It's humiliating, it's degrading, it's something she thought she would never do- but she still does. He's right where she expected him to be, but they both know what she will do and what she has done. She sinks to her knees and grasps his hand in hers, as if they were friends, as if she didn't realize what he had to go through, as if she was ignorant and he was forgiving, as if they didn't understand each other as well as they do.
"Please," she begs, as if it's the only thing to do. It's the only thing she can do.
He doesn't respond, but he doesn't pull away either.
"Please, Caius." It's cowardly, but she shuts her eyes tight. She doesn't want to know what he will say, even though she already does.
"Warrior Goddess." His tone is not unkind, and she hates him all the more for it. But she can't talk either, she pities and hates him as much as he pities and hates her. Lightning Farron might have been a l'cie and a sergeant, but she was not a hypocrite.
"Please!" Maybe, there was an ending where they were all happy. Maybe, somewhere, in an alternate version of an alternate timeline, there was no Fal'cie or Anima, Snow and Serah would have gotten married, Hope's mother would never have to die, and they wouldn't have ever met Vanille or Fang. Maybe, there was one future she missed, there had to be.
"Would I ask the same of you?"
No. But she had to try, even if she knew she was going to fail, there might've been the slightest chance.
"Lightning..." He's gone. In what time, with who, where, she doesn't know and she doesn't want to know. All she wants is a future.
"Claire," she doesn't look up and he doesn't respond. Her hands aren't holding onto anything, and they never were.
It's only until the painful chill of crystal climbs up her legs that she realizes that he called her by the wrong (right) name.