A/N: Welcome to "No Love Lost", not to be confused with General-Beatrix666's fic of the same name (which you should also read). Here you have the first of what will probably be many short fics revolving around the Leblanc Syndicate. I love them so. If you're a dork like me, you're welcome to play part of the FFX-2 soundtrack while reading this one. I recommend "Memories of Light and Waves," "The Farplane Abyss," or "Yuna's Ballad". :P That said, do enjoy.

---

Pyreflies

There was nothing left to do at the end of the world, so they stared into the sky. That was probably the point of the end of the world— just to exist, to simply be— but it was also unsettling. He just didn't feel right, like he didn't belong here. And he probably didn't.

How was there a sky deep underground, anyway? Especially one swirling dusky orange-pink everywhere, endlessly, steam floating up and turning into clouds down in the valley at the end of the world. Yes, that was what his head felt like inside. Floating in the sea, maybe, off the coast of Besaid or Kilika. He'd never actually been to either place, but he imagined it that way all the same.

Nothing but flowers and water, wafting around in an impalpable breeze. Peaceful. Big white sun in the sky. Nothing but flowers and water.

And pyreflies, which approached them with something like interest every so often, like they knew just as well as they did that this wasn't the place for them. Now that he thought of it, there were no people in sight here. Then where did they go? He wasn't stupid. He knew what Yevon said about pyreflies, that they weren't exactly the form of anyone's soul, that they could be something totally different from one person or another. But then where did the people go? Did they just stop? He didn't think he liked that idea.

But still… aside from the unexplainable discomfort he felt in this place, it was nice. In a quiet sort of way. He looked over and saw pyreflies drift over the boss's hair where it disappeared into the flowers. Sometimes when she moved a whole bunch of them would come soaring up from somewhere he couldn't see and disappear into the sky or the silver waterfalls. It was…

Pretty.

"Ugh, I can't do this anymore!"

"Boss?"

Those two stood up first, and then he followed.

"What am I doing, just sitting here? Noojie doesn't want me in there, but… well, that's just something he'll have to deal with! Boys, we're going."

There were no protests this time, but in the midst of one final check of their equipment, he paused and took in the pyreflies. They came spilling out of the air now so they made his boss and his best friend look all holy. Holier than Yevon, anyway. Standing out here… really hammered home the feeling he'd had a couple times before. That Yevon got a lot of things wrong, back then. And to the extent that he was religious, he probably did, too.

But he couldn't help but feel like he maybe had it right this time, without even trying.

"Hey! Quit spacing out and get over here!"

"Oh, really, it's hardly the time to be daydreaming."

He rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly and followed them to that big, black vortex.

"I guess, you know… I can feel good about comin' back here someday. How 'bout yous guys?"

Then the trio moved out, beyond the end of the world.

fin