A small something I put together after playing Xenoblade Chronicles X for a whole weekend. Enjoy!

! #$%^&*()_+}"?:{

Elma watched the sun begin to set as she walked around in the residential district. She checked her FrontierNav to see it was four o'clock. "Cross said to meet on the bridge at four, where is he?"

Elma started to think he was working on a project with Lin and might have lost track of time. "Outfitters. They're easily distracted." Moving down the bridge a red roofless car slowed as it approached her. It didn't look like one of the other ones from earth.

The car came to a stop when it reached Elma, in its driver's seat was a man with thick chestnut hair, wearing a dark blue denim jacket and jeans with white boots. He turned to Elma and lowered his sunglasses to reveal his teal eyes. "Hey boss, hop in!"

Elma stood beside the car to see the interior was white. "Where did you get this?"

"I build it. Lin made most of the parts, I made sure they were put together correctly. So what do you say, want a ride around NLA?"

Elma gave a small smile as she opened the car door to climb inside. Once Elma put on the seat belt Cross tapped the accelerator and drove around the district.

"So what do you think?"

"This very pleasant. It's bring bad back some memories of earth.

How did you make this?"

"Remember that white whale database you found? It had these blueprints on classic cars so I got to work on one. Classic car with white interior. You didn't tell me what the exterior color was so I went with red. A lot of the cars were red, was that a popular color?"

"Some were, but not all of them were red."

Cross let out a groan. "And I worked so hard to build this thing."

"Its fine Cross. I appreciate you doing this for me."

"As long as you're happy El, I'm happy." Cross drove out of the residential district and into the commercial. "So what else did you and your friend do when you're driving around aimlessly?"

"We would talk about, anything really. How our day was, the people we met."

"Sometimes just be in each other's company?"

Elma glanced over to Cross. "You sound like you have experience in this."

Cross stopped the car when they reached a red light. "You tell me. Were you and your friend close?"

"That's a little personal Cross."

"The light turned green and Cross hit the accelerator again. "You know, when I was a building this car I remembered something."

"What was it?"

"What was your friend's name?"

"What does-?"

"You can stop now. I remember." Cross pulled over and stopped on the bridge to the industrial district. "I was your friend, and were more than friends."

Elma tried to hide the shock in her face, trying to keep neutral. "How much do you know?"

Cross took off his sunglasses and tossed them onto the dashboard. "When we first met I was your driver. Taking you wherever you wanted." Cross turned Elma. "You had beautiful purple eyes."

Elma shook her head. "That wasn't the first time we met."

"Really?"

"You weren't only my driver you were my bodyguard."

A hazy memory cleared in Cross' mind, he was in a large room as Nagi addressed him and several other people. Nagi gestured to appear from a back room and told everyone about the upcoming end of the world. "That day... Nagi called me to meet you in person."

"Do you know why?" Cross shook his head. "I choice you for the job."

"I'm flattered but why me? What made me different from the other soldiers?"

"Why didn't you ask?"

Cross looked down at his feet. "I didn't think it would be appropriate to ask."

"It was because you weren't scared of me like everyone else."

Cross looked back a Elma as he smiled. "How can someone so beautiful be scary?" Elma looked away to cover her face. "I remember you wanting to go to the beach, the car overheated getting there so we had to camp out there."

Elma smiled at the memory. "You spending so much time in my home it felt like you lived there."

"Yeah. Until you're cat jumps into my lap and bites my hand. Like what did it want from me?"

Elma turned back to Cross and chuckled lightly. "That's the same you make when Simon bites you."

Cross couldn't stay mad while seeing Elma in high spirits. "Do you remember when we went up to mountains?

Elma nods a yes. "We'd look up at the night sky and spot constellations, yours and mine."

"Do you miss your home?"

The mood soured as Cross asked his question. "Terribly. But I know I'll return some day. Your home is gone, never to return too."

"Hey." Cross reached for Elma's hand and held it gently. "We'll make a new home here on Mira, a better home. Just know that I'll be there for you. Whether you stay with us, return to your world, or go looking for another race to save. I'll follow your lead."

Elma at beamed Cross. "That's what I told you on that cliff the day I found you."

"Which is what I told you the day we boarded the white whale." The two had a small laugh.

"It's funny how it looped around."

Cross looked down to see he was still holding Elma's hand. "Do you think we could go back to how we were before? Back on earth."

Elma pulled her hand away as her eye met with Cross'. "Is that really what you want, or something you feel obligated to?"

"The former." Cross patted on the steering wheel. "I offered to drive you around because I wanted to get closer to you. I had no idea we were an item on earth."

"It feels like a lifetime ago."

"Yeah, though I don't remember everything most of what I have are of you."

This time Elma reached out to hold Cross' hand. "That's enough to start again."

Elma and Cross gazed at each other as the two drew closer until their lips met. For Elma it was a feeling she had greatly missed, for Cross it was a new experience but a part of him knew what to do. The couple broke off to breath.

"And we can start with an old promise. Would you like to drive El?"

"Yes I would."

The blade agents climbed out of the car to change seats, once they were back in Elma grabbed the steering wheel with both hand. "It's just like piloting a skell?"

"It's nothing like piloting a skell." Cross covered his mouth as he laughed. "First you put your foot on the accelerator, but don't push it down. Then change the gear from park to drive."

Elma did as Cross said then slowly press her foot on the accelerator. "We're moving!"

Now you're doing it!" Cross helped Elma turn the car around and head back to the commercial district. "This isn't so hard. If Lin can do this so can I." Elma pressed harder on the accelerator.

"Careful El."

"This quite fun!" Elma turned a corner and was on the main road.

"You got this this El, just don't hit anyone." Though Cross as afraid for the people on the road he could stop himself from enjoying the time he was spending with Elma.

! #$%^&*()_+}"?:{

The way Elma keeps referring to her 'friend' as just and never saying their name kind of hints to Cross and Elma having some sort of past. I can't be the only one who sees it like that, right?

Please review, it keeps us writers going. Till next time CG out. PEACE!