Author's Notes: Thank you for sending in reviews! Hope you'll like the next chapter of the story! Only two more chapters to go before the end!


The last few weeks hadn't been the easiest. It seemed that Light had kept her word and stayed away from me. As much as I tried to get through the days, buried in my own work, it was hard to avoid the thoughts that continuously came up in my mind, mainly the thoughts of her. I tried to work on science that would be ground breaking, but on the inside, I was the one who was breaking. I tried to forget about her and everything that happened since that morning in my apartment, but it was as if her presence was haunting me, even though she wasn't really there. I could still see her rose colored hair and beautiful, blue eyes clearly. I could still hear her voice and the things she used to say to me. The worse was at night when I was sleeping...

Director's Notes 08: The Rose Haired Phantom:

I found myself dwelling on the same thoughts once again...

Then I heard my office door open. I lifted my head to see my assistant walk in. Refocused again, I turned my attention back to my work. "Director Estheim?"

"Yes?" I answered without looking up.

"The other scientists are waiting to see you now."

"All right. I'll be there soon."

"What's wrong?"

I lifted my head to her. There was a look on her face that said 'tell me what's wrong or I'll find out another way'. I hope I wasn't that readable to her. "Nothing's wrong."

Nena pouted and frowned. "Hmm…Right…" She started walking toward my desk and raised her eyebrow toward me. "You've been a lot quieter, you've been staying here a lot more lately, and all I see you do is work. I don't see you take much of a break and you're not spending time outside of work especially with a certain someone." I looked off to the side. I wasn't ready to talk about that. I guess she noticed the look on my face right away because I saw a concerned look on hers as she stopped in front of my desk. "Director what is it? I've never seen you this way before."

I kept my eyes away from hers. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Nena leaned against the edge of my desk. "Did something happen between you and Sergeant Farron?"

I let out a sigh as I closed my eyes. I didn't want to get into this now, but I couldn't lie to her. At this point, she could see right through what was going on. "Sort of..." I leaned back as I stared down at my desk. This was going to be hard to admit. "You were right about before. We just weren't… meant to work out." That hurt more admitting it out loud.

Nena gave sympathetic look. "You told her how you felt about her didn't you?" I didn't want to say. I couldn't tell if I was more embarrassed by my actions. She took my silence as an answer without pressing on about it. She let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry about what happened. At least you know now. In the end, maybe it was for the best. It hurts a lot now but give it some time. You'll find a way to get over it." I leaned my head against my hand. This wasn't easy. I had fallen so much that I couldn't see myself getting out of it. I felt trapped in this state I was in now. I've never had someone hurt me this deeply before. At times, it was something I couldn't deal with. Then she gave me a hopeful smile. "It'll be all right. Just get back on your feet! Get out more! Meet new people! You have to make a couple of public appearances anyway." I looked down. I'm sure she was right. That would be the best way to get over this... She gave me a smile that would fill anyone with hope. "You'll get through this all right? I promise you will."

I smiled as best as I could toward her. "Thank you." She gave me one final smile before she headed out of my office. I guess it's better to take her advice.

Eventually I did. I attended public appearances, each time with a different woman on my arm. I put on a smile for the crowd, pretending that I was happy. It did become easier with each time I went out. In one public appearance, I was escorted by a model. As I waved out to the crowd, I thought I saw a familiar someone. My hand froze in midair on its own. Was it really her? I thought I could see her standing in the crowd. She looked serious as she usually did, but there was something else about her. I thought I saw sadness in her eyes. That couldn't have been it. There was no reason that she would be sad. Thinking that my mind was playing tricks on me, I looked over the rest of the crowd. When I looked back to that spot she was in, she was gone. Maybe it really was my mind imagining it. Maybe that was how badly I wanted to see her. Eventually I knew I would see her again during the night...

After my days were done, I went home and would usually stay up for a few more hours until I fell asleep. Every night, I saw her as I slept and I could hear her voice. For some reason, my dreams were the same as the night when she stayed here. We were in a state of physical bliss or at least, I was in the real world and she was in my dreams. She would whisper and say things to me that I would never hear her say. I don't know how much time had passed, but I would love this moment we were in. My mind was consumed with her. Her presence was haunting me even when I woke up. I would think she was there when in reality she really wasn't. She had become a phantom that had me trapped with her. I wanted to get over this, but it was wearing me down so much that eventually I thought about giving up. At some point, I thought I really had. When I woke up the next morning, the feeling of loneliness would set in without her actually being there. Today would be another day just to get through...

Nena returned to my office. The day had been mostly silent and I had once again buried myself in work. She stepped in front of my desk and handed me a screen. When I looked up, there was a list but I wasn't sure what it was for. I didn't have to ask since she filled me in as soon as she showed me. "Director these are the name of the soldiers that will be on the current mission so we won't be able to call them to help us on our upcoming mission." I took the screen from her hands and scanned over the list. Everything was fine until…

After looking over most of the names, I spotted her name on the list. Nena must've noticed the look on my face because afterwards there was a look of concern. "I'm sorry. I didn't see her name on the list."

"It's fine. It's good that I know. Thank you, Nena." She smiled uneasy and turned away. In silence, she walked out of the office. I looked back down at the list. I couldn't avoid it. I knew I would run into some form of her eventually. I stared at the name for a little before I placed the list aside. I had to push pass this. I gained my focus back and went to work. I didn't think anything else about it.

The next day as I walked through the lobby of the Academy, I noticed a group of soldiers gathered around. They seemed to be deep in conversation. I was about to head for the elevators until I heard only a little bit of information that made me stop in my tracks. Without thinking, I turned back and went over to them. "What did you just say?"

The soldiers gave me a surprised look and were silent at first. Then one of them spoke, "Director. I'm sure someone would have informed you later, but the soldiers that went on the mission a few days ago, they've all gone missing. We sent out other soldiers to look for them, but so far they haven't had any luck."

My chest tightened to the point that I couldn't breathe right. Lightning was supposed to be on that mission. What if she was truly missing? "You said that you couldn't find any of the soldiers? That none of them returned?"

"The few that we found were already dead when we got there."

My heart sunk down deep into my stomach. What if she...? "And...Sergeant Farron? Wasn't she on that mission too?"

The soldier gave me a look of concern. "She was, but we haven't found her yet. I'm sorry Director. That's all of the information that we have for now." They turned and walked away as I just stood there, unmoving. I didn't know what I could do. What could I do? All I could wonder if she was truly gone. Then something came to mind from the past, something that she once said to me. 'I'll protect you' is what she said. That night when I was in the hospital, she made that promise to me and in return I made the same promise to her. Right...I had made the same promise to her. Realization dawn on me. I would be breaking that promise if I didn't try to find her. I had to find her to know for sure. I couldn't be afraid or give up. She taught me that. With that determination burning inside, I headed to the elevators, this time with a new mission.

As I was in my office, searching on my screen, Nena walked into my office. "Director? What are you doing? We have a meeting in-."

"Cancel it! Cancel everything I had today."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted her step toward my desk. "What's going on?"

"That list of soldiers that you've given me, they've gone missing."

She looked worried. "Oh no!"

"I'm sending other soldiers to help with the search. I will be going out there too." She became more worried once I told her that, but I wasn't. I couldn't be. I had to find her no matter what it took.

"It could be dangerous. If they went missing, then there's no telling what's out there."

That wasn't a concern for me. "I know but I have to try."

She was still worried for me. That was clear to see. Then I heard a sigh leave from her. "You're doing this because she's out there?" I stopped typing and turned toward her. We both already knew the answer to that. "This has become personal to you. It always has been."

There was a moment of silence between us. Maybe I was waiting for her to tell me not to get involved since my heart was so invested in Lightning, but nothing came. Maybe she had understood. "I have to do this."

She let out another sigh. "Make sure you come back all right?"

I smiled a little. I didn't think she would approve. "Thank you." Once everything was set, I headed out to where Lightning was last seen.


The open field seemed pretty empty so far. I went ahead of the soldiers on my cycle hoping that I would be able to find a clue first. So far...nothing. Everything was so calm and peaceful out here that it's a wonder that something happened to them. I was starting to worry. What if I would never be able to find her?

I shook my head. I couldn't think like that. I had to hope that she was still out there somewhere and that I would find her. Anxious, I started calling out for her. Even though I kept calling and calling, all I could hear was the echo of my own voice. Eventually I took off riding. It was just a cycle of stop, call, and then moving on. Before I realized it, the sun was beginning to set. It would be night soon. As much as I didn't want to stop, I forced myself to turn and head for the camp. Returning back to my tent was harder than I thought. I couldn't sit still nor could I sleep. After a while, I got out of my temporary bed and walked outside. The air had cooled down from before so it was somewhat refreshing. I walked around with really no place to go. A few times I glanced at the sky. The stars were out clear to witness. As I stared at them, I wondered where she could be and if I would ever see her again. As much as I told myself that I would find her, doubt kept trying to gnaw away at the hope I had left. Still I pressed on.

Nearby I heard soldiers talking and walking as they were. They didn't seem to notice me. I was about to walk away when I heard a part of their conversation. "How long do we have to be out here…?"

One of the others shrugged in response. "The Director is heading this operation, but they only said a few days."

The first soldier breathed out as he rubbed his face. "If they didn't find them the first time, what makes them think we're going to find them this time?"

"Like I said, the Director is the one who is heading this mission. He really wanted us to find them."

"Hmm...Wait? Wasn't Sergeant Farron on that mission?"

The soldier snapped his fingers. "Oh! Right... That would explain a lot about why he wants to do this."

The first soldier crossed his arms. "Yeah… He wouldn't do the same for us. Of course he would do it for his girlfriend. Did you see that picture of them in the paper? Now he has us all out here really looking for her." I was surprised. Was it that obvious? My feelings for her? I turned, left from the spot I was in, and went back to my tent. I rested my head against my pillow and stared upwards. This couldn't be the end of seeing her again...

The next day turned out to be the same. There was no sign of her and the team that she was with. Time was running out. We had checked and rechecked the same areas and beyond it, but still nothing.

The third day had come quickly. I went out on my own. Most of the soldiers were tired and ready for the mission to come to an end. I looked in the same places over and over again. It just seemed hopeless at this point... I breathed out. I didn't want to give up, but I searched everywhere. Finally I did the last thing I could. "Lightning! Lightning!" I kept calling, hoping by some miracle that she would response back, but I had no such luck. I looked toward the ground. What else could I do? I was running out of options...

Suddenly I saw something on the ground near some plants. My eyebrows furrowed as I kneeled down to get a closer look at the object. It seemed too shiny to be something from the area. Once I realized what it was, my hope had renewed. This was a possible clue that I was waiting for. It was Lightning's knife. She wouldn't leave this behind. It was important to her because Serah had given it to her. She had to be nearby or at least I hoped so. I called out for her. Maybe she was nearby. When I stayed quiet, I thought I could hear something. I looked around and then down. I noticed something by the piled rocks. I kneeled down low. I realized that in a small crevice that I saw fingers. It was crazy, but all I could think is that they were Lightning's. Right away I lied against the ground and tried looking through the crack. "Lightning! Are you there?! Can you hear me?!"

A few seconds later, I hear something. I noticed the fingers move. "Light?!" It was faint but I thought I heard her voice calling out for me. "Hang on! I'm going to get you out of there!" I stood up and looked around as my mind raced. The rock pile seemed as if it was covering a possible cave. I had to find a way to remove the rocks safely. I called for help from the soldiers on my communicator and let them know that I had a possible location. After I put my communicator away, I heard something nearby. When I looked over, concern struck me right away. A behemoth was staring right at me. Instinctively I pulled out my boomerang for protection.

Slowly it started to approach closer. I stepped back, copying its pace and not making any sudden movements. Hopefully it wouldn't decide to attack...

Suddenly it rushed toward me. I managed to get out of the way in time and turn to where I could keep my eye on it. It partly hit the side of the rocks blocking the entrance to the cave. I started to get worried. If it had hit the rocks hard enough, the rocks could fall and land inside of the cave where she was. I had to be careful to make sure it didn't hurt her as well. The behemoth circled back around and targeted me again. It made another attempt to attack, but I was able to move without getting hit. I had to think of someway that the behemoth wouldn't hurt Lightning or me and so that it wouldn't cause the rocks to fall. Then an idea came to mind. It was crazy and possibly risky, but it just might work. I stepped nearby the rock pile. "If you can hear me, stand back away from the rocks as far as you can!" The behemoth waited to rush toward me. The moment it did, I was ready. No more than a few inches away, I jumped out of the way. It was a close call but I needed the behemoth to be focused on the right spot I needed it to be for the right momentum. Hopefully my idea would go off without consequence. The behemoth hit where I intended it. The force of it managed to knock the rocks forward from the pile. I wasn't sure if it had enough to take on the pile, but I'm glad the risk was worth it.

The behemoth fell as well. I was hoping that it would knock the creature unconscious, but I noticed that it wasn't moving. Maybe the impact from hitting the wall had killed it. The other soldiers showed up after. There were surprised looks on their faces. I was standing there with a dead behemoth as if I had taken it out on my own. Quickly regaining my focus, I rushed to help. There was a small entrance to a cave that had been uncovered. My eyes widened at the sight that I saw next. The few soldiers that were trapped inside had slowly stepped out. They had seemed pretty worn out and beaten. The worse was her. "Light!" She stepped toward me until her legs gave out on her and she fell forward. Instinctively I rushed over to catch her. "Light!" I caught her. I held my hand to her back and placed my hand underneath her legs, lifting her off of the ground. Even with how she was now, I had to smile in relief. Lightning was still alive. After searching and searching for her, she was finally with me again.

"I heard... your voice..."

I took off walking with her as the other soldiers helped the wounded. "I'm going to get you help all right? We'll be together." A few of the medic rushed up to me. "Hurry! She's hurt pretty bad!"

After leaving, we all made it back to a hospital in Academia. I stayed at the hospital while they were examining Light. They told me that it would be a while before they could give me any solid information so I returned back to the Academy to catch up on what I had missed. I would give the doctors some time. I really hoped that she was all right...

I contacted Serah. She had to know that her sister was all right after worrying for almost a week. Over the phone I heard her relief and what sounded like tears. I know she must've been truly happy. A few hours later, I returned to check on her. The nurses didn't hesitate in giving me the room that she was staying in. I guess it was because I had brought her in and had given them the information on how I found her. When I got there, I was surprised. Already, I saw Serah standing in her room. I was surprised that she had gotten here so fast. When she turned around, I could see how scared she was. Suddenly she rushed toward me and hugged me. I wasn't expecting that. "Thank you." Her head turned away so I couldn't see her at that moment. A few more times she had said it. Like her, I was glad that Lightning was back now. I didn't get a chance to see her with Serah being the first to greet me.

When I looked up, Lightning was lying in a hospital bed sleeping. She had a few bandages on her, but she was cleaner than she was when I found her. I looked down at Serah. "What did the doctors say?"

Serah looked back at Lightning. "She's fine for the most part. Nothing serious. It seems like she hadn't gotten sleep in days."

"It's understandable. She's been out in the wilderness. She had to fend for herself to survive. I'm just glad that she's all right."

"Me too." Serah turned and looked to me. "How have you been through this? Sis hasn't talked about anything that you two have been up to for a while." I scratched the back of my head nervously as I looked away from Serah. How do I explain to her that Light and I aren't exactly on speaking terms after what happened that one night? Then Serah would know that I didn't listen to her advice about giving Light some time to see if she could have feelings for me or not. "Well..."

Already I could see her confusion. "Yes...?" I breathed out. That look she gave me was slowly turning into a similar glare of Lightning's.

"I made a mistake. Light isn't really...speaking to me at the moment..."

Serah tilted her head as she kept her eyes on mine. "Why?"

I breathed out again. "One particular night...we decided to go out after work. I was excited about this project I was working on and I told her about it. I won't go into much detail, but...I had...revealed how I felt about her." Serah's eyes rose up in surprised. "And she didn't exactly respond back the same so she proposed a break for a while."

I waited for Serah to possibly yell or ask what possessed me to do so. If I had told her what else happened that night, I'm sure that it would have made things worse. Instead, Serah stared at me in silence. I'm not sure what she was thinking. Finally she sighed with her eyes closed. "I guess it couldn't be helped I see..."

"Sorry..."

Serah shook her head. "Something would have come out eventually. What matters is that you're here now." She smiled toward me. "Because of you, I got my sister back."

I smiled back at her. "Do you mind if...I wait her with you?"

"Sure! I'm sure she would like to see who saved her." I was glad that Serah wasn't upset with me. Together we waited in Light's room to see if she would wake soon while most of the time we talked. The same thing occurred for the next few days. Serah stayed in Academia to check on Lightning while she recovered.

One afternoon when I went to check on them as I usually did now, I was met with surprise. Not only was Serah gone, but Light was too. In front of me was her empty bed. When I asked one of the nurses who had stopped nearby, she told me that Light had checked out earlier that day. All I could do was stand in surprise.

Once again the woman I love had disappeared without a trace again…


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