Ok so here's my start to the second game which is taking me so long to do because the game is taking too long to finish but the end is in sight. I categorized this in Final Fantasy XIII because I wanted to keep the first one with the second one so it would be easier to find but it takes place in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Enjoy and let me know what you think in reviews!
Waves of icy water flowed over Lightning as she got to her feet. She looked around in confusion before memories battled for a place in her mind. She had been standing guard on the watchtower of Oerba waiting for Hope to visit like he usual did. A strange feeling had settled over her before a light flashed in the sky. She glanced up at the still standing ruins of Cocoon to see a bright light. The very air around her seemed to warp and soon a fissure opened up near the tower. She jumped from her perch and transformed in midair. Flying would get her to the village much faster. She landed and hit the floor running. A massive rumble rolled through the ground and before she knew it, she was falling.
She tried to grab hold of the ground with her claws but the strong force was still dragging her down. She lost her grip and tumbled into darkness only to come out into a tunnel of odd glowing rings. She floated along them until she was thrown into a bright light and blacked out. That was when she found herself here. The land was dreary and bland. Ocean surrounded a half destroyed city. She silently made her way into the city and wandered into the grandest building. A lone throne sat in a spotlight. Lightning walked into the room to better see the majestic throne and was immediately assaulted by images. Images she did not understand nor belonged to her. She recoiled from them until a soft voice spoke to her.
The voice guided her through the images appearing in her mind. She felt tears track down her face from the sheer emotions that ran through her. She understood her purpose and knew what had to be done. She walked forward and fell to her knees in front of the throne. She bowed her head and a light shone on her. It lifted her in the air and slowly changed her clothes into the shiny steel of a knight with a shield on her arm and feathers around her waist. Once her feet touched the floor she immediately sank into a bow of respect. It was her duty to go forth and fight the rising Chaos she had seen threatening everything in existence.
"Only you can defeat this threat Death Wraith. I have chosen you of many because your strength cannot be matched by another. With the extra powers I have granted you, you are only missing one thing. The one who stabilizes your light is still very far from you. He will find his way to you when the time is right. Only you can decide to take on that extra power. For now, you must defend what you can and lead them in the right direction. You know what to do," the voice from within her thoughts stated.
"I will do as you ask," Lightning replied as she stood to full height. She walked out of the room and back outside. In the distance, a figure released a blast of purple light into the sky. The force of the power blew apart rocks which floated in the air. A giant meteor slowly fell from the sky while monsters were called into existence.
"Caius, I will stop you," Lightning whispered. She darted forward and called to the power she was granted. A being of white with a shield, cape, and double sided sword materialized before her. It stood tall and walked forward to await her orders.
"Let's go Odin!" she commanded. It nodded and changed into a horse. She took her place upon its back and together they rode off in pursuit of the black suited, purple haired man named Caius.
Hope left Serah at the hospital and walked back to begin his rounds at the watch tower. It was his turn tonight. As he walked, he began to wonder why everyone had acted like Lightning was some sort of taboo. The only clue Hope had to explain this behavior were strange memories in which Lightning lost herself to darkness and almost destroyed Oerba. They casted her out and she was never seen again. Just the thought made his heart ache. The memories felt like they should belong to him but they just didn't make sense. Lightning never lost control and never failed to keep the town safe from approaching monsters. She never once hurt a single person. He had come to realize his dreams felt more like the truth.
He had dreams of a time when he visited her during work and even lived with her. She loved him and he loved her despite what she had become. His light saved her so why would she have lost control? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He entered the tower and found warmer clothes for his shift on the roof. As he changed, he ran a hand over the marred skin of his shoulder and then down to the claw indentations surrounding his heart. When he was done he sat on his bed. The tower held only one room and that was where he lived. Anyone else who took shifts on watch did not have access to it. He laid back to think for the few minutes he had left.
Everyone kept to the awful story that Lightning had been cast out for what she did. He found himself questioning those around him only to be told he was wrong. Serah was the only one who seemed to hesitate uncomfortably when Hope brought up the subject of Lightning. She seemed sad that she wasn't around just as much as Hope. In fact, Snow believed in Lightning so much that he had left to go find her, leaving Serah to worry about two people she held dear. Hope had a feeling Serah knew something so he decided to sit her down for a talk whether she liked it or not. He rose and glanced out the window before turning to climb the stairs to the top. He stood at the edge, in the exact same spot he saw Lightning stand all those times before. He knew she was out there somewhere and often wondered how she was doing without him.
"Claire, why aren't you here?" he whispered to the wind. He stayed at his post until he was relieved. He made his way back to his room and got ready to sleep. When he finally fell into a restless sleep, he dreamed of Lightning's voice telling him that she needed his and Serah's help. When he tried to reach out to her she was already gone. He awoke with a start and looked around. He hung his head sadly and that's when he saw what he wore. A nice yellow and white jacket with white slacks and a bright blue tie made him jump out of bed and on his feet. He found a pair of boots by his bed and slipped them on.
"When did I get these?" he asked himself. Maybe he should go see Serah. He ran out the door and down the walkway to Serah and Snow's place. He knocked on the door hastily and a very confused, tired, Serah answered. Serah looked worried in a pink and white, elegant, looking wardrobe he had never seen her wear before.
"We need to talk," Hope told her. She nodded knowingly and he walked in.
"What's up with the new clothes? Do you know what's going on?" he asked her after shutting the door. Serah hesitated and then nodded an affirmative.
"It's Lightning; I think she may be trying to reach us in our dreams. These clothes mean something. I just don't know what," Serah said.
"She needs our help. Whatever happened to her that changed our memories of the past is what's going on now. The only thing I can't figure out is how we reach her," Hope said in contemplation. Serah nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's why I've been having dreams of talking to Lightning," Serah said. Hope stared at her with curiosity.
"You've been talking to Light? How come you haven't said anything? What did she say?" Hope demanded.
"Well, she told me that she needed help," Serah said.
"That's what she told me. Do you know where she is?" Hope asked.
"Valhalla," she answered. Hope gave her a confused frown.
"Valhalla, what's that?" he wondered.
"Not what; where, the word just popped into my head but I have no idea where it is. I just know that's where Claire is," Serah responded. Hope began pacing and only stopped when Serah placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry Hope. We'll find her. It's not like she's ever in grave danger. She can take care of herself even when she was human," she stated. Suddenly, there was a flash of light outside. The two of them ran for the door and burst through to see a giant meteor fall from the sky and crash into the ground. The resulting shudder almost knocked them off their feet. People began to panic.
"Look, what's going on?" Hope exclaimed. He glanced around but his eyes were quickly drawn to Serah. She was looking around in a scared manner.
"Serah, are you ok?" Hope asked as he shook her softly to get her attention. She blinked rapidly before turning to him.
"Yeah, I'm alright," she answered.
"Come on, we need to get out of here!" Hope said as he grabbed her by the wrist and ran forward. They were heading for Fang, Vanille, Sazh, and Dajh who were huddled together. Strange bolts of orange lightning hit the ground randomly and mechanical blue bug like monsters materialized to attack fleeing villagers. They were almost to the group when a bolt blocked their path. The monsters quickly surrounded them.
"Looks like we have to fight," Hope said grimly. He looked down at the big pouch now strapped to the side of his hip and was happy to see his Airwing boomerang. He unlatched it and held it firmly. Sazh had made it for him with the components the warriors brought in from their kills. Lightning trained him how to use it since she was the only one with knowledge on almost every type of weapon. He backed up close to Serah with the boomerang in one hand and a shimmering fist ready to cast magic. He was tense but ready. The monsters scuttled forward and Hope launched at the threat. He sent out a blast of electricity followed by a toss of his boomerang. Serah stayed busy by keeping well behind Hope's defenses while casting elementals. With their combined attacks, the monsters were defeated. They made it to the group and fortified their fight force consisting of Sazh, Fang, and Vanille. Serah kept Dajh out of the way of danger.
"Hey you guys. Been wonderin' when you would join the fray," Sazh said as he glanced at them.
"Less talking, more fighting!" Fang commanded with a leap that sunk her spear through a monster on the way down. They fought off groups of the weird creatures until they no longer appeared. The village only suffered minor damage and some people were wounded but there were no casualties.
"What happened?" Fang asked them when they could relax.
"We're just as confused as you," Serah answered.
"What's with the new threads?" Sazh asked them. They all looked down as if wondering too.
"Why, you like them?" Serah questioned playfully. Sazh laughed. Fang ignored her and kept talking.
"We saw a meteor hit the ground not too far out of the village. It hit pretty close to your house Hope. I was thinking we should go check it out to make sure it won't cause us any extra problems," Fang said.
"But what about the villagers; they need help," Vanille spoke up.
"Maybe we should split up? Fang can stay to defend Oerba with Vanille helping the injured. Sazh, I think you should stay so you won't be separated from Dajh. Me and Serah will go check out the meteor," Hope stated.
"Can do; I'll get Vanille, Sazh, and Dajh to the hospital so I can get to work. I'll round up anyone I can. We'll meet up when we know for sure everything here is settled alright?" Fang said as she grabbed Vanille and Sazh. Sazh had grabbed Dajh and hurriedly followed. Hope and Serah took off for the crater.