Don't worry, loyal readers, I'm still working on my main story. I just wanted to write this since it's been pestering me for a few days but has no place in my story. And, thus, yeah.

~(-)~

So, Chaos, the God of Discord… I'll admit it: I was terrified, like, piss-my-tights terrified. Speaking of which, I now hate tights. Damn things keep riding up on me while I'm trying to fight, not to mention the fact Tidus keeps making fun of me. Oh, and these things have zero insulation against the cold. Ugh. Oh, wait, I'm getting off-topic.

So, we gotta fight one GOD who was the leader of a bunch of other GODS who could very well easily destroy the world with a thought (and, according to the others, some of them actually have. I know Exdeath was doing a very good job of that back home. The Void… Brr… Still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.) If we lose, well, good-bye reality. Did I forget to mention we're on a time limit? Oh, yeah, our Crystals, the only thing left tying us to this world, are running out of power. And, when they go, we go. Goodie. We're just ten guys (okay, nine guys and one girl if you want to get technical) going against a being in a battle that will not only decide our fate, the fate of this world, but the fate of all worlds. That's a lot of pressure to put on a guy.

But, if we win, we'll get to go back home. At first, that sounded great! That was everyone's goal, after all. But, you know, now… I'm not so sure. While, true, this place isn't exactly paradise, but we made a lot of nice memories here, and a lot of friends. Would we even get to see each other again? Heck, would we even get to remember each other? I remember that we didn't remember anything when we first got here. I mean, I'm not usually one to worry about such things, and, yet, here I am… worrying about such things! I'm afraid worrying about such things will worry everyone else. I mean, I'm Mr. Happy-go-Lucky! Tell me there's an adventure, and I'll run headlong into it, walls be damned (ha, walls. Talking to Squall feels like I'm talking to one sometimes. … Squall… Squall… SQWALL! Ha! See what I did there? I'm so clever.) If I'm worrying about things, I think that's going to kill our morale, and, considering how shaky it is, I really don't want that to happen.

"Hey, guys, I'm gonna go for a quick walk," I said. "I think I saw some treasure over there!"

Okay, blatant lie. I think Squall realized it right away with the look he shot me. Oh, speaking of Squall, I can't believe the guy's younger than me. I am, too, mature, Squall. I just don't like to show it. Know what? I make you a deal: I'll act more mature when you decide you want to smile on a more regular occasion. … Wait, that doesn't sound very mature at all. Hm…

Anyway, I think Squall knew what I meant and prevented Zidane or Tidus from following me. I kinda wandered off, you know, like I do. I found myself walking toward a section of Chaos's land I wasn't even aware existed. I walked past a Gate that led to a dead end… Okay, maybe I should avoid that word. I really don't want to think about such things. We're going to win, we're going to win, we're going to win! … I hope.

Well anyway, it led to a beach, of all things. It was kinda nice, despite being, you know, at the edge of a volcanic wasteland. I decided to rest here for a bit and took off my boots. I dipped my feet in the water hoping my worries would wash away with the tide. Didn't really help, though. Normally, I would wait for that inevitable breeze of that salt-water air that always seemed to make me relax. Nothing. In fact, it only continued to drive home that the world was dying. No wind… I felt so… detached from the world. It was like when the Wind Crystal first shattered… I felt a part of myself die along with it. I can feel this… I dunno, hole in my heart. I… I…

"Well, who do we have here?"

Needless to say, that caught me off guard. I spun around to see… a moogle? He looked different from the other moogles here. For one, it looked like he knew Squall's tailor. That black, leather trenchcoat had to be hot in this weather. … Wish I had it back in the snowfields… Huh, wonder if he'll give me his number?

He continued to flutter around me. I think he was studying me. For what, well, I dunno. I'm not the smartest guy in the bunch.

"Life get you down, kid?" (Kid? I'm 20, I'll have you know.)

"What, me? No, no, no, no, no." Again, blatant lie.

I think he seemed to know. "Don't lie to me," he said while wagging what I assumed would be the moogle-equivelent of a finger at me. "I know when someone lies. Trust me. Hang out with guys who have no emotions for so long, and you pick up even the subtlest of emotional cues from anyone."

So, wait, he hangs out with Cloud? Okay, I kid, I kid. The guy can express emotion… well… sometimes… supposedly…

I sighed. "Guess I can't hide it." So, I began "spilling my guts," so to speak (not literally because that would be disgusting. Ew. How did that expression come about, anyway? Just seems so… EW.) The moogle was a very good listener, at least. … Are all guys who wear leather good listeners?

"Huh, so you're worried about this God of Discord? Afraid you can't beat him?"

"No, no… Well, yeah, but that's not really my main worry," I scratched the back of my head and sighed. I mean, the guy who has the power to tear reality apart at his whim is not my biggest worry? Seriously, what is wrong with me?

"Go on."

"Okay, so, there's this person… well, two people, actually…"

The moogle seemed to have lit up like a toad hit with a Thunder Spell (it's actually a pretty cool sight. PZZZZPT! Shame there aren't any toads around here… Well, at the moment anyway… I gotta remember to Toad-ify some Manikins one of these days). "Whoa~! Two? You dog, you?"

"Huh?"

"Sounds like you need a Paoupou Fruit."

I think he was muttering something else, but I really couldn't understand him other than the occasional "You lucky dog, you."

So, naturally, I asked, "What's a Paoupou Fruit?" Bad habit of mine. I'm sorry, Ghido, but ever since the Ancient Library and its Level 5Death spells of doom, I'd like to avoid them, thank you.

The moogle's pompom straightened up in shock. It was kinda funny. I can see why Terra likes to fluff them. They do look so… fluff-able. Maybe I should do it one of these days…

"You've never heard of a Paoupou Fruit?" I shook my head no. Soon, I found myself having my face grabbed by the moogle. "A Paoupou Fruit is a legendary fruit from a faraway, island world! It is said if you share this mystical fruit with someone, your fates would be intertwined, and you would always find a way back to each other. People of this world would create star-shaped good-luck charms out of Thalassa shells based on this fruit so that they would return home safely."

All I really heard was "star-shaped, good-luck charms" and "find a way back to each other." So, instantly, I thought of my Mime Mastery stars. … Okay, not instantly. I first thought of my feather and Boko. I miss him. I wonder how he's doing with Coco and the kids at the moment? Have they grown? Have they found their own partners? Gosh, how long have I been here?

… Oh, wait, off-topic again.

Still, I was sold. This sounded perfect! I didn't really have a whole lot of time to do it properly, but I'm sure the thought that counts, right?

"How about if I use these?" I asked, pulling out the Stars. (Oh well, I'll get that AP back eventually.)

The moogle snatched them and examined them intently. With a nod, he told me they'll do.

We worked furiously in the little time I had to make them respectable charms. We put a little rope in one of the points and added two Chocobo feathers to the point to make them more resemble the legendary fruit and engraved our personal Crystals into the stars. The Crystals, my feather… They always led us back to each other. It only seemed right, if you ask me.

With my worries at ease and the charms complete, I decided to return to my companions while waving good-bye to the moogle. Nice guy. Wonder where he came from, though.

Although…

"Bartz, what are those?"

I knew that voice. I spun around to see that… Oh gosh, him too? On the other side of the empty Gate, both Zidane and Squall were waiting for me. Darnit, Squall, I thought you were supposed to prevent Zidane from following me. Well, this is awkward…

"Uh… gifts?" I wasn't expecting to do this so soon. I was going to use the walk to decide how I wanted to approach this. Darnit. "Um… They're for you?"

"AWESOME!" Zidane said, snatching all of them from my hands. He was quickly checking them out, noticing the feathers and the engravings. He was soon giving one of them to Squall. When I saw that it was the one with the engraving of Squall's Crystal, I sighed a bit. Zidane then returned the star that had the engraving of my own Crystal. With a wag of his tail, he wore the star like a necklace, admiring it. "So, what are these for, Bartz?"

"Oh, um… They're a lucky charm, I think."

The look on Squall's face seemed to say, "God, not another one…" Hey, don't look at me in that tone of voice.

"Anyway, supposedly, according to legend, if you share this star-shaped fruit-thing… 'poe-poo' fruit, or something like that, you'll be able to always find your way back to each other." I sheepishly scratched the back of my head and forced a laugh. Oh boy, hearing myself say it now…

"What?" Squall asked. The look on Squall's face… It was unusual… Well, for him, anyway. He didn't seem angry or annoyed, but more… curious? Relieved? I dunno, with Squall, it can be hard to tell. I probably should have asked that moogle for pointers…

Zidane began to rapidly look between me and the charm. I think he was trying to make sense of it all. This was just beginning to feel really… uh… Well…

"I… I just…" I sighed. I was having a hard time finding the words, which is odd because I'm normally such the chatterbox. I mean, get me started on something, and I won't know when to shut up about it. I'll just tend to ramble on and on and on about it long after your eyes've glazed over and you tuned me out and starting thinking about other things, like if you left the water running or what you were making for dinner that night.

…

…

… See what I mean?

"I didn't want to forget about you guys. Even if we never see each other again… Even if we convince ourselves it was just a dream if we did remember this, or even if we don't get to remember this at all, I wanted you to have something to remember me by… So, please, don't forget me."

For the slightest, tinniest, slimmest of moments, I swear I saw Squall smile. Shocker, I know.

"Is this what you were so worried about?" Yeah, I knew he knew. He always does. He is Squall, after all. I nodded my head. I soon felt a jab to my side from Zidane.

"Why didn't you say anything, ya dummie?"

I wanted to say, "It seemed kinda insignificant to, ya know, THE END OF THE WORLD," but the words just kinda got lost between my throat and my toung. Squall placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Bartz, I could never forget you, as much as I would like to try."

… Do I really want to ask what he means by that? … I'll just assume it's Squall being Squall.

"Although…" he began. "I think these really mean something else entirely…"

~(-)~

So, how was it? Just a little something I wanted to write from Bartz's point of view (darn you, writing gremelins!). Don't worry, I'll be working on my main story this week if XIII-2 doesn't decide to eat up most of my time. I had a busy work week, so writing/playing games would be a nice way to relax. I just wish I could figure out how to reroute all of the sound from my PS3 into my headphones, so I can enjoy the soundtrack. I don't want to plug it into my TV since my headphones have built-in Bluetooth. Ugh, I'm probably missing something.