"Is he here? Can you see him, Mama?"

"Calm down, my love. Yes, I can see him. Its difficult to miss that hair of his."

Sori shifted her weight onto her toes, her head barely poking out over the window. A pair of giant's hands curled around her waist, hoisting her higher. "See? Just as he promised," her father cooed into her ear. His beard tickled her cheek. "Right on time."

Half a mile from the farm, a radiant redheaded figure advanced toward the family at a casual stroll. Squinting her eyes, Sori could see something on the figure's back. Nearly the size of the boy she'd been waiting so eagerly for for the past week, the stitched cloth sack bounced with his stride. Curiosity spread within her wildly.

As if her body had been struck by a series of seizures, Sori flailed her limbs about until she was placed back onto the floor again. With no regard to the scoldings and warnings of her parents, she retched the wooden door open and darted out into the heat of midday. Chocobos squeaked and furled their feathers as her tiny legs sprinted toward the boy; she'd never taken off so quickly toward anyone beside her father before.

Just as the boy opened his mouth to greet her, Sori launched herself into his arms, knowing full well that he wouldn't catch her; he'd never been strong enough to do it before. With a grunt of effort, Blank wrapped his arms around her frame, staggering only a few moments before allowing his body to crumple beneath her. Trying to ignore the pain from the impact, he forced out a somewhat believable laugh.

"Let me guess, you didn't miss me at all, huh?" Blank remarked, chewing on the inside of his cheek to dull the pain in his backside. Sori scrambled from on top of him, her eyes full of confusion.

"What?" she muttered breathlessly. "Of course I missed you! Why do you think I ran all this way?!"

Blank shook his head as he pulled himself to his feet. In only a week, his hair seemed to have grown another two inches, Sori thought. "Sarcasm," he replied, swinging the sack from over his shoulder onto the ground. "That was sarcasm. Anyway, I know I missed your birthday while I was away, so I got you something in Lindblum."

Trembling hands, skin and fingernails coated with dirt and dust, plunged into the sack. Sori shifted herself side to side, trying to catch even a small glimpse of what Blank could've been shielding from her with his body. After a few seconds of blindly searching, he pulled a small stuffed animal into her view. Sori let out a gasp of excitement; Mus were her absolute favorite. She'd been surprised that Blank remembered her absentminded comments about the sometimes dangerous beasts that were normally found around the Nolrich Heights area. Having never seen one in person, Sori relied entirely on pictures and tales to come to the conclusion that she would someday own a real one for herself.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she hollered, clasping her arms around Blank's neck once more to drive him back toward the ground. This time, however, he attempted to struggle against her, mumbling something against her skin that she couldn't quite understand.

A pair of thin, soft arms curled around Sori's waist. "What have we got here?" her mother questioned as she pried her daughter off the breathless boy. "Oh my, what a cute toy. Did you get that during your trip, Blank?"

A proud smile growing wide on his face, Blank pulled himself to his feet and gave her a quick nod. "Yes, ma'am," he answered softly.

Sori's mother, who had been completely against the idea of Blank even coming close to her family, placed a hand on his hair, giving it a soft ruffle. During his time with them, her opinion had changed drastically. The more he proved that he wouldn't steal from the trio, the more she warmed up to seeing his face nearly every day around her husband and daughter.

Blank's hand disappeared once more into the sack. "I got something for you, too," he murmured, his cheek mushed against something solid hidden inside. The sound of glass clinging together sent a flash of panic across his face only momentarily. "It isn't much," he said, pulling out a cerulean vase, "but I figured you'd like it."

Sori's mother adored vases of any shape and color, and curled an arm around Blank's shoulders and pressed her pink lips to his hair. "Thank you so much, Blank," she cooed, delight dancing in her eyes.

As the trio made their way back toward the house, Blank caught sight of Sori's father, who crossed his arms tightly over his chest. The two gave each other a nod of acknowledgment, each understanding the other without words being spoken. Not long into Blank's residency with the family, Sori's father got wind of the fact that he now housed a thief. Therein spouted a condition: that so long as Blank slept, ate, and grew under their roof, he would not steal from them. This, however, gave him free reign once he left their property. Whether they decided to turn a blind eye to it or they truly didn't know, Sori's parents had inklings as to where he was obtaining all these luxurious gifts.

"I also brought a replacement bowl for, you know, the one I broke," Blank added reluctantly, as if he were expecting the woman to react the same way she did the day she heard her most prized bowl shatter against the floor.

"I told you, my love," Sori's mother responded, "not to fret over it. Come now, let's get you two washed up."

The aroma of salted meat and steaming vegetables wafted from the cottage as the family stalked closer. Blank's stomach rumbled ferociously; it had been at least a day and a half since he last lay his hands on anything even somewhat edible. Hearing the beast within him, Sori took his hand in hers. "Mama's been cooking all day," she informed him. "We've all been waiting for you."

Something fluttered inside the young boy as he stared into the eyes that often reminded him of ocean waters. They'd been waiting for him, only him. He followed the girl who had become his very best friend in such a short amount of time into the bedroom they shared together. Sori had definitely cleaned up during his absence – he wondered if it was a demand from her mother or if it had been an act of willing.

Sori placed her new toy on the bed that she shared with Blank. Although he had insisted on sleeping in the makeshift cot in the corner of the room, the two always ended up together for warmth by the time morning came. They knew winter was not too far off. This meant the cot would be abandoned for at least three months in the approaching year.

"So, how was it?" Sori questioned, watching as Blank moved about the room, setting his things in place and taking an extra glance at the crack in the window that seemed to have grown larger during his time away. "The trip, I mean, and the stay in Lindblum, and well, everything else."

"Fine," he answered sharply. That was always his answer to that question whenever Sori had asked before. "It was fine." She hated this answer; it gave a somewhat source of proof that there was a whole other side to Blank's world – a side that he wasn't planning on sharing with anyone, especially her, for a very long time. She wished that, just once, he would elaborate on his trips to Lindblum with more than just a "fine."

Sori shifted her weight onto her other leg uncomfortably, giving the inner fleshy part of the inside of her cheek a gentle nibble. "Okay, well," she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest, "do you think you could teach me with the sword after supper? You said you would when you got back, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," he said, forcing an eager grin onto his face. Sori narrowed her eyes into a fierce glare – she saw through this illusion, too. Blank wasn't a hard person to read.

After scrubbing the grime from underneath his fingernails and rinsing the dirt from his hair, Blank met the rest of the family in the kitchen, where the women of the household had already prepared the table. Once again, his stomach rumbled like thunder at the scents invading his nostrils and the sight of some sort of roasted bird and vegetables plated on the table.

Sori's father motioned for Blank to sit next to him. The boy accepted his invitation at once and plopped himself down next to the man who was nearly three times his size. Sori watched the two intently from the other side of the table as her mother dished up food on her plate. Her father leaned downward, whispering something quickly into Blank's ear. In response, Blank gave a short nod and a soft, "Yes, sir." Blank lifted his gaze, meeting the demanding stare of the girl sitting across from him, and immediately averted his eyes elsewhere.

Shoving food into her mouth without taking a moment to even breathe, Sori allowed her imagination to run rampant. Blank teaching her to fight was something she'd been looking forward to for days and now that the moment was nearly here, she couldn't focus on anything else. Underneath the table, her legs that had been dangling limply began to move in a circular motion. The closer she got to finishing her food, the more she found it impossible to sit still. Every time she and Blank made accidental eye contact, her heart began to race once more. It felt as if she couldn't eat her food quickly enough.

Unfortunately, time seemed to creep along in the exact opposite way for Blank. As if he'd only blinked, the delicious food in front of him had vanished and he found himself being tugged along by the hand toward the crisp air outside. The sun was beginning to hide behind the mountains, giving them an illusion of being set aflame. Knowing they only had about half an hour of visible and safe daylight left, Blank let out a rushed huff. It was bad enough that he had forgotten his promise to teach Sori how to defend herself (which really hadn't been a promise at all – she'd practically forced him into a corner and wouldn't leave alone until he agreed to do it). The last thing he needed was to be outside when the especially feral beasts came out to find prey.

For a fleeting moment, Blank pictured Sori as a target for said beasts and his stomach lurched painfully. As he handed a battered wooden sword to the giggling girl in front of him, a strange sort of warmness spread about him. He'd only felt this once before, when he'd held his mother's hand as she coughed and gagged on her own blood. He'd promised he'd save her and keep her safe and sound until his own dying day. Knowing he had failed the woman who was once his entire world, he gave Sori a gentle smile, promising himself he wouldn't fail this one.

(!)(!)(!)

"Sori?"

As if someone had just forcefully grabbed onto her wrist, Sori nearly jumped from her own skin. Without realizing it, she'd traveled from Dali and found herself mindlessly staring at the charred ruins of what used to be her home. Pulling her legs closer into her body, Sori turned her head slightly and shifted her weight onto the other side of her hip. The grass beneath her bottom felt cool and barely damp. She hoped it was just the temperature and not actual dew. It would only give Marcus even more of an excuse to laugh at her expense.

"Yeah?" Sori nearly barked. Marcus was one of the last people she wanted to see at the moment. If he could possibly find some way to restore the life she once had, then maybe it would be a different story.

Marcus approached her still, crossed his legs beneath him, and settled himself into a comfortable sitting position. "I didn't see you back at the inn, so I figured you'd be here," he informed her, his own eyes lingering on the pile of blackened wood and debris.

Sori didn't reply. What was she supposed to say? So, instead of retorting with some witty, offensive comment, she remained quiet and tried to ignore the fierce lashes of cold wind coming from Ice Cavern not even a mile away. Part of her enjoyed the silence they were sharing; it was rare that the two were in the same space and didn't find something insignificant to fight about.

"How long did he live with you?" Marcus asked, slicing the veil of silence that nearly put Sori to sleep. "Before the fi – before you came to Tantalus, I mean." Talk of the fire was abandoned in Tantalus. It had scarred the two of them so horribly that the first person to speak of it since it happened (Benero, to be exact) received such a beating from Baku that the topic was buried deep in the hole of secrets the group had dug.

Sori took a moment to think on this. It had felt much longer than it actually had been that she wasn't completely sure herself. "Two years, I think," she murmured. "You guys didn't even know?"

"Not in the slightest. He never mentioned you and we just figured he was away stealing things for us." Marcus let out a throaty chuckle. "Funny how it was really the other way around, huh?"

"Yeah, funny."

"And you never knew about us?"

Sori shook her head, the same wave of embarrassment washing over her the way it did every time this popped into her mind. While her parents were no idiots, Sori hadn't the foggiest idea that Blank belonged to such a group. She'd believed his lies that he was constantly away visiting a friend of his mother's. As good of a liar as he was, he also had a huge conscious; he had eventually broken down and explained to Sori's parents the double life he was leading. Nothing had changed in the family, with the exception that nobody told Sori.

"Everything kind of made sense that night he brought me to you guys," Sori explained. "I used to be so angry with my parents for keeping so much from me about him. I just couldn't understand why it was okay for them to know and not me. I guess it was just too much for a kid my age to understand."

Marcus groaned tiredly, like he hadn't slept in weeks, and stretched his legs out in front of him. Leaning back on his palms, he nibbled on the side of his mouth with the pointed tooth Sori often poked fun at. "That wasn't it," he muttered. "I think out of the three of you, he was more scared of you thinking any less of him than your parents."

This idea seemed absurd. So absurd, in fact, that Sori had to hold back an eye roll and a scoff. "My parents would never. They loved him," she pointed out as if she excepted the entire world to be aware of this fact.

"So did you. Hell, what am I saying? You still do."

Sori's head turned so sharply that a spot on her spine between her shoulder blades popped. "Of course I do, Marcus," she spat. "He's my best friend and I-"

Leaning his head backward, Marcus opened his mouth in a frustrated sigh so loud that Sori immediately stopped talking. "Do you realize how annoying that is, Sori?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation. "You're constantly downplaying your feelings toward him by throwing out the best friend card. Have you even stopped to think about how he thinks about you? Everyone else can see it."

Sori curled her fingers tighter around her legs, her eyes locked on Marcus so intently that they began to water. "What do you mean?" she finally asked after a few moments of the silence she found herself longing for. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have to Marcus. It only made her miss Blank more. The gnawing feeling in her gut grew with every word about him.

"You really haven't noticed, have you?" Marcus sounded genuinely surprised. "Remember when you first joined Tantalus and Zidane wouldn't leave you alone?" Sori wished she could forget those extremely awkward two months of a one-sided love and countless rejected date offers. "Or when you actually stayed the night out with that idiot actor. What was his name again?"

Groaning in embarrassment, Sori covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks. "Lowell," she admitted regretfully. "Why didn't anyone stop me? That guy was such a conceited jerk."

"Blank did try, Sori."

(!)(!)(!)

The 'greatest night of Sori's life,' as Lowell labeled it, actually turned out to be one of the worst nights of Sori's life. Spending hours upon hours glued to a chair while Ruby worked her magic in the young girl's hair and face should've been the preparation for a wonderful night out with a man who didn't seem like the type to notice girls like her. He was a very well-known actor, after all, and Sori was, well, 'the raggedy girl who kept the company of no-good thieves.'

Blank had warned her, sure. He knew better than anyone what kind of guy Lowell was. Blank had seen him on the streets of Lindblum, a harem of women of all different types hanging on his arms like they were nothing but items to inflate his head. Since the moment he found out about that Lowell had set his sights on Sori, Blank constantly reminded her that he wasn't the same type of person she liked. Unfortunately and very annoyingly, Sori's rebuttal was always the same.

"I'm fourteen, Blank," she'd gripe. "Most girls my age are married by now. They don't even get to pick their husbands."

Reasonably and sternly, Blank's argument was also always the same.

"Well, Sori," he'd hiss through gritted teeth, "you don't have to be like most girls, you know."

She should've listened to him. In the dim lighting of the banquet hall, Sori leaned her cheek into her palm, being cautions to not place her elbow in the bowl of mushy soup in front of her. Lowell had not stopped talking since they sat down two hours ago. He had even ordered for her, claiming that he knew exactly what kind of fine cuisine she would like because he had tried nearly everything during his worldly travels. So far, Sori had wanted to spit out every bit of food that had touched her tongue.

"Honestly," Lowell murmured after swallowing a mouthful of food, "I just can't understand why such a pretty woman such as yourself lives in such a pitiful shack. I was absolutely horrified when I picked you up. And don't get me started on that group of beasts that met me at the door. I mean, the one with the tail must not know who I am. He was just downright crude. Don't even get me started on the redheaded swine-"

The scraping of the wooden chair legs against the floor cut Lowell's words in half. Sori jumped to her feet, nearly knocking the table over in the process, and doubled her fists at her side. "I'm sorry?" she squeaked, trying not to push her anger through to her voice.

Lowell gazed up at her after glancing around to see who was watching. Every customer had fallen silent and turned their heads toward the two. "Sit down, Sori," he ordered sharply. "You're making a scene."

Hands curled so tightly at her sides that her knuckles began to ache, Sori scanned the room. Lowell was right; she definitely was making a scene, but goddammit, he should've kept his mouth shut. He could drag her to the worst date she'll probably ever have and she'd sit through it, but how dare he speak about Blank in such a way? That was where Sori drew the line.

"I don't...," she muttered, trying to control the slight shaking throughout her body. "I don't feel very well, so I'm going to go home."

Confusion flashed across Lowell's face before he decided it was best to stand as well, as to not give the impression that Sori was talking down to him. "Allow me to grace your presence back to your shabby hole," he demanded, placing his cloth napkin back onto the table.

"No, thank you," Sori hurried to spew. "I can walk myself." She swallowed hard, trying to rid herself of the bile in her mouth that had risen at the idea of her next words. "I had a great time tonight." Without waiting for a reply – although Lowell did yell in agreement with her at her backside – Sori rushed from the restaurant and stomped her way back toward the hideout, pure hatred for the jackass rising inside her with every step she took.

Darkness greeted her when she stepped through the arched entrance. Deep down, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She was too worked up to sleep; all she wanted to do was vent to somebody about how much of an idiot Lowell was. Trying to keep her noise to a minimum, Sori began retching the clothes from her body, the makeup from her face, and the silly decorations from her hair. It would be too soon, she decided, if she ever saw that pathetic excuse for a man again.

"Sori?"

One leg half-way in her dress, Sori glanced up through her rat's nest of hair at the dim candle light approaching her. "Blank," she breathed, relieved that it wasn't another of the boys witnessing her naked break down. "I thought everyone was asleep."

"Everyone is," Blank replied, his eyes locked onto hers. "Except me. I figured you wouldn't be out late, so I've been waiting."

Unlike the other boys who often peeked when Sori was naked, Blank did the opposite. Loyally, he kept his gaze on her face. It was almost as if the rest of her body didn't exist. He'd seen her naked before, sure, and she had seen him naked. It didn't phase the two, though. The awkward after-effects had never reared their ugly heads.

Desperately looking through the piles of clothes haphazardly thrown about the floor, Sori's eyes moistened with tears. "You were right," she admitted, her voice strained. "Lowell is a complete ass. All he did was talk about himself. Do you know how many times he asked me anything about me? None. That's how many. Wait, no, that's not true. He wanted to know why I kept myself in the presence of people like you and I just-"

Strong arms circled her body, goosebumps rose on her skin, and the scent of Blank's hair sneaked into her nose. Only then did Sori realize she had started a series of crying rambles. Through her tears, she focused on the blurry outline of the candle Blank had set on a nearby table.

"You can wear some of my clothes, okay?" he offered. "Also, Cinna took your bed for the night. You can use mine." His arms pulled her in tighter for a moment before letting her go. "I'm sorry you had a terrible night."

"No, you're not," Sori replied, slipping her hand into his. Blank didn't reply, but as they started toward the pile of clothes that belonged to him, Sori could've sworn she saw the tiniest smirk on his face.

(!)(!)(!)

"Hands down, the worst date I ever had," Sori admitted with a small smile. The sun was beginning to set now. Over the top of the charred pile in front of them, the sun made it seem as if everything was aflame yet again.

Her body felt tired, as if she'd aged twenty years from the time they'd left Lindblum. Her knees and ankles ached, and her wrists popped quietly as she sat upright from leaning on them. Underneath her eyes, Sori was absolutely sure that bags of exhaustion were forming if they weren't already there. It almost seemed as if she hadn't slept since Blank had been petrified.

"That was the only date you ever had," Marcus teased. A sad reminder, true, but Sori never wanted a repeat of her night with Lowell. Not that she had been asked on many other dates, but when the opportunity arose, she wasted no time turning them down.

Sori attempted to retort to his comment with a fierce glare, but it only ended up in a pair of equally amused grins. "Did you find what we came here for?" she asked, reluctant to change the subject. This was the best she had ever gotten along with Marcus, but she was aware that all good times must eventually come to an end.

Marcus shook his head and, his tone completely changed, replied with an ashamed, "No." He pressed his lips into a thin line and let out a heavy sigh. "I spent so much time asking around. Most of the locals had no clue what I was talking about. The old man who lives at the base of that hill" – he jutted his chin toward the weather vane mountain – "said there's a noble in Treno who recently bought a vile of it at the auction house. We'll stay in Dali tonight and head that way in the morning."

Deciding that the next day couldn't come quickly enough, the two set back for Dali. On the way, Marcus stopped by a lonely vendor and purchased a few snacks for the road, knowing full well that Cinna would tear through them the second he laid eyes on them. To avoid a future starving member of the trio, Marcus told Sori to take as many delicacies as she'd like. Unsurprisingly, she didn't object to this.

Cinna's snores still echoed on in the small room they had purchased earlier in the day. Trying to ignore the dull, throbbing pain throughout her body, Sori settled herself into the bed she'd claimed as her own and closed her eyes tight. As much as she tried not to, she couldn't help but feel disappointed that it would take even longer to cure Blank. Marcus seemed hopeful, though, that it wouldn't be long.

After hours of tossing and turning and imagining Blank's arms around her once more, Sori pulled the blankets over her head and finally fell into a nightmarish sleep.