Hey everyone!

I hope you are all taking care of yourselves during this crazy time with the virus. Stay healthy!

Fair warning; I THOUGHT this was going to be the last chapter of SoH, but...um...its not. I saw the word count was almost 6k and I still had about 4 scenes to go, so I decided to split it up. So, there will be 1 after this, then a short epilogue.

As always, sorry for the 6 month delay...I'm trying to finish this up because it's been so long, and I love these characters and want them to have their happy endings, finally!

Enjoy!


Kieran sighed.

It had been two weeks since he'd been back to regular duty shifts, but they weren't distracting him like he'd hoped. Maybe that was because nothing ever happened.

Work was only a distraction if there was anything to be distracted by. But every day was just the same monotone rounds that he had far too much time to think.

It didn't help that everything seemed too normal in Baron; no crisis, no weird weather, not even any new gossip.

Kieran was pretty sure he was going to go crazy if this continued. He had the terrible feeling that when something did finally happen, it was going to be for the worst.

When his latest shift ended, the last thing he wanted was to talk to anyone so he found a secluded spot to sit for a few minutes.

After a handful of moments, he realized that was a terrible idea considering quiet time meant he would have to think, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Thinking meant that he would cycle back through everything that had happened. Their trip to the ship, the world nearly ending, everything with Cuore.

Honestly, Kieran just wanted to forget all of it.

He had no idea where he was supposed to go from here, with knowledge of everything that happened. No to mention that since the whole world hadn't been aware of destruction brewing underneath their feet, no one even talked about it.

The word was out, but a few weeks removed from it and everyone had moved on.

Kieran had finally gotten permission from Viola to take on extra work if he wanted, but there wasn't any available.

He was pretty sure when she'd said he was well enough for overtime she hadn't meant going out and solving random problems involving monster hunting. Which was why he wasn't telling her that was what he was doing.

Monsters acting up seemed to be the only thing odd the world had going currently. The increased fiend activity, along with reports of strange migratory patterns and rare sightings were still happening.

Kieran was just returning from one such odd event after killing some weird looking hedgehog monster that was causing pot holes for wagons.

It hardly counted as a distraction either, but at least it was something to do. The creature had something wrong with it, if the limping was any indication, and Kieran was surprised no one had already taken care of it.

The fight was easy. Even still, as much as he hated to admit it, he was tired.

Recovery from desert fever was taking forever, and it grated on his already thin and worn patience.

When he finished reporting the fiend dead, he would have no choice but to actual try resting.

If he was lucky, maybe his obnoxious roommates wouldn't be in the barracks when he finally made his way there.

Kieran snorted. That was wishful thinking.

His hopes to avoid human contact a little longer were dashed when he spotted Ceodore obviously waiting for him right where the hunt board was.

Kieran stifled another sigh but nevertheless trudged over to him.

"How'd you find me?"

"Lucky guess," Ceodore commented, shrugging. "No one had seen you, and I figured since you've been hiding, you were probably out trying to stay busy."

Kieran frowned. "I'm not hiding,"

"Not anymore, because I found you." his friend countered with a grin as if the joke was hilarious.

Kieran rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you are just checking up on me,"

"No, although I'm pretty sure you should be taking it easy and not hunting monsters," Ceodore said. "Still, I…get it. I feel restless too right now."

"Really?" he said, quirking an eyebrow. "That's not like you,"

The prince nodded, and moved aside slightly so Kieran could reach up and pull down the notice for the pothole menace.

"It's not," he commented. "but…I don't know. Things seem weird since we got back."

Kieran flicked a look at him. "Like everything is too normal?"

"Yes!" Ceodore agreed. "Exactly like that. Maybe its because no one is making a big deal out of the world almost blowing up…"

"Face it. We're just not as famous as the last group of world savers," Kieran joked, shrugging.

Ceodore chuckled, "Ursula was just telling me the other day that she was mad we hadn't gotten a party or a parade or anything."

There was a pause and Kieran fidgeted with the hunt report he was holding. "So, seriously, did you need me for something?"

"Kind of." the prince admitted.

Kieran glanced around the somewhat busy area and frowned. "Alright, give me a minute and we can maybe take the long walk back to the castle."

Despite the gray sky, it didn't seem to want to rain. The dreary weather actually made Kieran feel better, because it meant everyone probably felt as annoyed as he did.

"Remember the whole thing with the Elite?" Ceodore said after a few minutes of walking. The streets weren't completely empty, but traffic was diminished from the weather and late hour of the day. It would be getting dark soon enough.

"The part where they were spying? Yeah." Kieran answered, pulling his jacket tighter around him. "What about them?"

Ceodore frowned. "Well, we talked to Candance Anneal about it."

There was a pause.

Kieran glared at his friend, "And? What's with the dramatic pause?"

"Because I don't know what to say." Ceodore complained. "She acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. And, even the Elite acted like I was making it up. They didn't outright say that, but…"

Kieran stopped walking. "Wait, did they get in trouble at all?"

Ceodore shrugged listlessly. He looked up at the sky. "They all got reprimanded, but…I can't help but realize it was honestly my word against theirs, and if I wasn't the prince, then…"

Kieran scoffed. "There's something really wrong with that whole group, and I'm not just saying that because I want to punch them all."

"I agree." Ceodore muttered. "Well, about the something wrong part, not the punching part."

"Did you talk to your dad about it again?" Kieran asked, crossing his arms.

Ceodore nodded. "Yeah. He thought it was weird, too, but…well, nothing actually happened, so it's not like there's consequences."

Kieran frowned.

Something wasn't right, but he couldn't be sure he was thinking that because it was true, or if because he still felt out of sorts from their adventure.

They both wordlessly continued along the path and Kieran finally glanced back to his friend after a few minutes.

Ceodore seemed thoughtful, but not overly surprised or emotional about the situation. That was probably for the best.

"If you do want me to punch them, I can,"

The prince chuckled, "No! You don't need any more demerits."

"Yeah, what gives?" Kieran complained. "I get demerits for everything and they don't get any. What a bunch of crap."

"Well, they also follow rules," Ceodore pointed out. He sighed a moment later. "Sorry, I shouldn't be bugging you about this anyway,"

Kieran shook his head, "No, you should be. It's not a bother, Ceodore, and I…something just doesn't feel right. I want to be kept in the loop."

"Okay." the prince said, nodding. He sounded relieved.

They approached the steps to the castle and Kieran sighed.

Ceodore glanced at him. "Are you okay?"

"…Yeah, I guess…" he answered at a mutter. "Just tired."

They both knew that wasn't true, but luckily his friend didn't pester him about it.

"I promised my parents I'd spend the afternoon with them and then dinner," Ceodore said, sighing afterwards. "I think they are trying to spend time with me more since I got back because of everything that happened."

"That surprises you?" Kieran asked.

They started to climb the steps and the prince shrugged, "No, I guess not."

"Enjoy the time with them," Kieran muttered. "Family is important."

Ceodore glanced at him, and Kieran pretended not to notice. He wasn't in the mood for sympathy, or a heart to heart chat.

They had reached the top of the stairs, and consequently, the doors to the castle.

"I will." the prince finally said. He seemed to hesitate, which led his friend to cock an eyebrow at him.

"Um…do you want to join us?"

Kieran couldn't help his gut reaction of cringing at the thought. Ceodore frowned, and he quickly defended himself.

"Thanks, but absolutely not." Kieran commented, waving his hands in front of himself. "I have enough things troubling me as is."

Ceodore continued to frown, but finally relented with a sigh. "Okay, but…you know you could join us, if you ever wanted."

Kieran was pretty sure that invitation would not be extended by everyone in the royal family. But, there was no need to crush his friends idealist point of view with a heavy dose of reality.

"Thanks, but I'm good. Have a good evening, Ceodore."

They bid farewell and went their separate ways once they entered the castle.

"Besides, I have something else to do…" Kieran muttered, stalking off in a particular direction.


It took some looking to finally find where the Elite had gathered, and even once he did, it was only three out of the four with no sign of Candace Anneal.

Dario was absent, but that might have been just as well, considering.

He scowled, pausing only briefly before entering their training area. Marcy paused in reloading her crossbow to glance up, the first to notice him.

"Oh, hi Kieran." she greeted. Her voice was friendly enough, but she offered no smile.

The other two didn't even bother that much a greeting, although they did stop their spar to glance to over.

Kieran narrowed his eyes, "Where's your fearless leader?"

"Don't know, don't care." Karsh replied, shrugging.

"Well, that's fine. You three can fill him in when he shows back up." he replied tersely.

Marcy made a face. "Fill him in on…what?"

Kieran didn't bother answering her directly, he just crossed his arms. "I don't know exactly what you four and Anneal are up too, but whatever it is, my friends are off limits."

Karsh raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Marcy blinked. "What?"

"We're not up too anything," Karsh remarked, putting his hands on his hips. "And anyway who do you think you are to boss us around?"

"I'm a concerned friend," Kieran snapped back. "And not as stupid as you might think. See, something is amiss here, and although I don't know what it is, I will be keeping an eye out."

"For what?" Marcy said with a chuckle. "We haven't done anything wrong, unlike some people standing in this space. How many demerits do you have now, anyway?"

"Enough that you should know I'm not blinded by spotless records and shinning performances." He answered, flicking her an irritated look. "I actually don't even care what it is that you and your captain are up too. But I do care about my friends and they're wellbeing."

Karsh glared at him, "Look, we already got a lecture today. In case you missed it, we haven't done anything wrong."

"Great. Let's keep it that way, shall we?" Kieran asked with false cheerfulness. "Ceodore is far too nice for his own good. I, however, am not so nice. I'd like this to be the last and only time we speak."

Marcy crossed her arms, "Rude,"

Kieran shrugged. "I've been called worse."

He turned to leave and stopped, glancing back over his shoulder. "That is what you can fill Dario in on, and Candance Anneal too, if you'd like."


There had been a break in the weather and, feeling coped up for far too long, Cuore relished the idea of being outside.

She found herself overly glad to be outside, among plants and living things. The feelings were overwhelming, and she mused that, despite how often she felt at home among high levels of technology and mechanical structures, there was truly nothing like nature.

The chaotic yet orderly structure of natural things was the perfect contradiction, and the fresh air felt amazingly relaxing after so long away.

It helped that her siblings were nearby, providing an extra layer of life to the equation. They were currently playing with Leo's gray chocobo, laughing and chattering.

Cuore sighed and closed the cover of the book she'd been staring at for over an hour. She'd wanted to write down certain things from their trip to the Lunarian ship, but every time she picked up her pen, her thoughts betrayed her.

All she could think about was how awful the experience had been, and that always led her back to thoughts of a certain dark haired young man.

No matter how hard she tried, she still found herself thinking about Kieran far too often.

Leo hopped over and offered her a smile, "Hey, sissy, quick question."

She nodded, trying to focus on him as he spoke.

"Do you know how old chocobos have to be before they can fly?"

Cuore blinked, and then frowned, "I'm uncertain, but I don't think your chocobo will be able to fly, Leo."

"Really? 'Cause he's gray, so, I was thinking maybe he could." Leo explained. He gestured back to where Seren and Bobby Corwin were chasing each other.

Cuore wasn't sure how she could dash her brother's hopes, and instead, her eyes fell back to her empty notebook.

Even after a few weeks, she was still having trouble concentrating.

Cuore was snapped out of her gloomy thoughts by Leo prodding with a follow-up to whatever question she had already missed.

He looked concerned rather than irritated with her, however, and just tilted his head. "Are you…okay Cuore?"

"Yes, sorry," she dismissed quickly. "I am…distracted. I will try and find a book on chocobos."

Seren had run over to join them, giggling. "Cu! Cu! Do you think Crystal Sparkle-"

"Bobby Corwin," Leo corrected flatly.

Undeterred, his sister continued. "-Will be able to fly?"

Cuore tried to force a smile. "I…don't know, Seren."

Leo and Seren exchanged a glance. Cuore stifled a sigh. Apparently she was not very good at hiding her mood from her siblings.

The little girl shrugged unhelpfully. Leo frowned.

"Kieran would probably know," the boy said after a moment.

Cuore couldn't help it, she flinched from the name.

Ever observant, her brother was quick to backpedal. "Er…I mean…I could ask him, if…if you two are still not talking,"

Seren nudged her brother, as if to tell him to shut up. He ignored it.

Cuore hesitated. "It's…complicated."

"That's what adults say when they don't really know what the problem is," Leo countered, sitting down and crossing his legs. "Are you sure you are okay? You seem really sad lately,"

Seren nodded in agreement, mimicking her brother's pose.

Cuore sighed, half touched by their concern, half annoyed by their persistence.

"It's…" she caught herself from saying complicated again, since it was redundant.

Leo blinked, "Are you angry?"

"No, I'm not angry," Cuore replied, and meant it.

She knew what anger felt like, and whatever bit of that she felt initially had faded into something else.

"Then…what are you?" Seren whispered, as if they were sharing secrets.

Cuore paused, "I'm…uncertain."

Leo perked up. He often 'helped' his sister with words and emotions, much more so when they had been younger. He seemed eager to share his expertise again.

"Are you frustrated? Disappointed? Annoyed?"

"Yes," Cuore replied.

Leo's brow furrowed. "Wait…which one?"

"All of them."

Seren's eyes widened. "That's a lot of things to be."

Cuore smiled a bit despite her melancholy mood. "Yes. Yes it is,"

Leo reached out to settle his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry. I don't really know what happened, but…well, I'm just sorry."

Her smile softened and she reached up to squeeze his hand. "Thank you, little brother."

She was unprepared for Seren to lunge into her for a hug, and made a noise of surprise as the little girl's arms encircled her.

"Sorry your heart hurts, Cu," the little girl mumbled into her neck.

Cuore hugged her back, "Thank you, little star."

She felt something nudge her foot and craned her neck around her siblings to see the gray chocobo look at her with large eyes. He blinked and nudged her again.

She couldn't help but giggle. Leo grinned and released his sister to instead reach out and ruffle his pet's head feathers. "Bobby Corwin is worried about you, too. He's a good friend."

She nodded absently. "Yes…yes he is…"

Leo studied her for a second, so forced another smile. "I'll be alright. I'm just…distracted."

"Are you sure?" her brother pestered, looking unsure.

Cuore nodded. "Yes."

It took some coaxing to get her siblings to believe her and leave her side, but once they did, she sighed at herself.

This had gone on long enough, and she wished there was some way to easily rid herself of this melancholy. She smiled slightly, watching her siblings carefree play session.

She had never been that relaxed as a child, but the sight of them playing remaindered her a time when her heart didn't feel like it did now.

With a shake of her head, Cuore banished the foolish thoughts. There was no way to time travel, so there was no point in dwelling in the past.

If there was a way to change the past, then BarZenDao would still be alive.

Her hands tightened around the notebook she held and her eyes dropped once more. His memory would live on, but the scenario still relapsed for her often.

She missed him. Plain and simple.

Cuore sighed and set the book aside in the grass, giving up on writing completely.

"I thought I might find you out here,"

Cuore glanced up and saw her mother walking through the garden, skirt pulled up in one hand to avoid getting it dirty.

Rydia joined her on the ground, glanced at the kids playing then offered her eldest daughter a sympathetic smile. "Leo and Seren have been worried about you."

Cuore frowned and averted her gaze. "I know. I've been…moody. I apologize for that."

"We don't need an apology, Cuore," her mother teased gently. "We just want to make sure you are alright."

Rydia gave her a once over. "We've barely talked about what happened in those ruins. The ship, I mean. I'm sure you don't want to fully discuss it, but…if there was something you needed to talk about, we are here."

Cuore forced a smile, "I know. Thank you."

She watched her hands for a moment, twisting into the fabric of her dress and entwining together only to pull apart. It was true she almost wanted to pretend the trip to the ship hadn't happened. Rehashing it bits at a time had been hard enough.

And yet, she knew that words often changed more then mere thought, and perhaps if anyone would understand, it would be her mother.

"Do you remember when I mentioned one of the Lunarians? BarZenDao?"

Rydia puled her attention away from Leo and Seren still playing and returned to looking at her eldest. She nodded. "Yes,"

Cuore hesitated and then gave a humorless chuckle. "He reminded me a lot of myself. He had so much to learn, and so much to teach us. I…"

She winced, "I suppose it's foolish, but I wanted him to join us, here. I wanted him to see our world, like I did. I…"

Her mother reached out to take her hands and stop them from wringing. "Cuore, that isn't foolish. I know how hard this all must have been. To loose a friend is never easy."

She peeked up at her mother, "He…" she swallowed and collected her thoughts before speaking again. "Do you remember when you found me? Do you remember the other Maenads? They died to protect all of you, to…to protect me."

Cuore squeezed her eyes shut. "I still don't fully understand why, but…BarZenDao did the same. A reflect spell, even. Just to save us."

Rydia's touch was gently as she released Cuore's hands in favor of wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure the similarities were difficult."

Cuore nodded and her mother sighed, "I'm sure I never told you this, but, once, a long time ago…I was angry at my mother."

To be honest, Cuore only rarely heard Rydia speak of her mother. She knew of her, but details were scarce. She was honestly surprised she was hearing about her now.

Rydia continued with a small shake of her head. "I was a child, almost a teenager, and I was angry she had died. Angry she had made the decision to sacrifice herself. Especially when we lost our home anyway."

Cuore blinked, and her mother smiled sadly. "But mostly I was just mad I lost her. It didn't last long. I realized that her sacrifice was her way of trying to protect me, and not because she didn't love me. It was the complete opposite. And, I did survive, so how could I be angry with her?"

Fresh tears filled Cuore's eyes and Rydia gave her shoulders another hug. "Cuore, you know why we make sacrifices. Probably better then most. I know how hard it is to loose someone, but don't diminish the love behind the action, no matter how painful."

"But no one even knows that it was because of him that we saved the world," Cuore argued, sniffing to keep from crying. "It isn't fair."

Her mother wiped a tear off her cheek with her thumb. "You know. Your friends know. That is enough."

She leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "I know it's hard, Cuore, but it will be alright. BarZenDao sounds like a wonderful person, and I'm glad you had a chance to meet him."

Cuore let herself fall against her mother, leaning into the embrace.

"Thanks," she murmured after a moment.

Rydia nodded, but said nothing more.

Leo and Seren had sat down in the grass a few feet away, with the gray chocobo nestled up next to them. Leo was busy trying to explain something about one of the plants nearby. The youngest of the family looked unconvinced of whatever he was trying to tell her.

"Izayoi is heading to Baron tomorrow." Rydia mentioned out of the blue after a few moments of silence.

Cuore made a face. "Why?"

She didn't need to see her mother's face to sense the rolling eyes as she answered.

"Edge thinks that since the world almost ended again, people will be in a giving mood."

Cuore wrinkled her nose. "Still with the airship?"

"Always." Rydia chuckled.

There was a pause.

"Do you want to go with her?"

Cuore finally moved, shifting out of her mother's embrace to look at her in confusion. "Why?"

"To see your friends. Maybe talk to Kieran?" Rydia replied.

She winced, "I…I don't think that's a good idea."

It was her mother's turn to question; "Why?"

"Because!" Cuore hissed, looking at her like she'd lost her mind. "Everything…that happened, and…no. We shouldn't talk. Ever."

Rydia smiled slightly, "Cuore," her voice was stern, but not unkind. "I know what happened hurt, but…well, some things are worth fighting for."

"Not this." she snapped. "He was the one who pushed me away."

Rydia sighed, "Seventeen years is a long time. A waste of time. Don't duplicate that, small lady."

Cuore glared at her, unappreciative of the correlation drawn between the two situations. Before she could retort, her mother stood and brushed down her clothes.

"Just think about it," she said before casting one last look at the other children. She left the garden the same way she arrived, leaving Cuore to ponder.


"There you are,"

Kieran didn't even bother to hide his sigh. After only three words, he was already exhausted.

"Jansen," he replied flatly. "What do you want?"

The other man obviously didn't take note of his tone and just continued to talk; "I'm taking the Maru test in a few days."

There was a pause. Kieran blinked. "And?"

"And," Jansen snapped, flicking a glare at him. "I need you pilot for it, obviously."

Kieran sighed again and crossed his arms. "Why in the world would I want to do that? Last time, if you recall, we just about died. I'm guessing you want me to come along so you have someone to blame again."

Jansen's expression turned smug. "You almost dying is your own fault, and besides, I have seniority over you. You have to pilot for me. I already signed us up."

Kieran scowled. "Thanks. Why is this so important to you, anyway? It's an unwinnable test just to make people feel like crap."

"I wouldn't expect the talentless posterchild for mediocrity to get it," Jansen sneered. He waved a hand in dismissal. "When I'm the first person to beat this test, I'm going to be the obvious choice for command materiel."

Kieran did his best not to cringe at that idea. "That's a scary thought…"

Out loud, he merely frowned and shrugged. "Whatever Jansen."

The other man rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Just, show up in three days and don't screw up, okay?"

Kieran bit back a final nasty comment as Jansen stalked off. With one last sigh, he shook his head and continued on his way.

Maybe he could use the three days to research a way out of the test. But, he suspected that there wasn't an easy loophole. Jansen did have seniority over the majority of the Dragoons since he'd passed his initiation first.

"Maybe I can convince Viola to say I'm having a desert fever relapse," Kieran muttered with a dark chuckle.

He was lost in thought and watching his feet as he rounded a corner, almost colliding with someone.

"Ah, the brooding apprentice. Just who I was looking for."

He frowned and was at least glad he didn't jump back despite being startled.

Izayoi still seemed amused and gave him a once over that deepened his frown.

As if he needed his day to get worse.

"Izayoi," he greeted, attempting to sound civil. Honestly, anyone from Eblan was the last person he wanted to see.

"What…can I do for you?"

She smirked, and he clamped down on the urge to bolt.

"Well, officially I'm here to try and get an airship again, but that's just an excuse." she replied.

Kieran shifted on his feet uneasily. "Then shouldn't you be talking to Kain?"

"Already talked to him," Izayoi dismissed. "I told you, that's just an excuse. Really, I need to just kidnap you and make you come back to Eblan and patch things up with Cuore."

He shut his eyes and sighed, beyond drained. "I'm not going to Eblan now or ever. There's…there's nothing to patch up."

"Chocobo dung," she commented with a quick flick of her hand. "Cuore's been a mess for weeks and that's your fault."

"My fault?" he snapped. "I'm not the one who-"

Kieran cut himself off and took a calming breath. It didn't settle his temper much, but it did buy him a moment to push his emotions and words down and away.

Izayoi smirked again, "Yeah, I know. My cousin can be a pain in the ass. However, why do you think he sent me here? Now?"

"For a free airship," Kieran retorted, crossing his arms. "I'm not going back with you. I…I'm…sorry about Cuore…."

He meant that at least. He was sorry.

Sorry he'd hurt her again after wanting to do the very opposite.

Sorry that she was still upset.

Sorry that he had ever told her how he felt.

"It was for the best." Kieran insisted, mostly to remind himself. "Cuore…she'll be fine."

Izayoi cocked an eyebrow and he looked away sharply, not interested in continuing this talk or hearing argue with him.

"I need to go on patrol," he mumbled, brushing past her.

Kieran was partly surprised she didn't try to stop him, but it was for the best.

All of it was for the best.


Viola blinked at him. "You…want me to write you a note that says you are medically unfit?"

"Yes," Kieran confirmed, nodding.

She made a face, glanced off to the side, then back to him. "Why? What are you trying to avoid?"

"….Nothing,"

"Kieran, you take every extra shift you possibly can," Viola accused, poking him in the chest. "Tell me the truth."

He sighed and sank to a nearby chair. He was glad the medical quarters were empty, but he had hoped Viola would just do what he wanted without an explanation.

"Jansen is making me take part in that stupid Maru test," he said with a sigh. "I hate it, and…well, the only way to get out of it is for medical reasons."

"Seriously Kieran?" Viola scolded, sitting opposite him. "It's just a test."

He scowled at nothing in particular. "It's just an unwinnable waste of time."

She sighed and took her hair out of the lopsided bun it was in. She began to pile it back up. "Its' not that I'm unsympathetic, but you do know that if I put this through, it will be in your file forever, right?"

"So?" Kieran said, shrugging. "My file already says I should have died. What's one more note."

Viola tossed him an irritated look, putting the finishing touches on her bun.

He waited patiently.

She stared at him with her hands placed over one another on top of her desk.

After one last pause, she nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll make you a deal."

Kieran was slightly surprised she was considering it after she seemed so resistant.

"I will write you a medical excuse that will get you out of the Maru test, if you make a trip to a certain place and make up with a lovely teal haired young lady."

Kieran blinked, caught off guard, before it morphed into a glare. "Viola,"

Her lips pulled to a sly smirk, "Honestly, Kieran, she's wonderful. I really wish you'd just talk to her."

Kieran bit down hard on his lower lip to avoid snapping at her.

How she even knew what had happened, he wasn't sure. So few people knew he and Cuore had even been together briefly. Viola had, but he hadn't given her details about it, nor had he told her why they weren't together any longer.

Ceodore probably had, since he couldn't help himself from gossiping.

Viola noted his silence and her expression softened. "I know it won't be pleasant to try and patch things up, but I do wish you would try. Cuore is delightful, and…well, and you…deserve to be happy."

"No, I don't." he responded without thinking.

Even Kieran couldn't believe how cold he sounded. But it was true. He didn't deserve to be happy.

Viola's expression crumpled and she reached forward to pat his shoulder. "Kieran…you know that isn't true. Whatever fight you two had, it's…she's a good match for you."

Kieran looked away, biting back another remark.

She was a good match for him. But it didn't matter.

Turning back, he stood. "Some people don't get a happy ending, Viola."

"Kieran…"

He frowned, "I can't believe you tried to blackmail me,"

That earned him a bit of a chuckle, even if she still looked worried about him. "Well, I had to try."

"Thanks," he commented dryly.

He turned to leave, not interested in staying and hearing more.

Viola's voice gave him pause for just a moment.

"Happy endings take a lot of work, you know…"

Kieran closed his eyes, but didn't reply.

If only that was the problem.


Kieran hated getting called to Kain's office. It always meant he was in trouble.

There was no way this time would be any different, but he couldn't think of anything he had done lately that would warrant another lecture.

He'd been working and staying away from people. That was it.

Perhaps the Elite had finally said something about his warning, but that had been so long ago he had just assumed that they either hadn't taken it seriously, or weren't planning on bugging him about it at all.

At least they did seem to be keeping their distance from Ceodore.

Kain's voice called to enter after he knocked, so Kieran took a deep breath and entered, despite not wanting too.

"I'm here, what did I do this time?" Kieran asked sullenly, shutting the door behind him.

Kain just gave him a blank look. "Broke up with Cuore. You should really go to Eblan with Izayoi and talk to her,"

"Ugh," Kieran snapped, deflating. He sagged back against the closed door and glared at his mentor. "You too?! Viola cornered me yesterday babbling on about it too!"

Someone laughed and he glanced over to see Izayoi sprawled out across the couch in the room. She was drinking from an ornate bottle and flicked him a smirk after a swig. "Your mentor is hopeless romantic,"

Kain and Kieran both glared at her.

Ignoring her, Kain turned back, "I really thought Viola might be able to convince you,"

"You talked to her?!" Kieran said, annoyed. "She tried to blackmail me!"

His mentor shrugged and Izayoi snickered. "No, I talked to her. I remembered Cuore mentioning a white mage you seemed to get along with. I love her by the way, she told me so many funny stories about Rosa, Cecil and Kain when they were younger."

Kain made a face, obviously unhappy with that bit of news.

Kieran felt no sympathy.

"And what is this? An intervention?" he asked sharply.

"If it were up to me, a kidnapping, but Kain told me no." Izayoi said, kicking over of her legs up and over the rim of the couch. "Ruins all my fun…"

Kain sighed, "Kieran, you've been moody and unfocused lately, and…well, I meant what I said years ago. You're in a better mood after you've seen Cuore."

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Besides, I can't go anywhere. I'm piloting for Jansen tomorrow."

"Oh, right. That." Kain said, frowning. "Look, I know you are mad, but are you sure you don't want to talk to her and figure it out?"

"She isn't the problem." Kieran said. He threw his hands up, "I'm not talking about this with you. I'll be fine. I'm not going to Eblan."

"I told you, we need to lock the two of them in a room until they figure it out," Izayoi suggested.

Kieran glared at her, "When are you leaving?"

"Haven't decided yet. Don't have my free airship yet." she replied with a grin and downed the rest of the liquid in her bottle.

Kain ignored her. "Kieran, I just don't want you to make a mistake."

"I'm not." he replied quickly. "Falling in love in the first place was the mistake," he thought.

"This is for the best." Kieran muttered. "For…for both of us."

He saw Izayoi roll her eyes and chose to continue to ignore her. Kain, on the other hand, just stared at him long enough that it got unsettling.

"Can I go?" Kieran asked, wanting to bolt.

And maybe get a drink himself.

Kain finally sighed and nodded, and Kieran didn't wait for any further words before leaving.

"It's for the best." he reminded himself.


Thanks for sticking with this story everyone! SORRY this chapter does not wrap everything up. I'm trying to finish the last one soon.

Someone does need to lock these two in a room. Good grief.

It occurred to me the other day that Izayoi and Viola together would probably be funny. I can see them being friends.

Drop me a review if you are still reading this massively long, overdue story! And if you happen to be new here, welcome!

Until next time, all!