AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter has now been completely re-written and revised from what was previously uploaded in late 2011, a few months before Final Fantasy XIII-2 released in Japan. Wow. Inconsistencies with the rest of the story have been fixed, and this revised chapter is a better idea of my writing style today, two years later. Thank you for reading, and feel free to review! They are so glorious…

Valiantly,

Cranberry Knight-XIII

.:WORLDS COLLIDE:.

Chapter I – A New Crystal Legend

Wake up.

Deep in her crystal sleep, a slight warmth began to creep through the crystalline contours of her body, beginning from her toes to her head, spreading slowly. At the edges of her drifting mind, a strange pulling sensation arose, nudging her, like some foreign encouragement reviving her body, entrapped in a shell of crystal. Gradually, feeling spread through her, starting from her feet to the top of her head. The smooth crystal shone briefly in the setting sun, until with a jolt it dissipated and was swept away on the wind, revealing a returning soul to life.

Cool air met her face in a gust, filling her nostrils with the scent of dirt and grass. Lightning couldn't remember a smell that could be more welcome.

Her eyes fluttered open, perfect eyelashes giving way to a familiar landscape of dirt and plentiful grass that stretched as far as she could see. Her breath came in a shuddering gasp, as if breaking the surface of water. The young soldier's crystalline eyes flitted from the world and down to her hands. Her eyes widened as she stared at her normal GC uniform. It was all there: navy blue gloves, red leather pack strapped to her thigh, and even her zirconium lightning pendent. She lifted her hands, testing the strength in them and making a fist. The cool leather encasing her hand stretched slightly, the sun reflecting off of the golden bullet cases on the back of the glove. This was real.

As the sun shifted, a looming shadow slightly shaded the ground. The pink-haired l'Cie lifted her eyes and whipped around, and sucked in a breath, shocked.

A giant crystal structure towered over the Pulsian world like a sentry at his post. Complex swirls and jabs of crystal jutted smoothly and sometimes irregularly on the surface. Wisps of impossibly thin crystal swirls flowed together to create a sold covering of the entire planet, but left a gaping opening. In the middle of it all, Lightning saw, was the now non-existent light that was once Eden. The crystal spiraled into a thick pillar that connected Cocoon to Pulse.

There was commotion at the base of the crystallized Cocoon but Lightning didn't notice. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Cocoon…was gone. Just minutes, or was it hours, maybe even days ago?, it seemed as if all hope was lost as she floated upwards into the air, surrounded by flurries of crystal, looking down at Vanille and Fang as the two embraced their fate.

"They did it," Lightning breathed, "they saved the world."

The grass slightly swished behind her. "No, they gave us a new one."

Lightning turned in relief to find Snow, Sazh, and Hope approaching her side, eyes disbelieving as they took in the beauty of Cocoon's crystallized form.

Sazh grinned. "That's one gift I'll forgive 'em for not wrapping," he said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah."

This is as much as we can do. The rest is up to you.

The four former l'Cie cast their eyes to the hundreds of people crowding and stumbling along at the base of the crystal pillar. Several Guardian Corps and PSICOM soldiers were guiding citizens along airship platforms as they gaped at the scenery around them.

"So…does this mean we completed our Focus?" Hope wondered aloud, vocalizing the question they all had.

"Cocoon's seen better days, that's for sure."

Sazh looked up at Cocoon again, the structure reflecting in his dark eyes. "I'd say that qualifies as a demolition: Focus complete."

Huh. Whatever you want to believe.

Lightning shook her head in amazement, smiling up at the crystal sculpture. "It really is a miracle…"

"My brand!" Hope exclaimed suddenly. The others whipped around. "It's gone!"

All of their hearts stopped. Sazh was the first to dare to look, astonished to find no sign of an ugly l'Cie tattoo, no longer tainted red printed across the chest and instead, only the faintest of scars.

Snow glanced at his arm, lips breaking into a wide grin. Sazh threw up his arms as Hope smiled. Finally after their endless journey the brands were gone for good. Lightning looked down at her uniform, laying a hand over where her brand used to be. She could just tell the brand wasn't there anymore. The dark feeling was gone, that feeling she used to get that made her feel as if her time was running short.

Out of the corner of her eye Lightning noticed Snow looking at her, or rather, Snow looking past her. At first his face displayed pure disbelief but quickly morphed into the most elated expression Lightning had ever seen.

"Serah!" he shouted, taking off at a dead sprint. Lightning, Sazh, and Hope turned to face the horizon, blinded by light. Lightning shaded her eyes from the setting sun with a hand, eyes widening in raw disbelief. Still quite a ways away a tall, thin figure was strolling along next to a small boy with a dark afro, much like Sazh's.

The tall figure hadn't seen or heard Snow and their attention was focused on each other.

"Yeah," the little boy exclaimed, "an-an, there was a big bunch a chocobos!"

"There was?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, look over there."

Suddenly the tall figure's facial features cleared. Serah Farron, the Pulse l'Cie that she had fought both Cocoon and Pulse's fal'Cie to save, alive and whole.

"Serah!" Snow exclaimed, wrapping Serah in a delighted embrace and twirling her around, causing the younger Farron to lose her balance. She laughed and threw her arms around him in raw elation.

"It is," the soldier breathed, her lips breaking into a very small (and rare) smile.

Sazh ran up to his little boy and cradled him to his chest, patting him to check for injuries. "Dajh! Are you okay?" Dajh's only reply was a muffled "Yeah, Daddy!" as his face was buried in his father's shoulder. A burst of happiness came from Sazh in the form of laughter and Dajh was soon giggling along with him.

From behind Lightning came Hope's voice. "They're really gone, aren't they?"

Lightning smiled slightly and placed a reassuring hand in his shoulder. Just the fact that he knew she would be there to help him guide him through whatever future ordeals challenged him reassured his conscious more than words ever could. "I guess they really meant for this to be good-bye. Then again," he said, picking his head up, "we've changed our fates before."

Before he could say another word Serah galloped to meet her, releasing Snow's hand as the Farrons gazed into each other's eyes. It was Serah who stepped forward first, wrapping her elder sister in tight hold, shedding a happy tear. Lightning herself willed herself to hold back the tears of contentment that threatened to overflow.

"Serah," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Serah smiled and withdrew from the embrace, smiling. "It's okay."

Lightning opened her mouth to say something else but Serah was suddenly jerked from her, a firm hand gripping her shoulder. "Hey, no apologies now! We've got a wedding to plan!"

Lightning shook her head and laughed. He never gave up, did he?

"You don't waste a lot of time, do you?" Hope teased.

Snow laughed. For now, it seemed as if he had all the time in the world. "No I don't!"

"That's right, just charge in, guns blazin'."

Everything…was perfect.

"I swear, I will make her happy," Snow pledged.

Normal. Nothing could go wrong.

"I believe you."

In the shadow of Cocoon's new, crystal shell, six l'Cie reunited with each other. Because of the miracles that occurred that day they stood together with the knowledge that the fights they bled and sweated through, the insults they received, the wounds they lived with...it was worth it all. Latching onto a small chance of survival with a promise to challenge destiny.

"Congrats."

Who could have ever known a simple, innocent promise would save an entire planet?

When prayers turn to promises, not even fate can stand in their way.

We held the light of hope in our hearts, and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet the new dawn.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed! I will next be revising chapters 2-5, and updating a few things in 6, if anyone is interested.

-Cranberry Knight-XIII