#clive x jill fanfiction

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Rising From the Ashes - Ch. 7 - Epilogue

Rising From the Ashes - Chapter 7 - (PREVIOUS CHAPTERS)

Fandom: FFXVI, Final Fantasy XVI Final Fantasy 16 FF16

Rated: T

Story Summary: Clive was alive. To Jill, it still felt as if she'd been thrust into a lofty dream by having her love back in her life. Yet saving the world didn't mean all their troubles ended there. Now with rumors of Joshua's survival spreading across the land, it seemed there was more work to be done than ever before.

Chapter Summary: Epilogue - One Year Later…

......

One Year Later…

Joshua couldn't withhold his excitement. Heart pounding and hands trembling as he kept staring at the wooden door to the infirmary. Every movement, mumbled word and exclamation behind the closed door only increased his anxiety, yet he listened to every sound, apprehensively waiting for the signal for what had to have been excruciating long hours at this point.

The only consolation was at least Joshua wasn't alone in his commiseration.

Gav was pacing relentlessly at his side, green eye continually peering at the door as if doing so would make time go by faster. Uncle Byron seemed more outwardly calm, leaning back against the railing as if nothing was amiss, but the anxious glint in his eyes and the way he was nervously wringing his hands gave it away. Meanwhile, Torgal sat akin to a sentry in front of the infirmary doors as if guarding it like the true form of Fenrir turned flesh.

It felt like they'd been waiting for days when Clive suddenly unlocked than opened the door. The smile etched upon his brother's face more radiant than Joshua could ever recall on his visage as Clive eagerly motioned for them to come inside.

The three men and one wolf rushed into the room after him only to immediately get the dreaded death glare from Tarja as they stampeded inside with reckless abandon. Jote was far more calm while standing near the physick's side, the young Undying woman wearing a small smile as both brushed past the white billowy curtain separating the rooms. Jote, much more welcoming than her predecessor, gently pulling back the curtain to allow them access into the treatment area past the partitioning sheet meant for privacy. Joshua flashed her a warm smile and nod as they passed, following Clive right at his heels into the candlelit room.

Upon entering, he saw Jill resting upon the bed, resting closest to the window suffused in a beautiful array of full moonlight illuminating the room.

Jill's pretty, yet pale, face was flushed with a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. Cheeks pink and ruddy, she appeared to be utterly exhausted but so unbelievably happy as she graced all who entered with a beaming smile that put the sun to shame. Shiva's Dominant was dressed fittingly in a white oversized long-sleeved shirt she must have purloined from his brother's wardrobe with her legs covered in a plush dark blue blanket to keep away the chill. As the group grew closer to her bed, she peered up at each of them in kind.

Resting there upon her heaving chest, Jill was cradling a small wriggling bundle wrapped in pure white cloth and Joshua's heart clenched at the sight.

"...You ready to greet your nephew?" Clive suddenly asked, his bright smile and teary eyes showcasing his utter joy more than words could ever articulate.

In that very moment - with his hair longer than it'd ever been and the proud smile etched upon his lips - Clive looked exactly like their father…

Joshua felt the sudden burn of tears lingering in the back of his eyes as he nodded in response to Clive's question before he slowly approached the bedside. Uncle Byron followed close behind him as Gav tried keeping his distance before Torgal pushed him further into the room where they all ended up hovering near Jill's infirmary bed.

Clive gently took Joshua's arm and guided Joshua to sit in the chair he'd just vacated. The latter so torn asunder by the sight, he hadn't even realized he'd frozen akin to a statue.

Joshua watched with bated breath as Clive left him to approached Jill's bedside. His brother taking a moment to lean down and tenderly kiss his wife. After they parted, Jill smiled sweetly at her husband as he ever so carefully lifted the wiggly bundle into his arms. Holding the babe with the utmost care, even with one cursed hand that would forever remain unmovable, Clive smiled down at the small squirming bundle before pressing a gentle kiss to the baby's forehead.

Clive, now standing in front of him, asked, "Are you ready?"

Joshua nervously fumbled for a bit trying to figure out how to maneuver his arms until Gav reached out to adjust them properly and Byron nodded his approval. "Thanks, Gav," Joshua chuckled a bit yet his voice tapered off when Clive finally closed the distance between them. His brother leaning down to gingerly lay his newborn son into Joshua's awaiting arms.

The breath froze in Joshua's chest as he stared at the new life in his hands. In utter awe of the warmth of the small bundle nestling in the circle of his arms and leeching into his heart akin to a flickering, comforting fire.

Gav was already a blubbering mess peering at the baby over his shoulder and waving a hand in greeting. Uncle Byron merely stood tall and proud, looking on with tears glittering in his kind blue eyes. Torgal, always faithfully by their side, happily watched the entire scene unfold with his head resting on Jill's bed, her fingers caressing his fur. Clive had sat by her other side with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on his brother's face. Clive and Jill were always attached at the hip, casually touching each other constantly like the lovebirds they were, both merely witnesses and new proud parents looking on.

All the while, Joshua was lost in his own atmosphere while silently absorbing the face of his new nephew.

The babe in his arms had Jill's snowy pale complexion and his brother's thick wispy black locks. The soft chubby cheeks and tiny fists clenched against his chin as the baby's face scrunched so adorably before eyes the color of his late father's (a mere shade darker than Clive's own) greeted him between sets of feathery dark lashes. The baby peered up at him curiously before smiling around a yawn, his little gums on full display. The newborn let out a soft coo as he settled into his embrace and Joshua's heart felt as if Phoenix was ignited in his sternum once again.

Being ever so careful, Joshua reached out, brushed the lightest touch upon his cheek and through his incredibly soft hair. Heart hammering when the baby's hand moved, those tiny little fingers clumsily reaching out to his index finger and grabbing on tightly.

In that moment, Joshua knew he would never let anything happen to his nephew.

"He's beautiful…" Joshua breathed, not even noticing the tears slipping down his face. So taken aback was he by the sense of pure sorrow and joy lingering in a spinning cacophony of unbridled emotions inside his chest. All the pain and suffering that filled his life up until this point, never even in his most lofty dreams did he think that he'd ever be this happy again. Yet being back at an actual place he could call home. Safe and welcomed here with his beloved brother, Uncle Byron, and his sister-in-law Jill, Jote, Gav, and all his new family here at the Hideaway this past year.

And now, here he was, holding and looking into the eyes of his newborn nephew.

Joshua knew he'd never been happier than right now.

He didn't even know it was possible to experience such joy...

"Oh my days! He's simply precious!" Uncle Byron was already over the moon with mirth and joyful tears as he reached over to cradle those wispy black locks. "Welcome, my first grand-nephew! Oh my, this is certainly a cause for celebration if there ever was one!"

"Aye, he's a cute little bugger, ain't he?" Gav chuckled at his side even if his sniffling couldn't be hidden, not even caring as his one good eye overflowed with tears. "Aye, would ya look at that! Even 'as his dad's famous scowl!" Gav chuckled when truthfully enough, the baby looked rather displeased as Gav reached over to tickle his tiny chin.

Clive flashed Gav his scowl before his seemingly new permanent smile ruined the impression it once had.

"He does look a lot like you, dear," Jill muttered sleepily as she rest her tired head upon Clive's chest. "So handsome, just like his father…" she smiled at Clive who's face turned ruddy at her compliment, both of them momentarily getting lost in each other's eyes.

Joshua had to work hard not to roll his own at their nauseating affection, "...So, what's his name?" Joshua asked instead.

Clive's face fell for a moment, his eyes so far away before a look of relieved contentment flashed across his gentle expression.

"Elwin Cid Rosfield." Clive decided, "If it weren't for them and all they sacrificed, we wouldn't be here today…" A pained look flashing on his face for only a moment before his eyes peered at his newborn son resting comfortably in his beloved brother's arms and the rest of his family surrounding him, he couldn't help but smile.

Jill let out a soft breath, grasping at Clive's curse-stiffened hand as she nodded in all too eager agreement. "That's wonderful, dear. I love it," she said before leaning up to kiss her husband's bearded cheek to brush away the tear he didn't even notice fall.

The room grew quiet - in remembrance of all they lost and the new life that greeted them in this healing world.

Gav didn't bother hiding his tears as he reached down to gently brush a strand of hair that fell into little Elwin Cid Rosfield's sleepy face. Wishing more than anything Cid could be here to witness all they'd done and continued to do but knew he'd be proud of his legacy regardless.

Uncle Bryon remained stoic even in the midst of the tears leaking down his face, the eyes of his brother peering back at him through his new grandnephew's eyes and he felt a comfort and warmth he felt he didn't deserve but was gifted with regardless.

Joshua recalled his father as he peered down into bundle in his lap. Remembered the softly spoken words and gentle smiles; the unwavering belief that Joshua regardless of the physical ailments that held him back nearly his entire life. Perhaps the Phoenix did save them at the end (even if it was only himself and Clive), yet even with his absence or all the other Eikons that left that day with the last of the magick, the ones left behind continued to move on - to build a new world and thrive.

In a way, Joshua had done his duty - Clive had done his far beyond what was asked of him. Yet, against all odds and even facing down a god, they'd done it. It may have taken a long time, but they'd saved the world - together.

Joshua hoped that wherever their father was now, peering out at them from beyond, that he was proud of all they'd done to continue fanning the fire that he and Cid had ignited all those years ago in Clive's heart.

Thanks to them, the world was theirs now - to live and be free in any way they saw fit…and Joshua, nor any of the others, wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yes. It fits him perfectly." Joshua decided at long last, smiling down at his nephew and he, for one, couldn't wait to see what the future had in store.

The End

Thank you SO much for reading! I really appreciate it. :-3

[gloomyswritings]

the ties that bind | joshua rosfield x fem!reader

chapter I - the beginning

Read this instead story on hiatus

warnings : none

note : this story will have nsfw content at some point. story will have spoilers for the game and the game lore will be changed some as to fit the story i want for the reader. the reader will have some traits i give them just for the sake of making the story flow better (ex: eye color, hair length, etc). please ignore spelling and grammar mistakes i’ll at some point probably fix it all. this is a slow burn fan fic

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     Mornings were always dreaded by you, it meant that you had to get dressed and attend the boring classes that royals were forced to. Etiquette, politics, foreign affairs, literature, and the most dreaded mathematics. But today was different you’d be taking a break from your usual routine and instead you’d be going to Rosaria with parents. It was on the pretense of it being for solely political matters but of course you’d be taking advantage of it fully being able to see your most bestest of friends—Joshua Rosfield. Oh, and of course there was Clive and Jill there also but then we’re just your friends no one had the bond you and the Phoenix shared. It didn’t take long before the maids fluttered in quickly pulling you out of your soft warm bed. 

     “Lady _____, must you sleep so crazily? I had braided your hair to perfection last night and now your hair looks like a wild chocobos nest!” The middle aged maid scolded as she began to run a brush through your tangled hair. Wincing as the brush got caught on a knot you whined, “Miss Tatiana you’re being too rough!” You cried but the maid known as Tatiana ignored your pleas. “You’ve always had the wildest of hairs ever since you were a baby, so you should be used to it by now.” She clicked her tongue. Finally after some more pain you were relieved from the torment of having your hair brushed, “You need to look presentable for the Rosfields _____.” Tatiana said as she finished your pigtail braids tying a dainty white ribbon to the ends. Jumping out of her grasp you spun on your heel facing her, “It’s a three day wagon ride anyways! My hair well look like a mess by tonight.” You said matter of factly a proud smirk playing your plump lips. But the greying maid ignored you as she began to pull out a dress from a wardrobe, “Come child put this on.” She said motioning you with her hands to come to her.

      Finally you were dressed in a simple yet elegant pale pink dress that fell a few inches below your knees paired with leather boots it was time to go find your parents. Tatiana waving you off so she could  finish  packing for the trip. Humming contently as you walked down the halls searching for your parents. “Excuse me, have you seen me father and mother ?” You asked a branded man. “O-oh yes Lady _____, they are outside in the courtyard!” The nervous branded man said. You never understood why branded acted so scared of you. Surely you weren’t that mean or ugly, right? You nodded a frown replacing your smile, “Alrighty thanks! Also I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before. What’s your name?” You asked curiously. The man shifted uncomfortably his eyes darting across the corridor as knights watched him closely from afar though you were oblivious to it all. “It’s..it’s Da-“ but before he could answer you shouting was heard from down the hall. 

     Your mother’s screeching echoed through the corridor, “_____ get here this instant!” She stormed towards you placing a strong grip on your arm as she yanked you away from the branded man, “And you why are you just standing around! Go you have a job to do!” She shouted at the branded who quickly scurried away bowing and apologizing the whole time. Your mother’s grasp was tight and you let out a cry, “Mummy stop you’re hurtin me!” You whimpered pulling away from her grip. Your mother turned to face you a look of fear on her face, “He didn’t hurt you right or say anything to upset you?” She asked leaning down to wipe the corners of your watery eyes. Her intense amber eyes stared into yours thin black brows knitted together in concern. Shaking your head you pushed her hands from your face, “I’m okay mum, I was jus askin him his name and where you two were. Please don’t punish him he didn’t do nothin’.” You pleaded with your mother. She sighed standing up, “Nothing will happen to him. But you shouldn’t speak to bearers dear it looks bad.” She scolded you half heartedly. But why was it bad weren’t they just people also?

~•••~

     You laid your head against the glass window of the carriage, pale grey eyes staring absentmindedly out the window eyelids heavy due to boredom. You hated road trips and wished you could just teleport to Rosaria. traveling from the Crystalline Dominion all the way to the other side of Storm was boring all the scenery looked the same, the random Imperial checkpoints the caravan would be forced to stop at it was boring. How much longer was it until you’d arrive? Until you could see your dear friends. Then without notice the carriage abruptly stopped, your head bouncing off the window. Wincing you rubbed your temple your mother already quickly wrapping her arms around you, “My dear are you okay?” She asked. Reaching over she slid down the window sticking her head out, “You bearer, conjure some ice for me.” She commanded snapping her fingers. “Yes Lady Marianne!” the bearer soldier said quickly conjuring a small shard of ice and handing it to your mother. She placed the ice against your temple, the sudden coldness sending a shiver down your spine she replaced her hand with yours telling you to hold it in place and stay put while she investigated. 

     Muffled talking was all you heard, you looked out the window once again looking at the scenery. Huh this was a knew route…you thought to yourself. Curiosity took ahold of you as you slid the carriage door open, your bare feet hitting the rough gravel road. Turning your attention towards your mother and father talking at the front of the caravan you then noticed there seemed to some hold up. “…I don’t care that a carriage was overturned were already a day behind let’s move on. Leave some soldiers with them and we get a move on.” Your mother said obviously annoyed at whatever had happened up ahead. Your father smiled rubbing the back of his head as he took on your mother’s wrath, “My dear Marianne we can’t do that…” you stopped listening at that point uninterested in their banter. It seemed like you’d be here for some time so you might as well walk around for a bit, you wouldn’t wander far. Grabbing you boots with one hand you used your feet to slip the shoes on your hand still grasping the slowly melting ice shard. Glancing around you made sure now one was looking before you trotted off just barely out of sight of the caravan.

     You sang quietly to yourself as you rummaged through the foliage near a riverbank. You could still faintly hear chattering and cooing from the chocobos from the caravan so you weren’t too far. The ice had completely melted now leaving your hands wet but you didn’t mind as you plucked a few wildflowers from the ground. It was then something caught your eye from further down the riverbank, a shiny object glistening in the sun. Quickly you rushed towards the object, paying no mind to the lingering danger just beyond the brush. “Ah ha!” You mumbled under your breath as you came upon the shiny object. It looked as if it was something from the Ancients whatever it was you were pleased quickly shoving it in your pocket. Joshua is going to be so jealous! You thought to yourself a content smile playing on your lips. As you turned around to make your way back to the caravan before anyone noticed you heard a twig snap catching your attention. Goosebumps littered your skin as you froze in place. “Hello?” You called out quietly scanning the tree line. A primal like fear overtook your senses but before you could run away a wild lone hound raced out from the tree line making its way towards you. A scream left your mouth just as the hound pounced on your swiping it paw across your cheek but just as quick as the hound jumped on you it was thrown off of you. 

     “______! Are you okay?!” You heard your father shout as he finished off the hound he rushed towards you dropping his sword by his side as he wrapped his arms around you. “Fuck ______ your face!” He grimaced pulling a handkerchief out of shirt pocket dabbing your face. It was then you felt the stinging sensation and then warm liquid run down your cheek. This truly was an unlucky trip for you. 

next chapter ->

[sevi007]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Category: F/M but mostly Gen

Fandom: Final Fantasy XVI

Word Count: 9,652

Additional Tags: Jill's POV, Hurt/Comfort, spoilers for game ending, Post-Game, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence,

Her Eikon, the second soul which she has carried around with herself since early childhood, has left her without a trace. And if Shiva is gone, then Clive, who had carried a piece of her as well-…   Jill had really thought that she knows what despair and pain felt like. She had lived it, for fifteen long years. But right here, right now, she learns a new depth of it. It feels as if someone has rammed a dagger in between her ribs, aiming straight for her heart, and aiming true.

As their star Metia vanishes from the sky, Jill is convinced that Clive's life goes with it at first. But just as he has never give up on her, she will not abandon him now, either If he is out there still, she will find him.

(Second part of the series. Could be read as a standalone, theoretically, will have some callbacks to spot if you read the first part.)

@ringnis I saw you commenting you would want to read the Jill fic, so I hope you don't mind if I tag you so you may find it ^^

[deiliamedlini]

Final Fantasy Masterlist

A list of all my Final Fantasy 16, fics with links of where to find them and brief summaries! All long fics, and almost all oneshots are Clive/Jill because that’s my thing. Except... one fic which is just Charon focused because she's a queen let's all be real here! Fic-related stuff is tagged with “writing”. 

Masterlists for Legend of Zelda and other fandoms can be found here!

Longfic 

~~In Progress~~

Cast Beyond the Moon (Ao3)

Clive and Jill knew each other like the backs of their hands. But when they're both taken away from the life they knew after the events of Phoenix Gate and are forced to learn how to survive in their new worlds, they never expected that the one constant in their life would once again eventually become each other.

Imaginations Run Wild (Ao3)

Jill stumbles upon an OnlyFans account for a man named DominantIfrit, someone with a body to die for but who's face is hidden in everything he uploads. Which, for Jill, means she can use her imagination to pretend this page belongs to her roommate and secret crush, Clive. But she doesn't realize that Clive was in need of some extra money after being laid off from his job. And when Jill realizes just how much money people can get from a picture or two with a hidden face, she decides to give it a try, a page with a body that Clive finds irresistibly attractive. Will DominantIfrit and QueenShiva ever realize that they were actually roommates?

Oneshots:

The Burden of Leadership (Ao3) 🔥

Clive and Jill can't keep their hands off each other; it's a known fact. The problem is, Gav has the worst timing a couple has ever known, and he's determined to give Clive a report.

Caught (Ao3)🔥

While Clive is out gathering wood with Torgal, Jill takes the opportunity to have a moment to herself. What she doesn't realize is that a wolf's hearing might be better than either Clive or Jill know, and Torgal is exceptionally concerned when it comes to his humans.

The Fire Inside (Ao3)🔥

Jill and Clive are madly in love and have been rather unafraid to show it. But when Clive reveals that there's another part of him that wants to be with Jill just as much as he does, Jill is eager to explore every part of Clive.

Whatever Necessary (Ao3)

To succeed in a mission to bring a slaver to justice, Jill goes undercover at the Veil as a courtesan to lure him into trusting her so she can end his rein of terror over Bearers, but when Clive appears, Jill knows the plan has gone terribly wrong, and it's time for everyone to improvise a little.

Books Between Lovers (Ao3)

Clive realizes it's time to act on his feelings after finding Jill asleep with a book in her lap as the rain begins to pour, and she's never looked more beautiful to him than in that moment.

A (Virtually) Perfect Life (Ao3)

Clive refuses to admit to himself that he's in love with his best friend and roommate, Jill, but when he's playing The Sims, he doesn't have to admit anything. Because it's all fake. Clive would never kiss her a thousand times in a row. He'd never have a family with her, or a perfect house, or a yard for Torgal. That was just a game, and it wasn't like Jill will find out. Besides, playing around never hurt anyone.

Night Terrors (Ao3)

Ultima needs Clive to relinquish his will and sever all humanly bonds, and he realizes that among the strongest bonds Clive has is with Jill. And when Jill is involved, giving up his will doesn't sound like the worst choice anymore if it means protecting her.

Off-White Wedding (Ao3)

It's Clive and Jill's wedding day, and excitement are taking over for both of them. But what's a wedding without some eccentric guests to help celebrate?

A Fresh Look (Ao3)

Jill is still struggling to come to terms with the fact that her childhood best friend is alive. But she had a crush on him then and is quick to realize that it hasn't faded with time.

Frozen Fire, Melting Ice (Ao3)

Jill and Cid are drinking together in the Fat Chocobo when Clive comes to join them. But he may wish he hadn't as soon as Cid starts talking. "So then, what were we talking about?" he asked Cid, taking a sip as Kenneth slid the drink in front of him. "Sex, Clive! Sex!" Clive choked. Jill leaned against the bar, a satisfied grin on her face. "I warned you not to ask."

Soothe My Nerves (Ao3)

Jill has been worried for Clive before, but when he decides to go through with a dangerous procedure that has killed others in the past, she can't help the overwhelming sudden onslaught of nerves that she feels for Clive, despite his reassurances.

Sick Days (Ao3)

When Clive misses a meeting with Jill, she checks in on him only to find him in bed with a raging fever.

Placed Between (Ao3)

Clive is only a young boy when he learns a few lessons that will stick with him throughout the rest of his life, and they all start with Jill.

Rumors (Ao3)

Everyone at the hideout knows Clive and Jill are made for one another. Everyone, that is, except Clive and Jill themselves.

Jealousy (Ao3)

When Jill notices Clive acting strangely, she isn't sure if he's simply distracted, or if there's something more going on in his mind. Turns out, what's on his mind is her.

Revenge (Ao3)

Hugo Kupka realizes rather quickly that Jill is to Clive what Benedickta was to him, and he's keen to make use of their connection to get what he wants: revenge.

Sage Advice (Ao3)

Clive wants to ask Jill to take their friendship to the next level by asking her on a date, but he's not sure how. Joshua decides to help his brother out with his sage wisdom, but Joshua has been out of the dating game for some time. Meanwhile, Asta, the hopeless romantic, overhears Jill talking about Clive and has some advice of her own.

What the Hell Am I Doing Here (Ao3)

Charon was minding her own business when she suddenly appears in front of a god hell bent on destruction. But who's more afraid of who?

[kloudiday]

Jill in game: i want to leave the Twins and explore the world! The Twins are too small for me and I must spread my wings!

Jill in fanfics: pregnant housewife

authors write women with a personality other than “baby carriage” challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

-_-

[starlightinmeshallshineonyou]

Fear not people, I’m doing the work and it is on its way.

Just pray for me I could write this while I have the time😊🌊.

[confusedpandabear]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Final Fantasy XVI Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Clive Rosfield/Jill Warrick, Gav & Clive Rosfield, Clive Rosfield & Joshua Rosfield, Dion Lesage & Clive Rosfield Characters: Clive Rosfield, Jill Warrick, Gav (Final Fantasy XVI), Joshua Rosfield, Dion Lesage, Byron Rosfield, Charon (Final Fantasy XVI), Midadol Telamon, Tarja (Final Fantasy XVI) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dormitory AU, Romantic Comedy, i guess?, Boys Being Boys, Clive is a shy boi, Joshua is a shameless romantic, Clive just wants to study, cheesy af, Why Did I Write This?, who knows Summary: Modern/Dormitory AU that no one asked for. Clive is a shy boi who has a crush on his pretty new neighbour. Joshua, Gav and Dion are the wingmen he never asked for.

[thedarkone121]

The River Flows Up — Chapter 2 — by TheDarkOne121

Summary: Clive and Jill struggle to raise an excitable four-year-old that views their mission through rose-tinted glasses. There’s also an imaginary snake that is really not helping her impulse control. At least Torgal is the best guard dog.

Rating: T (Implied Sexual Content)

Pairing: Clive Rosfield/Jill Warrick

Length: 3136

Part 2 of Fire +Ice = Water AU

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Rising from the Ashes

Chapter 1 - Awaken

Rated: T

Fandom: Final Fantasy XVI (Final Fantasy 16 or FF16)

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Link to the story on A03

...

MAJOR SPOILERS for the ending of FF16. You have been warned. 

....

Story Summary: Clive returned from the final battle victorious, and more importantly, alive. According to Jill, it still felt as if she'd been thrust into a lofty dream by having her love safely back in her life yet saving the world from certain doom didn't mean all their troubles ended there. Now with rumors of Joshua's survival spreading across the land, it seemed there was more work to be done than ever before. 

...

Clive didn't so much as stir as Gav and Uncle Byron carried him inside the Hideaway and into his chambers. Lying him gently upon his sheets, Clive remained entirely limp and unresponsive as Jill and Gav stripped him of his armor, sword, leathers and underclothes until he lay completely bare upon the wrinkled bedding. Jill taking extra care in moving the Phoenix feather in Clive's possession to take a treasured spot atop his mantle before they got to work.

Armed with a tub of warm water with a mix of fragrant oils, flower petals from the gardens and two soft sponges, Jill and Gav busied themselves by washing Clive's entire body from the top of his head to the soles of his feet and everything in-between. Cleansing his skin of all the remnants of blood, sweat and dirt he'd acquired from his prolonged battle with Ultima.

Once finished with her task, Jill gently laid a blanket over Clive's hips to protect his modesty as Gav finished rinsing the willow oil from Clive's hair. Otto and Byron stepped forward to lift Clive's prone form as Gav and Jill quickly changed the now sodden and filthy sheets. Once the freshened bedding was safely tucked under the hay-filled mattress, the two men ever so carefully laid their leader down for a well-deserved rest.

Jill let out a sigh of relief at the improvement of Clive's appearance already.

Clean of all the smeared stains of dried blood, viscera and grime spattered across his skin, he looked merely sleeping rather than knocking on death's door. She couldn't help but reach out to began brushing her fingers through his slightly damp hair yet her grooming only lasted a moment for Tarja soon appeared through the doorway armed with her wooden box of medicinal supplies.

Nodding in approval of his cleanliness, Tarja quickly pushed the others aside. The no-nonsense healer quickly going to work to disinfect, stitch and bandage the many new wounds inflicted upon Clive's battered flesh.

Clive's stiff curse-addled left hand taunting Jill the longer she stared at it from as close to his bedside as Tarja allowed. He had promised before he'd fallen asleep that the blight would not spread to the rest of him but the worry and anxiousness flooded her anyway. It was a miracle Clive had returned at all, a prayer answered, yet Jill was terrified it was merely an illusion and this new affliction would soon be the cause of his demise.

It felt like a lifetime passed before Tarja finished gauzing and plastering the last of his many wounds before the talented healer began carefully studying the afflicted hand with a discerning eye.

Midadol walked in unannounced, standing by the pacing Byron in the doorway. Pink bottom lip bitten firmly between her tense teeth, jaw clenched as she watched the physician quietly access the situation. "Clive is going to be a-alright, isn't he?" Cid's daughter asked, not able to hide the audible wobble of her voice.

Heart trembling in her chest as they all waited upon pins and needles for Tarja's response.

Gav's hand on Jill's shoulder nearly bruising in its grip. Jill's palms laced with half moon imprints from how hard her nails were digging in from her permanent fists. Otto appeared stoic but there was a storm under the surface of his calm demeanor. Byron's frantic pacing only increased while Mid looked to be on the verge of exploding. Torgal, ignoring any and all glares from Tarja to keep away from her patient, lay his large head near Clive's; the wolf's soft pink tongue and black nose nuzzling against his beloved master's jaw.

Never had silence been so loud as they awaited her verdict.

An entire sun cycle seemed to pass before Tarja let out a relived sigh once her examination was complete. Fingers lifting from Clive's curse to gently squeeze at the much softer supple flesh of his forearm.

"I'm not sure how, but the curse is contained. It's only afflicting his hand and shows no sign of spreading whatsoever..." Tarja's voice held such reverence as she skimmed her fingertips over where the dichotomy of his flesh changed from a freckled pale gray of stone to the warm tan of his skin. "I've never seen anything like it, but, I truly believe he'll be alright. With plenty of rest of course even if that would be a first for ol' Clive 'ere," the physician chuckled in fond exasperation as she looked down at her most difficult patient.

An audible sigh of pure alleviation swept through the room. A weighted burden that was so heavy on all their shoulders lifted with the wonderful news.

"Oh, fuck. Thank the Founder…" Gav muttered, reaching down to pat Clive on his bare chest, his voice stuttered with utter relief. "Y-You hear that, Clive? I fear you're going to be stuck with us awhile yet. Damned good thing since you still owe me a full round of lager in the mess. I promise you're the one going to be throwing up on my boots this time. I swear it, my brother."

"Praises be…" Uncle Byron choked back a sob as he approached his nephew's beside to gently grip Clive's knee through the blanket. "Oh, my nephew, I'm so glad you're alright. Now's the time for you to get some rest and you'll be right as rain in no time. Now, I must tell all the others the wonderful news." he smiled with tears leaking down his face. The happiness in his outward expression did little to mask the misery of losing his other beloved nephew Joshua lying just beneath the surface. Byron squeezed Clive's good hand before he quickly vacated the room to deliver the tidings to the rest of the Hideaway's nervous residents.

Mid smiled widely with tears slipping down her face as she stepped further into the room and over to Clive's bedside.

"Yep! And I hope you haven't forgotten about my flying ship! The new prototype is almost ready and I'm going to be needing your services to fetch me all the equipment needed to build the sails!" she choked out a sob as she reached out and lay a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "…My dad would be so proud of you. I know I am… So you better get well soon, okay? This ship isn't going to build itself!" Midadol quickly wiped her eyes before running out of the room like the whirlwind of energy she was.

The silence that followed her absence was not as comfortable as Jill would have liked for as marvelous as it was to have the sun back in her life, there was still a dark cloud hanging over all of them.

An absence of two souls far too prominent to ignore.

Tarja and Otto stood nearby, questions probably lingering on their tongues that were forcefully bitten back amidst Clive's unconscious state. Seeing no way out of this conversation or situation, Gav let out a sigh, wiping the tears from his one good eye before sitting near Clive's hip. Torgal playfully nipped at him a bit before the wolf lay down his head and closed his eyes to join Clive in blissful slumber. The good news was not lost on the hound after all.

Jill glanced at Gav, his green eye peeing into her own as a look of resignation fell across his exhausted features.

With Clive out of commission, the burden fell upon his shoulders to deliver the news no one wanted to hear. "As you probably already realized, Joshua and Dion are dead." Gav broke the news quickly as if swiftly tearing off a bloody plaster.

Tarja lifted her hand to her mouth, eyes welling with fresh tears as she glanced towards where their infirmary was located. Most likely considering the young woman Jote who dedicated so much of her life to Joshua and his mission. As distracted as she currently was with the new mother and baby in her care, it was only a matter of time before the news of Joshua's fate would send her world into an endless abyss and cripple her emotionally. Jill bit her lip and allowed herself to commiserate with the pain she knew all too well but probably felt tenfold by Jote who obviously loved Joshua very deeply.

"Both of them died as heroes then…" Otto, practical as always, said after an agonizingly long silence broken only by Clive's breathing and Torgal's soft snores.

"Yes they did." Jill agreed whole-heartedly with a nod as her fingers reached out and began weaving through Clive's wispy raven locks. The action meant to comfort herself more than anything. How could she ever forget the visceral agony lacing Clive's voice as he sobbed and wailed for his brother. The sounds of his heartbroken cries echoing in her head and tearing her heart out all over again.

Gav cleared his throat, "We'll be sure to honor their sacrifice by whatever means necessary."

"Yes we shall," Tarja sighed, reaching to grasp Clive's gray left hand, "And we'll start by taking care of Clive and make sure he's alright… I'm sure Joshua and Dion would agree."

<....>

Clive slept through the first day peacefully.

Amidst the commotion of jumping back into the fray of the new world that Clive's, Joshua's and Dion's sacrifices brought into reality, it wasn't until late in the evening when Tarja realized Jote had disappeared as if she'd never been there at all. The only evidence remaining of the Undying woman's presence being a small folded piece of parchment left unopened on Clive's writing desk.

<....>

Three sun cycles had passed in a whirlwind of activity, and still, Clive slept on.

<....>

As the fifth sunrise dawned since his return, all at the Hideaway began to wonder if their leader would ever wake again.

<....>

On the sixth day, Jill began wondering much of the same...

<....>

It had been seven moons later and Clive had yet to open his eyes.

Breathing steady and slow in slumber and as always, Jill and Torgal remained ever vigilant as Clive's constant hovering shadows. Gav, Otto, and Uncle Byron working tirelessly to pick up the pieces as the entire world began to adjust to a life without crystals, without a hint of magick to rely on. The rebellions, the skirmishes and the panic that waxed and waned like a churning sea all leaving them with little to no sleep.

And yet even with all the chaos surrounding her, Jill's main concern was the sleeping man in her arms.

"Come on, my love, only a little bit more…" Jill whispered. One of her hands cradling his head in her lap as she placed the stone chalice against his bottom lip. Encouraging the unconscious man to take another sip of the nutrient-dense tonic Tarja made to keep him hydrated as well as sustained. The color and slimy viscosity of it so unpleasant even if the herb smell was tolerable and slightly floral. It was perhaps the sweetness of a bountiful amount of sugar in the recipe as well as his taste buds being dormant with sleep probably the one reason Clive was able to stomach the concoction.

It took a few taps of encouragement before adorably, his nose wrinkled and his body decided to finally obey. Thick lips parting slightly as she slowly poured the liquid into his mouth. The remnants trickling the corners of his mouth and down his jaw but were ignored as his Adam's apple bobbed as he finally swallowed the remainder of the tepid beverage.

Jill let out a sigh as she placed the now empty goblet on the small table astride his bed. So grateful that Clive had been more cooperative today than yesterday as she used a handkerchief to brush away the stray droplets in his beard with a fond smile. One that quickly fell as her worry for his state continued to haunt her.

As if sensing her distress, Torgal bumped her thigh with his cold wet nose. The wolf with his beseeching golden eyes nuzzling against her hip before he rested his head once more upon Clive's shoulder. Those intelligent eyes peering at Clive's face as if begging his master to wake.

Even their beloved hound was becoming increasingly worried.

Everyone was worried.

Jill was terrified.

Tarja had been in multiple times these past days to measure his progress and found nothing amiss. Clive's wounds sustained in battle were either fully healed or well on their way. Curse-addled hand unchanged and showing no signs of spreading whatsoever even if it sadly would forever remain stiff as stone. He had no fever, no infections nor any other ailments as far as Tarja was concerned. Even Harporates had even been delving into the texts to search for information regarding this sudden bout of prolonged slumber with nary an answer to be found.

And that was the scariest part of all.

It was as if Clive simply didn't want to wake up.

Perhaps the grief of losing his brother was too great for him to handle. The thought of his mind and soul merely slipping away into the aether leaving his body to slowly break down and waste away was almost too much to bear. Jill's mind was running in circles with all the possible reasons, wondering if perhaps using all the power of the Eikons and absorbing Ultima's essence to finally destroy the last ever crystal left his consciousness somewhere he simply couldn't return.

What if the brief moment they shared in the boat would be the last time he'd ever open his eyes…?

Shaking her head to rid herself of such morbid thoughts, Jill gently lifted Clive's head from her lap and placed it back on his chocobo-feather stuffed pillow. Forcing herself to leave his side in order to get ready for bed; hoping for the sweet abyss of dreamless sleep instead of the nightmares plaguing her as of late.

Tooth powder rinsed from her mouth, hair braided to prevent tangles and now comfortably dressed in her white sleeping gown, Jill glanced back towards their shared bed. A smile lifting her lips amidst the rampage of the sweeping and upsetting torrent of emotions when she saw Torgal fully nestled against Clive's right side. The wolf's large fluffy head resting upon against Clive's shoulder as the hound snored softly.

Bare feet soundless as she approached the bedside, Jill couldn't help but gently ruffle Torgal's fur before pulling back the blankets and stretching out against Clive. Lying on her side, Jill gently maneuvered Clive's arm to slip her shoulder into the gap of his armpit until her head rested comfortably against his collarbone. Clive was so wonderfully warm. Bare skin the perfect combination of firm from his musculature to the give of soft supple flesh. The multiple scars and sparse hair gave her hands wonderful amounts of texture to smooth over as she drew closer against him before her hand finally came to rest upon his bare chest where her palm lay flat over his pounding heart.

The feel of his heartbeat such a comfort to her as of late. Hardcore evidence that Clive was indeed still alive, only merely sleeping. Resting. Gaining back the strength he'd used so much if not all of in the final battle with that depraved so-called 'god'.

Jill studied Clive's profile in the moonlight.

Handsome face so soft and open in sleep. No furrow of his brow or the famous scowl he tended to wear according to Gav. Jill's eyes flickered to his thick raven hair over his regal nose and sinfully soft pouty lips. The curve of his strong chin and jaw all covered with his thickening beard. It was a face she knew better than her own. One she adored and yet none of it felt right since it'd been far too long since his cobalt blue eyes had opened. Only the thick dark black lashes fanning across his cheeks when all Jill wanted was for him to simply wake up.

The backs of her eyes burned. Jill bit down her desire to break down, to fall apart and instead peered towards the open door leading to their small balcony. To witness the night sky full of stars and the moon rising high above them all. So large and full lingering proudly against the strokes of blue and purple painting across the inky black. The spattering dust of white stars twinkling in the abyss, Jill's icy blue eyes were drawn towards the dark spot where the red star Metia she'd pray to ever night had went dim; the sight of it still glaring a hole deep in her chest.

Jill closed her eyes and nestled further against Clive's warm body, her ear above his sternum listening to the beautiful thrumming beat of his heart to lull her to sleep.

"...Please…" she prayed against the steady pulse in his throat. To whom she was praying, she didn't know. Perhaps to Joshua who she saw immortalized as the sunrise every morning since his tragic end. The suns rays all capturing Joshua's kind warmth and brilliance as he watched over them from his spot in the heavens. "…Please, Clive. Come back to me…"

<....>

On the ninth sunrise, Jill opened her eyes only to meet Clive's sleepy gaze.

"Jill…" he whispered with that rare smile she adored so much and it was as she was staring deep into deep cobalt blue that she knew everything would truly be alright now…

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Forevermore

Rising From the Ashes - Chapter 6 - (PREVIOUS CHAPTERS)

Rated: T

Fandom: Final Fantasy 16 Final Fantasy XVI FF16, FFXVI

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Story Summary: Clive was alive. To Jill, it still felt as if she'd been thrust into a lofty dream by having her love back in her life. Yet saving the world didn't mean all their troubles ended there. Now with rumors of Joshua's survival spreading across the land, it seemed there was more work to be done than ever before.

Chapter Summary: After endless months of searching for his brother, Clive finds himself on the cusp of giving up. Yet, after following up on a breakthrough lead provided by Gav, Clive is instead given the chance to reunite with Joshua once more.

<<<<<>>>>>

The first knock came and went unanswered.

Clive's heart pounded ferociously as he knocked on the door for the second time.

The sheer anxiety threatening to choke him as he awaited for an sort of response from whoever was on the other side. The desperation to find out if all this seemingly endless searching had been for naught was leeching away in his chest and had him completely on edge. Heart hammering away in his chest as if he'd just beaten off hoards of monsters single-handedly yet he was standing completely still.

This was truly it…

All of the months Jill, Torgal and himself had searched; not to mention all of the inquiries done by Gav, Jote and the Undying's efforts came to this. After all this time searching nearly every nook and cranny in Valisthea for even a mere hint of Joshua's presence, had finally come to this single moment that would ultimately decide everything.

Clive was completely stricken.

Deep in his heart, he knew it had to be Joshua behind this door.

Yet, after those thirteen years of believing his brother was dead (by his hand no less), and being reunited only to be torn apart by fate once again - it felt almost too good to possibly be true. The more pessimistic side of himself he tried not to cater to was petrified that perhaps it wasn't his brother behind the door. That these past two seasons spent searching every inch of the realm chasing every lead was a mere wild goose chase. How perhaps he'd completely upended Jill's life once again to pursue a wraith in some blind, desperate hope when it made more sense for Joshua to have perished, lack of a body or not.

No matter what the outcome, Clive needed to know. He needed closure, one way or another.

As tempting as it was to simply give up if this all was for naught, Clive knew he would keep searching regardless. Continue looking for Joshua until he took his dying breath if that's what it took for him to even have a mere chance of seeing his brother once more.

Taking a shaky deep breath, Clive patiently waited.

All was silent for a extended moment until the abrupt sound of soft footfalls on the other side of the door had him tensing up. Clive listened closely and it was only all the years of a life of nothing but combat and survival that his ears even picked up the alarming sound of metal scraping along wood. Right hand twitched automatically as if gripping for his sword yet Clive forced it to remain still and away from its desperate want to reach for the blade upon his back.

No.

Clive would sooner get run straight through his heart than ever yield steel against his brother.

Even if it was only the smallest percentage that it was Joshua behind that door, Clive would rather take the risk than ever needlessly putting Joshua's life in danger from his bloodthirsty tendencies. All those years of fighting, killing, and doing everything in his power to simply survive another day, were being completely ignored even as his instincts screamed for him to do otherwise.

"...Forgive me, Jill…" Clive whispered under his breath in case this foolhardy idea ended with his life taken by a stranger's sword though his chest.

There was muffled shuffling before the sound of movement greeted him once again. Ears prickled at the sudden noise of softened footsteps that continued forward before halting right in front of the wooden door. Clive mentally prepared himself for what awaited on the other side while listening to a metal latch being unlocked.

It felt like years later before the door began to slowly open with a loud creak.

Time froze and Clive was certain his heart did as well, when instead of being run through by sharp metal, the face that greeted him between the cracks of wood was none other than his missing brother.

Clive gasped and could do nothing but stare in shock at Joshua's face.

What he saw made his heart positively ache.

Joshua's face was pale and thin, nearly gaunt, from deprivation of food and lack of sleep. His expression was a cacophony of so many emotions all at once. Shock, grief, abject misery, and it was if Joshua had seen a ghost with the way his already pale complexion quickly shifted into an ashen tone. Reddish gold hair lay limp and unkempt, messy and longer than he remembered it being. Frail frame positively swallowed by that familiar brown robe, not unlike the hooded man that haunted his life, the same ghost he'd chased for thirteen long years.

A search that was now finally over…

"...Joshua?" Clive's breathed out the name, merely mouthing the word for as little as his voice remained mute behind the roiling of overflowing happiness, alleviation, and this strange sense of grief growing rapidly in his heaving chest.

Yet, it only took watching Joshua's eyes rolling to the back of his head and his brother completely collapsing that tore him asunder from the sudden spell he'd fallen into.

"JOSHUA!" Clive yelled out as he lunged towards his brother as if he'd reacquired the Phoenix Shift upon witnessing his brother's abrupt descent to the floor. Only his years of fast reflexes provided him the ability to safely catch him before Joshua became acquainted with the unforgiving stone. Clive's arms shook as he safely cradled him against his chest. Emotions welling up instantly upon feeling his dear brother lying so limp and lifeless like he'd done when he'd died in his arms.

It was too much for him to take.

Clive could do little more than pull him against his pounding chest and hugged him as tight as he dared. He cried brokenly while pressing his face into the worn brown cloth covering Joshua's shoulder. It was only then as he sat kneeling by the open door with the scent of stew, the warmth of the fire and seeing his little brother alive, yet unconscious in his arms, did his broken heart begin to finally slowly piece itself together again.

Cursed hand remaining stiff yet steady upon the small of Joshua's back as his right gently brushed the long bangs out of his sleeping face. Staring at the brother he swore he'd never see in this life again. Clive didn't even dare dream he'd live to see this day…

Fully absorbing his brother's warmth and life, he pulled Joshua into the cradle of his arms, hugging him to himself he whispered around a guttural sob that he cried into his shoulder.

"Oh, Joshua. My brother, I f-finally found you…"

<<<<<>>>>>

After some careful maneuvering, Clive stood up with Joshua cradled in his arms.

Holding him like this, an adult though he was, reminded him of when Joshua was a mere toddler always following him around. The small boy happily protected in his older brother's shadow and grasping for his hand to hold. Those wonderful long days of playing in the gardens when Joshua would suddenly tire and sleepily rub his eyes as the sun grew closer to the horizon. The ten-year old Clive would pick up the two year old Joshua and place him on his lap where he'd fall asleep safe and happy, nestled in the circle of his embrace, as if he never wanted to be elsewhere.

Overcome with sudden emotion, Clive pulled Joshua closer before pressed a soft kiss onto his brother's crown. Entering the small cabin and closing the door with his foot, he made his way inside. Dark blue eyes fell upon the worn couch, and with little other options, he gently placed Joshua's sleeping form upon it. Lying his head gingerly against the worn threadbare pillow and covering him with the newer quilt nestled at his feet, Joshua slept on. Clive stood there for a long moment just gazing down at his brother. So tempted to pinch the flesh of his arm to be certain this wasn't some lofty dream…

But it wasn't.

Joshua was actually here…

Against all odds and reasoning, he was alive.

Suddenly, it was as if all the weighed burden that had been chained upon Clive's shoulders abruptly disappeared into the aether. The stress, worry and sleeplessness that had plagued him every second of every day these past seven months was finally gone. Vanished, as if it had simply never been there at all. Yet even so, his heart kept hammering fitfully in his chest, hands and flesh trembling from restless energy with nowhere else to turn. As if he'd been adrift at sea for so long that landing upon the sandy shore only served to make him more disoriented.

It was maddening.

There were so many questions he had that had yet to be answered. So many scenarios of how Joshua could have survived plagued him, scared him that he left his brother there alone and afraid with nowhere to go. Essentially abandoning him to his fate, allowed him to believe that he'd perished and left him alone on a floating, crumbling platform to fend all for himself.

The abhorrent pain he put his brother through without even knowing the other had lived on…

Taking a deep breath that sounded suspiciously like a broken sob, Clive nearly collapsed yet caught himself at the edge of the couch. Breath unsteady and head spinning, he forced himself to sit down before carefully coming to perch near his brother's hip. The thought of Joshua all alone, terrified and broken enough that he refused to show himself tore something precious from Clive's heart. Joshua had spent all that time since hiding himself away like a hermit, scarcely living on bare essentials, even going as far as to build him a grave next to their father.

For Joshua to be so broken to decide his only option was it best to remain in obscurity for the rest of his days…

And to think he would have if he'd never found him…

It broke his bloody heart.

Clive let out a trembling breath, didn't even bothering to wipe away the myriad of tears that tracked silently down his cheeks and dripping off the edge of his nose and bearded chin. He watched silently as the small droplets landed on the worn wooden flooring between his feet before dissolving into the grains.

So overcome, Clive wept.

"I'm sorry, Joshua…" he sobbed, trembling hand reaching out to gently rest upon Joshua's shoulder. Clive held onto him with shaking fingers gently grasping the brown cloth, utterly terrified that if he left his brother's side, he would merely disappear as if this was all a dream.

So there Clive sat and waited for him to awaken.

It may have taken quite some time, but eventually, Clive's heart calmed amidst the comforting sounds of the crackling fire, his brother's warm body pressed against his hip and the sound of his slumbering breath. With nothing else to do but wait for his eventual return to consciousness, Clive's gaze finally left his sleeping brother to began looking around the cabin. Dark blue eyes roamed curiously around the long-abandoned property Joshua had recently called home.

Yet another refuge where he continued to hide away from the world he helped save.

It broke Clive's heart all over again when it appeared Joshua had been living off only the barest of essentials he could afford with the little gil he must have saved.

A small cooking pot, a worn tome regarding topography resting upon a damaged table, a few articles of cheaply made clothing all stacked neatly by his peeling leather traveling pouch. The latter of which hung on a worn nail by the door and a measly blanket looked to be among most of the entire possessions he'd acquired in an entire two seasons of being on the lam.

"Oh Joshua…" Clive shook his head before burying his face in his only functional hand and did his damnedest to not fall apart again.

Recalling speaking with Jote about the Marquess and her travels those thirteen years, she confided in him about his brother's struggles. How he'd felt adrift, unwelcome, unneeded after so many years of running and hiding. And it didn't hit Clive until now that Joshua truly hadn't had a genuine home since he was a mere eight years old when they lived back at Rosalith Castle.

To think Joshua hadn't felt like he'd truly belonged anywhere for nearly two decades just made this all the worse. Joshua had been running from his past and his future most of his life it seemed. His reasoning for doing so was to keep one step ahead of Ultima and keeping Clive safe with little regards to his own needs and wants… Now after everything, he had been exactly doing the same. Hiding and running from place to place to stay hidden, but with the threat of Ultima completely vanquished, Clive couldn't understand why…

Even if he'd ultimately had perished from the fight, that was no reason for Joshua to stay sequestered away like this…

<<<<<>>>>>

It could have been seconds, it could have been days that Clive stayed still, mind adrift in equal parts relief and utter sadness. His hand holding tightly onto Joshua's as if to ground himself, their fingers loosely intertwined, as he clung to the warmth and reality that his brother was indeed here and alive.

Clive was suddenly torn from the reverie of his silent vigil by a small, broken voice.

"...A-Am I dreaming..?"

Clive got a pinching pain in his neck for how quickly he turned back to look at the source of that voice. His brother's gentle cadence bastardized by grief that hurt to hear yet the sight that greeted him cleanly cleaved his heart in two.

Joshua sat partially upright on the couch. The hand that wasn't holding his was a shaking fist atop his chest as if shielding his heart from further hurt. He stared up at Clive, his expression beckoning, tears glistening in the reddish lashes before careening in silent streams down his ruddy cheeks. The absolute misery lacing those baby blues was one Clive immediately wanted to take away from him. His little brother who'd always held his hand and wanted nothing more than to be at his side - Clive had failed him so many times and it appeared he'd already failed him again…

But not anymore…

Clive shook his head to answer him; his own grief stifling as he didn't even bother holding back the wetness that began leaking down his face when he finally was able to utter out a response, "No, J-Joshua. This is not a dream. Not unless we both are…"

Hand shaking in Clive's loose grip which felt muffled by the leather separating them, Joshua's other suddenly reached towards Clive's face. Clive stayed still as those thin trembling fingers got so close to pressing against his skin yet still refused to touch.

Joshua looked terrified - as if mere contact with his flesh would make him suddenly vanish…

Clive knew that feeling all too well…

Joshua's lips were trembling and his face contorted into abject misery. An expression Clive remembered brushing away when Joshua was so, so small. A misstep, a small rock, that was all it took before the wobbling Joshua to fall and scrape his knee in the gardens. Those large eyes welling with tears as he looked to Clive for comfort as tears began dribbling down his chubby cheeks and he began wailing. Clive remembers pulling the small toddler into his arms immediately; his voice soft and soothing as he carried him inside with a handkerchief tied sloppily around the injury. Even in the infirmary, Joshua's tiny hands refused to let Clive go, so there Clive sat, holding his brother tight as the royal physicks healed him.

Joshua had always turned to him for help and protection, so why should that change now?

Clive watched in trepidation as Joshua began pulling his hand back away and he could take it no more. Ever so gently, he reluctantly removed his hand from his brothers loose grip to reach out and gently grasp at his brother's pale trembling fingers. Joshua gasped, his chest heaved as he watched as Clive pulled them towards his own face to rest Joshua's palm against the scarred remains of his Bearers Mark inflicted upon his cheek.

Feeling his bother's warm skin beneath his hands must have broken the spell that had fallen upon him. "...Clive…?" Joshua whimpered when his pale fingers pressed to the thick scarring. Digits shaking as they clumsily trailed across the familiar features as if memorizing them all by touch. "I-I-Is it really you?"

Clive swallowed a sob back before answering with a nod and soft, "Y-Yes, I'm here, Joshua."

"You're really here… You're alive…" Joshua sobbed, a wane smile pulling at his lips as if witnessing an unforeseen miracle. Perhaps he was…Perhaps they both were. "You're alive! You really are…"

Clive lent forward to wrap his arms tightly around his brother's trembling shoulders and pulled him into a protective embrace. Their foreheads pressed firmly together as he peered into his brother's teary eyes. "I am. And so are you…"

"...and that's all that matters…" Joshua finishes with a whimper as he immediately wraps his thin arms around his brother and sobs brokenly into his shoulder.

<<<<<>>>>>

Joshua feels as if all the air in his lungs is burning like Hellfire. Gasping, choking on the guttural cries that leave his parched throat as he buries his face into his brother's chest and sobs and sobs and sobs.

There's this ache, this hurt, so deep it nearly leaves him keening in agony. Terrified this is is merely some hallucination, some vision of happiness that will be somehow ripped away from him when he wakes up, Joshua clings to Clive all the tighter in sheer defiance. Fingers aching as he grasps for a firm hold upon his brother's clothing as if he'd merely slip away from his hold.

How many times had Ultima ripped Clive away from him?

Deathly afraid like all those years they were forced to remain apart to keep the other safe. Who's to say it wouldn't happen again if he let go now? That this peaceful surrender he'd found himself suffused in wasn't just another vision or wishful thinking? That this was perhaps a fantasy brought upon by his seemingly constant grief that plagued him relentlessly since that day he swore he watched his brother die in front of him?

…Yet with his head resting on his brother's warm chest, Joshua found those fears gradually waning.

Clive was somehow alive right here and right at this moment…that's all that mattered, right?

All the hows and whys seemed so insignificant as he buried his face against the warmth of his brother's breathing chest and steady heartbeat. Recalling that small pile of ashes he'd sobbed into all those months ago. How in his desperate grief, he fully believed that was the closest he'd ever come to holding Clive again. Now it all merely seemed like a terrible dream he'd been thrust out of and thrown into the warm blinding dawn. To finally awaken to this new reality that his brother had lived, had found him, and the sheer relief of it all had him sobbing all the more.

…He'd never felt safer in his entire life…

Sobs abating slightly, Joshua merely melted into his brother's embrace he missed so much and never believed he'd experience again. Clive's heartbeat was a soft pulsating reassurance against his cheek, his comforting murmurs whispered into his hair, the tear droplets wetting his scalp, arms heavy and tight around him and Joshua could do little than go limp against his brother's broad chest.

If this was all a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

Yet as soon as that thought flickered in his subconscious a sudden physical pain had him reluctantly shifting. All those thoughts of this being a dream suddenly vanished when a sharp pain erupted on his hip. Shifting the brown robe aside, he noticed the handle of the butcher's knife digging into his pelvic bone leaving an red indent in his pale skin. Never had the rush of pain felt more welcomed.

Joshua's sobs soon turned to relieved laughter that sounded on the cusp of hysteria.

"...Joshua?" Clive asked gently, lowering his head slightly to look into Joshua's blurry eyes where he'd hunched over on himself as the laughter gave away once again to breathless sobs. "What's the matter? A-Are you alright?"

Afraid his voice would break should he speak, Joshua nodded shakily. The young man still lingering within his brother's space and resting his head upon Clive's shoulder where he'd gently pulled him closer almost instinctively. Clive had always looked after him, and no matter how old they were nor how many years passed between them, that would never change.

Joshua looked up at Clive and merely rested in his loose hold. It hit him now that Clive looked just as exhausted as he felt. That his brother had indeed been searching for him all this time. How all fruitless this felt in the face that his brother had lived and here Joshua was unknowingly causing him even more grief.

"I'm sorry…" Joshua whimpered, pressing his face into his brother's throat, "I'm so sorry…" he muttered against his skin yet instead of being admonished, Clive merely held him closer until his sobs petered out into silent tears.

Joshua's head comfortable on his brother's sturdy shoulder, Clive peered down at him with a sad smile. Leather clad fingers gentle as they wiped away his tears, Clive spoke, "There's nothing to apologize for, Joshua. Nothing at all, you hear me? You're here and you're alive - nothing else matters anymore. …Alright?"

Joshua nodded.

"Good. That's good." Clive muttered into his hair, his breath maneuvering Joshua's wispy reddish gold hair where his chin ultimately came to rest. His arms a sturdy foundation where they still wrapped around him to shield him from the world. All was silent for a long moment when Clive's face suddenly filled with apprehension and the slightest bit of hesitation before the words Joshua had been dreading left his brother's lips.

"...Forgive me, Joshua, but there's something I need to know," Clive took a steadying breath, "…What happened…?"

<<<<<>>>>>

The two brothers sat side by side on the couch.

Joshua still heavily leaning on his brother's stronger form as if lack of touch would make him disappear. Also, the months on end of disregarding himself, plus a lack of sleep finally taking their toll on his weary body, didn't help matters in the slightest. And as worried as Clive was about his frail condition, he stayed silent and patiently waited for Joshua to speak.

The Phoenix's Chosen took a deep breath, breaking the silence that had fallen like a cloud of fog over the room. His baby blue eyes peered over at Clive's gentle countenance before he ultimately spoke.

"...The first thing I remember after I died was waking up. I didn't expect that…" Joshua chuckled mirthlessly, trembling fingers wrapped tightly onto Clive's only functional hand. "I was barely there though. My eyes stayed closed. It - It felt like that moment between sleeping and waking up. I was in a fog yet the most shocking thing was that I felt no pain. That never happened before, and while I thought perhaps I was merely in some afterlife, I quickly realized I wasn't…"

"I couldn't move, I could barely open my eyes yet everything was blurry. All I saw was lights, shapes, sounds…" Joshua's voice tapered off before he looked over at Clive beseechingly.

Clive felt sick listening to his brother speak. After he'd healed Joshua, Clive had walked away without realizing what using the Phoenix powers on Joshua had done. Not only bringing his brother back but leaving him there… All the pain he'd caused his brother without even knowing he was alive…

"I heard your voice," Joshua whimpered, "You were speaking and I-I tried to move, but I couldn't. It seemed like forever until my vision was finally clear and I saw you walking away from me." Joshua's voice trembled. Hands now clenched in fists, shaking as he stared into the fire and the long-forgotten pot of stew he'd put on what felt like a lifetime ago.

Clive wanted to reach out, to pull his brother close to comfort him, yet he needed to know what happened…

That didn't halt the guilt that was slowly devouring him alive…

Joshua's face screwed up as if he was in pain before he quoted, "...It seems Ultima's Power was too great for this Vessel all along. Perhaps I can use it to set things right… and see Ultima's Legacy - Bearers, Dominants, Crystals, Magick - consigned to the flames."

Clive's breath caught as his own words that were stated back to him verbatim.

Recalled those desperate moments of wanting it all to end. For this hell to finally be over! He'd already lost his brother and Clive was ready and willing in those moments to give up his own life to save his love, his family, and friends at the Hideaway and the rest of Valisthea from the same fate… All the while, not even knowing his resurrected brother had heard the whole damn thing.

He peered over at his brother and witnessed the glassiness of Joshua's eyes overfilling with fear and grief that nearly stole his breath with its intensity. Clive knew the words he spoke that were coming, an agony of knowing what that statement meant to his barely conscious brother…

"I tried to scream your name, Clive. I… I finally got my mouth to open and all I intended to do was to try and get you to stop! That you didn't have to go through with it… but nothing come out. I - I couldn't even speak! I…" Joshua opened his mouth, closed it with a sudden sob that had him nearly keeled over as he gasped out the last words he believed his brother had spoke, "Than you said, 'E-Even if it means the end of me… These…These are our terms…'" his voice tapered off as he pressed his mouth into his hand and let out a muffled sob into his palm.

All was silent for a long time other than Joshua's trembled breathing.

Clive never recalled being left completely speechless before… Yet what could he say in the face of yet another of his failures?

"Joshua…" Clive whispered brokenly, his shoulders slumping in abject misery.

Yet his brother wasn't done.

"All I saw were flames, Clive. The heat was so intense yet I couldn't move. For the first time in my life, I could take a full breath without pain yet it didn't bloody matter because you couldn't hear me! I was thrown across the room! I could do nothing! Not even open my eyes to watch because the heat and the light became too intense…and I just remember lying there, feeling so damn worthless and helpless! The sounds of flames, the crystal cracking and shattering…You were screaming…" Joshua whimpered, grasping yet again at his brother's hand and gripping it til his knuckles turned a bone white.

"When I was finally able to open my eyes, you fell on the ground. Yet before I could do anything to help, your body was completely consumed in the flames. It was so damned hot, all I could see was flashing white. I - I must have blacked out for only a moment and when I came to, I was finally able to scream… But you never answered me." Silent tears leaked down Joshua's face, "I crawled to where I'd last seen you, but there was only a pile of ash and dust remaining. What I believed was all that was left of you."

Clive remained completely silent.

Joshua peered off at nothing. Once overtly bright blue eyes were now listless, an old empty pain plaguing his chest. The younger man suddenly scrubbed at his face and the sparse ginger scruff growing where there was only baby soft skin before.

All of a sudden, Joshua's eyes were staring into his own, "You were gone, so was the crystal, Ultima, the Dominants you held, everything… I didn't feel you anymore. I still could sense the aether flickers of Jill and the Phoenix resting inside myself, but that was all." Tears began leaking in rivers down his pale cheeks. "I knew then in that very moment that you'd used the rest of the power I'd given you to heal me, gave me back the Phoenix you'd been blessed with… then you were gone. Dead."

"...Joshua…"

"No! You were dead, Clive! I swore you were!" Joshua screamed, bottom lip trembling. "You traded your life for mine. I felt you take my sickness, my injuries and put them upon yourself and destroy the last MotherCrystal and all its magick completely on your own. All while I laid there completely helpless and could only watch you being swallowed in a cyclone of flame and turned into ash…"

Clive whimpered, "Joshua, please…"

"No, Clive! I couldn't fucking bear any of it… So like the bloody coward I am - I ran." Joshua was panting for air, his breath distorted with sobs as his face was a horrible combination of vitriol and pure misery.

The only thing Clive could ask was a whispered, "…but why?" Clive's hand was trembling, the stone one remaining stiff as always in its leather prison as he forced his hands to remain at his side worried any comfort he offered Joshua at this point would be refused outright.

Joshua let out a breath, his eyes leaving Clive's face to instead peer off once again at nothing. He then spoke in empty tones, "The Phoenix, in his dying breaths, must have taken me out of there once I blacked out. I woke up utterly alone in the forest. So, I ran, brother. I couldn't face what happened, I couldn't face my failure and all those who worked so hard at your side… I didn't deserve to live when you weren't."

"None of that!" Clive seethed, grabbing at his little brother and pulling him as tight as he could against his trembling chest. "You saved me - you helped saved all of us! Don't you dare even start with that…"

Joshua tensed in his arms, the room falling as quiet as a graveyard for a long moment before Joshua began openly weeping; his thin frame shaking like a leaf against Clive's much broader form.

"I couldn't face anyone, alright?!" Joshua wailed, voice mumbled into the leather upon his shoulder. "I couldn't fathom seeing anyone, especially Jill, without you! All those at the Hideaway who look up to you, all you built, all you worked so damned hard for…You were the one supposed to save them! To protect them…it was never supposed to be me… Why do you think I told you all those things before I gave the Phoenix to you!? These people look to you for guidance and protection! I didn't deserve you as a Shield nor a brother! The world needed you more than it ever needed me, don't you understand that!?"

Clive shook his head, words failing him as he could do little in the face of the seething self-loathing etched in his brother's tone.

"So I did what I do best, Clive - I fucking ran from it all! It's all I've been doing most of my life. To hide, to slip away like a ghost. I never intended to be found. I couldn't face it. I couldn't face anyone without you!"

"B-But why though!? How could you possibly believe you hiding yourself is better for anyone!?" Clive finally broke, breath unsteady as he pulled back and stared at the misery-laden face of his brother.

Joshua remained silent for a long time, his eyes downcast before they lifted and the pain laced in them had Clive's heart feel as if it was being crushed by Garuda's merciless talons. "...You're the one they believe in, Clive." he said like it was the easiest thing in the world, the words echoed like that night at Phoenix Gate. "You've always been the one people believe in."

Nostrils flaring, Clive gripped Joshua's shoulder with his only functioning hand and stated, "You're wrong. I never asked for it either, Joshua. You think I want to be responsible, you think I wanted to fulfill this destiny I never asked for? I only did it because of father - because of Cid - …because of you!" Staring into his brother's disbelieving eyes, Clive continued, "I'm only strong because of those who surround me. Because I have something to fight for…" Clive's hand was shaking as he reached out to cradle his brother's cheek. Foreheads pressed together as the tears dripped in torrents down his face. "Do you know what that is?"

Tears slipping down his face, Joshua shook his head.

"It was you…" Clive whispered, "For all those years, you were the only thing that kept me going… That kept me breathing when I wanted nothing more than to throw myself off a cliff and hope the rocks at the bottom would be sharp enough to end my wretched existence."

Joshua shook his head in misery until Clive stilled it with a firm hand.

Clive waited until Joshua met his eyes once again before he continued, "It was you… It's always been you, Joshua. You're the reason I found any reason to continue this fight at all. So don't feel for one second that you're not worth the pain I went through. I would do it all over again, I would carry these burdens if it meant finding you and being with you once again… So don't you ever think of yourself as unworthy because you mean more than the entire world to me. Do you understand that?"

"Oh, Clive… I'm sorry..." Joshua wailed and Clive instantly wrapped his arms wrapping around his brother's shoulders and pulled him against his chest.

Clive held Joshua closer, hand resting on the back of his brother's hair and gently cradled him to his chest. "Like I said already, Joshua...there's nothing to forgive."

<<<<<>>>>>

Some Time Later...

Joshua let out a sigh, "So...Since you got a question, I feel it only necessary I get one too."

"Of course."

"...How did you find me anyway?"

Clive chuckled, rustling his brother's hair playfully before resting his head back against the top of the couch. "You didn't make it easy, I'll tell you that much. You're as slippery as an eel it seems."

"Rude," Joshua muttered but laughed anyway, his head refusing to lift from its comfortable perch on Clive's shoulder.

Clive remained silent for a spell before he replied, "It wasn't Jote if that's what you're wondering."

Joshua looked confounded before Clive clarified.

"It actually was Gav."

Joshua's brows lifted, "...Really?"

"Mm-hmm. He'd been following rumors in Rosaria and even some small parts of Sanbreque but what put this one over the edge was the fresh flowers you placed on Father's grave…and my grave apparently." Clive flashed him a broken smile. "I'm so sorry, Joshua…If only I'd known that you survived, I never would have left."

Joshua looked stricken. "Me too…" he muttered.

Eyes falling to his lap, fingers grasping at his brown robe as he got lost in his own world it seemed. Instead of allowing his brother to commiserate alone in grief, Clive pulled him to rest on his shoulder. The young man curling up to place his head upon his brother's chest like he did when they were children. It was different now than when they were kids, with Joshua being taller by a mere inch, yet Clive didn't mind. Merely guiding his brother to lay his head on the hollow of his throat as he perched his cheek upon Joshua's reddish blonde locks.

No words were necessary as they basked in the moment.

Joshua in his misery, in his certainty, that he was indeed completely alone. And Clive, who strove so hard and nearly gave up the search only to find his brother yet again in a place he least expected.

It almost felt too good to be true, but for once, it seemed sometimes that miracles do indeed happen.

<<<<<>>>>>

The peaceful calm that settled over the small interior of the rundown cabin was suddenly interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.

Clive started slightly and Joshua flinched from where he'd been peacefully beginning to doze upon his brother's shoulder. The two remained silent for a moment before they heard the all-too-familiar whines of Torgal muffled from outside.

Shaking his head fondly, Clive gently squeezed Joshua's shoulder before calling out, "Doors unlocked. Come on in, Jill."

The door creaked open, and in a blur of grey fur and slobber, Torgal burst in through the open gap and immediately ran towards the two brothers seated upon the couch. The massive puppy barked happily, his tail wagging and knocking upon the furniture as he excitedly greeted them both. Those beguiling golden eyes beseeching Joshua for affection which he fondly acquiesced.

Jill was much more demure as she slowly walked inside the cabin. Hesitant and hoping she hadn't interrupted a conversation Clive and Joshua needed to have, but it had been well over an hour since she'd left him and couldn't bear the wait no longer. Torgal and his lack of patience didn't help either.

Regardless, there would be plenty more time for the brothers to speak later.

Icy blue eyes couldn't help but peer around the surroundings before resting upon Clive and Joshua, the two brothers resting shoulder to shoulder on the worn couch. The ease and comfort in which they leaned against the other had her shoulder's deflating. It appeared all was well after all.

Jill smiled tenderly at the scene.

"Reunited at last…again," she hummed kindly while approaching. Smile so fond as she watched Torgal resting his large head on Joshua's lap begging for pets. The younger man in question was quite noticeably thinner than she remembered and appeared utterly exhausted, but underneath it all, there was a happiness and relief in his eyes that simply couldn't be faked. The rest could easily be remedied with time, sleep and food.

Joshua chuckled suddenly as Torgal pressed his cold wet nose into his stomach, rubbing at the wolf's head and smiling so wide his cheeks hurt from the strain. It all felt so perfect now. Torgal's easy affections, the warmth of his brother's body a tether to this reality and Jill's kind smiling face had him choking back sudden tears he couldn't help but bury against the wolf's grey and white pelt.

The relief and happiness of it all was simply overwhelming.

Instead of tears of sadness, these were of pure relief.

Clive's hand was shaking as he rubbed comforting circles on Joshua's back. There was still much to talk about, lots of baggage to unpack, but Clive knew it could wait. His eyes slipped from Joshua to the love of his life standing nearby. Jill's ever-present steady smile and presence had him feeling a sense of calm she always exuded. No matter how hard life got, Jill had always been his rock and it seemed even in cases of unbridled joy, it was much the same.

It took a few moments, but Joshua pulled back from Torgal with a beaming radiant expression. His thin pale hands cradling the hound's jaw and smiling and laughing in such a carefree manner as Torgal licked the tears from his face.

"I missed you too, boy," he whimpered as Torgal nuzzled his face in his neck. "So, so much..."

Tears lingering in her lashes, Jill slowly approached the couch and wordlessly bent down in order to pull the seated Joshua into a hug. Hands grasping at his brown robe and holding his thin shaking form to her chest. So many words she wanted to say in this moment to the young man she'd always loved like a brother, yet they all felt hollow in the face of the joy of simply having him here.

"It's so good to have you back, Joshua," Jill whispered, quickly kissing his cheek before she stood back up. "Ooh!" she gasped lightly when Clive abruptly pulled her to sit upon his lap to keep her close. Clive winked before flashing her a mischievous grin that she couldn't help but return.

There they sat, all four of them huddled closely like when they were kids…

Together.

Where they should always be.

Clive couldn't help but smile. A real one that had been so hard to fake these past two seasons now resting upon his lips as easy as it was to take another breath. Gently holding his cursed hand upon Jill's waist and her slight weight resting on his thighs, she leaned down to rest her tired head upon his shoulder. Clive pressed a lingering kiss into her soft dove locks and let out a breath it felt he'd been holding in for nearly a lifetime.

A true breath of pure relief.

"...So, where to now?" Jill asked against the shell of Clive's ear.

Clive smiled, pure contentment filling his heart when Joshua looked over at him with Torgal acting like a giant puppy while trying to lay himself upon Joshua's lap. The young man laughing as the wolf somehow succeeded.

It had been nearly two decades since this journey of theirs had started. The lives they knew upended at the tragedy that befell at Phoenix Gate until they found themselves together again in this derelict cabin. All of them going through their own personal hell with nary a glimmer of hope to latch onto until fate allowed them to reunite once more.

All the struggles, loss and pain that constantly filled their lives lead them to this very moment.

It wasn't until now that all of the misery they had to endure finally felt worthwhile.

"Home." Clive said, a tear of pure happiness slipping down his face as he wrapped his arm around Joshua's shoulder and pulled him into their group embrace, "We're going home…"

The End

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Under Metia's Light

Rated: T

Fandom: Final Fantasy XVI -- Final Fantasy 16 -- FF16

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Story Summary: Three years after Cid's death, the new Hideaway's construction is finally complete. What follows is a night of celebration and drinking - and Clive and Jill somehow end up dancing.

>>>>.......<<<<<

Celebrations.

A gathering or party amidst the war and blight was a rare occasion indeed.

Something the citizens of the Hideaway seldom, if ever, got to experience in any sort of grandeur. Rather these past few years following the destruction that lay in Kupka's vile wake, had been some of their darkest. So many lives senselessly slaughtered and the livelihood and home to so many had been lost forever crushed under Titan's merciless heels . Celebrating anything after that tragedy seemed painful. Smiles rare, laughter nearly non-existent and it was an endless struggle to even garner the strength to drag oneself out of bed most days when the thoughts of all that had been lost kept dragging your spirit into the abyss.

It had been nearly three years since that fateful night and the wounds (both physical and otherwise) had scabbed and long scarred over…but never forgotten. The dull phantom pains associated with them may have been soothed slightly by the passage of time but these were wounds that would forever linger in dark marks in their souls and skin. Any hopes of fully healing couldn't begin until Kupka was finally dead and buried.

Until then, the survivors of that fateful night, along with their new leader carrying the name of Cid, hadn't given up.

After the dust fell upon the rubble of the past Hideaway, those who survived that night slipped into the shadows to lick their wounds and regather their bearings. As many times as they had fallen, they kept picking themselves up - for what else was there to do or go than forward? An endless reach for a sun that remained forever out of their grasp. But such was life.

Those initial times were trying and tiring for them all. Signaling days, weeks and months that bled into years as they grasped for the light at the end of the tunnel. So much time spent hiding, toiling and fighting to find another suitable home where they could finally begin to lay their heads in some modicum of peace they knew far too little of in this hellish existence. And while it was far from perfect, this vessel located in the middle of a lake inside of downed ship hidden amongst the wreckage of a war fit all their needs. Like a gift from the heavens that fell from the sky, it was like a sign of hopefully better times to come.

The location also had a priceless feature - a perfect vantage point where they would not be taken by enemy surprise.

Never again.

New location found, the work had only begun. For years the small group had gathered materials and more members drawn to their cause. Carpenters, builders, mechanics, seamstresses, chefs, and even those who were more than willing to help were brought aboard the construction of their new home for a job yet decided to stay. The building a daunting task that Clive (now the new Cid) had poured more blood sweat and tears into making sure it was perfect for the wayward souls that joined his cause over the years.

It had been over three long years since that night that changed everything - and now, with one final nailed in board in its rightful place, the new Hideaway was finally complete.

And now, a cause of celebration of the highest caliber was in order to mark the occasion.

The drinks were overflowing and the food was bountiful. Clive had personally seen that no expense was spared after he'd sold off quite a fortune garnered from the rare parts of all the vicious monsters he'd slain over the years to fully finance it. A generous gesture from a man with a stoic countenance but with a fiercely beating heart of gold to make sure all the residents could fully enjoy themselves tonight without worry about the coffers suffering the burden.

And enjoy themselves they all did.

The overlapping laughter and stories emitting from all the celebrating residents were lively and more cheerful than they had been in so long that it was almost like hearing it for the first time. Merriment from all the chorus of voices that had nearly been silenced forever. A new hope, a new purpose when all seemed lost. The intoxicating relief of finally having a home to come to after being bereft and adrift in an endless sea of doubt was the spark of happiness they all so desperately needed to keep their cause alive and well.

Jill Warrick indeed found herself happier than she'd been in years.

A soft smile gathering its permanent residence upon her lips as she looked out on all the people she considered dear friends if not outright family at this point…

Then her eyes fell onto Clive.

Clive Rosfield was in rare form tonight indeed. The scowl he'd been famous for amongst the residents was taken over by a soft smile and ruddy cheeks as him and Gav got positively sloshed on drink. Even stoic Otto and Blackthorne had been all too quick to lay aside their piling work to indulge tonight. Gav, a permanent smile and infectious laugh on his lips, was deep into telling a rather riveting tale paired with grand hand gestures and Clive's eyes were akin to saucers as he listened in rapt attention.

Such a peculiarly sweet and boyish expression on his face that had her mind dredging up pleasant memories of the plays they'd go see with his uncle Byron as children. Oh, how enamored Clive was with tales and stage plays much like the stories of the feats of gods and adventures of brave heroes scattered throughout the pages of all the books he had in his room as a boy.

Clive hadn't changed at all…

Jill smiled into her chalice of wine as she watched the flickering of various expressions on Clive's face. The fireplace nearby scattering hints of orange and yellow light across the strong planes of his face and contrasting against his thick locks of black hair. Jill's face grew warm and she knew the flush of her cheeks was more than the influence of too much wine…

Tarja, who was sitting comfortably at her side, flashed her a knowing look when the Physick caught her staring at Clive a little too long. Internally she cursed her propensity to always search for him in any crowd and damn him for being so attractive he couldn't help but draw the eye astray…

"He looks rather fetching tonight, doesn't he?" Tarja mentioned lowly, her finger brushing along the rim of her goblet of wine.

Jill's face burned as she forced her eyes away from Clive for the dozenth time and stared down at her empty plate with a smudge of berry jam and sugar still lingering from her third slice of cake she eagerly consumed this evening. "Ahem. Um, who?" she asked flippantly, giving Tarja her full attention.

Tarja's thin brows rose and she sighed around a fond smile. "You know damn well who I mean, my lady. You've been staring at him all night - per usual."

Jill's cheeks felt aflame with Ifrit's roaring fire but she denied it regardless. "It's merely the fact I haven't seen him this relaxed in so long…probably since we were kids. It's nice to see him genuinely decompress once in awhile." At least that part was the truth. Clive seemed to have the weight of the entire realm of Valisthea on his shoulders - but tonight, the burden seemed lighter. It probably would be back tenfold when the sun rose tomorrow, but she'd enjoy it while she could.

The Physick's lips pursed but she seemingly let it drop when the somberness of the occasion itself hovered over them. "True. It has been a rather long three summers."

"Hmm, that it has." Jill let out a long-suffering sigh before admitting, "It feels almost wrong to feel happy right now."

"It's not." Tarja fiercely snuffed out any argument with a wave of her hand, "Believe me, if Cid was here right now, he would already be singing drunk ballads and trying to coerce Charon or even Otto into dancing with him." Tarja let out a throaty laugh that sounded slightly more broken than usual at the talk of their mutual late comrade - Jill didn't mention it. "He'd want all of us to be happy - if we weren't having fun tonight after this massive success, I assume he'd be rather insulted."

Jill chuckled lowly, "That he would."

A lull settled over their small table as they merely basked in the moment. The warmth of so many jubilant voices having overlapping conversations, clinking of stoneware while enjoying the feast, chalices full to the brim with wine or spirits and the beautiful sound of laughter drifting throughout the room was a hymn all in itself. Yet it only grew more exuberant when the sudden strings of the lyre followed by the melodic voice of the Bard broke through the hum of it all.

The excitement hit new highs as he began regaling one of his many songs to start the night. It wasn't long before couples began gathering together, men and women pairing off, joining hands and dancing along to the jaunty tune and soothing voice of their faithful Bard. The sober of the residents were much more coordinated than their drunk counterparts and all Jill could do was hide a smile behind her palm as both sets enjoyed it regardless of how they stumbled at times.

It was simply beautiful.

The light of the full moon and the red winking light of Metia shining down on them all; the crisp breeze and the scent of salty ocean air a further balm to their mending hearts as they danced along to its tune. The bard sang wonderfully as always; his melody and words poetic, showcasing the struggles of the past three years embedded in the verses. Illustrating with verses of a tale of utter heartache and ending with ultimate triumph as they had all come together to build this new home that Cid would definitely be proud of…

So lost in the reverie of past and present, Jill nearly missed the rather loud conversation Gav and Clive were having as they approached the table her and Tarja were the only occupants of.

"Yes, I am more than able! Do you truly doubt me?" Clive asked, looking rather deterred and slightly offended at how quickly Gav brushed him off.

Gav took another hearty drink of his ale before gesturing with the stein and spilling a few drops on the wooden floor while doing so, "Aye! Ya hardly seem the dancin' type. Yer rather stiff unless your swinging your sword around - there's no way on Greagor's Green Earth that ya can."

Clive's eyes suddenly were meeting hers, "Tell him, Jill! We grew up in the duchy. It was only proper we learn all the traditional etiquette - including dance. You must recall all of those recitals we were forced to attend."

Feeling rather tipsy and caught in a conversation she knew little of, not to mention, Clive's full attention on her, caused her to flounder a bit, "What? I'm sorry?"

"See! She doesn't believe ya either! I bet youse have two left feet!" Gav tried kicking said foot but missed entirely before shrugging it off and taking another drink.

Tarja rolled her eyes at the sword measuring men tended to do for every damn thing. Yet she couldn't stay out of it either. With her chin resting in her palm, she joined the conversation with a rather wicked smile on her lips. She let her eyes rove down the journey of Clive's shapely legs before stating, "Doesn't look like it to me. But maybe a demonstration is in order?"

"You're right." Clive stated suddenly as he non-too gently placed his goblet of ale on the table. Jill jumped at the sudden noise before she suddenly found Clive's gloved hand presented to her making her go cross-eyed. "Jill, will you dance with me?"

"...I'm sorry?" Jill squeaked.

"Aye! C'mon, ya don't wanna be crushing 'er delicate feet wit dem damn boots!" Gav said, plopping down on the empty chair that he nearly missed and almost tumbled to the floor onto his arse if Tarja hadn't caught him by his sleeve at the last moment.

"I doubt he would. Clive would rather cut off his toes than cause Jill to so much procure a parchment cut," Tarja said with an eyeroll as she took another sip of wine and flashed Jill a wink that the boys didn't catch only because both were positively inebriated. "Isn't that right, Clive?"

Clive nodded his head, "Yes. Of course. I promise, it'll be just like when we were kids. What do you say Jill?"

"I, uh…" she stated eloquently wondering if the sudden pounding of her heart and sweating palms was caused by the alcohol or the determined glint in Clive's midnight blue eyes.

As if he sobered instantly, Clive gently bowed much like they were taught at the duchy of Rosaria, his gloved hand steady as he presented it to her palm up. "May I have this dance, my lady?" his voice was liquid velvet in her ears.

How the hell could she ever say no to him?

Whether it be the music, laughter or simply the alcohol making her bold, Jill embraced it. "Yes you may, Lord Rosfield."

The beaming smile he sent her sent a flush of heat straight from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Jill confidently grabbed his hand and accepted his request with a royal courtesy of her own.

"My lady," Clive used his free hand to gesture her to follow him and Jill walked forward with her head high like she'd been taught with a pile of book atop her head so many years ago. She felt more royal right now surrounded by outlaws and bearers than she'd ever felt at the stifling duchy under Annabella's harsh gaze of impossible expectations and pure vitriol.

Jill bit back a smile hearing Tarja berating Gav's sudden drunken singing as her and Clive walked out to the further part of the balcony awash in the moonlight and away from the throngs of other couples clumsily dancing nearby.

Once they were near the guardrail, it was like they were in perfect sync.

So many afternoons and days being forced to repeat certain gestures over and over again paid off for it was like a day hadn't passed since. Chest to chest, their hands never parted, her left arm strewn across his shoulder as his right hand rested upon the small of her back causing a shiver of heat to suffuse into her spine.

Like so many years before, they began to move in perfect harmony.

It was easy, fluid, much like when they fought together now - a dance of a different sort but no less exhilarating… Well, perhaps considering when they battled enemies together, she never would be able to have the luxury of looking into his eyes. To count the thick fanning of black lashes kissing his ruddy cheeks. The way the light of the moon and Metia glistened in the dark midnight blue pools of his eyes…the way his thick lips parted and his pink tongue licked at his lower lip.

Jill suddenly looked away, cheeks flaming as she found herself staring at a loose thread on his shirt.

"Are you alright?" Clive's voice was soft, a slight tremble to his normal speech hidden rather well.

"I'm fine," Jill brushed it off, "I'm the one who should be asking you. You're the one who's drunk."

Clive shook his head in denial, "I'm hardly tipsy." he said even if she could smell the honeyed ale strong on his breath. At least it was a pleasant aroma rather than the toxic swill most of the other men tended to drink in excess.

Jill's brows raised in doubt but she humored him anyway, "What is this really about? I think you've already proven Gav wrong." Jill reminded him, gesturing gently to their abandoned table where Gav looked a rather bit green around the gills; the poor sod didn't know his limit as well as he believed he did. At least from this far away, Clive's boots were safe from harm.

Delaying an answer, Clive twirled her around a bit, their feet perfectly in sync. He stepped forward. She stepped back. Back. Forward, Right. Left. Repeat twice more before doing the same in the opposite direction. Repeat the steps once more it until they came to stand where they'd began and started the process all over again. The thick locks of her hair and Clive's billowing leather cape a hypnotizing dark shape fluttering in the slight breeze.

"Nothing really." he shrugged with a partial smile as he gently twirled them again, "Perhaps I merely desired to dance with you tonight," Clive stated before a look of horror crossed his face as if his mouth moved far too quickly for his inebriated brain to filter out.

Jill's cheeks burned regardless.

"I mean… I did," Clive admitted lowly after another turn as they both gave in to the nearly electric pull to step closer together. Their bodies constantly in sync even as the song the bard played slowed down, they easily matched the new rhythm.

"Well, I'm glad you did. This is fun. Much better than those dreadful balls we were forced to attend as children," Jill chuckled when Clive's deep voice joined her. The sheer happiness she was feeling along with the remaining alcohol in her system further loosened her tongue, "And… It's actually rather nice to see you this way, Clive."

Clive nearly misstepped at her admittance but he quickly remedied it before he did step on her toes, "What do you mean?"

Jill let out a breath, subconsciously stepping closer into his space. The dizziness from the sheer warmth of his body, the thrill and electricity filtering through her mind from where their chests pressed together. "Relaxed," Jill confided. "It's been so stressful for all of us, but especially you."

Clive's brows merely furrowed.

"You take on so many burdens that aren't even your own and even with all that weight dragging you down, you still move on. It's incredible, Clive…"

Their bodied continued this dance they'd known since childhood. An automatic pull and sway as they stepped to beat of the bard's song that continued its soothing drone. Only the sounds of their footsteps and their clothes catching the cooling breeze of the night air as they got lost in the moment and her confession sinking slowly into Clive's mind.

"It's not easy, I'll admit, but I have to," Clive finally spoke, not being able to hide his exhaustion behind the mask he stubbornly clung to like a second skin.

"No you don't," Jill gently reminded him, the hand resting on his back pulling him closer to her body until her head came to rest against his broad shoulder. A bold move she never even planned on and although Clive flinched for a moment, he gradually relaxed into her sudden hold and wrapped his arms around her as they gently swayed to the music. "You need to let us help more - allow me carry some of your heavier burdens, Clive. You don't have to shoulder this all alone…" she breathed the words into his neck. The heady scent of his skin had her cheeks burning as hot as Ifrit's flame and even she knew it couldn't be the intoxication from the wine. Rather, it was the feel and heady scent of Clive's skin…

"I know," Clive let out a sigh with the word ghosting through her loose locks of hair. Jill shivered at the feeling, her eyes heavily lidded as she turned her head to glance up at his face.

Clive smiled at her then. The constant stress and worry gone from the expression - for only a moment - and that was enough for Jill.

"And don't you forget it." she said, her nose brushing along his collarbone before she pulled back.

Clive chuckled thickly, "I wouldn't dream of it."

With a flourish, Jill pulled him back into the dance. The steps they had to memorize as they glided across the worn hardwood of the Hideaway so unlike the marble and thick granite flooring in the duchy of Rosaria. Two teenagers that could barely hold each other's gaze for a second before looking away now both in their 30's didn't have that problem. Two sets of blue eyes, one the color of ice like Shiva's Diamond dust, the other the color the azure of the night sky overhead wanted nothing more than to stay locked onto the other.

Their sudden audience, the words of the bard, catcalls, whistling and overall merriment continuing around them faded into mere background noise. Even surrounded by so many, it felt as if they were the only ones in the world - at least for as long as the next song lasted.

The moon and Metia watched on in silence as Jill and Clive continued their dance.

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Things Fall Apart

Rising From the Ashes - Chapter 2

 (Previous Chapter)

Rated: T

Fandom: Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy XVI, FF16

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Story Summary: Clive returned from the final battle victorious, and more importantly, alive. According to Jill, it still felt as if she'd been thrust into a lofty dream by having her love safely back in her life yet saving the world from certain doom didn't mean all their troubles ended there. Now with rumors of Joshua's survival spreading across the land, it seemed there was more work to be done than ever before.

Chapter Summary: Clive was finally awake. A cause for celebration to be sure but just because he'd come back to her in more or less one piece did not make Clive's new handicap, as well as his insurmountable grief, any easier to deal with.

<<<<>>>>>

As wonderful as it was to have Clive finally awake, the following days were anything but.

It hurt Jill's heart to admit, but it was apparent that the fight with Ultima left Clive painfully weak and rather volatile like a cornered injured animal.

Muscles and movements stiff, his entire body aching horribly even if he did his damnedest to not show it outwardly. Covered with bloody gauze and plasters over bruises and healing cuts littering his flesh from the fight did little to deter her from noticing the pale parlor of his face. The skin under his eyes bruised an alarming dark violet in pure exhaustion yet he forced himself to climb out of bed soon after he awoke from a nine day coma. A mask of stoicism allowing him to act as if he wasn't the main participant in a battle to the death in order to save the entire realm from utter destruction a little more than a week prior.

Not to mention, Clive was also in a horrid mood.

And at first, Jill said nothing. Allowing himself to work through his own difficulties without pushing or hovering over him too much to get him on the defensive. Clive had always been a stubborn arse at the best of times so hoping to deter him from getting back any sort of independence was not going to help anyone. Least of all, Clive, so Jill allowed it for now.

Byron was so happy at Clive's improvement. His older uncle eager to have his nephew up, awake and seemingly back to normal. Yet as the days progressed, there was a fatherly concern lacing those eyes as Clive jumped right back into the role of fearless leader as if he never left his post.

Gav was over the moon to have Clive awake. Remaining eye swelling with emotion as he hugged Clive tightly when he'd joined the mess to partake in the morning meal with the rest of the Hideaway's residents. Yet Gav pulled back quickly upon feeling the man's barely hidden flinch of pain from that action alone. Happiness soured into worry in Gav's green eye even with Clive's assurances of merely being sore. The way Clive acted as if absolutely nothing was amiss only made Gav all the more concerned.

Mid was super cheerful once Clive was back to his feet. Cid's daughter merrily began ordering Clive around to do her bidding just like old times. The relief in her eyes at having her item-fetcher back to her aid began waning though when even the energetic girl began to recognize how quickly Clive grew tired from even the smallest task. Her thin blonde brows furrowing in anxiety at how the man took to leaning on her drafting table when she'd talk an isle-a-minute about her new airship project.

Tarja, on the other hand, didn't bother hiding her disappointment at Clive's blatant refusal to obey her strict order of bedrest. Infuriated when Clive had even managed to tear open a few stitches doing menial tasks around the Hideaway. Even as she bandaged him closed again, threatening to hogtie his arse to the bloody bed until he was fully healed, Clive had disappeared from the infirmary a mere hour later.

From Jill's perspective, it was obvious Clive was dealing with equal parts exhaustion and grief weighing heavily on his over-burdened shoulders.

Yet Clive never let the mask of fearless leader falter.

Clive, not wanting to appear weak, never gave himself time to adjust to his lack of Eikons he relied on so heavily over the years. Not to mention the loss of one hand, which upset his very balance; she could only fathom how it was affecting his battle stance and use of the sword even if it wasn't his dominant hand he'd lost. But of course, being the stubborn arse of a man he tended to be, Clive began almost immediately pushing himself past the brink. Over-exerting himself by taking on jobs he wasn't near well enough to perform yet. Small tasks like fetching rare items on the cliffs of Sanbreque soon became monster hunting in the war torn fields of Rosaria. Fights that wouldn't even have him breaking a sweat before his fight with Ultima were now bringing him home with horrid wounds and Clive dragging his feet, nearly on the brink of collapse.

It went on a week like this.

Jill merely bit her lip as she'd fall asleep nestled by his side yet wake up to ice cold sheets when he'd always been the one who tended to sleep in past sunrise. At first, she assumed it was because he'd slept for over a week straight upon his return, but Clive's lack of sleep now became plainly apparent by his so few hours of actual rest. The man running on artificial energy supplied by him ingesting more potions and elixirs as the days trudged on, taking them merely to keep himself on his feet and moving.

Sluggish and exhausted but doing his damnedest to hide it behind his stoic facade, Clive pushed himself to the brink of fatigue. It was only a matter of time before it was easy for anyone to see that it all was becoming too much for Clive to handle yet no one in the Hideaway had the heart to tell him to stop.

Other than Jill that is, and after yet another close call on the battlefield, she'd had quite enough of his ridiculous behavior…

<<<<>>>>>

"This isn't healthy, Clive. You need to stop." Jill stated with all the pomp of a duchess.

Arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared down at him where he sat alongside Gav pouring over maps marked with lines and circles of charcoal showcasing new monster hunts and hoards needing to be dealt with. Dressed in all his regal red and black armors with his faithful sword Invictus sheathed upon his back used to be such a welcomed sight, but the fact he was knocking on death's door only a dozen moons ago made it anything but.

The fresh blood stained plaster attached to his swollen, reddened cheek from a close call with a King Goblin wasn't helping his image either.

Gav went utterly silent at her sudden interruption. The utter relief that flooded his worried face at her intervention thankfully didn't garner Clive's attention.

Clive instead glanced up from the map to look at her with a wrinkle between his furrowed brows, "What are you going on about? Stop what?"

The genuine confusion in his eyes would have been adorable and made her back down a week ago, but now it only infuriated her at his pigheadedness. "You need to stop participating in the monster hunts," she stated firmly.

"What?" Clive looked at her incredulously, "Are you serious? Why would I not? These monsters need to be dealt with immediately, Jill! They're already pushing past the barriers in the Imperial Markets. It's only a matter of time until they break through the soldier's stronghold and destroy the entire town."

"Let the Cursebreakers and the Guardians of the Flame deal with it. You yourself stated they were more than willing to fight for the cause."

"...So what am I supposed to do? Just stay here and do nothing to help?"

"Yes," she stated with all the seriousness of a heart attack.

Clive let out a bark of laughter of pure bewilderment, "You want all these people to die? The monsters that are attacking can't be trifled with and most of the Cursebreakers are not ready to deal with their overwhelming numbers."

"Then have Wade and the remaining Shields start training them."

"With what time? They could be invading the town as soon as two sunrises from now based on the latest report Gav received."

"Well, that's plenty time to gather more reinforcements. I could help send out more missives and Lord Byron's connections are more than willing to send a few of their own men. They could make it in time before they even closed in on the town." Jill offered.

Clive let out a sigh, his face showcasing his pure bafflement yet Jill didn't back down even when he outright glared at her, "Jill. Seriously. What the bloody hell brought all this on? You can't keep me from helping my men. Who do you think you are, my mother?"

A layer of Shiva's diamond dust felt warmer than the chill that suddenly scattered over the silent room.

Instead of lashing out, Jill let out a long breath to try and taper down the anger and hurt knowing in her heart Clive would never say such a thing before all this shite went down with Ultima, "Gav, will you please give me a moment alone with Clive?"

Gav nearly tripped upon his own two feet from getting up too fast. "Of course! Ya know, I think Tarja needed assistance with a new poultice she'd been working on! I-I'll be back later to help you finish this up, Clive! See ya 'round, Jill!" he said with a sloppy salute before he took off out the doors like the fire of Hell was nipping at his heels.

The door made a loud thunk as it slammed behind Gav's retreating form.

It was the first time she could ever recall Clive looking upset at her, the purple bags that looked like fresh bruising under his shadowed eyes was even darker than it was yesterday. Eyes bloodshot and hand shaking as he placed the quill back in its inkpot. Shoulders hunched and tense as if expecting a fight even if he was safely in their chambers at the Hideaway.

Jill's anger waned. Clive looked awful…

The man in question lowered his head in shame, biting his lip before opening his mouth, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that last part, I swear it." he apologized in a soft wavering voice after Gav's retreating steps faded.

Jill didn't reply, merely crossed her arms tighter across her chest where it felt like her heart just shattered in its confines. He sounded so broken.

Gathering his bearings, Clive let out a quick breath before his displeasure returned to his expression in the midst of her silence, "My apologies, but Jill, I would never…" he tapered off for a moment before looking at her with a determined visage, "I'm sorry but you don't understand. We need to get this done immediately! It cannot wait or the entire town could be turned to akashic if this problem isn't resolved! The world isn't going to save itself."

Jill's arms fell. Fists clenching at the stubborn lit of his voice and, using the most dirty trick of all, weaponizing Cid's words against her. She couldn't help her voice from rising in her ire, "And what about you?"

Clive looked bewildered and that merely pissed her off, "What about me? This is my duty, it needs to get done."

"But you're hurt! You are in no condition to be dealing with such matters!" Jill's voice nearly turned shrill, heart hammering and she wanted nothing more than to physically throttle this stubborn arse of a man in hopes it would push some damn sense into him.

"It doesn't matter about my condition! I'm still breathing so I might as well make myself useful, right? I will get this done regardless of what you may think otherwise." Clive looked away from her before speaking the last part.

Standing to his full height, Jill instantly noticed how he swayed a bit to the left before correcting himself by placing his only functional hand firmly on the desk. The other stoned appendage at his side, the gray parlor of his hardened skin hidden away in a newly fitted leather glove Blackthorne had crafted for him to hide his affliction.

Jill's hands shook, "Oh really? You want to fight hoards of akashic when you can barely stand up without assistance? Even if me and Gav and all the others are there to help you, all it takes is one moment of distraction to end a life. Why risk it?"

Clive sighed and the exhaustion and even worse, acceptance, laced his dark blue eyes, "Jill… Please. I'll be ready to fight. I've been doing this most of my life, should you forget. I'll be fine. I'm merely tired is all."

"That's not it and you know it!" Jill hands furiously tightened, nails digging half moons in her palms as she tried to damnedest to fight back the burning of tears growing in the backs of her eyes. Looking up at him, she stared into his exhausted face before continuing, "I swear, Clive, if you keep this up, I fear you'll do irreversible damage not even Tarja can fix! You can't keep pushing your body this way!"

Clive bit his lip before putting back on his mask of stoic leader and stating firmly, "I'm fine, Jill."

"No, you're not!" she screamed in frustration, fists trembling at her sides as her eyes sparkled with tears.

Clive's expression pinched at seeing her tears but he still replied, "Yes, I am. Now, this discussion is over. I need to get prepared to leave before the hoards gain more ground. Gav and the Cursebreakers need my instructions and get their weapons saw to by Blackthorne before we depart for Dhalmekia. So, if you'll please excuse me…" Clive tried to brush past her but Jill refused to let him go.

Shiva's Dominant jumped back in front of him. Her hands grabbing the cloth covering his chest as she completely fell apart, "Clive. Don't. Please." Jill's screaming turned into a pitiful sob, hating the burn of tears finally slipping down her cheeks as she pulled angrily at his leather armor as if her physical touch could make him simply understand.

"Come on, Jill…" Clive's voice sounded so resigned.

"Please, let me send out missives right now to ask for help. I'll go in your place while you stay here," Jill begged, staring up at his face as Clive continued his refusal to meet her eyes.

"No, Jill. I'm going." Clive grasped hard to the mask he tried to keep to fool everyone but it didn't work on her. There was a crack in the stoneware that only she could see, yet he clung to it, forcing himself to accept the role of leader that he never should have been forced to take.

"Clive, please, I…" Jill's face crumbled as she wailed out, "I-I don't want to lose you! I can't…" she sobbed, her head leaning forward to rest on his sternum. Fists trembling as they grasped at his shirt as she pressed her ear to his heartbeat. Forced to recall those 13 years when she believed he was dead and just a few weeks ago when Metia flickered out and she feared she'd lost him again, this time for good.

Yet he came back as he promised and now here he was ready to leave with the readiness of one who might not make it back, especially going to fight in his piss poor condition his body was in.

"You're not losing me, Jill. I'll be back by tomorrow night. I promise." Clive's voice trembled ever so slightly as he gently grasped her hand, ever so carefully removing her hands one at a time from his clothing and as much as Jill fought to hold on, they fell back at her sides.

Clive let out a long sigh, his warm breath caressing her cheek and that only made her sob harder. "Please, don't leave…" she begged.

"Jill, I promise, I'll be back." he swore even if his voice wavered. Clive reached with his good hand towards her, fingers so gentle as they brushed away her tears. Leaning towards her, he kissed away the tears on her cheeks before he chastely kissed her mouth, "I love you," he whispered against her lips before simply walking away.

Clive was headed towards the door when Jill could simply take it no more and shouted at him, "Do you really believe this is what Joshua wanted!?"

Everything halted, Clive's hand frozen atop the door handle.

It was the first time anyone had spoken his brother's name since the day he died…

Jill couldn't be stopped in her righteous anger, "Joshua gave up his power, his life, so that you could live! And now it's as if you're in a rush to die! Ready to martyr yourself at the first opportunity! D-Do you really wish to join him that badly, Clive?" Jill whimpered, hand fisted in front of her lips as she could do nothing but stare at the wooden planks beneath her feet as molten wet tracks made their way silently down her face. "Even if it means leaving everyone behind? …even me?"

All was completely silent for a long time. Jill stood there, hands covering her mouth as tears leaked in rivers down her face. Clive was akin to a statue before she saw that facade crack when he finally turned around.

Clive Rosfield looked back at her for only a moment before, like a puppet whose strings were suddenly cut, his legs folded underneath him.

Instantly, Jill sprung to his side as he collapsed into a heap with his back against to the closed door. "Oh Founder! Clive, are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" she whimpered, shaking hands running over his body to check for any injuries.

Upon finding none, and questioning why Clive wasn't answering her, she finally looked at his face only to see trickling tears leaking in small rivulets from his bloodshot eyes. The bloody plaster upon his cheek sodden and ruined amidst his salty tears and yet he remained utterly silent.

The sight ripped her heart in half.

"Oh, Clive…My love… My darling, please…" Jill muttered as she reached out to him, fingers brushing back his hair as she gently wiped his tears that didn't seem to stop.

Clive didn't respond. Lip wobbling as his mask of stoicism shattered and the grief that he'd pushed back since he awoke returned with a vengeance. Clive's chin fell towards his sternum, he curled up on himself yet Jill wouldn't have it. She pressed herself bodily between his legs and held him as tight as he would allow. His tears soaked her shirt, pooling in her collarbone as his grief became too much for him to bear.

"I'm so sorry, Jill… I'm sorry, J-Joshua…" he wailed and Jill could do nothing but cry silently with him. Her fingertips weaving through his locks and the other rubbing circles into his heaving back in what she hoped was comfort.

Clive's head rested on her shoulder as he began voicing his sorrows into her throat, "I know my body is weak. I know I physically can't do this now. I just - I j-just feel so fucking u-useless, Jill! I'm supposed to be strong! That's all I've ever had that anyone cared to see in me. It's all I've known! All I've been my entire damn life. A Shield, a soldier, a killing machine…a fucking monster. Now I don't have any of that…" Clive pulled his face back up and looked at her. His expression was laced with pure misery, grief and he looked so damn young - so utterly lost. "Now what am I?"

Jill gently cupped his handsome face in her hands, being careful not to press too hard into the plaster on his healing wound. Thumbs brushing the tears that continued to leak down his face before she answered him.

"...You're Clive…" Jill whispered with the softest smile. "And that's all I need you to be and ever want you to be…You don't need to be anything else and I'm sure Joshua would agree… I know he would."

As if answering the call, a sudden flickering light drew Clive's attention to the mantle Jill had placed the Phoenix Feather upon his return. Its ethereal light glowing brighter as if in agreement before it suddenly flickered back to its original state.

All was silent before Clive whispered, "Joshua…Oh, Joshua… I'm so sorry…" before burying his face in her shoulder.

Jill she said nothing as his tears soddened her shirt. Merely held him close as she allowed him to fall apart, to finally allow himself to grieve and hopefully allow himself to live out his life like she knew Joshua would have wanted him to.

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Flicker of Hope

Rising From the Ashes - Chapter 3 ( - PREVIOUS CHAPTERS - )

Rated: T

Fandom: FFXVI, Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy 16, FF16

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Chapter Summary: In order to ease Jill's worries, Clive finds work around the Hideaway that's less strenuous on his slowly-healing body. With nothing better to do, he finds himself going through the letters he missed during his long sleep. And while him and Jill are preparing for a relaxing evening, Clive receives a missive that sends his entire world upside down.

>>>><<<<<

After the heart to heart with Jill, Clive stopped taking such drastic risks.

As loath as he was to admit it in the fog of his grief and stubbornness, Jill was right. Per usual as she was regarding most instances. Clive had wanted to deny it but he couldn't run from the truth any longer. The fight with Ultima had taken so much out of him, body and soul alike, and it was foolhardy to think he could push beyond it by his will alone. While the spirit was willing, and stubborn as hell, he learned the hard way that the flesh was very, very weak.

For a short time, Clive's body had been the embodiment of Mythos. A legendary being encasing the very power of the Dominants Phoenix, Ifrit, Garuda, Ramuh, Titan, Bahamut, Shiva, and Odin with the ability dredged from Ultima's dying hand. The godlike powers fluttering at his fingertips allowing him to destroy the last of the Mothercrystals and bring an end to Valisthea's desperate reliance on the crystal's magick once and for all.

Yet that didn't last.

Clive nearly died in the process, only surviving by Joshua's sacrifice. The body he inhabited now was tired. Weakened greatly from a battle he knew he shouldn't have endured, much less returned from in more or less one piece. It was akin to accepting his identity as the Dominant of Ifrit all along, Clive now needed to accept the truth that he simply wasn't filled with that seemingly limitless power anymore, nor did he want it really.

He was just Clive, a mere man after all…

And that was enough.

For the following sunrises, Clive spent his energy focusing on getting healthier, eating more, sleeping in and allowing his body to recover in its own time and pace. No longer allowed to push himself to the brink, he began finding more work around the Hideaway that didn't have him receiving new wounds or tearing open older ones. Using his words rather than the pointed edge of his sword to get things accomplished, and little by little, he found it became easier to adjust to this more sedentary existence - at least for now.

Small miracles were happening it seemed for neither Jill nor Tarja never had to remind him to take his daily medicine anymore.

Loath to admit he was wrong, but Byron, Otto, Cursebreakers and the Guardians of the Flame were more than happy, eager actually, to pick up his heavy slack. Uncle Byron wasted no time calling favors to their allies in neighboring towns to keep the monsters swarming the cities at bay, to destroy the last of the curse the crystals, magick and Akashic beings that Ultima left behind in his wake.

Blackthorne and Charon began stepping up to supply struggling soldiers with new and improved weaponry to keep the monsters at bay, their towns and people safe. Wade and the remaining Shields of Rosaria trained willing men and women to be able to handle the hoards of monsters lingering at their gates.

Isabelle, Quentin, and Martha happily providing shelter, food and necessities for the new soldiers being sent out to defend the towns. L'ubor, Maria and Theodore using their connections and businesses to help push supplies to towns that had been overrun and nearly destroyed by monsters or battles to get back on their feet. The lack of crystals even had Midadol to put her airship building on hold in order to begin mass producing filters for blighted water as she did for the Hideaway so many years ago. Their gardener Nigel and his students had even began traveling and teaching farmers to help create healthier soil to save their fledgling crops.

All of the contributions from those willing to help was saving countless lives that would have been utterly destroyed with lack of crystals to rely on.

It had only been a single moon cycle since he returned and slowly, but surely, things began to improve.

Everything it seemed had been getting better - even his relationship with Jill.

Clive's cheeks heated as hot as Ifrit's fire at the sudden memories he recalled from last night. He was able to finally make love to Jill for the first time since he'd returned from battle. The curse stone-like left hand hadn't even been an issue as much as he tried to make it as such. The beautiful woman who'd owned his heart since he was a teenager was more than eager to work with him through his new disability with nothing but patience and unconditional kindness. Showcasing the intimacy and love they had between each other only growing stronger as the blissful days they spent together carried on.

And while things were far from perfect with the constant skirmishes, creeping famines, and the sheer doubt of the populace at large who acted as if they would die in a matter of months without the crystals to sustain their every frivolous need and want. Not to mention the powerful and money-hungry traces of the political reign over Valisthea refusing to loosen their grip. It was a battle that hopefully wouldn't result in more needless bloodshed (there had been far too much killing already) but Clive wasn't going to hold his breath over it. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

After all, Cid had said it wouldn't be easy.

The prophecy of his words hit harder than ever now. How it'll be much more difficult before it becomes easier was no doubt gospel at this point in time. Yet, Clive remained positive in the brunt of all of the misgivings. it was slowly improving for all - Bearers and Non-Bearers alike. Perhaps not in his lifetime or the next generation after but eventually, there would be those generations who would see a world truly free of the crystals and magick that tore their world asunder. All the work they were doing now was merely a start.

The most important thing to take away from all the struggle was that, after everything, they were finally, truly free now.

Cid stoked a flame lit by his father and to be here still breathing in a world where he hoped they were proudly looking on from the other side would have to be enough to keep moving forward regardless of the difficulties they would face.

A sudden pang echoed deep in his chest.

The worst part of this all was that as content as he was seeing the small improvements being made at the Hideaway and all over the realm, little by little, there would always be a Joshua-shaped hole in his heart. The brother he loved so dearly, would be missing from his life forever. It was the one loss he'd endured that he truly would never fully recover from even as his body gradually regained its strength.

As much as Clive wanted nothing more than for Joshua and Dion to have returned victorious at his side - fate had a different plan.

Yet as much as he wished at times he could trade places with his brother, Clive would never take for granted nor push away this gift of life Joshua had bequeathed him so selflessly. Til his dying day, Clive was now living for his brother - to bear the brunt of his legacy he left behind. To live out the life for both of them, as difficult as it would be. But at the end of it all, Clive was merely determined to make him proud.

That was the promise he made to Joshua and Clive intended to keep it.

>>>><<<<<

Clive let out a frustrated sigh as he sat in the wooden chair in front of his writing desk with Torgal softly snoring near his feet. Feeling rather useless as of late but not wanting to cause Jill any more strife than he already had, Clive peered at the pile of missives awaiting his attention.

All the physical work that needed doing in the Hideaway had already been completed. Mid's Lab, Charon's Storeroom, The Library, the Gardens, the Mess - it was all taken care of and he'd been shooed away by Otto and Gav more times than he could count. And there were only so many fanciful stories by Nektar the Bold he could handle in one sitting without getting very inebriated first… Jill had already disallowed him hard alcohol until he healed fully anyway.

As much as Clive's body screamed to move to bloody do something, there was far little more he could do to help out without incurring Jill or Tarja's wrath. While he could finally admit that he wasn't up to fighting hoards of monsters just yet, he supposed this was one thing he was capable of at this point until his body fully recovered.

…If it ever did.

Shaking his head of the morbid thoughts he refused to entertain, Clive reached for the letter on the top and opened it.

It was harder than it looked given he only had the one usable hand. A downright struggle to flip through all the new letters upon his desk, but with nothing but grit and determination, Clive eventually figured it out. The man chuckled upon finding his useless stone hand was actually quite suited for a paperweight while penning out a reply to L'ubor in Dhelmekia. Putting that finished letter aside, Clive continued with the next one until the sun grew low in the sky and his writing hand was cramping something awful. He'd also made a mental note to purchase more ink from Charon soon.

Clive leaned back in his chair, stretching out his fingers to abate the numbness in his stiff knuckles when Jill entered their room with a tray filled with what he assumed was dinner.

Dammit, was it already that late?

"You missed dinner in the mess," Jill informed him with a disappointed tilt of her mouth. "Everyone was asking for you."

Clive drug his flesh hand across his eyes in hopes to wipe away the soreness lingering there from staring at nothing but white paper and black ink since sunrise. "Sorry. Time slipped away from me today, I'll be sure to be join everyone tomorrow."

"You'd better, it's not the same without you there. So, what have you been doing today?" Jill shot him a look as if expecting him to say he'd been disobeying her and Tarja's orders of bedrest.

Clive put those concerns of hers to rest with a fond smile, "Well, since I had nothing better to do while sitting on my arse all day per Tarja, and your orders mind I add, I thought it best to reply to all the missives I received these past few weeks."

"Oh really? Well, it's about time. Did you know that even Gav's been getting letters asking for you to make sure you're doing alright? That poor bloke thought he finally received a love letter. He was so disappointed," Jill informed him with a smile and slight laugh as Clive rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smirk either.

Clive shook his head, "Everyone worries too much about me," he muttered as Jill approached with the tray. With his good hand, Clive gently moved aside a few scattered papers making sure to not smear the drying ink. Once a spot was cleared, Jill placed a tray carrying a bowl of delicious smelling Minotaur stew, three thick slices of bread with a pat of herb butter on each and a full chalice of red wine in front of him. It must be the wine Quentin had sent over going by the rich violet color and fragrant aroma. Clive reminded himself to be sure to send the man a missive of thanks.

"Well, who's fault is that?" Jill replied cheekily, her hand stroking his back before leaning down for a kiss.

Clive merely shook his head at her teasing yet still eagerly returned the kiss, breathing a slight, "Thank you, Jill," against her lips before he began eating. He didn't realize he was so incredibly famished until he took the first bite.

With nothing other to do than watch him chew, Jill began stacking the letters he penned with ink that was dried and completed. After marking the outside with their destinations, she began neatly rolling up the separate missives in preparation to be delivered. Once that task was complete, she started organizing his desk. Cleaning up a forgotten goblet and an empty plate he'd brought up from last night's dinner and placing them in the empty tray to be sent back to the mess hall.

Finished with any task she was able to do, Jill turned back to Clive only to see the love of her life sharing the reminders of his meal with the bottomless pit named Torgal.

Jill smiled behind her hand as she watched him feeding the wolf cubes of fatty Minotaur meat dripping with brown sauce, recalling a similar occasion happening back in the Duchy of Rosaria.

Many a dinner would transpire with tiny pup Torgal running under the expansive table on silent paws. The puppy happily skipping back and forth between Clive, Joshua and herself who always slipped him scraps of their meats whenever the overbearing duchess wasn't looking. Fondly recalling Edwin's smile shining like a beacon when, after his horrid wife would retire for the evening, he himself eagerly picked up the small yapping hound. Setting the happy Torgal in his lap before giving a juicy fatty piece of meat to the fine hound. His smile only widening as the tiny pup nibbled at the grease left behind on his fingers before falling asleep full and fat on the Archduke's lap.

Those were wonderful memories of a lifetime ago it seemed.

An easier time that saddened her when she realized Edwin had been gone for over eighteen summers and now Joshua was no longer with them either. Both of them had been such pillars in her early life, considered them her own family, were now completely gone from this realm, never to return.

So much loss and death that could have been so easily avoided had it not been for such greed and wretchedness that plagued Annabella's cruel black heart.

"Are you alright, Jill?" Clive's voice broke her from her reverie. The concerned furrow of his dark brows over those deep ocean blue eyes had her smile. So grateful that even if she'd lost so much, she still had Clive and Torgal by her side.

Jill nodded, "I'm fine. Just remembering back at Rosaria Castle when we would sneak food to Torgal at dinner time. His little paws batting at our shoes and legs when he wanted another bite," she giggled. The large wolf in question suddenly whined from under the desk, big head nestled in Clive's lap as the man's fingers ran through his thick fur.

"Oh yeah. I remember that," Clive chuckled while rubbing a hand into the scruff of his neck. "You haven't changed much at all, 'ave you, boy? Just a huge puppy is what you are."

Clive smiled. Stomach and heart full as Jill brought up memories of a happier, easier time in their lives. Recalling that tiny puppy who would bite at his shoes. Joshua's soft laughter as Torgal licked his fingers, Jill's eyes sparkling in the candlelight as she hid her tinkling giggles behind her hands and his father smiling at all of them as if he never wanted to be anywhere else. Clive leaned down to press a kiss into Torgal's warm furry head as his functional hand scratched at the hound's chin.

Torgal panted happily, his wagging tail pounding on the floor and Clive couldn't help but laugh.

"Nope. Haven't changed at all."

Hearing soft footsteps approaching, Clive peered up at Jill. Her radiant smile was so warm and fond, icy blue eyes swimming with far more love than he could ever deserve. Clive smiled up at her, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist. The curse-addled hand resting comfortably against her hip and his face flushed as she pressed her hand against it, thumb soothing across his stiff knuckles. Jill's other hand began gently kneading at the back of his neck, her cool fingers gently pulling at the black wispy locks at his nape.

"Clive?"

"Yes, My Lady?" Clive looked up at her, heart warming as he watched her snowy pale cheeks turn a rosy pink at the endearment. She was so unbelievably beautiful…

Jill bit her plush bottom lip, "How about I take the tray back downstairs for the ladies to wash while you get ready for bed?" she asked. The soft desire evident in her voice still took his breath away; wondering how the hell he could have deserved to be with someone so incredible as her.

"Alright," he chuckled and nodded, despising how his cheeks burned like Ifrit's Hellfire on his skin. Only Jill could make him feel like that shy teenager still afraid to merely lay his hand upon her shoulder.

Jill suddenly leaned down to kiss him. Her lips so incredibly soft like a flower petal and sinfully wet against his own as the chaste peck turned into an open mouth kiss. A shiver ran down Clive's back as Jill let out a breathy moan into his mouth. Breaking the kiss with a soft pop, Jill whispered against his lips. "Go get ready for bed, Lord Rosfield. I'll be right back," she said with such a sensual smile that had warmth pooling in his chest down past his bellybutton.

"Will do," he agreed with a nod.

Jill didn't reply, merely stealing one more lingering kiss before she began gathering the dirty dishes into the tray, yet before she lifted it back up, a look of surprise filled her face. The young woman suddenly reached for the satchel attached to her belt.

"What is it, Jill?" Clive asked curiously.

"Sorry. I just remembered something," she replied, pulling out a rolled up parchment with a red ribbon and wax seal attached. "This just came in from a Stolas intended for you. It looked important so you should probably read it straightaway."

Clive nodded, "I shall."

"Alright. I'll be back in about twenty minutes, that should be enough time to pen a reply, right? I need to make sure everything is in order before we turn in for the night anyway. Wouldn't want to be interrupted now, would we?" she chuckled, icy blue eyes heavily lidded, the light from the crescent moon and the flickering candle making her doven hair glow a beautiful silver.

"No, we wouldn't want that," Clive agreed and kept smiling at her until she disappeared out the doors with Torgal following closely behind. Even after he ate dinner, that famished hound most likely wanted to coerce more treats from Charon, and his favorite new victim, Goetz.

Once Jill left the room to take the dishes to the mess, Clive merely sat back in the chair and looked over the new strange letter Jill handed him. There was no tells nor names attached to mention who had sent it. His name written in black inked script near the seal was the only marking adorning its off white face.

"Who is this from I wonder?" he mused. Fingertip brushing over the wax seal and his heart palpitating when he realized the smeared image in the red wax.

A Phoenix…

Doing his best to not rip the paper when opening it with suddenly trembling hands, he slipped a small knife through the soft wax and loose ribbon, fingers unfolding the paper before he began to read its contents.

>>>><<<<<

Your Esteemed Marquess, Clive Rosfield of Rosaria,

I hope this letter finds you well.

My deepest apologizes that I didn't speak to you before I departed, given your unconscious state of being, but time was of the essence and I had precious little to spare.

I've been back in Tabor for nearly a month merely to decompress, to grieve in my own way even if don't deserve such indulgences given my failure to protect Joshua from his fate. Yet, I simply cannot. I only wish to inform you that, given the nature of my duties, I can't say exactly how I know this or if it's indeed true. All I know for certain are rumors but they are substantial. There would be none if it wasn't at least grounded in some myriad of truth given the people who are spreading them.

So, I am going myself to find if what I am about to tell you is indeed possible - I pray it is.

We have been to the ruins where you encountered Ultima and I do regret to inform you that we have located Dion Lesage's body. Using the burial rights known to the royals of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, where he hailed as their Prince, we have honored the rights of the dead as best we could and delivered him back to his beloved Dragoons for the proper burial he deserved. You may perhaps be getting a missive from a Dragoon named Terrance at a future date who would wish to speak to you on matters he didn't fully disclose to myself.

The reason I write to you now is because after scouring the entire crumbling architecture, looking under all debris - we cannot locate Joshua's body. There was traces of a fight, yes. Blood and the like and even a piece of his red scarf he was prone to wear constantly - but not him. Perhaps it is foolish to even merely hope, but from what I've heard others in the Undying whispering under their breath and the rumors circulating amid his lack of remains, to definitively determine he is deceased, I can't help but take this as fact.

My Lord Marquess, I believe that Joshua is somehow alive. I am certain you are just as determined to find him as I am if it is indeed true. If so, I would appreciate your help in locating and tracking any and all substantial rumors. I'll be waiting anxiously for your reply.

Forever at your service,

Jote

>>>><<<<<

The letter fell to the ground with Clive joining it soon after.

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Cleansing Fire

Fandoms: Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy XVI (FF16)

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Rated: T

Story Summary: After an intense battle with a nest of morbol, the weary group of travelers find themselves in desperate need of a bath. In the middle of a forest filled with monsters, no town nor inn in sight, Clive and Jill decide there's little choice other than to take one together.

Archive of Our Own

.....

"Oh, Torgal, come on, boy…" Clive muttered while trying to coerce the giant wolf into the cleansing spray of the gentle waterfall.

Clive's nose wrinkled at the absolutely dreadful smell leeching off all of them but it hit poor Torgal worst of all. The giant puppy whining pathetically and biting the fur of his arms as if they personally offended him. Torgal possessed a much keener sense of smell then that of humans so Clive could scarcely imagine how utterly awful this entire experience was for the poor hound.

"I knew that shortcut Gav told us about was a terrible idea… He's as bad as Cid ever was…" Clive couldn't help but grumble a few choice curses towards the man (both living and deceased) under his breath.

While Gav and him had grown to be close friends these past few years after he'd picked up Cid's mantle and mission, Gav possessed a wicked court jester streak in him an isle wide. And knowing Gav as well as he did, the man would probably be laughing his arse off at the thought of them breaking into a nest of morbols in the middle of their egg laying season.

It wasn't until Clive was nearly being digested that he learned that mother morbols protecting their clutch were just as fearsome as a King Behemoth…

"Bloody fucking bastard…" Clive growled, promising himself the man would find a rather nasty surprise in his pint of lager when he return back to the Hideaway next chance he got. The still wriggling morbal tentacle he'd procured in his belongings would make certain of that…

Much coercing and cursing later, Clive successfully pulled the reluctant hound into the surprisingly tepid water located in this inlet waterfall. A variable oasis in the middle of the desert and with the sensation of the soothing liquid splashing across the tapestry of his bare skin, just a smidge of his anger at Gav faded away.

At least his information on this place was legitimate.

~~~.......~~~

Standing near the bank of the water, still undressing from layers upon layers of swamp and morbol gut stained clothing, Jill can't help but bite back her laughter.

The sound of Torgal's whimpering puppy cries combined with the absolutely mortified expressions on Clive's normally stoic face at the horrid smell emanating from the poor hound was rather entertaining. The creative curses and threats towards Gav he let out louder than he probably intended were amusing as well. Rude, but well deserved, for she had quite a few choice words planned towards their Scout ready to go upon their next return home.

Yet she couldn't be too angry at Gav given how wonderful it was to see Clive so at ease.

Jill was still aghast sometimes at how easily Clive stripped himself of every scrap of clothing and jumped into the water during bathing as if it were nothing.

The brazen nudity surprised her even if she'd seen him in such a state (and him in hers) over a few dozen times at this point. Wondering exactly how it got so damned easy to be nude in front of the other to where it became almost habitual for there was not a single shred of modesty left in the shy teenager she grew up with in the duchy of Rosaria. While she herself had been as modest growing up, being royalty forced those idioms on all its compatriots, the fact she easily removed her knickers and stood completely bare on the sandy bank only a few arms-length away from Clive's equally nude form in the midday sun wasn't lost on her.

The duchy of Rosaria would be absolutely mortified at their lack of discretion and blatant disregard for any sense of propriety.

Jill smiled behind her hand at the thought.

A loud splash of water suddenly garnered her attention, "Jill, may I trouble you to toss me my soap? It's the blue bar in the left pocket of my satchel." Clive asked suddenly and she peered over at him to where he was in the water. Kneeling next to the very grumpy Torgal, who gave her the most pathetic whimpering whine she'd ever heard come from him, and that included when he was a mere pup no larger than a loaf of bread.

"Oh hush. This will help you feel better, Torgal. I promise," Clive spoke lowly to the dog, hands latched onto the hound that could bolt at any moment should he dare lose his grip. As flustered as she felt, the water coming up past Clive's bellybutton made it much easier to keep her eyes from traveling any lower.

Turning her back towards him to hide her ruddy cheeks, Jill busied herself to grab what he'd asked for. "Yes, of course!" she stated much louder than intended. Shiva's Dominant cursing inwardly while digging through Clive's satchel to find the soap he requested. Victorious in her search upon opening the third pouch, Jill swiveled back to Clive only to find him staring down at the water as if locked in a heated debate, the scarred cheek facing her stained crimson. Upon realizing her blunder, Jill's parlor soon matched his own.

Perhaps bending down while nude wasn't her brightest moment…

Valiantly ignoring that happened, Jill called out, "Here you go. Catch!" she warned him before tossing the small bar of speckled blue soap in his direction. Clive, of course, caught it without even looking. "Bloody show-off," she muttered fondly before turning back to her own satchel, occupying herself to help push that moment to the back of her mind where it was best left forgotten.

As Clive worked to wash the worst of the offending stink and slime off poor Torgal's fur, Jill was thankful she had other things to keep her engaged. So the young woman busied herself in washing the fight with the morbol off their filthy clothes. Water and soap pellets blended with a stone upon a sturdy leaf before she smeared a thin spread of the concoction over the areas of their clothing that the blood and swamp stains were the most difficult to remove. A smile of relief pulling at her lips as it easily was scrubbed away under the barest brush of her hand.

Jill set herself a mental reminder to thank Tarja for coming up with the recipe.

~~~.......~~~

Clive's face was burning hotter than Ifrit's hellfire upon his cheeks as he lathered and deeply scrubbed the cleansing soap into Torgal's thick fur.

Inwardly cursing himself and his body's embarrassing reactions to Jill was a daily occurrence at this point. The ethereally beautiful young woman was his dearest and closest companion since childhood other than Torgal, and while he still held a massive flame for her, it was obvious now was not the time nor the place to pursue such fanciful things.

…As if there would ever be one...

Yet as often as he told himself that he was nearing 30 namedays and was not a hormonal teenager anymore, his body (and heart) simply didn't want to listen to reason.

The nudity wasn't even the issue for they'd been completely bare before the other for so long given no other choice than necessity. Small shared spaces and lack of privacy a daily occurrence. Even before him and Jill began traveling together, Clive had been bathing communally with men and women for over a decade during his "service" at the Imperial Army. No care to separate the Bearers by sex, they pushed them together regardless so he'd unwillingly witnessed many nude women and never felt even a hint of stirring in his groin so seeing Jill in such a state shouldn't affect him how it did…

Yet in his heart of hearts, Clive knew his feelings towards Jill were anything but lust. The two touched, hugged often and she was always reaching for his hand yet Clive didn't pursue anything further than being her friend and close confidant.

For all those years, Clive's only motivation to continue living was revenge for Joshua, his father and his home. Although he'd been offered many a warm bed and soft body by many beautiful women over the years, even with the damned Bearer's symbol marring his face, he refused all advances. Still not one for cakes nor excessive ale so why would fornication with a complete stranger be any more appealing? All Clive strove for was to survive, to locate and murder his brother's killer. So focused on his task that the mere thought of a fleeting romance or even a quick roll in the hay of the Chocobo pen made him nauseous.

Clive had no physical desires other than revenge…

It was that way - until he saw Jill again. The maiden he'd loved since his youth sitting so soft, beautiful and alive in that infirmary with eyes the color of the prettiest sea glass. His dearest childhood friend all grown and now inhabiting the body of the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes open. In his opinion, Jill was even more gorgeous and radiant than the Dominant of Ice she controlled. The vision of her stopped him in his tracks. In that moment that he'd sat by her side and without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him. It was as if he'd been struck by a bolt of pure lightening. Jill's warmth, smell and arms felt like a safe haven from all he'd been through. She felt like home and for the first time in 13 years, Clive felt he had something other than revenge to keep living for.

Yet no matter how much he wanted otherwise, pursuing any sort of romance with Jill was a lost cause from the get go.

Clive was too stained, too filthy to ever be able to touch her how he wanted. The blood and viscera staining his hands from all those hundreds (probably more than a thousand by this point) that he killed in service to a kingdom that wasn't his own. Drinking from gutters, sleeping in filth, wearing rags and living a lie for so long made him realize how utterly unworthy he was of any good thing in life. All of that coupled with his own identity as the very Dominant he'd hunted for more than a decade soured any and all desires of his own.

Clive deserved nothing but to get revenge and quietly slip away to either death or obscurity.

Jill deserved so much better than the broken man he'd become…

Torgal whined, nipping at his fingers when he'd become lost in thought. Clive had began gently washing the wolf's face where the green slime began coagulating into his fur. He must have accidentally gotten a bit of soap in the wolf's eye and the guilt immediately washed over him like a bucket of ice water.

"I'm so sorry, Torgal…" Ever so gently he cupped a few handfuls of water and rinsed out those intelligent golden eyes that looked at him so beseechingly as if worried for the thoughts that plagued his mind. Clive shook his head and flashed the wolf a self-deprecating smile. "It's alright, boy. I'm almost done, I promise," he soothed the giant puppy, fingers calm and certain as they brushed through the worst of the morbol's slime and viscera embedded in the wolf's thick fur. Fingertips threading and removing the offending fluids that caused such a rancid stench nearly dissipated into the water and washing away with the current.

Happy that his fur seemed clean of debris, Clive gently pushed the wolf under the spray of the waterfall to rinse him off. As soon as Clive finished brushing bare fingers through the thick scruff around his neck to make sure all of the offending smell was gone, Torgal suddenly slipped out of Clive's slackened hold and shot out of the water like the flames of Hell itself were chasing after him.

~~~.......~~~

Satisfied all of their clothing was now as clean as it was going to get, Jill rinsed the residual soap off in the gentle lapping waters at the bank of the river. Sopping wet but clean, she laid them to dry atop a few low hanging branches of the nearby trees and upon rocks stretched out into the heat of the afternoon sun.

"There we go. That should do it," Jill stated with hands on bare hips. The young woman suddenly jumped at the sound of a thunderous bark, a blur of gray fur sprinting past her in a whirlwind of sodden fur and slobber before quickly disappearing beyond the trees back towards where they'd earlier set up camp.

"Torgal!" Jill screamed after the dog, nearly chasing after him even if the rocky terrain would not be kind to her bare soles.

Clive's voice broke her from her reverie and plans to pursue him, "Don't worry. He'll be alright. He's probably more uncomfortable being clean than anything." Clive stated, instantly soothing her worries with his calm reassurance.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Jill shook her head at the hound before her eyes slipped back towards Clive's voice and her breath instantly caught in her throat.

Clive's back faced towards her where he stood completely naked under the spray of the waterfall and any rational response or further comment she'd been planning died upon her tongue. The water creating small shining streams that trickled down his body from his nape down to where he stood knee deep in the slow rushing current. Jill's face flushed as her eyes followed a few transparent trails as they slipped over the muscular ridges of his powerful back, the dimples in his spine and skimming temptingly over the generous curves of his tight round arse…

"Jill? Are you alright?" Clive asked, turning around to her and flashing her such a look of concern it made her heart ache.

Berating herself for having such obscene thoughts of him, Jill bit her lip and let the shame wash over her. Clive was her dearest friend she kept reminding herself over and over. Having his presence in her life and him always by her side these past two years was more than enough even if her heart disagreed. As much as she wanted more from their relationship, there was no need to keep pushing her overwhelming feelings onto him when it was obvious his mission and its success was far more important than the yearning she held in her heart…

Jill hardened her shaky resolve with a smile, "Of course! I'm perfectly fine! I'm worried about leaving Torgal alone though, what if he destroys the camp?" Jill said, hoping the redness of her cheeks and longing in her eyes could be attributed to the warm temperature rather than her embarrassment at being caught staring so lewdly at him.

Clive's responding grin made her heart flutter regardless, "I'm sure he won't. It's not like when he was a puppy and chewed up my overnight studies."

"I remember that!" Jill giggled at the memory. "Oh Founder, your tutor was so upset,"

Feeling more at ease and braver than she felt, Jill quickly gathered her bathing items as well as his and joined Clive under the warm spray of water. The man averted his eyes at her approach at first, his cheeks gathering a soft rosy hue before he looked at her so softly when she handed him the pouch filled with his bathing items. The radiance of his appreciative smile brighter than the very sun shining overhead.

Did this man have any idea what he was doing to her?

Clive thanked her before continuing his story, "Tell me about it. My mother is the one that hired that vapid harpy so you understand why she didn't believe me when I blamed it on Torgal. I didn't get any bloody sleep that week merely trying to catch up. If my sword lessons with Murdoch weren't on the line I probably wouldn't have bothered." Clive chuckled softly as he began pouring a handful of his favorite sandalwood oil into his hair and lathering it through his short dark locks.

The smell of the amber-colored oil hit her instantly for it was the same one Jill recalled him using since they were young. A scent of home that always reminded her of picnics in the gardens, sneaking into his room to talk amongst the candlelight, being caught in the rain and the time he held her tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

It was comforting in a sense that, with all the chaos surrounding them, some things truly never change…

Jill laughed at the fond memory Clive drudged up. It was easier to focus on happier times and this is one of the rare times she indulged in their shared past. Smile etched on her lips as she reached for her own soap pellets and began lathering them all over her body, already feeling so much better as the smell from the fight with the morbol was washed away with the current.

All was silent for awhile other than the sound of the waterfall and forest filled with life around them until Clive continued speaking, "Thank you by the way."

Jill flashed him a confused look, "For what?" she asked.

"For staying up with me for those long nights. I probably couldn't have done it without you." Clive elaborated with a crooked smile.

Jill peered over at him from where she'd been massaging willow oil into her long silver tresses. A flash of those memories in her mind had her heart hammering against her sternum. Recalling his smile in the candlelight, her fingers grasping at his warm hand as they stayed up well past their bedtime to get his work done. It was those long nights when she'd realized that the feelings she held for Clive were much more than a mere childhood infatuation.

"You're welcome." Jill smiled. The sweet gentle pull of her lips becoming more mischievous when Clive turned around to rinse the oil from his hair and she saw a splatter of morgal slime pasted on the center of his broad back.

Clive peered at her from underneath his sopping wet fringe, "What's that look for?" Clive asked with a furrowed brow as he brushed the bangs out of his face before the water could trickle into his eyes. The water glittered like diamonds on his thick dark lashes.

Not allowing his handsome face to distract her, Jill replied, "Nothing. You just missed a spot."

Clive tried his best to peer at his own back from over his shoulder which had her bite back a chuckle, "I did? Where?"

"Here." Jill clarified, fingers tingling slightly as she pressed her index against the center of his back and into the viscous smear. Not being able to help but slip her fingertips over the curve of his spine and enjoy the feel of rigid muscle underneath his incredibly warm skin.

Clive smiled at her over his broad sun-kissed shoulder, "Figures. Thanks, Jill. It would have itched like the fires of Hell later."

Jill bit back a smile as Clive struggled to reach it. Face pinched in a frown as no matter how hard he stretched and strained, neither of his hands could reach that one singular point on his back. Shiva's Dominant watched him attempt it for a long moment before she couldn't hold her laughter back any longer, "Oh Clive, you're as stiff as a board! You need to start stretching more often."

Clive was pouting and it took everything inside of her not to kiss that expression off of his handsome mug, "You're probably right," he grumbled, still fruitlessly reaching.

"Of course I am," Jill stated cheekily, dainty fingertip poking once again at the center of his back he could never reach.

Clive groaned, arms falling to his side and head falling back in abject misery of her teasing. She couldn't stop the burning in her cheeks while watching, mesmerized, at the water droplets splashed across his flesh, appearing like diamonds sparkling on his sun-kissed skin.

Heart hammering, Jill's hands suddenly moved of their own accord.

~~~.......~~~

Clive abruptly tensed when Jill's fingertips reappeared on his back. Palm placed flat against his shoulder-blade as she slipped completely behind him. Suddenly self-conscious, his shoulders rose at the frigid touch of her skin as if Shiva's diamond dust was scattering ice crystals across his flesh.

"Jill?" Clive asked, his voice wavering a bit and he was suddenly grateful she couldn't see his face from his angle knowing his cheeks matched the parlor of Ifrit's flame at her mere touch.

Did she have any idea the distress she was causing him?

"Stay still," Jill's voice was gentle, perhaps a bit teasing if it wasn't for the slight breathy quality signaling a touch of laughter. "Don't move, I'll get it."

Jill's dainty hands were so much smaller and softer than his own. Slight callouses from her sword and the coolness of ice she yielded but so unbearably gentle it nearly took his breath away. Suddenly, Jill was reaching around him. Pale fingers grabbing the bar of soap he'd been using to wash and the smell of it combined with the freshness of her skin and the intoxicating aroma of the oils she used for her hair made him so unbelievably glad the coolness of the waterfall and her fingertips on his spine was keeping his betraying body in check.

Lathering her hands, Jill hummed a song from their childhood the Royal Bard used to sing in the garden. Her fingers nimble as a musician on the strings as she began washing his back. Dark blue eyes closed tightly at the intensity of her bare skin on his. The warmth of her soft feminine curves brushing occasionally; tingling whenever their skin casually touched as she washed his back. She was so close to pressing those slim curves against his harder musculature and the mere thought was so overwhelming that it took everything in his power to bite back the urge to turn around and pull her into the circle of his arms.

So desperate were these sudden urges he nearly was choking on them.

Swallowing back the lump that clogged his throat, Clive swore Jill could hear the absolute throbbing of his heart as it did its best to vacate the confines of his chest. Yet she said nothing other than her sweet voice humming out the familiar tune he remembered all too well, her hands gently scrubbing the evidence of the fight with the morbol off his scarred skin.

Suddenly self-conscious of all the scars littering his body that never bothered him before in the midst of her perfect porcelain skin that made her look like a marble goddess turned to flesh.

Never before had he met a woman more beautiful inside and out…

It was only his vast reaches of self-control and determination that kept him in check, knowing Jill deserved so much more than his scarred skin and blood-stained calloused hands. That these feelings he harbored toward her must remain hidden. How he hoped at the end of this quest that she would find someone who deserved her, loved her and would give her everything in this world she could ever want and need… The misery of that thought put his heart in a vice grip. Hating himself for even wanting her when he could never measure up, so inadequate compared to all the good she deserved in this life.

"There we are. All clean." Jill's gentle voice broke him from his self-loathing reverie and while Clive expected her hands to immediately vacate from his skin, they didn't.

Brows furrowed slightly in confusion, Clive peered at her from over his shoulder and flashed her a smile he hoped reached his eyes, "Thank you, My Lady." the endearment so easily fell from his lips.

Jill smiled brilliantly, her palms laying flat against his back and when he thought she'd pull away, Jill only pressed in closer. Eyes like radiant sea glass peering so deeply into his own dark ocean depths. Pale cheeks flushed like the softest rose as her hands slowly skimmed down his back, his sides and hips til they finally left his skin for a moment only to grasp at his hands.

Clive was certain his heart stopped as she stood bare in front of him as if she'd never wanted to be anywhere else.

Shiva's Dominant never stopped smiling, her eyes never leaving his own as she intertwined their fingers. Clive shivered from more than the cool water splashing against his shoulders as Jill scooted herself closer to him, their toes brushing under the current of the river. Even if his eyes never left her face, he felt the curve of her breasts skim across his chest, face heating as her hardened nipples pressed into his skin.

Jill's smile softened even as her cheeks bloomed into the color of a crimson rose. With nothing but gentle coercion, he followed her as they stepped into the spray of the waterfall together. The soothing liquid washing over them both as they stood in its depths. Washing away so much more than dirt and grime, as if all the doubts he kept having about this beautiful woman holding his hands began cracking and loosening around his heart.

Jill giggled suddenly, pushing herself all the closer to him until they were chest to chest. Their wet skin pressed against the other til there wasn't even room for a drip of water to slip between them.

"You're warm," Jill whispered as if it was a secret shared in the dark of night. Her fingers tightening around his own and he could do little more then squeeze back.

"So are you," he muttered just as quietly, praying the coolness of the waterfall would hide his body's reactions to her nearness.

Clive's breath got caught in his throat as Jill's half-lidded eyes finally left his, peering further down his face before meeting his gaze again. Heart hammering wildly at his sternum at the look she was giving him. It wasn't possible that she wanted this too…was it?

Yet even as Clive was still contemplating the expression on Jill's face growing slowly closer to his own, Torgal suddenly appeared like a bloody hell hound seeking vengeance. With the bellowing bark, the oversized puppy launched himself into the water and the shock of the sudden outside presence was enough for Clive to lose his footing on the slick rocks.

Fingers intertwined, Jill had no choice than to fall in a wet heap atop of him.

The large splash of their combined weight made a resounding crashing noise before they both quickly began spluttering for air. The first thing Clive saw upon opening his eyes was Jill's frantic face, the worry on her expression apparent as he sat up and spatted out a mouthful of water and her sodden hair.

"Oh my goodness! I'm sorry. Clive! Answer me! Are you alright?" she asked from her spot kneeling on his thighs, her hands brushing along the length of his body. Clive tensed at her exploration even if he knew she was merely looking for injury.

Clive's hand gently grasped hers where she'd laid them upon his hips. "I'm fine." he coughed, "No thanks to Torgal…" he glared over Jill's shoulder at the culprit sitting innocently on the bank of the river where he swore the wolf was smirking at him, those golden eyes sparkling with mischief.

Damned hound…

Jill let out a breath of relief, "Oh, thank the Founder. You could have slammed your head on a rock! Are you sure you're alright?" Jill asked, reaching out to brush his sodden bangs out of his eyes and it was as if the world stopped as she gently cupped his face in her hands. Thumbs gingerly wiping at the tracks of water on his face as she peered into his eyes with such open concern that it felt as if Ifrit released a hellfire straight into his heart.

Founder knows how long he sat there merely preening under her gentle ministrations. Allowing her to check over his body to her heart's content until the worry etched onto her expression faded into a relieved smile.

"I told you I'm alright."

Jill huffed at his blase concern towards his own health before she started wagging a disciplining finger and verbally admonishing Torgal.

The wolf merely panted at them happily from the bank of the water.

Clive chuckled knowing her words were a lost cause but that thought quickly left his mind when he realized Jill was indeed sitting naked on his lap. "You think our clothes are dry enough?" he suddenly asked, desperately hoping his voice sounded calmer than he felt.

Jill looked back towards him and it was rather amusing to watch in real-time her taking notice of their predicament. Cheeks flashed scarlet, Jill stood up on wobbly legs and Clive turned his face to give her even a modicum of privacy as she got her feet back underneath her. Thinking enough time had passed for her to leave the water, Clive peered up and was stunned to see Jill standing right in front of him with her hand reaching out in offering.

Clive flashed her a smile before accepting.

Grasping her hand, and with a bit of her kindly offered help, Clive stood to his feet. The stones slick underfoot had him unsteady for a second before he felt Jill's arms wrapping around his waist.

"Careful there," she giggled, the beautiful chime of her laughter echoing through this small inlet as she suddenly buried her blushing face in his bare chest. Pushing aside the desire to keep this beautiful woman at arm's length to protect himself and the pain of loving her so much, Clive instead wrapped his arms around her.

Daring to want this if for only a moment as he pressed his cheek into her cold wet hair.

Clive shivered, a gasp escaping his lips when he felt the sudden brush of her cool mouth over his sternum, pressing right above the location where his heart hammered in the confines of his chest. Jill only pulled away enough to rest her chin between his pectorals, icy blue eyes simply magnificent as she looked at him with a smile etched on her lips.

The expression Clive knew he didn't deserve she bestowed willing upon him, peering up at him as if he'd hung all the stars in the heavens just for her to enjoy…

All the doubts he'd been living with since she came back into his life suddenly began waning. Crumbling in the warmth of her smile and feel of her hands on his body. Clive's breath caught in his throat as Jill rested her cold ear over his heart. Palms splayed against his back as if she'd never let go and instead of pushing her away like his heart screamed in self-preservation, he didn't.

Clive pulled her closer instead.

His goal of revenge turning into a just cause for all to live free in pursuit of a better world for them all remained his motivations yet as he wrapped his arms tighter around Jill, he realized that perhaps his other lofty dreams weren't as unattainable as he once believed…

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Warmth

Fandom: FFXVI Final Fantasy 16

Pairing: Clive x Jill

Rated: T

Story Summary: With Clive fallen ill and the three weary travelers stuck in a small cabin in a hellish blizzard, Jill does whatever she can to keep Clive warm enough to weather this storm.

......

Clive was shivering something awful.

Bare chest heaving with raspy labored breaths, cheeks a ruddy red and the sweat lining his brow only seemed to increase as the hour grew long. The sun slowly fading from its perch in the cloud-ridden sky to bring upon more of the dreaded chill that refused to leave.

Jill only grew more worried as the stubborn man refused to allow her to leave and find treatment.

Fists clenched at her side as the harsh strands of ice continued plummeting rapidly from the sky. "Oh, damn it all…" she muttered under her breath. Crystalline blue eyes peering through the wooden slats of the boarded windows and upon cascade of white snow surrounding the small cabin they deemed best to take shelter. Now the door was frozen shut and would stay that way for awhile it seemed.

Being Shiva's Dominant, the blessing and curse it was, made it so she felt little of the chill around her - but Clive wasn't as fortunate.

Torgal's soft whines drew her attention back to Clive's sickbed. That loyal wolf friend lay across the lower end of the bed, nestled across Clive's legs, the dog making sure to keep his feet warm where the blankets they scavenged were the most threadbare.

"It's alright, Torgal…" Clive spoke, his voice weak and raspy with the sickness that had been plaguing him for the past few days. "I'm alright…" he continued, bare fingers leaving the comfort of the furs to reach for Torgal's head. The dog more than happy to nuzzle against his outstretched hand and accept the affection.

Jill bristled when she noticed the uncharacteristic tremors in those strong fingers.

Clive was shivering terribly…

Torgal seemed indifferent, merely licking at Clive's outstretched hand before gently lying his large head across his stomach and closing his large golden eyes. Jill's eyes spent far too long locked on those trembling fingers as they weaved ever so gently through the now slumbering wolf's fur.

"I'm alright, Jill…" Clive's voice took her by surprise. Her eyes meeting the deep sea blue of his own. Strands of sweat soaked hair sticking to his face as he still found the strength to give her one of those painfully rare smiles.

Jill huffed regardless of that warmth that smile left in her chest, "Could've fooled me."

Clive's thick lips were set in a pout that she ignored. Allowing the anger at him to simmer. He'd been showing symptoms of a sickness for days. Coughing, sniffling, sweating, and even slight lethargy as they made their way through the snowy paths. The thing about Clive is he hid it all so remarkably well…and he remained as stubborn as a bloody arse. Refusing to go brave a small town in hopes of finding a remedy or medicine to at least get rid of the symptoms.

Clive refused until the could get the surgery to remove his Bearers Mark.

Tired of arguing about it, Jill obeyed and they kept traveling.

Everything seemed alright until that point. Clive was merely quiet with the barest hint of color on his cheeks when out of nowhere, he collapsed into a snowy embankment. No word, no grunt, nothing. As if he was a puppet that suddenly had all his strings cut.

Jill hadn't felt terror such as that for over a decade…

After Cid's passing only a year prior, any illness or wound that beset anyone she cared about scared her to death. So worried was she of losing someone else…

And when Clive fell to the ground…

Jill could never bear to lose Clive again…once was way more than enough…

Torgal barked, biting at Clive's pauldrons and her relief upon finding her dear companion breathing tore a sob from her chest. Jill was forced to find shelter as Torgal carried Clive's unresponsive form on his back. The blizzard raging around them, the bitter cold biting against their cheeks as Clive's fever climbed all the higher. It was only by some miracle she'd found that small cabin hidden amongst the thick trees and were able to barricade themselves inside.

That was nearly a full day ago…

Jill bit her lip to stop it from trembling as she tore her eyes away from Clive's kicked-puppy expression. Holding on to anger at how little he viewed his own health…Did he not know how much he meant to her? To everyone who knew him? To the cause that would surely die with his own passing?

"...I'm sorry, my lady…" Clive's voice was so raspy and worn, the term he called her from her childhood the softest endearment he'd ever said. And that was all it took.

Jill's anger fled instantly.

Not being able to stay away from him any longer, Jill stepped away from the window. Feet carrying her swiftly to his bedside, crossed arms slipping to her sides instead as she graced him with a wane smile.

"Apology accepted…" she sighed, her hand hesitating for only a second before she ever so carefully brushed back his sweaty bangs.

Shiva's frost leeching from her fingertips to hopefully cool Ifrit's flame boiling upon his forehead. The dark-haired man let out a sigh at her cooling touch, pushing himself further into it as well as nestling further into the blankets and she couldn't help the smile that slipped onto her lips.

Clive had been so painfully shy even as a teenager. Any casual touch she bestowed upon him greeted with reddened cheeks and swift apologies. It was wonderful to see so much of that boy she grew up with still contained in this weary man with way too much weight balancing on his broad shoulders. But yet as of late, Clive allowed her touch and even initiated it at times. Allowing himself to open up to a touch that shouldn't hurt and she was more than happy to oblige.

The smile on her face fell quickly though when Clive suddenly pulled away, his bitter coughing fit taking him as he pushed his mouth against his trembling hands to lessen the sound.

Jill bit her lip. Feeling so unbelievably helpless as she watched the man she cared for so much suffering, wondering what if anything she could do to help him. To at least relieve him of any pain as his body valiantly fought off the illness.

Coughing seeming to calm, Clive's shivering began anew even as she sat on the side of the bed. Leather clad thighs pressing against his bare shoulders providing not nearly enough warmth even as Torgal's full weight and fur lay upon Clive's lower half. His clothes wet and sodden and laying upon a strung up line to dry out the leather as best as they could from his fall in the snow. They had packed no other clothing he could wear so she had little choice than to strip him of the wet garments and hoped the blankets they scavenged in the abandoned cabin would suffice.

Yet it didn't seem to be enough…

Jill couldn't just sit here, she had to do something.

Standing up, Jill made her way to the fireplace. Throwing in a few more branches she'd cut down earlier and stoked the flames and wood with a poker. The ashes and embers glowing, fire illuminating the small cabin and hopefully suffusing it with enough warmth to keep Clive alive.

Yet he still shivered, his bare body trembling like a leaf under the threadbare blankets. No other options lay around as the wind screeched against the wooden cabin, threatening to tear it down under the blizzard outside. Jill bit back the call of Shiva knowing Clive needed warmth more than ever and the ice queen living inside her would be of no help now. If only Ifrit would listen to Clive's call but she worried Clive may turn to ash with that sort of heat Ifrit offered…

Jill pulled at her leather gloves, a nervous habit she'd picked up as of late…and debated with herself.

The things she'd experienced those thirteen damned years, being taken advantage of and controlled in more ways than she'd ever care to remember… She'd felt so dirty all the time now. So unclean to ever touch another kind soul. The blood and viscera staining her hands, the sweat of men who took and took from her carved under her fingernails. So many years she'd dreaded the touch of men…until Clive walked into that infirmary back at the Hideaway and she'd felt safe for the first time in over a decade.

Clive had spared her - had saved her…this was the least she could do for him now…

Glancing back at Clive, her mind was made up.

Ever so quickly, she undressed. Boots, Sword, the leather gauntlets and plates, her dreaded corset and all the layers of clothes taken off and folded on a nearby table until she felt nothing against her but the warmth of the fire shimmering across her bare pale skin. The shadow of nude her body hovering over where Clive fitfully tried to sleep under those meager blankets and Torgal's fur.

Fists clenching as she steeled herself for what she was about to do, she walked to his bedside on silent bare feet. Swiftly pulling up the covers and ignoring Clive's questioning sleepy mumble, she slid into bed naked beside him.

Immediately, Clive Rosfield of Rosaria stiffened like a cadaver.

Jill, ignoring his plight and questioning mutters, wrapped one arm under the back of his neck and the other strewn across the barrel of his chest. Head nestled comfortably on his thickly muscled shoulder as her breast flattened across his, belly pressed against his hip as her leg slipped over his thigh as much as possible with Torgal's perch, which was probably for the best given Clive's (and her) state of undress. Making sure to press every inch of their skin together to give him the warmth he so desperately needed.

Seconds, minutes, perhaps millennia passed in that small cabin before Clive's muscles finally relaxed. Becoming more soft and supple against the gentle press of her hands and body across his once fiercely trembling flesh. The shivering that was wracking his form ever so slowly began to abate as the warmth of her skin melded into his own. Clive's breaths came slower and more relaxed and where once his flesh was as cold as Shiva's ice soon warmed pleasantly from every point they touched and soon suffused to the rest of him.

However much time passed, it may have taken longer before Jill felt brave enough to lift her head up to look at his face.

Looking at him this close, Jill could count every single one of his thick black lashes. Could see the reflection of firelight shining flickering orange and red shades into the deep expansive sea blue. Could witness just how many scars littered his handsome face. She couldn't recall being this close to anyone before - it was as exhilarating as it was terrifying.

"Jill?" his breath was so warm on her cheek and she smelt the soft tinge of the wildflower honey and black tea that she'd forced him to drink copious amounts of earlier to stave off some of his symptoms. All his soft breath and the tender way he said her name was doing to her now was making her head spin.

Lost in his eyes and the gentle look on his face, Jill could do little more than mutter, "Hmm?"

There was a million and one things Clive could have said, have asked, but all that left his lips was a soft, "Thank you…"

Jill didn't reply.

Merely watched as he gave her a sleepy smile that didn't fade until his eyes slid shut and he fell into a much needed deep sleep. His body finally being pulled into that black abyss to give himself the much needed time to heal and rest properly. Something he did way too little of.

Once she was certain he wouldn't wake up, ever so gently, Jill slid her hand up his chest. Mindlessly brushing through the soft scattering of hair on his sternum and over the prominent scar on his left pec, she lifted her hand to his face. Cupping his cheek and pushing his bangs away from his forehead, Jill sighed in pure relief upon feeling the fever that was ravaging him earlier was now diminishing.

Resting her head back down on his shoulder, Jill couldn't help but lean forward and press her lips to the Bearer's mark on his cheek. The bristle of his beard ticking her lips and causing an involuntary chuckle to leave her mouth. The sound causing Torgal to grumble a bit in his sleep and readjusted to where his weight was now over her legs as well.

Seems she wasn't going anywhere - not that she planned to.

Content in knowing Clive was going to be alright, Jill nestled close to him, nose brushing against his pulse as she followed him into sleep.

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

To You, I Will Always Return

Fandom: Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy XVI

Pairing: Clive Rosfield x Jill Warrick

Rated: T

Story Summary: Thinking all was lost, Jill wept. The world had been saved, but at what cost? What good was a world if Clive wasn't in it to share it with her? …But even as Metia's red light flickered out, the sun still rose the next morning, bringing a shining light back into her darkened world.

....

MAJOR SPOILERS for the ending of FF16! Stop reading now if you haven't finished the game! 

....

The agony was unbearable.

Akin to a festering open wound on her chest that had her heart locked in a vice grip. The grief of it all had her gasping for air, choking for oxygen amidst the myriad of uncontrollable sobs she poured out into Torgal's warm fur.

No…

It couldn't be.

…Clive couldn't be gone…

Yet as she witnessed Metia's star fade completely from the sky, it was as if her heart was ripped completely out of her chest. All the hopes and dreams she threatened to picture spent at his side all turned to nothing but ashes scattering amongst the slightest breeze. The dark bearing clouds that plagued the sky faded and dissipated before their eyes, the world had been restored and renewed…

But it didn't matter.

Nothing did, for she had lost him again…

This time for good.

A crescendo of grief overtook her body, shaking uncontrollably as her legs finally collapsed underneath the sheer magnitude of her intolerable grief.

"C-CLIVE!" Jill sobbed brokenly into Torgal's furry neck. The sound muffled little of the echoes of her shattered voice amidst the throngs of silent people witnessing her heart's destruction. Lost in a chasm of darkness, the lack of her light, the truest of friends and only true love she'd ever known…

It was insufferable.

Jill's fingers fisted into Torgal's fur, pulling the large wolf against her chest and allowing her howls to join his own. Visceral, broken, like her very soul was being wretched from her body to join his wherever he went.

The wolf's howls soon tapered off into a soft whine, whimpering as he nuzzled his face against her hair in commiseration of their shared misery. And with such precious little left of her heart, she held the last piece tight against her chest, feeling as if she'd let him go, she'd shatter into a million pieces.

…Torgal was all she truly had left now…

The gaping hole underneath her sternum where Clive's light resided felt as cold as Shiva's Diamond Dust. The other half of her soul vanquished as if it had never been there. This chasm of black, of nothingness, where there once remained so much light, happiness and absolute love had been extinguished as Metia went dark.

No...

It was not supposed to end this way…

Closing her eyes, two more tears joined the many salty warm tracks lining her ruddy cheeks. In the serene darkness behind her eyelids, she once again watched the moment Clive had said his goodbyes. Warm heavy hands upon her shoulders, his confession of love, his sweet kiss and that wonderful hug she that never wanted to pull away from. His warmth, his smile, his smell, the taste of his mouth that still lingered faintly on her tongue…

…Never would she experience them again…

Clive was gone - he was dead…

Oh Founder, how could this happen?

Lost in agony, the despair so visceral she was almost numb. The pain of his loss far exceeding any physical wound or emotional trauma she'd ever sustained. Clive had been her world ever since she was a child. All her aspiring hopes and lofty dreams lay nestled within in those dark blue eyes and loving arms. Losing him those egregious 13 years was absolute hell. Yet as he walked back in her life, it was like the sun out came from behind the clouds, shining on her face and she was finally able to bask in his radiant light…

But not anymore…

Even if their world was saved - hers was over.

For a world without Clive Rosfield in it was not a world she wanted to live in…

Clive had given his all, his everything. Had fought, sweat and bled tirelessly to save those who didn't even want to save themselves. He worked his fingers to the bone to finish the work his father and Cid had started. To give everyone, Bearers and Non-Bearers, Princes and Paupers alike, something precious few ever had in life - a choice. A choice to live and die how one wanted. To do more with their existence than merely scrape by to survive til the next passing day…

Clive fought for true freedom and he won.

Yet the cost to gain this freedom was far too steep.

It was Clive who paid the ultimate price. He fought for them all, yet who was supposed to save him? Giving him Shiva, all the other Eikons and their seemingly limitless power joining Ifrit's chosen…and it still wasn't enough to bring Clive, Joshua nor Dion home safely…

It wasn't fair!

Not one bit…

But then again, when has life ever been fair for them?

With nothing left to do - Jill wept.

Cold bitter tears that stung her flesh as even her Eikon Shiva's power began fading much like the others - along with the crystal that shattered in the sky - taking her heart along with it.

Clive had made a promise to her. He promised that he would always return to her. In turn, she made him a promise that she would always be waiting for him no matter how long it took…

...This was the first promise he'd ever broken.

Yet as she pressed her face into her last remaining tie to the past, Jill swore she would keep hers. Fruitless as it may be. She would wait for him until her dying day, she'd wait forever if only to see his face once more at the end of it all.

"…Oh, Clive…" she whimpered his precious name into Torgal's fur. Hands weakly shaking as they clung to the final piece of their shared past, of the future that was free from the crystals and their magic that now felt so utterly bleak. She told Clive before he left that she would only cry when the clouds disappeared and the sun returned. So she did just that.

Openly, she sobbed. Rivers of tears soaking into Torgal's pelt as the wolf howled and whimpered in obvious grief. Time seemed inconsequential in those moments. So numb and utterly broken, shattered with no hope of repair; as if a stray wisp of wind would shatter what remained of her soul.

"Why? …Why did you have to go? W-Why, oh why didn't I go with you or make you stay?" she sobbed brokenly into Torgal's throat. So many questions with answers that would never come.

All her dreams, all the new memories she'd wish to make with him were nothing more than dust and ashes. A future she was unsure of but the only certain thing she'd wanted was him always beside her…

Torgal suddenly tensed against her. His haunches rising and Jill was shaking as she pulled her face from the divot of salt water and snot she'd pressed into his fur. As if in a trance, her crystalline eyes opened and her heart ached fiercely when upon opening her eyes, she was met with the sunrise.

"No matter how dark the night, the dawn will always rise…"

Those words she spoke felt so paltry in the face of her grief now. For what was a sunrise without Clive to greet the new day with her? To wake up next to him with his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. So many mornings she left him snoozing in their warm sheets while she left to grab a quick cup of coffee or tea to share. Her laughter tickling her lips upon returning to the room to witness Clive fruitlessly trying to tame his sleep-ruffled hair. Without all the leather, metal and armor, he looked so unbearably soft in the dawning light. Cobalt eyes sleepy and hands warm as he greeted her with a tender smile, pulling her in for a hug and kiss every single sunrise. Those precious few times they were able to quietly make love before anyone would be knocking at his door would do nothing but haunt her now.

The room they shared would remain as a memorial; his tomb. Four walls only serving as a painful reminder of everything, and everyone, she had lost.

Clive and Jill would share no more mornings on the deck or her sipping wine as he chugged lager late into the evening. No playful sparring matches with either their swords or elements in the afternoons nor shared kisses in the gardens they'd come across in their travels. There would be no more new adventures awaiting them on the horizon nor stories from their childhood to reminisce about as they grew older or to one day tell their children and grandchildren…

Jill's lips trembled as more tears felt like molten lava down her cheeks and quivering jaw.

All she had left of Clive were mere memories now. Such precious few moments that would fade in time until she would hardly remember what his face looked like or the timbre of his calming voice. With time, her mind would forget the sensation of being able to witness his radiant warmth of his smile or laughter. Never again experience the greatest love she'd ever known.

It was gone.

The brightest light she'd ever known snuffed out as easily as a small flame upon a frayed candle wick.

...Clive was never coming home…

"RUFF!" Torgal barked loudly and Jill backed up as the frost wolf shook her arms free. Her trembling fingers fell from his fur as she could do little more than flail as she fell onto her rear as she lost her grasp.

"Torgal?" she whimpered. "W-What is it, boy?"

It was only that moment when she realized everyone in the Hideaway was speaking, some even yelling. A cacophony of noise that her grief had been blocking out. Jill's heart pounded in sudden fear, with the final crystal gone didn't mean safely. All too aware of the increasing possibility of an invasion here at the Hideaway, especially now that Clive wasn't here to protect them...

A calm swept over her unlike any she'd felt before.

No.

Clive died to save the world, to save this place, and she would rather join him in death than let anyone tear down all he had worked tirelessly to build. Clive's sacrifice would not be in vain, for she would do everything in her power to make sure the home and life they built together would survive til the next sunrise.

Jill's tears instantly quelled for those could wait until after it was all over.

Knees shaking, Jill stood to her numb feet. Reaching down, she grasped her sword that lay discarded at her side, ready and willing to face whatever hell was coming to their shores. Jill wiped the tears from her blurry vision before peering quickly at the horizon. Silently awaiting a hoard of sea-faring monsters or that damned god Ultima taking whatever precious remained to her in this realm.

Icy blue eyes remained steadfast out for movement on the ocean's edge to see what fate had in store for them when she heard Gav suddenly bellow out in a broken sob, "C-C-CLIVE! IT'S CLIVE!"

A full body shiver went through her body as she looked at the man, the eyeglass contraption Mid made falling from his hands and she followed where his trembling finger was pointed.

Jill's sword made a harsh clank as it hit the wooden deck and she ran.

Never in her entire life had she'd run so fast before. Heart throbbed and pounded against her sternum as the dawning light scattered across the shape of the boat slowly drawing towards their man-made shores. Old Man Obolus was standing near the moor and he didn't even say a single word to stop her as she untied his beloved boat from the dock. Torgal and Gav like fire chasing her heels as they jumped into the boat beside her.

Without even speaking a word, Jill and Gav gathered an oar each, both in complete sync as they quickly paddled toward the figure on the horizon like hell himself was on their helm. Jill wasn't even aware she was crying again until she had to choke back another sob. Gav wasn't faring much better, the two sharing such grief and loss that this shining hope seemed far too good to be true. The hope she was certain had been extinguished was a flickering candle flame that grew into an inferno as the man shadowed by the bright light of the sun grew ever closer.

Torgal was barking something fierce, the wolf looked ready to jump and swim the rest of the way if need be.

Jill shared the sentiment.

"Could it really be him?" Gav spoke next to her, his only remaining eye overflowing with equal portions of grief and hope. "I'm not just seeing what I wish to see. Am I, Jill?" A sob left his mouth, his eye growing hazy with so many conflicting emotions. All the years sharing nights and drinks. His encouragement. The fact Clive called him his brother... The baby boy Edde delivered named "Clive 'Cid' Dominique" in their infirmary was a testament to the effect Clive had on them all.

"I don't know..." Jill gasped.

Only moments before, they were both so certain that Clive's story was over. His chapter was done and now they would have to go on and pick up his mantle. To live the legacy he left behind yet as the figure became clearer and clearer, it appeared his story had still to be finished.

It was really him…

"CLIVE!" Jill wailed out his name, throat aching against the sob that leeched out her throat as she let go of the paddle and ran to the stern. She nearly tripped at the sudden jar to the left before Gav quickly took both oars in his hands to put them back on course.

He drew ever nearer and this close she saw Clive was only rowing with one hand while the other oar was tied to his forearm with a cloth. Suddenly worried he was horribly injured, Jill gathered whatever power over ice she still retained and used it to push them closer to Clive's boat. Heart hammering as his blurry features cleared into that face she loved so much - one she swore she'd never see again.

Clive looked towards the both of them, the softest smile gracing his face as he let go of the paddle to wave at them.

Jill couldn't wait any longer.

No further hesitation, Jill leaped out of the boat, her feet causing small patches of ice to form as she bolted the small distance to him. As she got within only a few arms length away, Jill stumbled. Leather boots, pants and the bottom of her dress sinking into the saltwater before she found herself suddenly in the most wonderful place in the world - right into Clive's arms waiting arms.

Jill fell apart. "Clive…" she screamed his name into his skin, "Oh, my love. I- I thought you were…" she couldn't finish.

Tears she swore had run out streamed in currents down her face as she wrapped her arms across his shoulders and wept into his chest, Trembling hands placed between his shoulder blades as she memorized the sensation of his beautiful heartbeat against her palms. The proof that Clive was here - he was alive. Sweaty, filthy and bleeding, but he was alive…

So wonderfully alive.

"Jill, oh, milady. I missed you…" his voice was sweeter than the most talented choir as he held her close. The smell of sweat, leather, blood and sea salt leeching heavily from him - she never smelt anything so wonderful.

Torgal barked, the large wolf jumping into their boat, rocking them back and forth and soaking them with sea salt water droplets from his fur and his flurry of slobber as his tongue lapped furiously at Clive's bearded face.

Jill's sobs became tearful laughter at his nauseated expression that melted so quickly into fondness as he pulled the sopping wet dog into their hug. In her peripheral vision, she saw Gav finally approach and park next to Clive's vessel, the tears leaking down his good eye didn't deter from the smile on his face as Clive reached towards him and pulled him into their group embrace.

The few minutes of pure utter relief and bliss didn't last long though.

"Wait… W-Where's Joshua and Dion?" Gav's sudden question was like being plunged into a bath of ice water.

As if realizing his brother nor the Prince had returned with him, the small smile that had taken refuge on Clive's face suddenly faltered and fell. An anguish so deep overtook those cobalt depths as tears welled and finally slipped down his scarred face.

Instead of a verbal answer, Clive merely shook his head in grief and absolute misery. His lower lip trembled as his eyes slipped down to his feet and it was obvious by his expression alone what had taken place.

The sudden euphoria at having Clive back in her arms suddenly felt soured for Joshua and Dion deserved just as much as a happy ending as the rest of them…

It was in those few moments of silence when Jill suddenly noticed the strange parlor of Clive's left hand. Shivered upon seeing the bone white skin and stiffness like stone. The curse of a Bearer, a Dominant, of magick leaving another form of its wretchedness upon Clive's skin.

"Oh, Founder, no…" she whimpered, hand reaching out to touch the hardened hand. Squeezing the unforgiving flesh between her fingers in the hopes that this wasn't happening. If Clive returned only to be taken by the dreaded curse…

"Don't worry. It's only the hand…" Clive explained. Tears still leaking down his face, Clive smiled at her and Gav. Showcasing the grief that lay in those weary eyes, he still continued to smile. "It won't spread. I promise."

"But, how, what…" Gav's words tapered off as Clive pressed his only working hand on Gav's shoulder and squeezed.

Clive's eyes flickered out into the waters, to the sky where the crystal once resided but was now gone, "Dion sacrificed himself. He bravely kept Ultima occupied while Joshua and I escaped to the inner crystal. The Prince died a hero's death to save us. And J-Joshua… He - Joshua saved me… I was nearly dead but he used whatever power remained in him…so in turn that I could fight for us all." Clive whispered and all Jill could do was rub his back as his breath hitched and his words faltered. "They were both so brave. A-After Ultima fell, I… I was certain I would follow them in death. To destroy the crystal once and for all, I had to absorb Ultima to obliterate what was left of the magick."

"Fuck…" Gav gasped.

"I… I was so sure that I was dead, or dying. All I remember was light before I somehow washed up on the beach. Hand turned stiff from the curse, I could do little other than merely lay there on the sand. Waves lapping at my feet when I found myself looking at the moon…and at Metia…" Clive's cobalt eyes found her icy blue, "I was asking you if you could see it too… Then I closed my eyes, fully expecting to never open them again…"

Jill's lip trembled, "Oh Clive…" she whimpered, trembling as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek and soft sweet mouth before pressing her forehead to his and shaking against his fragile strength.

Torgal whined softly, his head buried in Clive's lap as he nuzzled his body fully between Clive's legs.

Gav reached over and pressed his forehead to Clive's temple. "I'm so glad you did…"

Clive wrapped his arms around both of them, "When I woke up, I was at the same beach. Barely a moment had passed since I had closed my eyes and yet there sat a boat that I swore wasn't there before and I was only a short ride away from home. ...So strange. It was almost as if nothing happened or changed." Clive lifted his stiff hand, "other than this…and this…"

Jill watched with bated breath as with his remaining functioning hand, Clive pulled out a glowing phoenix feather from his satchel.

The ethereal light leaching from the otherworldly feather bathing Clive's face in an array of warm colors. All different shades of amber and burning flames leaving ghostly imprints on his skin as the power inside of Clive lay dormant and nearly powerless reacted to its warmth regardless.

All was quiet for a moment before Clive suddenly screamed out his brother's name in a heartwrenching sob.

Broad shoulders trembling like a leaf and Jill immediately wrapped her arms around him. Pulling his face into her breast as she allowed him to fall apart for the brother he so desperately loved and so tragically lost. Clive pressed the feather to his chest, weeping and sobbing as if he would never stop. His sodden tears soaking her shirt as he grieved for the life Joshua would never get to live.

All Jill could do was join him in his misery.

Tears slipped down her face as she recalled that kind-hearted young man who fought so valiantly and ended up dying for them all. Remembered him also as the sweetest little boy she watched grow up in Rosaria. The little boy who always had a smile on his face and such joy in his eyes even as he was always physically hurting and sickly. To witness the bond Clive and Joshua shared, the unbreakable chain that tied them together remained steadfast even the years they were apart. Only for Joshua to bravely give up his life so that his beloved brother, his first Shield, could live on.

Gav bit his lip, hands reaching to Clive to comfort him yet he pulled away. Biting his lip, he wiped away the tears remaining in his eye before grabbing the discarded oars in his hands. Without a word, he began steering them back towards the Hideaway - back towards their home.

"I'm so sorry…" Jill sobbed into Clive's hair, the flecks of blood, sweat and sea water brushing against her cheek only made her hold him all the tighter.

Clive cried, his breath hitching as he burrowed into her warmth as if she was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. His lips trembling against her collarbone as his tears soaked her skin. All she could do was run her hands over his back, his head, through his hair in comforting circles. The rocking of the boat as Gav made for the Hideaway allowing her to cradle Clive closer as he cried. The heartwrenching sobs eventually fading to gasping cries, his body lax in her hold as he finally grew quiet in her arms.

Clive pulled back from her slightly only to adjust so his head rested comfortably on her shoulder. His arms wrapped and resting on the small of her back, his cursed addled hand slightly digging into her spine yet she would never have him move it. Jill looked at his face, her thumb brushing across his cheeks to wipe his numerous tears that leaked from his half-lidded eyes. The grief was suffocating but in those deep blue eyes she'd loved her whole life, there was still a spark. Glowing Phoenix Feather resting against Clive's heart as he set his gaze towards the rising sun.

The vision of its gentle rays much like the spread wings of a beautiful Phoenix rising from the ashes and pulling itself further into the sky in order to watch over them all from its perch in the heavens.

"...J-Joshua…" Clive whispered against her skin, eyelashes fluttering before fanning out against his scarred cheek as his eyes slipped shut. "Thank you, brother…for everything…"

With only a few more whimpered gasps leaving his lips, Clive had fallen asleep.

Jill's eyes rested on Clive's face for a long moment. Merely enjoying the warmth of his breath, the smell of his skin and the heartbeat pounding against her own.

Her prayers had been answered. Clive was here - alive. Never again would she want for more…

Holding Clive all the tighter, her icy blue eyes slid to the sky. Taking in the sun resting its comforting rays on their shoulders, its light warm like a gentle hug and always steadfast presence that would never leave.

The Phoenix Feather on Clive's chest suddenly glowed and Jill smiled.

"Yes. Thank you, Joshua…" Jill whispered, the words carried into the breeze and hopefully to wherever his spirit resided. Thin pale fingers slipping through Clive's tangled raven locks as he slept against her chest. "Thank you for bringing him home…" Tears slipped down her face as she pressed her cheek against Clive's warn hair and quietly wept for the wonderful friend and brother that had been lost to such blind hatred. She closed her eyes and prayed that Joshua would find peaceful rest, would reunite with his father and know that he was so loved and would never be forgotten.

Joshua deciding to lay down his life brought Clive back to her and Jill swore that she would never take that for granted nor forget his nor Dion's ultimate sacrifice.

None of them would…

As the Hideaway grew closer and the varying emotions from the faces of all their awaiting friends showcased relief, happiness, grief, and hope all in equal measure, Jill merely held Clive's sleeping form tighter against her chest.

Joshua Rosfield gave them all a second chance, and this time, none of them were going to take a single day for granted.