First chapter of Etro's temple yays!
This is rather like a really really screwed up xiii-2 in a way, it was originally a story I wrote for english but than it somehow managed to turn it self into this monstrousity full of Light torture and the like.
I'm not to sure where the name comes from, it sort of just popped into my head when I started writing this.
I hope you enjoy the first chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy, Square Enix does (If only I worked for Square Enix).
Living on hell
17 years, Serah thought sadly to herself, 17 years without her, 17 years spent without knowing what even happened to her, she'd just disappeared, she'd been there one day and gone the next.
Rising from her position on the floor, she slowly walked towards the windows and checked out side. Behind her, she heard the voice of an old women croak out.
"Are they gone yet dear?"
Carefully scanning the scene outside the window, Serah nodded satisfied that the people who had chased them here were gone. Behind the old women blew a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear; I don't think these old bones are up for much of a fight anymore" Reaching out her hand to Serah she kindly asked "You wouldn't be able to help me up now; sitting on this hard floor hasn't done me very well"
Serah nodded "It wouldn't be a problem Darla" she replied as she reached over and took the older women's hand and slowly helped her rise to her feet. Dusting herself off, Darla looked around the room and signed again.
"Look at what these people have reduce us to, cowering away and hiding, while they go around killing our own and destroying the place, I may have once thought differently but these people have truly turned Pulse into hell"
Serah could only nod; Darla was right, only five years since Cocoons fall they had practically descended from the heavens and destroyed the life that so many people had worked so long and hard to achieve. No one knew what they really were, only that beyond a shadow of a doubt that they weren't human, no matter how much they resembled them. All those people had said of whom they were, was that they came from a place called Valhallah. They called it the realm of the goddess, but Serah couldn't possibly comprehend how such heathens could ever come from a place where a goddess lived, because to her they belonged in hell with demons and Lucifer himself.
Looking over the room much like Darla had, Serah let her gaze fall on a young girl who lay asleep on the floor in the back of the small room where they stood.
Claire, the girl would be turning 15 in a few days from now. Walking over to her she smiled sadly to herself, it was funny how her birthday had landed on the same day as her namesakes. Kneeling down Serah gently shook the girl "Claire, Claire wake up"
Groggily rolling over a little she opened her eyes "Mum?"
"Yeah"
Sitting up Claire looked around she asked "Are those valhallan gone?"
Serah nodded in answer.
She blew a sigh of relief much how Darla had "Good"
Silently agreeing, Serah took her attention away from her daughter and cast her eyes over the window.
Noticing her mother's rather melancholy mood Claire moved from her place on the floor so that she could catch her mother eyes. Despite how they still sleepy looked, it seemed to Serah that there something about her daughter's eyes that made them seem like they could see into your soul, it was creepy in a way, and it certainly didn't help that it was something she'd had a habit of doing ever since she was a toddler.
Leaning back on her hands Claire shifted her gaze away from her mother "Don't let it get to you"
Hearing those words Serah lowered her head, it didn't take her much to understand their meaning, the problem being, it was the opposite for Darla. A quizzical expression on her face the old woman looked over at Claire and asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I was talking to mum" The younger girl bit back harshly.
"I know that girl" Darla snarled, evidently annoyed. She didn't like Claire at the best of times, not even when running for their life like they'd had to earlier.
Shrugging Claire answered "17 years then"
"What does that mean?"
"It means what it means old women" Claire answered harshly.
Darla pulled a face at the rudely spoken comment and was about to complain to Serah to try to get her to stop her daughter from being so impolite, when she noticed that the women was in no condition to do so. During her and Claire's short conversation, Serah had sat down on the ground and hugged her legs to her body, her chin resting on her knees.
Confused Darla turned to Claire and asked in a hushed tone "What's wrong with her?"
Signing the girl answered, "I don't think mum really wants to hear it now"
Grumbling, Darla turned to Serah "Serah? What wrong"
She didn't answer her straight away, for a time she just sat there continuing to stare at her own feet for a while. But eventually she did give a meagre reply "I don't feel like talking about it"
Realising that further attempt to get information about her mood from Serah would be futile, Darla turned towards to the windows, soon getting up to walk up to them. Peering out, she saw that the area entirely deserted just like Serah had said. Without turning back to face the two women behind her, she voiced a query "Do you think we should try to head back to the safe house now? It doesn't look like anyone's in the area"
Claire looked over at her mother before giving Darla a nod and getting up off the floor. She decided that it would be better to distract her mother with something else rather than to let her stay consumed by her current thoughts. Reaching over and grapping Serah's hand, she pulled her up and proceeded to walk over to Darla with her hand still clasped around her mothers.
Opening the door, she and Darla carefully scanned the area outside once more before stepping out of the small wooden hut that they had used to hide. The nearest safe house wasn't too far a walk from here, so the danger level couldn't be considered all that high but you could never be sure what could happen along the way with the barbaric Valhallans crawling around the place.
The walk wasn't very eventful, which considering the circumstances was actually pretty lucky. Soon enough the entrance to the safe house became visible. It was hidden in between the roots of a monstrously big tree, seeing as this certain safe house was underground.
Gazing around the area one last time to check if anyone was watching them Claire opened the hidden door and let both Serah and Darla inside before stepping inside herself. The inside of the underground cavern was huge in every meaning of the word, its walls were reinforced with metal and it had tunnels going off in every direction, creating a massive tunnel system that the humans used to keep themselves safe from Valahllans.
Stepping away from the entrance Claire finally felt her mother let go of her hand, she'd been holding it the entire walk here. Claire sighed quietly to herself, perhaps she shouldn't even of told her not to let today get to her get to her, she just seemed so sad now.
Claire scratched the back of her head, maybe she should find her dad, and he seemed to always know how to cheer her mum up, though she had a feeling that today would be a little hard. It was the 17th anniversary of her aunt's disappearance, a day that always seemed to bring her parents and their close friends down.
Claire couldn't really compare, she'd never known the women. All she really knew about her was that she'd disappeared about two years before she was born. Though she had been told quite a lot of sister complex jokes over the years, no one really talked about her, it was a subject that always seemed to bring them all down.
Stepping forward, Claire began to make her slow way through the crowd of people that engulfed the large chamber, beginning towards one of the many tunnels in search of her father. She didn't know if she was just lucky or it was the biggest fluke in the world, but didn't take her that long to find him.
He was in a room off to the left of one of the tunnels talking to an old man, who she quickly recognised to be one of his friend's Sazh. A small smile snuck its way onto her lips, she hadn't seen the man in a while, so it was nice to see him after so long.
For his age the man didn't look too bad but his hair was just about all grey now, though that kind of happens when your 58.
Making her presence known, she walked up to the two of them and said hello, but before she could tell Snow about Serah he beat her to it by saying "Serah not doing too well today?"
Claire froze with the words half way to her lips, before changing what she had intended to say "You know I'm beginning to think you and mum have a physic connection or something"
Snow shrugged off the comment while Sazh wholeheartedly agreed with her "You know what they probably do" he said with a laugh.
Walking a little closer to her Snow asked "Where is she right now?"
"Um" Claire hummed softly "by the door last time I knew, she's kinda scaring me right now though" she told him.
Snow sighed "Not doing so well then eh"
Claire shook her head as an answer.
"Just asking, but where have you been today?" Snow piped up suddenly.
"Ahhh, outside" Claire answered tentatively.
Translation, I just nearly got killed by Valhallans… again.
Snow pinched the bridge of his nose "You really need to learn to keep out of trouble, seriously"
"Hey don't look at me; mum and Darla were with me to!" she sprouted defensively.
Sazh gave an outright laugh from behind them "You know I think that just makes it worst Claire"
Realising too late her mistake Claire told him while scratching her chin "Ah, you probably have a point there Sazh"
Trying to hold in a laugh Snow walked passed Claire and patted her on the shoulder "Your hopeless sometimes Claire"
"Not my fault if I'm living Valhallan magnet"
Failing to hold in the laugh that dearly wanted out, Snow said between chuckles "Guess so but you could still try to be a little more careful"
Pouting at her father as he pasted her she asked "so you're going to find mum now right?"
"Course" he answered her as he walked out the door, leaving her and Sazh alone the room. Looking up at Sazh she smiled at him.
"Haven't seen you in a while have I"
"I could say the same thing about you" he said walking up to her. Upon reaching her Sazh was hit with realisation that she was taller than him.
"Wow" he remarked "you've certainly got your fathers height, you're already taller than me at 15"
"That what everyone keeps telling me, it's getting rather irritating"
"Ah, than I think I might just keep telling you than" he joked.
"Oh please don't, Ereka and Joshy already do all the time, they've got mums height" she complained.
Sazh laughed before saying "Speaking of which, how are those two siblings of yours?"
"Let's think, well their still being the perfectly cliché annoying siblings just annoy me, so I'm gonna say fine" Claire answered him casually.
"Has Joshua able to beat you in a fight yet?"
"Not even close, he keeps on saying that he's ashamed of getting beat by a girl and not even taking into consideration that he's four years younger than me"
"That might be the smarter thing to do" and in a quieter tone Sazh added "but can't count on all of Snow's children to be Smart like you and your sister" he said putting emphasis on Snow.
Claire laughed at that, Sazh always joked about thing like this with her when she got to see him. In Sazh's own opinion, the girl had spent maybe just a little bit too much time with Hope, knowing all too well his opinion on Snow's IQ.
When her laughing stopped he found himself saying "You're so much like your aunt you know"
She looked at him odd then, not really knowing how to respond to it or where it came from, so she decided just to say "Is that a compliment or not?"
He laughed at that saying "Yes and no I guess, it's easily one of the reasons you keep on evading Valhallans so easily"
"How so?" she inquired.
"Well for one you fight amazingly just like her, that woman just belonged on the battlefield"
Letting their conversation come to a brief pause, Claire bit down on her lip, unsure of how to voice what she wanted to " Sazh can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Umm" hesitating for a second, she tilted her head to look him in the eyes "What was she like, mum and dad, they don't really talk about her"
Stopping in his movements completely, Sazh tried to think of the best way to answer that question. He knew all too well that Serah had been devastated when Light had disappeared, so it never surprised him that much that she didn't speak of her anymore.
Looking up to the roof of the room, he hummed softly "What can I say really, she was kind if you ever managed to get through that damn tough façade she always kept up and trust me I mean always" he paused for a second then went on to say "truthfully she was not the person she seemed to be, only the people close to her really knew who she was"
"She was really protective of mum wasn't she" Claire said, not as a question but more of a statement of fact.
"That she was" Sazh murmured "probably one of the only people you'll ever meet who would risk being killed by PSICOM to save an already L'cie sister"
Claire smiled a sad smile when he mentioned this; she had a lot to thank for from a person she'd never even met before, if things had been any different back then there was always the chance that she would of never been born.
"I've been told about that before but never from mum you know, she just never mentions Lightning"
Sazh nodded understandingly "she never really got over it"
The room went quiet afterwards, no one saying anything further. Claire understood all too well how hurt her mother had been by her sister's disappearance, her suffering didn't surprise her at all. As she knew as clear as day that today was the anniversary of her aunt's disappearance and that yesterday had been her mother's wedding anniversary.
...:...
When Snow reached the door he found that Serah had already left the immediate area, which wasn't much of a surprise considering no one really liked staying near the doors that led out of this place, not even the guards that were stationed around it.
Searching around the room, he came up with nothing so he decided to search the tunnels for her.
Contrary to Claire finding him fast, it was the exact opposite for him finding Serah, it took him about half and an hour to locate her.
She was in a room, sitting high above the ground on a ledge that stuck out from the wall looking out a small hole, one of many that let air in to the tunnel systems.
Serah didn't seem to notice Snow's existence in the room until he'd climbed up the semi rocky wall, an achievement for someone his size, and sat right next to her.
"Hey" he greeted her barely above a whisper.
Jumping a bit when he spoke up she turned to him and shakily returned his greetings "Hi, Snow" she stopped for a second then said "Claire send you after me?"
"Yeah she did"
Serah nodded "I think I scared her a bit back there"
"That so" he said knowing full that Claire had already confirmed this for him.
They both sat there sat there looking out the hole to the sky beyond for a while before Serah spoke up "Don't you wish you could just look at the sky and not fear of being attacked?"
"Yeah, it would be nice after so long"
Changing the subject suddenly she said "I wish she was here with me"
"Light?" Snow asked her.
"Yeah"
Reaching over and taking hold of her hand, Snow squeezed it gently "We all miss her Serah"
He could see that tears rimmed her eyes as she fought to keep them from falling. Letting go of her hand he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Losing her futile fight with her tears whilst in his embrace Serah began to cry profusely into his chest.
They sat there in silence for a while, Snow quietly offering words of comfort.
Still crying Serah managed to get out "I don't want her memory to be a sad one but every time I think about her I'm always reminded that she's not here anymore and I can't help but find myself crying"
"Shhh" he whispered holding her close "I understand, I know it hurts but you can't let her disappearance be the only thing you think about when you think about her, there's was so much more to her then just that."
He felt her nod, though he doubted she'd really taken in the words.
With Serah still crying into his chest Snow sighed and looked back through the hole above them, there wasn't much to see other than the sky through which he could do no more than tell it was the afternoon. As he held Serah's crying form firmly in his arms he was struck with the thought.
Lightning what happened to you?
...:...
A statuesque black haired girl moved through the halls of Etro's temple as silent as shadow with a certain destination in mind. She moved gracefully, contrary to the fact that she barely knew where she was going.
It was soon that she reached her destination, a throne room, or at least she thought of it as a throne room she was never quite sure what it was. Stepping into the room she saw that she wasn't alone, a woman sat cross legged in front of a throne that looked like it had been made of ice.
Walking towards her slowly she spoke up.
"Okar" when she'd been told to speak English she had made a stand about keeping that word of the ancient language in use and no one had spoken against it.
Hearing the word, the woman across from her slowing rose to her feet and turned to face the girl, her face was hidden from view by a piece of fabric that was pulled over her face up to her nose and a hood of a cloak that was brought over the right side of her face, leaving only her bizarrely purple left eye to be seen.
"Aaia Yuto" a strange voice spoke and through only one person had talked you could hear the voice of two.
Aaia Yuto smiled and walked closer to the woman, embracing her around the middle. The woman twitched a bit at the contact but didn't push the younger girl away, instead she lifted a hand and placed it on her back, not returning the hug but not ignoring it either.
"Okar" Aaia Yuto spoke again "I'll miss you"
"I, I'll miss you to" the strange double voice stuttered, not as if she was shy but more like she was shy of actually talking.
Pulling away from the hug Aaia Yuto walked past the woman and closer to the throne "Time to go right"
Behind her the woman nodded and walked closer to the young girl, handing her a necklace she took off from around own neck.
"It's safer for you there then it is in this world"
Aaia Yuto nodded and took the necklace off the woman and put it around her own neck. She breathed out slowly and whispered a quick goodbye, the woman doing the same as she raised her hand and a portal appeared before them. With one last look at the woman behind her Aaia Yuto walked towards the portal and stepped into it.
Before it engulfed her completely she heard the woman say "Protect them."
Aaia Yuto wouldn't have needed to ask who, she already knew.
In the now silent room the woman stood alone staring up at the throne which had once belonged to Etro, though it had been a long time now since she even sat there. In the silence she whispered one word, knowing that it would be a long time till she would ever speak again.
"Serah"
One thing Serah+Darla= nice old women but Claire+Darla= evil demon from hell, translation Darla loathes Claire and vice versa.
Not quite sure why I said that kinda just felt like it.
The odd thing about the start of this story is that when I first started writing it serah was alone and outside, well that lasted like what, a sentense.
So thats the first chapter for you, if you liked it would you please be kind and give me a review.
