Title: a song for returning home

Prompt: a song for returning home

A/N: For the Tales Big Bang! I took this as an excuse to write my favourite trio Natalia, Luke, and Guy. It's a bit of a slow burn because they're all dense idiots.

Summary: Somewhere, someone was singing. A song calling him home. A song calling Luke home.

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Somewhere, someone was singing. There was something achingly familiar about it, a memory he could almost but not quite touch. It was a sad song, a lonely song, a song of absence. Of his absence. Yes, that sounded right.

This was a song for Luke. No, a song for him—he was Luke.

At that realization, Luke struggled to get up. To move despite his phantom limbs. He was missing and he had to go back. Back where? Home. He had to go home. To where they were—to where Tear sang as though her heart was breaking and Guy pushed down his own unease and comforted others and Natalia made a strangled sound as she failed to hide her own feelings. He couldn't see them, couldn't hear them, but he knew that that was the case. Luke had to get to them. They were home.

That was my home, a bitter voice muttered, cutting through the song.

Who, Luke tried to ask, but no sound came out. Nor could he see anything, just a landscape of black darker than the night sky. Even the ground didn't feel real, as though he were floating in the depths of the ocean. Was he dreaming? Was that why he was here, and not with them? Something had happened to him, but he couldn't remember what.

I always knew you were useless, but I didn't think you were that bad. A hand grabbed Luke's firmly, a sensation that rippled through his body like an earthquake, and yanked him up. Now get going. Do something helpful for once.

"I'm not useless," Luke muttered. He covered his mouth, the sound surprised him. It was more solid than the other voice. More real.

So you can talk. The hands were on Luke's back now. You've already taken everything else, you might as well take this too. Before Luke could say anything, he was shoved.

And just like with his voice, his body suddenly gained a weight to it. His legs started to prick, an electric sensation running up his spine. His arms ached as though they were holding something. Even the darkness was starting to disappear, the black turning grey turning white.

The voice that had been so loud and close, now sounded more like a ghost's. Faintly, just faintly, Luke could make out its final words. And tell her I'm sorry. I can't keep my promise.

Luke's eyes fluttered open.

He was alive.