Everything that the entourage had been fighting for was finally accomplished; friends and family reunited, a life led for the purpose of sacrifice was no more for the citizens of Cocoon, and life was finally able to continue for the former L'Cie. However, these freedoms come at a price. The group must now face remnant factions of Sanctum followers, erase the damage done to Cocoon and it's people, and learn to face this new way of life. Needless to say, it will not be easy, it may even be impossible, but it's not a question of can or can't.

Hey there. My name Is SmashingSeltzer, and I will be your fanfic attendant for this story. This is my first Fan Fiction, on this or any other website. If you've made it this far in, I hope I don't have to tell you what it's about, but there are a few things I should mention about this one;

First of all, This story WILL contain Spoilers for the game it is based off of. That's all I'll say about that. Next, I'm going to be using a variety of writing styles perspectives as this story progresses. Don't be freaked out if things suddenly change in that department, but it won't be anything annoying. Finally, This first chapter is on the short side, but it's a Datalog entry. Future chapters will be longer. Lets just get on with it, hm?


Chapter One: Datalog entry: Lightning Farron; 30 May, 0002

"Everything we've been working towards has finally come to be. Though, if the events that had just past us weren't recorded in this Datalog, I don't think anyone would believe that they ever happened…

…Restatement: The events which led up to Cocoon's near destruction ever happened; I think it would be pretty hard not to notice Cocoon as it is now. "

"Still though, even knowing all that I know, looking at my home suspended by the massive pillar of crystal that Fang and Vanille gave us…It was hard to believe my own eyes. I can't imagine what everyone else on Cocoon must have been be thinking. "

"The two of them; we owe them for all of this. Everyone we care for, our home and our future were all kept alive because of their sacrifice. I'll see to it that their act is never forgotten. All of Cocoon will know who their saviors are.

They wouldn't want me to sulk though, not when there is so much to rejoice over. "

"Serah is back with us, and she is happier than I've seen her since she became a l'Cie, and Snow probably has something to do with it. I had better talk to him one more time, to make sure he got my point last time… "

"I talked with her for a little bit, for as long as Snow would let her go, anyway. It's strange to think that such a small amount of time could change so much. The first thing she did was apologize for not telling me about everything sooner. If I were who I was a few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to take that. I guess that's another benefit that that time has brought. She had a lot of questions, but I told her I would have to fill her in later; the first event seems to blend with the last.

"… At any rate, I managed to get Serah to explain what it was like while she was encased in crystal for so long. At least there's one thing that wasn't just some Fal'Cie ruse. Her memory was pretty foggy, she said, but the way she explains it, it sounds like she was sleeping the whole time, waiting to come back to us. It still makes me shudder to think about, though. What I'm still wondering is how she and Dajh wound up at the foot of the pillar; I'm sure that both of them were captured and retained by PSICOM at different points…

…I guess it really isn't important how they got down here on Gran Pulse. They're here, and that's all that matters. That's what Sazh says, anyway, and I guess he's right about that."

"He was probably happier than any of us at that point, seeing his son alive and well again. It was the first time I've ever seen Sazh so happy.

"Then again, with the way things have been, I think I could say the same for everyone."

"It's strange though, while we were celebrating, Hope seemed to only be half-interested. I guess I can't blame him, though. He's just a kid, and after all that we've been through, I think he has a right to however he wants to feel.

As a matter of fact, he is probably the only one out of all of us who didn't have something other than saving the world to fight for. I'll go to his house later and talk with him when I can. "

"After things began to calm down a bit, we were given a lift up to Cocoon by one of PSICOM's vessels. Most of the soldiers seemed relieved to be done with this ordeal, but I couldn't help but shake the feeling that us former l'Cie weren't completely welcome amongst everyone else. I don't know if any of the others got the same vibe I did, but then again, after what happened while we were on board, I can't blame them if they weren't thinking about it."

"Our vessel's energy supply ran dry after a few minutes, while we were hovering above Cocoon. Things got a little too close for comfort. I'm just glad that we held on to those Grav-con units we picked up near Edenhall. Without those, it would have been pretty hard to make that landing safely…

…I hadn't even thought to use mine at first. I tried to call Odin to my side, but I guess Eidolons don't really take orders from non-magical humans. That's going to be something to get used to. "

"As much as we needed to get rid of the Fal'Cie, it's definitely going to be a challenge to live without them. Even if that ship had been running around since the 'Pulsian Invasion', it wouldn't have needed to land for a few more hours at least by the time we were on board.

What am I saying? We're probably more used to life without the Fal'Cie than anyone who is on Cocoon, having been on the run. I'd bet that those soldiers were more shocked than we were. "

"I shouldn't worry about that right now, though. There's a lot to do in the coming weeks, and I think we'll need all of our energy at the ready to see everything through. We may have defeated the source of our problems, but the effects of living a life pampered by Fal'Cie aren't things that are just going to go away."

"…Besides, Mrs. Villiers wouldn't forgive me if I was worried like this at her wedding."

Review, people! This is my first real shot at storytelling, so I need all the input I can get. Expect the next chapter out next week, I've got things planned out for a while. Smashing Seltzer, Away!

(Why do people ask for others to 'read and review' at the bottom of their chapters? I think they've already done the first part of that.)