Nowhere

Noctis stood with his friends before his throne. The battles had been tough. They weren't without injuries – some more serious than others. They were lucky to still be alive. After the fighting they knew that they were special to still possess their lives. Anyone who fought and survived deserved only the utmost respect – even if they were enemies.

As they stood in silent appreciation of the throne the sands of time began to race once more. Noctis was about to admit that he would rather surrender his rank and title. The words never had a chance to emerge as a hail of bullets cascaded down upon them.

The barrage of ammunition quickly ceased. It had only been a warning shot. They turned around to find Stella glaring at them. Her gun was pointed directly at Noctis. Her eyes were cold and calculating to those who never truly looked upon her before. Noctis saw behind her façade. He could see the hesitation and the fear that lingered in her.

His friends raced into battle. Their days on the battle field had scarred their mentality. She could have made a mistake but the possibility didn't exist to them. She quickly opened fire once more. He knew it was in self-defence but had no choice to join the battle to save his friends.

Stella coped well against her enemies. Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus fell surprisingly quickly to her assault. She vanished as Noctis' last friend fell.

Noctis summoned his falchion. His crimson eyes pierced the dimly lit room. His friends were alive; their breathing was weak but strong enough to continue without aid. That alone led him to Stella's place of hiding – behind a pillar.

He crept around his eyes shadowed. His dark clothes allowed him to meld with the room. He waited until she was directly in front of him. She seemed utterly oblivious to his presence. Her back was towards him. He launched his attack.

Blood splashed across the ground loudly. The sound of his own breathing echoed in Noctis' ears. He tried to wrench his falchion free but couldn't. His head snapped up and his eyes instantly met Stella's. She offered him a smile but held his falchion tightly.

"Let go," he whispered, his voice unusually weak.

"It's only a sword. You shouldn't care so much about weapons," she replied.

"You're bleeding. Let go," he snarled.

Stella laughed. Her voice rang around the room. A weariness that he hadn't noticed before was lifted from her. She tightened her grip on his hand; a gesture that felt as though she was comforting him. She pulled him closer, inserting his blade further inside her stomach.

"Let go," he commanded.

"I'm glad I could prove my strength," she smiled. "I thought that they would kill me. I was very scared of that fate. I've praying that you would be the one."

His eyes widened in horror. "What are you talking about?"

"It's not just about us. Noctis, it's always been about more. Didn't you know that? I suppose that was the point though," she looked him in the eye. "The light that we see is a gift. One of is will inherit something wonderful and powerful from simply being able to see something that no one else can. The person to inherit that will be you."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"A gift will be bestowed upon one of us. My grandfather is a priest. I would have had an advantage over you because of that. You're kind though, and caring and a leader. I've always thought of you that way and recent events have proven my heart right. You deserve to be crowned with the inheritance," she coughed, her eyes drifting closed. "I could have given it to you but your enemies… Any future enemies that you have would use me against you. I won't hold you back or become one of your enemy's leverage against you. I won't ever be against you… That's why…"

She paused, struggling to breathe properly. Her lungs ached and her throat stung. Her eyes flew open. Her hands slowly loosened their grip on his falchion. He tore it from her hands and she threw her arms around his neck. He stood still, shocked. She kissed his cheek.

"You'll be the people's saviour… I know you'll do the right thing…"

Author's Note: Yes! I killed her off! I finally killed someone off! Whew, you don't know how much I've missed killing someone off. With Perfect World I do it every thousand words but I haven't been able to work on that for a while. I originally meant to do something about a big battle between them but I didn't feel right about that. I don't suppose the change would have made much difference as one was going to die either way. That's why you have this angst-fest in front of you. Speaking of angst, the title refers to the fact that she loves him but his feelings aren't known – there's nowhere for their relationship to progress to! I really hope that you enjoyed this story as I'm ecstatic! Thank you for sparing some of your time to read my work. I apologise if you're less than satisfied.

Part of the Revival Collection.