"No…" she whispered.

The two titans of men of this world stood before her on opposing sides of the war at large. Her breath taken away, she stood on the Steps of Faith, the wind just brisk enough to turn her cheeks pink as her hair whipped around her.

On one end of the newly-rebuilt bridge stood the one person she could say she had lost more than once in this lifetime. His metallic purple dragoon armor spoke lengths of his trials both physical and personal in the time she had known him and the time he had been away. The difference now was that one of the times she had lost him, he looked as he did now.

His eyes were a glowing red, his faced cracked and streaked with blood. She had only witnessed his face in a few, intimate moments in their time together, and touched the silvery hair cascading down his shoulders now.

But the part that worried her the most… were the black and red skeletal wings that erupted from his back, glowing and swaying ominously in the wind with tendrils of power swirling around him.

On the other end of the bridge was another person she had once thought never to be seen again. But she had been thankful for it. She had watched his head roll by her feet as he collapsed in a pool of red before her.

But her gratitude was not for the monster he was or how he had slaughtered so many. It was not how she had won or how she had reclaimed Ala Mhigo. No… it was because he was finally free.

Her one regret in this world had been telling him in his final moments that she did not accept him. She didn't have the chance to voice it, but she wanted to tell him that she believed everyone deserved a second chance.

But he had voiced that he was ready to leave this world. That being bested by her had freed him of his quest to find someone of equal ability. Even then, only by the aide of her companions, was she able to do so.

And yet, here he was, floating in the flesh. Around him was what appeared as the ghost of the primal, Shinryu, as if risen from the grave she had once sent its spirit. And his eyes were also stained red, consumed with the power of the primal engulfing him, and he relished in it. He believed his true equal to be standing at the other end of that bridge.

And she – the great Warrior of Light – stood on the Steps of Faith between them.

Two years ago…

"He's gone?!" she nearly screamed at the guard.

The Warrior of Light grabbing someone by the collar and pressing him to the wall was a sight to behold. The man was shaking in fear.

He stammered out, "I was on duty o-only for the p-past half hour, miss! I d-didn't know!"

She grunted and dropped him as he fell back onto his feet and tried to catch his breath. She pushed past him and slammed open the door.

The sheets were crumpled on the edge of the bed, flowers long-wilted draped over a vase, and the glaring absence of a lance was – in fact – noticed.

The helmet sat gleaming in the sun at the windowsill, stained red with a broken horn.

She put a finger to her ear. The Linkpearl rang twice.

Alphinaud's voice came in to her ear. "You have never used these damned things. What's wrong?"

"Estinien's gone," she said quickly. "Get an appointment with Aymeric in his office, now. We have to find him."

She strode across the room and gingerly picked up the helmet, her reddened reflection staring back at her, defeated.

She slammed her hands on the desk of the Lord Commander's office. "I don't give a damn if he's going to be impossible to find! I've done everything for this Gods-forsaken country, and you're going to find me the dying man on the street!"

"You do not think I have tried my best?!" Ser Aymeric finally stood, losing his patience with her. He stopped, ran a hand over his face and took a breath. "My friend… I am sorry. Estinien Wyrmblood is a mystery to us all, even I, whom hath known him longest. But as the Lord Commander, I have done all but die searching for him when last he disappeared. If he does not wish to be found, he will not be." He looked down at the floor, his hair falling in his eyes. He whispered through his hoarse voice, "I am truly sorry…. He's gone."

"Again," she spat. "After everything… after everything we've done together… everything we've been through…!" Her hands clenched to fists at her sides.

Alphinaud opened his mouth to speak and made to reach for her shoulder, but she promptly turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the double wooden doors behind her.

The younger elezen looked to Aymeric.

The older of the two sighed. "If advice is what you seek from me, I have but this: be there for her."

Alphinaud nodded and left the office, for once, at loss for words.

Six months ago….

"You're welcome, boy."

With the blessing of Midgarsormr, she could feel the new presence.

The feeling came as a wave of underlying physical heat, taking her by surprise. At first she thought she was too young for a hot flash, but then she realized it was coming from her core.

She thought to herself, "It's him, isn't it? I can sense other dravanians because of you."

The withdrawn form of the wyrm seemed to mentally nod. "Aye. 'Tis the one which carry the essence of the Great Wyrm, Nidhogg. Be not alarmed. The Great Dragon within hath long been silenced. Though that power remains."

"Is something wrong?" Alphinaud said, out of breath at her side.

"He's here," she said quietly. Before he could question who, she was running to where the explosion had occurred.

She searched for hours. She searched until the other troops had dispersed. She searched until long after the feeling of his presence had faded. She searched until the sun had long set.

Alphinaud and Alisaie found her curled in on herself, her faithful chocobo laid, wrapped around her protectively. He pet the chocobo on the head, and tugged gently on the reins. He lifted her up with the help of his sister, and the three made their way back to camp on the back of the chocobo.

Five months ago….

"There. There ends your hateful legacy." He turned to walk away from Nidhogg for the last time.

"It's over, Estinien."

The former Azure Dragoon's breath stopped cold. He knew the voice but was caught off-guard by not feeling her presence sooner.

"I waited on purpose," she explained, as if knowing his thoughts. "I wanted the eyes to be gone before I approached… just you. You can't feel my presence now, so that's a start… isn't it?"

Finally, he turned to face her. The two of them stood face-to-face for the first time in over a year and a half apart. Their images seemed to mirror each other; they were still, only their hair moving in the wind atop the Menagerie. He could no longer feel her there, but he could see her… oh, he could see her.

Her hair blew wildly around her. Her face was stained with blood and tears that cleared a path through the soot and dirt coating her cheeks. Her eyes were reddened but still burning… always burning.

He stared with a hardened façade, not wanting her to see through the mask that was no longer physically there. He felt freer… lighter…. He held the burden of Nidhogg no longer.

But there was a flicker when he looked into those burning eyes. There was a flicker of… something. He didn't like the feeling. He didn't know if it meant there was no one else residing in his body.

She stepped forward, and he stepped backward when she reached out. She withdrew her hand, clasping it to her chest. "Why…?" she whispered. "Why did you leave?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he said with a scoff. "You're not the only one that's dangerous to those around them… those closest."

She took a sharp intake of breath, the words having stung her more than she would have expected his to. She steeled herself and pressed anyway. "And now?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"A moment ago, I would have told you that I am free…. But seeing you… looking at you here… I am not so sure. Something still… burns within me. I don't think it's over yet… not truly."

She bit her lip before speaking. She reached out again with one hand. "Then let me be the one to help you… to free you."

He blinked. "No."

"You hesitated. You thought about it."

"Of course I bloody thought about it."

"Then why are you fighting me?"

"Because I think you're the cause!" he snapped.

She dropped her hand to her side once more. He saw her eyes start to mist, and his chest physically ached at the sight. Was it Nidhogg telling him to kill what could defeat him? Was it regret? Guilt? It hurt too much to think about.

Taking a breath, she stepped forward.

He stepped back again. "Get away from me!"

She stopped, but she said anyway, "You're afraid." Her voice wavered more than she had wanted. The reality is that the man before her was still somewhat of an enigma to her. But she so desperately wanted to reach out to her friend… to help him… to save him… understand him. So she had voiced her own thoughts… about herself.

"Of becoming a monster again? Yes, I would think that would be a good thing to fear." he stated matter-of-factly.

"No," she said, shaking her head. In reality, yes, she did fear that of herself. Now she understood that he felt it too. That was a start, she decided. She stepped forward again, but this time he didn't step back. "You're afraid of feeling something."

"What are you on?" he asked, shaking his head.

Her breath caught before she continued. "No family… an arrow shot at you by your closest friend… loss of the one you loved…. I saw the flowers, Estinien."

His mouth gaped open before speaking. "Why are you doing this to me?" he grunted out through gritted teeth.

"You've loved and lost," she said, finally standing just before him. "You've trusted and been betrayed, even by yourself." She reached down, finally close enough to reach him, and took his hands in hers. "You don't even have the spirit that controlled you. So what's left for you?"

She waited patiently for his answer. Her words were piercing her own heart as she thought of the one she had loved and lost in her own journey with Estinien. She wanted to know the truth; was he mirroring her in every way?

His nostrils flared and he bared his teeth at her. There was her answer. He didn't know.

For her, that was enough.

Before he could say more, she reached up and grabbed him at the back of his head and pulled his lips down to hers. She pressed against him as hard as she could without cutting herself on his armor.

He grunted into her touch, her having taken him by surprise. Contact with another living, breathing being had been lost on him for so long. He finally allowed himself to snake his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his armor despite not being able to feel her body. He groaned in both pleasure and frustration at the realization of their closeness yet distance.

He abruptly pulled back sharply and leapt away, leaving her with the wind of his escape on her agape lips.

She let herself fall to her knees. She clenched her hair in her fists and let out a cry so strangled in pain, she didn't recognize her own voice.

But he heard her. And that was the point.

Two months ago….

Her eyes snapped open. She could feel the familiar presence stronger than she said in months.

She sat bolt-upright in bed, surveying what she could hardly see in the candlelit room around her.

She remembered where she was, working under Hien directly in the reconstruction of the newly freed country of Doma. She had taken the Lord's offer of a small apartment of her own in the Doman Enclave. But that was just it: she was supposed to be alone.

She grabbed her weapon resting beside her bed and quickly tip-toed to the sliding paper doors of her bedroom. Raising the weapon, she slid the door open with one hand in a fighting stance.

Her breath stopped cold, and she dropped her weapon, running to the near-motionless figure clad in armor on the floor.

When she saw him, all of her unanswered questioned dissipated from her mind.

Estinien was in some of the worse shape – albeit being possessed – she had ever seen him in. His armor was scraped up all over, his lance replaced by what looked like a simpler stolen one, and his breath was labored.

"Estinien…." she lamented, rushing to his side, kneeling on the floor. His face was all but destroyed: his hair was a mess, matted with blood and cut at odd angles. His lip was split, his nose bleeding, and his cheeks were bruised in yellows and purples.

"I'm… sorry…." he managed to wheeze. "You were… right."

"Shhh," she said quickly, lifting his head into her lap. She started to remove the armor carefully to help him. "We need to take you to the chirurgeons-"

"Please," he said quietly. He lifted his hand and reached out, so she grasped his hand and held it between her own. "Let me stay… with you."

She bit her lip. She knew he needed serious medical attention, but she knew she had some supplies to at least stop the worst of it.

"I have… been through enough. I just want to stay."

Her chest tightened at his pleading. She let go of his hands to brush the blood-stained hair away from his face. She settled, and said "Let me look you over, and if there isn't something I can't help with, then you can stay. If not, you're going straight to Lord Hien's best, alright?"

"Thank you…."

After some awkward encounters between the two as she carefully removed his clothing – save for a loincloth – she examined him everywhere. Aside from suspicious-looking needle punctures, open wounds, and other deliberate markings, he was in one piece, albeit exhausted. Holding the title of Azure Dragoon herself, she knew the limits she could take while being the Warrior of Light but without the curse of Nidhogg. For him to be diminished to this was beyond her comprehension.

Through all of the brushes of skin, the reddened glances, and hisses of pain when medication was applied, Estinien remained verbally silent.

It finally reached a breaking point after pants for him were found. As he was putting on a shirt borrowed from her (in her array of a wardrobe, a mystery to him), and he was groaning out of soreness, that she broke the silence – albeit her occasional "sorry" and "does it hurt?"

"Estinien?" she asked quietly.

"Mmm…?" he groaned as she helped him lay down in her bed. When his head hit the pillow, he sighed, closing his eyes.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her voice breaking.

His eyes opened quickly and he looked to her, seeing the water brimming at the edges of her sight. He cursed under his breath and tried to sit up to reach her, but she shook her head and helped ease him back down, letting tears fall down.

"Please! Just stop…. Stop trying to pretend you're alright on your own!" She turned away from him, wiping her face frantically with her back turned. "I'm not afraid to say… I'm not." she whispered.

"I was captured."

She turned back to look at him, and his gaze was on his hands in his lap.

"The Garlean Empire took advantage of what Ishgard still had to offer… which was Nidhogg." He paused, giving her a chance to take that in. "They found the eyes and gave the power to Zenos yae Galvus, as you well know." He chanced a glance in her direction, and she stiffened at the mention of his name. Estinien continued, "When I destroyed the eyes last I saw you…." But then he trailed off from the intensity of her stare.

There were few things that scared Estinien in this world. Not even the prospect of dying in the name of saving Ishgard when he had asked the Warrior of Light to kill him made him bat an eye. Her glare was one of them.

"That look of yours pains me, you know," he pointed out, turning away from her. He side-eyed her and she still stared. "Yes… I heard you. You would not comprehend the pain it physically caused me to turn away from you."

"Then why did you go?!" she snapped. "Do you know the pain it caused me? Did you care?"

"Of course I-" but he stopped to cough and fell back onto the pillow. He composed himself before continuing. "I left to protect you."

"And a bloody great job you did there!" she shouted at him. "Do you know what's happened since then? The Scions and the rest of Ala Mhigo tried to form a stable alliance and guess what happened? Another fucking-!"

"A primal! Yes, a primal! I was captured. Do you think that I had known, I would have stayed away?!"

She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "You've left when I've needed you before."

Estinien sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Continuing this fight is the last reason I have returned."

"Then why did you bother to come back to me? You could have gone home. Have Aymeric to mend you back to health and Alberic to see again."

"They… would not understand."

"So you came to me?"

"I was an experiment."

The Warrior of Light took a breath and held it. She had no words. She needed to know more.

"As I was trying to explain…. After I destroyed the eyes, the Empire found me. They knew who I was somehow. I believe there may be yet another traitor in our midst. But that is but a small problem. They drained me of my aether the best they could. But Nidhogg was merciful on my soul. Whilst he may be no more, his curse still runs through my veins. The curse seemed to protect me, whilst ironically being part of what they stole."

She took a few steps back to the bed and sat on the edge. She looked down to his hands and took them in her own. "Gods, I… I don't know what to say."

He raised a hand to brush hair away from her face. "They have stolen Nidhogg's power without the eyes. They are planning something more. I was too weak to get away and also inform anyone of royal status, but I knew where to find you."

"Estinien… what did they do to you?"

He trained his eyes on her hair as he continued to smooth it and tuck it back. "They drained my aether. Made me angry to try to awaken Nidhogg's power. But apparently they knew not of my power coming directly from the beast and my destroying of the source. Then they moved to some… interrogation… to find out what they had missed. I know not what I hath provided them with. For that, I am sorry for aiding the enemy once again."

She grimaced but paused. "I'd hit you for thinking this is your fault, but I think you've been through enough."

He chuckled but winced at the pain in his ribs. "You always seemed to be as violent as I."

She took one of his hands back and put it to her cheek, nuzzling into it. "So let me get this right…. You came back for nearly the same reason you left?"

"Regarding the understanding me? Yes, I suppose that is the case. But regarding trying to protect you? I think I hath done a shite job at that one. I never wanted to become a monster again… though I feel that after what happened in Garlemald, I may still be."

"Then two Azure Dragoons, each with a blessing from a dragon, shall be monsters together, saving Eorzea." she concluded, squeezing his hands between hers.

Estinien Wyrmblood, lost to the world for the better part of two years, on his own quest to destroy his nemesis that was one of the original dragons… allowed a small smile to cross his face. He took his hands from her gently and cupped her face with one hand while brushing away her hair with the other. He leaned in close, his breath hot and labored even still on her face. "I may not be much for companionship this night… but I will stay if you would allow me."

She smiled and licked her lips, looking into his eyes. She leaned her forehead into his, both closing their eyes. "Welcome home."

The Warrior of Light once again awoke with a start. She immediately looked to her right to see Estinien's sleeping form beside her. His breathing was slow but not as shallow as the previous night.

She sighed in relief, and Estinien turned his head to her. "Yes, I am still here."

Startled, she gasped and turned back to him, her eyes wide.

"You needn't worry. I hath been awake for some time. The pain, you see…."

She pursed her lips in a half smile and scooted closer to him. She leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Will you please see the chirurgeons now?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "I survived the night, did I not?"

"You're really tempting me to slap you." she pointed out. He gave her the faintest hint of a smile again, so she was proud of her gesture.

She rose from bed, but he grabbed her wrist, turning her to him. Though weakened, he was still able to pull her lips down to meet his. She squeaked in surprise while he chuckled into the kiss. He pulled back abruptly, his breathing shallow again.

"My apologies, 'tis but still a strain even for that."

It was her turn to laugh and shake her head at him. "Did my kissing you imply I wanted something more last night?"

Estinien flushed, a sight she had never seen before. He grumbled something to himself about her being a bitch. She merely rolled her eyes and poked his nose before standing again.

When she reached for her armor in the wardrobe, he turned his head, attempting to seem oblivious to her, but she took appreciation in his chivalry.

Once ready herself, she helped him out of bed. She helped him to her small bathroom and sat him down, taking a brush to his hair. She trimmed it back to a neater state and redressed his bandages. He simply watched her while she worked, seeming to know what she was doing as if well-practiced.

After he was more presentable, she put a finger to her Linkpearl. "Alphinaud…. Gather Lord Hien and the others. We need to hold a meeting. But first… grab his best chirurgeons."

Following the shock that was Estinien's return, he was quickly ushered to a facility with all of the best to examine him at the word of Lord Hien.

Lord Hien himself was surprisingly skeptical at Estinien's sudden return, but agreed to the meeting regardless. The Warrior of Light, Estinien, Alphinaud, Lord Hien, Yugiri, Gosetsu, and other close confidants of Lord Hien sat in a circle in the throne room. Estinien had been given some of Gosetsu's clothing, as an elezen as tall as he fit into little of the clothing of Domans. He wore a Haori, despite his minor protests, and sat between the Warrior of Light and Alphinaud at one head of the circle opposite Hien.

"So…" Hien began, "the infamous Azure Dragoon hath returned to the world of the living. Might I begin with why you have chosen now? After the events of Ala Mhigo, the retaking of Doma Castle – my home – and the return of not one, but a few primals?"

Alphinaud shot a look in Hien's direction, and opened his mouth to speak, but Estinien put a hand on his shoulder. "Watch your tongue, boy. He is only being protective of a recently freed kingdom. I know the feeling all too well." he added, looking to Hien.

The Lord lifted his chin at that, his interest peaked.

"I will explain everything you need to know. Ishgard hath been driven down a long path to where it stands today as a part of the Eorzean Alliance. I was both a part in freeing Ishgard… and holding it back. But I am not under the control of the monster that was Nidhogg. After the fall of Zenos yae Galvus, I destroyed the eyes used to give him the ability to become the primal, Shinryu."

Yugiri's jaw dropped as she first made eye contact with Gosetsu and then Lord Hien. The other military officials in the room began to whisper to each other until Lord Hien raised up a hand, silencing them. "You say the eyes are destroyed. Why hath you not returned whence they were?"

Estinien licked his lips before chancing a glance at her. She nodded to encourage him. Looking back to Hien, he continued. "You must understand that I still hold the power of the Azure Dragoon in addition to Nidhogg's curse from my body having been his vessel. But I was watching from the shadows. I was the one to aid you at Castrum Abania. You did particularly well with the handling of the battle, might I add," he directed at Alphinaud.

Alphinaud looked to her then, his eyes wide. She looked back to him and watched as realization dawned on his face.

Hien folded his arms across his chest, closing his eyes in thought. "On behalf of both Domans and Ala Mhigans, I thank you." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I must insist that you explain in explicit detail what happened to you in Garlemald."

Taking in a long breath before sighing, Estinien recounted all that he had told the Warrior of Light upon entering her abode. He spared them the more graphic details of his capture.

But when he finally reached the part of how they stole his aether and thus the curse of Nidhogg's powers, Lord Hien held up a hand. "I must ask that you spare a moment. I believe that it is not coincidence you have come back to us on this same night. As most of us here know now, Asahi's intentions are dubious at best. He indeed intends to reach an agreement between Doma and the Empire; however, his threatening of the Warrior of Light needed to be looked into." He looked to the Warrior of Light, his good friend, before saying what he was about to. "After the fall of Ala Mhigo and besting of Shinryu, Estinien destroyed the eyes. But did you both notice what was missing atop the Menagerie?"

She and Estinien glanced to each other and back to Lord Hien, both of their eyes wide.

"Estinien may be right in that there is a traitor amongst us, and thus knew of Estinien's involvement with the Warrior of Light and at Castrum Abania…." He took in a breath, straightening himself. "We have received word that Zenos yae Galvus is alive."

All eyes turned to her. "That's… that's impossible…. I watched his head roll on the gods-damned floor!"

"Need you be surprised after what your friend here has recounted of his capture?" Lord Hien pointed out. "They wanted Nidhogg's power back, and they knew whomst held it. They also had a vessel for it within the Empire. All they had to do was steal the body and perform similar experiments-"

She stood abruptly. Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. "Zenos yae Galvus is dead." she spat through gritted teeth.

Estinien and Alphinaud then made eye contact. Estinien stood, placing a hand on her shoulder, but she shoved him off. "As much as I wish to protest as well, I feel that given what I experienced-"

"No! No! I can't-! I won't believe this!" she yelled. "Tell me it isn't true!" she snapped toward Alphinaud.

The young elezen's eyes widened. She knew that he always knew what to say. But this was one of those times he was at a loss for words.

She clenched shut her eyes and fists. She turned on her heel and ran out of the room.

Estinien was quick to follow her though. On her heels, he caught up to her easily with his stature. When he reached her, he reached for her shoulder again but upon contact, she grabbed his hand and threw it off.

"Don't you dare try to comfort me on this one!" she snapped.

"Are you allowed to comfort me but not the other way around?" he questioned.

"I think after everything you've put me through the past few years, I deserve to be the one to run for once." she said with ice in her tone.

Estinien stopped and looked down. "Believe it or not, I have no reply to give you."

She crossed her arms, glaring at him. If that was his way of apologizing, it was lousy in her mind.

"Allow me to make amends," he started. "I could search for the truth for your sake. I shall go-"

"How could you even suggest that?" she snapped. "Get it through your thick, gods-be-damned skull! I don't want you to leave!"

He searched her eyes, trying to determine if her words held the weight she spoke them with. He knew that she always meant what she said. But he still had toyed with the idea that there was more he could do for her. The burning sensation he had felt when they had met again atop the Menagerie was searing through him.

For the time being, he resigned himself to this. He opened his arms to her, looking to her eyes. "Then I shall stay."

She rushed into his embrace then, pressing her cheek to his bare chest. She took in his warmth, smelling his odd scent that was so Estinien.

"Let us go home," he whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to her head.

The sun rose the following morning and bathed her face in warmth as she stirred. She remembered the previous night and smiled, remembering his warmth… how much he made this empty house feel like home.

Then she realize the lack of that very warmth.

She turned abruptly in bed to see the empty side, the blankets tossed aside. She sat up and scanned the room, her blood rushing in her ears. The battered armor he had shown up in was gone along with the lance he had with him.

She pressed her fists to her eyes so hard it physically hurt. But any hurt was better than the emptiness she felt right then. She screamed so loud it hurt her own ears and throat.

Tears poured down her face as she screamed, "Fuck you! Fuck you, Estinien! Don't you dare come back!"

"Did thou miss me, my old friend?" The enormous man at the far end of the bridge called to her with a maniacal cackle. She physically cringed at the sight of his Adam's apple bobbing below the ugly scars on his throat. "Do you accept me now?" He bellowed in laughter.

Her body was frozen, her eyes wide in horror as she stared at him. Her hands shook, but she managed to turn to the other large man she had once took refuge in. He seemed to hardly notice her as she stared at his form, so foreign to her and who he truly is, yet all too familiar.

"E-Estinien!" she yelled to him, though only just feet away. She didn't know if he could hear her beneath the power literally swirling around him in tendrils of black and reds. He was hovering in the air with the near-skeletal wings of Nidhogg seemingly hanging him there. She swallowed hard. "Don't do this! Not like this!"

A combined voice of Nidhogg and Estinien came through. "Ah, but child of Hydaelyn. This is how I may repay you."

Her eyes narrowed despite her fear, not understanding the meaning.

"It is not Nidhogg that must repay you, but I, Estinien."

She gaped at the form before her. His hair whipped around his face as a smirk formed.

"You wanted nothing more than for this to be over, or is that not so? I have returned with the power to obtain vengeance! For you!"

It dawned on her then that this was the result of the experiments the Empire must have performed on him. It lie dormant in him until vengeance triggered the awakening of the power of Nidhogg once more. He had been right all along: she was the cause.

"Please! You have to fight this! You are more than your power! I don't want vengeance! I want you!" Tears welled in her eyes for what felt like the millionth time in being with the man before her. "Come home to me…."

"Silence, girl!" he shouted at her with the combined voice again. "I must finish this!" With that, he took to the sky, sending wind spiraling at her as she turned to follow his form.

He sprung like a dragoon but used the wings as further leverage to aim straight for Zenos.

"A fight to the death it is, my one other true equal." he sneered.

The two dragons collided in the air as she looked on in horror. Zenos still used his blade through the ghostly form of Shinryu while Estinien used the broken lance he still held onto to go toe-to-toe with Zenos. Meanwhile, Shinryu's claws gripped into pieces of the wings on Estinien, attempting to rip them from his very back. Nidhogg's wings sunk into Zenos' back when they could not pierce Shinryu, ripping chunks of flesh from him. Zenos coughed up blood but continued to cackle as his blade clashed with Estinien's lance.

Shaking off her shock, she charged forward and launched herself up at the two of them, hitting Zenos with everything she had. He cursed before meeting her eyes. She met his and whispered, "I still… don't accept you."

While he was distracted, Estinien took his lance straight to Zenos' throat, repeating the act the said man had done himself all that time ago. The Warrior of Light wretched when she saw him roll on the floor, and she leapt down as the form of Shinryu vanished, and Zenos' body collapsed to the ground at her feet.

When she landed, she was out of breath, trying to withhold her stomach contents and turned away from the corpse. She looked up to see Estinien hovering just in front of her, reaching out his arms to her.

She narrowed her eyes. He was still not himself, she knew this. But she also knew it could be the only way to reason with him.

She reached out and met one of his hands.

He gripped her roughly and pulled her into his embrace, expelling the air from her lungs. But what stopped her breath was when she suddenly felt the tips Nidhogg's wings pierce her armor and through her back.

Nidhogg's voice then laughed at her, blood from his fight with Zenos splattering her face. It didn't matter to her though, as she was beginning to choke on her own blood.

"Finally! I can fell the beast which helped slain thee in days past!"

"Estinien…" she croaked out, "don't…. Please…."

His face contorted for a moment and he groaned in pain.

"I know… you're fighting…." She coughed blood and it spilled down her chin. "You did this for me…. Don't let it end like this…."

The ends of the wings suddenly tore from her back, and she screamed in pain. That was enough to make Estinien's eyes widen, and he nearly dropped her. Panting in agony, he floated down to the ground, still clutching her close to him as his eyes clenched shut. It was painful to let his own thoughts come through, but he was trying his hardest to embrace it.

"Estinien!" a new voice suddenly shouted from the far end of the bridge. Estinien turned them around, and she squinted through the shadows threatening at the edges of her vision to see Alphinaud holding up his tome with a carbuncle and Aymeric holding up a bow with a knocked arrow. "Do not force my hand on you again! Let her go!"

With what little strength she had, she held up a hand, albeit her arm being pinned.

The two elezen exchanged glances but lowered their weapons slowly.

She managed to just barely reach his cheek with her bloodied hand. Estinien's eyes widened before closing and leaning into her touch.

"Don't let us die… like this…." she pleaded. She sucked in a breath and coughed again. But it was enough to clear her throat. "I love you…. Come home."

Finally, his eyes clenched in pain and he let out a blood-curdling wail of agony as the wings dissipated from his back along with the tendrils of power surrounding them. He gripped onto her, and she let him, knowing he needed her through this.

"He'll kill her!" Alphinaud shouted.

But Aymeric raised an arm to block him from charging forward. "If you wish to save them both, you have to let this happen. 'Tis the only chance he has."

"And what of her?!"

Aymeric grimaced. He had seen her prowess in battle. But her weakness for her loved ones was her fatal flaw.

As his clawed metal gauntlets tore into the flesh of her arms, she felt as though she could breathe again. She was too exhausted to scream in pain, but the relief that he was using her to ground himself was working… allowed her to calm.

"Estinien…." she whispered again.

Finally, he fell to his knees but never let her fall. He gently laid her in his arms and brushed her blood-stained hair from her face.

"What have I done…?" he said with his own voice at last, his hand shaking. Tears streamed down his face, cutting through the grime and blood across his own face. He looked back when he heard the footsteps of the others rushing to their aid. He resigned himself to his fate. He may be held captive again with this crime… or revered as a hero for saving the world from Shinryu. Which fate lie ahead, he did not know.

But her hand brushing his face brought him back from his tormented thoughts. He clutched her hand to his cheek and turned his face into her palm to kiss it.

"You came… back to me." she said, with what little of a smile she could manage.

"Always," he said, his voice breaking for her, for the first time. "My love…." he said, his voice hoarse from the strain. He swallowed. "Where once I craved vengeance… I now crave rest. Let us go home."

[A/N 3-22-18]: Holy shit, I did not expect to fall in love with Estinien this much. And as you can tell, the chapters got longer the more I made! I hope you all enjoyed this despite the slight canon-twist I threw in for the sake of plot. It's a bit AU where they do experiments on him and Zenos, but I think it fits both characters well given Stormblood!

I haven't decided if the next in the making is Zenos or Haurchefant (very different characters, I know) and in the future, Hien and Sidurgu! But keep an open mind and let me know how you enjoyed this! The next chapter might be a ways off because I want to focus on my other two projects, but if the urge strikes me, you'll know!