~*Hand in Hand*~

It was a dark and stormy night…

~*X*~

Lightning crackled and flashed overhead, and with an explosion of orange sparks and scarlet fire, it struck a tree.

The great structure came tumbling down the side of the mountain with a violent roar as the earth itself trembled in protest at the loss of one of its majestic giants.

Colette was hanging tightly onto Lloyd's hand as he sprinted. Her Angelic senses were in turmoil, and her ears throbbed in accordance with her head in reaction to the terrible, terrifying sound of the forest catching fire.

Even in the storm, it caught fire!

She could see the tongues of flame licking at the other tree, and they were pine. The resin in them was flammable in a very strong sense, wasn't it? She wasn't entirely certain.

Puddles of rainwater were forming all around them, their surfaces rippling nonstop as they were splattered with drops. She heard it before he did—a gigantic, ancient creak as another of the trees around them fell, coaxed to its burial place by strong fingers of air and teeth of embers.

Digging her heels into the slick, icy cold mud, Colette forced Lloyd to come to a halt. He looked at her wildly over his shoulder, hair sticking to his face. He seemed smaller with his untamed spikes slicked close to his head.

Wordlessly, she waited for the immense tree to fall right in front of them. Its branches brushed the tips of Lloyd's shoes, and the earth trembled in response to the weight slamming against it with enough force to crush houses.

There was a moment of tense energy, and then an immensely loud boom! as thunder sent the sky rocking. Colette clenched both hands to her ears desperately as she fell to her knees, the sound becoming quite painful thanks to the strength of her Angelic hearing.

Lloyd hauled her back up, and she heard his voice though the numbness of her ears. "We've got to find shelter!"

Wincing, she nodded and hand in hand, they skirted the burning tree and kept going, doggedly searching for any sign of shelter in the downpour.

The violent summer tumult had hit the traveling pair, looking for Exspheres, rather unexpectedly. Were they in the Kimisra Mountains? She could not recall, couldn't think past the aching in her temples. It wasn't like she could just fly out either…she imagined that the wind currents would be dreadful right about now, and nothing made a better target for lightning than a high object.

Lloyd's fingers were intertwined tightly with hers, and when the heavens flashed again, proclaiming their fury, she saw the determined set of his face. He wasn't going to let them die out here, and she didn't believe for a moment that they would.

Inexplicably, she caught a glimpse of Kratos just then. Something about the grim way his lips were pressed together, the slight narrowing of his eyes, the stiff positioning of his shoulders but the swift and sure movements of his tread…Definitely Kratos.

A horrible scream of lightning overhead illuminated the stark outline of a cavern, its gray stone walls sturdy and reassuring compared to the falling trees, hurtling over like dominos.

Picking up his pace, Lloyd headed for the tunnel of rock. Colette sprinted as fast as she could, intent on keeping up with him.

And then, she felt that lurch in her stomach that meant she was going to trip, or was in the process of.

Oh, she was such a klutz! Cursing herself mentally, she swiftly spread her wings—lilac and glowing pink in the gloom, a blinding force of light—and beat them once to straighten herself before her face had a lovely connection with the forest floor.

Lloyd peeked at her worriedly again, but by this point they had made it safely to the cave. The pair ducked gratefully inside, with Colette shaking her wings once to dislodge some water droplets before folding them. They soon vanished into oblivion.

She giggled, relieved, her heart slowing down as she beheld her companion. He was shaking himself like a dog, trying to rub some life back into his hair. His red outfit was dark with rain. Catching her eye, he grinned, delighted that she was all right, laughing quietly.

"It's terrible out there," the swordsman observed, dropping his pack onto the ground and slumping wearily against the wall. Colette went to settle herself beside him, pushing her wet bangs out of her eyes as she slid her satchel off.

"Yes, it is. Are you okay?"

Lloyd waved her concern away, looking around at their surroundings. The roof was low, just above their heads when they stood, but it was relatively clean and pretty warm in the back. Colette strained her ears, but she didn't hear any monsters.

"Guess we might as well eat." He started rummaging through his bag, and Colette gazed out into the insanity that was the outside world. Thunder clapped viciously again, causing the girl to cringe.

He froze. "Does it hurt?"

Surprised by his subdued tone, she turned to him, head tilted to the side curiously. "Does what hurt?"

"The thunder. It's loud to me, to you…" His brown eyes were downcast.

This was unbelievable. Was he blaming himself again? Colette decided to lie, to make him feel better, even though her ears really did hurt. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Really I am."

He didn't look entirely convinced. "Are you sure?"

She shut her eyes—so he couldn't read the lie written there—and smiled, nodding vigorously.

Lloyd must have still been suspicious, but he didn't act on it. Instead he handed her an Apple Gel with her favorite goofy smile on his face, and she took it, rolling the red glob between her palms.

Far, far away, she heard it. The roll of thunder, the clatter of dying trees, the screeching of animals as they fled…She shut her eyes tight and tried to block out the sound of nature's fury. She hoped the monsters were okay.

Taking a huge bite out of his Apple Gel, he remarked casually around the nutritious substance, "You know, these things were made for eating." He put his hand over hers to stop her anxious fiddling, looking her in the eyes. "Not to play with."

Oh dear. It looked like she wasn't doing a good job at not making him worry. She dropped her gaze again and obediently nibbled the Gel. Its taste was sharp and sweet like usual, but her attention was quickly diverted once again to the maelstrom that raged outside.

Lloyd sighed so hard, his spikes ruffled in the gust. "When are you going to stop keeping things from me?" His tone was playful, but when she looked up, his face was serious.

Rain sprinkled against the back of her neck and the side of her head, blown in by the wind. It was cool and refreshing, in small quantities. Colette fiddled with the hem of her white robe. She laughed quickly. "I told you, I'm fine."

He threw his hands in the air, dropping his Gel on top of his pack and leaning in so that he was only inches away. His eyes bore into hers, but the heat in them was from compassion, not anger. "There it is again, that silly fake giggle you do when you lie."

Time to come clean, she guessed. "I don't want you to worry. It's nothing, really it is!"

Thunder rumbled again, ominous and loud to her sensitive ears. Lloyd blinked sympathetically at her, resting back once more on the wall. "Hm, how about a distraction?" He ran one gloved hand through his hair before he grinned.

To Colette's surprise, he pulled a lantern out of his bag that she hadn't even known he had. He used some flint to light a fire, and soon a warm, golden light illuminated their cavern. It cast flickering shapes against the stone, glinting off of its surface. The lightning fizzled briefly into being yet again before fading out with a dull grumble.

She watched—inquisitive, head tilted slightly to the side—as he moved his hands in front of the lantern.

"Rawr! Me hungry!" Lloyd growled in a deep voice, and that's when she glanced up and broke into a fit of giggles.

He had a shadow puppet on the wall, somehow generating a big horned dragon that was nipping at its own tail. He feigned a girl's voice next, transforming the figure into a woman in a wide rimmed dress. "Oh, help me!"

The sight was so ridiculous that Colette could only stare with a wide grin on her face.

"I'll save you!" Lloyd's tone pitched down, nearer to his normal voice but still an octave too low. A swordsman shadow puppet appeared next, and as she watched, a sword arched down. The shape shifted to the dragon, and it and the swordsman took turns exchanging blows. Eventually, reeling, the dragon fell backwards and collapsed in a heap. The swordsman bowed to the girl, rather elaborately for a shadow.

Colette was fighting to smother her laughter behind her hands, leaning on Lloyd's shoulder. She could feel his own chest heaving with mirth also. He looked down at her, his sincere smile mesmerizing her for the better part of two seconds.

"Better?"

"Yes. Thank you, Lloyd."

Silence, where the only sound was the dripping of the rain outside. Colette imagined that it was starting to lessen slightly, but she could have been wrong. Thunder sounded again, and she felt him tense, his gaze hot on her face as he watched to see if she was in pain or not.

But no, it was loud but manageable. She sighed lightly and snuggled closer to her dearest friend in the entire world.

She found herself wondering how Genis was doing. And the others, of course. This quest she had set out on…Lloyd had come to her and asked if she would help him find Exspheres. She had agreed, naturally, and now here they were in some Martel-forsaken forest with a maddeningly noisy storm howling outside like a million dying banshees.

And yet, in the warmth of the cave with Lloyd so close that she felt his heart beating in time with hers, she didn't mind at all.

~*X*~

At one point or another, she had fallen asleep.

Colette stirred, pulling herself from the cobwebby void of her thoughts that could have easily tipped into either dream or nightmare. She remembered hearing a familiar, chilling voice, but also she had felt a familiar, comforting presence that had promised she would be safe.

Safe…

Where was Lloyd?

She sat up and found that he must have eased her gently onto the sandy floor, covered her with a blanket, and departed. She shrugged the red cloth off, listening intently.

Yes, there he was. Outside, she heard his breathing. Slow and steady, but not deep.

She got up and walked out, sticking her head tentatively beyond the protection of rock and stone. The night sky was breathtakingly stunning, clear after the storm, and the faintest tinges of morning brightened the horizon. But it was still hours away yet, and the stars reigned supreme. She recognized an assortment of constellations up there—Angel's Halo, Wolf Claws, Eye of Martel—and of course the Guide Star that always pointed north.

Taking her eyes off of the blue-black velvet above her, she walked slowly and quietly towards her friend. The forest was devastated, and the strength of the natural disaster shook her to her core. How awful, to see such powerful giants brought down by what had started as a tiny spark. She hoped most of the wildlife had managed to escape in time. They seemed to have an uncanny knack for surviving the impossible. Night clouds scudded across the roof of the world, dark things that claimed the glow of the stars, or at least that's how it looked reflected in the many puddles.

Lloyd was perched on a small ledge, crossed legged, one hand extended as if to grab the crescent moon. She studied him curiously, but he did nothing besides close his fist and lower it to his side.

Colette wordlessly sat beside him, her legs dangling over the miniscule drop, surveying the pattern the breeze made as it forced the grass to bow to its might. Most of the forest was still standing, at least, and the fire had long been put out. The air tasted of lingering water and smelled of burnt pine.

Folding her hands primly in her lap, she waited for him to speak.

"I just want you to know," said Lloyd with an uncharacteristic seriousness that she rarely saw. "That you-you're very important to me."

She inclined her head. "Yes, you are to me, too."

He sighed, deep and long. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life." That was true enough, considering that he had saved her during the Journey of World Regeneration. It seemed nothing stopped Lloyd Irving, not even Angels and "Heaven" itself.

She thought he looked relieved, but it might have been nothing. Or maybe everything.

Colette looked up, and that's when she saw it. Hanging there, from a tree, was the most amazing flower. Its vine was still long and green, despite the burnt and hollow husk of the branch it winded on. It had a dizzying amount of swirls within it, and appeared to be composed of a trillion tiny iridescent petals.

"Ignis's Gift," Colette whispered, rising and staring at it, utterly entranced.

Lloyd, whom had appeared distracted, gave an intelligent, "Huh?"

She pointed at the flower, delicate and gorgeous as carved crystal. "Professor Sage talked about it during our lesson on Herbology, remember?"

His expression said he clearly didn't.

Colette smiled and explained patiently, "Ignis is supposed to be a being of fire that apologizes to Solum, an earth spirit, by leaving behind a beautiful flower after every fire."

"Does it mean anything?"

"It means that this forest will grow back!" She clapped her hands together, her face positively radiant with joy.

Lloyd snickered, stood up, and started walking towards the tree. Before she could stop him, he began to climb it.

"Lloyd! Wait, it's dangerous!" She shouted, frantic to keep him from harm's way unless it absolutely called for it.

His cocky grin back at her was interrupted by a loud snap! The branch he had been perching on broke apart, shedding ashes and soot all down upon the woodland floor. Swift as blue lightning, his wings opened up—their length was many times her own, and instead of being multicolored, they shimmered only sapphire. He beat them once, leaving behind a temporary trail of pale azure, plucked the flower, and returned to her before she even had time to worry too much more.

Colette tried to summon a glare, but she was too distracted by Ignis's Gift to really work up a fit. She accepted it from him with a thankful nod, and when their fingers brushed upon the exchange, Lloyd's cheeks acquired a flush and he turned around, arms folded behind his head, whistling a casual tune.

She wanted to giggle again at his silliness, but suppressed it for his sake.

"It's so amazing, Lloyd." She stepped to his side so he could see. His wings were still out, and she let her own unfold, emerging in a dazzling display of lavender and rose. When they brushed, an electric tingle ran down her spine, but he seemed to be oblivious. It wasn't often that she got to glimpse his wings, though she thought them far more impressive than her own.

"Yeah," he replied softly, and she wondered if he was referring to something else.

"Oh no! You don't think that since we plucked it—"

"No, it'll be fine. I promise."

Colette nodded, willing to accept his words as the truth. She sniffed it once—the scent can only be described as the rainbow—before she placed it back in Lloyd's hands so he could do the same.

"Why were you out here?" She questioned, blue eyes fixed on his.

He shrugged. "Just thinking."

For now, she'd not pry. She'd leave him to his own devices, she decided, because they were a team…right? He had said as much when she had agreed to accompany him on the Exsphere quest. He'd tell her in due time.

She trusted him.

Lloyd positioned the flower so that it shone vividly from her lapel. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he simply stammered twice—like Genis with Presea—before shaking his head and staring off again.

Colette was flummoxed, which wasn't a rare thing in the slightest. He must be thinking hard, to have forgotten about hiding his wings. She tentatively reached a hand out, hovering over the spot where they emerged from his back. When he didn't so much as twitch, though one hand came up to grab the handle of a single sword thoughtfully, she ran her fingers down the length of his wing. The feathers were cool and soft, but firm also. Similar in texture to hers, but she guessed his were authentic Angel wings.

Lloyd jumped, and Colette sprang back with a dozen apologies spewing from her lips before he had even gotten a coherent word out.

Raising both hands as if he could stop the "sorrys" from coming, he said hurriedly, "Stop, it's okay, Colette!"

She clamped her mouth shut, feeling a blush, and murmured one last "I'm sorry" before rubbing at her Cruxis Crystal embedded in her neck, an absent, anxious gesture.

He came over, shaking his head, taking the nervously stroking hand in one of his own. "Don't worry, it was just unexpected, that's all."

Colette smiled sheepishly, fluttering her own wings. "I forgot you're not used to them."

To her disappointment—which she hid well—he dismissed the cerulean wings from his back. "I don't really need them, that's why."

Her eyes lowered. "Is it bad that—"

"No, no, you can use them! I just…don't." Rubbing at his hair, Lloyd laughed gently. "I think we both need some sleep, we're both acting kind of crazy."

She narrowed her eyes faintly, musing about his strange seriousness. It had hit after she had gone to sleep…was he still worrying about her? Or was it something else entirely?

Giving up, Colette started to follow him back to their cavern as he went off.

"Lloyd?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…happy that we can be out here together."

He slowed down momentarily, taking her hand again, giving her the Lloyd Irving grin that she had grown to love so dearly. That same grin she would have given her life for, to give him the world. That grin said it all.

Hand in hand, they entered the cave.

Author's Note: Takes place before Dawn of the New World. I haven't played the first game at all, so my apologies on characterization errors. I first saw these two from the anime, and I fell in love with this pairing before any other. Reviews are very appreciated!