AN: So, Altissia and the events of chapter ten broke my heart a little, and the first thing I did was use Umbra to run back to the past and run from the present, and I figured that Noctis might do the same. full of angst and fluff and some smut in chapter 2.

Please read and review!

FFXV belongs to Square Enix.

Light in the Darkness

Now

Noctis stared out the window of the train. He felt sick. It had been weeks, weeks, since Luna gave her life for him. He fingered the ring. He hadn't put it on yet. He couldn't. He couldn't face it. It had cost so much. Not only Luna, but…

He turned slightly and glanced across the aisle. Ignis sat quietly, his forehead resting against the window. Dark glasses covered his eyes. He looked for all the world like he was looking out the window at the passing desert, but Noctis knew better.

Ignis was trapped in a world of darkness. Because of him. Ignis hadn't said anything, hadn't blamed Noctis (honestly, Gladio did that enough for both of them), but Noct still knew it was his fault.

Noct watched as Prompto dropped into the seat next to Ignis and touched his shoulder. Ignis flinched slightly, and Noctis turned back to the window. He felt like he was going to throw up. He kept seeing Luna, lovely Luna, holding the beautiful flower of Tenebrae, and the ring. He kept seeing Ardyn stabbing Luna in the stomach and walking away. He kept seeing Leviathan and feeling the amazing power of his ancestors.

He kept seeing Ignis.

He wasn't sure what exactly had happened to Ignis, and no one was telling him. He just remembered waking from the coma, and seeing Ignis sitting in the chair facing away from him. His first thought had been joy that Ignis was there, had survived, had stayed by his side.

Then he watched as Ignis had had to feel around to stand up. He remembered being so confused. Why was Ignis wearing dark glasses inside? Then he saw the scars. Ignis had brushed aside his worry, and told him about Luna.

"She left that for you," he had said. Noctis had looked back up and watched in growing horror as Ignis slowly felt his way towards the door.

Ignis was blind. Ignis was blind and Luna was dead. The ring burned in his chest pocket. He couldn't put it on. He couldn't.

"So, we're going to roll through Tenebrae?" Prompto asked softly. Noct kept staring out the window.

"Not before visiting the royal tomb in Cartanica." Ignis' voice sounded off to Noctis. It sounded hoarse, and sad. It made the bile rise in Noct's throat. It was his fault Ignis sounded like that. His fault Ignis was scarred.

His fault Ignis was blind.

"Are…are you up to that?" Prompto asked. Prompto was so quiet now. Gone was the exuberant young man who loved to take photos. In his place was a serious, quiet Crownsguard member who was doing his damnedest to help Ignis.

Ignis seemed to shrink down on himself for a moment. He shifted, turning his face away from Prompto. "The wounds have mended. Eyesight…is a matter of time."

There was silence. Noctis wanted to scream. He wanted to apologize to Ignis, to wrap his arms around the taller man and not let anything else touch him.

He couldn't. He could barely look at Ignis. It hurt too much. It reminded him of too much. It hurt.

Gladiolus stopped and stared at the prince, his lip curling in disgust.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

It was like being hit by Thundara. Noctis' head snapped up and he looked up at Gladiolus. Across the aisle, Prompto watched with wide eyes and Ignis tensed. They couldn't do this now. They couldn't fall apart and start throwing blame around. They had a job to do.

"You need to grow up and get the hell over it," Gladiolus spat.

Ignis wanted to strangle Gladiolus. It was like when Gladiolus had up and left them for a while on the road. It was his job to protect the prince, the king, and he had just left. The prince had been through so much in the past year, and telling him to get the hell over it wasn't going to help. Prompto put a hand on his shoulder. He thought it was Prompto, at least.

"I am over it. I'm here, aren't I?" Noctis' voice was rough. Ignis' heart broke a little to hear it. He wished he could wrap his arms around Noct and protect him, but that was never going to happen.

Gladiolus grabbed Noctis by the front of his shirt. "Maybe when you're not too busy moping, you can look around and give a shit about someone worse off than you."

Ignis bowed his head. His eyes, what remained of his eyes, burned. He didn't want them to fight. Not now, not because of this, because of him.

"Let go of me," Noctis' voice was hard.

"How's that ring fit ya? You'd rather carry it around then wear it? She gave her life so you could do your duty, not so you could sit around feeling sorry for yourself."

"You don't think I know that?" Noctis ground out. Ignis could imagine his face, angry, eyes flashing. He couldn't see it. He was afraid he would never see it again. He knew, deep inside, that he would never see Noct's face again, and it made him cold inside.

"You don't!" Gladiolus snarled into Noctis' face, "Ignis took one for you too, and for what?"

Ignis couldn't take it anymore. "Enough, Gladio!"

"You think you're a king, but you're a coward."

It hit too close to home for Noctis. "Shut up!" He went to push Gladiolus back. Ignis felt the brush of air that seemed to indicate that Prompto was no longer next to him.

"Don't do this!" Prompto cried. Gladiolus pushed Prompto by the face. Ignis heard a body hit the chair in front of him. He turned his head back to the window.

"I get it, alright? I get it!" Noctis yelled. He sounded close to tears.

"Then get a grip! Pull your head out of your ass already!"

Noctis couldn't believe Gladiolus. Didn't want to believe it. He couldn't do it. He couldn't face it. He couldn't look at Ignis and see his failure right in front of him. He turned and stalked away.

But he knew he wouldn't be able walk far enough away.

He threw himself into a seat further down the train car. He pulled the ring out and looked at it, nestled innocently in his palm. His heart began to race and he felt like he was going to throw up again. He clenched the ring and tried to get his breathing under control.

He closed his eyes and centered himself. A few deep breaths later, and his heart rate was starting to get under control. He kept his eyes closed, thinking about the darkness. This was all Ignis saw now. Darkness.

He couldn't face Ignis right now. He didn't want to see Gladio or Prompto. He stood up and started to walk the train. Maybe moving would help keep the daemons at bay. Maybe walking would let him forget.

#

Ignis rested his head back against the cool glass of the window. His hands were clenched in his lap, the hated cane rested against his knee. He felt the seat move next to him as someone sat down. He assumed it was Prompto. He thought he had heard both Noctis and Gladio walk away.

He could feel the sun warming his face through the glass, and if he closed his ruined eyes, he could almost pretend he was like everyone else on the train.

Almost.

He could hear Prompto breathing next to him. He sounded like he was close to tears. Ignis didn't blame him, but he wished he would go away. Ignis wanted to scream and rail against the gods, but he didn't, he couldn't.

It was his job to be strong for the prince, the king. And no matter how much he wanted to let the pieces of himself shatter, he held himself together.

His fingers tightened in his lap. It was a close thing. If the others continued fighting amongst themselves, he didn't think he could hold them together anymore.

How could he hold them together when he felt like he was seconds away from breaking into a million tiny pieces himself?

#

The train pulled into the station. Noctis knew there was a mine nearby that supposedly led to yet another royal tomb. He stood on the platform, the midday sun beating down on him, baking him in his black clothing.

Prompto stopped next to him. "Gladio and Ignis are grabbing a bite to eat in that pitiful excuse for a restaurant they call a dining car."

Noctis nodded, his throat tightening at Ignis' name. He was hungry too, but he knew that Gladio wouldn't want him around. He couldn't tell what Ignis wanted.

"How long is the train staying here?"

Prompto glanced at him. "A couple of days. Apparently something broke in the engine and they're waiting for a replacement part."

"Figures," Noctis muttered, his eyes sweeping the train. "We'll go down tomorrow then."

Prompto nodded and walked off. Noctis felt his gut twist. Prompto had been the light of their group, and now he was quiet and withdrawn. With a sigh, Noct walked back to the train. He leapt onto the dining car and paused.

Gladio and Ignis were sitting in one of the booths. Noct lowered his head and walked to the counter and quietly placed his order. He turned and glanced at the others. Gladio had his head on his arms and refused to look at him. Ignis had his head tilted towards him, and it made Noct's heart hurt.

He looked down at his food. It looked like something from his elementary school cafeteria, which was not a good thing. He grabbed the tray and walked to the sleep car. He wasn't even going to try to eat with the others.

He slid the door to his compartment open and sat on his bed. He stared at the food for a while before setting the whole tray aside. He couldn't eat.

He put his head in his hands and let the tears fall. He felt like he shouldn't have any more tears left, but more always came. It seemed like he would never be able to stop crying.

He angrily wiped his eyes. He wished he could go back. He wanted to go back and see Ignis whole, green eyes burning behind his specs, no scars marring his smooth face. He wanted to run, to escape.

He knew if he fell asleep he would only relive Altissia again and again. He had lived through it once, and wasn't that enough?

If only he could go back. He ran his hand over his face and froze.

Go back.

When they had gotten to the hotel in Altissia, Gentiana and Umbra had been there.

Umbra.

He heard a whine and looked up. Umbra sat before him, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He looked sad.

For one brief second, Noctis' heart soared. If Umbra was here, then he would have the notebook from Luna, and that meant she was alive! She was still writing him, she was still-

Dead. She was still dead. Like his father. Like so many others.

Like Ignis nearly was.

Go back.

He lifted his head and stared at Umbra. Umbra stared back. There was more intelligence in that dog's eyes than he had ever seen.

Go back.

You cannot change the past, young king. It has happened and is complete. You can only escape for a little while.

He shook his head, dislodging Gentiana's voice.

He only needed a little while. He only needed to see Ignis, complete and whole, and apologize for something that Ignis wouldn't understand.

He needed to go back.

Noctis stared into Umbra's sad eyes. The sounds of the train fell away. The room fell away. It was like slipping sideways.

Go back.

Colors swirled and danced around him. The only thing he could see was Umbra's eyes. He could hear voices; Luna, Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, his father.

He felt like he was falling into Umbra's eyes. There was nothing except for the colors and sound swirling around him.

He was going back, and then, everything went dark.

TBC

let me know what you think!