Caelus hadn't been seen in days, and still no sign of him. As days went by, morale dropped amongst the Astral Express crew, their efforts of contacting him fruitless. It was like a bad dream, a nightmare. How could a nightmare occur in the wonderful dreamscape? Though their entire reason for being here revolved around that, the question still lingered. Though they wanted to deny it, the possibility that death had taken him was real.

Though Acheron knew that wasn't the case.

She would ascend the last set of stairs before his figure came into view. Distant skies would only help brighten the mood, as his grey hair would blow in the wind.

She approached him, her steps loud and audible, but he did not move.

On the rooftop he stood, holding a familiar photo. A photo that Firefly had dropped just after her death. She saw that his amber eyes held a dull color, something unlike him.

The shared smiles and laughter between them seemed to phase into obscurity as the moment was dim and tense.

But she saw another photo beside the one of him and Firefly, one of a girl she did not know of.

She stood over him for some time, winds blowing the only sound that reached the senses.

"Caelus."

She would state his name, but he would not move, leaning against the railing that separated him from an impending doom below.

"..."

He wouldn't reply, but she'd notice that his lips quivered. He was in a vulnerable state, she recognized that. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, but to her surprise, she was met with a hand tearing her off of him.

He looked over his shoulder at her, his grip on the two photos in his right hand growing firmer.

"What."

He would finally reply, letting go of her hand hastily as he turned his head to look back at the scenery in front of him. Penacony in its most beautiful form. Lights for as far as the eye could see.

She would look down at her hand, fingertips brushing against her palm until she sighed, and looked at him with a concerned expression.

"Caelus, we've all been worried about you."

She would say, her voice soft and her expression matching that.

He hung his head lower, he knew that he had worried his friends, but his grief was something he didn't want to affect the others.

"..."

When he didn't reply, Acheron knew to change the subject. Perhaps something that would help her understand just why he left so abruptly.

"Who is that?"

She pointed towards the girl in the second photo he held, she had purple hair and violet eyes. She looked similar to Acheron herself, though she seemed much younger.

"..."

Caelus would look at the photo in his hands, sniffling. He had an arm around the mysterious girl's waist, and the two held up peace signs.

Acheron inferred that the two must've been very close, but she wanted to know why he would hold a photo of her next to his photo of Firefly, someone who is now deceased.

Caelus would turn his head slightly to look at Acheron, his lips quivering yet again.

"Can I trust you?"

He would question, to which she nodded, giving him a reassuring expression.

"Of course you can."

She replied, reaching an open palm to touch him, but pulling away at the last moment.

Caelus would motion for Acheron to get closer, and when she leaned against the railing next to him, he held out the photo of him and the girl, his grip remaining on one side, while Acheron held the opposite side of the small photo.

"She's the greatest person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

He'd begin, his voice already beginning to crack as Acheron noticed that his eyes would look more glazed than before.

"Seele. That's her name, I met her during my first trailblaze expedition."

He'd continue, her breathing showing signs of uneasiness.

"I loved her to death. I wanted to be by her side until death took me. But..."

Tears would flow down his face as he would weep, his grip on the photo tightening.

"But death took her before we could even begin our lives together."

Caelus finished, sniffling as he hung his head even lower, shame and regret overtaking him.

"I- I..."

He choked it out, tears beginning to stain his clothes as they streamed down his neck.

"I could've saved her! What the hell was I doing? I-"

...

"Caelus?"

Seele would call out to him, and when he turned his head around to look at her, she would look at him with watery eyes.

"Will you protect me? Will you love me? Care for me?"

To which he responded...

...

"SEELE!"

Caelus yelled as he reached a hand out towards the oblivious girl, who had been unaware of the sudden change in the massive robot that stood behind her.

She looked at him with a confused expression, raising a brow towards him as she couldn't see the giant metal fist about to swipe her away.

Though Caelus tried, he hesitated. For a reason he did not know why, and that hesitation would lead him to live a life of bounded misery.

The next thing he knew he had her blood on his hands, splattered red staining his clothes as her body fell lifelessly to the ground with a loud, audible thud.

A sound that would repeat in his mind and haunt him for years to come.

...

"Of course."

...

Caelus would snap out of his trance, the memory engraved into his mind. And he was met with the comforting feeling of Acheron's arms around his torso, her firm grip around him comforting in even the deepest depths of his inner hate for himself.

His panicked breathing would slow down, finding comfort in the Galaxy Ranger's embrace.

As he calmed down, Acheron would run a hand through his hair.

"Are you okay?"

She questioned, to which he slowly nodded, sniffling as he let his remaining tears stain Acheron's haori.

She smiled at that, before continuing to understand just why he would disappear and suffer from such self-hatred.

"Now, what about Firefly?"

She would question, and she would notice that Caelus tensed up at the mention of Firefly.

"..."

He didn't reply for some time, pulling away from Acheron's embrace before sniffling and looking at her with a conflicted expression.

"It's just, me and Firefly got close in our short time spent together. It reminded me of Seele."

He would admit, his grip around the photos in his hands tightening yet again.

"It reminded me of the life I and Seele would've shared. Though it didn't even begin, it's similar to me and Firefly."

He'd say, sniffling.

He'd look at the photo in his hands, the one with Firefly.

"I won't ever forget her."

...

"Selfie, selfie... You're right. I've been here so many times. Why didn't I think of taking a photo?"

Firefly would say, chuckling as she looked at Caelus with a hopeful expression.

"I feel a little awkward taking it by myself. Would you like to join me? Let's commemorate this moment."

She'd ask, and Caelus would nod, smiling.

"I'd love to."

He'd say, taking the phone from Firefly's hands and launched the camera app, before extending his hand outward and making sure both of them we're in frame.

"Wait!"

Firefly would shriek, patting down her clothes before looking at the camera with a bright smile.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

She announced, and as she raised up a peace sign, Caelus would see this and smile, putting up one of his own, to Firefly's surprise.

"Cheese!"

And as Caelus snapped the photo, and showed the photo to Firefly, she smiled and giggled.

"Aw, you even copied me!"

Caelus wouldn't reply just yet, smiling as he took the time to admire her expression.

Cute.

...

As a tear ran down Caelus's cheek, Acheron would take his free hand into her own, their fingers intertwining as she gripped his hand firmly.

Caelus would look up at Acheron, locking eyes with her, amber meeting violet.

"You- You won't die too, right?"

He'd ask Acheron, desperation in his trembling voice as he sought comfort in the Galaxy Ranger's words.

Acheron would remain silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She couldn't promise that she'd live, though she wanted to, it wasn't something she could promise. Plus, she didn't want to bring up bad memories relating to Seele accidentally.

"I cannot promise that, but I'll do everything I can to tread my path alongside your own."

She'd state, and that seemed to be enough for him, as he smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

He'd say, reaching out towards her and embracing her once again. Her comforting touch was something he didn't want to leave him, and though he'd lost a chance at friendship with Firefly, and a life-long relationship with Seele, maybe...

Maybe he'd find refuge with Acheron. In her arms.