Title: In Paradisum

Chapter: 1 - Losses

Authoress: A Study in Elegant Death

Warnings: Mild to strong language, same gender pairings, violence, sexual references, character deaths.

Theme: Noel and Serah's relationship as siblings; comforting those who have lost all. I strongly suggest you listen to KOKIA's Daiji na Mono wa Mabuta no Ura while reading this. I consider that In Paradisum's theme song.

A/N: For this story, Sunleth Waterscape occurred before Oerba. As always, reviews are welcome. Thank you!

Authoress's Question to Ponder: Are Noel and Serah a better pair as siblings or lovers? You decide.

In Paradisum

Losses

A Study in Elegant Death

"She was the same. The same face, the same voice. But even so... she didn't know me at all."

-Noel Kreiss

Their first impression of Oerba wasn't a happy one by any means. The entire village was completely barren. A blanket of dust and dirt coated the worn, broken roads and filled the air, making it a chore to even breathe. Houses that once protected smiling Oerbans were now filled with monstrous Cie'th. To say the very least, it was a village ravaged by devastating war and stripped of what little hope it had left. But even so, there was something to do here. They had a paradox to solve, an artefact to find, and a gate to open. The first obvious anomaly was the distorted space that swallowed the village whole. If they even hoped to find the artefact and matching gate, they needed to be able to search every nook and cranny that was Oerba.

Serah Farron sighed at the miserable landscape. The anomalies were solved, thanks to more than a few cases of Noel running around time labyrinths while her and Mog shouted tips from the distance. She was always the optimistic type - while not completely away from earth, she tried to find the best things about a situation. She tried to make gold from lead. And most of the time, though her companion wouldn't admit it, she succeeded. Serah's personality was moderately strong, with enough passion to stand up and fight, but the sense to back down. She didn't let things fall into place on her lap - she put them there herself. The younger Farron girl took a few steps away from where the time distortion once was and looked around. There had to be something here that she could work with. "It's not very cheery scenery, is it?" she asked the man behind her, not sure if he was even listening or not. The brunette crossed his arms.

"I remember hearing the stories from my grandmother. The War of Transgression had everyone in Oerba turned to Cie'th - which explains why the Village Proper was crawling with them," Noel explained, shaking his head. "They must have never recovered." He stood next to Serah now, also surveying the area around them. It might have been nothing, but this village was giving him a very bad feeling.

Noel liked to think that things would turn out well for them - who wouldn't? - but he realised a bit down this road with Serah that he tended to be a bit more down to Pulse than she was. He rationalised things more than she did. He knew when only a few things - for example, finding Snow, solving the paradoxes, stopping their currently unknown enemy - were possible, though she seemed to believe that everything would work out in the end. It wasn't a bad trait, but the way it set her up for disappointment wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. He had yet to see her truly break down - he never wanted to see that.

Even with their differences, they worked together, protected each other, and became close friends. He looked at their relationship as a sort of brother and sister relationship, where he was tasked with taking care of her. She had replied with a sneaky smile and saying that it was the other way around - "I'm older than you!" she had giggled. Noel had advanced more quickly in combat than she did, which, with a huff from her lips and a cross of her arms, proved her argument invalid. Serah was the one with the power over monsters - which was why, currently, they had a behemoth, an albino lobo, and a caterchipillar with them. It made the teacher happy to name the monsters and dress them up with little accessories, even if Noel found it horribly degrading for the poor behemoth - Serah decided that a pink bow fitted him just so nicely and the name Furball, even better. "Etro, have mercy," Noel remembered saying.

As the two explored the now recovered landscape, Serah sighed with slight annoyance at the fact that they weren't finding anything. It didn't help that they didn't know what exactly they were looking for, but after being in the Bresha Ruins, two years after her present day, she was sure something was going to jump out at them sooner or later. As Noel pointed out the almost invisible silhouette of a floating object on top of a nearby house, her hopes rose. Was it the artefact? Noel was quick to throw the ball of fur that was Mog over to it, but the moogle came back with something none of them knew what it was. "Bad luck, kupo," the creature sighed, handing over the object to Serah.

The pink haired girl looked at it with confusion, but gave up quickly. "Maybe Hope will know what this is. We should keep it for now," she suggested. Noel nodded in concordance, and they kept going. The village was also barren in the way of vegetation - a few trees here and there, which Noel and Serah, more so the latter, literally stumbled across. The roots of the trees were large and thick, spread out in all directions.

At last, they came to some stairs. Before even taking the first step down, Serah looked out across the expanse of water. She smiled; it was absolutely beautiful. The grains of crystal sand seemed to blend with the clear water, and the sun reflected brilliantly off the surface. "So pretty," she murmured, starting her walk down the stairs. As the two reached the beach, they looked to both sides. To the right of them was more beach, while a building took up the area to the left.

Noel pointed towards the building. "Let's go check it out. We might find something there," he suggested. Serah shrugged, analysing the building. It appeared to have some kind of garden above it, but the rest of the building was just as worn down as the others. The green of the garden contrasted greatly with the arid wasteland that was Oerba, and a bit of a refreshment for her eyes. Serah nodded finally, and the two began walking. She led the trio up the stairs after a brief look of the lower floor. It seemed to be an abandoned schoolhouse - a treasure sphere in the corner, and nothing else. Being a teacher, it was sad for her to see, but she quickly dropped it.

Behind her, Noel's worry increased dramatically. He didn't know what it was, but something in his head was going off - like an alarm, repeating the same word: danger, danger. Something bad was about to happen, and he didn't want to know what it was. Up in the garden, Serah had run off to the other side. "Hey, it's an Oracle Drive!" she noticed, coming to a stop just in front of it. Just as her gloved hand hovered over the hexagonal device, a voice startled her.

"Stop."

The tips of her fingers brushed against the Drive, and it activated, knocking Serah back a few feet. "Serah!" Noel called, catching the girl before she hit the ground. A picture materialised above the machine, and the prophecy began playing.

"Hey, look there."

The figure of a younger Serah leans down near a small boy, pointing out his father to the now smiling face. The kid runs forward, and she follows him. "Snow!" she calls out to her fiancée. The blonde man grins, running to meet her halfway. He pulls her into an embrace, spinning her around and repeating her name, along with whispered nothings - "I love you," and "I missed you." - before setting her down. The girl pulls away from the embrace, instead taking his hand and leading him toward the face she had dreamed about her entire crystal sleep.

"Lightning..."

The two hug, a reunion between beloved sisters. The older sister looks down at Serah, eyes soft. "Serah, I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Serah, I'm sorry."

"Serah, I'm sorry."

"Serah, I'm-"

"Serah-"

The image blurs. The pictures switch between greyed out and sepia tones. Etro script can be seen, and suddenly, exactly like 200 years ago, Lightning is gone.

"Serah, I'm sorry."

Serah turns to see her fiancée instead saying these words. He looks towards the crystal pillar, the prison for the two sleeping Oerbans, the saviours of Cocoon and Pulse alike. "Lightning must be holding up Cocoon, along with Vanille and Fang," he tells her, though his tone suggests that he doesn't know the answer, either.

No. This isn't supposed to happen. Hope looks up at Serah, albeit sadly, and hands her a small object. She recognises it. It belongs - belonged - to Lightning. "It's her knife... I found it by the base of the pillar," he says, and Serah hesitantly takes it in both hands. She had been here, Serah thinks. She was right here, just a second ago! she silently yells. Her mind is torn between despair and confusion. Lightning had given them her blessing. She smiled at Snow and said "Congrats." Was she dreaming?

Stricken with emotions, swirling in her overwhelmed mind, Serah collapses to the ground. And she cried. Cried, for the sister she had lost yet again.

Hands clasped over her heart, Serah fell to her knees. "The prophecy... it's been changed!" How could this have happened? The events of that day she knew were fake - was someone trying to tell her that she was wrong? No, she knew Lightning was alive. Noel was living proof of that. She looked up to said hunter, as if searching for an answer in his expression, but the brunette simply shook his head.

"If you change the future, you change the past."

Both time-travelers looked up at this. "It keeps changing?" Serah asked nervously. Noel narrowed his eyes. How could he not have guessed that he was behind this, and would be here?

"Change is the constant."

At that moment, Caius appeared from where the picture of the prophecy once was. Noel took a step forward - he had thought about it, but never expected it. He wasn't surprised; relieved was more accurate as to the whirlwind of emotions he felt. His mentor, his friend, was alive after all these years-

"I have seen you. I have seen you both."

Noel turned around sharply at the second voice. Walking towards him, alive and well, was Paddra Nsu-Yeul. Noel's sky blue eyes widened, and he ran towards her, placing his hands around her frail forearms. "Yeul?" he stuttered, looking into her emerald eyes. Serah said something regarding the seeress nearby, but the words didn't register in Noel's mind. This, he hadn't been expecting. Not in the slightest.

Yeul looked up at him, eyes almost void of emotion. Quietly, with that soft, sweet voice of hers, she told him, "I am not the Yeul you know." And with that, she walked towards Caius, facing the pink-haired girl. "We learned of your journey, traveling the timeline. I have been watching you."

Noel shook his head in disbelief. "No... you've been watching us? All this time?"

"Yes. I see you understand the significance of that. Then you must also understand that I am here for a reason. Your actions have necessitated the strictest sanctions!" Caius lifted his sword, power focusing together on the blade. Noel stood in front of Serah, ready to defend if need be. In an instant, Caius sliced his sword through the air, a beam of chaotic energy launching itself at the two. Noel quickly pushed Serah from the way of the attack, barely getting out of the way himself. Having fallen to the ground, Noel pushed his upper body up, locking eyes with his former friend.

"Stop this, Caius. I will not fight you!" Noel shouted, but it fell on deaf ears. Caius took a few steps forward, the tip of his sword pressed into the skin of Noel's chest, just where his heart resided.

"You will pay for your crimes in blood," he growled, and drew back his blade, preparing for the final blow. The one that would finally kill Noel Kreiss.

Air whipped around the sword as it came down, and Noel's world turned white.

"Don't ever lay down and wait to die!" Noel looked up - Serah had her own sword locked with Caius', arms shaking under the pressure. "You said... you said for me to never surrender like that! Don't go back on your word, Noel, not now!" she shouted, then forcefully shoved the Guardian back, letting the tip of her blade hit the wooden floor. She turned to Noel, an exhausted smile on her features, and held out a gloved hand. "Let's go."

Noel took her hand and stood up. Caius sneered, and charged forward. "To change history is a sin!" Noel drew his swords from his back, and crossed them in front of him to block Caius' attack.

"I thought I told you, Caius. I won't fight you!" he yelled, swiftly withdrawing the smaller sword and lashing out at the dark-clothed man, hoping to send him backwards a bit. Somewhere in the background, a small white flower was plucked from the soil.

"It is too late. The timeline has already changed."

The young seeress walked forward, eyes on the stained flower. Caius turned to Yeul, dropping to one knee. "But must we accept this, Yeul?" The girl placed a hand on Caius' shoulder and gave a simple nod. She took a few steps away and turned to Serah and Noel.

"If you change the future, you change the past. You can remold history as your heart desires," she breathed, not moving as Caius placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Let's go now, before you are made to witness more. Come."

Noel looked down, refusing to watch them leave again. The man walked past him, barely brushing the brunette's arm. Biting his lip, Noel whirled around. "Caius!" he yelled, but no one was there. Not Caius, not Yeul...

"Noel? Are you alright?" Serah asked worriedly, pulling Noel away from his thoughts. He gave a simple nod and turned away; a signal to her that the conversation was then over. Serah crossed her arms, placing a hand under her chin.

To say the least, she was confused. Caius was out to kill them, yet Noel insisted they didn't fight. He had also reacted with a bit of contentment when Caius had been shown in the prophecy, whispering something along the lines of "So he is still alive," and thanking the goddess. It seemed the three - Noel, Caius, and Yeul - were all connected somehow, but Serah couldn't put her finger on it. She wanted to ask Noel, but she didn't want to bring up any bad memories. So, she had three choices. She could ask who Caius was; it was something she wanted to know, but she figured they would find out later. This couldn't possibly be a one-time only encounter. She could also ask about Yeul. "Wait a minute. Hope said that there were many seeresses. That would explain it," Serah thought.

Her last option was about the Oracle Drive in the Yaschas Massif, though she figured she already had the answer to that one. "Noel... that man... Caius... who is he? I saw him in my dream, but the only thing I saw of him was how he fought my sister."

Noel sighed, crossing his arms. "I thought I recognised him... but he couldn't be here, not in this time. I doubt he's the Caius I used to know." The hunter turned back to the Oracle Drive, back to the pink-haired girl. Serah bit her lip and walked towards the stairs. It was better not to ask anymore. He seemed to be in pain - she could tell by his voice. She looked up just as she got to the stairs, and a floating object entered her vision.

The moogle who had previously been silent suddenly chimed in. "An artefact, kupo!" Serah took the object in both hands, holding it up to Noel.

"I wonder how this got here," she said to him.

"We solved the paradox. That's normally when the artefacts come out of hiding," Noel replied simply. Serah looked down, giving a small nod. With the artefact in hand, the two walked towards the gate. All the while, Noel was lost in his thoughts. Yeul... she was the exact same person. She had that same innocent and benign look about her - that same face, with soft, porcelain skin. Her steel blue hair shone brilliantly, like it always did, if not more with the sun reflecting off of the shining strands. She wore the same tribal outfit, and the beaded necklace he remembered helping her make. It was one of the few memories he had of Yeul and his time in his old home.

No matter how he looked at it, she was the same. "She was the same..."

"What?"

Noel turned his attention to Serah, a bit startled by her voice so suddenly. "You said 'She was the same.' Are you talking about Yeul?" she asked.

Noel nodded sadly. "The same face, the same voice... But even so, she didn't know me at all." Noel turned from the gate he hadn't realised they approached, head down in defeat. Caius had left him, and Yeul had died - he remembered all that. But then, why... why was Yeul here? She should have died long ago.

Or was it because his past hadn't happened yet?

Serah sighed. "Let's rest here for today. We can get some sleep and be refreshed tomorrow morning," she told him, sitting down on a tree root. Noel crossed his arms. He didn't exactly want to be here, not when that garden loomed over them in the distance - he felt like he was being watched, and he didn't like it.

"Let's go somewhere else and rest. We could go back to the Yaschas Massif with Hope," Noel suggested hopefully. Serah shook her head.

"This place is a bit depressing, but we solved the paradox, remember? It's like you said in the Historia Crux on the way here: 'If we accomplish something here, Hope's time will change, and the paradox will disappear.' I don't feel like facing that right now, to be honest," she replied softly. Noel accepted his defeat and sat down next to her. Serah had a somewhat worried look on her face, but Noel dismissed it. He was hurt by the encounter, but he would live. He was confused - that was it. Caius and Yeul were alive. It was all he wanted, even if the moment had been fleeting, and now was gone. He just... wanted some tangible evidence of their existence.

"Pulse to Noel! Hello!" Serah called, waving a hand in front of the brunette's face. Noel snapped his attention back to the pink-haired teacher. "Are you alright? I was calling your name for a few good minutes. This place actually has a lot of edible plants around. And I looked back at the garden - it seems someone had been growing vegetables. I don't know how, but they're still good," she explained. She was standing in front of Noel, bent over slightly with her arms crossed in front of her. She had emptied out the small bag they used for curative items and now had it slung over her shoulder, green leaves peeking out of the top. Serah studied him for a second, eyes narrowing. "Something wrong?"

Noel shook his head. "No, just thinking. Did you see any creatures other than Cie'th?" he asked. Serah explained that she had seen a few Breshan Bass, but there were very few of them, and she only saw the small group once. Noel stood up, taking his swords and placing them on his back. "That's enough for me. I'm gonna go hunt for a bit," he told her. He heard a 'Good luck!' called after him, but didn't respond. He walked up the nearby ramp and, as he expected, a few Taxims and Chonchons awaited him. They wandered aimlessly in circles, and Noel easily slipped by, taking another ramp up.

A long road led to the left and into dunes of crystal sand, while the road ahead led back into more houses behind a large tree. Noel turned down the longer road, stepping effortlessly over the cracks and breaks in the concrete road. He stopped walking when he reached the top of a dune, looking out over the crystal desert. It was nothing but white - not even the remains of Taijin's Tower were visible. It was strange - Taijin's Tower, the Sulyya Springs, and even a large expanse of the Archlyte Steppe were fully clothed in the sand. But here Oerba lay, untouched. Maybe it was the doing of Etro, taking pity on the home of those who believed in Her. "Guess it... wasn't the same for my home, was it?"Noel murmured. Not even the great goddess Etro could have stopped Cocoon from falling and killing millions, nearly bringing the end to the human race. Noel shook his head and turned his back to the forsaken lands.

When he returned to the fork in the rod, Noel took the north road, jumping over the thick roots of the tree. He looked around, but saw nothing. It was all desolate landscape. There was a building nearby, but pulling on the door told him that it was jammed, and Noel wasn't about to break in - not when the owner was either dead or Cie'th. He didn't know which one was worse. Instead, he took the nearby stairs down, and his vision fell on the garden above the school house.

"I am not the Yeul you know."

Her words rang in his mind, echoing in his ears and stabbing at his heart. The girl who he had protected for 13 years didn't know who he was anymore - and it hurt, badly. He knew Caius' intentions, that he wanted to save Yeul from her fate as a seeress - what that was, he couldn't exactly remember. His memories were playing tricks - disappearing, and leaving nothing but a blank page.

He had even lost most of his memories of Yeul and Caius, which bothered him the most. He had a vague idea of the events before he went through the gate to Valhalla, but that was all it was: a vague idea. It was Yeul's birthday, the day when, 15 years ago, she was born.

The day when, not long ago, she died in his arms.

The rest was dusty. Caius was there, he knew. He was always there. The Guardian wanted a fight, a fight Noel wouldn't give him under the pretense of it being Yeul's birthday - Caius' death would make her sad, and Noel wasn't about to let that happen. After that, it was completely blank. Noel thought it cruel, that he only remembered how Yeul died, but only tiny events else. Try as he might, he couldn't remember. Not one thing.

Suddenly angry, Noel kicked the rail of the staircase. "Dammit, Caius!" he yelled. How he hated the man, for leaving Yeul to die, for abandoning Noel at the end of time - and most of all, for betraying him. They were just like brothers, but he and Serah had still been attacked by his former friend.

Noel continued down the stairs, trying to calm himself down. He walked at a slow pace, head down. He wanted to believe that what Caius wanted was a place where Yeul was safe and happy, but wasn't a replica of Valhalla. He remembered how Caius had told him before that under one condition could Yeul be safe - if the world was Valhalla, a place without time, or death, or life.

And in order for that to happen, Etro would have to die.

The thought made Noel sick. If Caius was planning on killing the goddess, Noel didn't know what he and Serah would do, or what they could do. Lightning was on the job, protecting Etro, but she was but one woman, and she couldn't stop Caius on her own, or leave Valhalla for very long - unlike Caius. No matter how they looked at it, Caius had the upper hand in this war. Not to mention that he had Yeul on his side, so that he could continue watching him and Serah. Every move they made, everything they planned - Caius would know about it.

And as Noel walked back to the gate, where Serah sat waiting for her companion's return, and explained to her how he found nothing, it worried him. There was no way they could get a front on him, or plan some surprise attack without him being able to plan for it himself. In other words, they were trapped.

A few hours later, Serah and Noel had gone to find some firewood and managed to build a small fire. The sun had gone down, casting a rosy light over the horizon before night had set it. Now, the only source of light or heat were the flames rising into the air from the small pile of wood. Serah and Mog sat on one side of the fire, Mog sitting in Serah's lap while Serah ruffled his fur affectionately, smiling.

Noel sat staring into the fire on the other side. The flames reflected in his bright blue eyes as he thought on the events of the day. He tried to think positively, but he was completely shaken. He hadn't been expecting an encounter like this, and what had transpired was greatly affecting his emotions - something that happened very rarely, if ever at all. His thoughts were a mess, and anger still lingered in his mind. He placed a shaky hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, trying to tear his thoughts away from the seeress.

"Noel?"

At his name, Noel looked up. "Yeah, what is it?" Noel asked. Serah stood up, moving next to Noel and sitting down again. She seemed a bit unsure of her actions, which made him wonder. Was it about Caius? He wanted to tell her what he thought he had figured out before, but right now - he couldn't. Caius might be watching, Noel reasoned.

"Um... is Yeul... special... to you? I mean, were you...?" Serah made a motion with her hands, tapping the tips of her index fingers together. Noel's eyes widened.

"No! No, no, no. I protected her. As a Guardian, it was my job to help Caius in protecting Yeul from... well..."

"From what?" Serah asked. Noel stumbled for the words - he didn't know what they were supposed to protect her from. He knew that, in the end, he had failed, but what had killed her, he had no idea. To his mind, it felt like the knowledge - the memories - were never there to begin with.

"I-I don't remember. Dammit, why does this keep happening?" Noel sighed. Serah moved and kneeled next to him, then placed her arms around him. Although he couldn't see it, with her head resting on his shoulder, she smiled.

"Hugs make people feel better, especially when times are tough. And... you looked like you need it," Serah explained.

"Thank you, Serah."

Serah laughed, sitting back down. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love," she answered, though she still smiled, even with the sentiment in her voice. Noel thought back to the encounter with Snow in the Sunleth Waterscape, and his smile somewhat faded.

"Serah, I'm sorry," Noel began quietly. Serah looked up at his words, surprised. He sounds exactly like... "I wasn't very helpful to you then - you know, with comforting you, I mean," Noel apologised. "Do you, er, want a hug, too?" he asked with a smile. Serah laughed, nodding. Noel pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. "Don't worry, Serah. We'll find that idiot you call a fiancée. He seems too stubborn to die."

Serah gave him a playful shove, laughing with him. "You sound exactly like Lightning when you say that!" she told him. "And stop calling my hero an idiot. He's a bit slow, but you don't need to point it out!" Serah crossed her arms in mock anger. "But, Noel, don't you worry, either. We'll find Yeul, too."

This surprised him. So, she could see right through him, too... "You think so?" Noel asked, smiling. Serah gave an enthusiastic nod in response, sitting up. "Hey, how about we rest now? I could use some sleep," Noel suggested, laying back and closing his eyes.

Serah yawned, placing a hand over her mouth. "Here?" We could always go to the Yaschas Massif."

"Serah?"

"Yes, Noel?"

"Go to sleep."

XIII-2

The next morning, the fire had long gone out and the sun was rising at last. Noel was the first up, internal clock as a hunter telling him it was dawn. Sitting up, the brunette stretched and looked up into the sky. It seemed brighter than it did yesterday, and not just because the paradox had been solved. Noel smiled softly.

Slowly, he stood up. Serah would probably be awake soon, which would mean it was off to the Yaschas Massif with them. Hope was probably waiting there for them, but Noel didn't hold his breath. The paradox of the eclipse was gone, so they would be able to see the true prophecy the Oracle Drive contained - should Hope actually remember them. He knew Serah wanted to see whether the warrior in the picture was in fact Lightning or not, and Noel had his own reason for wanting to see it. Was that really Caius fighting Serah's sister? Noel couldn't help but wonder how he got to Valhalla.

Sighing, Noel shook his head. He didn't need to think about Caius and Yeul right now. He looked over to an area not too far from the fire, seeing Furball resting. "Hey, Furball. Come here," he called quietly to the behemoth. The creature gave a protesting grumble, but still got up, laying down next to the hunter. Noel petted his head as it drifted off to sleep again, and smiled.

There wasn't a thing he regretted about his journey with Serah. While Serah had her motivation, Noel had his, something he didn't realise until now - he wanted his Yeul back, more than anything in the world. Just as he was going to help Serah accomplish her goals and get to Valhalla, he was sure that she would be more than willing to help him find her.

It didn't have to be forever. He just wanted her back.

"Noel... are you awake?" A sleepy voice came from a few feet away. Noel laughed.

"Yeah. Question is, are you?" he asked. Serah shook her head, still laying down, snuggling Mog. "Come on, Serah. Time to get up."

"Five more minutes..."

Noel sighed in mock irritation. "Alright, then I guess I'll just go see the prophecy without you."

"Noel Kreiss, you are horrible."

Reluctantly, the young Farron rose from her position. Mog floated tiredly in the air, yawning. "It's too early, kupo," the moogle complained, rubbing his eyes. Serah eventually stood up, fixing her gloves and dress before taking the artefact in both hands.

"With this," she began, looking over at the gate, "we can travel to a Yaschas Massif that doesn't suffer from a paradox, right?" Noel nodded.

"We had better get a move on, then. Hope might be waiting."

"Might?"

"Yes. 'If you change the future, you change the past.' In other words, Hope might not remember us being there in the first place," Noel explained. Serah walked towards the gate and inserted the artefact, opening the previously locked portal. "Hey, Serah..." Noel began.

Serah turned to him. "Yeah?"

Noel, at her gaze, turned away. "I'm sorry, for earlier. I, uh, was a bit upset over," Noel paused, taking a deep breath, "Yeul. I'd rather not discuss the details, but she is special to me. I never could have imagined that she would be here... yet not the same girl I knew," he tried to explain. He turned to face Serah finally, locking his eyes with hers. "What I mean to say is, now isn't the time to fall back into the past. We're trying to change the future for the better, right?" Noel smiled, and Serah returned it. She took a few steps away, looking up into the sky.

"Thank you, Noel. You know, we're a lot more alike than you think. You wish to find Yeul, while I want to find my sister and Snow. Seems like we're in the same boat, and we both have a reason to be here." Serah took both Noel's hands in hers. "We'll find Yeul, Lightning, and Snow. I just know it."

Noel noticed a few stray tears on her cheeks and wiped them away, smiling. He wanted to reassure her, let her know that he believed in her - in them.

Before entering the gate, Noel looked back one final time. He had encountered his past here, and it had hurt him. He wanted his mentor back, his Yeul back. He had lost many things in his past, but somewhere down this road he and Serah were traveling, with paradoxes, time travel, and unresolved mysteries, he realised something.

Serah had, too.

not the end

The next update will be titled Eyes of Etro and is already in the process of being written. If you have requests, from just pairings or moments or fully detailed plots, send me a message or review. All are welcome.

A Study in Elegant Death