ago, during their victory celebration, when a shooting star had shot by overhead while he and Rinoa had been out on the balcony. Rinoa remembered too, and she also remembered something else that had occured during that party as well. She quickly glanced to the side, and did indeed see what she was hoping for. Hopefully, the batteries wouldn't run out this time. Rinoa stepped close to Squall and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss. Actually, Squall had been intending to do the same thing. So he pulled her close, and they shared the kiss for a long, long time, until they ran out of breath. As they broke the kiss, Rinoa grinned playfully and glanced to the side. Squall followed her gaze. Standing at the balcony doorway was Irvine, video camera in hand, and Selphie. Squall turned back to Rinoa, giving her a look like he'd been betrayed. Then he turned to Selphie and Irvine. "Gimme that," Squall demanded. Irvine and Selphie glanced at each other doubtfully. "Alright," Squall said. "The SeeD Commander orders you to give him that camera." Again, Irvine and Selphie traded doubtful looks. "Sir," Irvine said with a grin and SeeD salute. "I regret to say that we cannot follow those orders." Then he and Selphie turned and ran back out into the ballroom. Squall turned back to Rinoa, intending to give her another betrayed look, but before he even knew it, Rinoa had pulled him into another kiss. After breaking the kiss, Squall 's expression changed to one of defeat. "Alright, I give up." Squall said. "C'mon," Rinoa said. "Let's go have some more fun." With that, she took Squall by the hand and led him back into the party. It was several hours later, in the early morning hours before the sun rose, when everyone finally called it quits. Everyone who had attended the party went back to their dorms, or, for those who didn't live on campus, to their homes in Balamb. Most people slept soundly, peacefully, and uneventfully. With the exception of Cloud. He floated in the midst of a green-white liquid. Cloud knew immediately that this was the Lifestream. All around him, permeating the liquid he was floating in, Cloud could hear whispers, similar to the cries of the planet, except that these were more serene, more peaceful. Cloud imagined that these were the sounds the planets made when they were at peace. As Cloud bobbed along gently in the Lifestream, he saw a glowing white figure directly in front of him. The white light was too bright for Cloud to make out what it was, until it came close. At that point, the white light dissipated, revealing a familiar form. "Aeris?" Cloud said in disbelief. Yes, it was Aeris! She looked even more beautiful and innocent and full of life now than ever before. Aeris smiled at Cloud, and her eyes sparkled. "Cloud," she said. "I'm glad to see you." "Me too!" Cloud replied. "But...?" "The Lifestream is using me as a medium to communicate with you," Aeris answered his question. "You and your friends were sent to this time to destroy Jenova, and now that your mission is complete, you can return to your time." Cloud nodded, but then paused. "What is it?" Aeris asked. "I was wondering...How did we travel through time? I know the Lifestream sent us here, but..." he trailed off. "Well, its complicated," Aeris said. "But to put it simply, Spiritual Energy doesn't obey the physical laws that govern normal matter and energy. It transcends time and space. Souls and spirits flow throughout time, taking root in the past, present, and future." Aeris paused, and knew that Cloud had no clue what she was talking about. "Also, the Lifestream can send souls to time periods where they are needed, including living ones." "I see. But, uhh..." Cloud began. "You don't want to leave just yet, do you?" Aeris asked, understanding Cloud's intent. "Right." Cloud said. "We've all made some new friends here, and this world seems to be really interesting. Plus, Barret and Cid were intending to upgrade the Highwind..." Aeris nodded and giggled. "I never did get a chance to ride that airship..." Both she and Cloud smiled. Then Aeris looked off into the Lifestream again. Cloud thought he heard faint whispers in the distance, as if Aeris was communicating with the Lifestream. Finally, Aeris looked back to him. "That's okay," she said. "The planet says that you can return whenever you feel ready. Just gather everyone at the Forgotten City when you're ready to leave, and you'll be returned to your time." "Thank you Aeris," Cloud said. "That's not a problem," she replied. "And, no, I'm not mad at all." "What?" Cloud said, confused. "I'm not mad at you for falling in love with Tifa," Aeris said. "Sometime before you traveled to this time, you were wondering if I was mad at you for loving Tifa. I'm not." By now Cloud was blushing, and his face turned redder at Aeris's next words. "And yes, I am mad that you thought I would be jealous of you and Tifa." "Umm...oops," Cloud muttered. Aeris smiled again. "I'm glad for you, Cloud. You've finally found happiness." Then Aeris looked off to the side again, and Cloud heard more distant whispers. "I have to go now," Aeris said after a moment. Cloud nodded. "Goodbye, Aeris," he said. Suddenly, purely on impulse, Cloud leaned forward and kissed Aeris. Her eyes widened in surprise, but as Cloud leaned back, Aeris was smiling and blushing slightly. "Goodbye...Cloud..." she replied, and then her body began glowing once again. Then her glowing figure began to fade away, and this time, Aeris was gone. Cloud found himself floating upwards, and as he rose, everything turned black as he returned to the oblivion of sleep. Chapter 37: The Parting One month later... Cid Highwind walked into the Estharian hangar bay, and closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing the familiar sounds and smells of the airship repair hanger. He smelled the odors of grease and fresh paint, and heard the sounds of engines being tested, low, deep sounds that vibrated to the bone. The sounds and smells were all intimately familiar to the veteran pilot. Then Cid opened his eyes, and looked around the hangar bay. If the sounds and smells were familair to Cid, then the design of the bay itself was completely foriegn to him. In fact, all of this strange Esthar country was weird, right down to those funny-looking uniforms the soldiers wore. One month ago, when Cid, accompanied by Barret and Zell, had come to Esthar to have his airship refitted, he'd unintentionally blurted out "What the hell were they smoking when they made this place?" Cid walked across the hangar bay, eyeing the transparent, blue-violet walls and the funky-looking machinery and uniforms that the mechanics were wearing as they were putting the finishing touches on the two airships inside the bay. The one on the left was the Highwind. It had been refitted and upgraded by the Estharian techs, though in those first few days in which the mechanics had been poking through his ship, Cid had to repeatedly control his volitale temper whenever a tech would open a panel and yank something out or, in a couple of cases, laugh out loud at what he found inside. Nevertheless, they had done a remarkable job installing new technology, and Cid's already impressive ship was now simply astonishing. "Oh, this place is so cool!" he heard Selphie squeal from behind him. She and Irvine had accompanied Cid to the hangar bay to pick up the other airship that was being worked on. On the right side of the hangar, looking as new and perfect as it had been on the day it was commisioned, was Selphie's pride and joy, the original Ragnorok. This was the same one that had gone down just over a month ago, recovered from its watery grave by Estharian salvage crews. Cid had been testing out his improvements on the Estharian technology on this ship, just as he had promised to Laguna. Now, while the Highwind and the Ragnorok were still equally powerful airships, their abilities and performance were vastly improved. "How's she look?" Cid asked one of the Highwind's crewers, who was wiping his greasy hands on a stained rag that looked more as if it would make his hands dirtier than cleaner. "Highwind's engines are purring like a kitten," the crewer replied proudly. "A very, very big kitten," he added a moment later. "Yeah," growled a grease-covered Barret as he approached. Instead of wearing his gun-arm, Barret instead had attached to his arm a device called an Omnitool, a cylindrical, cybernetic device that contained a multitude of mechanical tools for repairing machinery. "May dress funny, but these Esthar guys are good mechanics," Barret added. "What about the Ragnorok?" Selphie asked, looking over at her ship. "We should be finished up with the Ragnorok too," Cid said, looking in the mighty dragon-ship's direction. "Zell was working on that. Hey, there he is!" Across the hanger, from the Ragnorok's direction, a dirty, grease-covered, but obviously happy Zell was running towards them, a large grin on his tattooed face. "Zell!" Selphie shouted happily. "S'up guys?!" he shouted as he reached them. "We're finished with the Ragnorok!" "Really?!" Selphie asked. "Thanks Zell!" she said as she gave Zell a hug, though when she pulled away, the front of Selphie's dress was covered in grease. Not caring, in fact not even noticing, Selphie ran off towards the Ragnorok, with Zell and Irvine following. Cid watched them go, then turned to his own airship. He grinned and popped his knuckles. "Can't wait to test my new-and-improved Highwind," he said with a smile. "This place really is strange," Cloud commented as he and Tifa walked down the transparent hallway leading to the Estharian President's Office, showing off an impressive view of the surrounding city spreading out in all directions beneath them. "Well, when you get someone like my father running things..." Squall, up ahead, replied. He and Rinoa were leading Cloud and Tifa through the Presidential Palace toward Laguna's office, and at the moment they were walking down the hallway leading there. "Ah, Zorceress Rinoa," Doc Odine greeted warmly as the quartet entered Laguna's office. "It iz good to zee you again. Are you interezted in my offer to help me wiz my rezearch?" "No, thank you," Rinoa said politely, tensing up slightly at the creepy doctor's approach. Odine's face curled up in a pout, and the dissappointed doctor waddled across the room to a wall panel, and began fiddling with it. Laguna, standing behind his desk across the room, laughed lightly and shook his head. "Thanks for coming," he said. "Not a problem," Squall replied. "You said you had discovered something interesting about Cloud's time." "Yes. Actually, it was Doctor Odine here who learned of this." Everyone turned to Odine. "Doc?" "Yez indeed," the doctor said, turning to regard the others in the room, a beaming smile on his face. "You may or may not know, but I have been rezearching ze Forgotten City zat Cloud and hiz companionz arrived on." "And?" Cloud asked. "After analyzing ze layout and dezign of ze city, I have compared it to ze maps of our ruinz. Thuz, I have found where ze city iz located in our time period." Odine tapped a key on the panel, and a holographic image appeared of the ruins at the Deep Sea Deposit. "The Deep Sea Deposit is the Forgotten City?" Squall asked. Odine nodded. "Wait a minute," Tifa said. "How did the Forgotten City get out in the middle of the ocean?" "Zat iz another zing zat I have concluded." Odine said. "Az you know, zere are many zimilaritiez between Cloud'z world and our own. But zere are alzo differencez." "Right," Cloud said, nodding. "We use Materia for magic, while you use training and GF's. The Lifestream isn't as active in this time period, and we don't have huge hordes of monsters on the moon." "Not to mention the geographical differences," Squall added. He turned to Odine. "You have an explanation for these differences?" "Indeed," Odine replied with eagerness. "Zome time in ze pazt, between Cloud'z time and our own, zere vas a calamity of immense proportionz. A dizazter zat literally changed ze face of ze whole world." "We estimate that it was around three thousand years ago," Laguna said. "Some catastrophic event that caused Materia to dissappear, or at least to lose its potency, and also made the Lifestream less active." "I believe zat it had zomezing to do wiz Hyne and Zorceress power," Odine said. "Becauze ze firzt recordz of Zorceress power came from roughly around zree zouzand yearz in ze pazt." "Hyne?" Tifa asked. "The being that created humans," Squall replied. "According to our legends, Hyne was the first Sorceress. She created humans, then dissappeared for a long time. When Hyne returned, she saw that there were too many humans, so she tried to destroy them. The humans fought back and won. Hyne then gave up part of her body to the humans, and fled. That body part held what would become Sorceress power." "I believe zat ze calamity waz ze war between ze humans and Hyne, but I cannot be zure," Odine said. "Regardlez, zomezing occured thouzandz of yearz ago zat transformed Cloud'z world into ourz." They were considering this when Cloud's PHS went off. He fished it out of his pocket. "Cloud here," he said. "Okay, thanks," Cloud said a moment later. "Who was that?" Tifa asked. "Cid. He said that the Highwind was finished." "Then I guess its time..." Squall said. "Right..." Cloud replied. It was a few hours later, and both the Highwind and the repaired Ragnorok were parked in the Forgotten City, and their respective crews, champions from two seperate times, were bidding their farewells. The groups were exchanging handshakes and hugs. "You're sure about this?" Irvine asked Nida. "Of course I am!" Nida replied angrily. He was no longer wearing his SeeD uniform, but a more casual outfit. He was also carrying a back pack and a duffel bag, containing all of his things. SeeDs travel light, after all. He put his arm around Yuffie. It had come as a huge surprise to both Yuffie and Nida's friends when they discovered that the pair had been dating over the last month, and Nida and Yuffie had fallen in love, so much that Nida had actually decided to accompany Yuffie back to her time. It was something that seemed more akin to Squall and Rinoa's relationship. "Hey, we're not gonna try to stop you," Zell said, patting Nida on the back of his shoulder. Yuffie suddenly stepped away from Nida and gave Zell a big hug. Zell sputtered something incoherent, which was echoed by Nida a moment later. "W-what was that for?" Zell asked a moment later as Yuffie bounced back to a surprised Nida. "For getting this idiot to talk to me to begin with," Yuffie said, grinning. Nida's face reddened as he remembered how Zell had indeed been the one to hook him up with Yuffie. "Oh, that," Zell said, laughing. "That was nothing!" Nearby, Squall and Cloud were saying farewell as well. "This is it then?" Squall asked Cloud, as they stood between the two airships. "Yeah," Cloud replied. He looked around, at the sky and the pair of airships, then finally back down to Squall and their comrades. Everyone had finished their farewells, and there were more than a few sad expressions scattered among their faces. Cloud held out his hand. "Farewell, Squall." Squall nodded as he shook Cloud's hand. "You too." With that, Squall and his friends returned to the Ragnorok. Cloud watched them go. Squall was the last one up the Ragnorok's ramp, and he turned back to face Cloud. Squall's hand came up, in front of and to the side of his face, palm turned inward, the SeeD salute. Then he turned and ascended up the ramp. "Goodbye, Squall," Cloud said as the Ragnorok rose up in the air, ascending up into the sky. "Everyone ready?" Cloud asked, facing his friends (plus Nida) as they stood on the Highwind's bridge. He got all positive responses, then he turned. "Okay, we're all re-" Cloud didn't even get a chance to finish his statement, intended to tell Aeris and the Lifestream that they were prepared to leave, when the Highwind and the surrounding city were engulfed in green energy yet again. Within seconds, Cloud keenly felt the Lifestream's will, focused on them, and suddenly the ocean and the world below were receding. Cloud caught a glimpse of the Ragnorok as they flashed past it, and then the Forgotten City was in space, the stars becoming white lines, then a tunnel of pure whiteness as they returned to their time. "I guess that's the end of it, huh?" Seifer asked as they stood in the Ragnorok's observation room, watching Cloud's departure. Squall shrugged in reply. "This battle is done," he said as he turned back to his friends. "But it's not our last." "Of course not!" Kura pointed out. "Yeah," Zell continued. "We're SeeDs. Its our job!" Squall smiled. "That's true, but it doesn't mean we aren't entitled to a vacation!" he said, and everyone enthusiastically agreed. "Balamb Garden will be fine without us around for a few days." "So where are we headed?" Laguna asked. "Oh! Selphie shouted, jumping up and down. "Balamb! The beaches are perfect this time of year!" Again, everyone agreed. A few moments later, the Ragnorok changed course, traveling toward Balamb, and a very long, very, very well-deserved vacation. "Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Tifa asked Cloud a few hours later, as they were sitting together in the operations room. "I'm not sure," Cloud replied. "With Jenova's death..." he shrugged. "We can't predict the future," he added, standing up and pulling Tifa close. "But," Tifa said, smiling, "we can chose how we respond to what happens." "Indeed," Cloud said, with a wide smile. "And it just so happens that I love you, you love me, and we're alone..." The End ('Bout time, too!!) The ending was weak, but whatever. I'm exhausted with this fanfic, and I just wanted to end it. Well, this is it. The end of my Ressurection fanfiction. I said before that Ressurection was part of a longer series of stories, but I've decided to end the Ressurection storyline here. I have my reasons for doing so, and to put it simply, I've gotten tired of this particular storyline. Although the FF7/FF8 crossover was a cool idea, and a lot of fun to write, to tell the truth I just got tired of it. Also, this fanfiction was my first real shot at true writing, and while i think it's pretty good, I'm also kind of dissappointed, because I could do better. The third reason for my ending of the Ressurection storyline is that I have a preference for FF8 over FF7. That doesn't mean I hate FF7, its just that FF8 is one of my favorite RPGs of all time. So most of my future fanfics will be about FF8 instead of FF7. Keep an eye out for upcoming fanfics by me, Peptuck3!