A turmoil of thoughts was boiling in Lightning's mind as she went down the path, followed by her old enemy. This was Caius Ballad, the world destroying terror—the man whom Lightning had not been able to save—and she was leading him to her home. Why hadn't she run away when she'd had the chance?

A knowing voice spoke in the back of her head. He probably would have woken up anyway, it said, and the only house around here for miles is yours. He would have ended up on your doorstep, and how much worse would that had been? The thought somehow eased Lightning, although she still didn't know how to break the news to her sister. Hi, Serah, here's the guy who destroyed the world, is there a place for him to stay?

Her mind flashed back to her birthday so, so long ago, her sister and Snow telling her that Serah was not only a l'Cie, but was engaged to the man Lightning had so despised. A smile played on the corners of her lips at the memory. This'll be kinda like that, she thought.

As they neared the house, the garden coming into view, Lightning slowed, Caius following suit.

"What is it?" he asked. She turned.

"You'd better wait here outside," she said. "I'll explain to Serah. My sister," she added at the look of confusion on his face.

"As you wish," he said, bending to examine a plant. "This does not look familiar. Has this much changed?"

"Yes, it has," said Lightning shortly. And more, she thought. "Please, stay right here and... don't do anything. I'll be right back."

"I am not a child," he said haughtily. "There is no need to be concerned."

Lightning sighed. "Yes, alright, just... I'll be back, okay?" Caius nodded, plucking a stray sprig of lavender and examining it in his fingers, and Lightning slowly made her way through the garden and up to the porch, quietly opening the door. There was Serah, wearing a ridiculous flowery apron that Snow had gotten for her a few months ago, stirring a pot on the stove.

"Oh, hey, you!" she chirped, looking up from her cooking. At the sight of Lightning's face, however, her expression grew concerned. "Lightning? What's wrong? You're so pale!" She abandoned the pot, coming over to her sister. Lightning collapsed in a chair, realizing that her knees had been shaking.

"It's... it's Caius," she sputtered. "He somehow made it here, I don't know how. He just... appeared in the meadow." Serah's face grew ashen.

"But... I thought he had stayed the Unseen Realm? What is he doing here? How?" Her face grew fearful. "What if he wreaks havoc here, too?"

"I don't think he will," said Lightning slowly.

"And what makes you think that?" said Serah, crossing her arms the way she always had.

"He's lost his memory," Lightning responded. "He has no recollection of our battles in Valhalla, no memory of what he did to the old world. It seems like all of his memories of Yeul are completely gone. He said that the last thing he remembered was going hunting with some members of his tribe."

Serah looked uncertain. "Are you sure? What if he's lying?"

"I'm sure. He's different, somehow, Serah! I don't understand how, but the matter is that he suddenly has thousands of years of anguish wiped from his mind. He seems... lighter, somehow. Also, when he heard my name, he said that his head ached. The same thing happened when he tried to remember Yeul. I decided just to tell him that he had fallen into a deep sleep, and that during that time the world had changed, and he seems almost to have bought it. Besides, I know him better than anyone, and lying like that isn't his style. He was crazy, but he was honest. Brutally so." Lightning folded her arms, looking away from her sister's frightened face. "Look, I know this is complicated, but he's gonna... need a place to stay, and you're the only one who'd have any idea where. I don't think he's planning anything malicious. After all, why would he? What purpose would he have now?"

Serah fidgeted with the pendant she still wore around her neck, the pendant that had been through everything she had. "Are you sure, Lightning? What if he knows something we don't?"

"I really doubt that," Lightning said honestly. "Please, trust me. I'm so sorry, Serah. I don't know what's happening. I thought we were done with all this."

"Me too," Serah sighed. "Where is he? Still in the meadow?"

"No," said Lightning nervously. "He's at the edge of the garden. I told him to stay there." Looking back on it, that idea seemed horrible, and Serah's eyes nearly popping out told her so.

"No!" Serah gasped. "Lightning, Ellia is playing outside! What if he..." Serah gulped, rushing outside without finishing. Lightning, overcome with anxiety, followed her quickly, and was met with a sight that nearly sent her reeling. Caius was crouching on the balls of his feet, offering little Ellia the sprig of lavender he had picked. Lightning's niece giggled as Caius ruffled her hair.

"Get away from her!" Serah screeched, barreling towards her daughter and the man she had jumped through time to defeat, the man who had tried to kill her. Caius sprang upward, a look of alarm on his face as Serah scooped up her daughter, glaring needles. Lightning quickly caught up, looking from one to the other, at a loss for words.

"I am sorry," said Caius, words Lightning had never heard sincerely from him. "I did not mean to frighten you. Is this your child?" He gestured to Ellia, who smiled shyly. Serah, on the other hand, looked nearly ready to burst.

"What are you doing here?" she said, just managing to mask the fear and anger in her voice.

"I am looking for the answer to that question myself," said Caius, who towered over Serah even more than he did Lightning. And yet, he seemed to recognize the flame in her eyes as something to be reckoned with, and he looked at her respectfully. "Your sister told me that I have been asleep for many years and have somehow awoken here. Is this true?"

"Of course," said Serah emphatically, surprising Lightning. "My sister isn't a liar." Caius raised his hands in defense, reminding Lightning strangely of her old friend, Noel. She wondered briefly how he and his Yeul were doing down in the tropical part of the world. Caius spoke again.

"I did not mean to offend," he said. "I only wish to know how I got here, and I am in need of lodgings." Serah sighed, apparently hearing the honesty in his words. She appeared to think for a moment, an uneasy look coming over her face.

"The train's not running today, and I don't know of anywhere around here that's within walking distance," she said slowly. "And Snow—my husband—won't get home with our car until..." Her face dropped. "Until tomorrow. He's on a trip for business, I almost forgot."

Lightning sensed where the conversation was going, looking at her sister incredulously. A look from Serah told her that her suspicions were right. Lightning sighed, exasperated.

"It looks like you're stuck with us for tonight," she said, her voice laced with worry. Caius appeared not to understand their great concern, but nodded.

"If it is not too much trouble," he said uncertainly. Serah coughed.

"You can only stay as long as you don't do anything... anything suspicious," she said.

"Why would I do anything like that?"

"Oh, I don't know, you tell me." Serah sounded exasperated.

"If you wish, I will retreat into any room you offer me and not bother you."

"No, I want you where I can see you," said Serah. "Hm... I know. You can help me cook."

Lightning stifled an uncertain laugh, turning it into a cough. Caius? Cooking?

"As you wish," Caius said, unabashed.

Serah cast Lightning an incredulous glance, and Lightning shrugged.

"Alright, come with me." Serah, frowning, turned back towards the house. Ellia was still in her arms, although the girl must have felt heavy by now. Caius trailed behind her, looking irritated by his curt treatment. Lightning couldn't blame him, though she couldn't blame Serah, either. She in turn followed behind Caius back into the little house, which was beginning to feel a bit cramped. Serah placed Ellia down in the playpen they had erected for her, full of dolls and toys, then turned to Caius with her hands on her hips.

"You're gonna help me make dinner, since Lightning sets fire to everything she touches," she said aggressively. Lightning raised her hands in defense when Caius cast her an amused glance. Serah rifled around in the kitchen for a moment before retrieving a hideous orange apron, holding it out to Caius. He looked affronted, but chose not to comment, putting it on with unpracticed hands. It clashed violently with his hair, and a smirk played on the corners of Serah and Lightning's lips. Here was this proud warrior, the man both of them had fought for so long and failed to defeat, in a monstrous orange apron, being bossed around by Lightning's little sister. It seemed surreal.

Perhaps he wasn't all bad before he lost all of his Yeuls, thought Lightning with a glimmer of hope. There was still a sliver of fear, however, that he had been just as violent before he had become the immortal guardian of a doomed girl. Serah seemed to feel so, too, and opted not to let him near any sharp utensils. Instead, she put him in charge of rolling out dough for a pie. The sight made Lightning snicker, despite her apprehensions, but Caius shot her such a dangerous look that she shut up at once, going over to check on Ellia, who was happily playing with a stuffed blue chocobo.

"What is her name?" she heard Caius ask Serah, who bristled, then calmed down.

"Ellia," she said, stirring the pot that she had abandoned, looking into it concernedly. Caius froze in his movements, his flour-covered hands halting. "What is it?" Serah said worriedly as Caius rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a white smudge.

"Nothing," he muttered, resuming his work. "I just... I once had a sister named Ellia. The name took me by surprise."

"Oh," said Serah, surprised. "What happened to her?"

"She died," said Caius bluntly, staring at the dough. "Taken by a sickness."

"Oh," Serah said again, obviously shocked. Lightning was, too, but chose not to say anything. She had never known Caius to hesitate like that. "I'm sorry," said Serah uneasily.

"It happened long ago," said Caius, kneading the dough with more strength than before. "I try not to think of it. As I said, I was taken by surprise. Do not worry yourself."

For Serah, this exchange seemed to be a turning point, and she began speaking to Caius a bit less briskly. Lightning felt like she had heard something private. So Caius's life hadn't been all sunshine and rainbows before his becoming Guardian. Looking at her own Ellia, Lightning felt a rush of protection for the girl. She wondered if Caius had felt like this about Yeul, and the thought made her feel strange. Shaking her head, trying to dispel the thoughts, Lightning sat back at the table, placing her folded arms on it.

"What's Snow up to, exactly?" she asked Serah, changing the topic.

"He had to go to the new research center in the big city," said Serah. "Hope needed some help with something, in fact, even though he didn't tell us what."

"Huh." Lightning crossed her legs. "How's that kid doing? Do you have any idea?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's doing fine!" said Serah. "I only wish he weren't so busy. I miss seeing him."

"Yeah," said Lightning. "Hope is a friend," she added, seeing Caius's curious glance. Having to tell him these things was something she had never thought she would have to do. Then again, she had never thought she would see him in this world to begin with.

"That smells good, Serah," she said. "What is it?"

"It's just pasta, silly. I've had a bit of a sweet tooth lately, though, so I decided to make a pie, too. I might just delegate that task to Caius, though," she said with a wink. Caius looked a bit wary, and Serah laughed. Lightning was always surprised by how quickly her sister could trust people.

Soon, Serah dished out bowls of pasta for everyone and placed Ellia in a high chair as Caius awkwardly placed his pie in the oven. Lightning smirked.

"It looks like you did a pretty good job for someone who can only make behemoth steak," she said to him. He blinked.

"Yes, she always enjoyed things like this—" He cut himself off, gritting his teeth and rubbing his temples again. Lightning and Serah were silent, both thinking the same thing.

"Who?" said Lightning hesitantly. Caius looked at his fingers, a look of agitation and confusion on his face.

"I do not know," he said slowly. "It feels as though I glimpsed someone else's memory..." He shook his head.

"Strange," said Serah slowly, not sure of what would happen if he suddenly remembered Yeul. She chose not to test it out. "Don't worry yourself over it. Just eat." Caius nodded, apprehensively taking the bowl from Serah. She and Lightning sat at the table, but he remained standing, leaning back against the counter, looking uncomfortable.

"You can sit down," said Lightning slowly. He shook his head.

"Thank you, but I prefer to stand," he said, taking a bite of pasta. Now that Lightning thought of it, despite all their years of battle, she had never seen him eat. The sight of it was just as strange as everything else. She looked instead at Serah, who was struggling to get food into her daughter's mouth. Lightning smiled, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Caius do the same. Part of her wondered if he still had the fatherly instincts he must have picked up while looking after Yeul for so many years. She chose not to dwell on that idea for too long, quickly finishing her dinner and going to wash off her plate. She brushed past Caius, avoiding his gaze. Suddenly, she felt very tired, unsure of herself. A nagging suspicion formed at the back of her mind, and even though it sounded ridiculous, part of her wondered if it could be true. Could her secret wishes have brought him here? What if she had something to do with his appearance?

No, that couldn't be. Things like that didn't happen. But whatever the real cause was, Lightning was determined to find out.

As the three of them finished eating—four, including Ellia—the sun had started to set. Lightning caught Caius stifling a yawn. In Valhalla, neither of them had needed sleep, so to see him yawn tiredly was yet another strange sight. Serah gave him a look.

"Tired?" she said as she cleaned up Ellia and the high chair. Caius blinked, then nodded.

"Yes, I suppose so," he said slowly, following Lightning's example and rinsing his plate in the sink. Serah looked at him wryly.

"Are you gonna go to bed before you try your dessert?" she asked him. Lightning could see that Serah was having more fun that she should have, and reveled in it. Caius seemed ill at ease.

"Yes, if that is alright," he said, leaning back against the counter again. Serah raised her eyebrows, then shrugged, standing.

"Whatever you say," she said, brushing off her hands. "You'll have to stay in the attic. There's a spare bed up there, but it's not exactly the nicest place."

"I will take whatever you can give," said Caius, standing up straight. He poise was still that of a warrior.

"That's good," said Serah. "Follow me, it's up here." Lightning stood by awkwardly as her sister led their old foe into the attic. There was a thumping noise, a loud curse from Caius, and stifled laughter from Serah before the petite, pink-haired woman came back down the stairs. She was smiling as she sat down by Lightning.

"What was that?" Lightning said. Serah giggled.

"He smacked his head on the ceiling," she said, chuckling. "It's low, and I forgot to warn him. It was a sight, though."

Lightning laughed. "I'll bet." Her face then grew serious, and she folded her arms. "What is going on, Serah?" she said after a pause. "What is he of all people doing here?"

Serah shrugged. "I don't know," she sighed. "But something tells me it has to do with Yeul somehow."

"What makes you think that?"

Serah raised an eyebrow. "You know him just about better than anyone, don't you? Then you know his whole world revolved around that girl."

"Yeah, and I know he wouldn't leave her for anything," said Lightning. "Not even a chance at a new life. 'She is but a child, and a child needs to be looked after.' That's what he said when he refused salvation. So I wanna know how he got here and why his memories are gone."

"That's what I mean," said Serah. "What if Yeul sent him here? She guides the souls of the dead alongside him, doesn't she? So what if she sent his soul here?" Serah shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "But I need to get Ellia in bed. Goodnight, sis."

"'Night," said Lightning, and after Serah went to bed she was left wondering over her sister's speculations. Such an idea seemed plausible. But for the moment, Lightning did not want to concern herself with it, and decided to head to bed herself.