First FFXV Fanfic I have posted. It starts slow, but will get more exciting! It originally started as trying to bridge the 10 year gap, but then I realized how daunting of a task that would be. Hope you enjoy! As always, I don't own FF or the characters.

It was a miracle that they had made it out alive. It had been a tough fight for four, but three had been a death wish. What the men had hoped to achieve came at a high price that they had become increasingly aware of. Prompto wished he felt as prepared and well adjusted as his two remaining companions appeared. He was doing his best to stifle the panic eating at his insides. Circumstances had changed too rapidly, and not for the better. When the friends had urged Noctics to leave the fight in search of the crystal, they had expected him to return. Ardyn had returned in his stead and declared that their "King" had been sucked into the crystal, leaving them to die. The remaining three, at that time, decided it was best to run.

They trusted Noctis wouldn't betray them. They had all sensed the struggle it took for him to leave the fight. Prompto just hoped that wherever Noctis was, he was safe and planned to return soon. The group knew they had to come up with a plan – a way forward – but the shock of the events over the last 24 hours were causing a brain fog. They sat on the boat in silence, tending to both emotional and physical wounds, headed back toward Cape Caem.

At least they had a first step: make sure Iris and Talcott were safe. Prompto looked down at the cactuar statue in his palm. Noctis had purchased in Altissa for Talcott. He thought about holding onto it so Noctis could give it to Talcott himself, but he didn't know if, or when, Noctis would return. According to the time, it was mid-morning, almost noon, but the inky blackness remained. If only the crystal had worked…

"Almost there, boys," the boat captain shouted over the sound of the engine and waves. They had spotted the man getting ready to depart, headed in the direction they wanted to go. They offered to pay him what money was left. The man was kind enough to only take half, likely due to their battered appearance and air of desperation. Prompto let out the breath he was holding in one loud, short puff of air. He sat up and put the statue back in his pocket. He had been trying to come up with what to say to Iris and Talcott, but for once, he was speechless. He hoped the other two had come up with something.

"They're back, they're back!" Galdio heard his sister squeal as she and Talcott ran down toward the boat. He looked up just in time to see the shift in expression on her face. Pain and fear had promptly replaced elation. "Where's… Noct?" she asked quietly, scanning the area with her eyes. He saw her visibility flinch when she caught sight of Ignis.

"Come on, Iris," he said softly, "we can talk inside." He put his hand to the small of her back and guided her toward the house. Talcott had yet to say anything, but he stuck close to Iris' side with his gaze to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Gladio saw Prompto guiding Iginis and muttering something to him, likely explaining where they were headed.

Once inside and gathered around the table, all sat in silence. No one wanted to hear or tell what had occurred. Finally, it was Talcott who spoke up. "Where's Prince Noctis? Is he in Altissia with Lady Lunafraya?" Gladio was suddenly jealous of the child's innocence. Part of him wanted to retort, "of course not; that's why everything is shrouded in darkness!" but he refrained. Thankfully, it was Ignis who finally spoke up.

"I suppose we should start from the beginning."

It was nearly dinner by the time the whole story was told. The mood in the room had finally evened out. It had started with shock, turned to tears for a few, and finally dissolved into resolve. Gladio felt that the retelling of the events had helped him process what had occurred. The conversation was beginning to turn to planning, though, which was a much more comfortable topic for him.

"You won't be able to stay here much longer," Gladio said flatly. "The daemons will overrun us soon and we can't get caught off guard. We need to find other accommodations." The group agreed through silence. He had been trying to think of alternative places on the boat ride, but nothing had solidified in his mind.

"What…" Prompto cleared his throat in an attempt to rid his voice of the hoarseness. "what about… Hammerhead?"

Gladio's immediate reaction was to roll his eyes; now wasn't the time to think about Cindy.

Prompto held up his hand. "Let me explain, Gladio. She would have access to parts and weapons, and probably has a spare vehicle to come pick us up. Plus, Cid would be there and can probably help us out. I mean, at least temporarily. I can't think of anyone else we've met that we can trust more."

"He does have a point, Gladio," Ignis agreed, glancing in his general direction. "What other choice do we have?"

Gladio was silent for several moments, trying to think of other options, but nothing came. "Prompto, go ahead and call Cindy."

"Before I do," the blonde stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small statue. Gladio had completely forgotten about the purchase. He was glad Prompto hadn't. "Talcott, Noctis found this for your collection." The boy slowly walked over to Prompto with tears in his eyes and gently took the statue with both hands. The boy had always shown such admiration for "Prince Noctis", it was only right he have a token from him.

3 Years Later

Ignis woke with a start and sat up straight. The dreams seemed stronger as of late, as opposed to right after he lost his sight. He sometimes wondered if the dreams full of images and color were his brain's way of making up for the loss of it during waking hours. He calmed his breathing so that he could hear if anyone else was awake, in an attempt to judge the time. He was met with silence. He laid back down for a time, but decided he could be more productive if he got up.

After dressing himself and locating his darkened glasses, he slipped them on and stepped out of the caravan without his cane. Over the last year, his primary goal had been to become completely independent. The daemon presence was continuing to grow, as was the need for hunters, and he needed to be at his best. He appreciated Prompto and Iris', and in the past Gladio's, kindness, but he needed to stop being a burden. He much preferred to be the caretaker rather than the one needing to be taken care of.

He sat in one of the plastic chairs and sipped a cup of cold coffee he had placed on the counter the night before. The escalating monsters had them on alert almost 24/7 as of late. He had also been spending a considerable amount of time practicing fighting with Prompto as a part of his training to be independent. The petite blond had more patience than Ignis had ever expected. Initially, he had felt like a burden, but Prompto's persistence was paying off. Gladio had been going off on his own hunts more and more and he knew Prompto had taken a few single jobs as well. Ignis hoped to do the same by the end of the year.

Ignis sat up straighter when he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He had often heard that for those who lose one sense, the others became increasing acute to compensate, and he had found this to be true of himself. Once he had realized his sight would not be regained, he had continued to work on honing the other senses, refusing to just accept his injury. He couldn't quite place who it was by the stride, so he waited until the other person spoke.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Iris. He sensed her sit in the chair across from his, so he turned his head in the direction of her voice. It wasn't the first time she had found him out here. He had to admit his admiration of how quickly she had grown up the last couple of years. The first year had been especially difficult, given her not-so-secret feelings for Noctis. Since that time though, she had fought alongside the others and was growing in knowledge every day. She had taken on an air of independence and it suited her.

"Indeed. Can I trouble you for the time?"

She paused before answering. "4am. What time were you suppose to be getting up?"

"I am to meet Prompto at six." He heard her make a murmuring sound.

"More training?"

He simply nodded in reply and took another sip and noticed it was almost empty.

"Gladdy should be here tonight. Don't know for how long." The tone of her voice changed; Ignis wasn't quite sure what emotion to assign to it. "Why do you guys… what happened?" Her voice was so soft that even his enhanced hearing strained to hear her. He sensed the fear behind the question. He knew she looked up to them as a sort of makeshift family, and the recent separation likely felt like a divorce.

"We all feel the need to do our own thing. I believe our individual goals are different for the time being. That won't change the fact that we all continue to work toward a larger common goal and will be here to fight with Noctis when he returns." The full truth went deeper, but it wasn't the time or the place to explain further.

"If he returns?"

"He will, I have no doubt." Even as he said it, he knew he was reminding himself too. A deep pause set in and Ignis let it sit that way. He could often sense feelings, but not being able to see subtle body language did make it more difficult to gage how others were feeling. If Iris was uncomfortable with the silence, he wasn't aware and she made no move to break it. He let his thoughts wander to how he would handle an encounter with Gladio. Ignis had hoped to be further along in his training before reuniting – Gladio had refrained from saying it recently, but Ignis knew Gladio saw him as a liability.

Ignis suddenly realized he hadn't considered why Iris was up and mentally chastised himself. "So, Iris, what troubles you at this early hour?" Silence. Had she left without him noticing? He sat back and finished his coffee. Just as he was about to get up to get back in the trailer, assuming she had left, he heard her clear her throat. The noise startled him and caused him to set his mug down a little too heavily.

"Have… have you ever wanted something so badly that you dream about it every night? I mean, so much that you can't sleep without that dream and never really find any rest?"

Ignis let out a short, mirthless laugh. "I couldn't have said it better myself." He picked his mug up again and made toward the caravan using the table to guide him. "I hope you find rest soon Iris, from whatever troubles you." He found her shoulder and let his hand rest there a moment, then squeezed in reassurance before grabbing the hand rail to help him up the stairs.

"You miss it, don't you?" she asked. He froze on the first step as he heard her turn in her chair to face him and speak the words that made his heart skip a beat.

"I don't know if you are referring to prior to Noctis' leaving or my eyesight, but both are a yes." He didn't stick around to hear any response – he needed to be alone until meeting Prompto.