Yeah, yeah, I know I got other stories, but pleeeeeaaaase, let me post this. I cried when I saw the ending of FF Type-0, so I decided to change that a little... Okay, a lot. But anyway, this takes place immediately after Type-0 and Right before FFXIII. I'm not very good with capturing the personalities of the characters very well, but I tried. I hope you enjoy it!
DISCLAIMER: (Do people even do this anymore?) If I did, then FF Type-1 would've already came out!
EDIT (June 8, 2017): I FINALLY FINISHED THE REWRITE OF CHAPTER 1. I had rewritten a majority of this chapter, especially the first segment of this chapter(actually completely rewritten). So please, reread this. I made it similar to that one paragraph in my "Just For A Moment" fic.
Chapter 1: A Dream Away
Ace was tired.
Though he was alive, it hurt to breathe.
It hurt to stay awake.
It hurt so much, he could barely tell what happened. He heard Cater call out to him, telling him to wake up. He blinked once, then twice, the light blinding him as he opened his eyes. He saw Cater standing beside him, exhausted just like him. Her voice was heard, but he could barely understand what she was saying. He turned a little in his chair, groaning under the pain. He heard the others talk, but he couldn't tell who said what.
Then he heard someone crying. Tears filled the corners of his eyes as he forced himself to get up. Each step was agony, cringing at every shot of pain that he felt, and his head was spinning with nausea and dizziness. He didn't know how, but he finally managed to fall to his knees near Cinque. He couldn't hold himself up, placing his hands on the ground to support himself. He heard his classmates follow, eventually making their way to the front of their destroyed classroom. Cinque's cries easily merged with the cries of his classmates.
They were all crying.
His chest burned and he felt too heavy to carry himself anymore. Even so, he took a breath and sang.
"Walk on wandering souls for your respite we pray..."
It hurt to sing. It burned his throat and his chest was so damn sore; it ached painfully. And yet, Ace focused on lessening the cries of his siblings. He paused, taking in another searing breath.
"Let out humble song clear your hearts of dismay," Ace gradually heard the cries die down, but Cinque was still sniffling.
"Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free," his voice nearly cracked, but he kept it steady. It was hard to keep the pain out his tone. He honestly tried to stop his voice from shaking, only quivering at the held notes. He no longer heard anyone crying as he sang the last line he knew, "So walk on and become the light that guides the way."
There was a moment of silence, and Ace coughed just a little. He closed his eyes and sat on his heels, feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion.
"You... never sang past that, have you," he heard someone say. Ace couldn't tell if it was either Sice or Seven.
"That's the... only part that Ace knows," said another.
King. That had to be King. Ace huffed a little, knowing that it was true.
"Heheh, and we're not crying anymore..." If Ace were to guess, that would've been Eight.
"It's... finally over right?" Ace asked, his own voice barely over a whisper. He opened his eyes to see his siblings share a look amongst themselves. King answered him, "Yeah, it's over."
Eight looked up, "Well, then... Let's think about what comes next."
"What comes next?" Cinque asked, wiping her tears away, "we don't have a next."
Trey looked at her, "But we're free to think about it, Cinque."
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right," Cinque said. "Let's-ink of...un -re..."
Ace felt Deuce move a little closer and he leaned against her. She didn't seem to mind as the words of his siblings went through one ear and out the other. It was so hard to concentrate on their voices, so he settled to just listening to the sound of it.
"-Ace," The call of his name caused him to finally snap back into reality, the pain crashing into him yet again. He noticed how everyone was looking at him. Queen leaned a little closer repeating a question Ace never heard, "What do you think?"
"Huh?" Ace was confused. What were they talking about?
"Studying! You know like, things we've never learned about. What do you think?" Cater asked. Ace sat up a little straighter and smiled, hiding his pain away.
"I think... that would be a great idea," his voice was still quiet. "Maybe... Maybe I can learn how to raise.. a-a chocobo one day..."
"A chocobo?" Seven asked. Ace nodded.
"Yeah. Maybe even learn about how trees grow... When you think about it... we don't know anything other than war," he said, his voice gaining a bit of strength, "There's... there's so much...out... out there we...we don't even know."
"But does that even count as studying?" Sice asked. She sat back for a moment before looking at Ace, "Although, that does sound interesting."
"And then? What do we do way in the future - when we're done studying?" Cinque inquired.
"Way in the future? How long?" Nine asked, hardly believing that.
"Hmm... in ten years," Cinque said. Everyone took a moment to look at her in surprise.
"Hmph, I can hardly imagine that," King said, shaking his head.
"Well," came Deuce's voice, "I'm sure everything will be alright if we're all together."
"Yeah! It'll be fun! I just know it," Cater said, backing her up.
"I agree with that," Queen said, nodding along. Ace forced a smile. Would he even live long enough to have those ten years?
Even past this moment?
"Hmmm, well, it's the future, right?" Jack asked, crossing his arms, "I mean, we'll never know what will happen in the future. So, I think, we should stay in the moment. You know what I mean?"
"You mean, I'll never get to have a chocobo farm?" Ace muttered halfheartedly. There was an awkward silence as everyone looked at him. He blinked, "A-ah..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nine asked, placing his hands on his knees.
"Trey... did say we'-re free to thi-ink about the fut-ure."
Sice snorted first, then Trey spluttered, and soon everyone broke into laughter. Even Deuce held a hand over her mouth as she laughed.
Ace's own laughter was barely heard over the others, slowly dying out to an exhausted huff. It was getting harder to breathe, almost as if his lungs were running out of room. He felt something wet at the bottom of his throat, threatening to crawl into his mouth. It felt bad. It felt really bad.
He leaned against Deuce and tried to ease up, but it only grew worse.
The pain grew to the point where Ace wasn't sure if was painful anymore. In fact, it didn't really hurt anymore. It wouldn't surprise him if he grew numb to the pain. He was just so tired that he just wanted to sleep. His body slouched as he relaxed against his "sister".
"Ace?" came Deuce's voice, almost covered by the others' laughter, "You okay?"
For a moment there, Ace wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but he didn't. Instead, he clenched his fist, feeling the last bits of his pain fading to a dull thud.
Ace looked at Deuce and offered a soft, gentle smile, "I'll mana-ge."
His voice cracked.
The doors to their classroom suddenly slammed open, nearly stopping all of the laughter.
"Everyone!"
All of Class Zero looked to see Machina and Rem rushing toward them with relieved looks of joy on their faces.
"Remski!" Cinque called out, waving a hand at the pair. The others either smiled or laughed as Machina came stumbling to a stop next to Trey.
"You're all okay!" Rem breathed as she reached them.
"Ahaha, well, kind of," Cater said.
Sice huffed, "Barely living if you ask me."
"But alive! I thought - I thought - " Machina couldn't finish his sentence as he felt his eyes tear up. There was a soft, strangled laugh nearby and Machina looked. Ace was sitting up, a hand over his mouth as he clearly laughed at him.
"Si-nce when-did you become a cr-y baby?"
Rem was the first to laugh, "He's always been a crybaby! He's just never willing to admit it."
Once again, the mood had lifted. Rem began to check over all of them while Machina helped some of his classmates off the ground. They were lucky enough to find an old fashioned first aid kit behind the lecturer's desk, and Rem quickly got to work.
Everyone chattered on, aware of the underlying message to just keep talking. Ace tried his hardest to keep up with Deuce and the others, but he couldn't seem to breathe properly, or even hear their voices clearly. His eyes slowly dripped closed and his chest barely moved. It would be alright to just rest a little, right?
Deuce only noticed when Ace's body suddenly felt heavy against her body. She broke her attention away from her siblings and reached a shaking hand to Ace's face, "A-ace?"
He didn't answer and didn't twitch when she pinched his cheek to wake him up. Her heart nearly stopped at the touch of his slowly cooling skin and her own injuries were forgotten. "No - nono- Please - Ace!"
There was a sudden silence at the sound of her voice and Machina was immediately at her side - or rather, next to Ace's side.
"Ace! What's wrong?"
Machina gathered Ace in his arms, ignoring the steady drip of blood trailing from the corner of Ace's mouth. He was absolutely still; his head fell limply against Machina's arm, his sliced up hand slipped to the ground, and his chest didn't move.
"Ace...?"
Ace, their classmate, leader, comrade, their brother, didn't answer. He laid in Machina's arms, like a broken doll. His uniform glistened as it soaked up his blood. An ashy color began to flood his already pale complexion and the bags under his eyes became more prominent.
And yet - a soft, gentle smile graced his slightly parted lips, forever frozen on his face. His expression was peaceful, the same one that he usually wore when he napped on a bench, or even in class at times.
"He... He's just sleeping, right?" came Jack's slightly quivering voice. His siblings all looked at each other, disbelief and denial clear in their eyes and faces. Even so, no one could bring themselves to say anything. Not even Trey.
Then Nine punched the ground, shattering the broken tiles under his strength. Then he roared. The denial in his cry was clear as day, even as reality began to set in. Cinque made a tiny noise before she wailed. Queen's composure broke, her own tears feel freely. Slowly, but surely, each one began to break. Cater shook her head, not bothering to hide her own pain. King lowered his head with his hands clenched and his shoulders shook. Sice gasped and looked at everything but Ace, blinked her eyes rapidly. Seven held her elbows as she gritted her teeth. Eight was silent, wiping at his eyes every few seconds. Jack didn't hold back, gripping his knees as water dropped on the back of his hands. Trey stared on, pressing his lips into a very thin line.
No one wanted to believe it. It just couldn't be! Ace was their anchor, and sometimes, their voice of reason. They would no longer see his confident smirk or comforting glances. They would never see him at the chocobo stables, petting and caring for the little newborns. Most of all, they would never hear him hum, or sing the only song he knew. He knew when to stand up for them, and trusted each of them whole heartedly, even when he claimed that they were annoying. The song that Mother taught him was his, and now it was gone. Everything that was Ace was just - gone.
Deuce sat close to Ace, running her hand through his soft locks. She cried openly, not bothering to wipe her tears away. Rem sat next to her, resting a hand on Deuce's shoulder as she grieved with her.
"I'm sorry," Machina whispered, holding Ace a little tighter, "I'm so sorry. I never had the chance to apologize to you - I'm sorry -"
Then it happened.
It wasn't noticeable at first, but the light from Ace's pouch began to glow and sounds of glass breaking could be heard. Shards of clear-glass like crystals sparkled and emerged from his pouch, fading away as it traveled further upwards. Queen noticed and gasped, catching the attention of her siblings. They looked and watched in slight awe as it glistened in the sunlight.
"Ace...?" Deuce's voice shook as Ace's body began to glow. The familiar light of his magic appeared around him, gently caressing him like a child. Machina's mouth dropped when Ace was suddenly weightless. Just as suddenly as it happened, the tips of Ace's hands turned into glass, then shattered away. The magic trailed up his arms and legs, repeating the same process as the remains were gathered by wisps of his magic.
"No! Ace!"
"Wait, don't take him away from us!"
"Ace!"
It only took a matter of seconds as Ace's body had completely broken down into a mass of lights and crystals. The shards glistened in the rising sunlight, as if it was slowly saying good bye to them all. Machina got up on his feet and chased after it, reaching his hand in vain attempt to stop it. The rest of the class followed after him, ignoring their own injuries and pains.
No one would accept it. It just couldn't end there!
"No!"
For a moment, a small portion broke apart and flowed by the entire class, fazing through each one with the gentle warmth that Ace had always carried with him. Eight gasped when he suddenly felt - healed? He stopped and blinked at his clean hands and good as new sleeves. He felt no pain, and no cringing ache that dominated his body since their last battle. He was healed. Eight caught Cater's wide eyes as she too realized what happened.
"We're..."
"Healed!" Queen exclaimed, looking over herself before hurriedly turning her head toward what they knew was Ace. The entire class was healed - there was no doubt about it - It had to be Ace.
Machina followed it until he reached the end of the classroom, over the broken down debris to the edge of the foundation. Deuce and Rem appeared beside him, watching in awe as it slowly disappeared.
Ace had disappeared into the morning horizon, far out of their reach.
._._._._._.
The air was warm on Ace's skin as he walked on the edge of the beach. He felt like he had never gone to the beach before, so he took the opportunity to enjoy it. The sounds of the waves made him relax for a moment, relishing the peace of the sun set before him. From a distance he could see a house not too far from the shore. At times, he wondered who lived there, but he didn't want to seem annoying, so he kept quiet.
He didn't know much, but he knew he was lucky. A young woman called Lebreau found him here washed up on the beach a few days ago, nearly giving her a heart attack. When she found out that he couldn't remember much, she practically dragged him around Bohdum and bought him new clothes, gave him a place to live, and treated him like a little brother. In a way, she practically adopted him.
Ace walked on the dock and sat at the ledge. He enjoyed the sounds of the water swishing against the wooden pegs and looked at his reflection. He no longer wore the black uniform he was found in, having to fold them up in his drawer since it was a bit...out of place. Instead, he wore a white shirt underneath a black opened, long sleeved, button down folded up to his elbows, and a pair of slightly loose fitting bluish-grey jeans tucked in with boots that reached halfway up his leg. His hands were covered with comfortable leather gloves.
Strapped around his waist was a pouch containing a little notebook, a mini box he didn't open, and a deck of cards. Tied neatly around his neck like a scarf, was a red cape. He didn't know why, but for some odd reason, he couldn't part with any of these items; no matter how much Gadot told him that it wasn't really worth it...
Sighing, Ace got up when he realized how much time had passed. If he didn't head back soon, Yuj or Maqui would end up dragging him home. Although, he was sixteen, a bit small for his age, and amnesiac, he knew for a fact that could handle himself better than Maqui... or at least he hoped so. With one last look at the blue horizon, Ace made his way back to his "home".
"Hey, Ace!" called a voice. Ace turned around at the mention of his name and spotted Maqui running across the sand with Yuj jogging behind him. He waited for Maqui to catch up to him with a quiet smile.
"Let's go see the fireworks tonight!" Maqui said as he stopped right in front of Ace. Yuj caught up and offered an easy-going smile.
"You wanna come?" he asked. Ace pressed his lips together for a moment to think about it.
"Come on, Ace, you don't have to think about it!" Maqui said as he saw the expression. Ace shrugged his shoulders a bit.
"I promised Lebreau that I'll help her at the bar," he stated. Maqui looked crestfallen while Yuj placed a hand on his hip.
"If we tell her that you're with us, I'm sure she'll let you off tonight," Yuj said. Ace gave him a worried look.
"Are you sure? I mean, I still have to repay her for letting me stay with her," he said as he looked over to the bar not too far away. He could see Lebreau waving at them. Yuj and Maqui waved back while Ace looked on.
"Eh, I'm sure she'll be fine with it, Ace!" Maqui said as he swung an arm around Ace's shoulders. The taller teen stumbled a bit but kept his balance. He slipped out of Maqui's loose hold and laughed a little.
"Okay, okay, I'll go," Ace said as he began to make his way to the bar. Maqui cheered behind him and high-fived Yuj. Ace huffed a soft laugh and shook his head at his friends' actions. As he walked, Ace couldn't help but feel a little glad that he had people like Yuj and Maqui. Even though he was a stranger and new to practically... everything - these two treated him as if they were friends for ever. In all honesty, it felt just a bit odd. Maybe he wasn't used to interacting with people before.
It felt even stranger to be relaxed, too. He found himself quite tense when he was surrounded by others, but Gadot and Snow swore to help him get over it. How, he didn't have the slightest idea. Ace pulled himself out of his thoughts and tossed a smile over to Lebreau, jogging the rest of the way.
Maybe he could get used to the peace that he found.
...Maybe.
Well, tell me what you thought! I had a bit of fun writing Ace and I could imagine him being friends with Maqui and Yuj. I didn't want him to be found with Serah or Light because that would just seem a bit weird. And in case you got a little lost, Ace's body was taken from his world into Lightning's world, and yes, he healed all of Class Zero 'cause he's an awesome brother like that.
Edit: Okay so, honestly, I think a few of them died from internal bleeding, so ah... yeah. Sorry, Ace.
Preview!
"Purged..." What... what does that mean?" Ace Asked as he subconsciously clutched the end go his scarf. He felt a looming sense of dread in his stomach as he looked at his friend. Lebreau gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists.
"It means that they're going to kill us all."
Later!
~CloudyLightning