A/N: All right, time for another chapter! It occurs to me that I have no idea how long this story's going to be, other than it's going to be VERY long. In fact, I'll be surprised if it isn't more than thirty chapters by the time it's over. Because of that, I'm considering making it a series of stories, much like my other work. I'll probably do that, but even if I do, this story's going to have at least ten more chapters to it. I can say that right now, even though I only have planned out the next two or three, simply because I know where I'll be cutting the story off, and it's quite a while off.

Disclaimer: I will never have enough money to own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter 3- Meeting

Zion had been lucky. He had managed to get to the top of Taejin's Tower much faster than he'd anticipated, since the restructuring that the l'Cie had done fourteen months ago was still there, and all he had to do was ride the elevator to the top. Once he'd gotten to the end of the elevator track out of the Tower, he had simply had to avoid a small, three person patrol to get into the village of Oerba. Now he stood there, bathed in shadow despite the mid day sun, as he watched the building he'd once called home.

Although he hadn't seen any activity from the house, he had no reason to assume that nobody was inside. Since he needed to talk to them, he decided to wait until he was sure someone was there to make his move. After about an hour of waiting, a gray haired teenager came from the far side of the village, from the bridge, no, the school. As Zion watched, the boy walked up the steps to the second floor of the building, and after he disappeared from sight, several voices were heard. Deciding that most, if not all, of the people he needed to see were in the building, and that the area around him was clear of any probing eyes, Zion emerged from the shadows and quickly made his way after the boy.

As soon as he got to the top of the steps and turned the corner, he came face to face with several people sitting around a table in the middle of the first room. All of them looked at him with surprise when he appeared, and he himself was quite shocked to see all of them appearing so calm in his own house. No, it wasn't his house, it hadn't been since he became a l'Cie, and they knew the last residents of this house, so they did have a right to be here. Before he could say anything, though, he was greeted by a sword pressed against his neck as someone had walked up to him from behind. All Zion could do from this position was let out a frustrated sigh and curse himself for being careless. The person behind him was the first to speak up, and to Zion's surprise, the voice was female. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Zion glanced behind him, and noticed that the person holding the sword was in her twenties, and was virtually a twin of one of the females sitting at the table. He contemplated his answer, the sword pressed harder against him, almost drawing blood. "Answer!"

"Would you like for me to answer or would you rather just kill me?" Zion wasn't particularly happy about being interrogated like this, he hadn't come looking for a fight, but he wasn't the type of person to back down either. The people sitting at the table were looking between the two with some concern, it was apparent that they weren't used to this woman being talked to like that.

The woman who was threatening him didn't seem to like being taunted, and she pressed again with the sword, this time drawing a small trickle of blood. "You are the one who barged into our home. I have a right to defend it."

"Your home? Last time I checked this was Gran Pulse, not Cocoon." One thing Zion was good at was getting reactions when he wanted one, and he quickly realized that this reference would probably get quite a reaction out of more than just the woman who held his life in her hands. And as he'd expected, everyone in the room except for the small dark skinned boy sitting on what Zion guessed was his father's lap tensed up at his statement.

The blond man sitting on the end of the table next to the twin of the sword wielder was the first to respond to his comment. "Gran Pulse? I've only heard two other people refer to it as that."

"Yes, that's not surprising, though look at what became of them." Zion had definitely hit a nerve with the people in the room, as they were obviously made uneasy at his comments. He also thought he detected a little curiosity in their collective expressions as well. That made him smirk slightly because he realized that if he could make them uncomfortable enough or curious enough, maybe he could talk his way out of a quick and painful death.

The dark skinned man spoke next. "Lightning, maybe we should see what he has to say." The female behind him hesitated for a second, and Zion knew she was debating her options. Eventually, she sighed and removed the sword from around him, though she didn't sheath it, and she did stay in an offensive stance.

Zion looked her way quickly. "Thanks, I really do appreciate it." He nodded to her but stepped away from her toward the middle of the room so that he could see everyone at once. "As for your questions, my name is Zion, and I used to reside here." As he spoke he waved his hands in a wide motion, indicating the house they were currently in.

The gray haired boy spoke up now. "But this place has been abandoned for..."

Before he could finish, Zion cut in. "Yes, it has been vacant for five hundred years, I am well aware of that. I lived here back then, and I knew your friends quite well. At least, I'm assuming you were the four who helped them with their Focus." At his statement everyone gasped and murmured between each other, speculating on what Zion had just said. How could he have been alive five hundred years ago? And if he was alive then, how could he be here now? And how would he know of what they'd done? Zion knew their questions and decided to confront them. "If you haven't already guessed, I am a Pulse l'Cie. My Focus was given to me just over five hundred years ago, a Focus which I completed. Because of that, I was placed in crystal stasis where I'd remained until a week ago."

"So you've awoke from slumber? Then you're no longer l'Cie, right?" The pink girl at the table appeared to be quite curious at his comments, but Zion wasn't sure why. Come to think of it, he was only aware of four friends who had helped the Pulsians, but there were six people in this room. Zion was aware that the four who helped were unbranded as a result of Ragnarok's appearance, and as such they would have reverted to normal humans.

It was at this point that he noticed the small boy had a brand on the back of his hand, one that was burned and scarred, much like his. Unconsciously, he rubbed his own brand, which was still covered by the wrap he'd made a week ago. Looking down, he pulled off the wrap to expose the brand to the others. Once it was exposed, everyone in the room once again let out a startled gasp and began to mutter questions and statements to each other.

"I am l'Cie, and I always will be. As will he." Zion pointed to the small boy, as everyone turned to look at him, realizing suddenly what he'd meant. At this point, he decided he should elaborate. "When a l'Cie is branded, he or she is given a Focus to complete, you all already know this, as you've all already been through it. You should also be aware that when the Focus is completed, the l'Cie is rewarded with eternal rest in crystal stasis, which the boy has definitely experienced."

"How do you know that?" The father was obviously worried, and rightfully so. If he had only heard the limited tales of l'Cie and fal'Cie, he would have no idea what the scarred brand would mean.

Zion smiled at the father, which he noticed made the man cringe slightly. "When a l'Cie is placed in crystal slumber, their brand is burned and scarred into their flesh. It is proof of their loyalty to the fal'Cie that branded them. Under normal circumstances, the l'Cie would remain in stasis until he was called upon by the fal'Cie once again. In the case of your son, however, the events that you and your friends participated in destroyed the contract of all the l'Cie who had been branded to that point, and he was freed from stasis. However, he still bears the mark, and thus the power that goes with it."

"Then he'll..." The man was on the verge of tears, and Zion noticed that the blond-haired man was comforting the pink-haired girl next to him. Even the one standing seemed to be a little shocked at this revelation, and it took Zion a few seconds to realize why.

"Oh, Fang, you never did pay enough attention in history." Zion muttered to himself before continuing with his explanation to the others. "No, he won't become a Cie'th. One of the advantages of the burned mark is that the clock is stopped as a result. No matter how long he is out of stasis, he will never become a Cie'th. Besides, you can't fail a Focus you were never given, and as far as I'm aware, he doesn't have one."

"But how would you know?" The father was somewhat relieved by Zion's explanation, but he was still obviously concerned about his son being out of stasis.

"The only fal'Cie who can give him a new Focus is the one who branded him to begin with. As far as I'm aware, that fal'Cie no longer lives, correct?"

"No, the fal'Cie that branded him is still alive." The gray haired boy was speaking now. There was definitely worry in his voice, its tone matched the father's.

"That's strange, I was under the impression that Anima was destroyed by your group when she turned you into l'Cie." Zion was definitely taken aback by this idea.

"Anima was destroyed, but it was Kujata that branded Dajh." The father was obviously saddened by this idea.

"Oh, I see, I'm sorry about that." Zion paused for a second, before adding. "Why was he picked by Kujata? It is unusual for fal'Cie of his type to take l'Cie."

Once again, the teenage boy spoke. "Fang had forgotten her Focus when she came out of stasis. Vanille claimed that she had as well, in an attempt to avoid completing it. They went to Euride Gorge at Fang's request to see Kujata in an attempt to remember their Focus. In the process, they tried to attack the fal'Cie and Dajh was branded in an attempt to defend itself."

Zion was quiet as he considered this new information. "Well, then, I'd guess it would be safe to say that he is in no danger of having a new Focus. Even if he did, he's not in any danger of becoming a Cie'th, so you can ignore the question, if you wish."

The older pink-haired female spoke up now. "Why Fang, but not Vanille?"

Zion looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Fang's mark, when she came out of stasis. It appeared like yours, scarred and burned. But Vanille's didn't. It was still a normal mark."

"Fang's focus was to become Ragnarok. Whether she destroyed Cocoon or not didn't matter. As for Vanille, I don't know what her Focus was, I had already been in stasis myself by the time they were brought into service by Anima. And before you ask, the reason I know about Fang's is related to my own original Focus, which has no bearing on the present."

"So why are you here then? What is your Focus now?" The younger sister asked this time.

Zion thought for a second about how to phrase his response before giving it. "I'm here for two reasons. The first is to pick up some equipment I stashed here last time I wandered this world. The second is to ask for your help as it relates to my Focus." Zion sighed and leaned against the wall, turning his back to those assembled in the room as he attempted to gather his thoughts before he explained further. "First off, I must tell you that unlike all of you, I volunteered to become a l'Cie. I had become aware of a problem coming from the fal'Cie and when I was presented with a chance to end a fight before it began, I took it. Unfortunately, even though I was successful in my Focus, my allies were defeated in the fight that nonetheless resulted."

He turned back around to face the gathered people once again. "Now you have managed to accomplish what my friends couldn't, in defeating Barthandelus and his allies, but in doing so, you've opened the door for something else to come in. My new Focus is to find this door and reseal it. Though it is my responsibility, I am not sure if I can do it alone, and as such, I was told to seek help from all of you before meeting with my fal'Cie again."

"Why us?" The gray boy seemed most interested in the idea.

"Because you have all been l'Cie before. You all know what it means, what's at stake." He glanced at the girl seated at the table. "And for some of you, there is almost no risk."

The older sister scoffed at his remark. "I, for one, have no intention of becoming a slave again. Count me out." She began to walk away, but was stopped by Zion's next statement.

"I'm not asking you to become l'Cie again. The fal'Cie I'm meeting won't force you to do so. All I'm asking is that you come with me to this meeting, then decide for yourselves if you wish to participate."

The woman looked at him, appearing to analyze his statement, and his sincerity. After a few seconds, she sighed. "I don't know if I can trust you or not. When do you meet him?"

"Tonight, at the base of the crystal tower." Everyone looked at him with a shocked expression at this statement. Before they could ask, he elaborated. "I already have transportation to get there from here, there will be enough room for all of you, should you wish to come." Zion looked outside, and realized that they would need to make preparations to leave soon. "I'll be waiting at the end of the bridge to the north in two hours. If you'll excuse me, I need to take what I came for and get ready to go." He walked into the kitchen, behind the table of the assembled Cocoon residents and knelt down near the oven. Pressing his hand against the wall, after a few seconds, a click was heard.

Without a word, Zion left the group and headed down to the lower level of the building, where a hidden panel had opened in the floor. Inside that panel was a set of clothes, similar to the ones he had on but much darker in shade, and a sheathed sword. Zion quickly changed his clothes, apparently not bothered by several sets of eyes watching him strip. Once he had changed, he put the sword on his back and turned to the assembled group. "Remember, two hours at the north end of the bridge. I'll see you then." With that, he walked past them and into the village square, disappearing around the corner of the house and out of sight.

The sun had started to fade slightly as Zion knelt at the edge of the ruined bridge. He was marveling at the sight of Cocoon before him, but he was also saddened by it. "Fang, Vanille, I hope I get the chance one day to tell you face to face how sorry I am for all of this." It was barely a whisper, and he was quite startled that anyone had heard it, when he got a response.

"I'm sure you will get the chance, some day." Zion spun around on one knee, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword, until he realized that the man speaking was the blond from the house. The Cocoon resident was accompanied by all of the other people in the house earlier, as well as one other that he hadn't seen before.

It was the unknown man who spoke now. "I hear you're taking my son on another grand adventure. I hope and pray that you will help to keep him safe."

It became apparent to Zion immediately what the other man was talking about, and he nodded to him. "I will do my best, sir." He then turned to the rest of the assembled group. "All of you are coming to the pillar?"

The older sister spoke up now. "Yes, we are, but I suppose we should introduce ourselves first. You already said your name was Zion. Mine is Lightning. She is my younger sister, Serah." The girl pointed to her almost twin.

The blond spoke now. "My name is Snow, and I'm Serah's fiance." He held his hand out for Zion, who took it quickly.

"I'm Sazh, and this is my son, Dajh." The dark skinned man was speaking now, and Zion shook his hand as well, then nodded to the Dajh, who was on his father's shoulders.

"And my name's Hope." The boy was definitely the most excited to be going on this trip, Zion noted. As with the other men, Zion and Hope shook hands quickly, before Hope asked. "So, where's this transportation you said you had?"

Zion stared at Hope for a second before he realized what the younger man was referring to. "Oh, yes, that. It's right here." He produced a red gem with a chain around it. Holding it in his hand, it began to glow. A beam of light shot out of the gem and onto the ground nearby. Out of this light appeared a large, brown skinned dragon.

The dragon was about twice the size of a behemoth, and had a pair of wings jutting out just behind his shoulders, along with a pair of horns on his head and a tail that appeared to have a point to it that could be useful in cutting down enemies. Everyone was shocked at the appearance, as Zion walked toward it. "Hello again, old friend. I suppose you're happy to be out of there, aren't you?" The dragon snorted, a small amount of smoke coming from his nose. Zion chuckled a little at this as he rubbed the top of the dragon's head, before turning to the others. "This is Draco. He'll take us to the pillar." He turned back to the dragon. "You think you can take all of us at once?" If they didn't know better, the Cocoon residents could have sworn Draco had nodded at the question, this idea was confirmed as Zion continued to speak. "Good. Just give us a minute, will you?"

Hope couldn't believe what he was seeing. The only thing he could think of that was even close to that was... "Is that an Eidolon?"

Zion chuckled at the question, as he'd been expecting it. "No, Draco's not an Eidolon. Even if I wasn't a l'Cie, I would still be able to summon him. He's more of a family friend, though, like Eidolons, he doesn't age. In fact, he'd been associated with our family for over two thousand years when I was placed in stasis. Unfortunately, because of my stasis, I was the last one to be able to summon him." He held up the ruby charm. "Nobody can summon him without this, and even with it, you have to be recognized as a member of our family to control him. Even then, he is his own being, and won't always listen." Zion laughed lightly at this comment, a memory suddenly coming to his mind. Draco appeared to get the same memory in his, as he snorted smoke once again, and growled lightly.

Zion addressed the group once again. "We need to get going, it'll take almost two hours to get to the pillar from here. Also, unfortunately, I don't have any seat belts or reigns on Draco, but then again, he normally doesn't carry more than two people. Just remember to hold on tight and try not to kick his wings, all right?" The group nodded and Zion turned back to Draco. "And you, try to keep out of trouble during the flight. The last thing we need is you spinning around and shaking our guests off your back, got it?" The dragon again snorted at the question. "Good, then let's go." As he spoke, he leaped onto the back of the dragon, as close to the neck as he possibly could, before holding out his hand to help the others on.

Once everyone was on, the father spoke to Zion once again. "I'm sorry, but I won't be coming with you. I'm neither a fighter nor a healer, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be any help to you. Just please take care Hope, he's all I have left." Zion nodded, and Hope's father backed away. "Good luck to you all."

"Thanks, Dad!" Hope called as he waved good bye to his father.

Zion smiled back at the teenager and nodded to the father, before turning to Draco. "All right, away we go." Draco took the signal, and began to run forward, much to everyone's shock and surprise. "Oh no, I forgot, with this much weight, he needs to get a running start!" Everyone looked at Zion with a mix of anger, confusion, and fear as Draco stepped right off the edge of the bridge, into the air beyond. After a few seconds of falling, the beast howled and started flapping his wings, the group's descent slowing and finally stalling, before they rose back into the sky, flying toward the crystal tower in the distance.

A/N: Well, they met, and now they're off! Next time, Blaine appears again, and the surprise that he has for the heroes will set off a whole TON of revelations, so many that I'm not sure I can fit them all in one chapter!


As always, please leave reviews and comments, I really do enjoy them!