A/N: FINALLY SOMETHING PLEASANT! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story idea, in conjunction with Milaya Milen Zeal. She wrote Noctis's and Zidane's parts.

Nothing Without A Soul

Chapter 10

When Luna returned back to her room, she looked for Zidane, expecting him to be on the bed waiting for her, which he surprisingly wasn't. Then she noticed the door to the balcony open, and she went over to see the shorter blonde out there.

"Zidane?" she murmured. The Genome in question didn't seem to have heard her, as his gaze was aimed at the city beyond the window. He was leaning on his elbows on the railing, wearing just some loose pants to sleep in, as his tail swayed and curled around his feet. "Hey," she said, this time a little louder as she stepped up to stand beside him.

Zidane hummed as he glanced over briefly, before he turned back to look ahead of him. "Hey…" he said after a moment.

"You look like you have something on your mind," she murmured. "Wanna talk about it?"

"…Ah, 's nothing, really," Zidane said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Just taking in the sights…yanno?"

"Zidane…"

"It's fine, don't worry 'bout it."

"I can't help but worry, especially if you're not being yourself or your energy is forced," she chided.

Zidane didn't answer immediately. But finally he said as he straightened up and turned to face Luna with a smile, "Really, it's nothing. I'm just fi—…"

But just as quickly, his smile faded and he fell silent.

"I'm here for you, Zidane, you know that. Please, just tell me what's going on," Luna pleaded softly.

"…" Zidane didn't say anything for a long moment; he just stared at her in silence.

However, before she could ask again, he brought up his hand and reached for her neck, pushing lightly against the skin there. A small, pained gasp escaped Luna, and she realized that when she had been grabbed earlier, she had been bruised.

The gasp instantly made Zidane's expression darken in a brief flash of anger, but he just as easily shook it off. Instead of saying anything about it, though, he took Luna by her wrist and walked back inside, lightly tugging her after him.

"Zidane…?" Luna murmured, concerned. The Genome didn't say anything as he walked over to the bed, where he gently pushed her down to sit on the end. Once she was seated, Zidane wordlessly pointed down to the ground, giving her a slightly pointed look, before he speed-walked toward the bathroom, his tail snapping out behind him in a clear display of anger, even when his face displayed nothing.

"Zidane…" Luna whispered, not sure what he was doing.

After some brief sounds of the Genome rummaging around in the bathroom, he came back out, this time carrying a small tube in his right hand. As he reached her again, he still refused to speak a word as he uncapped the tube (which appeared to be some type of ointment) and tipped it over to pour some of its contents in his other hand. Before Luna could asked about it, he took over the tube in his tail, briefly spread the ointment over both his palms and fingers, before he stepped up until one knee rested on the bed beside her. And then he reached out and began to gently rub the ointment along the darkened skin.

Luna's breath hitched slightly at the touch, before she relaxed, remaining still for him. Even as he spread the ointment over his skin, alternating between using his full hands to just using his fingers, Zidane refused to speak a word. He curled his hands fully around her neck, rubbing lightly as his fingers twirled around the back of her neck in small circles.

…but finally;

"…fun fact…"

"Hmm?" Luna hummed, looking at her companion curiously.

"If Prompt was here…he'd tell me to shut up and calm down."

This drew a light laugh from the blonde woman. "Surprising, considering you're both oftentimes hyper."

"Not when I'm screaming bloody murder up in here," Zidane said simply as he reached back and tapped his own temple.

"I'm sorry, Zidane…" Luna murmured.

The blonde Genome didn't respond immediately, before he went back to rubbing her throat. "…don't be…" he said finally. "…that's my line…"

"You have no reason to be sorry. It was out of your control," she pointed out.

"Yes I do, and no it wasn't…" Zidane said solemnly, rubbing along her shoulders. "Who was the one insisting upon leaving the hospital?"

"Still…"

"Don't," Zidane murmured, moving his thumbs along her collarbone. "Just…don't…"

The blonde woman shivered lightly at the touch, before looking at her companion. "Okay. I won't dwell any further on it as long as you don't."

Like that, they stayed for a few silent moments, with Zidane continuing the rub the ointment along the skin tenderly.

Eventually, though, the silence seemed to finally be getting to the blonde and he had to break it.

"So…what'd Kuj have to say?"

"He wanted to apologize for Amarant, that Coral man, for chasing us in the Crown City. He wanted to ensure that you and Prompto had been brought into a good home, and if not, bring you both to him," she explained.

That actually made Zidane snort on a chuckle. "Yeah, wouldn't put it past him to do that…" he mumbled. "Took his sweet time explaining it, didn't he?"

"He was being thorough, and Joshua snuck in to sleep, so we were being quiet for his sake," she replied.

"Ah. That explains that…" Zidane murmured as he moved back a bit, though he kept his hands on her shoulders. "Feel any better?"

"Yes, it feels better now, thank you," Luna smiled warmly.

For a moment, Zidane looked like he was about to say something, but he almost choked as he felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, before it picked up its pace, as if to make up for the second it had just wasted. Somehow, he was barely able to keep his breathing even, but his tail instinctively curled up tighter—resulting in the ointment being squirted out all over them. "Ah shit!" Zidane yowled.

"Ah!" Luna gasped, instinctively shielding her face with her hands to keep the ointment from getting in her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry!" Zidane apologized quickly, before he ran into the bathroom to collect a washcloth, tossing the stupid tube in the trash before he hurried back and began to clean off the ointment. "Didn't mean to do that…"

"It's okay," she assured him. "Are you okay, though?"

"I'm fine," Zidane assured her, as he dabbed at her face to remove the ointment carefully. "Was just thinking I still gotta whack Kuj up the head for keeping us waiting…"

"Keeping you waiting?" Luna repeated, puzzled.

"He said he'd get us out when he was bought…so yeah, he kept us waiting."

"Well, it all worked out in the end, though," she pointed out.

"I guess…" Zidane mumbled with a shrug as he wiped some ointment from her cheek…and then he paused. Luna blinked slowly, watching Zidane curiously.

The Genome remained standing there like that for a long moment, watching Luna with an off look that was difficult to place. And, unbeknownst to her, his heart was once more pounding in his ribcage, but this time his breathing actually did pick up marginally.

'Wha…what the hell…? What is…?'

"…Zidane?"

He tried to speak, but, for some reason, his voice wasn't working like it should, so his mouth was just opening and closing like that of a fish. For some reason his hands were feeling exceedingly clammy, and his mouth felt as dry as parchment, making it even more difficult to speak as his pulse raced within his throat.

Yet amidst those confusing feelings, he was struck by a strange urge he'd never had before, as his eyes flicked down a little before snapping back up.

"…hey, Luna?"

"Hmm?"

Zidane opened his mouth one more time, before he shut it, lost in thought. Eventually, he dropped the washcloth and reached out, placing both his hands on Luna's shoulders. "If…I do something really stupid…would you do me a favor…and just slap me?"

"What? Why?" Luna yelped.

"Just…promise…?"

"O…okay…"

"…kay…cool…" Zidane murmured, as he leaned forward a little, once more putting one knee on the bed beside her as he curled his fingers a little around her shoulders. The blonde woman watched the shorter male, having a feeling his bond's urges were taking effect, like Kuja had warned.

No sooner had that thought processed in her mind, Zidane suddenly closed the distance between them and firmly locked their mouths together, his eyes shut just as firmly. Luna, although she'd been expecting this after Kuja's talk, was still surprised, but found she liked the kiss. So, closing her own eyes, she kissed Zidane back.

When Luna didn't show any displeasure over the kiss, Zidane relaxed slowly, before he adjusted his position slightly, moving one of his hands from her shoulder up to the back of her head, tilting his head as he moved his mouth slowly against hers, as his tail coiled around her leg slowly.

Luna kissed Zidane back slowly, putting all the love she had for him into the kiss. She shivered lightly at the hand on the back of her head, and at the feeling of his tail around her leg. A small purr-like sound escaped the Genome's throat as he slipped his lips apart and then licked at Luna's.

She gave a small shiver, and then parted her lips willingly, slowly wrapping her arms around the Genome's shoulders. With a small groan, Zidane let his tongue slip past the woman's lips, his fingers curling his fingers in her hair as he began to explore her mouth slowly. Luna gave a soft moan in response, holding Zidane close.

Just as suddenly, though, Zidane suddenly gasped and pulled away, pushing himself away from Luna at arm's length with his gaze aimed down as he gasped for breath.

Once Luna had caught her own breath, she looked at Zidane, confused and concerned. "Are you okay?"

"…I…I um…"

"Zidane, it's okay," she soothed. "I liked it."

Zidane slowly raised his head, but when his eyes met hers, she realized that they had darkened significantly. "I…s-sorry…!" he choked out, before he spun around and made to dash off.

"Zidane, wait!" Luna gasped, grabbing his wrist. While he did stop, he didn't look back at her.

"Zidane, I promise it's okay, I truly did like it," she promised in a soft voice.

"…" Zidane didn't respond to the reassurance, but Luna could feel that he was shaking subtly.

"Zidane. Please look at me?" Zidane didn't answer verbally; he just shook his head softly. The blonde woman sighed, before forcibly turning the Genome towards her, and then quickly spotting what was wrong, and she blushed a pretty shade of pink.

"Zidane…it's okay," she murmured, despite her blush. The Genome still refused to look at her, but when she tried to look under his bangs, she could see quite clearly that the blonde was just as (if not more so) embarrassed about the situation than she was. "I promise, it's okay," she soothed, reaching up with her free hand and caressing his cheek gently.

At those words he finally managed to look up, watching Luna with an odd look, his own blush almost going down his neck. "Ho-how is th-this o—"

Luna then pulled him close, initiating her own kiss with him and effectively shutting him up. Zidane barely managed to get a small, startled noise out, his tail coiling in surprise, before he swiftly shut his eyes as he brought up his hands to her shoulders, as if to push her off. This never happened, though, and instead his fingers clasped on firmly but gently, as his tail coiled around her waist and pulled her closer.

She kissed him lovingly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders so he would stay with her. Thankfully, running seemed to be the furthest thing on his mind at that point as he moved one hand to the back of her head once again, while the other slid down her arm before it moved to rest on her hip. And as his tail coiled around her tighter, he lightly nipped on her bottom lip.

Luna parted her lips willingly, allowing him entry, and she tentatively moved her tongue along his. Zidane let out an indistinguishable sound as he let his tongue 'battle' with Luna's before he shifted his foot forward to push against her own. She compliantly moved back to the bed, tangling the fingers of one hand in Zidane's hair with a small moan.

This made Zidane let out a small moan of his own as his fingers undid her hair to let it tumble onto her back, as he moved his other foot forward, making her take another step backwards. And as he did this again while cradling her head in his hand her heel touched the end of the bed.

Luna fell back on the bed, pulling Zidane with her, and feeling his hardness against her hip, making her blush again. The Genome pulled back then for a moment, breathing heavily as he regarded her for a breathless moment, his eyes darkened with lust.

"…you'll…" he struggled to get the words out properly. "…you'll slap me if I do anything stupid…right?"

"You're perfectly fine…Zidane, but yes," she replied softly, pecking his lips. Those words made Zidane visibly relax, as he nodded his head, briefly returning the gesture before immediately moving to place kisses along the rest of her face. Meanwhile, his hands were moving through her hair and along her clothed stomach.

Luna sighed, her eyes closing in bliss, and she ran her hand down along the Genome's spine, caressing his bare back. The touch to his back had the shorter blonde moaning softly against her skin, hissing in his breath. After a moment of simply breathing, he moved to place kisses along the side of her neck, right as the tip of his tail slipped under her shirt and slid along her bare skin.

This drew a shiver from Luna, and she moaned softly at the kissing to her neck. She continued to trail her fingers along Zidane's back, though. Eventually, when Zidane deemed he didn't have enough space to work with, he moved back briefly, slipping both hands under her shirt and pushing the material upward.

Luna moaned a little louder at the touch, looking up at the Genome with her own eyes darkened with lust. Meeting the gaze silently, Zidane uncoiled his tail from her waist, only for the furred limb to slip past the material of her skirt, pushing the material down as he tugged her shirt up over her head.

Now almost completely exposed as the skirt fell to the floor and her shirt came off, with only her bra and underwear remaining, Luna shuddered under Zidane's intense gaze. The blonde Genome merely watched her for a moment, his breath heavy and uneven. He wasn't even sure what the HELL he was doing, but he found he couldn't bring himself to stop…and what scared him the most about that was that he didn't even want to stop.

After a brief, shaky breath, he leaned down and attached his mouth to her collarbone, beginning to bite and suckle along the skin there as his hands played along her sides and his tail coiled firmly around her leg. Luna trembled slightly from the biting and suckling along her collarbone, and soon, she found herself wanting more.

Feeling her trembling under him, Zidane paused briefly, though he didn't move his lips from where they rested against her flesh, regarding her through his eyelashes as his fingers slipped up and then around to her back. She then gave a small gasp as she felt Zidane's deft fingers unclasp her bra.

Once it was, his fingers slipped up along her back to her shoulders, as his tail shifted slightly. And as his thumbs slipped under the straps, the furred limb pressed firmly along her panties. Luna shifted her hips slightly, and moved her arms so her bra could come off.

"Zidane…" she whispered, her voice a breathy moan. The sound made Zidane pull back briefly to regard her, but only briefly as he absently tossed her bra aside before he moved in again, placing wet, open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone and gradually moving downward slowly. And through it all, his tail began to rub along the outside of her panties as one of his hands moved down to her hips.

The taller blonde shivered at the touches and kisses, before she moved her hands to the hem of Zidane's sleep pants, tugging down gently. When he felt her doing so, he moved his head up a little to give her easier access, just as he closed his mouth around her right nipple.

Luna gave a sharp gasp before moaning louder at the sensation. Zidane, in turn, gave a small groan as he reached up and began to fondle her other breast while he licked and sucked on the right. And at the same time, his tail curled around and slipped past the hem of her underwear. The taller blonde shuddered heavily from all the attention Zidane was giving her, before she reached her hand down to his crotch, and palmed his erection.

The sudden touch immediately had Zidane breaking away with a gasp, hips instinctively bucking into the touch, before he bit his lip to stifle a heavy moan, resting his forehead against her collarbone as he tried to keep himself in check. Luna's other hand moved his hip, caressing the skin there soothingly.

"Lu…na…" the shorter blonde managed to choke out breathlessly, just before he managed to get one hand to move past her panties, slipping two fingers inside her hot, leaking core.

"Ahh…!" she moaned, tossing her head back against the bed, her hands on Zidane's crotch and hip loosening as she shuddered.

Zidane was gasping for his every breath as he shifted slightly so his mouth was on level with her ear, and choked out, "I…I can't…I…I need you…please…"

"Then take me…" she breathed, every fiber of her being wanting every part of Zidane. Zidane bit his lip to stop the whimper begging to be let out, reducing it to a small whine, as he removed his hand and used his tail to remove her panties, tossing them away with a quick flick of the furred limb. He pushed off from the bed just a little, watching Luna's face through half-lidded eyes as he continued to gasp for much-needed air.

And meanwhile, the taller blonde watched him through her own darkened, half-lidded eyes, as she scooted further onto the bed so they would be a bit more comfortable. The Genome wordlessly followed her, and then lifted one of her legs, positioning himself between them with his other hand placed softly on her other thigh.

Luna then nodded to him, wordlessly telling him to move through her own harsh breathing. Returning the nod with his own, Zidane moved forward, and, in one smooth motion, slid into the woman with a half-choked cry. She gave a small cry of her own, unused to the filling sensation Zidane was giving her. Her hands moved to grip Zidane's shoulders instinctively tight, and her gaze focused on the shorter blonde's face.

Once Zidane managed to collect himself again (somewhat), he looked down at Luna, before he reached for one of the hands on his shoulders, lifting it and placing small kisses along the inside of her palm, before he moved out and then back in again. Luna felt her heart swell at the kisses to her palm, before she gave a pleasured cry when Zidane began to move inside of her.

His motions were a little uneven at first, as the Genome fought to actually establish a rhythm, but once he had, he entwined his hand with Luna's and placed it by her head, leaning down to firmly lock their mouths together again, his tail coiling around the leg not held up by his other hand.

Luna kissed him back eagerly, finding that she loved how possessive her now-lover was being, as his tail curled around her leg. She moaned into his mouth, wanting Zidane to know that she truly wanted this as much as he did.

After breaking away for air, briefly, Zidane lifted her leg higher and then moved faster, managing to keep the rhythm going even as he started to kiss and lick along Luna's neck again, a purring-like sound rumbling from his chest.

The taller blonde shuddered heavily at all the sensations going through her body, moaning and even crying out from all the pleasure. While Zidane had done well to keep most of his own sounds at bay, as the pleasure continued to build up layer upon layer, he found that he couldn't hold them back and he was moaning amidst his gasps as his hands and tail tightened their grip on Luna. Then he bit his lip sharply as his rhythm almost broke from his own pleasure, before he gave a cry as he tipped over the edge.

As Zidane came inside of her, Luna felt her own orgasm crash over her in pleasurable waves of ecstasy, drawing small gasps and pants from her as she squeezed her eyes shut tight before the orgasm's effects began to fade. The Genome gasped for breath as he began to come off of his own high, moving back and out of her before he collapsed sideways next to her. Throughout that, though, his tail refused to let her go.

Weakly, Luna reached out and brushed Zidane's bangs out of his face, smiling tiredly at him. "I love you, Zidane," she whispered.

Zidane lifted his tired gaze up at her, a hint of curiosity in his still darkened eyes. He'd heard of the term before, of course; it came up in some of the books he'd read (or had attempted to, anyway) back at the Citadel's library. It tended to just be a bunch of cheesy words and over exaggerated descriptions of feelings so Zidane had quickly opted out of that kind of story. He'd actually consulted a dictionary on it at one point (not that anyone knew that), but that had given him even less of an insight in it. The most that told him was that it was basically affection for another person, only several times stronger than that.

He DID feel very strongly about Luna though…the thought of someone hurting her or doing something to make her cry made him feel strangely protective. And at the same time he wanted to bash the heads in of whoever had tried to do just that. Hell, he actually wanted to go back in time and just beat the hell out of Yazoo and Loz even more than he already had, just so they knew not to get anywhere near Luna.

…it took him a few seconds to realize he was actually using quotes from one of those 'over exaggerating' books in his head.

"…is…that what this is…?" he asked slowly, his tail wrapping more firmly along Luna's leg. "I…don't know what it's like…"

"How do you feel about me, Zidane? I can help you to figure out if you love me, too," Luna smiled softly. She wasn't upset that he was questioning himself, no. In fact, considering the way he was 'raised', she wasn't surprised he was confused.

Zidane hesitated for a moment, not sure how to even begin to explain himself. Until then, he'd only ever had Prompto to confide anything to, since they were like the only Genomes of their group with actual souls. Laying himself bare to someone new was…a little terrifying if he was brutally honest.

"…I…I don't want to see you hurt…" he started, unsure if he was doing it right. It was SO much easier with telepathy… "I want to…see you smile at me…want you to…to be happy…with me…" As he spoke though, something in the back of his mind sparked and filled him with a slight wave of panic that made his eyes spark. "…I don't want to leave you…I don't want you to leave me…I…" He paused then, unsure if he should continue…but he did it anyway. "I…I want to stay with you…"

"Then I would say that's love," Luna assured him, smoothing her thumb along his cheek. "And I would never make you leave, Zidane. I want to be with you, too."

Looking up to the slightly taller woman, Zidane brought his hand up and rested it over hers on his cheek, breathing lightly for a few moments. The words seemed to have lifted a great weight off of his shoulders, letting him breathe easy again.

"…is it really…?" he asked slowly. When Luna nodded, Zidane shut his eyes with a small, content sigh. If this was love…well, he could get used to that. "Then…I…love you, too…"

"I'm glad," she whispered, moving in and kissing the Genome softly. When she pulled away, she smiled tenderly. "Zidane, don't ever worry about me leaving you, okay? I can't imagine ever being away from you, especially now."

This made the Genome chuckle softly. "No promises there…but I'll try anyway."

"As long as you try, then that's what matters to me," she giggled, before yawning tiredly she curled close to Zidane. "Let's get some sleep…"

Zidane hummed as he rested his forehead against her shoulder, his tail coming up to wrap itself securely around her waist. "Sounds like a plan…"

"Goodnight, Zidane," she hummed, kissing the top of his head softly before beginning to drift off.

"Mmm…g'night…"

X*X(Meanwhile…)X*X

Noctis stretched his arms over his head as he stepped into the room, briefly running a hand through his hair before he shut the door.

"Hey, Noct!" Prompto grinned when he heard the raven come in. "What'd Kuja need to talk to you about?"

For a moment, Noctis debated on just saying what they'd been talking about, but he wasn't entirely sure how well the news would be received. So instead, he went for the safe route. "He wanted to apologize for Amarant tailing us back in the Crown City. You know, that 'Coral' guy."

At this, Prompto snorted a laugh. "Of course he would be behind it. Any reason why?"

Noctis chuckled. "You and Zidane, actually," he said as he walked over and settled on the bed, starting to remove his shoes. "He heard you got sold and asked Amarant to look into us. And, if needed, to buy you from us."

"Seriously? God, that is SO Kuja," the blonde snickered.

"Is it?" Noctis asked with a small chuckle of his own.

"Yeah, he wanted to make sure we were safe, and he promised to get us out of Bran Bal once he was bought, but I like where Zidane and I ended up much better," the Genome replied, before frowning slightly. "Did he talk about anything else? You guys took a while, is all."

"Well, we had to be quiet; Joshua snuck in."

"That's understandable," Prompto nodded. He then gave a longing sigh. "Someday, I'd like a kid… After seeing Joshua with Kuja…I'm kinda jealous, to be completely honest…" He then looked at Noctis with wide eyes. "Is that bad?"

Noct couldn't help it; he laughed at the Genome's innocent question. "Why would that be bad?" he asked once he could stop. "I'm sure every reasonable person would want to pass on their genes at one point."

"Well, it's not just that… I just like the idea of having a kid, and raising one…" Prompto murmured, looking down at his lap shyly. Noctis smiled and reached out, abruptly ruffling Prompto's hair. "Gah!" the blonde yelped, swatting the offending hands away with an indignant squeal.

The prince laughed at the sound as he moved away from the hands. "Don't worry so much," Noct pointed out. "I'm sure you'll be able to have your own child at one point."

'If what Kuja said is true…'

"You really think so?" Prompto asked, feeling torn for some reason. Like he wanted a child, but for some reason, it was like his heart wanted Noctis more. He wasn't sure what to think of that feeling.

"Sure I'm sure," Noctis said with a nod. "And I'm sure you'll be great parent, too."

"Thanks, Noct, that means a lot…" the smaller male murmured with a small smile, his heart aching a little. He didn't understand that reaction, but hopefully he would in due time.

"Anyway," Noctis murmured as he scooted back on the bed. "It's getting late. Let's get some sleep, shall we?"

"Yeah," the Genome agreed, curling back up under the blankets. "Goodnight, Noct."

As Noctis lay down and made to go to sleep, he paused suddenly, frowning at the ceiling. He hadn't noticed before, but he just realized that, until just recently, Prompto had always addressed him as "Noctis", despite being given the okay to just call him "Noct". And now, all of a sudden, it was always "Noct".

'…could it…be part of the bond Kuja mentioned?' he wondered absently.

His last thought before going under was that he had to speak to Kuja in the morning.