I do not own FF7 or FF13.


Arc 1: The Forgotten Capital

She had defied her fate, slayed the tyrants of her world, and even God had fallen victim to her blade. Memories are brushed from her palm like dust, and her eyes drift over all lives with reserved nonchalance.

Then a spark of interest, and it reminds her of what it meant to be human again.


The chaos roil in her palms, drifting like the limbless substance it is and coils around her arms. The fireworks that light up the sky calls for her attention and she turns up to look at the exploding festivities. The azure blue eyes peer from the raven mask she dons, giving an air of mystery added to the effect of the garb of the thief she had chosen to wear. It blends in nicely to the parties held in the Augur's Quarters, and hides her identity to avoid the public's attention. "The show is about to start." Aerith's voice breathes life back into her, giving her the sense of urgency and purpose once again.

"This is a waste of time." Lightning grunted, glancing over to the brunette who was gently swirling a cup of champagne in her hand.

"Well, they're just happy their Savior has awakened. It's kinda like your third birthday." Aerith said, "Besides, it's not everyday I get a glimpse of the Unseen Realm."

"I'm not one for revelries."

"Just try to enjoy yourself while we still can." The brunette shrugged lightly, "This is the only night where we don't have to worry about world destruction or have to think about contingency plans." Resting her hands on the railings, Aerith leaned further out and enjoyed the atmosphere from their secluded second floor perch. "We're back to fighting tomorrow so take this time to relax. I'm sure that's what Snow and Serah had wanted."

At the mention of her sister and brother-in-law, Lightning's eyes zeroed on the two frolicking down below. The Patron no doubt drew attention but everyone now knew Serah as the sister of the Goddess. There was a small crowd gathered around them, but the two seemed too absorbed in each other to notice. "I can't relax with blinding lights and deafening crowds."

"That's just because you have no one to spend it with." Aerith swiftly answered as if she had been waiting for Lightning to say it, "I'm sure it would be different if-"

"In case you haven't noticed. I don't like this kind of attention."

"You're the Goddess, it can't be helped that the people here would naturally worship you. You don't exactly present yourself as entirely human to begin with anyways. Go down and mingle."

"I'd rather not."

A small smile played on Aerith's lips as she took a long sip of her drink to properly plan out her next words, "If Tifa were here, she'd drag you back down to where all the humans are."

"Then why are you here, human?" Lightning retorted dryly and the pinkette had avoided the topic just as Aerith had anticipated.

"Don't give yourself that much credit. You may have killed all the Gods of your world, but you're still very human to me. You've struggled with your humanity for these few years and it would be strange if you didn't. You've played the part of Bhunivelze's Etro, but now you're just you."

"What brought this on?" Lightning asked, genuinely curious as to why Aerith would suddenly give her this talk. "I don't need reminding. I know who I am."

"Is that why you avoid talking about Tifa even though you're always thinking about her?" The Savior's expression remained completely unmoved and the mask she was wearing wasn't making it any easier to read the subtle changes of her face, but Aerith had seen the flash of emotion in her eyes. "Don't think I haven't noticed the seemingly non-committal questions you've dropped here and there. You may be good at hiding your emotions, but I can still read you like an open book." She was satisfied as long as she got Lightning thinking about Tifa again. With a job well done, Aerith peeled herself away from the railings and swayed to the music as she headed towards the stairs, "You're a real Heartstealer y'know?"

There was a mild fascination with how easily Aerith had learned to weave her way through this foreign world. Every word the brunette left had always felt as if there was another meaning to them. Sometimes they were straight forward and obvious, sometimes they weren't. That's why Lightning sometimes ignores her but Aerith would always bring the confusing questions and statements back up and leave her in constant questioning. This, though, was clearly about Tifa. It seems as if she would be having one guest after another tonight. "Is she gone?" Lightning glanced over her shoulder to see the dark portal open, revealing Caius as he walked up towards her.

"I didn't expect you to come to these parties."

"If Yeul desires so..."

Smirking with amusement, the pinkette tracked to said Seeress in the crowd with Noel following closely behind, "You could've shown yourself when Aerith was here."

"I find her irritating." Caius huffed, "She asks too many questions."

"It's normal for her to ask questions. She's new to our world."

Crossing his arms, his brow furrowed at the overly bright lights flashing before him, "Is this necessary?"

"Apparently."

"We do not have the time to-"

"Tell Aerith that." Lightning interrupted and felt a sense of smugness when Caius had nothing to say afterwards. Nodding her head at the Cetra talking with the Seeress, she found it even more amusing that Yeul would take such a sudden liking to her. "It's only for today. Aerith and I will head to the Forgotten Capital soon."

"To appease the Lifestream?"

"You could say that. How are things on your end?"

"The Northern Cave."

"That's where Sephiroth is?"

"I've also come across crystallized beasts within the crater."

"Are they a threat?"

Caius simply shifted slightly, his eyes never leaving Yeul and her constant, "I do not wish for Noel to do battle." He had answered the question with an answer to another question.

Crossing her arms, Lightning turned and looked down at the crowd again to find her sister, "I plan on leaving Serah and Snow out of this as well. Sazh has Dajh to take care of. The only ones that I'll allow help from are Fang and Vanille, but even so... these battles might be too dangerous for them. That leaves us."

"Then perhaps we should move now while the eyes are still blinded by the festivities."

"You've got this covered?" Lightning asked motioning down to the party below. The man peered down his nose at the people dancing and drinking.

"Unfortunately." Caius answered, disgruntled by the mere fact that he would have to suffocate in Yusnaan's famed silence-less nights.

She gave him a slight taunting smirk before her body disappeared in a flash, taking her to the inner chambers of the Cathedral in Luxerion. Standing at the center altar surrounded by the five large bronze statues of the battle maidens, Lightning whips out her phone and a piece of paper where she had jotted down a few important notes. She tried the first number first, listening to it ring and ring. Assuming that no one was going to pick up, she had just about to pull away from her ear when it clicked. "Hello. This is Strife Delivery Service. Anything you..." It was her, and Lightning was not prepared even though a part of her had noted the possibility that Tifa would pick up the call. Her hand tightened around the phone, and her breath hitched. Never before, in all of her lifetime, had Lightning froze up like she had. The words caught in her throat and so, she simply cut the line allowing her hand to drop down to her side.

"Tifa..." The name only escapes her afterwards in a whisper. She had difficulty wrapping her tongue around it. It felt awkward, as if she had just met the fighter for the first time. When she had first awoken after Caius had severed the binds Geostigma had on her thirteenth fragment, she neither cared nor thought of the black-haired rebel. This 'Tifa' had been a part of someone else's life; not hers.

However, that was not the case the moment she had accepted Lumina once again and completed her soul. She suddenly secretly dreaded yet anticipated meeting Tifa once again. It was all too confusing and foreign to her. Originally, she had thought of these feelings as remnants of her thirteenth fragment, which would fade in time after its proper integration back into her persona, but the singular concept of 'love' coupled with 'Tifa' lingered in the forefront of her mind. Like a ghost, the black-haired woman haunted her thoughts. Of course, she had done her best to hide it behind a blank and stoic façade, which was easier than expected due to the centuries she had spent as the emotionless being known as Etro, the Goddess of Death and Reincarnation.

The piece of paper slipped through her fingers, her thumb glided against the written numbers on the front before she tried again. This time, she dialed the other number and waited patiently. It had served its full purpose when Cloud's voice answered on the other end. Listening to him made her smirk a little, "Hey," she starts casually, "It's been a while." There's silence on the other end and she knew that a million thoughts were storming through his head at this very moment. Lightning continues talking just in case Cloud doesn't recognize her and decides it's a prank or misdial. "In the wastelands over looking Midgar, you'll see a large sword stuck in the ground. You'll know where to go. Meet me there if you want to see Aerith again." He protested but she had said all that she wanted to. No conversation over the phone would be enough to fully explain everything.

Slipping the phone back into her pocket, Lightning leaned against the altar and stared up at the only statue in the room with a blade and shield. After a three-year standstill, it's time to set things in motion again. Her equilibrium garb equipped with an extra hood came into existence, summoned by her mind. As she held her hand out, the crimson blade materialized in her hand and with one smooth arc, she sheathed it behind her back. Opening a portal behind her, she steps through it once again. There is no longer a 'unseen realm,' there is no 'living realm.' Unlike before, these realms truly meant the same thing now.

The darkness disappears from behind her as the portal closes, leaving her in the dry and desolate wastelands outside of Midgar. The sun's shining brightly high above, not a single cloud in sight, and the waves of heat could be seem swarming above the surface. It was such a different sight from when she had glanced upon this world as Etro. She remembered only lifting an eyebrow at the dying man, bleeding to death from all the bullets that had been lodged into his body as the rain soaked the ground and washed away his blood. Even if she had deemed to do anything, he was out of her reach. On Gaia, her powers were severely limited. However, in the state of mind that she had been back then, she doubted she would've done anything regardless. Although she felt pity, she knew better than to act purely because of it. The consequences of the previous Etro's whimsical nature had profound effects that rippled through time and space, ultimately leading to the destruction of their world. She would not make that same mistake.

Closing her eyes, she summoned the large sword that man had used. After his death, she had taken it from him. It was the only thing she could do. In her stead, she had sent Lumina off to retrieve it. Holding the weapon downwards, she pierced the dry ground and stood the blade upright in his memory. All there was to do now was to wait, and she didn't have to do so for long. The loud rumble of an approaching motorcycle caught her attention and she watched from above the cliff as the familiar blond-haired man drove closer and closer. Pulling the hood over her head to hide her identity and to hide from the sun, Lightning waits patiently until Cloud arrives.

His lack of awareness and interest in the blade lodged into the ground amuses her. He doesn't even notice her entirely until she's leaning against his bike as she fiddled with the phone she had used to call him, "You're early."


Surprise! I'm (kinda) back. Next chapter isn't anything new but it happens around the same time as this one.

For those of you who are new to my stories, this one is a continuation of Fictus Memoriae; another fic of mine centered around a Lightning/Tifa pairing.