It took some time to figure this chapter out, but here it is! I hope it's as good as I imagined it to be to you guys. I'm just trying to make sure there's a nice balance between conflict and details lining up.

I'm getting pretty excited for where this story is going. Truth is, I want things to stretch out as much as possible. Don't want all the juicy stuff happening too fast, the romance being a big part of that.

As always, I hope you guys enjoy and thank you to all who support me!

Also, swearing.

The accused redhead took a step back, eyes wide. "How...? How did he find out?! Damn it...what do I do?" She thought as the brunette's gaze seemed to pierce a hole through her skull. She couldn't quite tell exactly what was in his green eyes...anger? Betrayal? Sadness? Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"I...I'm not sure what you mean." Said Dawn after a moment of thinking. Maybe she could get him off her tracks somehow...

"You know what I mean. Are you or are you not a real Hunter?" His face seemed to crinkle up a little.

Dawn's deeper green eyes lowered to the ground. She didn't really want to lie...but deep inside, she was afraid. Afraid of what they might do if they found out what she really was.

However, it looked like there wasn't any other option. She had to tell him.

"Ignis...I'm...I'm not really a Hunter. I'm not even sure what a 'Hunter' really is." She spoke in a soft voice, still not meeting his gaze. "...How did you know?"

"I've had my suspisions. Ever since we met."

"Then...how come you just now confront me? There were plenty of opportunities." Her mind started to think back to the nights where they talked. The more she thought about them, the more guilty she felt...but the more guilty she felt, the more she thought about the vision and it's seemingly unavoidable doom.

Ignis pushed up his glasses slightly, his gaze shifting from her eyes to her cheek. "I wasn't quite certain about the truth of your claim until I had more evidence. I wanted to be sure that you weren't telling the truth. No dog tag, no certain details about the so called 'target', avoiding the hunt with Gladio...it all came together."

"Damn...I'm not very good at lying..." Thought the redhead to herself; He was just too sharp.

"Dawn...why did you lie to us? We saved your life."

Without thinking, the woman's arms lifted a little to cover her stomach. "I know...and...I'm grateful. You guys didn't even know me and yet you took me in." She remembered when she was attacked by that beast...the four men rescuing her...Ignis treating her wounds. "It's...hard to explain."

The brunette sighed, getting frustrated. "Who are you? If you happen to be with the Empire then-"

"No! No...I swear, I'm not with the Empire. They can go to hell for all I care." She paused. "As for who I am...I think it would be best if you didn't know."

"What? Why?"

"Because I know you won't believe me...or, something. Even I'm starting to disbelieve it myself."

"I don't quite understand..."

"Why does it matter, Ignis? I have to leave you guys anyway. You'll all just forget me in a week or so." Dawn did feel guilty for not telling the truth, and for hiding her origins, but she realized: It would be better if they just forgot her. It would be better if she just left and never came back...it was easier that way. "I might as well just go."

Dawn turned away, walking to who knows where. Ignis quickly spoke up. "That's not true!" He yelled.

The redhead stopped in her tracks and sat there for a moment, a cloud of dust floating away from her feet.

"I...I could never forget you, Dawn. It matters to me who you are, and where you come from. I know you being a Hunter was a lie...but I know everything else you've told me was true."

The redhead didn't know what to say. Her heart wanted to soar, but at the same time...

"Please...if you're going to leave, at least tell me who you really are. I think we all deserve that much." He sounded...sad. Like if she left, his adventures with his friends wouldn't be the same. This made Dawn change her mind, if just for a moment.

She turned back to him. "Okay, you really wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll tell you. Ignis, I'm..." A lump started to form in her throat, trying to prevent her from spilling the secret. "...I'm a fairy. Happy?" Upon saying it, she felt like her windpipe was going to close up, cutting off her oxygen supply in punishment for what she had done. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

The brunette just stood there. He didn't know what to make of the new information, one that he had been wanting to know for a while. His lips moved slightly, trying to convey a singular thought. After a minute, he finally managed to make sense of something.

"You mean...you're a supernatural being with the power of nature?" He asked quietly, mind still a scramble.

"Well...I suppose. I'm not human, and I wield special powers. I come from Titania, a planet far away from here. I lied to you because you are human...who knows what you would have done if you knew...or will do."

Ignis's gloved hand met with his face, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. This was all so sudden...so...bizarre. Dawn could see the look on his face: disbelief.

"See? I knew you wouldn't believe me. This was a waste of time..." She huffed, turning on her heels to leave again.

Ignis still didn't respond. His words were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Dawn stopped for a second once more.

"Goodbye, Ignis...It was nice meeting you, and the other guys...tell Noctis that I said 'good luck'." With that, she walked away from the one person she was closest to.

The brunette seemed to snap out of his confused trance somewhat upon seeing the redhead leave. "D-Dawn. Wait..." His small, meek voice called out to her, but it was no good. She was disconnected and gone...maybe forever.

He let her go. Dawn couldn't be stopped by anyone. As he saw her fiery ponytail getting smaller, his heart seemed to drop. Dawn was alone once again, but this time, she chose that path on her own. She didn't want him around...

The sun was close to touching the horizon. Bright orange light seeped through the shrubs, casting off long, dark shadows. Ignis, at that moment, felt like he was cast into the darkness. His world felt...smaller...darker than normal. Dawn was like some sort of torch; bringing light wherever she went...and now, that light was gone.

The woman in question didn't look back. Her eyes were set in front of her, leading her to wherever her feet were going. In truth, she felt her heart drop as well. As far as she remembered, no one ever concerned themselves with her problems or feelings...those four men were the only ones. When she spoke to Ignis about her fascination on stars, and how people at home treated her, everything felt...calmer. Her wretched waste of a life finally had some meaning. Her mind recalled one of the last things the brunette had said before she left.

"I could never forget you, Dawn."

A small smile appeared on her face. Despite leaving and the misunderstandings, she was glad she met Ignis and the others. She could never forget them either...and now Ignis was safe from the vision.

The sun was now hidden from view, the orange light slowly fading away into dark blue. The redhead knew what this meant: Deamons. Luckily, she eventually found a haven that was high above the ground.

"Thank goodness I found a haven in time..." Thought Dawn. "Gonna have to sleep here for the night."

She sat down on the rock, alone. A nice, comfy sleeping bag would be nice, but...this will have to do for now. From this point on, she would take care of herself.

Back at Galdin Quay, Gladiolus was waiting outside the trailer for the two missing people to return from their trip. He was quietly reading his book until he suddenly felt a presence.

"Iggy. You're finally back." He said, relieved that nothing bad happened to him out in the wilderness. It was then he noticed that someone was missing. "Uh...where's Sleeping Beauty?" He asked the glum-looking brunette.

Ignis gave a small, almost inaudible sigh. "She's...she's gone."

Gladio's eyes went wide. "What?! She left?"

"Yes. Said that she might as well just go."

The taller man could tell that this made his friend upset. Especially since he...

"Huh...she didn't even complete her hunt..."

At that moment, Noctis and Prompto arrived. They seemed to have been hanging out by the water, as their dripping clothes gave it away. Surprisingly, it was the Prince who spoke first, black hair somewhat sticking to his scalp.

"What happened, Specs?" He asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, I don't see Dawn anywhere...did something happen?" Prompto chimed in, his hair suffering the same fate as his friend's. He seemed more worried than Noctis was.

Before Ignis could say anything, Gladiolus beat him to the draw. "He said she left. Just up and went."

Both Prompto and Noctis's eyes grew wide in shock.

"W-what?! Left?! Aw, Iggy..." The blonde consoled the brunette, though the brunette wasn't quite sure why he was directly consoling him.

"But the hunt." Said Noctis. "She wasn't finished with it. She's planning to do it herself?"

"She was never on a hunt." Ignis said above all of the commotion. His eyes seemed to get slightly darker. "She lied to us."

The boys stood there, looking at each other. This whole time, she was fooling them...but for what reason?

"So she isn't a Hunter then? Why would she lie like that?" The tallest man crossed his arms in confusion and anger. Gladiolus did not take lying easily, and it could be clearly seen from his distressed face and tougher demeanor.

"She said that...she was a fairy."

"...You've gotta be kidding."

"That's what she told me. She said she lied because we were human and she wasn't."

It seemed cruel, but the boys wanted to laugh out of how stupid it sounded.

The tallest man was the first to be open about it. "A magical pixie with a wand and wings? Get real." He scoffed.

"That does seem pretty far-fetched..." Said Prompto, sounding more sad than anything. Despite Dawn lying, he enjoyed having her around.

Even Noctis sounded just a tad glum as well, though he didn't let it show. "Well, whatever the case...she's on her own now. We should hit the hay, Ignis."

The brunette nodded in agreement. Maybe some rest would be just what he needed to get his mind off of the recent events. "Right. I'll prepare us something for dinner first."

After the group had their dinner, they retired for the night. Everyone was sleeping soundly in their own areas...except Ignis.

Even when she seemingly explained herself, it was still confusing as hell. She was comfortable around them, and even opened up to him, only to be lying...and just randomly leave. There was also the crazy part...a fairy from another planet? How could that be possible? Everything about her was perfectly human...there was no way she was that different.

Still, even if that were true...they proved that they weren't enemies. He did everything possible to let her know that she was safe...you would think by then she would realize that telling the truth might not have been all bad. He just couldn't understand it...

Ignis turned to his side. No matter what he believed...no matter how much he dwelled on it, it didn't matter; She wasn't coming back. That was the last time he would see that fiery red hair of hers...those deep green eyes...

Before he knew it, Ignis fell asleep with thoughts of Dawn.

When morning came, the brunette did feel a bit more refreshed, but not by much. The tossing and turning that night did not bode well.

Everyone else was awake, except Noctis of course. He was always last to wake up...well, except for yesterday...

He shook his head. There had to be something he could do to take his mind off of this...

"Mornin'." Greeted Prompto, eyes still a little droopy.

"Good morning." Ignis replied. "I think I shall go and check on the dock. Surely some progress had to have been made."

"Right-o."

With that, the brunette put on his jacket and shoes, and left for the nearby docks. The salty sea breeze flowed through his brown hair, playing with the spikes. The water was shining, the fish were swimming happily underneath the surface. Thankfully, the view of the beach and focus he had on the boat was just enough to keep the fiery woman out of his tired mind. He couldn't afford to falter now, not when the Prince needed him.

As he arrived inside the building across the bridge, something had caught his eye on one of the empty tables. There was a slab of paper on it, with big bold letters on the front...a newspaper. As the brunette approached it, the letters began to become more and more clear...

At the trailer, Noctis had finally emerged from his deep slumber. He stretched and yawned, thankful to have gotten a good night's rest. Upon seeing that no one else was present inside of the trailer, he exited out the door onto the soft sand. Prompto and Gladio were there, just sitting in the chairs.

"Sup'." Greeted the tallest man, nodding towards the Prince.

"Sup'. Where's Specs?" Replied Noctis, noticing that he wasn't around for some reason.

Prompto spoke up. "Said he was gonna' check on the boats. Should be back soon."

As if on cue, the brunette had appeared from the parking lot, some sort of paper in his hand. He was walking in a somewhat fast pace towards them, which wasn't exactly normal.

"Hey. Uh...what's that look for?" Said Noctis as his friend approached. Ignis was wearing a strange look on his face, thought he couldn't tell exactly what it was or what it meant. All he knew was that it seemed to be something bad.

Ignis handed the paper to Gladio, not responding to the question. "It's in all the papers." He said.

Gladiolus took the paper, studying its contents with crinkled eyebrows.

Not one with being patient, Prompto rose and jutted his face next to the taller man, reading the paper aloud.

"'Insomnia...falls'?"

Poor Iggy. :(

Let me know what you guys think! Hope I didn't mess anything up!