Hello all! As I mentioned in my profile, this is the first chapter in my new Final Fantasy mini-project. I'm super happy to be starting this, and I really hope you all will enjoy the ride! Of course, since it's the chocobros, expect arguments, angst and manly emotions to be aplenty! This will feature hurt Ignis and hurt Prompto, with caring Noctis and Gladiolus (over time, of course).

Without further ado, please enjoy! I own me nothing except this plot.

Trusting You

Chapter 1: Coincidental Meetings

Prompto got a very, very uneasy feeling about the strange amber-eyed man who brushed past them the first time they met. He shuffled closer to Gladiolus and Noctis, both of whom were about ready to dismiss talking and start throwing punches. Half of him wanted to take out his gun and fire a single shot in that creepy man's skull, but something else, a smaller part of his mind, screamed at him that something about this man was very, VERY off... and that this wouldn't be the last time they'd meet...

"I'm afraid you're out of luck." His voice alone caused a shudder to course through the blond. Too honey-toned, too... fake. It was wrong.. all wrong. But Prompto wasn't sure what the wrong part about it was, so he kept quiet as the others spoke.

"Are we?" Gladiolus's voice held a very 'no-nonsense' tone as he spoke. Ignis quietly moved forward, arm slightly outstretched to keep Noctis behind him.

"The boats bring you here." Not so much as a question, but an obvious statement. Thinking back on it, Prompto wondered if he had travelled with them on the boat, what would've been.

"What about 'em?" he finally found his voice and asked shakily. The amber-eyed man looked at him with an expression that was unreadable at the time, butt one Prompto wished he'd realized sooner.

"Well, they'll not take you forth." The strange looked both annoyed yet pleased with this outcome. Prompto wanted to look closer, to see more than what he did, but the vibe... if he were honest, it scared him a little. So he stayed behind Gladio and next to Noctis, keeping his eyes on him. Noctis soo grew annoyed with the meaningless chatter and stepped forward.

"And what's your story?" Gladio seemed to do all the talking, with Ignis watching the stranger closely, analyzing, more than likely his dagger already clutched in his hand. And yet, it appeared no one could sense the... almost evil vibe that was pouring off this stranger. It bothered Prompto a lot more than he realized.

The amber-eyed man- its strange to the blond how he could clearly remember his eyes so well, but given what would eventually happen, he didn't find it shocking- scratched his head and turned towards them, seemingly heading back from where he came. "I'm an impatient traveler, ready to turn ship." he explained casually, as if he'd known them his whole life.

"This ceasefire is getting us nowhere." Prompto and the others watched as he pulled something from his jacket, before abruptly halting his speech and tossing what appeared to be a token or coin in Noct's direction. Gladio's quick reflexes caught it first... and that was when the first real sensation under his wristband began to emerge. Prompto unconsciously grabbed at it to lessen the pain as Gladio said, "What is this, some kind of souvenir?"

"They make those?" Prompto almost forgot about the pain in his wrist as he hurried to see what Gladio held. Noct just gave his friend a glare.

"What? No."

"Consider it... your allowance." The strange said. And that strange pain acted up all over again, though Prompto did his best to push it back and act normal.

"Oh? And who's 'allowing' us?" At this point, Gladio was getting real fed up with the strange man. Well, so was everyone else, but Gladio stepped to him, ready to fight.

The strange 'innocently' held his arms out in mock surrender, turned around and simply answered, "A man of no consequences."

As he walked off, and his friends looked at his retreating back with mixed emotions, Prompto wondered why his wrist kept hurting, and even more so... why he was getting such a negative vibe from this character. It wasn't right...

"Yeah, right." Noct scoffed. Prompto decided to shake it off and agreed with his best friend. That was a strange encounter, yes, but surely it was just coincidence. There is no way he'd be seeing them again... would he?

The second time they ran into the strange man, they finally got a name.

They ran into him while trying to see about Noctis's recurring headaches. Prompto suggested that the foursome head to the outlook to take a look at the Disc, unsure if it had anything to do with causing Noct's head to hurt. It was settled on, and Prompto had been so excited, he was looking forward to it...

Until they ran into the amber-eyed man, who was standing next to one of the only available viewers. He turned upon hearing them and that fake smile was plastered on once more... Prompto hated it.

"What a coincidence."

"I'm not so sure it is..." Gladio muttered as they approached. Prompto agreed in his head. This was getting way too strange.

"Aren't nursery rhymes curious things?" the strange man asked. Prompto didn't know what rhymes had to do with him being here, but once again, let Gladio handle the conversation.

As if knowing of Prompto's confusion (or perhaps the fact that everyone looked at him that way), the strange man elaborated.

"Like this one...From the deep, the Archaean calls... yet on deaf ears, the gods' tongue falls. The King made to kneel, in pain, he crawls."

Prompto realized that the 'king' in that rhyme was his best friend, and the horrifying concept of him crawling to anything, anyone, even a god... that wasn't something he wanted to face. Anxiety creeping inside his chest, he blurted out, "So how do we keep him on his feet?!"

The amber eyed man looked at him, really looked at him, and that smile twisted into something... wrong. Sinister. He walked past them and answered, "You only need heed the call. Visit the Archaean and hear his plea."

Looking over his shoulder, he offered to give them a ride. The foursome came together to discuss it and Prompto didn't like the idea of being near this man. He made his wrist hurt, and that vibe was growing even stronger as they simply stood in his presence.

"We in?" Gladio asked in a hushed voice. Noct shrugged, shaking his head.

"I don't know."

Prompto thought about it, before he offered a solution. "Okay, so how about we take a ride..."

Gladio looked at the blond, seeing his train of thought, and crossed his arms. "... but watch our backs."

Both looked at the king and chef. They both seemed to mull the idea over before they nodded in agreement.

"Let's do it." Noct whispered to them. They looked at the strange man standing nearby, smiling that spine-tingling sinister smile that Prompto wanted to be far away from.

Seeing them all approach and Noct nodding his head, the amber-eyed man headed for the car and introduced himself. Prompto would never forget that name.

Ardyn. That name that caused so much between them... that hurt him and his friends...

They drove, Noct being almost forced to drive due to Ardyn 'worried' about Ignis driving too much and wanting them to stay within range of him. Noct was clearly irritated, but Prompto's pain was becoming... worse. Still, he bit down on his tongue, pushing it back. It was pure coincidence. Nothing more.

It soon grew dark, and they needed someplace to stay for the night, so they pulled into a caravan. Ardyn decided to have a room to himself, leaving the foursome to discuss their new friend in privacy.

"Ignis... do you know him?" Noct asked, leaning forward. The advisor shook his head. The name didn't ring a bell to anyone. Prompto sat back in his chair, rubbing his wrist subconsciously. Ignis noticed the empty stare in Prompto's eyes but just as soon as he saw it, it disappeared. He stopped rubbing his wrist and sat up straight, listening to Noctis and Gladiolus discuss Ardyn and his real intentions over dinner. Ignis wondered what that was all about, and made a note to pull him aside to ask about it later.

Later on, the foursome had headed for the second caravan for the night. The men had two king sized to themselves, with Prompto and Ignis sharing one bed, and Noctis and Gladio sharing the other.

They were asleep soundly, so no one noticed the amber eyed man stealthily move in the night, coming to a stop in front of their room. As quiet as a mouse, Ardyn opened the door and stepped inside, a small black item in his hand. His eyes quickly spotted the intended target- the youngest member curled in his sheets, a smile on his face as he dreamt about Cindy.

Without waking the others, Ardyn slithered over to their bed and leaned over, planting the small item inside Prompto's ear. He glanced over at Ignis, who slept with his back turned towards him and who hadn't moved an inch since his entrance.

"This time... it is time for you to hurt the ones you love most. Prompto Argentum... your secret will not remain that way for long." Ardyn breathed as he admired his work. The young man sleeping as if nothing was wrong... oh if he only knew...

Ardyn held up his first two fingers, and a black smoke emitted from them.

"Ignis Scientia... you shall be the first to suffer." And he flicked the smoke in his direction, allowing it to cover him completely. He couldn't kill the king, at least not yet. But he could make him suffer unimaginable pain, just as he was doomed to.

"Gladiolus Amicitia... you shall be next." He aimed that same smoke in his direction and like Ignis, it quietly covered him. Lastly, he looked to the king.

"Noctis... Lucis Caelum. It's such a shame I must hurt those related to me." He muttered as he stood over him. He glanced to Prompto and smiled. There was no need for the smoke to infect him. He would suffer... watching those he loved hurt and die over him.

"But it is time. Time for you to pay. Time for this world... to pay." Ardyn smiled warmly as he brushed a stray strand of blond hair from Prompto's face. Prompto stirred but otherwise didn't make a sound. Ardyn then noticed his exposed barcode and ran a finger across it, his touch almost ghost-like.

"The perfect way to end your king's life.. by using his so-called 'friends' to torture him." He chuckled to himself before he decided that his plan was put into place well enough.

"Let the games begin."

He disappeared just as fast as he entered. No one made a move or sound for the reminder of the night, and none of the foursome knew what plans lay in store for them.

And first chapter complete!

I hope you guys like this chapter! Since this project is going to be a slow update, do not hesitate to ask my questions, drop advice, leave constructive criticism, anything you feel will make this chapter as flawless as possible!

Until the next chapter!