FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS

Final Fantasy XIII: The New Dawn

((This story is based off of what could possibly happen after the events of XIII, sort of my aspect on what should happen in XIII-2. I loved the first one, and even though it made me depise my story on my idea of the plot, I want to create a story for what could happen in the sequel. Sorry I never finished the first one... but this one is basically the same plot I had for my original story. I'll be including facts from the first game into this story. This is not my game or franchise, so I do NOT take any credit for anything except my own storyline. ENJOY! :D))

Lightning watched as Snow held Serah in his muscular, over-used arms. She couldn't help but smile at the look on her sister's face. She knew Snow would take good care of her. She knew she had nothing to worry about now that they were human again. The only thing she could possibly think to make better was the issue with Fang and Vanille.

The scene played in her head again. She saw the two of them sacrifice themselves for the rest of the group. The way they morphed into Ragnarok was both breathtaking and horrific. To watch two of your closest friends turn into something so fearsome and terrifying was something Lightning never wanted to experience again.

And then she watched the memory of Cocoon falling. She remembered feeling the fear for all the civilians on Cocoon, wondering if they were really going to die, if the six of them had just failed to do what they had sworn they would do: Protect the people no matter the cost, while ending the Fal'Cie's plans.

Her gaze moved up to the now crystallized statue of Cocoon...or what was left of it. She could see where damage had been taken, but in a sense, the crystallized world was more beautiful than ever. The crystal waves swirled around the world, making the former home to many look like a decoration. A memory of life outside of Gran Pulse. That statue would be the only thing the people of Cocoon would have left of their home. She could see why people were so scared.

What would the people of Cocoon do when they found them, when they realized that the L'Cie responsible for this were in the same area as them? She wondered if people would try to kill them, or if they'd forget it all.

She smiled and shook her head. The people of Cocoon would soon realize that it was all a lie. They'd forgive the L'Cie for what they did, and they'd all be able to live in peace together. Until then, however, they needed to stay away from everyone else. She had no idea what these humans were capable of in their pained state at the moment.

She looked over at Sazh and Dajh, watching as the man picked his son up and tossed him onto his shoulders. They way Sazh played around with his son made Lightning wonder if he'd really ever changed. Sazh had always been playful, even throughout a journey as terrifying and dangerous as the one they all went on. She was glad though. If Sazh had changed, she wasn't sure how they would've all felt. They needed his occasional comedic responses.

She turned her attention to Hope, who stood there quietly awaiting news on his father. Lightning smiled a little and went up behind him.

"Don't sweat it," she said as she clapped a hand on his left shoulder.

The boy jumped, but smiled at her as he looked over his shoulder. He shrugged. "It's not that bad. I have a strong feeling he's alive. I just...want to see him. Everyone else is re-united with their family," he explained.

Lightning looked at Snow and Serah once Hope mentioned that. She nodded. "Yeah, we are. And you know what?" she bopped the underside of his chin with her hand. "It's partially because of you. You helped us acheive this," she explained, a soft, kind look on her face.

Hope's face lit up when she said that to him, the childish look returning to him. She was glad he could still live as a kid. He needed to cherish his time being young and carefree. It was something she hadn't had. She wished she could go back and do it all over again.

Lightning watched, along with Hope, as the next batch of survivors came off the rescue ships. She felt Hope tense as he waited.

The ship emptied and out came Bartholomew Estheim, Hope's father. Hope jumped up, a huge smile on his face. He looked at Lightning.

She smiled and nodded once, removing her hand. She watched as the boy ran off, tackling his father. Hope had gone through so much physical training that he almost knocked his father clear to the ground. She laughed a little, quietly. Hope was so full of energy now that everything was done.

Lightning crossed her arms, watching everyone and their family. She looked at Snow and Serah once more as they spoke happily and excitedly. She overheard Serah talking about teaching. A smile split across her face again. She had expected Serah to one day teach children. She was just that type of person. She knew that one day they'd have a very happy family, kids and all. It was a funny sight to imagine: Snow playing around with a little one. She could picture him with a kid, when before she just viewed him as a big child.

And then a thought popped into her own head. What was she going to do with her new life? She was no longer a L'Cie... she couldn't go out and fight the way she'd been fighting the past few weeks. She could always pick up guard duty again, but what fun would that be after all the action she'd seen...

Her eyes widened and she looked up at the crystal pillar holding up Cocoon again, the one that held Fang and Vanille hostage. She stared for a long moment.

"Don't do it..."

She swore she heard Fang's warning. She shook her head, keeping her gaze on the pillar.

"If I don't... what kind of friend would I be to you?" she whispered to them, hoping she wasn't going crazy. After all they'd been through, she wouldn't shove that option aside, though.

She smiled. "You made a sacrifice for us. It's my turn to return the favor..."

She knew if she said something, Snow would follow. He couldn't do that, though. He had to take care of Serah. He needed to put his ideas to work for the new civilization. Cocoon's inhabitants and soldiers needed his input. And there was no way she was going to let him leave Serah for another adventure that could put both himself and her sister at risk.

She looked over at Hope and Bartholomew. She would love to have the boy's company with her for this, and knowing his feelings for Vanille she could guess he'd like it as well. But he needed to bond with his father. They needed to catch up on times that apparently had been lost long before Nora had died. So the boy was out of the question as well.

She didn't even need to look over at Sazh and Dajh to mark the man off the list. He had a young boy that had also been a L'Cie. That alone was enough reason to not bring up her idea. She watched the Chocobo chick fly around the two of them and sighed.

She was going it alone, which didn't bother her much. Less danger for anyone else. And she had to face it... it wasn't like the Guardian Corps would take her back after all the deaths she'd caused from their squads. Besides, that job was boring now. She wanted some action this time in her life. She was starting new, and she wanted to start with a bang.

Without hesitation or last words, she turned around and ran off. She wanted to leave quickly, get out of the scene without the rest of them following. The best time was now, when everyone else was busy.

She felt her eyes water at the thought of leaving Serah again, but she knew her sister was safe. Snow would take good care of her. He'd protect her, like he'd promised Lightning a while back. The only difference between now and then was that she trusted him with her life. She shoved the sad thought away almost instantly.

"I'll come back, Serah. I promise. I'll never shove you away, not again, not ever again," she promised in her head, knowing full-well that her sister couldn't hear it. But it made her feel better saying it to herself. She had a goal this time. She had something to come back to.

And that's exactly what she planned to do.

((That's that! The first chapter. No prologue this time, I'm skipping right to the chapters. Hope this was just as entertaining for you as the last one. Like I said, I'm incorporating the previous plot line into this story, since it had nothing to do with the actual plot line of XIII. And this is just a knock off of what I think would be interesting to happen next. Review! I'll get back shortly!))

SKYE

xoxo