Her injuries weren't serious. Rosa knew that.

She felt pain - every muscle in her body ached from the Thunder magic. Sore from the shocks and from the repeated, prolonged, uncontrollable tension that came with them. The small of her back felt hot, tender, and bruised. A combination of the sharp pain of impact and the burning of her skin from the explosions.

Mild injuries. Pin-pricks. Lingering nuisances, and nothing more.

The Emperor hadn't wanted to kill her. Not until the very last moment. He had only been toying with her.

She knew that.

But her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Her breath shook in her chest. She felt sick, her stomach roiling and turning inside of her. She lay in the water with her eyes closed, and couldn't quite seem to remember what happened. It happened in a dream, to someone else. It wasn't real. She was watching from someone else's point of view, lying in someone else's body, controlling someone else's limbs without the sensations involved like when she first woke up. Sanctuary's water lapped at her but she couldn't feel it. Someone said something far away, but she couldn't hear it.

Or, wait, her eyes were open. They were open, and she was staring at Sanctuary. The mines that the Emperor placed peppered her field of vision, standing in defiance of the fact that he himself was long gone. Was he even gone? How long had he been gone?

The mines blinked faster. They read her mind. Perhaps they would explode, with Rosa right there in the middle. She couldn't quite bring herself to care. It was a dream. She couldn't connect herself to any of it. Rather than detonate, the light inside the mines grew dimmer and dimmer with each pulse until they faded, like they had never been there in the first place. The free air felt lighter in her lungs, easier to breathe, but her back felt open and exposed. Vulnerable to whatever the Emperor decided to do to her when he came back. Rosa's chest tightened, and to protect herself she curled up, turning on her side and tucking her knees to her chest.

From somewhere behind her, footsteps splashed in the water towards her. She curled tighter, afraid of the incoming attack, but it was Cecil who popped into her field of vision, not the Emperor. He dropped to his hands and knees next to her. He said something. A series of sounds that made no sense to her, in a language she couldn't identify. His eyes looked wide with panic and worry, and seeing him like that shot cold fear down her spine, numbing her nerves further.

"Rose," he said. "Are you alright?"

Yes. No?

"Rosa!" Cecil said again, more urgently. "Rose. Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth and drew in a breath, but the air hitched in her throat. Instead of words, a choked sound sputtered out.

"Are you hurt? Rosa, please! Are you injured?"

"N-no . . . " she whispered. It was as loud as she could manage.

Cecil whispered something under his breath, and the warm, green light of Cura wrapped around her. It tingled gently, working itself into her body. It eased the aching, but not her fear. Not her shaking.

"I'm not injured," she managed. "Is everyone else okay?" She tried to think back, to remember exactly what happened. Where the Emperor had been, where she had been, what happened to Cecil, and to whomever else tried to help, but there was nothing there. As though she wasn't even conscious or present during the whole attack. "Who else . . . ? Did he . . . ?"

"Yes, but you-"

"What's wrong? Who is it?"

"It doesn't matter, Rose. You need-"

"Tell me!" she said, and she didn't even try to control the panic.

"It's Firion. The Emperor's Death spell hit him, and he needs revived. Onion's been blinded, and Kain . . . but we will care for them. You need to-"

As disconcerted as she felt, the thought of others suffering for her disturbed her more than anything else that had happened. None of these people had any sort of obligation to her - not even Cecil had an obligation to her. And they had been harmed because of the Emperor's inexplicable vendetta. No matter what happened to her in this ridiculous world, she couldn't accept that others who she just met were being forced to endure it. They didn't deserve it.

"I'll help them. I should help them." Rosa moved her stiff limbs, moved the hands that weren't hers, the legs and feet that weren't attached to her. She placed them under her and struggled to coordinate them to sit herself up. They quivered so violently they couldn't support her weight. Cecil's hand clamped around her arm and he pulled her up. Her numb legs stayed under her, to her gratefulness, and she was finally upright. She looked at Cecil. Words tumbled from his mouth. Words left her mouth. They were having a conversation but she couldn't hear any of it. "I should help them," she said again, the only thing she knew for sure she wanted to say to him. She said it on repeat, unsure if anything else would leave her mouth correctly. His hand stiffened around her arm and anger flashed across his face for a second, but Rosa pulled away before he could protest any further. "I should help him. I should help Firion. I'm fine, I promise. I need to help Firion."

She looked around, having no idea where he was. No idea where she was in Sanctuary. The battle had completely disoriented her. Cosmos' throne sat to her left, but that was all she could see apart from the white crystal rocks. No warriors, no enemies, no Cosmos. Rosa looked to her right and found most of them, kneeling or standing around a pair of blue boots poking out from underneath them. Even Cosmos herself knelt over the figure, who Rosa guessed was Firion. Cosmos sat by his head, with her legs tucked underneath her and with Warrior standing over her shoulder.

Rosa took a step, and her legs held her. She walked the short distance to where they were. She couldn't even see him. Everyone was crowding too closely.

"Move," she said. "Let me through." Warriors shifted, but nobody made any true effort to move. They couldn't tear their eyes from Firion, lying limp in the water. "I said move!" Rosa said, a little more forcefully. "Everyone. Everyone, move."

Cosmos looked around at the crowd around her. "Warrior, Cloud, and Squall," she said, calling their names as she saw them. "Bring Kain to us. Yuna, Tifa, fetch the Onion Knight. Quickly." Her tone was calm but her delivery was urgent, and when she gave the final command the five of them took off. "Everyone else, back away, please." They didn't go far; they stayed where they could see what Rosa would do.

"I cannot heal him," Cosmos said to Rosa, shaking her head sadly. "I am still too weak for something of this magnitude-"

"Just hold his head," Rosa said. "I don't want him tossing it back and hitting it off the ground."

Cosmos inched herself over behind his head and gently lifted it, cradling it in her lap. Rosa knelt down next to her.

"What about a Phoenix-" Cecil began, but Laguna cut him off.

"None of us have any. Otherwise, we'd have revived him already."

"You can help him, right, Rosa?" Tidus asked. She didn't look at him when he said it, but she heard the heaviness in his voice. The tension in the air was thick and choking. They all waited for her - silently begging her with their eyes and their hopes to help.

She didn't answer. She instead concentrated on the warmth building in her chest as she poured energy into the Arise spell. It was the first thing she truly 'felt' since the battle was over, and it came with an immense grounding sensation that eased many of her nerves. A sharp awareness that she herself created, that worked to root her back in her body. Her hands, which felt like they were hers, still trembled but not as terribly. This world was real, she was real, the attack had been real, but she was alright. Firion, lying dead in the water, was real, and she had a real obligation to help him.

With the Arise spell charged and ready, Rosa placed her hands on Firion's chest, over his heart. She gently pressed down, and the magic leaked from her hands into his skin. It drained from her and filedl the space in his chest. The yellow-orange glow enveloped him, and Rosa made sure to hold her hands over him until the very last ounces of magic transferred.

She hadn't moved her hands before Firion't eyes flew open wide and he shot awake, lifting his head and gasping in as large a breath as he could take. Sure enough, his head flopped weakly back into Cosmos' lap. Cosmos sighed in relief and leaned over him, but Firion's unfocused eyes flicked around wildly. It was clear he had no idea where he was or who was around him. He panted breath after labored breath in, squirming impulsively against the discomfort.

Cosmos lifted his head and moved from under him, lowering him back to the water. She moved back to his side and placed her hands on either side of his face to turn him towards her, shielding his eyes and forcing him to focus on her. She stared into his eyes, and whatever peace and serenity Firion saw in the crystalline blue relaxed him. His breath came easily and he returned to awareness.

"C-Cosmos?" he asked.

She whispered softly, "Shh. Be at peace." He looked around and when he saw Rosa, his eyes hardened.

"Where is the Emperor? What happened?"

"He's gone," Rosa said.

"Gone? He just attacked and . . . left? But why-"

"Does it matter?" Rosa answered curtly.

Firion pulled himself to his feet and helped Cosmos up, and Rosa stood as well. Warrior and Cloud staggered over, dragging a nearly-unconscious Kain between them. His helmet was off from when he threw it down into the water. His head hung low, his chin rested against his chest. And his long, blonde hair spilled down over his shoulders and around his face, barring her view. A tiny jolt of nervous anticipation shot through her at the thought of seeing his face for the first time. What would she see? Would it bring back any memories? Would his eyes be the cold, harsh ones she suspected were under the dragon?

Rosa stepped closer, almost bending over to peer up into his face, but she stopped herself. She had already exploited his weakness once, out of ignorance and selfishness. The kind of selfishness she accused and attacked him for - using others and harming others for a selfish purpose. Kain still fought to protect her despite what she did, and that spoke far more for his character than anything else. She decided to bury her quarrels with him - at least until they needed to work it out. When they were on equal footing and both willing to engage in the dialogue.

Warrior grunted under his dead weight and cocked his head to Cosmos' throne. "There, to the steps," he said. "We can sit him up."

Rosa followed behind them with Squall, who carried his lance. They climbed the two stairs and lowered Kain to the ground. He sighed, leaning heavily against her throne, and he leaned his head back. When Rosa knelt in front of him, he opened his eyes and looked into hers.

They were evenly set, with an almond shape that matched the sharpness of the lower half of his face. Rosa saw a soft purple. Almost like an opaque lavender. He had a high, chiseled brow bone, and his brows themselves were sharp and angled as well. It was difficult not to stare. Without his helmet he looked remarkably less . . . enigmatic. Less like a sinister, traitorous dragon and more like a man.

"Are you injured?" she asked him.

"No. Weak," he said softly. Rosa watched the way his eyebrows furrowed, the way his eyes flicked back and forth. The flare of his nose. His whole face, visible and working together to show a range of emotion she had never seen him use before. "All my strength is gone."

"The Emperor Cursed you," she said. She paused, knowing that her next sentence could lead into dangerous territory. "I need you to tell me what I need to do to remove it. I cannot remember what a Curse is." If a Curse had anything to do with Kain's betrayal, it could quickly become volatile.

To her relief, he did not put up any sort of resistance. "Esuna should do it."

Rosa pulled her hands in and clasped them over her chest, drawing power into the spell. Before she could complete it, Kain reached out and gently touched her wrist. "I'm sorry," he said.

"No, I should apologize. The Emperor's vengeance was directed at me, but he dragged you into it."

"I wasn't referring to the Emperor. I'm sorry for keeping your memory from you."

"At this particular moment, nothing could be further from my mind," she told him. "Tell me later, when we've all recovered from this and both you and I are ready to face it." She cast Esuna on him, and he perked up instantly. He rolled his shoulders back, his eyes blinked with the sudden influx of energy. "What does a Curse do?" she asked.

"It's a kind of mind magic. It steals away almost all of your strength. Thank you," he said, staring at her, translating his sincerity through his eyes.

"You don't have to thank me. Should I retrieve your helmet?" she deflected.

Kain's eyebrows twitched downwards in confusion before his lavender eyes widened. He dragged his hand down the side of his face, like he forgot what his own face felt like. "In all honesty I forgot I lost it. I'll retrieve it. I believe you're needed, anyway." Kain pointed behind her, and Rosa turned to see Tifa and Yuna ushering the Onion Knight with them, clutching his helmet with white knuckles. Tifa had a tiny vial of Eye Drops in her hand and a cloth tangled around her fingers. Rosa wouldn't have to get them herself.

The Knight clutched at his face, scrubbing furiously at his eyes, and when Rosa approached he heard her. He looked up and his eyes were black. Pupils, irises, and all.

"Wh-Who's there?!" the Knight asked, panicked.

"I told you, it's Rosa," Tifa said.

"Yes. I'm here to help," she told him.

He reached out with one hand for her, swiping at the air to find her. With the other, he still rubbed his face and eyes. Rosa grabbed his hand and gently tugged him closer to her. She grabbed both of his wrists and pulled both hands away, holding them at his side so she could look at the severity of the spell. The Knight resisted her, ripping his hands from hers to wipe at his eyes. She tried again, two more times, but he couldn't keep his hands away from his face long enough for her to look.

Rosa grabbed his chin instead and tilted his head up, but he panicked. He backpedaled away from her, making Rosa walk after him. "Stop! Come back." He didn't get far before he tripped on his own feet, landing on his backside in the water. She didn't touch him again, only sat next to him. "Onion?" she said, using the pet-name. "I need you to calm down."

"It- it hurts!" he cried. "What if I'm Blinded forever?" He blinked rapidly, and tears, both from irritation and fear, spilled down his face in trails. He reached to scrub his eyes again, but Rosa stopped him.

"Stop. You won't be. Eye Drops," she said, reaching behind her. "And cloth." Tifa put both in her hand and she tilted his head straight back, nearly stretching his neck. He moved his hands but Rosa lightly slapped them down. "Ah! Don't touch!" Before he could protest she opened the tiny vial, pried his lids open with her fingers, and poured the liquid straight onto his face. Almost immediately the solution that entered his eyes worked to wash away the irritation. Black sludge flushed from his eyes with his tears, staining his cheeks black. Rosa used the cloth to wipe it away and quickly flushed his other eye as well.

As soon as his eyes were clear he squinted and blinked from the brightness of Sanctuary. He sucked in a huge breath and let it out, calming himself down. He focused on Rosa.

"Better?"

"Much better," he said, sniffling thickly. Rosa tried to smile at him, to reassure him, but he looked straight down at the ground. His cheeks, and even the tops of his ears turned red from his embarrassment.

Rosa's heart twinged in pity, and she grabbed his shoulders, pulling him close into a hug. "You're okay."

She wished someone would tell her that. She wished someone would hug her and tell her that she was okay, and that everything would be okay.

She wouldn't believe them if they did.

The emotion that she was blocking from the entire ordeal seemed to spring up from within her, and her eyes welled up before she could control it. All the security she thought she had was gone. Sanctuary was no longer safe for her or for anyone around her. She was no longer guaranteed the protection of her fellow warriors' numbers. Her heart clenched, her throat tightened, but she knew she couldn't let go in front of everyone. She pulled in a trembling breath and let it out slowly, clearing her throat.

"M' not a little kid," he muttered, gently resisting her hug.

Rosa released him. "I know. That was for me, because I'm grateful to you. I'm so glad you and Cecil and everyone came to my rescue," she told the Knight. How many more times would they have to before the Emperor left her alone? Left her alone or killed her?

What did she do to deserve this?

She held him at arms' length and smiled as well as she could, but it came out more like a grimace. If the Knight noticed, and she suspected he did because his eyebrows furrowed in concern, he didn't say anything about it.

"Thanks," he said.

Rosa stood up, looking all around her to make sure everyone was healed properly. Firion was already up on his feet, and so was Kain. The Knight could see again. No one else was injured or actively dying.

Now she could be alone.

"Rosa," Cosmos said. "Thank you-"

"You don't have to thank me," she said, avoiding looking at her. She hoped to avoid conversation. She wanted to be alone. Every word she said weakened her fortitude, and she risked breaking down right there in front of everyone. "I'm tired. Do you people even sleep?"

Cecil chuckled, but Rosa couldn't bring herself to."Oh," he said when he realized she wasn't laughing. "Um, yes-"

"Where?"

"Anywhere, really. Pick a spot where you feel you won't be disturbed, and-"

"These are Tifa's," Rosa said, and she handed him back the Eye Drops and the soiled cloth. She noticed one tall, curved rock that she liked, perfect for her to curl up next to and protect her back.

"Here, wait," Cecil said. She stopped and turned, and Cecil reached up over his shoulders. He fiddled with something on his pauldrons, finally unclipping his long, purple cape and tugging it over his shoulder. He balled it up, handing it over to her. "Use this as a pillow. And you can use your own as a blanket. Or vice versa."

"Thank you," she said. She took the fabric from him, but when she turned to walk away he held on to it. She turned back to him and he looked at her with pity.

"I'm glad you're alright. May I hug you?"

She wasn't sure why, but the fact that he felt the need to ask permission made her even more sad. Tears welled up and she nodded, stepping closer so he could wrap his arms around her. He put one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head, pressing her close. His rested his chin and his cheek against her hair, and Rosa wrapped her hands around his back, pulling him just as close as he pulled her. She trembled in his grip and realized she was already crying.

Cecil felt it, too. He released her and cupped his hands around her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "We will protect you should he return." She nodded, but didn't believe him. She felt like nobody could protect her. "You're strong, Rose. Stronger than him. And he's frightened of you."

"Thank you," she whispered, voice thick from her tears. She wiped them from her face and left, walking to the white rock and laying his cape down. She reached over her own shoulder, but she couldn't find any sort of clasp for her cape. It was fused to her pauldrons. Rosa instead slid both of her pauldrons off and rested them on the front of her shoulders instead. She lay all the fabric evenly over herself before laying down.

She was finally alone.

She turned away from Sanctuary and curled up. And as soon as she did, all the emotion in her heart welled up and spilled out. More of her hot, angry tears rolled down her cheeks instantly, dripping from, her nose and into Sanctuary's water. She pitied herself, called to this war without warning. Why her? Why did this have to happen to her? Even though she couldn't remember some of it, the loss of everything precious to her from her home weighed down on her heart.

This world would never provide her security anymore. As long as the Emperor made specific attempts on her life, she could never rest easy here. One single chance encounter ruined everything. Cosmos couldn't protect her. Her other warriors couldn't protect her. The Emperor had shattered every illusion of safety she thought she had, and she knew that from then on, she wold have to look over her shoulder.

Why couldn't she go home?

Rosa lamented everything she had lost, and cried until she drifted off to sleep.

Woohoo! Another update!

I was so excited to post it that this chapter is un-beta'd. Sorry to my beta-reader!

My beta-reader, who made the cover art for Petal, is making more art for this fic! She's drawn and digitally painted a scene at the very end of the story with Rosa, Cecil, and Kain, and she's also working on art of the Emperor and Ultimecia together. There may potentially be more in the making, and as I get to those points in the story, I will add the art in! Her name is Shannon Mazzei and you can check her out on Instagram at shannonmazzei41996. She owns the copyright to any art I may post, and I have her full permission to post her art here whenever it is finished.

Check her out!

~Keyblader