a/n: yey! chapter 4! hehehe. for those who are currently reading this fic, i hope you guys are enjoying the story as much as i'm enjoying writing it. *sigh* from where i am, its almost school again... hopefully, time will allow me to keep writing this NxS fic. i really, really want to finish what i've started... anyways, read & review!!

Disclaimer: SE owns Final Fantasy Versus XIII! XD

"Oblivious Fate"

By: rorudesu-chan

*

*

*

*

*

Chapter 4: Desires and Obligations

*

*

The evenings before weekends were usually spent for movie nights, social gatherings, parties, sleepovers and such. It was an accustomed culture for all the students in Regius therefore, everybody knew about that certain day of the week where the point of unwinding was the sole purpose. But Stella Nox Fleuret being a new student in the academy didn't have anything to do with refusing her dorm mates' offer to de-stress some nerves. It had to do with her 'other' duty, the one that had her insides squealing for the truth.

It was quiet except for the gentle hush of the pouring rain outside. Since her roommates were out for an eve of unwinding, she decided to close all the lights inside the room but made sure to leave the night lamp beside her on, to illuminate within the dimness. Stella sat on her bed with her back lying upon the headrest. In one hand she held a warm mug of cocoa while the other held her phone alongside her right ear. She took a gentle sip from her drink and waited for someone to answer her call. Finally after three rings, a firm voice of a woman answered it.

"Somna here."

"Good evening Somna." Stella placed down her mug on the side table and stretched out her legs over the white sheets.

"Ah, Miss Fleuret. I was expecting your call around this hour. What is it that you wish to tell me?"

"Have everything ready. The plan will commence once I arrive in Tenebrae tomorrow morning." The blonde haired Ambassador spoke seriously as she lowered her voice into a whisper.

"How is that going to work?"

"Let's just say that I've invited the Prince for a tour around the kingdom."

Stella expected a reply from the fellow Ambassador but after a few seconds of receiving none, she decided to check if their communication wasn't disrupted by the raining weather. "Somna are you th—"

"I will speak to the council about this matter. Expect for my call around ten in the evening."

Beep. The older Ambassador ended the call in an instant, leaving the younger diplomat in a daze. Stella felt anxiety pinning her down as she thought about the reply that Somna gave her. She placed her sidekick down and traced her eyes on the small digital alarm clock that was covered behind her half empty mug. She cleared it aside and read on the screen, "Eight-thirty six". It was a long way to go before Somna would give back a ring. Stella sighed as she stood up and headed for the bathroom to wash the mug. She didn't even bother to finish her hot chocolate off because her mind was too occupied by a lot of things.

The Tenebraean daughter opened the faucet and the cold sink water gushed out. As she scrubbed the mug clean with liquid soap, an image of the withdrawn Prince Noctis flashed across her mind. Even if they didn't spend much time with each other, somehow their small conversations were beginning to find meaning for her. Stella knew that she was only doing this for the sake of her obligation but at the back of her mind, she couldn't help but admit that hanging out with the guy who was secretly hiding his bashfulness under a cool demeanor was quite fun. She found it amusing the way Noctis would always walk ahead of her and keep a rather ridiculous distance between them. It was like the more she spent time with him, the more she wanted to get to know the real Prince.

But, 'real' was a strong and painful word for the golden haired Ambassador. Deep inside, she knew that she was only living in a blissfully ignorant world and that she can't find out her true self unless this mission ends with Tenebrae's hands swathed around the Crystal. After that, the ivory skinned beauty can finally get what was rightfully hers—her identity.

Stella felt an icy sensation tingling within her skin. By the time she snapped back, she realized that she had been washing the mug over and over again and that the room had gone cold due to the worsening rain outside. So she closed the faucet, dried the mug and placed it on a dry table before reaching for the heater's dial. Stella set the heater until the atmosphere inside the room warmed up to her liking. She sat on her bed again and her azure irises darted on the digital clock on the side table.

"Nine o' five". It was still an hour and five before her fellow Ambassador gives back her call. Somna made no comment and this gave Stella the feeling to wait fretfully as the seconds ticked by. She pondered heavily on what the older diplomat and the council thought about her bringing the Prince for a 'tour' around Tenebrae. If they gave the thumbs up, then the mission might as well be on the way to a ninety percent victory. Of course, the remaining ten percent would be the Caelum military force that would lead an attack in case they did anything to the monarch. But if the council thought of it the other way around, then…

Stella couldn't think of any other possible outcomes. She was quite restless since she badly wanted to pursue the plans now and earn her reward from the kingdom. But no matter how much power bestowed on her as an elite representative of Tenebrae, she still doesn't have any control over time. Stella realized this as she reached for the digital clock and adjusted it so it would alarm just in the point when Somna would call. The blue-eyed student laid her head down to rest as her blonde tresses flowed gracefully on her pillow. Her slim, feminine body followed the position as she tucked herself aside. Stella didn't want to sleep at all but she agreed that taking a short nap was far better than just staring at the clock and imagining its hands moving faster to ten. Psychologically forcing herself that her eyes were heavy, Stella closed them and focused on sleeping the short minutes away.

*

*

*

Nine-forty six. Gorgeous azure pupils fluttered open and gazed upon the ceiling. Stella looked at the clock and realized that it was only minutes before the said call. But even if it wasn't ten o' clock yet, she wondered if Somna actually forgot to call after the meeting with the Tenebraean council. Knowing that it might make her look impatient and impolite, Stella reached for her T-mobile anyways and dialed the Ambassador's number. If ever Somna would say anything, Stella decided that she would just tell her that she was supposed to call her friend's number but instead, mistakenly dialed hers. Yes, that was Miss Fleuret's plan that hid an intention underneath it.

Three, four, five rings streamed by and still no answer from Somna. Stella speculated that the meeting was still ongoing so she decided to end the call, but before she could press the button, a familiar voice was heard. At first, she thought that it was Somna who had answered it but then her notion was proved wrong.

'This is Somna. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you.' –Beep—

It was the messaging service that took over. Stella was quite reluctant about saying her excuse but erased her doubts and carried on.

"I'm sorry for the ca—"

"Miss Fleuret, I said that I'd call by ten. I'm still inside the council chamber." It seemed as though Somna had answered the phone and disregarded the messaging service.

"I didn't know that I dialed the wrong number. "

"Hmm… Never mind that. Since you're 'here' anyways, you might as well hear what the elders have to say about what you suggested."

Stella swallowed a breath as she heard the tinkering of a device and the sudden changed of atmosphere in the other line. Somna had placed her on speaker mode so everyone in the committee could express to the young Ambassador the verdict in which they have all agreed upon.

"Can you hear us clearly, Miss Fleuret?" A husky voice reverberated within the chamber.

"Yes, loud and clear, Ambassador Spargo."

"You have proposed to us an appealing opportunity that is quite difficult to turn down." A second voice was heard by Stella who propped up in her bed to listen well to what the council had to say.

"Indeed it is hard to oppose. The Caelum Prince, coming inside the walls of Tenebrae, unknowingly trapped and minutes away from the ransom of a lifetime. Surely a chance to acquire the source of his family's fortune is something that can occur once in a blue moon." The third voice stated with a cunning pitch.

"And it will occur." It was Ambassador Spargo's voice that aired out those words. Hearing it made Stella smile genuinely which reflected her feeling that was stripped off of painful doubts. Soon, in a matter of hours, Tenebrae will get what they want and she will finally know her true self, know the identity of her parents and know everything that was kept from her since that fatefulincident.

"However,"

Everything suddenly came crashing down in a blink of an eye. The word felt like a bullet that strike through her heart. She knew that that word led into a contradiction. Her face gloomed within the darkness of the room and as much as she wanted to end the call, she couldn't because it was her duty to listen to the elderly and wise. And so, with a trembling hand that held her phone beside her ear, she halfheartedly opened herself to what the Tenebrae's higher ups have decided.

"It will occur not around this moment."

"Because of that Crystal, not only have their company become powerful and strong, but their forces have become invincible as well." A female authoritative voice added.

"As painful as it is to let go of this exceptionally rare opportunity, Tenebrae cannot afford to be engaged in a battle, especially not against a troop of indomitable soldiers who wields god-like weaponry."

"But," Stella felt a resistance coming through the phone's mouthpiece. Even if she understood the degree of the situation and barely had nothing to oppose with, she felt constrained to contradict with the council's choice.

"This is what the Tenebraean council has decided upon, Miss Fleuret."

"Even so!" Stella politely raised her voice as she firmly stood up from her bed. She knew that this was a chance that she might never be able to grasp again that's why she had to make them seize the moment. "Our forces might still overcome theirs if we—"

"If our kingdom pursues in any kind of violent resolution against the Caelums, expect this land to be buried under the crumbles of defeat."

"We will have the Crystal, Miss Fleuret, rest assured on that. We shall find a way for that to happen, tomorrow, when you come home to Tenebrae for the weekend. The council, along with the Queen herself, will discuss this matter."

"Have you understood your fellow Ambassadors' decision, Miss Fleuret?" It was that Spargo man who spoke.

Stella bit her lower lip and cleared her throat of a shaky voice. "Yes, I have no oppositions to what the council has decided."

"Very well then, let her have a good night's rest, Ambassador Somna. She has a long journey back home the next day."

The brunette haired Ambassador nodded and approached her phone that she attached onto the speaker machine earlier. But instead of ending the call directly, Somna silently went outside the council chamber and checked on the young Ambassador if she was still on the other line.

"Are you still there?"

"Yes, Somna. I appreciate that you let me hear what the others had to say." Stella dropped into the soft mattress below her and clutched the sheets of the bed rather tightly.

"It was better for you to know the truth from the council itself rather than me telling their decision."

Stella kept her lips sealed as the diplomat on the other line sternly continued to speak to her. "Might I remind you that we do not talk while the Tenebraean elders are speaking unless we are told to…"

Still, an inaudible response from the blonde haired lady was heard.

"Even if you say that they will owe you a favor of a lifetime once that obligation of yours is fulfilled, you still can't disrespect them in any manner. Remember, they can keep hiding the truth from you as long as they want."

"I know, Somna. Thank you and good night."

Stella placed down her phone and released the hold she had on the white sheets. Her chest felt heavy as signs of tears became apparent in her azure eyes. She stared vacantly into space as she felt that anticipated moment that she has hoped for, crush under the weight of the committee's verdict. Stella grabbed a pillow and buried her head in it. The once bubbly Ambassador cried her heart out, the cushion's cover, slowly soaking in her tears. Never had Stella wanted anything more than to know who she really was and if she truly was Stella Nox Fleuret. She had always waited for a moment to come and now that it had humbly presented itself before her, it was obliterated into pieces in merely a matter of seconds. For her, everything was now lost and she knew she had to find a way to get back on track again. The blonde haired girl wept within the night of a cold, rainy weather. As tears streamed from her eyes, images of the ominous incident that she tried hard to vanquish from her thoughts emerged from the recesses of her fears. It was an inauspicious moment that triggered her choice to be Tenebrae's bait, knowing that the catch is to be essential for her as well.

*

*

*

Despite the rainy weather outside that cancelled Team Celer's rematch against Team Vittorio in an air soft warfare, Noctis' foursome gang found an alternative activity within the walls of the Caelum palace.

Splash!!

"Lacertus, you gigantic idiot! Don't jump in like that! This is a hot spring, not a swimming pool!" Celer who stood on the bubbling spring's edge, reprimanded his scar-faced pal for splattering warm water over his dry body.

"Don't get all fumed up, Celer!" The brawny guy who quickly resurfaced, spoke. "No one's telling you to stay there and whine the night away, whimpering why our team lost." Salsus, who quietly submerged his upper torso underneath the spring's warmth, couldn't help but laugh at Lacertus' remark.

"Be quiet, Sal! And you Lacertus, you know this wouldn't have had happened if one of us showed up yesterday! Did you know how much money I bet on?!" Celer's face looked as if it was on the brink of crying. His fingers clutched onto his cheeks in despair as his eyelids dropped in the weight of his hands.

But before he could continue any longer, the spring's entrance door slid open and their shady Prince entered with a towel draped around his neck. His well-toned chest was exposed for the humid air to kiss. His curves and bulks looked as if it was carved almost perfectly by a deity sent by the skies. This hot physique that made the warm temperature of the spring climb up, was truly a sight to see for his fan girls in Regius. But before Noctis could take a dip into the spring's tepid water, Celer stopped him with an infuriated tone of voice.

"Well, well, well! Look who has arrived! Noct! Or should I say, Prince Late??"

Noctis stared at the reddening face of his friend who was obviously disrespecting the crown Prince. But instead of reprimanding his ruffled haired companion, the cobalt eyed sovereign simply gave him an expressionless gaze.

"Aha! I know why you did it! You were upset, because I said your name when Mrs. Mulier was asking for a volunteer to give the Physics reviewer to that hot, blonde transferee… You were getting back at me!" Celer pointed at the spiky haired Prince as he unconsciously made himself look like a very irritated and over reacting nine- year old.

"Give it a rest, Celer."

"No you give it a rest, Lacertus! Whoa—!!"

With the slicked haired guy's muscular strength, Celer was stealthily pulled into the spring's enclosure which made Noctis and Salsus chortle in sadist. Celer arose from the water, gasping for air as he was ambushed with a head lock by Lacertus.

"Hey, hey! Easy there, buddy. You know he is still the Prince." Lacertus towered over Celer as the air soft loving student felt his conscience giving him a whack in the head. His brawny buddy was right, Noctis was still royalty therefore having the power over him… or over Vittorio's team. Celer snickered at this possible advantage and quickly shoved away his temper as if nothing happened.

Lacertus released him from his grip as Celer turned to Noctis who was making his way towards the unresponsive Salsus. "Fine, fine. But this is the last time, Noct! You'd better not be late for another air soft game, got that?"

Noctis simply smirked and nodded as Lacertus approached the Prince within the temperate mist surrounding them. "So why were you late for the game anyways, Noct?"

"There was something I had to do." The spiked haired Caelum rested his elbows upon the stones that lined up the spring's edge.

"What something?" Celer asked as he made his way through the creeping vapor.

"Something that will keep this kingdom flourished and stabilized."

"Ah, so you're still on to that."

"I have no other choice." Noctis replied to Salsus with a stern voice.

"Do you know what happens after the Crystal is planted into that kingdom's soil?" Lacertus inquired as he settled himself beside Salsus.

"Arkenis never spoke about it."

"Then why don't you just ask, Noct?" The question was raised by Celer who opted to stay beside Noctis than that sadistic Salsus who seemed to have left his glasses outside the steamy room.

"I don't think it matters anyways. I'll do whatever I can for this land that my forefathers have bestowed upon me."

"The crown will soon be passed down to you, Noct. That is your duty." Salsus remarked as he dove in brusquely so his light brown hair could get soaked.

Within the stillness of the hot spring, Noctis let his thoughts encircle different matters. To be part of the long lineage of kings, who discovered and protected the Crystal, was both a blessing and a curse that he had to live by. In exchange for fame, luxury and almost anything else that the title of 'Prince' could offer, Noctis was left alone to carry the obligation that was once held by the great kings of the past. Although his advisors and the kingdom's military force was behind him in everything he did, it was still him who had to make and take the consequences of every action he decided upon. It was a difficult situation for the last Caelum monarch, one that only he could ever understand.

"Hey Noct," Noctis' slicked haired friend said as he closed his eyes to feel the spring's warmth ignite his senses. "Do you think this is all worth it? I mean… Chances are that there will be innocent people that can get involved."

"It's an inevitable fate. But like I said, I'll do anything for this kingdom. It's my responsibility." The Prince replied to Lacertus with a voice full of steadfast determination.

"Tsk. I feel sorry for those who might get involved. And… I feel guilty for the things we're about to do." Lacertus added as Salsus agreed with a nod.

Celer gave out a heavy sigh before leaning his head onto the spring's edge. "Man, this kind of reality sucks! Don't you think so too, Noct?"

At his friend's sudden reality remark, Noctis' mind gave him a flashback of a night in a balcony of not so long ago. A girl with warm blue eyes and a charming, candid smile also told him the same thing of what she thought about her reality.

"Noct?" The Prince's cobalt eyes flickered as Celer managed to pull him away from his thoughts.

"Even if,"

"Hn?"

"There are things to dislike about reality," Noctis paused as he tried to recall the girl's answer that he strongly felt was also his. "You can't hate what you're bounded with."

The rest of the Prince's companions felt silence escape from their throats. For them, it seemed as though their friend was thoroughly determined to go with their military official's plan. There was no stopping the Caelum sovereign to claim a land that the Crystal sought for.

Beneath his ash colored spikes that crept down till his eyelids, Noctis stared at the reflection of a Prince who was born to fulfill a profound obligation. An obligation in which he had tried so many times to run away from but couldn't because of the shackles that tied him down with the Crystal. Pain and fear were the vices he had to live with. The nightmares that tormented him because of his responsibility gave him every reason to back down and run away. But whenever he did, the words that the King before him, gave him the strength to face his certain destiny. Because of this, he swore never to give up and fulfill what his father had left behind. For Noctis, his life had a sole purpose: to lead the Caelum kingdom and do anything in order to protect it.

The Prince gazed upon the water's surface for a few more minutes before standing up and heading towards the spring's entrance door. Before he could slide it open, Noctis' attention was called by Celer.

"Hey Noct, turning in for the night already?"

The spiky haired royal nodded his head in assurance as Celer added in a bark. "Don't forget our rematch against Vittorio tomorrow!"

"Just give me a call." And with that, Noctis slid the door open and walked out of the hot springs area.

As he dried himself unhurriedly in the changing room, his deep, cobalt irises looked upon the wall clock and saw that it was an hour before midnight. While staring at the time, the silent ticking of the clock's needle coincided with his thoughts. He wondered if tomorrow would be the day they start everything. Of course, he would be the igniter of this colossal plan that his kingdom had constructed in the name of the Crystal. But if everything will finally begin, what would he do by then? Noctis tried hard to find an answer but he realized that maybe he wouldn't find it now. Maybe he'd find it when that moment of anticipation comes, bearing with it the reality he had promised to accept with open arms.

*

*

*

*

*

a/n: okay, tell me what you think of this chapter! i know, i know... i made Stella cry. It might be OOC but like i said, in making an AU fic, OOCness is really quite unavoidable.. hmm... for me, this chapter was kinda emo-ish (for Stella's part). don't you guys think so? and also, Celer really sounded so immature... haha. i realized all of these when i was re-editing it. oh well. i think its better if things (the plot) are this way... anyways, please Review!! Thank you!! :D