Day Dreams

by VioletX10

Disclaimer: I do not own these places or characters. They belong to Square Enix.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

In the world without a goddess, Yeul could only sigh as she watched Caius tower over her petite form. The violet-haired man grinned slightly as they walked upon the indigo shores of Valhalla, his great sword latched upon his back. It didn't seem to hinder his graceful steps, but Yeul thought she had to ask.

"How heavy is your sword?" she said airily, as she always did. Her silver hair reached down to the back of her knees and swayed gently with the breeze, and Caius couldn't help but observe the stray strands of hair at the corner of his eyes.

"Would you like to feel it?" he replied monotonously, and Yeul blushed as inappropriate thoughts clouded her mind. She hung her head in shame of having thinking such things and Caius inclined his head to look at her in curiosity. "Is something wrong, Yeul?"

"No," she managed to whisper. "To both questions." The Guardian nodded once and they continued walking along the interminable shoreline.

If only she were taller, maybe 9 inches, so she could match his height and be able to talk to him in the face. She could do anything and not feel so overpowered by his presence. She could converse with him at her preferred volume without having to speak up. She could boldly kiss him without having to jump up and miss his warm lips.

If only she were taller, she wouldn't have to feel like a child whenever he had to look down to speak to her. And she wouldn't have to feel like a burden whenever a monster appeared to threaten her. She didn't want to be a damsel-in-distress.

But for now she'll keep dreaming, and hope that this eternity would give her the time to grow up.

"Are you getting bored, Yeul?" he interrupted her daydream. Her emerald eyes suddenly became focused and she flinched at the sound of his voice.

"I-I'm alright. This calms my thoughts tremendously. Thank you, Caius." But her voice sounded far away to him. Nevertheless, they continued to walk.

He wishes he were shorter by 9 inches. If he were, he wouldn't feel bad every time she had to look up at him. His neck wouldn't hurt as much when he returned her gaze. He could see the world from her perspective; maybe garner a bit more knowledge about her as a person. He did all he could to save her from many inevitable deaths, yet not all has been solved.

He wishes he were shorter because he doesn't want to feel bad whenever he has to carry her to their home up near Etro's Shrine. But not only that, he also wants to be able to show his love without bending his knees and looking stupid in front of her.

And he could only dream of the day he would bend on just one knee and hope she won't think him stupid.

They reached the cliff face and started to travel back towards the palace, both characters lost in deep thought. Whilst Yeul thought of becoming taller, Caius thought the opposite. She would dream of holding his hand, he thought that if he dared, she would not welcome it; and he was afraid of that.

"Yeul…" he nudged her lightly on the shoulder. "Are you tired?" Their footsteps became imprinted on the crystal sands of No-Man's land, stepping over the disintegrated bodies of deceased monsters. When Yeul didn't respond, he sighed and nudged her again.

She jolted awake.

Caius chuckled lowly and patted her silver head, instantly regretting it once he saw the frown etched upon her lips. He retracted his hand slowly as she stared wistfully into the distance. "Yeul…"

But she was already off into dreamland.

She imagined it like this.

Valhalla had finally shown its first rays of sunlight; beams of gold reflected off the green spirals of the towers, the crystallized warrior goddess alight. The sands of the beach turned yellow and the tides breaking in and out became a lighter blue. The sky was full of life, and she and Caius were right underneath it, basking in its warmth.

She saw him smile, and it triggered her own smile too. She had grown taller, after all that time not dying. Perhaps 9 inches, because she could definitely be able to kiss him now. As the clouds parted and the sun peeked in, she felt warmth surrounding her hand and she knew. Her hand tightened shyly around his and they enjoyed yet another long beach walk.

But the chances of that happening were slim, as Valhalla is a world of darkness and shadow, and it had engulfed any light that ever remained.

As they both stared intensely at the crystal statue of Etro's champion, something sparked in Caius' mind. Here he was gazing at his former rival with his small but mature companion right beside him, and he was not speaking. Did he need to? He seemed to think so, as a tight rope of tension snuck into the air.

And then, simultaneously, Noel Kreiss and Serah Farron entered their clouds of thought.

"How is Noel?" Yeul inquired, for only Caius knew of Noel's wellbeing. "And what of Serah and her fiancé?"

"He is fine, just adjusting to his new state of being," Caius replied cautiously. He knew the girl cared for his former apprentice, more than he would like to admit. "As for Serah and Villiers, one is dead while the other is lost between the void of time and space."

Yeul exhaled softly. "Do you not think it is a tragic ending? To see everyone die or turn to crystal?" She could remember the coldness of the vision when Valhalla consumed the world in its darkness.

"…Do you?"

She smiled sadly. "Yes, but it does not hurt to realize this now. Although I greatly missed the absence of other beings, it does not wrench my heart so much when I think of it."

Caius remained straight-faced. "Are you lonely, Yeul?"

It took a while for her to answer, but after minute after minute of staring at Lightning's crystal statue, he was able to evoke a response from the seeress.

"No."

He still had nightmares about the possibility of Yeul dying even after Etro was destroyed. The image of her lying limp in his arms terrified him even more than the idea of losing his immortality. He imagined waking up one dark morning to find their home deadly silent. She always woke up earlier than him and the prospect of her suddenly not waking up was horrific.

He imagined stumbling into her room and shaking her cold shoulders and garnering a sense of déjà vu.

He imagined a world without Paddra-Nsu Yeul, and his heart becomes stone.

She restrained herself from crying with joy when his gloved hand clasped hers tentatively. Instead, she giggled happily and tightened their hold.

"You may not be 9 inches taller," Caius began, "but we have all of eternity for that."

Yeul beamed brightly. "It was never my wish - this eternity, but I'll adjust to these circumstances in due time."

A/N: Um, like, I don't know what to say apart from the fact that FFXIII-2 is just as awesome as I deemed it to be. This may seem like a weird pairing, but if you think about it, it makes sense. And I think it's cuteee 3 it's so sad...

Ughhhh, I've completely strayed away from the Kingdom Hearts fandom, but hopefully, I'll update some more chapters of TRW. BM had definitely been discontinued though, sorry.

I hope you enjoyed reading (please ignore the cheesiness of it all) and I hope that you leave a little review afterwards. Have a great day/night/afternoon! :)