Author's Note-I am so0o0o0o0o0o0o0o sorry for taking forever! School is taking up my time to type the stories, so I'll make this one exceptionally longer than usual (I think) because it includes...THE ENDING!!! WOO-HOO! And at the end of the story, I'll tell you if there should be a sequel.

"Argh...." Irvine mumbled as his eyes slowly focused. "Where am I?" he said to himself, wondering if he was in a dream. Everything was immensely foggy and the sound of soft rain could be heard. It was strangely WARM rain, too. He heard a distant voice calling his name. It sounded so familiar.

 "Irvine...Irvine?" came the feminine voice.

"Selphie," he mumbled. His vision started clearing and he finally noticed he was in the shower butt-naked.

"HOLY!" he whispered. Selphie was going to come in and see his naked form! Oh...water bill...shit...he thought, realizing he probably was sleeping in the shower with the water running for quite some time. Before he could do anything, the curtains swung open and Selphie concerned face appeared before him. She took one look at him and screamed as loud as she could.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" both hollered in unison.

"What is going on in there?!" came Squall's annoyed voice. He came into the room and saw the scene, eyes bulging. Irvine stared at Squall and Squall stared at Irvine for a very, very, very, very long time. Then, eyes still bulging, Squall walked out of the room and closed the door shut. Irvine's face turned crimson red. Selphie was still in the bathroom, screaming.

"Uh…Selphie? Could you please leave so I can get dressed?" he asked her. Selphie ceased her screaming, nodded energetically and ran out of the room.

10 minutes later

Irvine emerged from the bathroom, sheepishly grinned, and sat on the bed.

"Sooo....what's up?" he asked.

 Rinoa entered Quistis's hotel room. "Hey, cool room, Quisty!" Rinoa exclaimed. The walls were icy blue, fitting Quistis's usual mood while fighting, but hand-painted drawings of flowers, bunnies, everything Rinoa-like made the room cheery.

"Thanks, Rinny. Um....I need to talk to you....it's about...well, Squall," she said slowly and deliberately.

"What?!" alarmed, Rinoa stood up and got ready to leave the room.

"No! Rinoa, please! Wait! I know you both miss each other, I know it! Are you just going to throw it away because of a stupid fight?! Come on, Rinoa! You should give him another chance. Don't be a fool," she said, her piercing gaze making Rinoa shiver. The raven-haired girl fell to her knees and started sobbing with her hands up to her face. Quistis sighed and walked over to her. She bent down and wrapped her arms around her friend in a comforting grip.

"It's ok, Rin. It's ok. Please, you're the only one for him, you understand? The only one. If you leave him, just think that he'll just be the same cold guy you met. I don't want that and I know you wouldn't, too," she said softly. Rinoa continued to cry, but her sobs started to quiet down.

"I'm such a loser. I don't know why I did what I did. I miss him so much and it hurts! For the first time of my life, I don't know what to do. I don't know anything..." her muffled voice shook.

"Hey, we're all here for you. Lemme call Selphie and Irvine. Uh, see...I might as well fill you in. We made a plan to get you guys back together and right now, those two should have him right about now. You can talk to him......if you want," she said.

"No...I'm...I'm not ready...yet. But I'm sure I'll be able to. What if he doesn't want me back? Are you guys just making this up?" she questioned, her suspicious stare directed at Quistis.

"We're not making this up. Now come on, let's talk to your long lost friends. You don't have to talk to Squall, but just listen to us," Quistis said. Rinoa nodded and followed the blonde instructor to the phone.

After explaining to Irvine that Squall would go with the plan, the cowboy nodded with a grin. "Ok, so what's the plan?" he asked Selphie. His girlfriend motioned for him to go outside with her.

"We'll be right back, Squall," she said cheerily. Irvine followed her outside and Selphie began her plan.

"Ok, cowboy. Here's my plan. Remember when I showed you that dress?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I found the PERFECT restaurant. It's called Haomein Dei Restaurant. I made a reservation for six people tonight at seven. Rinoa's going to wear that dress and we'll pick a tuxedo for Squall. It will be so0o0o0o romantic! I'm sure it'll work!"

"Yeah, and if it doesn't, here's Plan B. I find a spot for Squall to seduce his woman and I'll mark it with a dirty magazine--"

 Squall could hear a big SMACK! on the other side of the door and Irvine's wounded animal cry. He smirked briefly and heard Selphie scold her boyfriend. Then they both re-entered the room, Selphie grinning, and Irvine rubbing his head and scowling.

"LET'S GO SHOPPING!" Selphie cheered, followed by two male groans. The phone rang. "LET'S GO SHOPPING AFTER I PICK UP THE PHONE!" Selphie cheered, followed by sighs of relief. Selphie grinned again and walked over to the ringing phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"QUISTY! What? Yes! That's GREAT news! Yeah, we're going to get Squall's tux! Yea, I already got Rin's dress. Uh huh. Uh huh. Great! Yeah, the restaurant's Haomein Dei Restaurant in Balamb. Yep! We're going back to Balamb. Why? Because of the pretty, romantic beaches! Yep, I'm clever. Uh huh. Ok! Hey Rinoa! What's up? Yeah, you wanna talk to Squall?" Selphie asked. Squall instantly stiffened and stepped backwards toward the door.

"No? Not yet. Ok then, I understand. Did Quisty tell you where we're going? Great! We'll all meet ya there! Can I talk to Quisty again? Thanks, I'll see ya Rin!" Selphie said.

"Geez, girls can talk forever!" Irvine groaned. He instantly received a smack on the head by Selphie.

"Ok Quisty! It's all set! Wear something nice and I don't mean your battle wear!" Selphie said grinning.

"Oh, yeah, where's Zell? Really? Ok, invite Amie too, then. Bye!" she said and placed the phone in the cradle.

"Hold on boys, I gotta call the restaurant," she said. A couple of minutes passed and the reservation was made for seven people.

"Phew! Okay! Let's go shopping!" Selphie cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

 Quistis hung up on the phone with a small smile on her face.

"This is going to be great, Rinoa. Just you wait," she told her reluctant friend. Suddenly, Rinoa's thoughts traced back to Seifer. Even though he had been beaten up, she still felt sorry for him.

"Is Seifer going to be ok?" Rinoa asked in a tiny voice. She could see Quistis stiffen and her eyes glaze over briefly.

"He's dead," she said.

"What?!" Rinoa said. She knew that Quistis's last blow had knocked him unconscious, but she didn't know her blonde friend had killed him.

"The police informed us that he managed to stay alive and walk outside, but they arrested him. They took him to D-District Prison for kidnapping an innocent girl.

"He killed himself. Before he did, he asked the police to give a note...to me," she whispered, tears flowing out of her eyes.

"What did the note say?" Rinoa asked hesitantly.

".........I love you."

 "This one! And this one! Oh wait, Squall!!! Take this one, too!" Selphie said to Squall. He was already hidden among the many different stylish tuxedos Selphie had covered him with. Irvine suppressed a smile, trying not to laugh. Underneath the clothes, Squall's death glare penetrated through the clothes.

"Grrr....Remind me why I'm doing this again?!" he growled.

"To look SEXY!" Selphie said, giggling. Squall rolled his eyes and the energetic brunette shoved him into the dressing room.

"I can't move," came Squall's muffled voice. Irvine and Selphie took ten minutes to help Squall move some of the tuxedos to the empty dressing room next to him so he could have space.

I'm too sexy music playing

Squall came out wearing a totally black tuxedo with a flower pin off to the side. A black hat made him look like the grim reaper part two. Selphie started laughing and shaking her head and soon Irvine followed. Squall frowned and went back into the dressing room. "I thought it was nice," he grumbled.

Second time:

Squall came out wearing a crocodile tuxedo that was dark green. The undershirt was grey.

"AHHHHHH AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAA......." Selphie fell over from the chair she was sitting on. Squall took that as a 'no' and grumbled again, re- entering the dressing room.

Third time:

Squall came out with a smirk much like Seifer's, wearing a tuxedo that was black with a white undershirt. The collar of the undershirt held a black bow. The shiny black leather shoes matched perfectly with the outfit and luckily, there was NO hat. Selphie grinned. Irvine gave a wolf whistle.

"That's the one," she said softly. Irvine nodded in agreement.

"Now.." she said, a mischievous smile on her face. She turned towards Irvine, smiling sweetly.

"Hell no!" Irvine screamed.

"Squall! Help me! Come on, man!" he screamed.

"Nuh-uh. I had to go through this. It's your turn," Squall said, his eyes smiling.

"He...loves you?" Rinoa said, her eyes giving away her shock. Quistis nodded slowly, the tears flowing freely from her face.

"And I never knew," she whispered, looking down at the floor.

"Do you love him too?" Rinoa asked. Quistis looked up at her frowning friend.

"I...I don't know," she said. "I never thought much of it." A couple of minutes passed and she wiped her tears away firmly.

"He's dead now. There's nothing that I can do. Lemme call Selphie and have her deliver your dress. We're focusing on you and Squall. Not me," she said coldly, her eyes showing longing. Rinoa watched her friend walk over to the phone and call Selphie. She felt so sorry for her. Never having anyone to love. Never sure if she should show her feelings. And when someone truly loved her, he was taken away. Forever. Fresh tears escaped her eyes and she wiped them away. She never really loved Seifer, but he loved Quistis and now he was gone. She couldn't believe it. Wasn't it just two years ago that she had dated him? Wow, how the time goes by. Quistis returned into the room with a new smile on her face.

"Selphie's coming!" she exclaimed. Rinoa smiled sadly at her and hugged her.

"Thanks...for everything," she mumbled.

 "It's six thirty! Come on, Squall! Get out of that damn bathroom!" Irvine rapped at the door again. Squall had shut himself in the bathroom an hour ago and he wouldn't come out. "What the hell is wrong, man?!"

"......I look stupid."

"Well so do I! At least you don't have to wear what I'm wearing!" Irvine hollered. He glared in the mirror at his auburn tux that matched his hair. There was also a white undershirt on it and a flower pin and corsage were in his hand for Selphie. Irvine heard a sigh from the other side of the door and Squall's stormy eyes peeped out.

"Fine, I'm coming out," he mumbled.

"Thank you! Geez! Now come on, we're supposed to meet Selphie and the girls in thirty minutes!" The two men hurried out of the coffee shop and into Irvine's car.

"Cowboy Power?" Squall asked his friend. He expected that to be what Selphie would want to have on her car's license plate in the back.

"Shut up," Irvine growled. They slipped into the car and rode off to the train station. In ten minutes, they made it to the FH train station.

"Two tickets to Balamb," Irvine said quickly and paid for the tickets. They went into an empty compartment and faced each other.

"This is going to be a long night," Squall mumbled.

Rinoa entered the Haomein Dei Restaurant and looked around. "Wow...." she gasped. Everything was dimly lit. Candles were in the center of every table and she could see the table they were going to sit at. There were six candles on the table and two crystal vases holding fake roses. Soft romantic music was playing, lighting the mood. The restaurant was built on a hill and the flight up the stairs had nearly exhausted Rinoa. She looked out the windows and saw the dry sand below and the gentle breeze of the wind. Dark waves brushed against the shore and caused the dry said to be wet a little.

"So what do you think?" came Selphie's cheery voice. "Did I choose the perfect place or what?" Rinoa nodded in agreement and sat down in a chair. Selphie sat across from her, looking stunning. She was wearing an emerald colored dress that was a little above the knees. Her dark green eye shadow with just a little but of copper at the top made her shining eyes stand out.

"Just wait until the guys get a load of us, huh?" Selphie laughed. Rinoa giggled.

"Wow, I haven't laughed in so long..." Rinoa said.

"Really? When we were in Garden all I heard was laugh, laugh, laugh from Rinoa Heartilly," Selphie smiled. Rinoa smiled back and the two ladies waited for the rest of their friends to come.

 Quistis walked along the beach below the restaurant. She was dressed in a black strapless dress that was floor-length. A slit was on the right side and her ornate black sandals stood out. She was wearing sapphire earrings and a sapphire amulet clung to her neck. She looked out at the ocean, lost in her own thoughts. Her thoughts drifted to Seifer, his smirking face, the way his eyes showed pain when he didn't pass his SeeD exam. She'd always wanted him to succeed, and now he'd never have another chance. Pain was evident in her pale blue eyes and her eyes glazed over.

"I love you too," she said, hoping his spirit was somewhere near her to listen. She knew it. She had loved him more than Squall ever since she had seen him in the orphanage. She was just too blind to see it. And now it was too late to let him know. She looked up at the restaurant windows and saw Selphie waving at her to come up. Quistis nodded to her and went up the stairs.

 Five minutes passed as the three young women waited for Squall, Irvine, Zell, and Amie. First came Zell and Amie, staring at each other so lovingly, lost in each other's eyes. This made Rinoa and Quistis look away in pain. Zell was wearing a tuxedo something like Squall's and Amie had on a dark blue floor-length spaghetti strap with a pearl necklace.

"You guys look sooooooooo cute together!" Selphie exclaimed. Zell and Amie noticed Selphie and started blushing mad instantly. Selphie laughed and motioned for them to sit down.

"Now all we have to wait for is Irvine and Squall!" Selphie cheered. Ten more minutes passed and then the doors opened. Rinoa stiffened. Quistis's eyes darted to the doors. Selphie waited expectantly. Zell and Amie were busy. First, Irvine entered the room with a scowl on his face. He sat down next to Selphie.

"Say anything about my tux and you can kiss your life goodbye," he growled at everyone. The women all laughed and Zell tried to suppress his laughter, but failed miserably.

"Come on in, Squall," Irvine said to the hidden figure. Squall hesitantly entered the room and looked around. He spotted Rinoa and uneasily sat down next to her. There was a moment of silence and then the waitress came in, handing them their menus. The seven friends went through their meal courses, laughing and talking about the old days, except Squall who kept quiet the whole time. Finally, Selphie ordered the wine and proposed a toast to Squall and Rinoa getting back together. Everyone raised their glasses.

"To Squall and Rinoa!" everyone cheered. Squall raised his glass reluctantly. Just before the glass could tinkle, he dropped it and it smashed into smithereens on the floor.

"I can't do this," he said. He walked out of the door and hurried down the stairs.

"Squall! Wait!" Rinoa called and ran after him. Everyone sat there in silence, watching the two disappear. A small smile from Selphie went unnoticed…..

 "Squall! Please, wait!" Rinoa called after him. Squall quickly walked down the steps and onto the sandy beach. Rinoa followed after him.

"Squall!" she called. He wouldn't stop. It was too painful. He wanted her, but he couldn't just make up and everything would be alright. Her voice became more distant. Suddenly, she was in front of him, blocking his way.

"Rinoa--" he started.

"No, you listen to me," she said, her voice shaking. Tears started to spill. She hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. Surprise overtook him. Rinoa started sobbing uncontrollably. "I missed you so much!" her raging sobs were like sharp needles piercing his soul. He hated to see her like this. The shock started dissolving and he hesitantly wrapped his strong arms around her.

"I--I......missed you too," he said. Rinoa knew he had a hard time expressing himself and she made a small smile that only she knew was there. She looked up into those stormy grey eyes she had fallen in love with and he looked at her puppy brown eyes. Rinoa made a tiny smile up at him, hoping he would return it. He wiped away her tears with his thumb and smiled a small smile back at her. Her smile widened and she leaned in to kiss him. They stayed like that for what seemed like a lifetime. Squall didn't care if anyone saw him because he felt like he was alive again. He felt he could do anything now.

Selphie, Quistis, Amie, Irvine, and Zell had come down the stairs with concern on their faces. When they saw the two lovers holding each other, reunited once again, they knew the lion and the angel would be together for some time. Selphie smiled as wide as she could and turned towards Irvine. He turned towards her and he leaned down to kiss her. Amie and Zell did the same, leaving Quistis looking at them with a sad smile. She walked up to Rinoa and Squall. "I'm happy for you two," she whispered softly. Rinoa briefly broke their passionate kiss and smiled at her friend.

"Thanks, Quisty. Thank you so much," she gave her a look in the eyes that expressed more happiness than anyone had ever seen that it blinded her for a second. She left the two alone and walked farther down the beach. She gazed at the stars that were shining brightly down at her and wondered if one of those stars were Seifer, if he was watching over her. Did he really love her? Or was it just his way of a joke before he died? She shrugged off the thought and stared at the dark, rolling waves. The breeze played with the free strands of her blonde hair. She smiled softly and looked up at the stars once again as a shooting star flashed brilliantly across the sky. It was like a sign to tell her to move on with her life. Seifer was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. It was time to leave the past behind. Smiling genuinely, she turned around and walked back to her friends.

A/N: END OF STORY! Woo-hoo!  Crappy ending, but oh well, ya? Go on to notes and thanks!

Notes and Thanks!

I'd like to thank my sister for coming up with the title. We were riding in my mom's car and I was trying to think of a good title for this story and she said sarcastically, "How about The Meaning of Whatever?" and then my mom and I thought that was a good title that would surely attract attention, which it did . Ok, it's called that because it when Squall says," Whatever," it doesn't just mean whatever. It means ok, I'll be there, or I care. I forgot to include that in the last chapter, but it wouldn't be right and I couldn't find a spot to stick it in. Thanks to my reviewers for giving me advice! I really appreciate it! Also, I've decided that there won't be a sequel so sorry to those who are disappointed! Love ya'll! Until next time/story,

Mai