Xu was sitting up and pushing open her coffin lid before she even realized what she was doing. Life hit her all at once. She was tired and hungry again, and what a wonderful feeling it was. A dizzying upswelling of faith in existence broke like a wave in her. She pinched the skin of her arm and laughed with delight as she felt pain again. Hell and sorrow and Miang all seemed distant memories.

She dived out of the coffin into the ocean. Cold attacked her from direction; in her rapture, though, it was only another welcome confirmation of her return to the mortal world. She plowed through the water towards the lighthouse that was not too far away now. Her body's weariness had been swept out of her mind - she was alive, and she coming back to Quistis.

* * *

Quistis' eyes focused with unbridled hope on the shape moving through the water. Dare she expect it to be her? Her body quivered with nervous anticipation as she waited until she could tell if ... yes, yes it was! Oh Hyne! Mengshi, Mengshi, Mengshi was coming back!

She tore out of the room and down the spiral staircase. Everything blurred by her, failing to register on her mind and barely on her body. There were no stairs, no world, only the desire to reach her Mengshi as soon as possible.

* * *

Xu surged towards the beach. Seeing Quistis rush out of the lighthouse made her want to be there even more. She was swimming as fast as he could, doing everything she could, and still she had to be there now.

And then she was pulling herself up out of the water and onto her feet. She instinctively shook the water off her wings. Her wings. She hesitated. This was Quistis' last chance to reject her as a sorceress. She gestured towards her wings, mouth opening in a silent beg for Quistis to address the issue, break the ice... please...

"I think they're pretty," Quistis said with a gentle smile.

"...you're sure?" Mengshi croaked.

"Of course. Besides, every sorceress needs a knight, doesn't she?"

And then Mengshi was in her arms, sobbing into Quistis' chest with relief and delight and catharsis. Quistis pulled her closer and gently pressed her cheek to Mengshi's. "Welcome back, Mengshi," she murmured. "I missed you so much."

Mengshi stopped crying long enough to look up into her lover's eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed for a very long time. With their eyes closed and their lips pressed together, it seemed as if there was nothing in the universe but their union, and their mingling tongues sought from each other a solace, a connection, a joining they had been hungering for. Oh, Hyne, what both of them had been through. The mere fact that they were together seemed the greatest triumph they could achieve, the greatest gift they had ever been given.

As their lips finally parted, it seemed that all the troubles had been truly vanquished and there was nothing to left to worry about. But it was not that all that had happened was not banished from their mind. Indeed, knowing that they had gone through it all and could still love each other made them feel even more secure that nothing would ever come between them.

"A couple weeks feel like forever," Mengshi murmured.

"I know; I can't wait to get home," Quistis said. "I'll call Selphie right away."

Mengshi grinned. For once she was able to offer the surprise to Quistis. She beat her wings as she asked, "What do we need Selphie for?"

Quistis laughed. This was a surprise, but a very exciting one. Flying with Mengshi? She couldn't even imagine would this would be like, and yet she could do it right now. "Hold on; I need to get my stuff." Quistis raced to the lighthouse. Mengshi started to follow her, of course, until Quistis looked over her shoulder and added, "Stay there; I've been working on a surprise for you." Mengshi looked a little confused, but obeyed.

Quistis scrambled to pack up all her things. Oh, Hyne, she couldn't believe this, and she hated having to jump through all these hoops of circumstance before she could truly enjoy their victory. But after two weeks of torture, a few more hours were not much of a barrier to bliss.

Unable to tear herself away from Quistis, Mengshi poked her head into the lighthouse to see what was going on. Fortunately, the surprise gift was already tucked safely away in Quistis' suitcase. "I'm almost done," Quistis said, as she folded up her sheets. She wedged them in her suitcase and slammed the whole affair shut. "Okay, I think I've got everything."

Mengshi grinned and opened her arms. "Ready to fly the Sorceress Express?"

They stepped outside. Mengshi took a running start and took off into the air again. Quistis watched her fly with great intent. She had not just been saying it when she said she thought Mengshi's wings were pretty; the woman looked beautiful with her great angel wings framing her. And it was a delight to see Mengshi demonstrating and excelling in and something that Quistis could not. It was no fun being better at everything.

The flying Mengshi hovered behind Quistis and wrapped her arms around Quisty's waist. Slightly nervous, Quistis gripped her suitcase tightly and took a deep breath - and then, with a sudden yank, her feet left off the ground. She, too, was, flying. And it felt great.

Quistis watched the beach spiral away beneath her feet and felt the wind rush against her slightly clammy skin. What a rush! Thank goodness she wasn't prone to vertigo. Of course, it wouldn't be half the thrill it was if she wasn't doing it in Mengshi's arms, carried by her lover and buoyed aloft by that which they had feared so long. Flying was already second nature to Mengshi; her wings beat in powerful swoops and she was grinning with confidence. She seemed like something more, Quistis noted, when she had these wings. Quistis was flying with an angel now. Her wonderful Mengshi had come out of hell for her and become this. And now the two of them could join together again and disappear into the starlit sky.

* * *

They stopped at FH City to rest after flying through the night. On the way to the hotel, Mengshi recounted with great enthusiasm her escape from hell and her plans to return for Chu-Chu as soon they were back at Garden. But as she neared the end of the story, a troubled look crossed her face. The life went out of her speech and by the time she got to pushing open her coffin, it seemed like she no longer cared.

Quistis frowned. Mengshi was starting to look like she had when Quistis had visited her in hell: morose and defeated, coasting through life on inertia. She continued on to their room, hoping Mengshi would address the problem, but she did not. "What's wrong, dear?" she asked.

"I..." Mengshi sounded on the verge of tears. That sick feeling of despair had returned. Was her supposedly joyous return going to inevitably turn out to be a cruel false hope? "Miang was right, Quistis!" she wailed.

Quistis draped her arms around Mengshi's waist from behind and drew her in, hoping to calm her. "Mengshi ... can't you see how happy am I to have you back?" she whispered. "That's evidence right there you're not worthless to the world."

"No, no, about herself," Mengshi said. She felt her eyes moistening with bitter tears. Dammit. Just when she thought things might be better. "I mean, it was only at her expense that I got out of hell. I only found the faith I needed to escape in reaction to Miang's insistence that existence was hopeless. It is her job to be hated. To be villified and made to suffer so that other people can achieve their happiness." Mengshi sighed. "I don't want the world to be like this, Quisty. I don't want people to be left behind. I don't want Chu-Chu or Miang or anyone to have to suffer so I can be free."

This was not what Quistis had been expecting, and had to concede Mengshi had a serious concern. But Quistis was not so quick to give up hope. She smiled sympathetically and ran her fingers through Mengshi's hair in a gesture of gentle affection. "Mengshi... have you lost your faith that quickly?" she whispered. "We'll go back and get them both."

"Do you think that we have any chance of helping Miang, though?"

"We can only try," Quistis said. "From what you've told me about her, it sounds like a little attention and support would do her a lot of good."

"Yeah," Mengshi agreed, as the problem seemed to fade into nothing. "Thank you, Quistis ... for everything." She turned in Quistis' arms and leaned into her. Quistis' arms tightened around her, and Mengshi felt as if she could almost just fold into Quistis and they could become one. "I love you," she said. "Always."

Quistis held her close. "I love you too, my angel." They remained like that, in another moment of perfect union, until the desire to reassure each other that, yes, they were really together, again faded away.

Quistis pushed Mengshi away with a teasing laugh. "Now go take a shower. You smell like a corpse."

She might have been embarassed by this once upon a time, but she now knew she had nothing to approve. "Yes, dear," she said with a matching smirk.

Mengshi stripped off the clothes she had worn since her death, noting in the process that the possessions - Quistis' letter, her cards, and the diary - she had stuffed there in hell had remained with her. She had almost forgotten about them, but that was nice to see. "Ugh, that dress had gotten practically melded to me." She ventured into the bathroom but poked her head back out. "No following me," she commanded with an amused smirk. "I actually need to get clean."

"Whatever you say, dear," Quistis replied with an equal smirk.

While Mengshi showered, Quistis changed into her pajamas. She then picked up her phone and called Selphie.

"Hey, Quisty, what's up?"

"Guess what?" A huge grin spread over Quistis' face. What a wonderful feeling it was not just to have positive things happen to her, but to be able to share her such good news with the world. And no matter how frequently some people thought of her as a wet blanket, she wanted to be able to enjoy herself as much as anyone.

"Xu's back?" Selphie dared to ask eagerly.

"Yes! And here with me!"

"Whoo hoo! Do you want me to come down and pick you guys up?" "We're already on our way back to Garden. We're at a hotel in FH City right now. We'll probably be in tonight."

"Oh, awesome! Booyaka!" She giggled with sheer delight. "Zell and I are on our way to the Balamb County Fair."

Quistis was also thrilled with the situation - she was on her way home - but she could not celebrate quite as completely. "I should warn you, though. Chu-Chu's still in hell. I'm sorry."

"What? Oh dear."

"Don't get me wrong, she's not dead. She was just left behind in the escape." "But we can get her out?"

"Yeah, Mengshi's going back as soon as she can."

"All right." It wasn't a very threatening situation, it seemed, so Selphie wasn't going to fret about it. "I can't wait to see you guys again!"

"I can't wait to be home either. We'll be back tomorrow morning; I'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye-bye! Wait, Zell wants to say hi."

"Hey!"

"Hi, Zell. Have a great time, okay?"

"Thanks! G'bye."

Quistis hung up and, with a knowing smile, turned off the ringer. She set the phone aside and sat down on the bed just as Mengshi came out of her shower. Her hair was still slightly soggy and she had her towel wrapped around her body. Quistis looked at her with a knowing smirk - she knew what they were both thinking about, oh yes - and they both giggled.

But one thought still nagged at Mengshi's mind. She came and sat on the side of the bed beside Quistis to look curiously at her, her face reflecting obvious concern. "You've suffered a lot for me, haven't you?"

Quistis nodded, but - to the surprise of Mengshi, who was still expecting dreary, angsty commiseration - kissed her playfully on the cheek. "It was worth it." She grinned.

Mengshi had been preparing to apologize more, but now found herself not needing to. It was all okay. Really all okay. It seemed so hard to believe, but sometimes the best things were hard to believe. "Mengshi," Quistis continued, "you probably don't realize it, but ... while all that's happened has certainly been trying, it's also in a way made feel more certain about us."

"Mmm? How so?"

"Well, don't you think it makes me feel important that you would claw your way out of the depths of hell - and I know that wasn't easy - to be with me?" She chuckled. "You know, I may not be as insecure as a lot of people, but I do still like to know that I'm appreciated."

"Well, everyone does."

"Exactly."

They hugged again, and Quistis nudged Mengshi backwards. Mengshi happily flopped onto her back and Quistis knelt over her all on fours. She stared down into Mengshi's eyes, appreciating what she saw, and gently brushed one hand over Mengshi's cheek. "I like that look," she murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Your eyes," Quistis explained. "The fear's gone. You don't look so afraid to be yourself. You look what you know you're doing here."

"Well, I do."

"I know. It's wonderful to see."

Mengshi's whimsy took her on a whirlwind trip through the past few weeks. "Yeah, I really have changed so much," she concluded. "I'm just ... so much of a different person, aren't I?"

Quistis pursed her lips, teasing but also deeply enamored. "Mmm, I don't think so," she said. "You've changed, but you're the same person. You've grown into yourself; that's all."

"Yeah," Mengshi repeated. Yeah, that sounded nice. She liked that. "Sorry it took me so long."

Quistis lowered herself to Mengshi's chest and kissed her deeply. "You're forgiven," she said, as Mengshi's hands were already moving to relieve her of her pajamas.

* * *

"WHOO HOOOOOOOOO!"

Two passengers raised their fists in the air, basking in exhilaration, as the roller coaster plummeted back to its starting point. They staggered off the ride, and Zell almost tripped over his own feet.

Selphie giggled. Ah, this was turning out to be doing a world of good for her, and she chastised herself for not listening any sooner to what she knew was good for her. It was exactly what she needed: a chance to forget about politics and Rinoa and just have a fun-filled evening at the amusement park with someone she cared about. Thank goodness she had someone to go with these days. Emma and Sun Hye had always loved amusement parks, but Irvine had panic attacks, Chu-Chu was too short to get on most of the rides (except Franz), Yuffie got sick just looking at the merry-go-round. She smiled in amusement thinking of Yuffie's foibles even as she felt a twinge of longing. Missing her hurt a lot, but she was no longer beating herself up the same way over it.

Yes, life was really looking up now. She was slowly learning how to deal with her limits, and she was happy that she and Zell were growing closer. And now Quistis and Xu were coming back! Gosh, had it really been two weeks since Xu had killed herself in the first place? And today was the 4th; in only three days, it would be a month since Yuffie got arrested. It was baffling to think this entire melodrama had all been crammed into a month - and yet at the same time, it seemed impossible to imagine herself back in the time before this had all started.

Zell noted the distant, pensive look in her eyes and hugged her closer to her side. "C'mon, Selphie, we're here to have fun."

"Yeah, I know." She surveyed the fair until he eyes landed on the arcade. "Ooh, ooh, can we play the UFO catcher? I wanna see if I can win some new beanies."

Zell grinned. "Sounds like a plan; let's go."

Still hand-in-hand, they traveled to the arcade. They both did a double take upon witnessing Seifer at the controls of the UFO catcher. Selphie almost blurted something out, but managed to cover her mouth in time. Seifer had not realized he was being watch, so they could stand and silently observe him. He was staring down the machine with great intensity, though it was more anger and concentration: he was jamming the controls about without the least bit of subtlety. Selphie and Zell exchanged glances of mutual amusement

The crane closed on empty space, missing all of the beanie babies inside the machine. "DAMMIT!" Seifer cursed as he delivered a sharp kick to the machine. "Give me the damn doll already!" As he was in the process of putting another coin in, he happened to glance about and see Selphie and Zell watching him. Shit! This was humiliating. Chickenwuss and his munchkin girlfriend had caught him playing games at an amusement park. Neither of them had spoken yet, or indeed greeted or communicated him in any way, but their interest in him was an affront unto itself. "Look, I'm just trying to win this Cactuar plushie, okay?" he snapped. "That foreign exchange girls with the pigtails likes them, so I was going to surprise her with one. Her old boyfriend died or something, so she's got to be vulnerable. Now don't friggin' say anything, 'cause I need to concentrate on my ROMANTIC dream."

They had no choice but to wait and watch him play, since he was hogging the machine. Luckily, his next round proved more fruitful, and the Cactuar plushie he desired came rolling out of the machine. "Finally!" he growled. He gathered up the beanies he had one, stuffed them in his trenchcoat, and marched towards the entrance. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he grunted as he passed them by. "Bet you're too scared to go any of the rides, huh, chickenwuss?"

Uh-oh, here we go, Selphie thought. She braced herself for the immediate explosion and was left feeling suddenly disoriented when there wasn't one. Seifer went on strolling out of the arcade and Zell was just standing with his hand in hers as if nothing had happened. Indeed, the only one who seemed to have noticed was Selphie, who was cringing and looking about nervously in anticipation of a non-existent threat. She relaxed just slightly. "Er, he called you chickenwuss," she prodded him.

"Hey, we're here to have fun, right? I don't waste my time getting upset about things that aren't important." He shrugged. "I dunno, it just doesn't seem to bother me as much as it used to. Like, Rinoa called me a chickenshit conformist the other day and I didn't realize until several hours later that I was supposed to be pissed off. And then it was, like, what's the point?" Now that he was trying to explaining, his reaction surprised even him. He was starting to turn an adult now. When did that happen?

Selphie giggled, but she too recognized that he was changing. "Yeah." Well, that was awesome. She didn't really mind his occasional fit at being insulted; it was a pretty harmless quirk, all things considered. But it was terrific that he was getting to be more peace with himself and able to shrug off stuff like Seifer's taunts -- and that he was happy about it too.

"I still don't get why he hates me so much, though," Zell said. "It's not like I ever tried to start anything with him; I'd be happy if he left me alone."

"Well... I think he's jealous of you, honestly."

"Jealous of me? What the hell for?" Zell never really understood jealousy. He would be the first to admit that he had plenty of flaws, but in spite of them he never found himself wanting to actually be someone else. And he hadn't even done anything to best Seifer; it wasn't like he'd taken something or some place that Seifer wanted. Well, that was why it was Seifer's problem, not his.

Selphie smiled. It was rather sweet the way he didn't even recognize that he did many things that other people could not. "People like you, Zell. You're a sweet, funny, caring guy; people enjoy your webcomic and you're a successful SeeD. Of course Seifer wants to be like that, instead of being reduced to pining over -" she adopted a mocking imitation of Seifer's growl "'-hot foreign exchange chicks.'" Zell hesitated, uncertain whether Selphie was jabbing at him or had completely missed the connection with his own former crush on the girl. She grinned and elbowed him in the side. "I'm just kidding, dear." He chuckled first with relief, and then with general amusement. Yeah, why take everything so seriously? When it came right down it, what made them, well, themselves was cause only for merriment and celebration, not guilt.

They led each other over to the UFO catcher machine. Wow, this was a big one, Zell thought. He was marveling at the impressive selection of dolls inside when Selphie suddenly seized his arm. "Ohmigod, look!" She pointed eagerly inside the machine with her other hand. "Look, it's Mr. Bear!"

Indeed it was. Piled near the bottom in the case was a lanky brown bear just like the one Selphie had toted around for years. Wow. She'd never seen him in a store since ... since she'd needed a new one. This had to be a sign. Perhaps one specifically arranged by someone out there who wanted to reassure that she was still loved and watched over. Or perhaps just as reminder that even the random occurrences of a heartless world could sometimes play in her favor. Either way, this miraculous reunion told her that she should hang in there - she'd never know the next time something like this would happen.

"We have to get him," she declared.

Zell nodded. Of course. That went without saying; what alternatives were there? Physical concerns like money and time were worth forgetting about for a memory that would stay with them forever, long after any negative side effects had vanished. And, he realized, Mr. Bear would be more than a memento of a happy time; recovering him would be a crucial medicine for Selphie's withering soul.

He handed Selphie one of their 50-gil pieces. She gripped the controls and stared with great intent into the display case. This would take a bit of strategy. Mr. Bear was stuck under a tonberry; she'd have to get that one out first. She nudged the crane in that direction. But it wasn't quite far enough - the claws snapped futilely in thin air.

Zell automatically handed her another coin. This time she snatched up the horse-and-rider duo of Christopher & Ziggy. The rising claw jostled Mr. Bear, and he tumbled deeper into the pile.

Oh dear. She had to get Mr. Bear, but that might take her a while. She couldn't just grab him now. He was like some sort of Oak Island Beanie; trying to get him only made him fall further into the pit.

She stepped away from the controls and looked to Zell. "Here, you want to try? You're good at this kind of stuff. I'm going to try the fortune-telling machine!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Zell had still not managed to liberate Mr. Bear. He had, however, built up a stack of three Pupus, several moombas, a female moogle, a shoopuf, a pair of tonberries, a chocobo, and even an Onion Knight.

Selphie returned and hunched over beside him. Her eyes sought Mr. Bear and saw he was still where she had left him. "No luck, love?"

"Not yet," Zell said, staring intently into the window. He was in the middle of a round and could not look away. "But you've won quite a menagerie of other critters."

Lady Luck failed Zell again as the crane closed on a behemoth sitting just adjacent to the moogle. Damn! The plushie came tumbling out of the machine and landed on the shoopuf's behind. He relaxed and stood up straight, exhaling. "What was your fortune?" he asked Selphie.

Selphie consulted the slip she had been given. "'Untold happiness will be yours if you purchase The Legend of Cait Sith Gets Some. Now in bookstores.'" She looked back up. "I don't quite get it."

"Huh, me neither; that's weird. Someone must have started spamming the fortune-telling machine."

Selphie seized the controls. "Can I try again?"

"Of course." He rummaged in his pocket for another 50-gil piece. His hand continued its search for some time until he was forced to include that there were none. "Uh... I think I'm out of coins. Hang on, I think I saw Seifer with one too; maybe he'll trade." He quickly sprinted out of the arcade, hoping it was not too late to find Seifer, and ran all the way back to the parking lot.

Just in time! Seifer was approaching his Camaro when Zell arrived. "Seifer!" Zell panted. "Do you have any bear dolls?"

"Yeah, do you like my Chevy Camaro?"

"Um, I was asking if you -"

"This is one bitchin' Camaro, chickenwuss. I bet you wish you had a car like this."

"Look, I just came to ask you if you have one of those brown bear UFO dolls in that 'bitchin' Camaro' of yours. I'll trade you a lot for it."

"Aww, for your little munchkin girlfriend? Isn't that sweet? How about a mushroom doll, to go with her hair?"

Dammit, it was never the specific insults that bothered him, but the fact that someone was leveling them in the first place. What the hell did Seifer hope to accomplish? It was spite, nothing else, and he didn't how to accept it. It shouldn't exist!

But Selphie was waiting on him. He couldn't throttle Seifer now. That was always one of his principles, to never let his negative feelings towards anything take precedence over his positive feelings towards something else.

"Please?"

Seifer could not be bothered to argue with Zell any more. On the way to the driver's seat, he opened the trunk of his bitchin' Camaro and carelessly tossed Mr. Bear out onto the pavement on his way. Maybe that would appease him. He turned the ignition and mentally patted himself on the back. Damn, this was such a cool car. Everyone needed a sportscar, if only for the pleasure it added to daily life. And now he got to drive his bitchin' Camaro home so he could watch Fight Club. What an awesome movie. That anti-materialist message was so true to how he felt.

Zell scrambled to yank the toy off the ground before anything happened to it. Whew, at least he'd gotten it. He hurried back to the arcade.

Selphie was holding the female moogle in her arms and waiting for him. She grinned as soon as she saw that his mission had been successful. "You got it! Booyaka!" she exclaimed. She grabbed Mr. Bear from Zell's hands at the same Zell thrust it towards her. Oh, she couldn't believe she had Mr. Bear again. It was all so sudden. Like manna from heaven. "Thanks, dear." While her attention was focused on the thrill of the moment, a distant part of her recognized that this would be an important memory for both of them. After two years without him, she had a Mr. Bear again. And Zell had not only volunteered to go negotiate with his archnemesis for it, but was also successful in doing so.

She lifted up the female moogle to stare into its eyes, then cuddled it against her chest. So cute! "I really like this one too," she said. She checked her tag. "Mag? What kind of a name is that? She needs a better name. What should we call her? Any ideas?"

"Um... how about Pupurin?"

Selphie chuckled. "Cute, but I'd rather have something more original."

"Schtolteheim Reinbach III?"

"What? That's too long and too weird. Um... how about Melody?" It popped into her head for no particular reason, but it was often those sorts of ideas that were best. No mental focus group involved, just something from the soul. "I mean, I've always said I wouldn't want to be without melody."

He grinned. "Yeah, that's sweet."

Selphie hugged Mr. Bear Mark II and Melody in her arms while Zell found a large garbage bag to carry the rest of their haul in. She giggled as they worked together to stuff them all in the bag. Oh dear, they really had collected a lot, hadn't they? Well ... good. She deserved some good turns as much as everyone else. She'd have fun adding these to her collection.

Selphie pointed. "Look, Zell! We can go on the Cone of Tragedy next!"

It was a big red metal cone, about thirty-five feet in height, with several sets of manacles hanging near the top and blades sticking out of other parts of it. "Uh-oh." She giggled. Hee hee hee, he was so funny! "I was kidding; I was kidding." She elbowed him again and they both had a good laugh about it. "C'mon, how about the Ferris wheel? It's a long line, but it'll be worth it."

"Sure, let's go."

Selphie looked down at her huge stack of plush companions. "Hmm, I'd better take this back to the car first." She hefted them over her shoulder and gave him a playful wink. "Go make yourself and find us some food."

Zell did a SeeD salute. "Jawohl!"

They both giggled. Zell scurried off to buy food. Hmm, what did Selphie like? He was getting a hot dog, of course. Well, she liked cheesecake, but he was almost positive that he wouldn't find that here. Ice cream would have to do. Then a goofy but possibly touching idea struck him. He ordered an extra cone of ice cream and a bottle of Sunny Delight.

When Selphie returned from the car, Zell was waiting with their food. He raised one of the cones and the bottle of Sunny Delight. "In honor of Yuffie," he declared before pouring the Sunny D over the ice cream.

"You're not actually going to eat that, are you?"

"Of course not," Zell said. He chucked the mess in the nearest trash receptacle.

* * *

Where are you, my angel? Squall was unable to resist continually checking his watch as he paced the inside of the B-Garden elevator. He knew Rinoa should have gotten off work by now -- he did, after all, have her daily schedule memorized. Maybe things were running really late. This was the only way down from the office and she certainly hadn't shown up yet. Sigh. And for once it seemed as though things were actually about to go right.

A gigging and shrieking roll of carpet careened in from the office, ricocheted off the back wall of the elevator, and came to a halt at Squall's feet. The pig-tailed library girl poked her head out of the center and whooped with delight.

Her friend, a blonde girl with a tattoo in the shape of a bandage on her face ran into the elevator after her. "My turn! My turn!"

...whatever, thought Squall.

The pig-tailed girl rolled herself back and forth for more entertainment. "No, we should try this on the first floor! I bet we can go even further there!"

"Okay, mate."

"Wait, don't touch that!" Squall made the connection a few seconds too late. The blonde girl had already taped the "1" button. The doors closed, the elevator started to descend - and then everything stopped dead.

What a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. First his plan to meet Rinoa had failed and now he was stuck in an elevator with two annoying girls.

"Crikey, Rikku, I think it's stuck!" Kid said.

Rikku had been having too much fun rolling around to notice until now. She poked her head back out of the carpet. "Huh? What happened?"

"I don't know; the bloody thing just stopped movin'!"

"What are we going to do?"

"Wait fer it to get fixed, I suppose." Kid scratched her faux bandage. Figuring that she'd be here for a while, she turned to Squall. "Um, hi, mister. I'm Kid."

"My name's Rikku!" Rikku was still rolling back and forth across the elevator. "I can't see you very well; who am I talking to?"

"It's a cute emo bloke, but I guess he doesn't want to talk to us."

"Oh, I like cute emo boys. Are you heartbroken? That's so adorable."

Please go away, Squall thought.

"Are you going to tell us your name?" Kid prodded.

"I think Rivers Cuomo is so cute. Someday I'm going to marry him! Do you think he's cute too?"

"How many ex-girlfriends are you pining over? Do you hurt a lot on the inside?"

"Ohmigod, I loooove Saves the Day!"

"Do you mind if I have a crush on you?"

Squall Leonhart minded very much.

* * *

After a whirlwind tour of the rest of the rides, they were finally forced out of the park when it was shut down for the night. Zell stepped carefully towards the PokéBeetle; after all these rides, he was a little dizzy and hard a time keeping his balance. Selphie seemed okay. Of course, she had Mr. Bear to hang onto.

After a night of excitement, Selphie was starting to descend into a peaceful calm. This evening had such been a blast that it had managed to purge all the Rinoa/Yuffie/politics frustration out of her emotional state. Right now, there were only positive thoughts bouncing around in her head. She could not help but feel this was a turning point; she had bottomed out and was on the way back up. Handing over the FKF must have been the right decision. As much as it pained her to admit defeat, she had to recognize her limits lest she destroy herself.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," she said as they got into the car. "Thanks for being around; I really needed this."

Zell smiled. "I had a great time too," he said. "I hope my screaming didn't ruin too many rides for you."

"You didn't get upset when Seifer called you chickenwuss. That says a lot more about you than any ride."

"Yeah..."

"And... Mr. Bear." She repeated the name with somewhat of an awed tone. A mere acknowledgment of his existence revealed a spectacular gift she could never could never have expected to receive. A sign that perhaps the universe indeed looking after her and that unpredictable blessings could emerge at any time. And if those blessings could come at any time ... well, then it was always too early to give up. Selphie hugged her ursine companion again. "Sometimes we can get back the things they've taken away from us."

He smiled. He had never seen the original Mr. Bear, of course, but he knew what he -- and his successor -- meant to Selphie. "I'm so glad we found him."

"Me too. And I bought something to give you, too." She reached under her seat and handed Zell a small wrapped package. Once he would have felt immediately guilty -- he didn't have anything to give her back! Except now he could say "except love and understanding and joy in the happy times and comfort in the trying times." Not to mention all the money he had spent on the UFO catcher. So he just grinned and opened it with faith.

It was a copy of Julia Heartilly's Greatest Hits.

His face lit up like Selphie was playing some "Test Your Relationship Strength" and had just sent the slider flying all the way up the top of the meter to win the grand prize. "Oh, it's just what I've always wanted," he said through an ear-to-ear grin. He carefully put the CD down and reached across to hug her.

Selphie hugged him back. He loved it, just like she knew he would. Of course; she knew him better than anyone. Well, that made her happy. Happy to see that she knew what she was doing after all. Happy to see him happy. Happy to know that she could make him so happy.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Thank you so much." She believed him. He could change. He did not have to live the rest of his life as the dorky comic relief. All his fears seemed so groundless, so silly at times like these. Why was ever upset? Selphie understood.

When it came to anyone else, he could never quite impart the precise thoughts he had. He could fumble for words to convey the meaning he wanted, but he had too many thoughts and not enough words in the English language. They never seemed to match up. And his examples frequently went lost on ears that hadn't already had similar experiences burned into their life. But Selphie seemed to get it all. She had the same life inside her, and all he had to do was speak enough words to highlight which corner of their souls he was referring to.

He'd always been waiting to sell-out, really. To be able to leave behind all the unfulfulling posturing - which he only did because he thought he had to; he would be the first to admit that - and grab ahold of something that made him genuinely happy. To love and be loved had always been his dream. But he couldn't sell out until someone was buying.

"Selphie, it means so much to me to know that someone gets what I've trying to figure out. To know that I don't have to make myself into anything other than what I really am. I mean ... I know I've done a lot of stupid things. But you've kept believing in me, believing that I could change my ways and grow up into something worthwhile. And I can't begin to thank you for that, because a lot of people would have given up a long time ago.

"I've been drowning in a sea of objectivity, able to talk myself out of any position or opinion on anything, shifting through dozens of groups and adopting to them all like a chameleon without ever really belonging to any of them. I can fake it so well, but there's been so little to me. It's like one of the big gas giant planets, a lot of shifting cloud patterns but nothing solid at the core. But you've given me a chance to orient myself in a useful direction. Because no matter what else I'm confused about, I can believe in you with all my heart and soul. I love you."

"Thanks," she said, sincerely appreciate of his words. "I know you believe in me too."

Neither of them really initated the kiss; they both thought of it at virtually the same time. Selphie felt her heart stir as their lips pressed together and their tongues danced. Mmm. It was like there was nothing in the universe but them; for this moment, their entire essences were engaged in mingling with each other. And she felt all his heart, all his sincerity flowing into her. When he really wanted to, he could put aside all his foibles and fears and be everything his soul held. They kissed more and more, feeling like it would strip away all those worldly concerns, until they had to stop for breath.

"I love you too," Selphie whispered.

She sighed happily. Perhaps that hole in the soul could heal, after all. Perhaps it already was healing. Even if she was never entirely whole again, she felt she had touched the golden wire she had been hunting for. Had her striving finally got enough to touch the light at the end of the tunnel? Or had the answer been lurking beneath her sight all this time? Probably some of each. She could not deny that her searching had led them some of the answers she needed, as in the planetarium, but she also knew that a lot of her peace came from accepting her life the way it was.

She jumped when a tinny rendition of "Eyes on Me" cut through the almost-tangible atmosphere of contentment. Selphie reached for her purse to fetch her ringing cell phone. Her eyes took in both the caller - Irvine - and the time - past 1 AM! eek! - on the screen as she reached to grab it. Well, as irritated as she was at his timing, she couldn't blame him for calling. He was probably wondering where they'd disappeared to. "Hello?"

"You answered!" He sounded extremely relieved.

"Why, what? Is something going on?"

"Look, there's trouble. Rinoa called Seifer from the Natural History Museum. She said she's going to destroy the napkin exhibit at the museum, and to try to stop her. He left right away; I tried to stop him, but ... but you know I'm not real good in these kind of crises.

"Oh my God, what does she think she's doing?" Panic and despair smashed her in the face, jumped down her throat, and started tearing out her insides. If she felt interrupted from her time with Zell before, she didn't now - that was already a world away and existence was now nothing but this crisis. Hyne, she should have known Rinoa would pull something like this, should have done more to stop her instead of letting her work by herself. It was just like Rinoa had said: The world's problems wouldn't stop because some preppy white girl wanted to party. And now the problems had come and slapped her in the face. She knew Seifer would show his ex-girlfriend no mercy -- he hated her. And Rinoa would be probably be looking for any chance to get back at him, too... this was ugly.

"I don't know what you can do," Irvine said, "but if there's anyone that can stop her..."

"Yeah, I understand; we'll be there ASAP. Please come too, if you can."

"All right, I'll meet you outside the museum."

"Okay, I'll see you there." Selphie hung up and tossed the phone on her seat - putting it away neatly would cost too much time.

Zell was staring expectantly at her, waiting for an explanation. He had quickly come to awareness that something was very, very wrong and that romance time was over. "Rinoa...?"

"Yeah." She had already tugged her seatbelt into position and turned the ignition. "I'll explain on the way; we've got to move." Hyne, she should have been prepared for this. But she hadn't, and she wasn't sure how things would turn out. On Rinoa's side: Guilt, anger, and what seemed to be plenty of anecdotal evidence about the way the world worked. On her own side: Love, hope, faith, and the sizeless truth of a dream.

Well, this would be interesting.

Next chapter: Operation Nephilim