Hello again! I wanted to write a different one-shot (yet again) The other day (Feb 2) i got FF13-2 that I've pre-ordered since December and I've been playing it since. It's a really good game. Anyway after beating the game twice I began to think of Snow and Lightning. No hints. T_T
I remember in chapter three where Snow fades when you beat that giant flan thingy. After that we really don't know where he went off to (ignore the paradox endings, to me their 'what if' endings. not part of the main storyline.) so i thought maybe he went somewhere else, maybe he went to Lightning and finally found her!
Well that is what i think and so, that is what this one-shot is about. Enjoy!
~midnight
An Unusual Paradox.
In a city drowning in the remnant of chaos, a peculiar structure stands quietly amidst the abandoned town. By the lifeless sea, crystals shine dimly in the sun. There is no sign of life in this city shrouded by a desolate sky. This world had no life or death, an endless loop of possibilities. There in the darkness stood a goddess. Armour covered her slim figure, her weapon at the ready as she brushed her pink hair over her right shoulder.
In Valhalla she could see everything; she could predict everything that will happen in the timeline. Except the endless fights she would have against Caius. The man that kept the heart of Etro in him, a man that would live for centuries to come. He could never die no matter times she raised her blade against him.
She threw her gun blade straight onto the dry dirt, again after her hard work she got the same result; a draw. She looks around her, old buildings began to crumble and the empty sky still remained the same. But something appeared right in front of her that she never predicted.
A young girl around the age of eight or nine appeared a few feet away from her. She had pink short hair and faded blond tips at the end. Her eyes were stunning blue, she wore a long white dress with a brown ribbon wrapped around her waist and in her arms was a Carbuncle doll with a long red scarf wrapped around her neck. The little girl was confused but not afraid of Lightning's appearance.
"A girl?" Lightning thought. "How? A paradox effect? If so why didn't I see this coming?"
The girl kept staring at the young adult.
"She looks like Serah and Snow's daughter, but if she part of the paradox or not is still unknown." Lightning picked up her blade and returned it away from the child's eyes. "What is your name?" Lightning demanded.
"Averia." The girl replied like a solider would. This caught Lightning by surprise. "Averia Farron." She added.
"A child from our family pass, Future perhaps? None of this makes any sense. Either way she is family." "You sure that is your name?" the young girl nodded. "How did you get here?"
"I can't remember. I was with my mother and father then I arrived here." For a child that was seen as an eight or nine year old Lightning was impressed by her formal and fluent language. "What is this place?"
"Valhalla." Lightning spoke.
"Mother spoke that place to me once." The girl held her doll tighter. "Mother..."
Lightning knew the pain of losing a mother. Lucky for her she was able to have her by her side until she was fifteen unlike the little girl in front for her who only had for around nine. Lightning kneeled down to the girl's height and patted her head softly.
"I promise I will help you find your mother and return you to your proper time." Lightning ended her sentence by thinking to herself.
"Thank you." Averia faintly smiled.
It felt strange to have somebody else to share a conversation with without trying to kill one another in the process. Lighting thought to herself why a child appeared in Valhalla and not in one of the areas Serah and Noel have yet to discover. Why did Averia showed up in Valhalla in all places? A place where time does not exist or life.
The temple of Etro, the first place she arrived when she was sucked into the paradox. She bowed down to Etro's throne and was given powers that would be found within a goddess. It was her home, and for now it became Averia's home as well.
Averia's face soon has a smile as she ran into the temple which Lightning found very unusual.
"This child has such strange taste."
The temple was mainly made with stone and was rather dull and simple compared to others seen on television programs. The only 'real' material was the light violet curtains placed on all the side entrances arches. The floors were made with black marble and in the middle stood a crystal pillar with a thrown merged into it. This was known as Etro's thrown; the Goddess that saved her and her friends from the curse of an I'Cie three years ago.
"Daddy!" Averia called out.
One after the other Lightning was shocked to see another person beside from Caius in front of her. Snow Villas, her younger sister's fiancé was in Valhalla. Lightning was convinced that she was in a dream now but time did not flow in her new world so sleep was out of the question.
"Snow, how...unexpected." Lightning spoke, this was truly something she couldn't or predicted.
"Hey there sis!" Snow greeted. Lightning smiled before punching him in the face. To Lightning it was her typical way to say hi in just a more violent way. Averia ran to her father's side. "Is that a way you greet me? I thought we were on good terms and..." Snow glanced at the young girl. "...did you call me 'daddy'?" Averia nodded. "...okay..." Snow was unconvinced but he didn't mind being the girl's father.
Lightning picked Snow up by his shirt. "What are you doing here in Valhalla?" She screamed. Snow raised his hands in surrender.
"I have no idea. After I helped Serah and Noel beat this giant flan I began to fade away. Like I have control of where I would go." Lighting dropped Snow onto the floor after his explanation.
"In Valhalla I can see the entire timeline so why didn't I at least see this coming?" Lightning muttered.
On the other hand Snow looked at the little girl that was holding his hand and looking at her with sapphire eyes. Snow picked the girl into his arms and smiled.
"I never knew I would be a father so soon." Snow laughed. Averia giggled afterwards. Snow walked up to Lightning who was heavy into her own thoughts. "So you think this is another paradox effect?" Lighting looked at Snow and nodded. "So that means we can't leave then?"
"There are no gates here in Valhalla that I can see right now. So that means Caius can't get here as well until we solve this unusual paradox."
"Well that means we can have some good old family bonding time, right Lightning?" Snow cheered. Averia copied her father. Lightning wanted to face palm herself but sighed instead.
"What an annoying hero."
It was another endless night in Valhalla and for the past three years this is the sky Lightning got to see every day of her life. She didn't know if she was still twenty-one or twenty-four. But her age didn't worry her; it was the strange appearance of Snow and Averia that bothered her the most.
She removed all her silvery armour and placed them on the beach as she slowly dipped her feet into the clear waters of Valhalla. The glow of the full moon lit up the waters and made it shine as if they were newly polished diamonds. She placed her hands on her chest to summon a ruby coloured crystal rose; Lightning smashed it to release her trusty stead, Odin.
He formed himself into a shaped of a horse. Lightning walked up to Lightning and placed her forehead on it snout and closed her eyes. She would always summon Odin when she was alone. Even Odin could never talk to her and ask what was wrong; he knew that when Lightning summoned him it was to fight against Caius or to be there for her when she was deep in confusion.
"Hey Lightning!" Snow called. The goddess looked up and saw her sister's fiancé and Serah's child running towards them. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"
"This is what I do when I want to get away from irritating heroes." Averia laughed. Lightning looked at the little girl.
"So true!" Averia continued to laugh as Lightning faintly smiled at the girl.
"See even a nine year old thinks you're annoying."
"But that what makes the children like me so much." Father and daughter laughed together.
Averia looked up at Odin and smiled. She smiled and went to embrace the horse. Odin looked down at the young girl and then looked up at his master.
"This is Averia Odin." Lightning introduced the summoned horse to Averia. "Snow and she are here because of a paradox. That's why Caius isn't around."
"So who is this Caius guy? Another boyfriend you dumped?" Snow soon left a powerful elbow jab in his stomach.
"He is trying to destroy time and the future itself to save a seeress." Lightning explained.
"Sounds like something we did with Serah." Lightning glared at Snow with his use of 'we'
As the two complained Averia soon made her way on top of the horse and into the saddle. Averia grinned and whispered to the horse to move. Odin never enjoyed Lightning bickering with anyone, even back on Grand Pulse. He found it rather...immature. Odin turned around with Averia on his back and slowly their pace increased. It was until Lightning and Snow heard horse footsteps running around in their heads that they noticed a nice year old girl riding Odin like she had done it many many times before.
"It's Vile Peaks all over again." Lightning sighed. Lightning chased after Odin until she felt Snow holding her back.
"Relax sis, let the kid have some fun." Lightning sighed.
"I guess Odin can look after a nine year old."
But before long, Averia had returned to the two adults with a giant grin on her face. Light and Snow looked at each other in confusion.
"Odin wants you to ride him with me." she spoke. "Is that okay Miss Light?" Lightning didn't reply but got on Odin, right behind Averia.
"Sure but I have to teach you how to ride him properly." Lightning spoke. Averia nodded.
The two made their way and rode side by side with the sea and the edge of the white sand. Snow placed his hands into his pockets and watched the two young girls riding Odin and enjoying themselves along the way.
He once saw a vision; when he was encased in crystal. He saw he was reunited with his darling Serah with Fang and Vanille with them as well, the whole group really. And even Lightning was there as well and she was...smiling. But when Serah came to him, Lightning wasn't there to greet her. Serah complained and told him that she was there. She was supposed to.
He believed her even if she was the only one that remembered the truth. He searched for Lightning for so long, so long that he lost count on how many gates he had passed through. Now he finally found the most important person in Serah's life. Now she could be truly happy. But Light looked determine that she had no plans to leave Valhalla; it was like she had something else to do before she could go home.
Snow remembered how Lightning greeted him, either by rude calls or multiple punches in his face. But as they travelled together she became more involved with the group, talked more and even made friends. Snow found it hard to believe it at first though, a rough cold solider to a soft motherly type was something that anybody would find hard to believe.
There were times where he and she would be alone. When Snow was down she would be there to knock some sense back into him. Lightning was also the one that looked after his wounds when he was badly injured. She didn't leave his side not once...but why did she stayed? Was it because he was going to marry his sister or was it something...more?
He couldn't hide that he was once attracted to Lightning and he knew some of her squad members were too but were too scared to say it to her face and Snow couldn't blame them.
"She prefers if you skip the lectures."
He nearly got a scar from Lightning's gun blade that day. He thought he knew her well. Oh how wrong was he.
"Once we're home, what's your plan? You're getting married, right?"
Of course he would. Snow couldn't wait to see Serah in a wedding dress with a bunch of roses in her hands, smiling back at her. But he could never remember what caused Lightning to ask such a straight forward question. Out of all people she should know that answer!
"You are getting married, aren't you? Don't you let her down, you hear me?"
Lightning thought of the words she shared with Snow that day. She asked questions she knew the answers to yet she asked them anyway. The days, weeks with Snow should have told her that he was going to get married to her sister after they save her. She knew but why did she asked such stupid questions?
"Don't worry. this tear will be her last .I'll make sure of that."
She smiled when he heard that but if she believed him was a different story. She now understood Snow more now after all the travelling they did together. He wasn't all talk that she thought he was once, his words sunk deep into her. His words gave meaning to her now.
"We will see her right?"
She placed her fist against his back. It wasn't a heavy punch she would do every time her fist came into contact with him. Lightning forced herself to Snow there was no time for doubts. The work they had done, no doubts deserved to exist. Lightning watched as Averia rode Odin much better than she first started. She glanced over to Snow and watched them both having the time of their life. It had been such a long time since she enjoyed herself like she was a child again.
"We'll see her again. And soon. You convinced me of that. So stay strong."
'We', she never thought she would group herself and Snow under the same category of the word 'we'. Snow meant something to her now but refused to accept it. Maybe she said those words because she was down and wanted to talk to somebody so badly and it so happen to be Snow. But would she still be soft on anybody else if it wasn't Snow that happened to cross paths with her?
"We'll finish this, and see her together."
It was confirmed. Lightning meant something to him. He wouldn't go into different times if she didn't. He wouldn't go if he didn't remember what his fiancé was saying. But did all mean that he loved Lightning? Snow shook his head. No time to think of such silly things. He found Lightning and kept his promise to Serah.
"Hey." Lightning snapped Snow out of his thoughts. "It's not like you to be over thinking things."
"Yeah your right." Lightning stepped off Odin and helped Averia to get off as well.
"Dad did you see me? Was I great?" Snow kneeled down to the girl's height and smiled.
"Sure did!" He patted the girl on her head softly. "You're great! Who taught you 'ria?"
"I think...my mother. But I'm not sure." Averia began to ponder but soon gave up. The young girl looked up at Odin. "Let's take a walk horsey!" Odin looked at his master and waited for Lightning's approver before walking with the child on the beach.
Lightning was planning to head back to the temple of Etro to pray to the goddess's safety until he felt Snow grab her hand. Lightning glanced over her shoulder before turning to face her future brother-in-law. She crossed her arms and glared at Snow.
"You know I hate being dragged from my plans."
"I know," Snow scratched his head. "But I need to ask you something." The adult looked down to his feet and played with the sand before looking back at Light. "Can I have your blessing for me and Serah to get married?"
Lightning feared to hear such a thing. But why? Lightning was in the mist of more confusion. She soon felt Snow put both of his hands on Lightning's arms. The solider looked up and noticed something she never took in before.
Snow was an attractive man; he had a good built body and an interesting personality that kept life interesting when anyone was with him. She didn't really approve his new hairstyle though. Lightning looked away but Snow kept pulling her closer to him. She felt her head placed on his torso as Snow wrapped his arms around her.
"Lightning...do you think if Serah wasn't released from her sleep so quickly do you think...we could have had a chance?" Snow felt uneasy when he spoke something involving Lightning and him together. He was expecting some sort of abuse from her but Lightning did not move so Snow took it in as to keep on talking. "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying such things."
"Maybe." Snow nearly let Lightning out of his grasp when he heard the response to his first question. "It's nice to think that I would have a peaceful life after this. It's nice to dream." Snow placed his hands back on Lightning's arms and held her tight.
"What if we...make it come true?" Lightning looked away.
"Serah will never forgive me. I'm staying in this place because of her. I'm making sure she will live in a better future, and if it means that I won't be there with her then so be it!"
"Stop saying things like that!" Snow yelled in a worried tone. "Serah is lucky to have a sister like you, always looking after her but what about yourself? When was the last time you were happy Light? When?"
"I was happy when I was travelling with you and the others. It was a sad time but to be able to have people to rely on when I was down...made me happy. I was happy because I had a family." Lightning looked back at Snow. "And somehow, your annoying hero phrases lighten the load on everything." Snow back away and walked backwards into the water and held out his hand to her.
"I still want to make that dream come true. I'm sure you know it Light. You know the one where I saw a future where you were smiling." Snow looked around at his surroundings. "This isn't the world I pictured but it will do." Lightning took a few steps closer to Snow in confusion.
"What are you saying?"
"I want to see you smile more." Snow grinned. "I want to see my dream again."
"A few punches can take care of that." Light spoke. Snow laughed. Lightning sighed afterwards and walked into the water and followed Snow.
But as Lightning walked closer to Snow, Snow cheekily walked deeper into the water and would only stop until Lightning would grab his hand. Lightning never liked the idea of touching a man or a man that belonged to somebody else. She stared at Snow. The other person that made her happy beside Serah was Snow, unusual concept she thought but it didn't hurt to be happy for once and awhile right?
She reached out for his hand and held it tight. Snow did the same and helped the goddess to him. When they were closer to one another Snow lifted his hand and made Lightning twirl like they were dancing. He did it once more before Lightning stopped and watched the moon.
"I never thought I would be able to enjoy peace here in Valhalla like this." She spoke softly.
"I never thought I would be able to be happy again." Light looked up at Snow in shock. Snow was looking at the brightly lit full moon as well. "Three years, that's how long I've been looking for you. Three years all alone and fighting against fiends. Nobody but myself." The blond looked back at the goddess. "And all that time I've been thinking of the times of us together. Strange isn't it?" Lightning shook her head.
"It's normal to think about your love ones when you're sad or alone." She felt Snow slowly wrapping his arms around her once more and move his face closer to her. "And it natural to love them as well."
She never kissed anybody on the lips before or even a soft kiss on the cheek when Serah was around. She was tough as nails, a stone heart. She was the monster nobody wanted to be around. But Snow, out of all the men she knew from her past life he was the only one that was strong enough to see and tame her. She saw him stupid at first to even try to get to know her but without her taking any notice she had fallen head over feet for him. She either was too dense to notice her feelings or refused to accept them.
He never saw this coming; kissing his fiancé's sister. He never saw the day he would admit that he liked her or even love her. He was always thinking of Serah or how to save her. But times changed as they came closer to that goal. He remembered when he saw Lightning, back when she was a solider he was attracted to her. He was only eighteen then and he wanted to know her and do what boys his age wanted to do. So by getting to Serah he would get to Lightning, or so he thought. She was hard as rock; too stubborn to move. And just like that his attraction to Lightning went to Serah instead.
But when Serah was being held prisoner by the Fal'Cie everything began to change. His attraction to Lightning started to grow once more.
They both looked at one another, Lightning looked away in embarrassment. She never prepared herself when it came to things like love or boyfriends.
"Hey don't worry. We'll take it one step at a time." Snow placed his hand on her shoulder. Lightning didn't reply but Snow knew she agreed with the idea.
"Alright!" Averia cheered. "We finally finished the sand castle." Averia tugged her father's sleeve. "Is it good dad?"
Snow laughed. "Well it looks much better than the buildings we have around here." Lightning chuckled and tried to cover her smiled but remember what Snow told her. Averia turned around to face Lightning.
"Well what do you think Mom?" Lightning stopped laughing when she heard the young girl call her mother. "Is that okay if I call you that?" Lightning took a sigh of relief and patted Averia on her shoulder.
"Yeah." The young girl smiled and went back to her sand castle.
"So Ria, what is your castle suppose to look like?" the nice year old pointed at the temple of Etro.
"I remember my mother talking about stories of Etro before I go to sleep." Snow looked at Lightning and gave that look 'do you think of what I'm thinking?' Lightning shook her head.
"I'm not ready to be a mother." Lightning spoke with her lips.
"But you are ready. You were a mother to Hope am I right?" Snow spoke. Lightning stood up and walked back to the temple. Snow stood up. "Hey Claire, don't walk away from me now!"
Claire. It had been such a long time since she heard that fragile name. She saw it as a cursed name, weak, pathetic and useless. She wrapped her arms around her and closed her eyes.
"Don't speak that name again, Villers."
"Light..." Snow sighed as he walked towards the fragile little girl. "Sorry. Like I was saying you're capable of being a mother, you looked after Serah and Hope. Averia isn't any different."
"Just because I look after children doesn't mean I'm their mother." Lightning continued to make her way to the temple. Snow watched as Lightning made back to her home.
"No!" she screamed. "The timeline has been changed. This isn't what supposed to happen." Lightning fell to her knees.
"Light?" Snow asked as he and his daughter walked into the room. Snow went down to Light's height and held her in his arms. "What's wrong?"
"The future, it's been changed but...no, it can't happen!" She looked up at Etro's thrown. "Maybe..."
Lightning stood up quickly and made her way to Etro's thrown but felt Snow had dragged her down to earth. Lightning fell onto of Snow.
"What do you think you're doing?" He yelled.
"You don't understand. I need to do this!" She complained.
"Then let me understand." Lightning sighed. There was no time for this.
"Serah and Noel, they just helped Hope to raise the new Cocoon but at the price of the Goddess life. The goddess is dead which means the new Cocoon Hope worked so hard for is turning into a new Valhalla." Lightning picked herself up and Snow soon followed.
"What about Serah and the others?" Snow asked. Lightning slammed her fist into the ice of Etro's thrown.
"That's why I need to do this. Serah's life cannot go to waste."
Snow felt like somebody had ripped his heart out. Serah was...dead? How? Snow clenched his fists.
"Why Etro?" Snow cried. "Why punish us like this?"
"It's not the goddess fault. Noel was forced to slay Caius which held Etro's heart." Lightning looked at the thrown before hearing Averia's scream.
"Aunty is dead?" Lightning's eyes widen in shock. "But...how?" Light kneeled down to the child's height and placed her hands on her shoulder. Averia began to cry in front of the warrior. "I remember now...everything about myself and my parents." Lightning wiped the girl's tears away. "You're my mother Light. You're my mother." Averia ran to embrace her mother.
It came to her as a shock, to suddenly be confrontation of parenthood but deep in her, she somehow knew Averia was her child but she wasn't the type of person that believed in her gut. She held her child tight and couldn't help but shed her own tears. Lightning couldn't be any happier. She was glad to know that her decision she was about to make would lead to a better future, and a future she would be happy and be able to live in peace. She opened her eyes and saw Averia beginning to fade.
"The paradox..." Lightning looked at Etro's chair before looking at her daughter. "No...This isn't a paradox." She held Averia tighter. "Here, is where your heart desires come true." Lightning looked at her child and ran her fingers through her curls. "I wished to see a future where I could live in peace and happiness so Etro granted that."
"Mommy..." Averia continued to cry. "We will see each other again right?" Lightning nodded and smiled.
"Of course," She kissed the young girl on the forehead. "Mommy will be waiting for you."
And just like that Averia faded into tiny fragments of crystal and faded into her own time. Snow held his hand to Lightning and dragged her to him.
"That means I'll be going back to my time as well." Lightning dug her face into Snow's chest. Lightning knew but didn't want to accept it. "Hey look at it like this." Snow pulled Lightning's face away from his chest and onto his lips, a soft quick kiss on his lips. "At least you'll be able to enjoy the future you worked so hard to save." Lightning nodded. Soon Snow's body began to light up.
"I'm happy to know that Snow." She held his trench coat tightly. Snow took this of a sign that the solider was scared and nervous. "At least when I wake up I'll be able to be with everyone I love." Snow lifted Lightning's chin until their eyes met once more. Lightning loosen her grip afterwards.
"And I'll be waiting." Snow spoke. Lightning moved her lips until they met with Snow's.
And both kissed until she felt he was no longer there.
The goddess looked up at the empty seat and thought of the new Cocoon that Serah and everyone else worked hard to save. She didn't want all their efforts to go to waste. The solider made her way to the chair and thought of her friends as she filled up the seat. As she felt her body being encased by stone she thought of Snow and Averia.
She knew it was impossible in her time right now but she knew that the next time she would open her eyes Snow would be waiting for her.
And eventually so will their daughter, Averia.
Fin