(12/18/11)-(12/22/11)

Untitled (FF13-2 fic)

-SPOILERS FROM THE ENDING-

Note: The following is direct spoilers from the ending. Also note that the information written here might be false or mistranslated.

Clouds full of emptiness filled the eternally dark sky. A young man stopped his long journey and sat down on the lifeless plains that seemed to stretch forever. He thought about the events that repeated over and over.

Was everything a lie? Was there a reason to go back in time to save his future? Noel pondered around these types of questions. After all, it is natural to think about these questions, because everyone is dead. He wanted a future where everyone lives, but in the end, the future refused to change. Noel thought a bit more, Why didn't the future change? We fixed all the paradoxes…heh. The future boy laughed to himself. "We…that's a funny word."

After all, Serah died. That moment was captured in his eyes forever. Every time he thinks about it, not a tiny, single, slight detail was left behind.

0-0-0

At that time, Noel, Serah and their trusty monster defeated Caius. As Caius begins to fade away, multiple objects appeared in the land known as Valhalla. Those objects were Time Gates, and all the gates that they have travelled to. One particular gate appeared; shown in the "fragments" was Academy Director, Hope Esthiem.

Hope Esthiem has decided, "Cocoon cannot be held up by Vanille and Fang forever. It's time for them to rest, right? I'm sorry guys." With a push of a button, the crystallized planet collapsed as well as fading away from existence. All types of crystals that broke apart began to fade away as well, making it seem that Cocoon never existed. That also meant the previous l'Cie.

In its place was the Academy's finished project: Neo-Cocoon. Suddenly, the artificial planet floated from the nest and escaped the chains binding it down. The new world was filled with endless cities and tiny lights through the warm, blazing sunlight. "This is the new Cocoon," Esthiem simply added. "This is the new world—now named 'Buniberzei.'"

Meanwhile, Noel and Serah escaped Valhalla via the Time Gate and, coincidentally, appeared below the planet Buniberzei. Fortunately, an airship caught the two and looked upon Academia, the new capital city. "Now that everyone's here," Serah stated, "Let's go home. Ah!" They turned around, seeing the Time Gate's door is closing, feeling that the presence of the door is disappearing. Serah looked down for a minute.

Her eyes shown gratitude, but also of worry. She looked back up and turned to Noel in a soft whisper, "Hey, Noel."

"Hm?" The girl hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to speak.

"Thank you…" Her voice suddenly got softer and had sudden, short gasps of air. Noel noticed this pattern quite quickly asking, "Serah?" Then it hit him. Serah had those visions again. No, no, no! He thought. Quick as the wind, he exclaimed, "You can't be—!"

The time was too late. Serah's eyes abruptly changed from her clear blue eyes into a kind of symbol. The symbol is of goldish color with ovals inside each other without an end. Noel swiftly held onto her shoulders and shook her repeatedly, yelling, "No, don't look! Serah!" The golden eyes returned back to normal, but Serah fell backwards. By instinct, Noel grabbed her hand and pulled her back, instantly hugging the girl. "Serah!" He asked. No response. The girl slowly closed her eyes and the body was weightless. She was like a puppet without its strings to even stand up anymore, Noel watching every step. "Kupo…?" Mog quietly asked. Why? Why did she have to die? Noel's thoughts were filled with mixed feelings of this sudden event. Did she see something important to the future? Is it because she's a paradox? All of these thoughts can only make him insane, screaming to whoever's in the heavens to hear: "SERAAAAAAAH—!"

However, no one listened. There was only one true fact about this: Serah Farron was gone.

0-0-0

Hope Esthiem also discovered her death, Mog following the girl's fate as well; the companion lost a great amount of strength. Eventually, the whole world fell apart, leaving everything in destruction. The new planet disintegrated by the Chaos substance followed by the sounds of bells and screaming of citizens. Golden ribbons of Etro script ravaged around and that's when both Noel and Hope noticed: the visible world and invisible worlds are merging. Noel decided to go to Etro's shrine where Lightning was, while Hope tries to find survivors.

The whole event transitions back to now, where the young man continues to think in the grass.

Serah knew she was going to die. She knew that she was walking each step to death when she sees through time. Yet, why must she go to such lengths? It's no use, Noel thought. I can't think of an answer. Pushing aside grief and anger, Noel continues onward to the merged land of Valhalla, hoping to find some answers. Lightning was still there, Noel simply thought. I know everything in this cursed world.

Why was he still moving on? Why does he want a future with everyone with it?

Why does he want Serah back?

The young man couldn't think of an answer. He wasn't taught about answering rhetorical questions; he doesn't have to.

Time loop. A state of dizziness struck Noel as he walks closer to the debris-filled shrine. He was already used to that. Contradictions. Are they truly contradictions to the timeline? Noel tried to ignore everything and looked at the top of the destroyed land. There she is. Time paradox. He had all of eternity to fix the unknown paradox. All his questions shall be answered soon.

Climbing each piece of rock and metal, the young man pondered immensely around the chaos-filled world. Wait, Noel stopped. Chaos. His blood-covered, bleeding hands held tightly on a random mass of debris. "The Chaos started it all," Noel remarked. "The Chaos was not balanced in the two worlds." A sudden memory from all the experience of time appeared in his head. He quickly climbed up with haste, ignoring the pain he faced. He was almost there.

He had hope again, from this eternal timeline. In the "past," or rather the "present," Noel walked from the lifeless world to find a way to go to the past to fix what was wrong.

But now, there was hope. He would go back in time, and stop the continuous loop. However, the man didn't know how; but he can find out during the way. The only objective is to prevent the Chaos from overflowing in addition to protect Serah this time. With a slight sense of confidence, Noel marched onward to the top.

0-0-0

At last, from the hours of traveling, the young man has reached the top. There she is.

Beyond Noel's eyes was Lightning. She was sitting with her legs crossed, holding her new-and-improved Blazefire Saber—but she was stone. Her beautiful face stayed the same for as long as Noel knows. "You look the same," he commented.

"And you look the same too," the man imagined if the warrior can speak. "Only you feel different; like the way you think."

"I guess so," he replied, while bowing down. He felt insane. "Jokes aside, I would like another chance to go back in time."

"Noel, let me ask you a question," his imaginary "Lightning" continued. "How long have you been suffering from the past loops?"

"I don't know. Long enough to not even care anymore. Lightning, I hope you're listening; not the imaginary voice. In all those 'times' I was stuck in, I realized something. No matter what I do, Serah dies, and so on and so forth. Everything happens all over again once I talk to you."

Noel paused a bit. He resumed, "But then—I realized—that the one responsible was the Chaos, right? I have to balance it, but how?"

No response. Yeah, a piece of rock won't talk, Noel concluded. Back to the surviving Time Gate…—

Noel felt a pat on the back. "My insanity got me again…" he sighed.

No…I actually patted you…What are you…talking about…? The voice has short, staccato spaces between words. And the voice sounds familiar: Lightning. The man turned around. It was faint as a fog, but Lightning was there, holding him on the shoulder. That meant that the warrior can communicate, just like when one is crystallized. Her simple, sweet smile responded to her words.

"Lightning, how can I stop massive amounts of Chaos from spreading? I need to balance it to save Serah."

The warrior slowly took steps and answered. Chaos is released…when someone…dies. You...must...prevent everyone's deaths...all at once...

"But no such thing happened at the previous loops."

Caius...is an exception; his..."heart" held too much Chaos...because of his...love…"Ghost" Lightning raised her hand and seemed to direct some kind of force to Noel's head. A spell of dizziness struck him, and rushing memories of every other time had ached Noel's head. The memories that he would be looking for was with their—he and Serah's—"last" battle with Caius. Noel memorized all of his mentor's final words before committing suicide, yet why hadn't he notice until now?

"Etro plays dirty tricks," his mentor would say. "Who knows what will happen to my 'heart?'"

Caius needs to survive. This would stop Etro's tricks. Noel, you must go...back in time...again to stop his...death. That will...break the loop... the ghost continued. Serah...

"Don't worry," Noel assured. "I'll do whatever it takes to get her back." He jabbed his thumb to himself, grinning.

Lightning smirked. This...is my first time...communicating like...this.

Noel nodded.

So, there might be...a chance where I...might not come...again. I'll give...you my last...strength… With the words in mind, she was indeed fading away. With the last of her strength, she closed her eyes and concentrated, as if she was sleeping in a calm state. Every ounce of power in her transparent body disappeared, transferring to the young man. The young man felt stronger, but not just that; a sense of a new, different kind of knowledge entered inside him.

Lightning begins to fade away, adding, Unlike other loops...your memories... Noel reached for her, but couldn't make it. She was unable to be touched. She dispersed into particles, stating her last words: ...won't be...erased...

"No, Lightning!" His raised hands that were chasing the mature woman stopped. "...I knew that you'd be with me." There was something that proved her existence.

It was a rose pedal. The gleaming crystal continues to shine dark red, with a tint of pink reflected though the leftover light. Noel picked up the surprisingly light object and kept it in his pocket, marking it off as a key item.

Next, he walked towards to the platform that was hanging over near the petrified Lightning. The Time Gate is right here, Noel thought. This will be my last time travel—everyone is counting on me—Lightning, Hope Esthiem, and...Serah. He dragged his tired body to the last surviving Time Gate. The object is ripped apart from its roots, the seal has been cracked, and its illuminating light is dulling out.

Each time gate needs an artefact—whether a specific one or a wild one—but Noel didn't have anything. "The only thing in my hands is just the rose—" he cut off, realizing the crystal's purpose. "Thanks," he whispered. Soon after, he held onto the gate, while the other hand held on the rose pedal, hoping the gate would realize the tool.

The Time Gate recognized said item. In a flash, a beam shot at the time traveler, making him gone in sight. The beam quickly shot in a vertical line, perpendicular to the ground. The time travel was successful.

Meanwhile, Noel was soaring through the time crossways—the Historia Crux. An infinite amount of rotating, mechanical rings surrounded him. He has to go to the farthest end of the Historia Crux, which was the unknown time of Valhalla. After that, he has to return to the year 3AF (After Fall) and meet her again. And after that... he thought. I don't know. I'll think about it as I go on.

Noel slowly descends from the ring of the Historia Crux, back to Valhalla.

0-0-0

Thousands of miles have passed. In Noel's time in the Historia Crux, his boredom reached quickly. In all his counting to pass the time, around eighteen thousand, three hundred forty-three rings were present.

Finally, his destination was reached. Upon arrival, an intense amount of heat and bright light intruded Noel's eyes. He immediately closed his eyes. Once the light faded away, he opened his eyes, surprised.

"Noel Kreiss." It was Lightning. She was flesh, responding strong as ever. No, he refused. This is not the same "Lightning" I know.

This Lightning was riding on Bahamut in Gestalt Mode, chasing the young man falling from the skies. I remember, he thought. Just like where I fell before. "Hold my hand!" Lightning yelled. Noel immediately focused and luckily grabbed her hand. The surroundings around him looks exactly the same as he remembered. He accidently spoke his thoughts, saying, "This is..."

"Valhalla," Lightning answered.

That's right, Noel thought. Valhalla. Don't worry; I'll protect her this time.

I know, Lightning thought. Remember, Valhalla is a place where time doesn't exist. I can see what you do in every timeline. I count on you, like the "me" that spoke to you beforehand.

…Good luck.

Hello, I'm back! I guess you don't know me…

Anyways, thanks for reading this (especially those who spoiled themselves and myself).

This is my first for some kind of angst, mystery-ish fic, so bare with me. Should I continue his story? Or leave as a one-shot? Also, please help me in some mistakes I make; I'm not that perfect at everything.

Note that I'll probably upload more fics (check profile) since I am terribly in love of a game that didn't come yet in America's side. Yay spoilers for everyone!

(please help with title, or I'll just leave as is)

-NazoLuk3