I do not own Final Fantasy.

~~~Space~~~

"Curse that woman. We've lost two months because of her," two hands slammed down on the table and caused the room's two other occupants to jump at the sudden outburst.

"She had better be worth it," he said, glaring at a blonde man. "Or you will be dead. No, not dead. That would be far too gracious of me. I'll have you hanging upside-down over water. You'll wish you could drown yourself, but the water won't be close enough. You'll have no choice but to survive."

The blonde man shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gulped. Reaching to his side, he grasped the hand of a large man with brown hair that was slicked back. He was not happy with the blonde man's action and swiftly removed the hand. "What the hell, Prompto?"

"C'mon, Gladiolus, help me out here," pleaded Prompto, who shook under The Prince's glare.

"You got yourself into this shit, you can get yourself out," sighed Gladiolus. The Prince watched them with a calculating glare. They entertained him, a little bit. The past two months had been a living hell, thanks to their little sergeant. It was nice to have some distraction, now that she had been… convinced.

~~~Space~~~

One month ago…

She panted. He heard each breath she took, every ragged breath. Obviously, she was in pain. Of course she was, nobody went through his torture unscratched. The sounds she had made, he relished them. There was blood on her, some fresh, some dried. Her clothes were torn and she looked awful. But that determination never left her eyes, and he liked that.

"Give," she panted. "It up…"

But her stubbornness, how he hated it. Everyday, it was the same, torture the pink haired soldier and gain nothing. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and even with his eyes close, knew she was attempting to smirk. Great, another headache.

With a sigh, he settled his hands in his pockets. Looking at the girl's smirk infuriated him. She thought she won, he could see it in her eyes. "I didn't want it to come to this," he started, being sure to keep a bored tone in his voice. "But I have to other choice."

Her smirk faltered. He allowed a smirk to grace his face, his lovely face. Someone should add a mirror in here.

Gently, he brushed some stray hairs from Claire's face. He could see her anger in her eyes. Such a fiery spirit, he liked that. "You see, if you don't cooperate, we'll simply kill your sister and that man of her's."

Noctis tapped his finger against his chin. "Maybe we'll even tie her up and kill that man in front of her. Then, kill you in front of her. Let her think it over. 'Could I have saved them?' she'll wonder. But the answer will be 'no'. Only her big sister Claire could have prevented that tragedy," he grinned at Claire. "How's that sound?"

"How do you know about my family?" she said through grit teeth.

"We make sure to do our research," it wasn't like she needed to know. She merely wanted to. He knew what she needed to know, not the other way around.

After that encounter, it hadn't taken long for her to agree. They allowed her time for her wounds to heal and went through their next plan, the first plan that Claire would play a large roll in.

~~~Space~~~

Present day…

"Enough," stated Noctis. Prompto and Gladiolus immediately stopped bickering and gave Noctis their full attention.

"That's better," Noctis assumed a more relaxed position. "Now Prompto, what is it that makes her like us? What is her ability?"

Noctis had gathered a group of misfits and named them "Nightingales". Like birds, they could be free from the normal. These misfits each had special powers, magic that could be used without a mana-drive. Their natural abilities varied greatly, like the color of a bird's feathers, but they were different from the majority and therefore hated. Noctis wanted to crush everyone who hated them unjustly.

"Honestly, I don't know," replied the blonde man. "But there's some strange power locked away in her. Even Yeul agrees!"

"She hasn't awoken it yet?" asked a bemused Noctis. "How has she not? The others had all awakened their powers when they were children."

He remembered when his power was awakened. After he had taken everything they dealed to him, he snapped. He was just a kid, but he looks at the memory with fondness. On that day, the way everyone saw him changed. No longer did he have to blend in and fight for attention. It was freely given to him.

"Maybe she lets it lay dormant?" suggested Gladiolus.

"That'd be an idiotic thing to do. With power like ours, why would she keep it hidden?" Noctis was baffled by the very thought. Without his powers, he was…What was he?

Without their powers, they were the same as everyone else. There would be no reason for them to stand out, they wouldn't be able to do what they do. His head wouldn't have such a big bounty and he wouldn't have the family he does today.

"Maybe she discovered it by accident and did something terrible? Prompto suggested.

Noctis nodded to himself. The idea was valid, and he knew that the situation was the same for Prompto. He had been so terrified of his powers that he hid them for years. Only when he joined the Nightingales did he finally accept them. But Noctis still wondered, why was the blonde man so afraid of his own powers?

"Yeul," said Noctis in a semi-loud voice.

In moments, the once elegant room the trio was in filled with wind. On the wind, petals fluttered all around the room. Floral fragrances filled the air. A particularly thick swirl of petals blew away to reveal a small girl with cobalt hair and piercing eyes. Her voice was quiet, even, and cold, "You called?"

Noctis put a hand on the girl's head and ruffled her hair. She showed no emotion at the gesture. "Would you mind seeing why our guest seems to have locked away her power? After all, she will be your new guardian so it's best you get to know each other."

He noticed how dark Yeul's eyes became at the mention of a new guardian. Of course she would, the man whom she saw as a father abandoned her. Trying to give her a reassuring smile, which he was certain looked more like a grimace, he nodded and sent her on her way. She disappeared in petals, the same way she had appeared.

~~~Space~~~

She no longer had any sense of time. In this cell, only darkness prevailed. She had agreed to join them, as if she had a choice. Yet they still kept her in this forsaken cell. Why?

Insanity was taking her over, she could feel it. Creaking, the door to her little cell opened and in walked… Serah?

Claire rubbed her eyes and looked again. No, it wasn't Serah. It was a different girl with long cobalt hair and cold green eyes. The second that Claire's eyes met the gaze of the only eyes that could send a chill down her spine, the world around her turned into a vibrant forest. "What's going on?" demanded Claire.

"Remember your power. What happened to it? Show me," the girl spoke in a quiet voice that Claire heard no emotion in.

Much to her horror, the world around her started to change once again. The sky darkened and her team appeared around her, all looking tired. She found monsters prowling around them. Remembering this place instilled dread inside her. Moving of its own accord, her body repeating the actions of that night. The night she became a monster.

~~~*~~~ Prompto's Adventures ~~~*~~~

By now, everyone knew of their prisoner. Prompto had spent time spying on her to gauge her ability. Ever since she had been taken captive, Noctis had been in a foul mood. Often he would complain about the "pink-haired menace". Snickering while he made his way down the steps to the basement, Prompto made his way by using his powers as night vision to the sergeant's makeshift cell.

When he opened the door, he found his target curled up on the ground, asleep. Awwww.

Carefully, he approached the woman. He reached out a hand and touched her pink hair. From what he could tell, it was indeed her natural color.

She opened her eyes and slapped his hand away. "Damn it, Snow. You have thirty seconds to leave before I throw you out the window," she mumbled half awake.

Who's Snow? wondered a confused Prompto. Shrugging it off, Prompto imitated what he imagined this Snow would sound like. "You can't hurt me," he started. "In dreams, you can't hurt anyone."

Hearing no response, Prompto was happy. He rubbed his hands together before he started to twist and braid the woman's hair into an elaborate design. He had become so accustomed to using his powers that he didn't have to concentrate on them. Not like he had to when he first discovered them.

It took him awhile, but he didn't mind. In the end, he was proud of his work. The woman's exotic hair was now in an equally exotic design. Stifling his laughs, he left the cell and went back to his bedroom. He fell asleep to the thoughts of Noctis's reaction when he sees the lovely woman's new hairstyle. Priceless.

~~~Space~~~

A/N: I've noticed that the lines are a bit light, so I've changed them. Please review, it means a lot to me! And thank you to Gundam requiem for the gang's name of Nightingales!