Chapter 18 (Conclusion)

A/N: Well, well, all. It appears the story has reached the end of the road – took a bit longer for me to finish than I initially thought it would, but thanks for the readers who've stuck through and tolerated my slow-as-molasses updating. Enjoy and take care.

The sky's color faded from a clear blue into a yellow-orange hue as inevitable darkness of night caused the sun to begin its journey to the other side of the world. We all sat together on the edge of a set of stone steps. Our eyes admired the ocean waves lapping against the white sands of the beach and a still calmness washed a wave of relaxation throughout my tired body.

My shoulders felt light once more in what felt like a very long time. In brief increments a faint and warm breeze would dance around our figures and cool our bodies from the warm summer heat. All of the chaos, and the pain which accompanied it, had eased and was swept away along with the wind. Of course, things were no longer the same as before, for better and for worse.

I looked to my right at the one positive outcome of the dilemma and smiled, completely smitten.

Serah turned to see me smiling warmly at her and she blushed, the pinkness of her cheeks and the glow of the setting sun making her look positively radiant. My eyes traced the curvature of the tip of her ears and couldn't help but think of how adorable they were.

I didn't speak as I moved in to gently place a kiss on Serah's flushed cheek. "Okay?" I whispered in Serah's ear, wondering how she was feeling after everything.

Serah turned her head and our noses nearly touched. Serah chuckled, sounding breathless which left my head light and dizzy from the sound. "Very," Serah answered, and patted my cheek.

I stared deeply into her azure irises and was immediately enthralled at the clearness of her eyes. I saw my face reflected in them and was awed at how happy I looked.

Serah reached for the back of my neck and played with the little wisps of hair at the base, causing me to tremble. I nearly forgot Fang and Vanille were sitting right beside us.

"Oi," Fang's loud voice broke my stupor. "I feel kind of left out with these two always being lovey-dovey. I know, let's get into it, Vanille."

I turned to see Fang wagging her eyebrows at Vanille. "Oh, please, Fang. You know how I feel about PDA," Vanille sighed.

"Oh come on now. Don't be such a stick in the mud," Fang prodded, but Vanille had already got up to run full speed towards the ocean. Fang followed, more determined than ever.

Serah laughed as she watched the two play a game of cat and mouse. I thought they resembled a wolf and a rabbit and I couldn't help but laugh.

Eventually, Fang gave up after Vanille threw a fist full of sand at Fang's face. Accidentally, some of the sand had made its way into Fang's mouth and down her throat causing her to choke.
While Vanille frantically patted Fang's back and kept her from choking to death, I looked around and realized Hope was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Serah, did you see Hope leave?" I said, and searched the surrounding stalls with throngs of people, but Hope's silver-head of hair wasn't among them.

"No, the last time I saw him was in the vehicle," Serah said, and looked around as well for the silver-haired boy. "We really should look for him," Serah added, worriedly.

I shook my head in agreement and called Fang and Vanille over and ceasing their antics. "You two see Hope go off anywhere?" I asked them, but they both shook their heads no.

Trying not to waste any more time, we hurried down the very same streets and alleys where Fang, Vanille, and Hope had wandered alongside me in search of Serah. Now, it was Hope who was the one missing. With each passing minute, my concern only grew worse. Hope had gone through just as much as Serah and I – maybe even more – and I didn't like him being all alone in such a fragile state.

After an hour or so of searching in a state of extreme worry, we conveniently bumped into Hope as he exited one of the stores. He was carrying a small brown bag filled to the brim of mandarins. He looked pale, but otherwise fine.

"Oi!" Fang growled, and hit Hope's shoulder intentionally gently. "Where were you?"

"You had us really worried, Hope," Vanille added, with her hands on her slender hips.

"Hope, you really shouldn't wander off without letting us know," Serah berated, in a motherly way.

Hope looked flustered at the barrage of criticism, and nearly dropped his bag of mandarins. He nervously rubbed at the back of his neck and softly said, "Sorry everyone." We stood in a circle around him like a bunch of family members disappointed in their little brother. "I didn't want to tell anyone but I went to visit Snow in jail," Hope quickly mumbled.

Everyone remained silent and listened to Hope as he continued to explain. "I just wanted to apologize to him for hitting him and maybe even give him a mandarin, b-but the officers wouldn't let me. I thought he'd like to talk, but…" Hope trailed off. "He… wouldn't even look at me…" Hope's voice had become thing and whispery as his eyes brimmed with fresh tears and I knew he was trying hard to hide the pain he felt inside from showing on his face. But tried as he might, I could spot the pain clearly.

I looked at the shame and hurt in Hope's eyes and felt a surge of pity. I didn't want to scold him for visiting Snow alone, but instead I felt a powerful urge to hug him, and so I did.

I pulled the small boy to me and wrapped my arms tightly around him. I felt Hope's chest stop rising and falling as his breathing ceased for a moment. Fang and Vanille gasped and I could picture the look of shock most likely on Serah's face.

It was a truly strange moment for me personally, I would never show anyone affection besides Serah, but Hope had seemed so fragile, so broken. I wanted to let him know he wasn't alone.

"Aww," Vanille gushed as Fang made overdramatic sniffling sounds.

When I released Hope from my embrace, his face was a shade of bright red I didn't know humans could produce. Serah was smiling widely at the two of us.

I looked down at Hope and gave him a pat on the back. "Hey, Hope, I'm proud of you," I told him, truly meaning it. Not many people would try to make amends with someone like Snow – not after all he did.
Hope looked up at me like a child who had been yearning for affection all his life and had finally received it.

"Th-thank you, Light," Hope said, his voice trembling, and he smiled.

"It was really nice what you did for, Hope," Serah said to me.

We were finally alone in our home as we looked out from the balcony. The night sky was clear and the dark vast canvas above us shined brilliantly with stars.

"Oh? What did I do?" I feigned ignorance. I stared at Serah's upturned face to the sky and I wanted very much to hold her close to me. I observed closely as her serious expression transformed into a smile at my words and I loved her even more (if possible).

Serah turned to me and said, "You know what I mean."

I took one step towards her and took her face in my hands. Her pretty features in the twilight made her look ethereal and I felt lost in our own world – encapsulating us in a bubble separate from time.

I kissed her cheek and then her forehead, but left her lips untouched intentionally. Serah had her eyes closed and her lips were parted as they awaited for my kiss.

I chuckled and Serah eventually opened her eyes. She pouted and slapped my arm. "Jerk," she huffed, and crossed her arms defiantly.

She turned away from me like a jaded child and said, "Just when I thought you were finally becoming more affectionate—"

"Oh, I haven't been affectionate enough so far?" I chuckled, and moved close to Serah's back to pull her in by her waist.

She was taken by surprise and her entire body weight fell onto my front. "Claire!" Serah yelped.

I hugged her close and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Serah." I really meant it more than anything, and I hoped the weight of my words made it clear. I hated how words sometimes did feelings no justice.

Serah rubbed my forearms laced across her stomach and took one of my hands to place a kiss atop of my skin, leaving a lingering warmth where her lips had been.

"I love you, Claire." Serah whispered, her voice cracking as her breath tickled my skin.

I turned her body to face me and I took her in my arms. Our bodies swayed close together in silence under the stars for a while. I was unsure of how much time had passed, but all I knew was I wanted this moment to last forever. I knew if a Heaven truly existed, this would be mine.

Serah looked up at me and smiled as her eyes shined brighter than the stars. I caressed her cheek and Serah placed her hand atop of mine as we stared wordlessly, lost in love. I knew I couldn't resist any longer and I moved in to press our lips together.

Serah eagerly reciprocated as she wrapped her arms around my neck to press our mouths even closer. Like any great kiss, my head became hazy and my body felt light as if I was floating up towards the star-filled sky.

Snow was right, Serah truly is an angel. She is my angel, and I am grateful she has helped me create our very own secret world – our Heaven.