A/n: Boom, baby! I'm back! And with a whole new series. That said, I'm hoping inspiration hits and I can fill more from the prompts collection, Across Historia, but right now I'm unblocking myself and sort of recharging with this series. The central theme behind each of these standalone pieces is "goodbye", and the universes will change! I'm thinking in-game, post-game and entirely alternate universes, which is something that will be fun to explore.
The title of this collection comes from the Leonard Cohen song of the same name.
This specific piece pulls its starting quote from a softer creed. That's enough preamble, I'd say. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty that is Noel/Serah!
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"Sometimes when two people love each other... it's really unfortunate."
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Serah felt the warm glow of a vision closing in on her, and in a sudden flash of clarity, knew it would be her last. She would fall to the ground, lifeless, in mere moments.
"Noel," she strained to say calmly.
The sun made his hair shine gorgeously as he turned to her. The look in his eyes was happy, peaceful. As she observed him, she knew for certain that there were worse fates than this. She was lucky to have this.
"Thank you."
Noel held her lukewarm body for hours. When he wasn't staring out at the now-dark horizon, he was looking at his hands. Those hands had held the sword that Caius had stabbed himself with. That sword had gone through the heart of Etro. That heart beat in order to protect the timeline. That timeline warped, forcing a vision upon all with the Eyes of Etro. Those eyes of Etro, Serah's eyes, closed forever.
He had killed the last person he loved.
Unbidden, tears began to fall from his eyes. He clutched her tighter, lacing his fingers with her stiff, gloved ones.
"I'm sorry," he wept. The last words she'd spoken had been for him. He understood now, with her dead in his arms - it had been a goodbye.