Cid sent them hunting. That is how Cid shows his love, he sends people on quests, and when they return triumphant, he 'humphs' and tells them; "What do you want, a medal? Don't be spoiled." It was his way of teaching them how to survive in the outside world.

It was fun, mainly because the boys had never seen monsters before, sure, they had learned about them in books and lessons, however, they'd never seen them up close and alive. It was hilarious to see Prompto running away from them, while screaming. "Ah! Why is it only after me! I am not edible!"

Or Gladiolus complaining. "Stand still! Damn it!" Or even Ignis exasperated sigh whenever Noctis failed his target and screamed at Prompto to use his gun. "No, Prompto you need to shoot them before they get to Noctis! Noct, watch where you are warping!"

"I'm trying!"

As the boys learned the basic wildlife survival skill Selene remained by the rocks shadow. The sun was high up and during that time the plains were especially hot. Occasionally, when she noticed a rogue beast approaching the boys without their knowledge she would quickly throw a knife at it, sometimes they noticed and thanked her, other times they were too busy to even realize it. She couldn't help but smile at that, and wonder if she ever had been like that as well.

However, as she thought about it, she felt herself becoming bitter. 'No, I never got the chance to goof around like they are right now…' She thought as she summoned another dagger and threw it towards the beast that pounced at Noctis back.

"Don't just keep your eyes on the front! Guard each other back too!" She told them as she leaned against the rock and sighed.

"Sorry!" They screamed back as they continued on.

When the sun began pivoting towards the west, they all fell to the ground, exhausted. Selene smiled. "Well, how is it? The world outside the wall?" They looked at her for a moment before raising their hands in the air, with a thumbs up. Selene laughed. "Good to know." Just as she was about to suggest they end it for the day, her phone rang, along with Noctis.

She reached for her phone as Noctis reached for his. She vaguely heard his conversation as he spoke with Cindy, she read the message. She frowned at the words she read, trying to search for more information on the signing, but all she got were her orders.

"What's wrong?" Her gaze shifted towards Noctis she looked back at the screen and sighed as she placed her phone back in its pocket.

"I have orders."

He tensed at those words, he hated those words. They always meant she had to go away, that she would definitely get hurt, far away from him, and he couldn't do a thing... "And?"

Selene hesitated, revealing her orders wasn't something she did, however, he was the Prince and these orders… they were just simple and vague. "I'll take you to Galdina Bay, but after that I need to go somewhere."

"Somewhere else?" He repeated.

"Do you need us to go too?" Ignis offered as he had been listening.

Selene smiled and shook her head. "Not, it's just a meeting, not a dangerous mission." She assured him and looked at Noctis and tapped his shoulder. "See, I told you, you worry too much."

He smiled at her, his hand reached for hers and he gripped it. "And I always will…" His eyes poured into hers, saying what she knew was true but refused to see.

Selene stared into his eyes for a moment, before she retrieved her hand from the prince…

"Well, what did Cindy want?"

She looked at the sun and at the hours, it was getting late. They had saved Dave just a few hours ago,

"Boys!" They finished the last critters and looked at her. "We should make camp. If you think those are difficult you should see the ones that show during the night." She pointed towards the camp that they could see in the distance and walked towards it.

"And is it safe to camp in the outdoor?" Prompto asked as he looked at the area, with confusion.

Selene shrugged. "I've never been attacked before. It has something to do with the stones, they are scattered all around the territory so we can always find one nearby." She looked back at the boys. "We can also stay at the gas stations, but you have to pay them."

"And here I thought people outside the city were nice."

Selene angled her hip to the side and crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed Gladiolus. "We are nice, we just know how stupid it is to walk out in the night." Her tone was raspier than she had expected, making the boys look at her surprised, all but Noctis who knew how her mother had died. She looked away and sighed. "Just go get the campfire started. I'll go get the tents and chairs from the car."

"Wait, you going alone? You just said it was dangerous." Noctis pointed as she began walking.

"The sun won't go down right now, there's still plenty of light, beside I'm quicker than you guys." She said with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Still… take at least Gladio with you, to help carry everything."

Selene waved her hand at him in a dismissive way. "No need," She gave him a smirk. "I want to ride the new bike Cid made, all by myself!" And with those words she walked away, not even bothering looking back to see the Prince scoff and shaking his head in disbelief while he helped his friends unpack the little, they brought with them.

It took 40min for Selene to come back. By then the sun had already passed the peak of the highest mountain. But what startled them hadn't been the sight of a beast but the noise of the motor of her bike.

The boys watched with eyes glinting with excitement as Selene drove the monster of a motorcycle to the Haven.

"S-so… cool!" Prompto shouted as Selene turned off the motor and dismounted with a grin. This bike was a beast! Cid had outdone himself! The speed, balance, weight, armor, the several compartments for several weapons and other things. Her grin grew wider, she wanted to know what else it could do! But before that… she released the things from the back and placed them on the ground.

"Come on, you guys help out too."

"O-oi! Selene! You have to let me ride it!" Gladio said with a tremble on his voice as his eyes also glinted at the motorbike.

"Yeah! This is too cool! It's like the king of motorbikes! Look at it!" Prompto said excited as he approached it with care.

She blinked and laughed at their reactions, they were men, just the simple fact that they were that excited meant they were men. She eyed Noctis who also looked at her bike with bright eyes, and Ignis who seem the most composed was also eyeing the controls and wheels. 'So cute…' She thought as she looked at them all. She cleared her throat and clapped her hands.

"Yes, yes, I'll let you drive it, but tomorrow! Come on, I'm hungry, Taka gave me some meat, lets barbecue it."

The fresh breeze was the first thing she noticed as they approached the sea. The smell of the water and fish was the second, Selene released a content smile and stopped for a moment to appreciate the water that extended all the way to the horizon.

She felt a squeeze at her waist and his voice in her ear tickled and sent a pleasant sensation down her spine.

"Wow! That's a huge tub!" He joked.

"Don't call it a tub!"

He chuckled and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "Well, if you think about it, it kind of is."

"Really? I think it's more like a soup."

He blinked and looked at her. "Wait, what? Run that by me again."

"The ocean. It's a soup."

"… Have you finally gone mental?"

"What? Just think about it. What do you need to make a soup?"

"Well… hum, water, Ignis always puts vegetables and salt, and I like the fish soup you make too."

She stopped the motor and turned to him. "See what I mean?"

He blinked as he stared at her for a moment, his brain trying to catch on when suddenly it flashed. "Oh…" He blinked once more. "The ocean is a soup."

"See!"

"… that's, that's just strange… how the heck did you come up with that?"

Selene shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know, Sirius and I were talking about it one day when we came to that conclusion… Luna couldn't believe either, she and Ravus continued to deny it for a few days, they even tried to disagree…"

Noctis laughed and squeezed her against him. She chastised her own heart and told the flutters in her stomach to stop. She shouldn't have agreed to it, she hadn't minded letting Prompto, Ignis and Gladio, taking a ride, but Noctis… she hadn't thought about it, on how close they would be, or on how he had to embrace her so that he wouldn't fall. She should have known… but still, she couldn't say no to the shine in his eyes as he waited patiently for her to go.

The two glanced back, when they heard the Regalia approaching.

"The guys are coming; do you want to wait?"

"No, we can fish while we wait."

She giggled and reached for the handles. "Okay, hold on." And he did, and it took her all not to flinch, but her heart, however, well that was another story… one that she was certain Noctis was glad to hear. 'Damn, I should have said no…'

She placed her eyes on the sea. She liked the sea, even as a child when the Guardian's took her on any mission near the water, she loved it. She wasn't sure why… Sirius had told her their clan came from beyond the Great Rift and if she squinted, she could clearly see the tops of the spiky rocks, peaking through in the horizon. He said they'd traveled from the South hemisphere to the North by sea… perhaps that was why she loved it. But… from time to time she couldn't help but think there was something wrong with it… she could never put her finger on it, it wasn't the cool water, nor the silence that came from the depths, nor the sound of the waves reaching the shore… it was, something else…

They reached the parking lot and as she turned off the motor, Noctis got off and stretched his arms above his head and tilted his back, hearing a satisfying crack. His eyes were twinkling as he looked at the shore and the few fishers that had laid their lines on the water.

"Look! One just jumped from the water!" He pointed excited. Selene smiled, as she took off the helmet and reached for his.

"Keep still, Prince." She mused as she reached to unbuckle his helmet and taking it from his head, she giggled as his hair stood up all over. "I never thought your hair would get even spikier."

He raised his gaze to his bangs and began pressing down the top of his head as he moved to look at the mirror in her bike. Selene opened a compartment and placed the two helmets in.

"That was a cool ride!" Noctis noted as he tried to tame his hair. "The bike is more comfortable than I thought. Where did you put the fishing gear?"

Selene smiled and opened the compartment he wanted, giggling when she heard him exclaim 'Awesome' as he grabbed everything, and rushed to the beach. She ran her hands through her messy locks and moved to follow her Prince. As she raised her gaze towards the water, that flowed in and out, she felt a strange sense of misplacement… Selene froze.

Noctis placed the gear on the ground and summoned his rod, he was searching for a good line when he noticed Selene hadn't joined him. He searched around, and when he turned his gaze towards her, he tilted his head. "What are you doing?" He asked, and signaled for her to come, but Selene didn't move. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the sea. Somehow, it didn't seem right, so he placed everything down and walked towards her. "Selene? You okay?"

"I…" She began as she looked at the waves that came to the shore.

The waves came in and out, a golden sheen across the water, made a good contrast with the darkness… and the tendrils that reached towards the sky and to the depths of the golden sea… The white tree, with its dried branches… "I don't… feel good?"

"What?" He moved closer to her, unsure on what to do.

"I thought… it was another color…" She was always there, watching everything from beneath her dead tree, seeing everything unfold, grow, evolve… in the golden sea… far away from her touch…

Noctis tilted his head confused, unsure on what she was talking about, as he raised his gaze to meet hers, suddenly he felt a shiver go down his spine. Her eyes were shining… a strange sense of dread assailed him. "Selene?" He moved his hands to cup her face, but she didn't answer him. Something caught the corner of his eye, something gold… but he ignored it, she was shaking, and turning pale. "Selene!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, somehow it brought her out of her trance.

Selene blinked, the illusions were gone, the sea and sky were blue again, and she was back on land… "What?" She asked, weakly, her legs wobbled, and Noctis had to hold her in place.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I feel… nauseous…" She complained, as she hid her face in his chest, her legs finally giving in, as she held him.

He looked to the side just as the Regalia drove in. "Ignis! Give me a potion! Or something!" His friends that had just gotten out looked at him confused, his adviser lifted a brow.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he looked at Selene, who was in the prince's arms.

"Selene isn't feeling well."

Ignis moved quickly, along with the other two, he gave instructions to lay her down and raise her legs. She could feel Noctis cold hands as he held hers… she could feel the worry in them. They were growing far away, their voices, their actions… 'That place…' She thought. 'It was familiar and… it felt real, like I've been there before… a sea of gold in an immensity of darkness…' As sleep started to grow unbearable she let herself go.

"Selene!"

The clock was annoying him. Watching it only made it worse. He took a shower. The water was cold as it touched his skin, he placed a hand on the tile and leaned his head against it, as he waited for the water to get warm.

He breathed slowly and tried to re-arrange his thoughts. Everything was happening at the same time. Had they done enough? Was it alright to just let things unfold like they were? Should he have done more? He clenched his fist and jaw. 'What more can I do? I am bound by contract!'

The water was warm, it steamed the room. He moved out, towel over his head and around his waist. He got dressed, as his shirt remained open he dried his hair with a towel and moved towards the mirror. He raised his gaze, it was hazed, yet even clouded, he could see the gold…

He moved his hand to clear the fog and two-colored eyes stared back at him. These two eyes, they were the relics of his past… He sighed and reached for an eye-patch.

Things were changing, they couldn't go back anymore. He placed it on, and moved to grab the contacts kit, he stared at it for a moment, he'd used these many times, to hide. "I'm sick of lying." He complained as he threw them in the garbage. "Is this really the right path? Is there no other way?" He complained as he glanced at the mirror, where condensation was starting to set.

He waited, for what he wasn't sure… after all… "You told me this was the only way, did you lie to me, Odin?"

Sirius placed his jacket on and moved outside the door, the aircraft was waiting for him to depart, he had orders to follow…

She wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up… Noctis was sleeping next to her, not far away she could hear Gladiolus snore, and Prompto's sleep talking.

Her eyes moved towards the outside, it was still dark… She laid there for a while, looking at the tent, when she felt someone holding her hand. She turned to find Noctis looking at her. "Are you alright?" He whispered, as he laced their fingers. She nodded. "What happened? Did you get hurt?" She shook her head, he sighed. "You don't want to talk about it?"

"I don't know what happened…" She whispered back.

"Was it a mission?"

"No, Noctis. I guess…" She breathed in and sighed. "I guess, I am just tired."

"Okay, you're going back to sleep?" She nodded and he smiled as he gently brushed some hair away from her face. "Sleep well."

"You better be out of my tent when I wake up, Caelum."

He chuckled as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll think about it."

There were no boats for today but somehow, Dino arranged everything. Selene smiled as the boys discussed what to do and where to go first. She walked towards them and patted Ignis back. "Then, I'll leave it to you all now."

"Eh? Where are you going?" Prompto asked as he peaked behind Ignis.

She reached for her pockets and removed a hair tie; she brought her hair into her hands and raised it into a ponytail. "I told you yesterday. I have to go to a meeting."

"Ah, the orders you received yesterday." Gladio rubbed his beard as he recalled what she said yesterday.

"Yeah," She pushed her hair over it and looked at the mirror in the lobby, making sure it was straight. "I've brought you to Galdina bay… so I need to go to the meeting."

Noctis watched her every movement, it was rare to see her hold her hair up, he'd only seen it a few times and all those times his heart had plundered in his chest.

"Will you be okay?" He asked as he eyed her neck and the loose strands that she'd missed.

"It's just a meeting. Don't worry." She reached for her helmet and gave him a smile before she placed it on. "I'll try to hurry back, before your departure." She moved her leg over her monstrous bike and tightened the helmet as she reached to close it, Noctis appeared before her, his hand lingered on her back and hand.

"Selene…" He looked into her eyes and hesitated. "Drive safe."

She nodded and closed the helmet, as he stepped away, she released the throttle and rode towards the canyon where she disappeared.

Gladio hit him on the back and smiled. "You'll tell her when she comes back."

"Tell her what?" Prompto asked confused.

"That Noctis won't marry princess Lunafreya." Ignis mentioned as he pulled his glasses upwards and walked towards the Regalia.

"Wait!? Really? Did you tell Selene?" The blond boy asked with a smile on his lips as he looked at his friend.

"… Not yet."

"Oh, come on! Noct everyone knows you love her, just say you want to marry her and get it over with!"

He placed his hand on Prompto's face and pushed the boy away. "Shut up! Don't rush me!" He shouted annoyed as he tried to hide the heat that found its place onto his face…

Gladio and Ignis shook their heads amused and walked towards the Regalia, calling the other two to hurry up.

AN: New chapter! Okay! Things are getting warmed up! Noctis said he's not marrying Luna! No way! Well, now to writing the next one, fighting me! Bye!