Revised: 5-17-19

AN: PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END AFTER FINISHING THIS CHAPTER!

Mission 8: The First Promise - The Seaside City of Bodhum

-Day 7-

-The Seaside City of Bodhum - NORA House-

'Wow... She wasn't lyin',' Rygdea mused as he got a good look at the cafe.

Indeed, the entire venue was filled to the brim with customers, most of them youthful and energetic. Despite the news of the blockade, one would think everything was alright judging from the atmosphere, and that there had been mysterious incident at Euride.

Just like the Sanctum wanted.

Still, among the youths currently frequenting the restaurant, not one of them matched the description of Fang's friend.

"O-oh! E-excuse me, sir!" a voice belonging to that of a young man called out behind him.

Turning around, he saw a young waiter with blue hair, and somewhat fashionable clothes. He actually remembered him. This kid had been detained by PSICOM because they thought he was carrying around a suspicious package. However, what they found inside was nothing serious, and then let him off.

Probably why he seemed so nervous around him.

"W-we're, uh..." he stammered, hands stiffly at his sides. "W-we, uh, o-our tables are currently full! B-but if you want, y-you can sit at the bar counter!"

Rygdea put his hand reassuringly on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, easy, kid. I'm off-duty. No need to fret."

Not even waiting for his response, he made his way to the bar top.

A girl with dark hair greeted him. "Welcome, sir. What can I get you?"

"Uh... Anythin' you think's good. I'm starvin'!" he responded.

"Sure thing!" She quickly set up her station, turning up the oven, and preparing glasses to serve drinks. "Anything in particular you don't like?"

He shrugged. "If there is, I haven't eaten it yet." She returned the smile and went to work, her hands gliding between the frying pan and cutting fruit.

Taking a moment, Rygdea peeked over his shoulder, looking out for Fang's friend. Although he did manage to see a good myriad of young people around, none of them matched her description.

He had been looking out for a few minutes when the bartender spoke up again. "Excuse me, officer, but are you waiting for someone?"

Looking back, the soldier smiled. "Actually, I'm looking for someone," he responded. "You wouldn't happened to have seen a girl around here, have ya? She's around seventeen or eighteen."

The bartender raised an eyebrow at his statement. Rygdea couldn't help but also notice she looked a bit relieved after he answered. "Well, we get at least three every hour. There anything particular about this one?"

"Well, she's got pigtails and red hair." The captain balled two fists behind his head for emphasis.

"Anything else that stands out?"

"Uh... She has bracelets on her wrists. Thin ones, and... And rings, I think."

"Bracelets and rings, huh?" she asked as she shook a drink in her hands. "This your girlfriend, or something?... No, wait, you said she was eighteen, right? She your daughter?"

Rygdea smile jokingly. "You callin' me old?"

The girl smiled with a laugh. "Nah, I'm just messing withcha. But bracelets, red pigtails, and she's eighteen... What else can you tell me?"

"Let's see... Apparently, she laughs a lot. Smiles a lot, too. She's a bit careless, but she likes to care for others. Kind girl," he recalled.

"...Yeah, that's not much to go on," she winced after removing the meat from the pan.

"Figures..." he sighed.

He should have known better, he supposed. After all, the girl liked to care for others, but she needed to care for herself. And how could she laugh a lot somewhere she had never been to before? Rygdea also forgot to mention to her that she cried to herself a lot, but it was probably going to be as helpful as the other pieces of information were.

"Anyway, if you see her 'round here, mind lettin' me know?" he requested. "Though, uh, I'd rather she didn't know I'm lookin' for her, so keep it to yourself for now, yeah?"

At this, the bartender arched an eyebrow in suspicion. "Don't let her know?... That sounds awfully suspicious, officer."

He merely shrugged, giving her the same made-up story he had given to Sergeant Farron previously. "Yeah, I know. Thing is, she ran away from home, and her parents have me lookin' for her. They don't wanna make a fuss about it. Gotta respect their privacy, y'know?"

The young woman narrowed her eyes further in suspicion, but merely shrugged it off. "Whatever. Fine, I'll let you know if I see her. Here's your food, by the way."

She then passed a plate of cooked meat and other sides of vegetables and greens, along with a decorated glass with a specially-mixed drink as its contents. The captain actually had to blink at that before recalling the speed in which she had made it.

"Mind leaving me some contact info?" she asked. "Gotta know how I'll get in touch with you if I do see her."

"Right," he nodded. "Gimme a sec."

Rygdea then passed off his information to her, thanking her once again before digging into his meal. After that, he left the cafe, regrettably without any clue as to where Fang's friend was.

Lebreau let out a sigh of relief as the Corpsman left. Even though she knew there was no reason for her to be anxious, the fact that their 'guest' was missing was surely stressful.

Serah had explained that their resident fugitive - Nero, she recalled - had run off to do an errand for her after they had finished selling their product for the day, much to their surprise and worry. The fact that the rose-haired girl didn't know when he would be back was also cause for them to fret. Taking them away from Serah's ears, Snow had ordered Maqui to go around town to look for him and keep him out of trouble, while everyone else went along with their duties as usual.

Not too long before the officer had arrived, Serah and Snow went to their usual spot. The younger girl had a very serious and somber look in her eye. Lebreau hoped nothing too terrible had happened.

"I swear, I'm not getting paid enough for this," she lamented as she washed a cup in her hands.

Business was dying down for the day, so she was carrying out the duties that she needed to do before closing.

There was hardly anybody around, so when Maqui came rushing into the Cafe, calling out for their leader, he had her full attention.

"Snow?! H-hey, Snow?!" he panted out as he stopped right before the bar counter. "Lebreau, where's Snow?"

"What'd I tell you about running inside the cafe?!" she chided, hands on her hips as she completely ignored his question.

"'Don't do it.' I know, I know," he answered back sheepishly. "But seriously, where's Snow?"

Groaning, Lebreau inched her head towards the exit. "He went with Serah to their usual spot," she answered before looking back to him. "This about Mr. Nobody?"

"Yeah. I-I couldn't find him," the blonde boy answered, running his right hand over his goggles. "There was also a lot of soldiers out and about, too... What if they got him?"

"Then he's no longer our problem," Lebreau retorted with a shrug. "I don't think they got him, though. The Sanctum would've made a show of it."

"...Hey, what if he ever does get caught?" Maqui asked suddenly. "Do you think he'll rat us out to the army? Say we helped him?"

"...Maybe," the bartender answered honestly. "Still... I don't think he would. I just don't get that vibe from him."

The younger boy shrugged. "If you say so..."

"Anyway, I'll let Snow know what you just told me. In the meantime, I need you to go move some vegetables in the back. We're closing shop in a bit," she ordered, gesturing with her left thumb to the door behind. "C'mon, make it quick."

Groaning, Maqui did as she asked, and made his way to the back.

"...Is that all I am to you guys? A 'problem?'"

Startled, Lebreau jumped up slightly as she turned back around, letting out a squeak as the hooded form of Nero stood before her.

"W-what the...?! W-where the hell have you been?! What were you thinking, leaving like that?!" the black-haired woman snapped, firmly bringing her hands onto the tabletop to situate herself. "Or were you even thinking when you skipped out on us like you did?!"

"Oh, I was thinkin', alright," Nero answered with a shrug, removing his hood from his head. "Was thinking I didn't wanna be cooped up in here the rest of the day. Gets boring when you're doing nothin'."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, the young woman stroked the bridge of her nose. "I swear... Anyway, where'd you go? You went off to do an errand for Serah, right?"

The man's reaction was curious, she observed. He tensed up slightly, looking at her with something akin to suspicion. Whatever it was, it went away shortly afterward. He probably thought it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Yeah... Though I couldn't do it. Too many cops out and about," he seethed. "They really wanna catch me, huh?"

"It's not you they're looking for. They're still looking into whatever it was that happened in Euride," she answered briskly, taking up a glass and wiping it down.

"If you say so," the devil hunter relented, before turning back to her. "Anyway, I need to let Serah know how it went. She around?"

Lebreau shook her head. "Nope. She went out with Snow earlier to the usual spot..." She blinked, before shaking her head again. "Right, you don't know where that is... Anyway, they'll be back later."

"I need to see her now," Nero pressed. "It's important, and she wanted me to go straight to her once I got back."

That was a lie, but Nero felt Lebreau did not need to know that, considering his 'errand' had everything to do with the rose-haired girl's secret.

Sighing, Lebreau put down the glass cup, and inched her head towards the exit. "Alright, fine. But if she gets mad at you for ruining their alone time, that's on you."

"I'll take my chances."

"Your funeral... Anyway, here's where you need to go."

-The Usual Spot-

"Wait... What?"

The leader of NORA could have sworn that he had heard the words. But considering who it was those words came from, he was starting to question if his mind was playing tricks on him.

Yet here they were, standing in their usual spot. As usual, a glass, crystalline dome was over their heads, with benches surrounding the circular area. Some of the crates used for their stall in the mornings were around the walls, along with a stereo in on corner, a bench of his own on the other. Even that odd, extravagant statue that came with the space when NORA got it. It was almost otherworldly.

And standing before him was his girlfriend, Serah. Or, rather... ex-girlfriend.

Because she had just broken up with him.

"...You're kidding, right?" he asked in disbelief, still caught off guard by the girl's sudden announcement.

Taking a deep breath - almost as if steeling herself - Serah looked back at him with a determined, narrowed glare. "I mean it."

Without waiting for his reaction, she then began to storm past him, noticeably avoiding his gaze. The leader of NORA watched as she left, letting out a heavy sigh before walking behind her.

Putting his hands behind his head, Snow pressed further. "You can't... just drop the break-up bomb like that."

Unfortunately, that got no reaction from the girl, so he decided to be more honest.

"Being alone's alright, I guess. Yep," he continued. "Always before we met."

His arms returned to his sides as they made it to the steps of the walkway. The hero had stopped at the top of the stairs while the young woman kept descending them.

"But then we did. And now I know that there's something better... Being with you."

Hearing this, the younger Farron sister slowed down her step, before stopping completely. She still didn't turn to face Snow, for if she had, he would have seen her conflicted face, and how fragile her resolve really was.

"We've come too far to quit now," he pleaded resolutely.

The facade returned to her expression, and she twisted around towards her former boyfriend. "It's not your choice!" she snapped.

"You really wanna leave me?" he pressed as he descended down the steps further.

"I don't want to, I have to!" she retorted, looking away again after finishing. Serah could feel her resolve wavering again, and so took the moment to breathe.

She looked back at him, mouth struggling to find the words to say. She wanted to say more, but stopped herself before she could. "Listen, it's over," she repeated firmly, before turning away to leave again. "Please... Just stay away from me."

She didn't get as far as two steps when Snow spoke up again, having finally descended from the steps to get down to her level. "What happened? At least tell me that," he demanded. "Was it your sister, me going out with NORA, or what happened a few days ago with those creeps?" He was still just as lost as when she told him she was breaking it off with him. Snow had to know why. "If it was something I did," he shrugged his shoulders, "just say it."

Serah faced him again, ready to repeat herself. To push him away. But the words he said echoed within her. As much as she would have preferred it to be easy, he had a point. Snow had a right to know why she was distancing herself from him. The conflict in her head played out in front of him, her mouth open to say something, only to falter right as she was to say it.

Blinking to herself several times, the rose-haired girl took a deep few breaths, seeming to almost steel herself. After another moment's hesitation, she closed her eyes and nodded. "...Okay."

Snow watched as she approached the railing on the side of the walkway, her hand lingering over her left bicep. Then, after another exhale of breath through her lips, Serah began to undo the bindings.

Furrowing his eyes curiously, the neighborhood watchman waited as his beloved prepared to reveal her reasoning.

Finally, she was as ready as she could have been. "...Look."

Turning towards him, she revealed what was underneath the bindings.

What he saw almost made his heart stop.

Before, he had always thought that the bandage had hidden an injury sustained during that incident with those felons. However, Serah had never bothered to show him the scars, and he respected her space. Now he understood, though. They weren't hiding a scar.

The wrappings were hiding a brand.

A Pulse l'Cie brand.

"...Branded by Pulse... I'm a l'Cie," she revealed.

Snow registered the image on her arm, and took a step back, letting out a startled gasp. "...No..."

"Enemy of Cocoon..." she continued, her voice beginning to break, revealing the fear that had grown inside her since that day. "...Danger to us all..."

He didn't know when it happened, but Snow felt his legs give out from under him, falling to his knees before lurching forward, placing his hands on the ground to steady himself.

"...Get it now?" Serah grimly queried, finally having gotten her point across, though not feeling at all triumphant. "You're my enemy."

The young girl then turned away for the last time, but not before addressing her beloved one last time. "...Goodbye."

Serah then strode away from him. However, the front she had been putting up since she had severed ties with him finally broke through, and the tears began to fall. She tried to wipe them away, but found that they still fell. Unwilling to let Snow see her cry, she ran off, unable to hold down her sobs.

If only she had been stronger. If only she were like her sister. Maybe then this wouldn't have hurt so much.

"All this distance just to get some privacy? Talk about overkill," Nero muttered as he walked along the path, the sea glistening in the afternoon sun over the railing on his right.

After receiving instructions from the other girl, Lebreau, the former knight proceeded to follow her directions, leaving his Red Queen in the back of the cafe. The path she had detailed led away from the beach, but not too far. In fact, she pointed out where he would be heading: a small structure that was at the end of a walkway heading out to the ocean. Now he was approaching the walkway, but still had a few minutes to go.

As he walked, Nero couldn't help but once again think about his predicament. He was in another world, who-knows-how-far away from his mission. And yet now, he found himself undertaking a new mission: destroying this 'Fal'Cie' for Serah, hopefully saving her from her dire strait.

And yet, he still had trouble understanding why he was bothering undertaking this endeavor. True, Serah's despair reminded him of Kyrie's all those years ago when her parents died, but back then he couldn't do a thing about it. Now he could.

But the issue was still why? Was there a personal stake in it? Nero had better things to do, and helping a girl with her problems was far from the most pressing. But perhaps it was because the far more pressing matter was simply - almost literally - out of his reach. There was nothing he could do about his mission. And because of that, he was instead focusing on something he could do. Defeat an enemy he could fight.

That... or he was simply too nice.

As this thought struck him, something caught his attention up ahead. He almost made a comment about speaking and the devil, but felt better to not voice it. For running towards him was Serah.

"Hey, there you are! Need to talk to you about...!"

The former knight had spoken up, but he might have been talking to a wall for the effect it'd had. The side-tailed rosehead had merely run past him, not showing any indication she had heard the platinum-haired youth.

What he did catch was the sounds of her sobbing, and the tears she desperately tried to wipe from her face.

And that her left bicep was bare. Her mark was exposed.

"...Dammit," he whispered, watching as she ran off, before looking in the direction she came from. "What the hell'd you do, 'hero?'"

Letting out a frustrated sign, he continued toward his original destination, knowing well enough from experience that Serah wanted to be alone. But he knew where he could find the answer to what had happened.

The source was usually chatty enough.

Making it to the end of the walkway, Nero found Snow there, just as he had expected. It was the state that he was in that surprised him, somewhat. The bigger man was on all fours, looking winded, out of breath. But it wasn't from anything physical, as far as the devil hunter saw.

"...This, uh... a bad time?" Nero asked. He mentally slapped himself. Of course it was. Still, his curiosity would be abated. "Saw Serah on the way over... Somethin' happen?" The silver-haired young man could hear the bandanna-wearing one whimpering to himself, almost as if in disbelief. "Hey. Did you even hear me?"

"Serah..." he muttered to himself, gulping audibly. "Serah was... This whole time...?"

This alone confirmed his suspicions, making him let out an exhale of breath through his lips as he looked to the side. "So... Serah told you about her new tattoo, huh?"

From the corner of his vision, the hybrid saw Snow stiffen at his words. Not even a second later, the other man was looking up at him with something akin to shock, with even a slight hint of betrayal.

"Wha... You... Y-you knew?!" As he turned, Snow made to his feet and stormed towards Nero, grabbing him by his coat. "You knew this whole time?! How long-"

Nero immediately gripped Snow's hand with his left free one, clutching so tightly, he could see the leader of NORA's grimace as he crushed it. Then he tossed it away from him, before snapping his hand right up to point his finger at him.

"Don't... do that again," he warned, malice oozing through his lips. "I won't be responsible for what happens to you then. I won't do that to Serah."

Wincing through the pain, Snow shot him a glare. "How long have you known?!"

"She told me this morning," he retorted, letting his arm drop to his side before shrugging. "Apparently, I beat the crap outta those creeps so hard, she thought I was a l'Cie, too. Told her I wasn't, and even showed her what's under my cast so that she saw for herself that I didn't have one. After that, I swore not to tell anybody. Still haven't." He let out a dark chuckle. "'Sides, who am I gonna tell? The cops lookin' for me? Heh, that'll go well."

The leader of NORA said nothing, taking in his explanation. After another moment's breath, he stepped back, leaning against the guardrail with his back. "She... She broke up with me..." he revealed. "It was sudden... I didn't want it to end, so I asked her why... And all she did was show me that mark." He shook his head. "She tried so hard to push me away. But I still asked..." His hands grasped the top of his bandanna. "All this time, Serah's been... She's been dealing with this by herself! All alone!" He arms fell roughly to his sides. "Dammit, I should have known something was wrong!"

"Well, ya didn't. Nothing you can do about that now," Nero remarked with a huff. "Anyway, like I said, I ain't gonna snitch on her, so she's safe on that front... What about you? What're you gonna do?"

Snow raised his head towards the devil hunter. "What?"

"I already said Serah's secret's safe with me. You haven't," Nero answered, a narrowed glare from his eyes aimed right at Snow. "Still waitin' on ya, boyfriend... Or is that big mouth of yours gonna rat Serah out?"

"Wha- Of course not!" he snapped, pointing a finger at Nero. "I'd never do something like that to Serah! The hell's wrong with you?!"

"Just making sure," Nero answered. "Still haven't answered my question, though. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Well, I... I...!" Snow stuttered, head shifting left and right as the gears inside his head turned. "I-I gotta do something. I gotta help Serah!"

His thinking was interrupted when Nero let out cutting "tch." "Right. 'Cuz you've been such a great help to her lately, huh?"

"The hell's that s'posed to mean?!"

The former knight scoffed before counting off in his fingers. "You didn't help her with those creeps before, you didn't help her with the Fallacy-whatever it's called. For someone who's hailed as a 'hero,' your personal brand of 'help' sucks ass."

"What'd you say?!" Snow growled, teeth gritting against themselves.

"I said that when the time came for you to step up for your girl, you didn't," the platinum-haired boy elaborated. "So what good is you gettin' off your ass gonna do this time? You'd probably be more helpful doin' nothing."

"Alright, you listen here!" the large man fumed, storming towards the young hunter with a finger pointed right at his face. "I've haven't said a word to you about how you've been talking to my friends, 'cause I figured they deserved it for what they did to you! But if you think I'm gonna stand here and let you insult me and my dedication to Serah, you've got another thing comin', pal!"

Nero looked back at him skeptically. "Oh, that right?"

"Yeah!" he shouted. "And yeah, I have dropped the ball when it comes to Serah. But now that I know she's hurting, I'll be there for her!"

"Yeah, and how're you gonna do that, exactly?"

"By doing whatever it takes!"

"Whatever it takes, huh?" Nero scoffed. "Now why would you wanna do something like that over some chick who doesn't even want your help?"

"Serah's not just some 'chick,' okay?! She's Serah! And I...!" Snow paused, his fire dying down somewhat as real, honest emotion crossed his features. "...And I love her... I love her, and I'd do anything to keep her safe."

Shaking his head derisively, the former knight gave the leader of NORA a once-over, raising a curious eyebrow. "'Anything,' eh?... Y'know, people say that a lot. They don't really mean it."

"Well, I do!" Snow retorted, voice firm in his conviction. "I love Serah... I would do anything for her. And there's nothing you, or anyone else could say that will change that!" He then put his hand over his forehead. "In fact, why am I even explaining myself to you?! There's not a damn thing I need to prove to you! The only person I need to prove myself to is Serah, so you can take your smartass remarks, and shove 'em!"

At this, Nero shot a glare at Snow, gritting his teeth. Snow shot him one of his own, not backing down, or wavering in his resolve.

Then, after another moment of silence, Nero let out a huff. "Then what the hell are you tellin' me for? Shouldn't you go say that to your girl?"

Startled by his reaction, Snow couldn't do anything but frown in confusion. "Huh? Wait, what?"

Sighing, Nero crossed his arms in front of him. "Man, you're slow..." His eyes then looked back at him. "Serah's gonna need someone to help her through this thing. And it can't be me. I'm not gonna be here forever, remember? Once I'm outta here, someone's gonna have to be the person she can depend on. Might as well be her boyfriend, don'tcha think?"

Snow's mouth opened to say something, but struggled for a moment. He found his voice a moment after. "Wait... Why...?" He then slowly raised a hand to point at Nero. "Wait... You did that on purpose? To make sure I was serious about this."

The boy shrugged. "You said it, not me."

Snow frowned, pursing his lips in thought. "But... why?"

Nero glanced at him briefly before looking away. "Don't know. Maybe I just felt like it. Maybe it's because Serah got me involved, and I can't help but feel invested. Or maybe I just want that girl to catch a break. Take your pick."

The NORA leader considered his words briefly, before smiling earnestly at him. "...Serah was right. You are a good guy."

Groaning, the young man inched his head towards the end of the walkway. "You done kissin' my ass? Don't you have a girl to chase down, or something?"

The larger man let out a chuckle, but then nodded confidently. "Yeah. Wish me luck!"

With that, Snow sprinted off down the walkway, running after Serah, newfound hope beaming in his eyes.

When he turned the corner, Nero let out a sigh before walking after him. "Alright, Hero. Time to see if you've got some bite to go with that bark."

-Beach-

Running along the shore, Snow finally arrived to NORA's corner of the beach. People were out about, relaxing, playing with their pets, or interacting with each other. But Snow didn't have time to focus on any of that.

"Serah... Where are you?"

After another breath, he ran towards the Cafe, ignoring the words of everyone around him, some even calling him by name.

-NORA House-

The first face he came across was Lebreau's, who was standing behind the bar top.

"Hey, what's with the long face?" she asked slightly in amusement. "You and Serah have a fight?"

"Serah?!" Snow repeated, before rushing to the bar top, slamming his hands on top of it. "Have you seen her?! Did she come through here?!"

Now frowning from his reaction, she gave him a wary glance. "Um, no?... Snow, is everything...?"

"Look, if you see her, lemme know!" he ordered, before turning around behind him.

He immediately spotted Gadot and Yuj sitting down, chatting it up, and stormed over to them.

"How'd you like the new look? No decent clothes in Palumpolum. Had to go all the way to Eden to get them," the blue-haired youth regaled.

Gadot with an appraising look. "Yeah, doesn't look too bad." It was then that the flame-haired man spotted Snow, shooting him a friendly grin. "How come Serah ain't with you, big guy?"

Ignoring the remark, Snow proceeded to question them. "Have either of you seen Serah?! Tell me!"

Yuj flinched at that. "Okay, whoa, whoa, calm down, Boss. We haven't seen here."

"Everything okay, man?" Gadot added with a concerned.

Suppressing the urge to scream, Snow waved them off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Just lemme know if you see her."

Storming away, he didn't see both boys exchanging concerned looks and following after him. Lebreau had also grown worried at his temperament, and had rounded the corner to join them. Just as Snow made his way back into the dining room, Maqui had walked in, greased up after having worked on the hover bikes at the other end of the beach.

"Maqui! Have you seen Serah?!" Snow demanded, startling the young youth to attention.

"S-Serah?! Um... Hm..." He shook his head and shrugged. "Nope. Haven't seen her."

"Dah!" the NORA leader hissed, bringing his palms together by the flat of their palms before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Look, as soon as you guys see her, let me know. It's urgent!"

"Okay, slow down there, big guy!" Lebreau chided, stalking over to stand in front of him. "What the hell happened with you two? Something must've happened to get you this riled up."

Groaning, Snow ran his hands down his face before letting them drop limp to the side. Letting out a deep exhale of breath, he then revealed what happened. "Serah... She broke up with me."

At this, the group fell into stunned silence, shortly followed by murmurs of "ohs" and "aws" from the younger members of the group.

Gadot placed a comforting hand on his friend. "Hey, I'm sorry, man."

Snow shook his head. "No, but...! I-I need to find her! Clear things up!"

"Clear things up? About what, exactly?" Lebreau followed up with a suspicious eye. "Not to sound insensitive or anything, but if just talking about it gets you this riled up, it's no wonder it happened."

"No, you don't...! Look, I have to fix it!" he cried out pleadingly, though to them, himself, or Serah, if she could somehow hear him, he didn't know. "I... I-I haven't been there for her. She's been goin' through some stuff on her own, and I should've seen it! I gotta fix it! I gotta make things right! Make things...!"

And then he stopped. His eyes had looked out onto the beach while he was in mid-rant, but as soon as he did, a sight caught his attention.

It was her. Serah. She was standing on the edge of the small boardwalk in front of their cafe. She was looking out into the sunset.

"Serah!" he whispered, before darting out onto the beach.

Lebreau extended a hand out to him. "Boss, wait!"

"Let him be," a voice shot out.

Turning their attention to the voice's direction, Team NORA watched as Nero made his way up to the restaurant, before leaning against the archway.

"The hell're you talkin' about?!" Gadot snapped harshly at him.

"They need to sort their shit out on their own," Nero replied. "It's between them, so let 'em figure it out."

-Beach Boardwalk-

Serah watched the sunset silently, a miserable expression on her face.

She had done it. She had severed ties with Snow, and NORA by extension. Serah meant what she had said before. She didn't want to leave them behind. But she didn't know what else to do. When it came to her cursed fate, the rose-haired girl reasoned that it would be best to be left alone, lest she became a monster and hurt the people she cared about.

It was best to hurt them now, while she was human, than to hurt them later, when she was a monster.

'This is the only way...' she mentally reasoned, though it would have sounded more like a whimper had she spoken them. 'It's the only way...'

Now all she had to do was figure out how to do the same when it came to Lightning... Or perhaps it was best not to say anything.

"Serah!"

The sudden call of her name interrupted her thoughts, forcing the younger Farron to look behind her to see who had called her. That did not stop her from recognizing the voice immediately.

The oncoming figure of Snow running towards her greeted the young girl. She took a step back, still reeling form her earlier confession, afraid of how her former boyfriend would react.

Serah winced as she felt his hand grip her wrist, but relaxed when his grip was not harsh. In fact, it was rather comforting. This confused the girl, as she had expected him to be furious at her. She was a traitor. An enemy of Cocoon...

"What's your Focus?!"

'...Huh?'

Looking up, Serah saw that Snow's expression was that of a pleading one. Worried, even, yet also determined.

"L'Cie have a Focus, right? I'll go with you, help you do it!" he offered hurriedly, before easing his tone to a soothing one. "Just let me."

'...What? He can't... He's...?'

Snow had said those words. He had meant them. Of course he did. He had said it with that same tick he always had when he was serious. Snow's eyebrows would always furrow when he was serious, be it smiling or frowning.

No. He couldn't. Serah couldn't let him do this. She tried to pull herself away from him.

"No! If you're with me, the Sanctum will-"

"I will be with you, no matter what!" Snow cried out, cutting her off with a determined vow. He held onto her firmly, but placed his left hand over hers, squeezing it gently enough to be comforting. To tell her she was safe with him. "We've come too far... to quit now," he reasoned softly, reassuringly.

Everything about him spoke truth. She knew he was serious. He really wanted to stay by her side. Even after she had cruelly tried to sever ties with him, here he was, still pushing to save what they had. What they still have, she realized.

Snow allowed her to gently remove her hand from his grip, which allowed her to turn away from him. Before, she had adopted the tough, determined face she had shown when she had said they were breaking up, but once again, there she was, breaking down. Only Snow could be able to do this to her twice in one day, she believed.

"...I..." she spoke, the air seeming to come out of her lungs at just that. She was struggling to speak, she realized. "I... I don't know," she admitted, clutching her chest as tears once again came from her eyes. Only this time, they were out of fear. "I don't know my Focus... I-I'm gonna b-be a monster."

Immediately when she said that, she felt a pair of arms wrap her into a tight warm hug. Snow pulled her towards him, hoping that it was enough to convince her that she was safe. That she was protected.

"Not if I'm here," he promised, feeling relieved when he felt Serah's hands hold on to his forearms. "I'll protect you."

Serah turned around to face him, her eyes looking upon his large figure with a new light in her eyes. The light of growing hope.

"We'll figure this out. Do it together... Okay?" he said, this time giving her his signature smile. The one that always told her everything would be alright.

She still looked unsure. But after hearing his words, feeling the warmth and honesty of his heart from them, she relented. If he believed they could find a solution to this, then so would she. For him. For her sister. For herself.

"Okay," she nodded, before embracing him with a hug. A hug that he returned.

She looked up at him, and saw that he too was looking down to her. Smiling bashfully, she rested her head on his chest, listening as his heartbeat thrummed.

"...You know... If it's true what they say," she said suddenly.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

She stepped back, but kept her arms to his side, whilst her once-again boyfriend kept his hands on her shoulders. "When we're finished... I'll be turned to crystal."

"Don't worry," he soothed, smiling at her reassuringly. "When l'Cie complete their Focus, they're blessed with the gift of eternity," he explained. "They wouldn't call it 'eternity' if you died."

Serah nodded at him before he pulled back into his embrace, the young l'Cie meeting him with her own. Snow placed his hand behind her head to caress it carefully.

"You'll see. You and me?... We'll always be together."

-Beach-

Nero couldn't help the smirk he had as he watched the two reconcile. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the other members of NORA had similar expressions of relief and joy.

Chuckling to himself, he turned back toward the couple. And froze.

When he looked back at the bridge, it wasn't Snow and Serah he was looking at. It was him.

He looked happy. Happier than he had actually felt in a very long time. And in his arms was a woman in white, long red hair flowing behind her back.

Closing his eyes, he roughly shook his head to clear it, before opening them again. Sure enough, it was Snow and Serah embracing each other. Not him embracing...

Letting out a shaky breath, his left hand shakily went up to his collar, feeling the trinket he wore around his neck underneath his vest. After taking a full minute to compose himself, he finally stood up straighter, and stormed inside the cafe.

'I need a drink...'

Even if death was all that was waiting for her... nothing would've changed.

Serah... She was brave enough to face it.

-The Lindblum - Private Quarters-

"Couldn't find her, eh?" the Pulse l'Cie remarked after Rygdea had returned from his outing. After convening with his superior upon arrival, he felt personally obligated to apprise Fang of his findings... or lack of. "Figures. It's written all over your face," she sighed in mock frustration.

"Well, 'scuse me for tryin' to look for a needle in a haystack! Might as well have, considerin' all the leads you gave me," he retorted grumpily as he crossed his arms.

"Hey, I don't know this place all too well, alright?! Not my fault you can't improvise on your home turf!"

"And I here I was thinkin' of getting ya something from that restaurant I checked up on," he sighed heavily. "Probably woulda gotten you somethin', too, if I wasn't convinced you'd think I laced it with poison, or somesuch."

"Hey, that's...!" Fang raised her hand to try and argue from the edge of her bed, but struggled to respond as she was in thought. Then after another moment, she brought her hand down, and shrugged with a nod. "Yeah, I probably would have."

Groaning, Rygdea ran a hand down his face. "Look, is there any other places she might go to? Anywhere you can think of that I didn't check?"

"'Course I do, but I already checked those places right before you guys nabbed me!" she retorted, giving him a face that belonged to someone telling another person something obvious.

"Right..." Rygdea figured that was probably the reason they were able to catch her when they did. She was too busy being panicked by her friend's disappearance that she hadn't noticed them following her.

"...Hey... Hey, wait!" the young woman blurted out suddenly with an inspired expression, slapping her hand down on her knee. "Did you try looking in the forests or near the ocean?"

The soldier looked at her strangely. "Why would she hang around there?"

"For food, idiot," she quipped, but softened her expression in thought. "Wait, she did have one of those card things... Then again, knowing her, she probably didn't get it to work."

Rygdea gave her an amused grin. "She went out... to catch her own fish from the ocean?"

"Ugh, don't gimme that crap. Does it really sound that surprising?" Fang groaned, shaking her head in disappointment. "You people up here are so damn soft."

"It just sounds weird, s'all I'm sayin'."

"What's 'weird' is a whole world doesn't know how to fish! Or learn how to get their own food! How can you people not know that?!"

He shrugged. "Guess Pulse l'Cie aren't just more lucky than us. They're tough, too."

"Oh, you bet your ass we have more luck and skill!" Fang snarked. a minute later, though, she let out a laugh. "Y'know, I just remembered... Vanille actually loves to cook."

"That so?"

"Yeah. Always caught her own things. She made her meals by herself," she reminisced with a fond smile, before giggling. "Still, she's made a couple of bad dishes from time to time. Tried to 'put her own twist on things,' she always said."

"Heh, guess I'll have to ask her to treat me to some home cookin' sometime. Pulsian style," the GC captain chuckled. "But, uh, I think I'll have her hold off on the salt."

'Food up here's so damn tasteless,' the Pulsian huntress thought to herself as she heard him. 'Always gotta add salt to make it taste good. But it seems everyone up here likes their food without a lot of flavor.'

"I'll tell her to serve you up the food we make for the sick," she replied in amusement, before deciding to use this opportunity to change the subject to her advantage. "So why're you following a guy like Raines?"

"...Honestly, I still wonder that myself," he answered honestly, crossing his arms as he raised his eyebrow curiously. "Pretty sudden change of topic, there. What, tryin' to get something info outta the Cocoon soldier lackey?"

"Well... Kinda, yeah," the l'Cie admitted, but her eyes drew together in thought. "But it's also... It's just, I've got no idea what the man's thinking. I can't get a read on him."

"'Course ya can't," Rygdea retorted. "Guy's a high-ranking Sanctum official with command of over thousands of troops. He can't let anybody get a read on what he's plannin'. Not even for a second."

"Is he really that important?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he responded in a tone that was almost incredulous over her having to ask a question like that. Then he amended himself, having recalled Fang's current predicament. "Sorry. Forgot that you're still new to things here in Cocoon."

"...You said you were a... 'captain,' right? And that Raines was a 'brigadier general?' What's the difference between the two?" she inquired.

The Corpsman shrugged. "Well, brigadier general's a pretty high rank, but it's still lower than an actual general," he began. "Captains are way lower than that, and are considered company-grade officers. There's a level between them, though, and those are field-grade officers. Those includes colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors. Long story short, a brigadier general's high up there, so there's a pretty huge gap 'tween me and Raines."

Throughout his whole explanation, the woman's brows became more and more furrowed, her expression scrunching up with all of the new information. "Company officers... Field officers?... What?"

Her reaction amused him so much, Rygdea decided to add more just to mess with her. "Well, the ones I just mentioned - generals, company officers, field officers - they're all commissioned officers. We've also got non-commissioned officers. Those include sergeant majors, sergeants, corporals-"

"Enough with all the names, already!" she cried out, rubbing her temples in annoyance. "Cocoon's military's so damn frustrating! What is with you people making things more complicated than they need to be?! It's givin' me a headache!"

"Sheesh, it's not like we made it this way for shits and giggles," he muttered grumpily.

Her reaction did give him some new info, even if he wasn't exactly looking for it, or had asked about Pulse. Pulse did not have an army, if the concept of ranks was foreign to the Pulsian l'Cie.

"Still... I'm with you there. Ranks and regulations are a pain the ass."

"...So, you think it's a pain in the ass... and you're still with Raines? That makes no sense," she commented, completely at a loss over her... acquaintance, for a lack of a better term.

She likely hadn't meant the question to be as deep or thought-provoking as she had made, but the Captain couldn't help but let his mind wander from it. It was true that he hadn't cared for all the military posh and rules when he started, and still did not to that day.

The real reason he joined the military was rather simple: he wanted to be an airship pilot. He had enlisted after he graduated from school, but he hadn't really intended to be a soldier. True, he could be a commercial pilot, but there was less freedom for them. As a Sanctum pilot, he could run wild. At least... that had been the thought. Before long, though, he had been caught up in the gears of the Sanctum military structure.

In truth, he was going to quit a lot sooner. But it was about that time that he met Cid Raines, and had been invited to join the Cavalry. At first, he wondered why such a distinguished official had wanted him around, even though he was around the same age as him. After all, what would a high-ranking officer want with a washout soldier like him?

Before long, however, he heard what Raines had to say. And things suddenly clicked. He no longer took his career with a grain of salt, and actually started to believe he could do good with the position he was in. Before, he was just a washout, disgruntled soldier. But with the Cavalry, and Raines, his career, and his contributions, could mean something.

"Why, though?" Fang asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Did something about him appeal to you, or your feelings?"

He had to be careful how he answered that question. After all, he didn't want to show off his hand too early. It wouldn't be good to reveal the Cavalry's intentions to her, or his own, for that matter.

"Sorry, but I'm not the type of guy that wears his heart on his sleeve. I ain't emotionally driven," he answered.

"Then what does drive you?" she shot back curiously.

"Hmm... Rationality, I guess. Whether or not something makes sense, y'know?"

"So... It makes sense for you to work for Raines?"

"...Well..."

Well... It wouldn't hurt to show off a few cards, would it?

"...I always bet on the one most likely to win, and that's Raines. That's why I threw in my lot with him, 'cause he's got the highest odds of winning. I don't generally play a game unless I know I'm gonna win."

He then felt his communicator going off. Rygdea pressed the bead on his ear, and listened in on what they were reporting.

At this, the Huntress tilted her head to the side curiously. "...Huh."

After he finished listening in, the soldier looked back at the runaway questioningly. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just... surprising," she said. "I figured you'd be more of a heart than that."

"Hmph. You overestimate me."

Fang shook her head. "No. I underestimated you. I pegged you more for a hot-blooded idiot who rushes blindly into danger. Y'know, throwing caution to the wind, and all that."

"Heh, well, glad to have cleared that up," he responded, before waving at her. "Anyway, gotta go. I'll keep lookin' for your friend, and keep you posted."

With that, he walked out of the room, and headed for the bridge. Their people had just decoded an encrypted message from PSICOM.

The blockade was going to go down around Bodhum. If Fang's friend was still in the city, there would be a risk of her leaving, and even more of PSICOM finding her.

Things were picking up, and sooner than they would have hoped. They needed to find Vanille, and fast.

-Day 8-

-The Seaside City of Bodhum - NORA House-

He didn't get too drunk last night. And he didn't sleep that much, either. Fortunately, he had drank enough to keep the nightmares away.

Nero was seated in the far back of the cafe, on the balcony. He had moved one of the chairs from one of the tables, and was sitting near the guardrail of the balcony. He propped his feet on top of it.

The former knight merely watched as the sun began to rise... or rather, as the sun was changing hues, from what he saw. It was slowly increasing in luminosity, and therefore giving off the effect that it was sunrise, or alternatively, sunset.

Either way, it was a very compelling sight for Nero, which once again reaffirmed the fact that he was far from home, on a distant world.

In truth, even though it had been a few days since arriving in Bodhum, he still had trouble believing any of this was real. That somehow, somewhere out there, there was a world with so much advanced technology, and even - if Serah was to be believed - magic. And yet somehow here he was, in the middle of all of it.

It was surreal... Almost like a dream.

Regardless, the devil hunter knew he couldn't stay here. He had his own things he needed to do. People to meet up with, places to be.

A monster to kill.

"Hey, there! You're up!"

Blinking, Nero looked to his left, where the voice originated from. There, he saw the large frame of Snow Villiers walking over to him from the beach. The NORA leader stopped right next to where the hunter's feet were propped up.

"Had trouble going back to sleep. Figured I'd watch the sunrise."

"Right," Snow nodded, before pointing at the entrance. "Hey, gimme a sec. I'll be right back."

Raising his right eyebrow, Nero readjusted his posture, bringing his feet back down and leaning over the railing. He saw that Snow had dashed up to the entranceway of the shop, and deactivated the barrier from outside. From there, he rounded the corner, and strode over to his table.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

Nero shrugged. "It's your shop. Do whatever you want."

"Ah... Right." With that, he sat down on the other chair at the table. "Glad I caught you this early. I wanted to get here before the others woke up."

Nero furrowed his eyebrows at that. "Yeah... I was wonderin' why I wasn't hearing Meathead bark out his usual BS this morning. Usually, he's followin' you around like a lost puppy."

The hero's smile became strained. "Hey, uh... Look, I know you're still mad at Gadot for what he did, but do you think you could, uh... just let it go, y'know?"

This made the platinum-haired youth scoff. "Hey, he's the one who keeps bringin' shit up, trying to piss me off at every turn! He hasn't even apologized to me for what he did! Not that I'd accept it at this point."

Snow extended his hand toward him in acknowledgement. "Okay, okay! You've got a point. I'll talk to Gadot, alright? But in the meantime, could you... I dunno, be the bigger man, if that sounds better to you?"

The young devil hunter gave him a brief scowl, before looking away. "Tch... Whatever."

At that, the large man let out a relieved sigh. It seemed that was all he was going to get for now, but it was better than nothing.

"Um... Anyway, the reason I got up here early's 'cause, I, uh... I wanted to thank you for yesterday."

"Hm?" Nero turned his head to look at him. "What for?"

"You know. For keeping Serah's secret to yourself, and... and getting me outta that rut yesterday so I could go after her."

The devil hunter shook his head. "No, I didn't do that for you. I did it for Serah."

"I know," Snow admitted. "But either way, I'm grateful that you did. So thank you, Nero."

The young man glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, before shrugging. "You're welcome, I guess."

"Also..." Snow began, a somewhat apprehensive grimace on his face. "Could you... keep the whole l'Cie thing between us and Serah for right now? I don't want the others to find out."

At this, Nero couldn't help the surprised expression on his face. "...You wanna hide Serah's from your buddies?"

"Yeah, if we can."

"...Not that I'm against the idea, but..."

"What?"

"It's... kinda weird to hear that comin' from you," Nero admitted. "Figured you'd wanna bring them into this so they can lend you a hand."

At that, the hero sighed, scratching at the back of his head. "You'd think so, right?" he told. "Truth is, though... I can't get outta my head the way they reacted to you the other day."

"What about it?"

"They... Well, they freaked out. They're still kinda on edge around you, if we're bein' honest here," Snow clarified. "Now, imagine if I went and told them that Serah's a l'Cie. I mean..." He looked out onto the beach, letting out a sigh of relief that no one was out there. "I love those guys to death, but... This is Serah we're talking about. And if they hear she's a Pulse l'Cie now, well... I don't know how they'll react. I can't risk it, or Serah."

Nero took a moment to let the other man's words settle in, and couldn't help but be somewhat impressed at his reasoning. It was certainly a far cry of his initial impression of him, where he thought this man would just throw caution to the wind. "...Yeah. I agree. Alright. We'll keep it between the three of us for now."

Snow smiled appreciatively. "Thanks for understanding, man." He visibly relaxed for a moment before perking up. "Oh, hey, that's right! There was another reason I wanted to talk to you!"

"Oh, whatever could it be?" Nero wondered sarcastically.

"No, trust me. You're gonna wanna hear this," the NORA leader promised as he leaned forward on the table. "The news has been making the rounds... They're taking down the blockade around the city today!" he whispered, tone heavy with implication.

Indeed, this did catch Nero's attention, as he swiftly swiveled on his seat to face the man. "What?"

"You heard it right, man. They're taking the blockade down today. They're letting everyone return home."

Nero furrowed his eyes in thought, before widening them as he realized what it all meant. "I can finally get outta here?"

"O-ho-kay, well, not exactly," Snow corrected. "Yeah, they're letting everyone go, but that doesn't exactly mean that the police presence isn't gonna go down with it."

Hearing this, Nero's fire quickly died down. "Shit, you're right."

"Which is why I've got a plan I wanna run by you. That is, if you wanna hear it," Snow offered, leaning back on his chair.

The devil hunter, in turn, leaned forward. "Well, let's hear it. Whaddya got?"

Snow then put his elbows on the table. "Okay, so you know how we always go out every morning to sell our goods, right? The fruits, the vegetables, all that stuff?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinkin' that, maybe for today, you could come with us," Snow offered. "Now, you don't have to help us sell these things... Maybe help us set it up, I dunno... But pretty much, while we're off selling our goods, you could go around to see how the place is. If there's too many cops, or none at all. Help yourself plan out how you're gonna make your escape, y'know?"

Hearing his explanation, Nero crossed his arm over his sling. "So, you want me to go out with you guys to get a lay of the land, huh?"

"Yeah. And hey, you get to be a member of Team NORA for a day!"

"...Am I supposed to be glad to hear that?"

"...Er... Maaaybe?..."

Snorting through his nose, the silver-haired man shook his head while his thoughts went to work. True, he needed to know for sure how the whole take down of the blockade affected the city's patrols. Also, he needed to see which entrances he could use to slip through their detection.

Ultimately, he decided that the risk was worth taking.

He had stayed hidden long enough.

"...Alright, Snow. I'll take you up on that plan," he agreed.

"Alright!" Snow cheered, pumping up his fist. It seemed he was honestly glad to have Nero join up with them for once. "I'll let the others know as soon as they get here."

He then extended his left hand to Nero, who merely glanced at it with an arched eyebrow at first. After a moment, however, he shrugged his shoulders, and shook it with his own.

"See that you do."

Snow gave him a nod. "Don't you worry, man. Everything'll work out just fine. You and Serah'll be okay. I'll make sure of it."

"Hmph. I'll believe it when I see it, Hero," was the former knight's response.

-to be continued in the next mission-

Mission 9: Face It Later

Taking a chance, Nero joins Team NORA on an outing to the city. But things go awry when he is spotted by the vigilant eye of the Sanctum. Harsh revelations are revealed. Past sins are brought to bear. Actions, it seems, will always be followed by reactions. Can Nero survive the consequences of his?

AN:What?! Another update?! And it didn't take a whole couple of years?! GASP!

Anyway, this chapter was pretty short. In my hiatus, I learned that it was probably best to be more objective on what I wanted to write. There will no doubt be long sequences, especially next chapter, but for now, I'm gonna try to focus on catching up to where I was. Especially now since things are going to come to a head.

Also, I recently got myself a copy of Final Fantasy XIII: Episode Zero - Promise, which much of these chapters depict. I originally looked at Lissar's translations of the book, and was generally surprised they brought it to English. I think I will still use Lissar's translations for reference, because there are still some parts that sound weird or creepy to me. Particularly in Snow and Light's first encounter in the book.

To this end, I would also like to announce that I have done a full revision of my story so far, and have edited my story to meet up with the developments that were made in DMC5, and the lore drop it bestowed upon us. I have also used the English release of Episode Zero - Promise to do this, which was an invaluable help.

For example, before DFXIII took place in 2012. Now, DFXIII takes place in 2016.

I have also taken out certain things that was in the story before, deeming them unnecessary and irrelevant to the larger part I have in mind. Specifically pertaining the Elites. You will recall that originally I had named members of the group, sans Zarck and Leunam. I have decided to exclude them, and write them out, seeing as I had originally intended to kill them all off during the Purge.

More importantly, I have decided to remove the character, Hollow, Leunam's secret weapon. The reason why is because, again, he serves no purpose in this story, and would have served to undo Lightning's character development up until Eden.

That's right. Hollow was going to be Lightning's father, David Farron. But, after reading the prequel novel, and hearing Lightning's opinion on her father, I feel it is best to keep him as a soldier who got unlucky in the line of duty.

There will be more changes to this story that will come to light as I write them out, so please look forward to that as well.

I know many of you have been waiting for me to finish this saga, and were curious for what'll happen next after this story.

If you guys want a hint, keep an eye on my tumblr, and the artists Naomi Gumbs' social media accounts towards the end of the month for a sign of what's to come. That includes her Instagram, Twitter, and her Tumblr I commissioned a piece from her that will signify what's next. Please look forward to that.

My Tumblr handle, again, is da-awesom-one.

Thank you all do much for taking the time to read my story, and give me feedback. You guys rock.

And remember...

READ & REVIEW!