Spoilers abound in this fic. Read at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Xillia 2. All affiliated characters and settings are the property of Namco. No copyright infringement is intended; no profit is being made.

One More Chance

"Elle!"

"Coming!" Pocketing her phone, the girl in question grabbed her bag and ran after her friend. Shouldering it as she ran, the eighteen-year-old pulled up at the sound of a meow behind her. Chuckling, Elle knelt down, allowing the kitten to hop up and nestle in atop her bag.

"Eeeeelle! Come on!"

Straightening, she raced on again, falling in beside the other blonde and shoving the door to her house open. "Sorry, nearly left mister behind." Smiling fondly, she gestured back to the kitten.

"Oh, Kolulu's coming?" Elise asked, reaching up to scratch the little guy behind the ears.

"If he's going to take after Lulu, he has to see the world, right Ko?" she asked, smiling fondly. The kitten mewled in response. "See?" Stepping outside, she pulled the door closed and locked it.

"Yeah, well he's still got Lulu to go through, first," Elise replied, grinning behind one hand.

Elle chuckled, walking off in the direction of the train station. "Lulu prefers to sleep all day, lately. I think he's happy to hand over the title."

For a moment, Elise grew morose, and it was an expression Elle could not help but mimic. "It's hard to believe he's…"

"He's old," Elle shrugged. "We…all grow up, right?"

Silence fell between them for a few long, awkward moments. Finally, Elle huffed. "Okay, so where are we going, first?" Around them, the sounds of Dovole filled the air. Hawkers cried in the streets as they passed, and a stray cat darted out in front of them. From her back, Kolulu hissed warily at it. "You didn't come all the way out here to waste the day."

"I'm here for a week, Elle," Elise said, chuckling.

"I know! But it's been months since I've seen you, and I want to make sure you enjoy your visit."

"Elle, I'm happy just being here with you," Elise replied, her smile fond. The expression brought a matching one to Elle's face. Elise really was a one-in-a-million friend. More than that, really. Elise was the sister she had never had.

"Well, I'm glad. Because I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Elle. It's hard, living so far apart. We should visit more often."

Elle nodded emphatically, once. "I agree. But now, seriously, where to first?"

"Why don't we go visit Jude? I haven't been to Elympios lately, and…"

Elle grinned. "You still have a crush on him?"

That flustered the older woman, who sputtered a bit. "I…I grew out of that years ago, Elle! But he's still a good friend, and…"

"Okay, okay, I understand," Elle smiled playfully as she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't get out here often and want to visit your friends."

Elise nodded. "School is keeping me pretty busy."

"You ever going to finish, Elise?" Elle teased lightly. "I mean, I'm younger than you and I already have a job."

"Working with Alvin?" Elise asked, smirking. "I mean, it suits you, but the merchant lifestyle isn't for me."

"I love travelling," Elle replied, shrugging. "He said I can start working as ambassador in Rieze Maxia soon."

"Really?" Elise asked, the excitement clear on her face. "That means…"

"We're going to be a little closer. I'll be spending a lot of time in Ha Miel, so…"

Elise grinned, lunging forward and grabbing Elle in a hug. With an annoyed rowr, Kolulu leapt from the top of her bag, landing on the ground and flicking his tail in annoyance. The two girls only chuckled harder.

"This is going to be great! Oh, Elle, I'm so excited!"

"Are you going to drag me shopping every weekend?" Elle asked wryly.

"Maybe," Elise all but coed innocently. There was a distinctly devious look in her eyes, however, and Elle groaned. "Oh come on, Elle," the other blonde whined, hearing the groan. "You can't deny that your sense of fashion…"

"What? I like it," Elle replied defensively, stopping in the middle of the street. "It's—"

"—cute!" Elise swiftly interjected. "It is; it's cute. I like it." The warm smile her friend was offering let some of the heat out of Elle's sails. "But that doesn't mean you can't have other cute outfits, too, now does it?"

Scuffing her foot, Elle plucked at one of her suspenders before shrugging awkwardly. It was a poorly-kept secret what inspired her fashion choice, and one they never spoke about. They did not need to.

Kneeling down, she coaxed Kolulu back onto her bag and they resumed their walk to the station. "Once a month."

"Deal," Elise agreed, a little too quickly. She probably could have gotten away with a lower number. Drat. "You can pick where we go."

"Oh, that wasn't up for debate," Elle retorted. "But okay, so we're going to stop in and see Jude at Helioborg?"

"Let's go," Elise agreed, leading the way into the station. "Shall we go through Trigraph?"

"There's really no other easy way to get there." Elle chuckled.

"Yeah, sure, make fun of the Rieze Maxian. Real nice, Elle."

The two girls shared another laugh as they got their tickets and headed for the train.

"So, how's your schooling going, Elise?"

"It's going well!" They settled into their seats, speaking as they did so. Elle placed her bag on the seat next to her, while Elise did the same in the seat across from her. Kolulu settled in across the back of Elle's neck, his contented purring making her smile. "I mean, I'm not taking very many classes, now, but…"

Elle grinned. "You're rich, so you might as well do something, right?"

Elise blushed awkwardly, shrugging. "I…bet my parents would've wanted me to take advantage of the chance the Schalls gave me."

"Take advantage?" Elle teased. "You make it sound like you're using them."

Elise huffed, frowning. "You know that's not what I mean!"

"I know, I know," Elle soothed. "I'm only teasing. I think…I think it's great." She smiled warmly. "Drissel is such a kind woman, and…"

"Why don't you come visit us sometime?" Elise interrupted, blessedly cutting Elle off from her train of thought.

"I'd like that. Whenever I move to Ha Miel, I'll take a few days off at first to visit you. Maybe we can head up to Nii Akeria, too."

"I'll look forward to it."

Idle chitchat followed, the sort of which usually bored Elle when her friends at home in Dovole engaged in it. With Elise, however, she found herself an eager participant—mostly because of the subject of the conversation: Their mutual friends. Things were going well for everyone, it seemed, and that…that was good to hear.

"Hey, Elise?" she finally asked, shoving aside her reservations on asking this of her friend. "I…haven't stopped by Trigraph lately, and…"

"We'll go," Elise promised, and Elle felt her throat constrict slightly. Elise really was the best sort of friend.

"So, up for a game of poker…?"

"Alvin's been a terrible influence on you," Elise said, laughing as Elle pulled out a deck of cards.

Elise was right, of course, Alvin had been a terrible influence on her, and Elle pulled every trick she knew, soundly trouncing Elise on every hand—maybe not wholly honestly. In the end, as they pulled into the station, Elle held all of the almonds they had been using to bet. Munching happily on the nuts, Elle led a baffled Elise off the train.

"I really didn't think my hands were that bad…"

"They weren't," Elle replied, shrugging, "I cheated."

"You—Elle!"

Grinning, Elle took off running, Elise chasing after her. "Hey, I want some of those!"

Elle let Elise catch her, offering the nuts without comment. They shared them as they walked towards the apartment building where Balan lived. No further comments were exchanged as they wordlessly stopped at the old playground. They each took a seat on one of the swings, Kolulu hopping down and snuffling around the area as they swung idly.

The position of the swing had Elle's eyes on the building where Balan lived, but out of her periphery she could see the second complex.

The one where Ludger had lived.

They stayed in silence for a long while, before Elise finally ventured, "Do you want to…?"

"We better hurry!" Elle called, not letting Elise finish. Hopping from the swing, she grinned, gesturing back down the hill. "We don't wanna miss Jude."

"No, but…Elle, I thought we were…"

Elle's expression tightened. "I…changed my mind. Let's just go. Do you have Tipo? There are still monsters out there."

"Elle…"

"C'mon, race you!" she challenged, stopping only long enough to grab Kolulu before darting away.

"Elle!"

The two girls took off running, Elle looking back with a grin. The truth was, she just…didn't feel like going to Ludger's and Julius' graves. This was a happy day, and going there…well, it was hard to keep her positivity. It…hurt.

They hadn't even had bodies. They might not even have tombstones if not for Gaius. She—

"Elle, watch out!"

She started, looking forward just in time to spot the woman she was about to crash into. Unable to stop in time, she smacked into the woman hard, sending them both to the ground. Horrified, Elle bounded back to her feet immediately, offering a hand to the crash's other victim. "I'm so sorry about that…"

"It's okay. I'm okay," the woman assured, accepting her help up.

Behind her, Elise stopped, bending down to scoop up one disgruntled kitten. "We're really sorry, ma'am," Elise offered, bowing slightly. "We should have been more careful."

"It's okay, just—oh, no!"

Elle winced at the sight of the tear in the woman's skirt. "I'm so sorry! I can pay for that," she offered quickly, abashed.

"No, it's just as much my fault. I was in a hurry and wasn't watching where I was going, either. We're both to blame."

An awkward silence descended as the woman and Elle inspected their clothing. Elle had some dirt on her, and a skinned knee, but other than that she was fine. She'd fared better than the stranger.

"Oh, dear, you're bleeding."

"Huh?" Elle asked, glancing down at her knee. She shrugged. "It's fine. Just a little scrap."

"Nonsense, we need to get that seen to."

"Really, I'm fi—"

"I'm not taking that. Let's get you cleaned up."

"Weren't you in a hurry?" Elle asked wryly.

"I'm going to be late anyway. I'm sure Nova will understand—oh, sorry, Nova is my boss."

"Nova? You work for Clanspia, then?" Elise chimed in. Her friend had been strangely silent until then, and the sudden input brought Elle's head up.

Wait, Elise was with her. Of course! "Oh, yeah! Elise can take care of this. Don't worry about it, Miss…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Lalu. Lalu Mel Mata. And yes, I do wor—are you okay?" Lalu asked, clearly catching the look of surprise on Elle's face.

Elle felt as though her very blood had turned to ice. Aqua eyes wide, she looked up, slowly. "I…I'm sorry? I…didn't quite catch that."

"Just Lalu is fine." Elle had not really known her mother, yet here she was, standing right in front of her. "Is everything okay…?"

"Elle," she said hoarsely. Behind her, Elise had gone silent again.

"Elle, that's…that's a pretty name. And you are?"

"Elise…Elise Lutus," Elise finally offered. Elle could feel her friend's gaze on her, but she did not dare turn to look. What if the woman in front of her disappeared? What if…

"Elle and Elise? Are you two sisters?"

"Huh? Oh no, I'm Elle…Kresnik," she said without thinking. Behind her, she heard a surprised gasp from Elise. "We're just friends."

"Well, Elle, Elise, it was a pleasure meeting you, but…if you can take care of this, Miss Elise, I will be off. Just promise me you will get that seen to."

"Yes, Miss Lalu, I can see to it," Elise promised. The young woman knelt, then, holding her hands over Elle's wounded knee. Cool magic washed over it, and Elle felt the familiar tingling of magical healing wash over her.

"You…you're Rieze Maxian?"

"Yes, I am," Elise replied, straightening and bowing slightly.

"I've never been. Is it as beautiful as they sa—oh, gosh, I need to go. Sorry. It was nice meeting you girls!"

Lalu hurried off, and the two young women watched in silence. "They…would've been a good match," Elise finally volunteered. Silently, Elle agreed.

Elle turned, heading off once again, and after a moment, Elise hurried after her. "You're just going to let her go? And why did you lie?"

"What would I have said, Elise?" Elle asked, sighing. "'Hi, I'm your daughter from another world?' No, I don't think that would go over so well."

"Elle…"

"Look, let's just go, okay? Jude's waiting."

"Not—technically he's not."

Elle grinned, racing off once again—though this time she looked ahead. She did not want to talk about this now. No, she needed time to think this over—though Elise would be the first to know once she had made a decision on what to do. She just needed time to work out what had just happened, first. She…yes, that was it. She needed to think.

The week passed quickly. Elle had fun visiting with Elise, though she got dragged shopping at least twice, and on the last day of her friend's visit, she found herself remorseful that they did not have more time together. Having Elise here was a good excuse to get out and visit everyone else, and they had done more than a little reminiscing over the past few days.

The subject of Lalu Mel Mata had not come up again, Elise seeming to sense the touchiness of the issue and not bringing it up—well, neither of them brought it up, though Elle thought about it. A lot. How could she not? This was her mother, or as close to as she could ever meet. A mother who lived only a short distance away. She worked with Clanspia, in Trigraph. It would be so easy to just go…

"Elise?"

"Hm?"

Elle looked down, petting Lulu slowly. The ancient cat looked up at her, yawning loudly and stretching one paw forward. He then dropped his head onto his arm, causing Elle to smile nostalgically. "Will…you come to Trigraph with me? I…"

"Let's go."

"Huh?"

"If we want to get the next train, we have to hurry."

Elle smiled appreciatively. Abandoning their board game, the two girls quickly grabbed their bags. Kolulu settled in atop Elle's bag and, after a long look between the two girls, Elle called, "Lulu!" The aging cat raised his head sleepily and, after a long stretch, stood and followed them. The four of them then headed for the station.

"Where are we going?" Elise finally asked as they settled into their seats. Frankly, Elle was surprised her friend had not asked sooner.

"The cemetery," Elle said honestly. "It…it's only fair we go together. I was selfish before, when we didn't go."

"It's okay, Elle," Elise replied warmly, leaning forward to rest a hand on Elle's knee. "I understand."

"Thanks, Elise…"

"Is…is that all we're doing?"

"…I was thinking…maybe we could see Nova after?"

"Nova?"

"Yes, Nova," she retorted defiantly.

"Nova," Elise agreed quietly. They both knew she was lying, but it would do neither of them any good to point it out.

Elle entertained herself on the trip by playing with Kolulu, an activity Elise was only too happy to join in on. Lulu slept on the seat next to Elise, blissfully unaware of the other three's antics. Though Elle was not unaware of him.

"Hey, Elise? What am I gonna do? Lulu isn't…going to live forever, and…" Elise abandoned the string she had been annoying Kolulu with and moved to sit next to Elle. The younger blonde smiled appreciatively at her friend. "I just can't stand the thought of losing him…"

Elise's arms wrapped around her shoulders, and Elle sighed. "I understand, Elle. But if you think like that, then you'll wind up fearing for each new day, and that's no way to live, is it? Isn't it better to enjoy each day for what it is?"

"I know. But that's…and that's why I want to go to Clanspia," she admitted, shrugging. "I want to meet her."

Elise's smile was warmer than Efreet's fire. "Then let's go meet her."

"Do…you think she'll like me?"

"I think she already does, Elle."

"But…I just…I still don't know what to say to her."

"How about you just start with your name?"

"Tried that," Elle said wryly.

"You may…you may have a right to the name you gave, Elle, but it wasn't yours."

That…was true. She had often thought of herself as Elle Mel Mata-Kresnik over the past decade, but her name, hers, was still simply Elle Mel Mata. She smiled sadly. "Maybe."

The sun was scorching in the sky, the day bright enough to challenge even Rieze Maxia's spirit clime. It felt strange, Elle thought, given her mood, but she was not complaining. The warmth of the sun felt good, and actually made her nostalgic for the other world. However, that thought was pushed to the back of her mind as they made their way down the aisle of headstones.

Julius' and Ludger's headstones were side-by-side, and if their physical bodies had never quite made it out here, she was still glad for that small comfort. Halting at Ludger's, she dropped to her knees. It hurt, coming here. It brought back a lot of painful memories, but at the same time…it brought back a lot of good ones. She loved him, loved him like she had loved her father, and those feelings had not dulled in the years Ludger had been gone. If anything, they had strengthened.

"Elise?"

"What is it, Elle?" Her friend knelt beside her, hand falling to Elle's shoulder.

"When Lulu…when he's gone, do you think they'd let me bury him here?"

Elise's eyebrows rose, but after a moment, she smiled. "I think if they tried to stop you, they'd have to go through Gaius. And Alvin, Jude, Leia…"

Elle's eyebrows rose, then she barked out a soft chuckle. "I think Leia would be the most terrifying."

"Really? More than Gaius?"

Pausing to think, Elle finally conceded. "Maybe not."

"But enough of these depressive thoughts." Elise smiled. "Leia would be terrifying if she heard what you're talking about. Why don't you get on with your reason for coming here, first? I'll wait at the gate with Ko."

A thankful smile, and Elle bid Elise and the kitten farewell for the moment. Lulu stayed. He might be just a cat, but he had always seemed to understand anyway. Without any coaxing, the old guy meandered over and plopped his head down on her thigh. Smiling fondly, she rubbed his ears as she stared at the headstone.

"I…I met my mother, Ludger. I met her, but now I'm not sure what to do. You're…you're not here, now, and I could really…" She closed her eyes. "What do I do?"

What would Ludger do, in her place? It had almost been him. Imagine, she worked for Clanspia! They would have been at the same company, had…had he lived. Her eyes squeezed shut. "She works with Nova now, too. I…

"I meant it, Ludger. I'm going to save you. I am. And then you can come back and meet her too and…" Spirits, she was such a fool. Save him? She wanted to, but…but was it a fool's errand? No. Ludger and her father had both taught her never to write anything off as impossible. She had met Maxwell, Chronos, and Origin. The three great spirits! All of them! She had seen them all, and spent time with them all together. How many people could boast of such adventures?

This was not like that, though. This was a person that…a person. A person, just like her. Just like Ludger, and Julius, and Elise…

"I…shouldn't waste this chance, right? I…" her eyes welled up, and her head bowed, "I wasted my last time with you. I won't…I'll go. I need to do this." She dug her fingers into the soft soil, grasping at the grass under her. "No matter what, I'll do it."

She emerged from the cemetery dry-eyed and resolved. Nodding to Elise, the two then headed off to their second destination: The Clanspia Company.

They were greeted at the doors by a staff-member who recognised Elle. She ushered them inside, taking them straight to Nova's office. The energetic woman all but jumped up when they entered, greeting them with a cheery wave.

"Hi-hi! What brings you two here?"

"Actually, I…was hoping to speak to one of your employees?"

Nova looked curious. "Who, Elle?"

"Lalu? Lalu Mel Mata?"

"Does she know you?"

"No—well, kind of yes? We met a few days ago, and I caused her to be late for work. I also damaged her skirt and…" She trailed off awkwardly, and Nova chuckled.

"So, that was you. Just wait here, and I'll get her," Nova said, standing. Almost the moment the seat was vacant, Lulu hopped up into it, drawing matching smiles out of the two younger women, and a disgruntled look out of the older one. With a sigh, Nova relented. "I'll be right back, and you," she glanced at Lulu, "don't get too much fur on my chair."

"Thank you, Nova." Elle smiled nervously. From her pack, Kolulu licked at her hair. Absently, she reached up to rub his ears.

As the door closed behind her, Elise turned to face her. "So, do you know what you're going to say, yet?"

"No idea," she admitted. "I'm…just going to wing it?"

"You sound like Leia."

"I don't think that's a bad thing."

"Maybe not," Elise agreed. "I just…"

"I know, Elise. I don't want to mess up, either. But this isn't exactly something I can script. I don't know if 'Hi, I'm the daughter you'll never have' is really what I want to say."

"Of course not, I jus—"

The door opening cut off their conversation. Surprised with the quick arrival, Elle whirled towards the door…and once again found herself face-to-face with the woman who was almost her mother.

"Oh! It is you two. When Nova told me, I was surprised… What did you need, Miss Lutus? Miss Kresnik?"

Looking into the woman's eyes, Elle knew. She swallowed. "Actually, that's not my name."

"It's not? But Nova sai—"

"Kresnik was…my father's name. But it's not the name…I use. I…" She swallowed hard.

"Elle? I'll wait in the hall."

Watching her friend depart, Elle's brows furrowed. It was now or never. She would never get up the nerve again. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and took a deep breath. "It's nice to meet you, Lalu Mel Mata," she said quietly, gazing at the floor. Then, she looked up and met Lalu's eyes once more, "my name is Elle Mel Mata."

So, you've likely noticed that the names I use in this fic are "wrong". Well, I played the Japanese version of the game(s), so please respect that in your comments. Thank you.

I might write a second chapter to this, dunno yet. Probably depends on the response I get. I hope you enjoyed!