Officially Missing You

By: Sailorjj07

A/n: A one-shot to help me get back into my Legendia feels. A friend wrote a fic that tugged at my heart strings so now I have to return the favor, :3

Disclaimer: I do not own!

Summary: Set a year after the game. Chloe has been avoiding Senel for a full year, and he's had just about enough of it.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Actions

(Me!)

At first, the fact that Chloe was visiting the others didn't bother him. Senel knew that Chloe was going to be unreasonably busy the moment she announced her departure from the Legacy. It was going to take a lot of work to restore her family name, and as a result, though Chloe had promised to write, she reminded everyone that she just may not have time for it.

That was until two months later, when Norma mentioned Chloe's return, in passing. The respectable knight had stopped by for only a few days to check in on her, and didn't want to cause a fuss. Norma assured everyone that Chloe was fine, and had left her an address to send letters to. Senel didn't hear anything else for about three more months.

Jay, of all people, was the next person to see Chloe. She had visited with him for a week, as the Oresoren had asked for her to help them with a few things and again, the same excuse was given. Senel tried not to take Chloe's distance personally though, since she was very much the type to do anything for her friends.

Two months later, Moses and Grune gushed about how awesome it was to have lunch with Chloe, and told everyone that she had started growing her hair out. At this point, Senel was more than a little miffed at his best friend's obvious cold shoulder.

Will saw her the very next month after that, and Harriett had made a coy comment about how Chloe probably was avoiding Senel. It definitely hurt to hear the words, especially coming from someone as young as Harriett, but Will assured him that that absolutely wasn't the case.

"Chloe's just really busy," or so they all said.

The straw that broke the camel's back however, was when Shirley saw Chloe while out visiting one of the Ferines villages. They spent time together for two days, before Chloe ran back to Gadoria.

"I'm pretty sure she's avoiding me," Senel had said to Shirley, and though everyone denied that this was true, in his heart, he knew otherwise.

But why would Chloe avoid him? She was his best friend and one of the most important people in his life. Sure, he had somewhat rejected her feelings, but he had done the same for Shirley. He wanted to remain friends with both girls, and he had assumed that Chloe, out of everyone else he knew, would respect that.

So why was she avoiding him now? Was she, in turn, rejecting him this time?

That particular train of thought made his heart ache. No matter what happened, Senel didn't - no, more like couldn't - lose his best friend. Chloe had helped him put his life on the right path and she was a crucial member of their makeshift family. Most of all, Senel realized, he simply missed her. He wanted to know how she was doing and what she was doing to restore her family name, he wanted to hear her voice and see what her new hairstyle looked like. At this point, he would even take a beating from her during a sparring match, if only he could see her.

It was then and there, that Senel made a choice. He had to do something; anything, to get in touch with Chloe. To find out if she was truly ignoring him.

He decided the first thing to do was to write a letter. Since Chloe had told everyone that letters were the best way to communicate with her until she could visit in person, Senel figured he could give it a shot before doing something drastic.

'Dear Chloe,

Hey, how are you? I know you're extremely busy so I promise I won't take up too much of your time. I just wanted to check up on you and make sure everything's okay. Have you restored honor to your family name yet? Let me know if you need any help.

From,

Senel'

The very next day, Senel sent the letter off and waited for a response. When three weeks had passed with no answer, he realized he probably wasn't going to get one. On the off-chance that something was amiss with the mailing system, Senel tried sending two more letters.

Still, there was no response from Chloe.

If Senel had ever needed proof, there it was. Chloe's complete silence was all he needed to confirm his suspicions: his best friend was absolutely avoiding him, to the point of actually being rude.

Senel felt the cold creep in and take hold of his heart. He truly couldn't recall doing anything that would upset Chloe this much. He had to see Chloe, and talk to her, so he could apologize for whatever he did wrong.

He needed his best friend, his confidant, his support system. Chloe was always there for him, and when she left, Senel was completely sure that after she had all her family business squared away, she would come back to the Legacy. To all her friends. To him.

"Senel, if I were you, I'd go see her in person. C's not the type to just ignore anyone. Especially not you," Norma was as surprised as everyone else to hear that Chloe had completely ignore Senel's letters.

"Normally, I would disagree with Norma's dramatic ideas, but I think she's right on this," Even Jay thought it would be best for Senel to seek Chole out. She had never mentioned that she was upset with Senel to anyone in the group, but that was the only conclusion that anyone could draw.

"Fine then. It looks like I'm going to Gadoria."

It took him another three weeks to prepare for his cross country trip. Senel gathered the proper amount of money and made sure that all of his affairs would be in order while he was away. The trip to Gadoria didn't take long, and he was in the capital city in no time.

It took him a day or two to find out about the young knight, and before he knew it, he was on Chloe's doorstep. Chloe's home was large, much too large for only a single girl to live in. The place was in serious disarray as well. Senel steeled his nerves and knocked on the wooden door before him, wondering if he was actually going to see Chloe today. The sun was just beginning to set behind his back, and he figured that if Chloe wasn't at home, she'd have to come back soon to rest for the night.

He would wait for her even if she wasn't back until the next morning.

However, much to his joy, the door swung open and in front him, a young girl, perhaps 10 or 11, with a strikingly similar face to Chloe's stood before him.

"Hi. Is… ummmm… is this where Chloe Valens lives?"

The girl nodded, staring at him for a moment before a look of recognition crossed her features. Her eyes widened, and before she could gasp loudly, she clamped her hand shut over her mouth, taking a deep breath.

Senel watched her curiously, not quite sure what to do.

After finally composing herself, the young girl peered up at him with green eyes, "My cousin is in the garden, out back. You're Senel Coolidge, aren't you?"

Senel nodded, as the girl stepped aside to let him in, "How do you know me?"

The girl held a finger to her lips, "We can talk about it later. My cousin… I think she'll be really happy to see you. Let's surprise her, okay? Be as quiet as possible."

Senel allowed the child to lead him through the house, with ragged couches and mix-matched furniture throughout the place. They walked through the kitchen and the girl stopped in her tracks.

"My cousin is out through those double doors. You shouldn't miss her."

"Thank you." Senel said softly, and the girl gave him a beaming smile before walking off in a different direction. Senel inhaled a deep breath, released it, and opened the door. The garden that awaited him was beautiful. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon and bathed everything in an orange glow that was slowly growing darker. There, standing in front of two graves was the girl he had been looking for. Chloe wore a simple, navy blue dress and he could hear little sniffles coming from her direction.

He decided it would be best to wait until she noticed him, so he had a seat at the tree nearest to the door and watched her.

Chloe set two flower bouquets down on each grave, gently wiping away any dust that had gathered on the tombstones. She bowed her head while she stood there, crying softly. It was a few moments before she could compose herself and when she turned to head back in the house, she saw.

"Senel?!" The incredulous tone in her voice said it all, she was completely surprised to see him there. Senel stood up and stepped away from the tree, as Chloe swiftly walked closer to him. "What're you doing here? How did you find this place?"

He fixed his blue eyed gaze on her, a stern expression on his face. Shouldn't he be the one asking the questions? "I came to find out why you are blatantly ignoring me."

"Coolidge, I wasn't ignoring you, I was just so busy-" Chloe began, wiping the remainder of the tears from her eyes, and doing everything she could to avoid his stare.

Senel stormed over to her and took hold of her chin, forcing her to look up at him, "At least look at my face while you lie, Chloe."

"I'm not lying, I-"

"Bullshit."

Chloe was panicking and for once in his life, Senel had to say he enjoyed watching her squirm. She had avoided him like the plague and now she was lying to him? She deserved to be uncomfortable.

"Coolidge, I don't know what to say, I-"

Now that he was up close her, he could tell that she really had changed in a year. Her bob hair cut had grown out to her shoulders, and she looked exhausted. Her face was thinner, and not in a good way, and her eyes just looked so tired. Even still, she smelled so familiar, her voice warmed his heart, and he felt a jolt of joy at just seeing her alive and well.

In a rare show of affection, Senel wrapped his arms around her, effectively cutting off whatever she was going to say. For a moment, Chloe just stood there in his arms, but eventually Senel felt her hug him around the waist, and soon warm tears fell on his shirt. He tightened his grip on her body, as Chloe cried silently, rubbing her back in slow, gentle circles.

"Senel, I'm so sorry," came her muffled words, and Senel just nodded, patting her back to help calm her down. It took a little while, but eventually Chloe was composed again, and still Senel hugged her tight.

"Chloe, I really missed you." The feeling hit him like a ton of bricks, when he realized that he truly needed her around. After a year of never seeing her, it was clear as day that they had been apart for far too long.

Chloe finally untangled herself from his arms, long enough to look up at him with wide brown eyes. She blushed and averted her gaze, saying timidly, "I…. I missed you too."

"Then why did you avoid me? For an entire year!"

Chloe wrung her hands together, looking down at the dirt below her feet, "I just… I couldn't see you. It was so hard to look at you, knowing that I had never completely my mission. I thought that… maybe you rejected me because I never got my title back. So I vowed to myself that I wouldn't see you again… not until I restored the House of Valens."

Senel let out a huff in irritation, "And you just decided all that without asking me? Don't you think I should have a say so in something that concerns me? Do I not matter to you at all? You ignored me for a year! I even wrote you letters!"

Chloe's gaze sunk even lower to the ground, if that was possible. "I read those letters you sent me…. Every day," she replied, in a small voice.

"Then answer them! Seriously Chloe, what were you thinking?! Why would I reject you over that? I know what kind of person you are!"

"Then… I don't understand… why?"

Senel closed the gap between them, taking her face in his hands, "I didn't want you and Shirley to have a bad relationship because of me. I care about both of you and I know that the two of you care for each other. So I didn't want to choose and destroy our 'family'. But you…. you left me with no word and I missed you so much, Chloe. I almost couldn't breathe."

"S-Senel, I…"

"I love you, Chloe. Whatever problems you're having, let them be my problems too. Share them with me and let's tackle them together, okay?"

Chloe nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled Senel's face towards her's and whispered, "I love you too," before pressing her lips to his. Senel felt like his heart would pound right out of his chest. Everything about her was assaulting his senses and he couldn't be happier.

They pulled away from each other, gasping for breath and staring into each other's eyes. Senel softly kissed her mouth again, before pulling away with a smile, "Don't ever fall off the face of the planet again, Chloe Valens, or I'll have to come find you."

Chloe smiled widely for the first time since he had arrived, "I promise I'll never do it again, Senel Coolidge."

~The End~