for Henrietta Skylink, whose support is like A Sea of Stars
for The SilverLight, who has been ever so encouraging. Keep it up, Alexa!
for Cam277, whose profile pic inspired this fic (haha)
A/N: Halfway through the one-shot, listen to My Most Precious Treasure by Girl's Dead Monster for maximum emotional effect!
A Sea of Stars
by Eel Nivek
• • • • • •
She was hated.
There was no doubt about it. Every platoon that she had commanded turned against her, cursing her ruthlessness under their breaths. They abhorred her and had every right do so. Emotionless bitch was what they called her, but her lack of emotions and affection was what had kept her alive all these years. In the military, the rules were simple—an order was an order and nothing was personal. Sure, she would have won over her subordinates had she been kinder, but admiration wasn't everything. She wanted results—she wanted to keep her soldiers alive.
"Commander!" A frantic member of her division came rushing at her.
She turned, "Yes?"
"The platoon has located the rebel army's hidden encampment. With your command, I will lead our troops and force them to surrender."
"Surrender?" She scoffed, arrogantly placing a hand on her hip. "You're too naïve. Burn the colony to the ground."
"B-But commander! T-That is unnecessary, excessive even! The encampment houses innocent women and children, mere bystanders caught in a battle that they have no connection to!
"Unnecessary? Excessive? If I wanted your worthless opinion, I would have asked for it. Women, children, men kill them all. That's an order."
"C-Commander… S-Surely… There is another way. Perhaps, if we can come to an understanding wit—"
"Sergeant! You're getting on my nerves. Since you seem so eager to argue on their behalf, then you wouldn't mind if I killed you instead, would you?'
The soldier tensed, sweating profusely. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words died at his throat.
"M-Ma'am p-please reconsider your decision… The rebels are just ignorant! You cannot blame them!"
She unholstered her gun blade to show that she was extremely irritated with the soldier's audacity to order her around. His demeanor changed immediately after taking a good look at the malice in her crystalline eyes.
"I-I shall do as you command!"
Satisfied, she smiled bitterly, "Go on then."
She watched, with a perverse sense of humor, as the soldier sulked out of her tent. If only he knew how foolish his decisions were. Force the rebels to surrender? If that was a feasible solution then it would have been utilized years ago. After all, everyone was sick of this damn war. But it wasn't possible to negotiate with the rebels. They were too stingy. Even if they were backed into a corner, as they were now, they would fight to their last man. Sure, they could negotiate, force the rebels into submission, but at what cost? The lives of her men were at stake here, and she wouldn't gamble.
Silently, she observed the maps strewn out on the table. She never could have expected what would happen next. Before she could react, a flurry of bullets rained into her room, shattering the windows and piercing her flesh. She dropped to floor, unable to comprehend the excruciating pain. All she could do was clench her teeth. How many bullets had made their way into her body? She couldn't tell.
A coup d'état?
It wasn't surprising when she was loathed by so many people.
Pity… She was on the brink of death, suffering from fatal wounds, yet all she could think of was how uneventful her life was. She had been a soldier all of her life, given no chance to experience the joys and happiness a normal girl would enjoy. Her whole life revolved around warfare. At an early age, when other girls were fussing over their crushes, she had been stressing over her inability to stay physically fit.
All she wanted was to live a normal life… Fall in love like a normal girl.
Was that really too much to ask?
xxx
"Prince Noctis…" A voice called out.
It repeated.
"Prince Noctis!"
He opened his weary eyes, exhausted from the unending car ride. His chauffeur, an old Caelum manservant, prodded him lightly. Awake, he blew hot air onto the foggy window and rubbed it clean. The world outside seemed like an entirely different universe. The sky was sullen and gray. The whole environment, in general, seemed cold and decrepit, unfriendly to those that were easily sensitive. Weary, he pulled a small, but precious artifact out of his pocket. It was something his mother had given to him long ago. A Paopu fruit was what she called it. He still remembered the moment his dearest mother had first placed it in his crib, explaining to him the significance behind the fruit.
It was the Caelum lineage's traditional way of courting. If two people shared one, their destinies became intertwined. They'd remain a part of each other's live no matter what happened, is what his mother told him. So far, the practice served its purpose. Generation after generation of Caelums experienced familial prosperity. Every King and Queen lived healthy lives, lives without misfortune or accidents. In short, the Paopu fruit was a blessing from the heavens that bestowed happiness upon the royal family. Shaped like a star, the fruit also glittered in the moonlight, giving it the perfect essence of a celestial body.
He rubbed the fruit lightly. Even touched and unpreserved, it didn't decay or rot. Moreover, it was a simple object, whose texture clearly did not feel squishy as a normal fruit would. He stuck it back into his pocket. One day… One day, he'd find the right woman for him, the woman, who he would give his love and children. Until then, he'd preserve this Paopu. So far, although the women were plenty, he had yet to find the one for him. Every woman that he had made acquaintances with proved to be phony or shallow. Most chased after his title and wealth, others forced themselves to act mannered in his presence. He hated it.
His noble lineage was both a blessing and a curse. As the crown prince of the regal, omnipotent Caelum kingdom, he lived a spoiled, easy life. Whereas peasants toiled, day and night, for a few measly grains of rice, he enjoyed luxurious feasts daily without having to lift a finger. The mere thought sickened him. Why should he be privileged when the only distinction between him and commoners was blood?
"Arthur," he addressed his quiet chauffer.
"Yes young master?"
"Am I good prince?"
"Why of course you are! I couldn't think of a better person for the position of crown prince other than my young master. Why do you ask?"
"Be honest."
"I am being most sincere. As your personal manservant, I've observed the way you've grown, and I must say, you've become a splendid figure indeed. No one in this country can compete with you! You've surpassed all other beings in terms of leadership, military prowess, and intelligence."
He shook his head, "Then why does poverty still exist? If I'm so perfect, as you've just portrayed me to be, why do people suffer? As a leader, I hate that the most."
"That is simple. People will always suffer. It is a universal law that no one can alter. However, what you can do is ease the suffering of your subjects. This is what constitutes and separates good leaders from the bad."
"Arthur… Do people hate me?"
"Most certainly, but you should not be concerned by this. From what I have gathered, the majority of the people in our kingdom has accepted and respects you as their new leader. Please take into the consideration that no one, not even the glorious Goddess Etro, is loved by all."
"Let me ask you one last thing… Do you think I could ever be normal?"
"By normal, do you mean, live a peasant life? The life of a commoner?"
"Yes."
"No. Absolutely not."
"Is that so…"
He sighed and shook his head cynically. The only road for him to take was one that led to a dead end. Unbearably bored, he continued to look out the window. In the distance, an eerily constructed truck approached their vehicle at an alarming rate, quickly closing the gap. Shit…
"Arthur! Get us out of here!"
"I can't young master! T-The car has been magically locked! It will not function at all. The locks, the engine, the windows have all been killed."
Reality was a funny thing. He leaned his head back against the leather headrest and closed his eyes. He hadn't been expecting to die at such an early age. But in all seriousness, whoever had plotted this assassination was quite clever. They knew too much about him. Bullets and knives wouldn't kill him. He could block those with a simple wave of his hand, but a fucking truck? To make things worse, his ability to teleport had been warded off. Someone really wanted him dead.
Unlike his frantic manservant, he settled himself quite easily. He really wasn't afraid of dying. Who was he going to leave behind? There wasn't anyone he cared about. He waited patiently, accepting his fate. Now that he thought about it, it was partially his fault. If he had accepted an arranged marriage to whatever girl and shared the Paopu with her then he wouldn't be in this ridiculous predicament.
As the raucous sound of the truck's engine grew louder, he closed his eyes. He hoped his death would be painless. The fates owed him that much, at least. The sound then became so loud that time seemed to stop. In a fleeting moment, he saw his life flash before his eyes. It was one of those cliché moments where people saw snippets of their memorable moments right before their deaths.
Damn…
xxx
His head hurt so much, but he was breathing. Strangely, his body wasn't bruised or damaged at all. There were no fatal wounds, broken bones or deep gashes. He stood and scratched his head, confused. He had absolutely no idea where he was. What he did know was that he was standing, knees deep in the shores of a crystalline beach, staring at a modest house. The building seemed so out of place. Who could have possibly constructed a house on this small, secluded island, and for what purpose? But more importantly, where the hell was he?
"Noctis."
That voice!
"Mother?" He spun around. Floating above the water was the spitting image of his deceased mother, who looked very alive to him. "How is this possible?"
"Oh my precious child, it's so wonderful to see you, but it pains me to know that we met under these circumstances."
"What do you mean?"
"You are no longer in the world you once existed in. As of now, your body in the temporal world is in a deep coma. The impact from the truck tore your soul from your body, and that's why you're here. In essence, this place is the afterlife."
"So there's no way I can go back? I'm dead?"
"No. You can go back, but you must fulfill a condition first."
"Condition?"
His mother gathered his lean frame into her delicate arms and played with his cobalt hair, "When you were alive, what did you want the most?"
"I wanted…"
"—Ah! Ah! You can't tell me. It's forbidden. Just keep that in mind. Once you've accomplished that, once you've experienced what you truly desire, you'll return to your body, and the memories of your time here will cease to exist."
"I don't get this at all. I'm so lost, mother. Why can't I just stay with you, here? Why do I have to return home? Why aren't I dead?"
"Oh baby, I wish I could answer your questions, but you have to learn to rely on your instincts from now on. As much as I would love to be with you for eternity, your time hasn't come yet. You still haven't experienced true happiness. You had regrets the moment you died, and that's the reason why you're here."
"What if I never find what I want? Will I stay here forever?"
"You'll find it. I know you will."
"What If I do find it, and don't want to leave?"
"You'll deal with it. You are my son, you can do anything."
"Mother… I don't want to be a prince. As selfish as I'm coming off, I don't want to shoulder the burdens of my subjects."
"And you don't have to. You're free here. In this world, you can do whatever you want."
"But it's not reality! It's only temporary! I don't want to live a normal, happy life, only to wake up one day trapped in the real world."
His mother grasped his hands gently, "There's a reason for everything, sweetheart. I just can't tell you what that is… But rest assured, you will get through this, and when you do, you'll have gained something precious."
He felt his mother's fingers slip away.
"Don't go, please. I just met you after years of separation, it's not fair. Stay here… I love you, mother."
"I love you too, sweetheart, but my time is up. My duty was to guide you onto the right track, and I know now that you'll find what you're looking for."
"Please."
"Oh honey, you're breaking my heart."
"Then don't leave me. I want you to stay with me."
She brushed him away gently, shaking her head.
"No sweetheart… What you really want lies behind those doors. I guarantee that it does. This world was constructed specifically for you and another, whose destinies were entwined since the beginning. Don't worry about the future, enjoy the present. Live life the way you want to. Make me proud…"
He hugged her mother's petite body, trying to prevent her from leaving him, but it was futile. Her body slipped through his hold and slowly drifted towards the bright, blue sky. Seeing his mother disappear into the clouds, he walked up shore, with a heavy heart. There really wasn't anything for him to do than approach the house. He came to the doorstep and knocked lightly. No one answered, so he assumed it was unoccupied. He pulled on the knob and surprisingly the door swung open.
Inside, the house was simply designed with a kitchen embedded under a pair of staircases. The living room was spacious and friendly, with a nice television set in center of a couple white couches. Further inspecting the interior, he walked up the staircase, which led him to a single room.
The door was slightly open. He slowly crept his way in and froze at the sight of a woman sleeping beneath the white covers of a single, king-sized bed. The sight of her long, milky legs tangled in the sheets made him hold his breath. A goddess? She was quite frankly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He came to the bedside, inspecting the woman even further. Putting it simply, there were no flaws in her physical beauty. She was without a doubt his ideal woman. Her exquisite pink hair gave her an air of childish frailty; however, her toned figure spoke otherwise.
Who was she? And what was she doing here? As time passed, he became mortified by the lewd thoughts that crept into his mind. Never before had he wanted to make acquaintances with a woman so much. There was something about her that stirred his deepest desires. Soon, he found himself obsessively making predictions about her. What color would her eyes be? Would they be as rare and delicate as the color of her hair?
He continued staring at her beautiful complexion. It took him all of his willpower not to gather her in his arms and smother her against him. Dear Etro! He was thinking like a crazed lunatic. But damn, it wasn't fully his fault for having these perverse thoughts. Who could blame him when the woman before him was wearing only a light chemise that hugged each and every one of her very "existent" curves?
Unable to bear the strain any longer, he chose to leave the room before he could commit a crime. Even outside, his mind lingered on the beautiful, pink-haired woman. He wanted to know more about her. His body couldn't keep still. He pranced around the kitchen, tinkered with the oven, and even watched a couple of sitcoms. Face buried in the sofa pillows, he tossed and turned like an impatient child. Fidgety, he sat up and tossed aside both his necktie and suit. He traced his way back into the kitchen and decided to cook himself something nice.
Looking around, he couldn't find any ingredients. The fridge was completely empty. How the hell could anyone live on this island, without any food, especially when the place was completely surrounded by miles of ocean? He continued to look and found an eerie, silver vault built into the wall. He opened it curiously and found a set of instructions written on the inside.
Ask and it shall be provided.
What the..?
"Food," he ordered.
Nothing happened. Perhaps, he had to be more specific.
"Scrambled eggs."
The vault whirred to life, humming like an engine. In less than a minute, it rang like an alarm clock and slowly opened. A dish of scrambled eggs popped out of the vault. Holy… What in the…
Curiosity piqued, he continued to experiment.
"Gun, television, suit, tie, socks, shoes, sword, bra, band-aid."
As he had asked for, the vault spat out every item he desired. Tossing the items aside, he noticed a movement from the corner of his eye and turned. Mother of… He choked. If possible, his jaw would have touched the floor. The pink-haired goddess slowly made her way down the steps, rubbing her eyes, not fully awake, and walked towards him without a clue that he was there. Even worse, or better, she had ditched the chemise and was only wearing a pair of pink bras and pink laced panties. There was no doubt about it, this was heaven… Cue nosebleed!
And then it happened…
Well, he didn't exactly know what happened…
It all happened so fast. The lazy, vulnerable expression on her sleepy face quickly vanished as she sensed his presence.
She…
Turned.
Gasped.
Shrieked.
Then charged…
In mere seconds, she grabbed him by the arm. Surprised, he had no idea what to do and succumbed to her judo toss. She sent him flying into the wall at breakneck speeds. If he hadn't been mystically endowed by the Crystals, he would have been a very dead pancake… But honestly, what the hell? For a petite woman, who barely reached his neck in height, she had one hell of a throw. And what was that about her being a cute, delicate goddess again? Scratch that! Hell-scorned, amazon, war goddess was a much more fitting description.
"Uhhh… My head…" He whined, crumpled against the wall.
"Who the hell are you?" She demanded angrily.
Damn, her voice was red-hot and impossibly sexy. Like her hair, it was unique. Normal woman just didn't have that kind of husky, erotic voice, which she so easily produced.
"Uhhhh…"
His head was so jumbled he couldn't form any comprehensible words. He simply lied there, with his legs sprawled against the wall, and tried to recuperate.
"Answer me!"
"Uhh…"
"Do you want me to break your arm?"
"N-No… Please… No…"
He slowly re-arranged himself and finally stood up. A hot blush tinted his cheeks as he continued to notice the pink-haired woman's state of undress. He could see in her beautiful, crystalline eyes that she had yet to realize how improper her attire was. He looked away, as any proper gentleman would, for her sake.
"Look at me!" She barked.
Oh shit!
He shook his head and refused to do so, which only fueled her anger.
"How dare you refuse my order?"
Refuse? She sounded like one of his Generals.
"Look here lady!" He held his hands up in air. "The reason why I won't look at you is because it would be extremely inappropriate on my part."
"Inappropriate? What do you mea—?"
Then it hit her. And as it did, her facial expression changed from one of seriousness to one of utter mortification. A shameful, scarlet brush crept up from her neck and covered her whole face. She took one step back and stuttered, trying to preserve her modesty by covering her breasts.
"D-Don't look at me you s-s-shameless pervert!" She screamed.
He sighed and turned to face the wall. He could hear her cursing colorfully as she stormed up the staircase. Minutes later, she came down wearing an overcoat and black leggings. She glared as she strutted towards him, sizing him up.
"What's your name?"
"Noctis, and you?"
"Hn," She scoffed as if the mere thought of revealing her name disgusted her. "Lightning."
"Lightning?"
"Are you deaf?"
He ignored the question, "Why are you here?"
Lightning tossed her hair over her shoulder, "For the same reason as you, I suppose. I was killed in the real world, and this is my afterlife."
Nodding, he made his way over to the couch and sat.
"How long have you been here?"
"Hmph," She folded her arms, circling around him. "For about two weeks now."
"Alone?"
"Does it matter?"
He shrugged, "I guess not."
And that was it.
They stayed that way, basking in silence, for a good few minutes. The silence was unbearable, but he had no idea what to say. His words died at his throat; it was strange, he wanted to say something, but he hesitated. He didn't want to give Lightning a bad impression, although he'd probably given her a bad one already. But damn… For a woman with an icy exterior, she was absolutely adorable, especially when she chewed on her bottom lip and furrowed her sharp brows, showing that she was frustrated or lost in thought.
"N-Noctis?"
He turned.
"C-Can I call you that?"
Why was she blushing?
"Of course," He smiled. He couldn't get over how beautiful both her appearance and actions were. "Is there something wrong? You're quite red."
She bit her lip, "Are you hungry?"
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Will you cook for me?"
She nodded slowly.
"Then yes," He replied. The mere thought that she wanted to cook something for him made him giddy and happy. "But if you don't mind my asking, why?"
"I just thought I should make it up to you... I mean, I kind of did throw you against the wall. And I did call you a pervert, when it really was my fault…"
"I'd like that."
Her face lit up, "I'll make you something, just wait a bit, okay?"
"Okay."
He sat on the couch and turned on the television. It was quite strange. He felt relaxed; this was exactly how he had wanted to live—having a woman, preferably his wife, cook for him while he waited eagerly. Right now, for some reason, he felt like he was in that type of relationship. Rather than watching the television, he decided to watch Lightning, to observe how gracious and elegant she was when she was cooking. The apron, a symbol of domesticity was unfamiliar, even unsuited, to her character, but she looked lovely in it regardless.
"Dinner's ready!"
Dinner's ready… Those words sounded wonderful coming from her lips.
He sat down on the small table and took a moment to observe all of the wonderful dishes she had prepared. Dear Etro… What couldn't she do? She was perfect, and the fact that she had spent her time cooking the dishes, instead of prompting the vault to make them for her, just showed how amazing she was.
She sat at the opposite end, quietly picking at her food, while he did nothing but stare.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
"Are you real?"
"What?"
"I mean it's so hard to believe. You're so beautiful, talented, and elegant I just can't help but wonder if this all dream. Honestly, when I first saw you, I thought you were a goddess."
Lightning dropped her fork and pursed her lips, turning her head away in utter embarrassment and joy. Her face flushed red, again. There was something about Noctis, whether it was his charming words or his gorgeous eyes, that made her blush.
"No one's… ever called me beautiful… before…"
She stared down at her lap, unable to make eye-contact with Noctis. His words were genuine and that's why they were so frightening. This was almost too real, and reality had been cruel to her. Would he turn cruel as well? Etro, she was so afraid of commitment, so afraid of dropping her mask and letting herself indulge in her feminine desires.
"They probably couldn't tell you. I mean I'm pretty confident myself, but a woman as lovely as you would even make me stutter."
She smiled. He was good, "Noctis… Tell me more about yourself. Who are you or who were you?"
"Well… I was the prince and sole heir of an isolated nation called Regnum."
"Regnum? I've never heard of that before. What world does it inhabit?"
"A world called Gaia," he answered. "Where did you live?"
"I lived in Cocoon, a part of a world called Pulse. Have you heard of Pulse before?"
"Actually, I have, but I've never been there. My father's mentioned it quite a few times during his council meetings. Apparently, it's a world filled with strange, mystical creatures."
"I guess you could say that. There are these enormous, mutant turtles called Adamantoise and Adamntortoises that literally cause earthquakes when they walk."
"Heh," he laughed. "That does that sound interesting. Lightning, tell me more about yourself."
Her demeanor changed instantly. She visibly receded into her shell. Damn, he shouldn't have asked her that question.
"I-I don't think you'd want to know…"
"I do."
"I-I…" She paused and stared at her fingertips. "I was a commander in the Guardian Corps, a police division of Cocoon's military."
A commander? Impressive.
"So that explains the Judo toss."
"Yeah," she nodded. "I was trained in a dozen different forms of martial arts. I… I'm just not who you think I am…"
"Well, I hardly know you. We've just met."
"No, that's not the point. You don't understand, I'm a murderer! I've killed and ordered innocent civilians to be killed! That's why no one's ever called me beautiful! I'm a filthy, blood-stained monster…"
He could see that she was pained. Her past still had an enormous influence on her actions. The fact that she could acknowledged her imperfection made her even more beautiful.
"Lightning, it's alright. It doesn't matter who you were, I want to get to know who you are as of today. You've probably been told this, but our destinies are supposed to be intertwined. Don't let something as silly as your past ruin your future."
Lightning gasped and stared into Noctis's icy, blue eyes. Why? Why didn't he abhor her?
"Let's make a deal."
"A d-deal?"
"I don't know how long our time here is going to last, but promise me one thing. Don't worry about who you used to be. Just be who you want to be. Honestly, I hated being a prince. All I wanted to do was live a normal life, and that's what I'm going to do. Here, we can be whoever we want to be. You don't have to be a soldier and I don't have to be a prince."
"I'd like that."
"Then it's settled. As of now, you're just Lightning, and I'm just Noctis. Hello just Lightning, I'm just Noctis, it's so very nice to meet you."
Lightning laughed musically. He couldn't help but laugh along as well.
"Shall we eat then?" He asked.
"We shall."
While staring into Lightning's unbelievably lustrous eyes, he cut into his mouth-watering steak and brought it to his lips. He felt something stir within him. Something that told him that the future held promise for both of them, and that this was merely the beginning.
He bit into his steak.
He froze.
He fell out of his chair. Anime style.
Lightning bolted to her feet, "Noctis, what's wrong? Noctis! Are you okay?"
He couldn't say anything. His words had been flushed out by the overwhelmingly bad taste in his mouth.
Heh…
Maybe she wasn't perfect after all.
xxx
Time passed so very quickly.
Lightning found herself sitting alone by the ocean's shore, gazing into the beautiful night sky. She absolutely loved watching the stars. They were so beautiful and heavenly. As a child, all she had wanted to do was touch one. She smiled. The silly memory was embarrassing, but Noctis had taught her that it was okay to dream. Speaking of the dark-haired prince, whom she had grown so fond of, he was the best acquaintance anyone could ask for.
He had taught her so many things that she would never have dreamed of learning. During their months together, he took her spear-fishing, taught her how to surf, and showed her what a "sand-castle" was. She loved every moment that she was with him. He was so gentle and kind to her. He didn't mind that she was a slow-learner. No, he would always stand by her side patiently and correct her when corrections were necessary, and on his fervent recommendation, she had taken a couple of cooking lessons from him.
As she continued to recall her time with Noctis, she felt a rush of warmth fill her chest. She clutched at her breast and gasped. What was this feeling? She couldn't possibly… No… No… That was completely unacceptable and out of the question. Their circumstances absolutely forbade it.
She craned her neck, sensing Noctis's presence.
He appeared from their house and sat next to her.
"What are you up to?" He asked.
"Star-gazing."
"Beautiful night, isn't it?"
"It is."
They sat together, huddled shoulder to shoulder, and silently observed the night's starry display. She sighed blissfully. This was it. This was how she envisioned her perfect life to be, basking not only in the presence of the beautiful stars, but also in the presence of a beautiful acquaintance. She stared at Noctis's gentle features. Even though she'd already spent a year with him, she could never get over how kind he was. He was so different from the men she knew.
"You must really love the stars."
She smiled, hugging her legs, "I do. This is kind of embarrassing to say, but I've always wanted to touch them. As a child, all I wanted… Oh God this is going to ruin my image… was to be enveloped by them."
"Is that right?"
He mused then paused. He knew exactly what he could do to lighten her mood.
Seeing Noctis furiously fumble with his pockets, she became quite curious.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah hah!" He pulled out his prized Paopu fruit, which, in the luminous moonlight, lit up like a celestial body.
She gasped, unable to believe her eyes.
"Is that a…"
"A star?" He shook his head. "It's called a Paopu fruit. Strange isn't it? It's a fruit that's shaped like a star, glows in the moonlight like a star, but isn't a star."
"Can I touch it?"
He handed it to her.
She beamed brightly, observing the texture of the eerie star-shaped fruit. It didn't feel soft or mushy as most fruits did, it was sleek, and its glowing hue only increased its appeal. It genuinely felt like she was holding a star in her hands.
"How did you get this?" She asked.
"In my kingdom, the Paopu fruit is a rare treasure used in courtship ceremonies. According to the beliefs of my ancestors, the Paopu fruit brings harmony to the lives of two couples. If two people share the fruit, their destinies are entwined forever. No matter what happens, no harm will befall them, and no misfortune will ruin their marriage."
"That's wonderful," she held the fruit up and when she did, it blended into the night sky perfectly. "I suppose you haven't found the woman for you then?"
I have.
He didn't reply. He simply smiled, watching Lightning adorably toy with the fruit. There was no doubt about it anymore. She was the one for him. His interest and love for her grew stronger each and every day. Her strong outer and soft inner personas melted his heart. He had never enjoyed being in anyone's company as much as he enjoyed being in Lightning's. His mother was right—their fates were entwined that was undeniable the moment he laid eyes upon Lightning.
"Lightning," His voice was stern.
"Yes?"
"I don't really know how to say this, but I have to say it. It's been on my mind for too long now."
"What is it?"
"I… I love you."
"W-What?"
She bolted to her feet, shaking her head in furious denial. No. No. NO! He couldn't be serious. Why did he have to do this to? Why did he compromise her like this? She would have been perfectly fine with being acquaintances, but lovers? Absolutely not. It all came down to the circumstances. She wasn't going to let her heart be broken. They couldn't be lovers; it was impossible.
"I-I… Why?" She shouted. "You shouldn't love me!"
"But I do," He answered gently, standing as well. He walked towards her backing figure. "The year we've spent together has been more wonderful than all of the years that I've lived in the temporal world. I don't want to deny these feelings any longer. I love you, Lightning."
"N-No… No… Don't love me… Don't do this to me, Noctis, please."
"I love you."
"You don't get it, do you?" She shouted angrily, discarding the Paopu fruit. "We're living a lie! This isn't reality! Sure, I've enjoyed my time here, but it's only temporary. You should have been told that once our deepest desires are satisfied, we'll return to the real world without a single memory of our time here."
He took a step back.
Shit… She was right.
"That's why I can't fall in love with you. You have to understand this. My deepest desire is to fall in love. That's all I want to do, but I can't, don't you realize that? Once we fall in love… we'll part… we'll never see each other again… You'll return to your life on Regnum, and I'll return to my life on Cocoon. We'll be universes apart with absolutely no chance of meeting again!"
He closed his eyes, cringing at the very thought of parting ways.
"I-I was so excited when you arrived on the island, about this time, a year ago. Did you know that all I wanted to do was jump into your arms? I was a fool… We can't ever fall in love, and if we do, it's over for us… That's why I won't say I'm in love in with you, I can't. I don't want to leave you."
"It's okay," he stated calmly.
"It's NOT okay!"
"It's alright, Lightning."
"Stop chiding me like I'm some kind of child!" She shouted furiously. Her anger started to rise. Any longer, and she wouldn't be responsible for the damage she inflicted. This always happened because she was mentally unstable. The mere thought of having to return to her old life was unacceptable and frightening.
He could see Lightning was devastated. He had to approach her wisely else she'd stay emotionally distraught.
"I love you Lightning."
"Don't say that!"
Frustrated she did the only thing she knew how to do. She reacted instinctively, and roughly shoved Noctis, sending the surprised prince tumbling into the cold, sandy shore. She didn't even bother to help him up or apologize. She felt so exposed and vulnerable. He had mined all of the feelings that she had so desperately tried to conceal, and it irritated her. If this was how he wanted to play, she'd play as well. If he was going to play the gentle prince after her heart then she was going to be wicked bitch that protected it.
"You're the worst, do you know that Noctis?"
Damn.
Words never hurt him so much. Coming from her lips, those words were especially acerbic. They pierced and clenched his heart. He really screwed this one up, and he couldn't blame anyone; it was his fault for selfishly pressing his needs onto her. But shit, he felt like an absolute idiot for even trying to win her over when it was clear that she was unwilling and in such a fragile state of mind. As his guilty conscience continued to weigh on him, he watched her quickly retreat into the house.
Damn it all!
How was he going to fix this?
xxx
Morning came too soon.
The sun's bright rays burned her eyes, shining through the measly window curtains. She sat upright and sighed. For some reason, she felt terrible and she knew exactly why. In her emotional rampage, she had been a complete bitch last night. Noctis had done nothing to warrant her anger, yet she had pushed him roughly. She had to apologize, but not now. She still needed to take some time away from the dark-haired prince.
CHING!
The disturbing, metallic sound of the vault, being used to its greatest capacity, reverberated throughout the room. Dear Etro, what was Noctis doing? What could he possibly want that required the vault to be on its maximum setting?
CHING! CLANK!
Well whatever it was, she had no interest in finding out. He could toil all he wanted. He would get no help from her. No, she had better things to do.
THUMP!
"Ah shit!"
She heard Noctis curse and snorted somewhat evilly at his misfortune. Plucking a book from one of the shelves, she started reading and immersed herself in her thoughts, completely disregarding what the prince was up to. Of course, things didn't go as smoothly as planned. While she was reading, she would often feel agitated. She was so curious, wanting to know what Noctis was up, that she became restless. She tossed and turned, rolling over to the different sides of the bed. She hummed a light tune to pre-occupy herself, but it didn't help. Her traitorous thoughts would always drift back to Noctis.
An hour passed.
She hopped off of the bed and stood at the door, leaning against it, hoping to hear what he was doing. The vault was still in use, which meant that he still wasn't finished with whatever nonsense he was up to. What on Pulse could he possibly be trying to do?
Another hour passed.
She did a couple exercises.
A couple of hours passed.
She returned to bed, restless still, and continued reading from where she had left off. Why wasn't he coming for her? Dear Etro, why did she sound so pitiful? She sounded like a weak princess waiting for her prince. Her stomach churned at the thought.
As the sunlight thinned and vanished over the horizon, she set her thick novel aside. She had been reading for at least ten hours now. Ten hours, in which she would occasionally stand at her door to eavesdrop on whatever Noctis was doing. Right now, it seemed he had completely left the building, so she relocated to the living room, hoping to find hints of where he had ventured off to.
He couldn't possibly have left her, could he? Perhaps the materials that he had forced out of the vault were parts of a boat! That would explain the raucous noises that the vault had been making earlier. She sat on the couch anxiously. An intense, unexpected wave of loneliness passed over her, and she enveloped herself in a blanket. She was an idiot. She knew she should have apologized when she had the chance. Why did she always have to be so stubborn?
Suddenly, the door swung open. Her anxieties were washed away when she saw Noctis's dirtied and wet figure standing in the doorway. He looked like a homeless beggar, exhausted and weak. His luxurious, dark suit was completely tattered, and his hair, dear Etro, was full of sand. He was a mess.
She ran to his side.
"Noctis what's wrong? What happened? Where did you go?"
"I'm fine, Light."
"No you're not! You're soaking wet."
"It's fine. Listen to me, please," he begged. "I'm sorry Lightning. Can you forgive me for last night? I know I acted like a compl—"
"—No! If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I'm sorry for shoving you like that… If there's anyway I could make it up to you…"
"You can," he replied. This was it. "Can you close your eyes for a bit?"
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
She nodded and did as he requested.
"Now take my hand," he gently grabbed her hands. "Don't open your eyes until I say so, okay?"
"Right."
He led her through the doorway and onto the beach. They walked for such a long time that she felt like they had circled the beach multiple times. By now, her curiosity was practically screeching at her to open her eyes, but she refused.
"We're here. You can open your eyes now."
Slowly drawing her eyelids open, she was greeted by the picture of Noctis standing in front of… Etro, how was this possible? W-What was this? Unable to process the sight before her, she buckled. Her knees gave out and she fell on them. Tears rushed out of her eyes uncontrollably. I-It was so beautiful. Words couldn't fully describe what she was seeing. The vast, endless ocean was littered with what seemed to be an infinite amount of bright, luminous stars—no… Paopu fruits!
She couldn't believe it…
It was a sea of stars.
"In my Kingdom, they say that two people who share a Paopu fruit will remain a part of each other's lives forever."
He held out a Paopu fruit for her to take, "I love you Lightning… Will you share this fruit with me?" He asked with surprising conviction.
She rose slowly, "You did all of this for me? How much trouble did you go through? There's no way anyone could have possibly filled up an ocean, yet you have. That's why you're a mess, and that's why you've been using the vault all day, right? You've been taking out Paopu fruits. Why would you go through all of that… for me?"
"Because it was worth it. You're worth so much more than a day of labor," he replied earnestly. "Do you know what my greatest regret was before I died? My greatest regret was that I couldn't make people happy. My life was always about me, everyone catered to my needs. I hated that, and I wanted to reciprocate these affections. And I think that's mainly the reason why I'm here with you. No matter what the outcome may be, in the end, all I want to do is make you happy. I would give a sea of stars just to see you smile."
Ending his dialogue, he wasn't expecting to be wholly embraced. Lightning wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest. Touched by her gentle gesture, he smiled and kissed her on the head.
"Why?" She questioned weakly. "Why do you have to be so perfect?"
He shook his head and quietly wiped her tears away.
"It's not me, it's you."
"No, don't say that."
"Then we're both perfect."
"I love you Lightning," he repeated and would continue to do so as long as time allowed it.
"I don't want to leave you… We'll never see each other again. You live on Gaia and I live on Pulse, we're already worlds apart. Even then, if we do, by some miraculous act of Fate, meet again, we won't know each other. I can't bear the thought of losing you."
"Neither can I, but we have to do this. We can't keep living this lie," Noctis reassured, tucking her pink locks behind her ear. He stared straight into her eyes. "Listen to me… I love you, and I will always love you no matter what obstacles may separate us. "
Tears poured out of both their eyes as they instinctively realized that their time together had to end. For the first time in both their lives, they let their emotions reign free. Their love for one another completely overwhelmed their senses, freeing their minds from all physical restraints.
He cried.
She cried.
He held her tight, "I promise, even if the odds are a billion to one, I'll find you again."
Lightning nodded slowly against the crook of his neck, completely reassured by his sincere words. It was strange. Just a year ago, she would have never even thought of falling for someone, and here she was, wooed by the only man in the universe she truly cared for.
"No matter where or how I meet you, I'll fall in love with you."
She smiled optimistically.
"And even if you beat me up when we first meet, I'll still marry you. We'll have children together and we'll travel to Regnum and Cocoon. You'll never be alone again, I promise."
Hearing his words, she knew what she had to do. She stood up on her toes and kissed him. Mildly surprised, he regained his composure and returned the loving gesture, embracing her even tighter.
When they pulled away, she smiled.
"I love you Noctis."
He smiled. His heart soared as her proclamation finally sunk into his head. For some reason, he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. An extremely strong rush of emotions surged throughout his body, and he felt invincible. Those three incredible words had invigorated him. Once more, he held the Paopu fruit up.
Seeing the glowing fruit in his hands, she took it and chewed off a side, without hesitation.
"I love you Noctis."
"I love you Lightning."
The minute those words were said, Lightning disappeared, completely vanishing from the island. All that remained of her were footprints in the sand.
As he watched her fade into the real world, he held the remains of the Paopu fruit to his lips and inhaled its scent. Etro, it smelled just like her. Savoring her scent, he finished what was left of it and closed his eyes. No matter what the future held for him, he knew one thing was for sure—he would be reunited with Lightning.
With that exhilarating thought in mind, he stepped back, closing his eyes, and let his body fall.
His body never touched the sand.
The curtains fell first.
xxx
Bright.
Everything was too bright. The ceiling lights burned his eyes to an absolutely unbearable extent. Arduously, he moved his heavy cast-coated arms to shield his eyes. That effort lasted mere seconds as the energy it took, to keep his arms in that position, was too much to handle. Tossing his arms to the side, he groaned out load. Where the hell was he and why the hell did he feel like shit?
"Oh shit!"
He heard a familiar voice cry out.
"Hey yo! Everyone! Noctis is awake! Come here, right now!"
That voice. Prompto?
An outrageous face matted with messy, blond hair blocked his vision. For crying out loud, they were close enough to kiss. What was the idiot doing?
"NOCTIS!"
His friend obnoxiously embraced him, without taking into consideration that he was still in the process of recovering.
"W-What happened? Where am I?"
"Noctis!" Another voice shouted.
His two other close companions, Ignis and Gladiolus rushed into the room and ran to his bedside. Checking to see if he was in right state of mind, they quickly questioned him, asking him absurd questions such as "What's your name?" and "Is Prompto gay. If no, what have you done to Noctis?"
Prompto laughed, "It's so good to see you alive. You wouldn't believe how worried your father has been. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his only heir. He's been tearing his hair out for quite some time now. How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"That's to be expected, you got mowed over by a freakin' truck."
"That's right…" He groaned. Now that he remembered what had happened, his whole body throbbed uncomfortably. "How's Arthur?"
"He's already recovered. His wounds were way less severe than yours, and for an old man, Arthur's pretty durable."
"He's already recovered? How long have I been out?"
"A month."
"What the hell?"
To think that a month had passed by without him being in commission, he was thoroughly ashamed of himself. While he had been here, bedridden like a fool, his kingdom had been without a leader.
Ignis flicked him on the forehead, "Don't exert yourself. You've just woken up. Now's not the time to be thinking about your people. Heal up first then we'll deal with politics after."
"Where are we?" He questioned. "This isn't a hospital that I'm familiar with."
"We're at Hollow Bastion Medical Center," Prompto answered.
"So we're on another planet?
"Yeah, your father thought it was necessary for you to receive the best medical treatment there was. He wasn't going take any chances. He wouldn't even let the palace healers touch you. Of course, he also ordered us to accompany you, and we being your, BEST friends, accepted without hesitation."
"That's bullshit, Prompto!" Gladiolus laughed. "You only came because the king offered to pay us for coming."
"Shut the…"
Noctis smiled. His friends were the same as usual, bickering and fighting amongst themselves.
"Yo Noct," Prompto held out his Paopu fruit. "You should take this back. I found it in the car wreck, and I've got to say, the thing's invincible. There's not a single scratch on it."
He took the fruit and put it in his pocket.
"Ignis what planet are we on?"
"Kingdom Hearts. It's a planet known for its medical technology. The inhabitants have utilized a unique life essence that they call 'the Heartless' to cure people. And from the looks of it, their methods seem to have worked. You're not feeling strange, are you?"
"No. I feel perfectly fine."
"Well that's nice to know. Can you sit?"
Stretching his joints, he sat straight up, "Yeah."
"Can you stand?"
Pressing against the bed with his arms, he slid his legs out of the sheet and touched the cold, marble floor with his bare feet. Icy, prickles of feeling shot up his legs and made him shiver. He walked around the room to restore his leg muscles. There was no denying that he was weak. A month of inactivity would ruin anyone's physical health. Walking up to the hospital ward's metallic door, he slowly pulled it open.
"Hey yo!" Prompto shouted. "Where are you going Noctis?"
"I need air."
"I'll come with you."
"No, don't. I'm fine."
The blond was going to tag along regardless, but Ignis placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, telling him to let Noctis go.
"Go on then. Don't be gone for too long or else we're going to follow your sorry ass for the rest of your life."
"Right," he replied.
He slowly wandered the silent corridors like a lost phantom. Passing through different sections of Hollow Bastion's impressive medical wards, he examined the different layouts mindlessly. Putting it simply, he had no destination in mind; he went wherever his legs took him.
Suddenly exhausted, he chose to rest at the hospital's lounge, where groups of patients came to mingle with one another. He took an empty seat between two other patients and leaned back, basking in the lounge's calm, soothing ambience.
For some reason he had the urge to pull out his Paopu. He took it out from his pocket and rubbed its leathery coat with his thumb.
"That's an interesting thing you have there," the woman to his right pointed out silently. "What is it?"
"It's a Paopu fruit."
"So it's something you eat, right?"
"More or less," he replied. "They say that two people who share a Paopu fruit will remain a part of each other's lives forever. A bit cheesy and romantic, isn't it?"
"Heh, I wouldn't know, I'm not really someone who knows much about romance."
"Is that so?" He smiled. "Oh damn, where are my manners? My name is Noctis."
"Lightning," She replied and paused for a second before asking.
"Have we met before?"
xxx
— OST —
My Most Precious Treasure by Girls Dead Monster
Can't Believe It by Younha
A Sea of Stars — a story for Henrietta Skylink, The SilverLight, and Cam277