We lived in a small town, no ... in fact, only I lived in a small town. For seven years I had lived here, alone, after he had left for a mission.

We had moved in together, in a spacious attic apartment in Kalm. We had a large bathroom, a huge kitchen adjoining the living room, a big bedroom, a study with two workstations and a large balcony. We had set everything up to our taste and enjoyed each day together.

But then Genesis, my boyfriend, had had to go on a mission to Wutai. He had not come back. Every day I had hoped he would return, I waited every day - but there was no sign of life from him.

At the time, I had completed my vocational training as a photographer, on my 18th birthday, Genesis had even given me a fully automatic camera with two lenses and a camera bag. Four years ago, I had finished my apprenticeship and had even been taken on by my training company, but there had been no one to celebrate with me.

Now, when I came home every day, no one was there - the apartment was empty and cold. Nobody came home, no one who ate with me or made fun of me when I watched my series. Every evening, I wrote a message to Genesis, I still had his number saved in phone - I never got an answer, but it helped me to keep going. Maybe he got the messages, but could not answer, for whatever reason. I did not want to believe the media, I did not want to believe that Genesis had died 6 years ago - it was impossible.

Like every night, I stared at my cell phone, I got no answer to my message - of course not. I distracted myself by scrolling through Facebook or watching a few pictures of my friends on Instagram. Now and then, I posted something myself, I tried to make my life as normal as possible, to cover up this void and to distract myself.

When I was traveling through the city on my days off to capture some nice moments with my camera, I caught myself time and again suddenly stopping, because I thought I heard his voice or saw him - although nobody was there or the person just resembled him.

Would Genesis still recognize me?

At 18, I had shoulder-length, blond hair, now it went down to my waist, even if the color had remained-mostly I wore them open.

Back then, when Genesis had still been here, I had woken up next to him every morning. He had gently raised me from sleep, stroked and kissed my cheek, whispered "Good morning" and hugged me tightly. Every time we needed a lot of willpower to get out of bed, we had just wanted to enjoy the time together.

And then one morning, it had been over, when he had vanished and left me behind.

Seven times I had changed the calendar, even the date of our anniversary was lost in my memory. It was not really gone, but it was like all my other memories, part of a big mess that I still needed to fix. Since then, I had done everything to distract myself, rushing into work, all to suppress the painful feeling that lived inside of me. My friends had suggest a therapy- but what would that have changed? No doctor had been able tell me what had been wrong with me and no doctor was able to help me solve this problem.

Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I finished cleaning off the counters. However, when I turned to the fridge, I looked at the photo that hung there. It was from our vacation in Costa de Sol, I smiled at the bittersweet memory and threw the used kitchen roll into the trash. In the picture, we smile euphoric, eyes sparkling with not just joy, but love. Genesis's hand rested on my hip. I think that had been one of the best days in my life, how I wanted this time back.

But ... where was he now?

After we had moved in together, he had promised to never let me go, never allow me cry and leave my side, always be there for me. But he had not kept his promise, not this time.

It had been an alteration after he had left. The other half of the bed had always stayed made, in the kitchen had been no one to prepare the breakfast and greet me when I had run into the living room, no water had run in the shower, no one had been there. I had grabbed my cell phone and dialled his number, but nobody had answered. The bell had rung until an automatic voice had said, "The participant you have chosen does not answer. Please leave a message or try again later." Maybe his cell phone had been elsewhere, or he had been too busy or it had been silent and he had not heard it. Every morning I had tried to reach him - in vain.

And that hadn't even been the worst part of it. As days had went by and had become weeks and then month. I'd had to adjust myself to be able to do everyday tasks without falling over, starting from shopping - no one had helped me carry the bags anymore, I had had to clean the flat on my own, I had had to organize everything on my own in addition to my former education. Maybe he would be back at the end of my training and would be celebrating with me, if he weren't there, I swore I'd kill him - I had thought then.

To my luck, or misfortune, there had still been no traces of him. But the pain had finally caught up with me, at the latest after I had learned that many soldiers had died, Zack and Cloud had been some of the few survivors. I had eaten less and less and had lost weight. I had paid less attention to my health, this had been my undoing on my job - when everything around me had turned black and I had only heard my name dully. Leanne. When I had woken up, I had found myself in a white room. There had been a drip attached to my wrist and I had realized that I'd been in the hospital. A short time later, a doctor had come to me and had said that I lacked nutrients and that I would have to stay in the hospital for a while. The doctor had told me I had been incredibly lucky, I could have died. I had felt numb, as if my life's will had been taken from me.

But there were other reasons why I was mad at my boyfriend. He had left without leaving a message, dropping me into deep depression and answering none of my messages. I had stopped shopping every day, only had gone once a week, I had tried to spend more time with my friends - they certainly had not had it easy with me. I had tried to normalize my life, going to the cinema, eating, shopping - what other young women of my age did.

But the most important and, for me, inexplicable question that was still buzzing in my head, why had my 'oh so beloved boyfriend' suddenly left me without a message or a goodbye? I had told myself he has been called to a mission and had not been allowed to tell me, which had been something common, but maybe he had left me because he had wanted to. Maybe he had not wanted to be with me anymore. Oh, how I hoped that was not the case but even if it would not surprise me. He had been 25 and I had only been 18, maybe I had been too young.

"Genesis, you idiot!" I said in a loud tone as I was in the shower, trying to wash away my grief. Then I dried myself, got dressed and went to the study. I started the computer, checked my emails and was on Facebook for a while. While writing with my friends, I started to smile. We thought about plans for the weekend, wanted to cook together and then watch movies. I stretched my arms into the air and then went to bed. The last days had drained me a lot and I got tired quickly.

When I was awakened the next morning by the pounding rain on the window, I felt recovered properly, for the first time in a long time. I turned to my bedside table and grabbed my cell phone, which told me that it was already half past ten. It had been a while since I'd woken up that late. I laid back on my back and scrolled a bit through Instagram. Haphazard what I should eat, I searched and, after a few minutes, I encountered some recipes that I liked and sounded delicious. After finding the right one, I got up, got dressed - made the bed and left the apartment. The way to the supermarket was not very long, the apartment was in the city center and you could reach everything easily.

Humming, I walked through the less busy streets of the city until I reached my destination. It wasn't cold despite the rain, but temperatures were lower than a few weeks ago, because autumn was starting soon. I breathed in the fresh rain air and stopped for a second, trying to enjoy the moment. I've decided to move forward, there was no use in being sad, life was too short and there were so many beautiful moments in it. While I passed them, I glance at the shop window, looked at the Halloween decoration and smiled. Genesis had hated it when I had decorated the apartment, but he was not there, so this year I decided to make the apartment look nice with the right items.

In the supermarket, I looked at my cell phone to see what ingredients were needed and put them in my shopping basket. Spaghetti, tomatoes, feta cheese, gratin cheese, corn, zucchini and peppers landed in it. Also, the confectionery shelf did not remain untouched this time. I looked through the offer, put a few bars of chocolate in my basket and went to the cashier. He pulled the goods over the scanner, I paid and packed everything in my bag. Then I went home.

I did my errands and went back home. In the hallway, my neighbour, with whom I had also became very good friends, intercepted me.

"Ah, Leanne! It's good that I meet you! A package has come for you!", She said euphorically and handed me my little package. For a moment, I had to think about what I had ordered, but that mystery would be solved in my apartment.

"Thank you, Serenity", I replied, picking up the small paper box.

"No problem! I see you were just shopping for lunch? What are you cooking?"

"Oh, I found a recipe for casserole on the internet and thought I'd give it a try. In the picture it looked delicious!", I answered her question truthfully.

"Then enjoy your meal! If the casserole is good, you have to give me the recipe, little girl! "She said affectionately. Serenity often gave me such cute nicknames, she was a tall woman in her late thirties and a really kind-hearted person. So often she helped me when there was something I did not know or was overwhelmed, when something in the apartment broke down and had to be repaired, she and her husband were always on hand to help me. In my apartment, I put the purchases on the work surface and opened the package with scissors. In it was my instant camera, a long-awaited wish of mine which I finally fulfilled. I smiled again as I held the new device in my hands. It was a modern camera, no question, but it was mine. Quickly I put the camera aside and began to unpack the shopping bag and then prepare the ingredients for the casserole. After I had finished the preparations, it landed in the oven and I sat in front of the TV, ignoring my cell phone. The rain had not stopped yet, but it did not bother me. I snuggled into the blanket, which lay on the sofa, and made myself comfortable until the timer rang and signalled that the food was ready. I took the casserole out of the oven, put a portion on the plate and sat down on the couch to eat. I watched one of my favourite series. When it had finished, I grabbed a bar of chocolate and ate some of it here and there. I did not notice how the time had passed during my serial marathon, my eyes got heavier and heavier until I fell asleep in front of the TV - on the sofa.

When I opened my eyes, there was a bouquet of red roses on the table. I blinked to realize what was happening, the flowers had not been there before. I straightened up and looked around. There was nobody to see. My eyes fell on the roses again, I took one and held them close to my heart. Why did it hurt so much inside my heart? Tears poured down my face and I could not stop sobbing. I did not want to feel that anymore! I did not want to feel that way anymore, so empty, alone and abandoned. These flowers gave me everything I've ever wanted, waiting until the proper moment to rip it away all over again. No matter how hard I tried, how much I repressed my feelings, before I knew it, they were there again.

Hands, cold from leather gloves, gently cupped my face, rubbing beneath my eyes to rid them of the tears. Shocked and surprised, tearing a gasp from my throat, my eyes opened wide- and immediately meet blue ones. A glorious, agonizing, beautiful, irritating blue above a charismatic smile.

"I'm home, darling."

Genesis ...? It all faded from there, and I felt myself collapse, feeling leathery arms holding me tightly, the familiar scent of cinnamon, volcanic ash and roses gracing my nostrils.

Warmth.

My illusion disappeared and I suddenly opened my eyes. My breathing was rushed and I tried to calm down. It had been just a dream. I blinked a few times until I noticed that I was no longer lying on the sofa. I straightened up and looked at my surroundings. How did I get into bed? Did I wake up at night, go to the bedroom and forget about it? I got up and left the room. In the corridor I stopped in front of the calendar to check the date, it was Friday and tomorrow the DVD evening should take place. I had entered this date in the calendar and circled in red. Deep in my thoughts, I heard something sizzle A delicious scent reached my nostril. Wait, I live alone here, who could be in my apartment and ...?

My legs carried me into the living room, to the smell and the sounds, my stomach growling softly and for a moment I wondered if my dream had actually been true. When I reached the living room, my heart stopped for a moment. In my kitchen stood a tall, well-built man with light brown, short hair. He stood with his back to me, his posture relaxed, he didn't seem to notice me. He wore black jeans and a tank top of the same colour. I was standing rooted in the living room, watching as he prepared the breakfast. A moment later, he turned to me and smiled at me. He opened his arms as a silent request to embrace me tightly. I took a few steps back and tilted my head a little - was this really happening or was my imagination playing a joke again? If Genesis really was here, hopefully he would have a very good explanation before I'd kill him for what he did. Before I could open my lips to criticize him for leaving, he put a hand up, interrupting me.

"I know what you're thinking", Genesis croons almost apologetically. "I should never have left you, especially without so much as a goodbye or a warning or a reason."

"That's been established", my voice comes out in a grating hiss, and he winces.

"You have every right to be angry at me, Leanne", He sighs. "I was gone for how long now -"

"Seven years."

"- And I recognize that you've had to be here by yourself for quite a while", He finishes, disregarding my correcting him. "I'm sorry, and I promise that I'm here to stay, because you're my girlfriend and I love-"

"Stop", I growled. "Just. Stop. If you loved me, then you wouldn't have left me to begin with. I had to cope with my education and take care of everything alone, I was in the hospital because the stress was too much and I ate less and less. Since you've left, I've had to enlist the help of practically all my neighbors to help out if something broke or if I just did not know certain things!"

"You were in the hospital?"

For a moment I kept silent and wiped the tears that ran down my cheeks during my tantrum. Trying to calm myself down failed and I lost my footing and collapsed on the floor.

"You idiot!", I tried to say but my voice failed. I heard footsteps coming towards me and the next moment, two strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me to a warm, muscular chest. My boyfriend gently stroked my back while he rested his chin on my head. I wondered if I could really be mad at him for a long time. However, the feeling that we both knew what we would say if we had discussed further, did not let go. The argument was over before it had even truly started.

"I'm so sorry, dear. I'm so sorry", He said and after a few minutes I had calmed down. Then we got up and had breakfast together, what a weird feeling to, after seven years, no longer having to eat alone. The silence was unbearable, so I decided to say something.

"When did you come back?"

"The last night, just before four, I think. I found you sleeping on the sofa while the TV was on. And then I put you to bed."

"Oh, I thought that was a dream. I was a little confused because I did not wake up in the living room. " Of course, I still loved him and he probably knew that, too, but was aware that I could not forgive him so quickly, no matter what he said or did. Maybe it would have been easier if my feelings for him had simply disappeared, then it would hurt less.

After breakfast, my boyfriend was in the shower, it was weird because I thought after nine years of relationship, we would already be married. But things happened and we had a lot to catch up, now that Genesis was back home. I think I'll never understand why he left, and I was sure that I would not forgive him so soon, for leaving me alone without a word. For never calling and ignoring my messages.

I sat on the sofa and watched one of my shows again, in the past he would have made fun of me watching drama. He would have said that they were not real and something like that would never happen. It was incredible how we had changed.

"Leanne?" Genesis, now sitting near me, snapped me from my thoughts. "Are you happy?"

"What kind of question is that?", I ask, turning to him. "You showed up out of the blue after years of leading me to believe I wasn't worth saying anything to, expecting me to just forgive you right off the bat. I'm barely qualified for happiness as of yet."

"I see..." Genesis looked down, sighing. "...Do you want to know why I left?"

"Do you feel like being a decent human for once in seven years?", I retort.

"Touché", He couldn't help but laugh, running his hand through his hair. "Well... I was making preparations, to put it simply, to receive the gift of the Goddess - you will never understand any of this no matter how I explain it, I realize - for four years."

"And the last three?", I asked, deciding to let his vagueness go, and he paused.

"I was sleeping", He soon responded, and the look on my face in reply made him laugh. "Not as in laying under a tree with Loveless on my face and dozing off for three years. As in, divine intervention locking me up and forcing me to take a nap, like a mother that's strict with her schedule. As you can see, it delayed my return to you significantly."

"You... couldn't bother warning me?", I asked, too confused by the napping thing to expect a proper answer, though.

"I tried to get a hold of you..." He scratched the back of his head, however, I could tell he was being truthful. "Operators are incompetent, and I couldn't get a moment's peace to contact you."

"That explains a lot", I hummed, though somewhat sarcastically. "It really does..." Genesis shook his head, looking at me with a forlornly hooded gaze.

"I know that you can't forgive me for leaving you."

"No... I can't...", I replied honestly, dropping my eyes to my lap. Gingerly, he reached out, taking my hands into his and bringing them to his lips, kissing my knuckles.

"But I promise, from here on out, I'll never abandon you so heartlessly again", He said softly, moving his hands to my shoulders, tugging me in to hold me. I didn't struggle.

"I'm going to be a better boyfriend – no a better man for you. You mean so much to me, love." I curled into him, sobs starting to shake my body as he began stroking my hair.

"I love you, Leanne", He said softly, and I looked up into those brilliant blues, being met with twin flames of love and adoration.

"...I've never stopped," I said softly - and I meant it. Genesis had crushed my heart into bits when he had left without telling me, but to hear at least some form of an explanation, to know that he never meant to abandon me, gave me a sense of peace. Lying down, I gently tugged him with me, curling into him as he wrapped his arms around me protectively.

"...My friend, do you fly away now? In a world that abhors you and I?", I recited. "All that awaits you is a sombre morrow, no matter where the fates may blow."

Against my forehead, I felt him smile.

"My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess", He picked up. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return." He pulled back a bit, looking down at me. "Loveless, act three."

"You've beaten it into my head", I simpered, and he chuckled.

"You haven't lost it, my love." Genesis gently kissed my nose, tugging me back into his chest. Still, I could not believe that my friend was back, that I no longer lived alone in this apartment, that we were allowed to live life together again. I knew that Genesis would go on missions in the future, but he would let me know and get in touch with me regularly. Genesis wanted to make up for the time he had missed and really went out of his way to do it. My friends also took it well, were more surprised when they came to cook together and of course, the men had to endure our films. It was almost like before, with the only difference that he asked me to marry him.

I said yes and the next big event would be our wedding. To a certain extent, Genesis had not changed, he was still a bit arrogant - not as much as he had used to be, but still a bit. I guessed old habits are hard to break.

In the evening we laid in bed together and talked a little while, but when I got too tired, my fiancée pulled me to him, gently stroked my head and kissed my forehead.

"I love you, Leanne", he said softly, meaning those words, I was sure of that, and I smiled slightly as I said "I love you too, Genesis." I couldn't believe I was able speak those words so easily, after everything he put me through. Genesis straightened me and pulled me into a passionate kiss, still hugging me. The softness of his lips, the muscled plane of his back against my palms; the sweetness of his overall being... Just right.

And there was nowhere I would have rather been than here, in the arms of my fiancée. Even if it turned out to be another dream, I could go to sleep at night with a cleaned heart and brightened mind; with a clear conscience.

I smiled.

My hero...