Epilogue

Two Years Later -

The whistling of metal coming at him warned him. He turned, bringing his Gunblade up to block the attack, bending his knees to absorb the impact, then twisted, sliding his blade against the other to create a screeching sound and disengaging. He swung the blade in a circle to come back at his attacker but the blade sailed through air only, the other man having no doubt jumped back.

Squall could hear him; the in- and outtake of breath, the staccato of boots on the marble floor, and the sound of the other's blade humming through air. When they got close, he could even feel the man, a presence lurking on his periphery like a shadow. But getting too close was a risk.

His ears strained to locate the next attack. His eyes, useless to him, were kept closed.

It came from his left. He parried, striking back and this time there was another clash of metal on metal as his strike was blocked. He was shoved back but he jumped with it, landing lightly and swept Revolver in front of him to deter any charge forward.

The duel continued for another ten minutes and Squall was soaking with sweat before a shrill whistle blasted. He sucked in a noisy breath and lowered his blade, pulling at his wet shirt to let the cool air soothe his flushed skin.

Clapping erupted from the side of the room before a voice, Brackton's, barked it into silence and immediately began lecturing. "Who can tell me what that last strike was called? Why isn't it as effective in close range combat?" One student answered right away, and another question was asked, this time applying the answer to battle tactics theory.

"Okay?" Seifer asked, stepping up near him. Squall opened his eyes and nodded, letting go of his shirt and turning to face the baritone voice when it spoke again. "You're still leaving your left side unprotected." Squall grimaced but nodded again.

"I doubt the kids notice," Seifer said wirily, his voice turned away slightly.

Squall wasn't so sure. He was far from the form he'd been in even before the war five years ago. But it had apparently been good enough for the battle tactics lecturer because he'd had his class watching Squall's and Seifer's duels for the last month and had assured them that other lecturers were looking to request time slots as well.

He turned and moved away from the class full of eager SeeD cadets, hoping Brackton wouldn't call him over to explain moves or strikes like he'd done the last time. Squall had only walked four steps before fur slid against his knee and Posy was at his side.

Seifer had eventually taken Posy back to the program she'd originally been in to complete her training and she was now fully certified to assist him in not running into things. She was also big enough now to be able to stop his forward motion if needed. The gear she would usually have worn was rusting in Seifer's car - he didn't need a physical hold on the dog; she was smart enough to guide him without it.

Seifer's boots rang against the marble floor after him. "Laguna called earlier," the man said, pacing a step behind him. "Said he has some papers for you. Something about approval for the first missions scheduled for the cadets. Tyson was supposed to get them to you but the President pilfered them first. I think he wants another excuse to have dinner with you."

Squall wouldn't put it passed his father, but he would accept the dinner proposal like he'd done all the other previous times. Laguna had been the one to shelter him from the Council's wrath after his admittance to his lie and his public demonstration. Laguna had been the one to offer him employment in the new Garden he'd commissioned to be built in Esthar with specialty in fighting the numerous monsters the Lunar Cry had brought down on them during the war. Even before all that, Laguna had opened his doors to Squall time and time again. The least Squall could do in thanks was accept his father's attempts at becoming a part of his life. Truth be told, it was less of a burden than he'd once thought it'd be.

"Don't forget the dinner we have tonight," he reminded Seifer as Posy nudged his knee very slightly and stopped. He stopped as well and crouched down, patting Posy's head in thanks briefly. The Gunblade's case was in front of him and his fingers found it quickly. He opened it and stored his blade inside.

"You don't need me there," Seifer grumbled, kneeling next to him and clicking open his own case. "They're just going to glare at me all night."

"That was a year and a half ago."

"So?"

Squall found Seifer's shoulder and turned it slightly, wanting Seifer to face him even if he couldn't see those eyes. "I want to be there with you." He'd let Seifer excuse himself out of the few past visits with his Balamb friends but not this time. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration and he wanted Seifer there.

Seifer huffed out a breath. "I reserve the right to leave whenever I want."

Squall shook his head in exasperation but didn't argue.

The question and answer session was still going on when he and Seifer straightened with their Gunblade cases in hand and turned back. Seifer raised his voice and interrupted the noise with a "Brackton, we're off" and they made a hurried exit before the instructor could trap them into speaking.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Seeing Squall hold a baby was the most particular thing Seifer felt he had ever seen. He couldn't help but stare as the brunette cuddled the small thing to his chest and rubbed its back. The girl was half asleep but every once in a while she would nuzzle Squall's shirt, hands clenching and unclenching in its fabric.

Arms wrapped around Seifer's neck and Rinoa laid her chin on his shoulder from behind. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

Seifer had to smile briefly. "Well one of them at least."

Squall's sightless eyes opened and he raised one delicate eyebrow.

Rinoa snorted and flounced around the chair Seifer was occupying and sat down next to Squall, leaning over to rub a finger down her daughter's cheek. "I'm surprised she hasn't started crying yet, actually."

"Are you getting enough sleep?" Squall asked in concern, turning his head towards her.

Rinoa accompanied her shrug with an "I'm okay" then continued. "You get used to sleeping only a few hours at a time."

Seifer studied the bags under Rinoa's eyes. The pregnancy had been hard on her and the birth even harder. She'd only been up and about for the last two weeks and Karla was more than a month old.

They'd worried that her magic would complicate the ordeal but Dr. Odine had done his upmost to prevent any unwanted emergencies and in the end it had only been a case of Rinoa's hips not being wide enough to push the baby through. There had been a scare eleven hours into the labor but she and her daughter had pulled through.

With Rinoa's recovery only just ending, he imagined Dylan looked just as exhausted, maybe more. "When's Dylan supposed to get back?" he asked, as his thoughts triggered him into more displeasing ones.

Rinoa looked at the clock on the wall. "The book signing ended ten minutes ago. He should be back soon."

Dylan was Seifer's only hope at normalcy this night against the Balamb troupe of 'friends'. "Why are you dragging me to this dinner?" He asked Squall again, irritably.

Rinoa tsked. "If I have to go, you have to go."

Seifer glared at her. "It's really not the same."

Squall ignored them both as they bickered good naturedly. He and Squall had showered at their place before coming over to Dylan and Rinoa's house where they'd depart together for the restaurant. Now they just had to wait.

Finally the door opened and Dylan stumbled in, three bags slung over his shoulders. "First signing!" he said cheerfully when he caught sight of Seifer and Squall. He dropped his keys and brought the bags over. "It was a good turnout. The line was out the door. Here." He dug into the bag and pulled a book out, shoving it at Seifer. "Been meaning to get you a copy. Squall, you're Braille copy is in printing still."

Seifer took the proffered book and glanced at the cover.

The title An Inside Look at Forbidden Love jumped up at him, imposed over the picture the news stations had shown that day two years ago of him and Squall holding hands in the Estharian Palace's gardens.

He'd refused to give Dylan any pictures so of course the man had taken what he could find online. Seifer hadn't stopped him; what was public was public and he knew Dylan had good intentions for their uses. But seeing the picture on the cover of a book was still shocking. "Out the door?" he repeated.

"Yep," Dylan answered as he walked over and gave his wife a quick kiss. Rinoa smiled then pulled a copy of the book out from Dylan's bag and flipped through it.

"My favorite part was the interview were Seifer says – where is it… ah, here." She cleared her throat and read from the book. "Love isn't black and white. It isn't logical. It's just there - warmth under your skin and crazy thoughts in your head."

Rinoa smiled widely at him and Squall's eyes cut towards him again. Seifer flushed red.

He turned to Dylan who had dumped his bags and sat down next to Rinoa. The older man smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I offered to let you read it before it published. You're the one who said no."

And Seifer was regretting that decision sincerely at the moment. "What else did you slip in?"

Dylan waved a hand. "There are probably about fifty pages in total from the interviews you two did. The rest is a mix of an analysis on the research done, opinions – both mine and those of the public – for gay rights, and interviews from other homosexuals. I didn't put in everything from your interviews."

"Just most of it" Rinoa supplied happily. Then she sobered and leveled her gaze on Seifer, while putting a hand lightly on Squall's leg to include him. "And I think it's the bravest thing the two of you have done, putting your story out there. I don't think I've said so before."

Squall looked away, but Seifer knew he was just embarrassed. "How many have sold since it was published last month? Fifty copies?"

"As of tonight, over two million copies," Dylan answered.

Squall's head jerked back around and Seifer felt his own eyes bulge. "What?!"

Posy's head came up at his shout from where she was lying near Angelo, but she put it back down when she saw no one was in trouble.

Dylan was nodding. "I told you, the line was out the door. The book is selling like crazy." He leaned back into the couch and rubbed a hand through his hair. "The publishing company marketed it really well. The cover has been in every bookstore for months, and I don't even know what was online."

Holy Fuck. Two million copies? It was almost mind blowing. Seifer looked at Squall who was facing towards him then back down at the book in his hands.

He'd heard that many of the council members had tried to place bans on its publication, but it hadn't been a majority vote. Six out of the twelve council members hadn't voted against it. They were still fighting over the proposal Squall had given them two years ago.

The people of the nations had fought just as fiercely, and while the bill had yet to be rewritten there were multiple businesses that had opened in the last two years to offer succor and celebration to those who'd admitted to the homosexual label. With the bill allowing discrimination still in effect it was an uphill battle, but he liked to think every step counted.

Squall hadn't wanted to know much of what was happening, but Seifer had kept up to date on the news. He wondered, now, if the attempt to ban the book had anything to do with its popularity.

"Well," he said finally "as long as our address doesn't get out to the public because of this…"

Dylan shook his head in reassurance. "It's a heavily guarded secret. Don't worry."

The doorbell rang and Rinoa jumped up, perhaps a bit slower than usual. "That'll be Edea. Here let me take Karla," she said and eased her daughter from Squall's arms before going to get the door.

They all stood as Edea Kramer flowed into the house. She gave Squall a brief hug and rested a hand on his cheek for a moment before turning and shaking Dylan's hand. When she stopped in front of Seifer she nodded down at the book still in his hand. "I'll have you know I enjoyed the book immensely." She hugged him before he could respond and whispered in his ear "I'm happy for you Seifer," before breaking away to talk to Rinoa about the baby in the kitchen.

Seifer sighed and put the book on the table by the chair before joining Squall and Dylan near the couch. "This night can't get anymore more bizarre. Let's get it over with."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"A toast!" Selphie shouted in the middle of the dinner. Slowly the noise around Squall died down. There was a racket and then Selphie's voice was higher up. Was she on a chair? The table? Irvine was spluttering for some reason.

"A toast," the petite woman repeated "To Squall. For always getting back on his feet when he's knocked down. And for wanting to change the world."

Squall felt his face heat as everyone around the table applauded vigorously. No one had specifically said that this was a celebration for the progress of gaining equal rights, but of course it would end up that way. It had been such a big part of all their lives for the past two years. He couldn't imagine how it might have been without all their support. Selphie had planned this dinner as soon as Dylan had informed them that his book had been accepted for publishing.

He felt Seifer lean into him from his right, a hand sliding down his thigh to grip his knee under the table. But before he could speak Selphie spoke again.

"And a toast to Seifer!"

The hand on his knee tightened spastically before loosening. "What!?"

Selphie ignored his annoyance. "For finding true love."

Seifer squawked and Squall burst out laughing.

Selphie wasn't done, speaking over the noise of not a few laughs. "And a toast to me for figuring it all out before everyone else." A few of the others made grumbles about that, but it was all good-natured. "And to Dylan for writing an incredible book to show people what they shouldn't be afraid of; To Rinoa for finding her new hubby and bringing him and a beautiful child into our group; To Quistis for bringing SeeD through these last two years stronger and dealing with stuck-up jackasses; To Zell for gathering more support online and in the press than we thought possible; To Irvine for starting the self-defense classes and clinics for those who've been bullied due to their preferences." She paused then in a very clear voice said "To all of us, for a job well done."

There were clinks of glass on wood as people began to pick up their glasses. Squall followed suit, raising his wine up slightly before taking a swallow.

The noise picked up again after that. Squall swallowed another mouthful of alcohol and smiled slightly listening to the conversations going on around him. Seifer, hand still on Squall's knee, was explaining to Dylan the case he was currently working on – a homosexual man who had been raped and wanted to press charges.

Seifer's job had suffered, but not as badly as Squall had feared. His company had not thrown him out. Considering that they had taken him in the first place was proof that they cared more about his skills than his past or present lifestyle. However, clients had started refusing his service. Whether bribed or not, the refusals hurt the company almost to bankruptcy until Irvine had proposed advertising Seifer as a lawyer who would protect those being harmed after coming out on their sexual preferences.

The business had boomed after that with dozens of clients calling in every month. There had still been a lot working against Seifer but most judges couldn't argue against Seifer's logical methods and defenses without losing face to the rational he presented. Seifer was very good at what he did and he'd only gotten better; he'd only lost a few cases in his career.

"Squall?" Irvine voice said by his side. He turned as the seat next to him scraped on the floor. He didn't know when Zell had left it, but he welcomed Irvine's presence with a slight smile.

"Irvine," he said, turning slightly so he could face the man more fully. Seifer's fingers tightened on his knee before slipping away and leaving him to his conversation.

"Where's Posy?" the sharpshooter asked.

"With Angelo. She wasn't really needed. How are you?"

"Good," Irvine replied. "Better than good, actually. These clinics, they've…" Squall waited attentively and nodded, but Irvine didn't seem to know what to say. "You know, Quistis once told me that I love too much."

"Which is exactly what those women and men need," Squall said. He understood. Irvine did love too much. He wanted to love everyone, help everyone. It was why he could never settle with one partner. No one could share their love the way Irvine wanted to share love. He was so attentive and caring but it only lasted so long before he found another suffering soul.

But he'd found a way to share his love, finally. Squall had never heard him happier than he had been in the past year, bragging about all the souls who'd passed through his clinics and defeated their demons. And yet there was an undercurrent to Irvine's voice tonight, something darker. Squall thought he knew what it was about.

He reached forward until he found Irvine's arm on the table and gripped it. "Thank you Irvine, for caring for me," he said softly. "I was in a dark place and having you there helped."

Irvine's hand came over his own, warm and comforting. "I've wondered…"

"You were warm," Squall said simply. "And warmth was what I needed."

For some reason Irvine seemed to understand completely. His voice brightened. "You'll have to come and visit the clinic in Deling sometime. We've already sold dozens of copies of your book to the clients. You're practically an idol there."

Squall grimaced slightly. "That damn book…"

"Was a good idea," Irvine replied and Squall could hear his smile. "I'm glad you did those interviews."

"Fuckin' fantastic!" Zell's voice said behind them, his words slurring the slightest bit.

That set off more congratulations from all around the table.

Squall didn't think he deserved the attention. The people around the table had done much more for the cause in the last two years than he had himself. He'd stayed out of it after his public scene at the council. But he didn't regret leaving it to them. His friends had the skills to accomplish what they had. He'd put his story out there and now he was determined to just live his life, away from the media and power and lies.

He had a loving father, wonderful and supportive friends, and a rewarding job supervising the growth of the Estharian Garden.

And he had Seifer.

It was a simple, unguarded life full of impulsive actions and hobbies. He went on vacation when he wanted, and stayed home when he wanted. No one was telling him how he should live his life.

He loved it. And he didn't think there was anything more that he could ask for.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"See," Squall said when they were lying in bed later that night. "The dinner wasn't so bad."

His breath was warm against Seifer's neck. They had kicked the blankets off onto Posy a while ago and were now cuddled in the middle of the bed, still flushed from their lovemaking.

"No," Seifer admitted. "It wasn't too bad."

He felt Squall smile against his neck before a kiss replaced the brief touch. Then he shrugged up on an elbow and his hand came to rest on Seifer's face. Seifer closed his eyes as Squall's fingers caressed his face, exploring every groove and bump as if memorizing it. It was soothing and Seifer felt sleep pulling at him.

"Did you call Laguna?" he mumbled.

Squall hmm'd an affirmative. "He wants to have dinner next week. That won't interfere with your case will it?"

"Nah," Seifer said and yawned.

Squall's hand cupped his cheek and lips came down on his for a brief moment. "Seifer?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Seifer's eyes popped open and he looked up at Squall. It wasn't the first time Squall had said the words but it wasn't very often that he did, and every time he did it was like it was the first time all over again.

Seifer was sort of thankful that Squall had lost his sight. It had been far from painless both on the physical and emotional level, but it had taken both him and the brunette places they could never have reached without it. Seifer reached up and brushed at the corner of Squall's eye, looking at the cloudy grey orbs staring blindly back at him.

They had once been a reminder of tragedy, but now they were a mark of freedom.

"Love you too," he whispered.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Authors Note:

Thank you so so much for reading this story! Special thanks to everyone, guests and members, who reviewed and helped my motivation stay strong. It's been a long battle to write this. I sort of can't believe it's over. And yet I am so excited as well! I can now say I've finished a whole story from start to end as this was my first. And I'm already working on another one (Until the End - the prologue will be up shortly!) which I hope will be even better!

Again, thank you so much for all your support. It has made the world of differences. I could not have finished this without . Nor my beta editor – JadeAlmasy. Thank you so much for always being willing to look at my drafts and thoughts and giving feedback.

Much love everyone!