Chapter 4 is upon us. It took me a bit to get to the part in the game where Lightning and Sazh came back in but the all-nighter was worth it (not that I'm complaining about having and excuse to play games all night). Ironically enough though that this is my earliest update yet despite it taking me all night to get to the part that Vira is in… I just realized I could have just watched a walkthrough. I should really update sooner. Hope you like this chapter!

Thankful for Misfortune

Chapter 4

Fallen Innocence

"Drive, drive, drive you airship gently through the air." I sang with an angry tone. "Innocent people are being killed and the army doesn't care." It was a dark tone to the nursery rhyme I loved as a kid but it was true. So many people were being killed by PSICOM and no one was stopping it. I may detest most people but that doesn't mean I want anyone dead.

"Vira's right." Sazh said looking at the chaos. "It's an out-and-out massacre. Those people won't even live long enough to die on Pulse."

"That was the idea." Lightning said.

My eyes widened and I looked over at her. Did I hear that right?

"What?" Sazh asked equally surprised.

"Sanctum logic." Lightning said in a matter of fact tone. "They conjured up the purge to eliminate a threat. I mean-why carry the danger all the way to Pulse?" She turned and looked over at Sazh and me. "Why not just stamp it out here?"

"What danger?" I asked glaring down at the soldiers below. If looks could kill at least two hundred more PSICOM soldiers would be dead right now. "Last time I checked average people were as lethal as kittens compare to the PSICOM."

"It's basically execution masqueraded as exile Vira. That's all the purge ever was."

"And the army just gets away with murdering people?" I asked with pure hate in my voice. "I can't believe my own father is a part of this holocaust."

'Was he down there, killing people right now? I bet he had been killing people ever since he became a soldier, and always come home every now and again as if he was a hero to the people. Mom probably knew too.' I couldn't bring myself to say those words out loud. I may start going crazy and dive down, trying to take out everything.

"Your dad's a part of PSICOM?" Sazh asked me.

"Yeah he is." I said, doing my best to not take my anger out on him. "How much you want to bet he taught me everything I knew just so I could be like him? After all, every father hopes his kid will grow up and become some heartless bastard who would kill people simply for being near an area where a few l'cie were."

I glanced over at Sazh and I saw a lot of pain course through his features, and I knew it wasn't for my sake. I pretended I didn't notice though and looked away. Not like he would confide in me, some girl he met a few hours ago. Plus I had my own problems to deal with.

He walked over to a steel cable and put his hand on it, no longer facing either me or Lightning." 'Relocation to Pulse.' How does a government get away with crap like that? And you-you knew this was going to happen?" He sounded even angrier than me, and that's saying something since the majority of my day involved beating people I detested out cold in my head.

Lightning shook her head no. "The Purge was PSICOM. Private Sanctum troops, not the Guardian Corps."

"I've never been one to care about the government but I can safely say I like the Guardian Corps better." I said. I was gaining control over my emotions again. It's not like an emotionally crazy teenage girl would be much use in combat.

"PSICOM, Guardian Corps…" Sazh said walking beside me, still looking over at Lightning. "Soldiers are soldiers, aren't they? Pulse fal'cie, and their l'cie, are enemies of the state." He said pointing at a dead soldier from our last fight. I ignored it since it reminded me of the spear that was in my leg a little bit ago. "Tell a soldier to kill and enemy and you really think it matters what uniform he's wearing?"

"Might have mattered to that one. Couldn't shoot, got himself shot instead." Lightning said, walking closer to the end of the ship.

"We all have a lovely look on things don't we?" I asked walking with Lightning. Lightning didn't say anything back (shocker) and Sazh just gave a slight nod.

"How about you?" Sazh asked Lightning. "Orders say shoot, you pull the trigger?"

Lightning didn't answer and I resisted the urge to poke her so I just asked "Anybody home?"

She still didn't answer.

"Fine." Sazh said, annoyed. "Forget I asked."

I sighed and looked around just in time to see something come by. Oh crap.

"Wait… What-"Lighting said, also noticing the enemy coming at us.

"A damn Myrmidon," I mumbled under my breath. "It's nothing but rainbows and sunshine for us today."

The Myrmidon landed and immediately attacked Lighting. Myrmidon can analyze opponents so it was only logical it would attack Lightning, since she was the better fighter out of the three of us.

"Keep it distracted Lightning!" I shouted pulling out my gunblade, ready to cut. "It will go after the best fighter so you're the prime target! Just don't get killed!"

Lightning grunted an ok and avoided another attack. She was way more limber than I gave her credit for. I've seen girls in my gymnastics class (my mother's idea to sign me up for that evil class) try to do a back-flip like she did and most of them ended up on their heads. That was probably the only part of class I actually liked.

'Focus Vira, focus!' I ordered myself as I got ready to make our newest enemy get the receiving of a few bullets.

"Eat lead you oversized ant!" I yelled firing my gunblade. I meant what I said about the ant thing. The Myrmidon really did remind me of an ant in a weird way.

The Myrmidon turned and attacked me as well and I barley dodged it with a backflip of my own. At least I didn't land on my head this time.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Sazh yelled at me. "What happened to Lightning keeping its' attention?!"

If Sazh didn't understand what I was going for than that was his problem. I could already tell Lightning understood my idea. The machine was advanced enough to understand what I was saying after all. It thought since I told Lightning to keep it distracted Sazh and I would defeat it from behind. That was what I wanted it to think, so that way Lightning would attack it from behind and a defeat it, and if it ever caught on and went after Lightning than it would be Sazh and I to take it down.

There was only one problem. Sazh wouldn't be able to dodge well. If he got taken down than it would be hard for me and Lightning to take it down.

Thankfully as soon as its attention was turned to Sazh he shot it in its eyes (or whatever you call those things robots use to see) so it couldn't see us.

It immediately started turning its head and started to swing its arms along wildly trying desperately to hit us. I almost laughed but I didn't think it was a good idea to make Sazh and Lightning think I was even crazier than I already was, and that would basically mean putting me in a jacket that would make me hug myself. I wasn't one for hugs.

Lightning and I jumped up at the same time and cut of its head with a swing of our gunblades. I thought it was pretty cool but the only bad part was she nearly decapitated me in the process, which scared the living crap out of me.

"Please don't cut of my head too!" I said falling on my rear, breathing heavily. "I think my head looks best attached to my body!"

Lightning put her gunblade away and said "It's not like I was trying to kill you. If you don't be careful, you'll do that on your own.

'Oh there are so many rude things I could say to you right now.' I thought, throwing my best glare for good measure instead.

It wasn't ten seconds after our victory that I heard sirens going off. I looked up and saw Sazh pointing his finger at something that made my jaw go a few inches into the ground.

"What's that?" Sazh asked, although I already knew what was coming.

"Attention Purge deportees. Attention Purge deportees." a man's voice said from a speaker. "Put down your weapons and surrender immediately. Your removal is the will of the people of Cocoon. Should you attempt to flee; the Sanctum will employ every resource necessary to bring you to justice. This land is no longer your home. Cease hostilities and surrender at once."

I bit on my lip with anger, nearly making myself bleed. "Justice my ass."

"Just what you were looking for." Sazh said walking closer to the giant that had descended.

"Yeah. Right in there." Lightning confirmed.

"So you're serious about all this?" I asked, hoping for a different answer that what I knew she would say.

"I am serious." She said simply.

"The Pulse fal'cie. Huh." Sazh said.

"Anyone else think it looks like something from a bad dream?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"That's really the only way I would describe it." Lightning said walking over to the edge of the airship we were on.

"So, how do you figure that Pulse fal'cie is different from Sanctum's?" Sazh asked. "All things being equal, I'd just as soon keep wondering."

I was barely listening to Sazh because I went to Lightning's side and could see a conclusion to a thought brewing in her eyes.

She soon stood up and started walking back to beside Sazh. "Time to jump." She said running forward.

"Yeah uh," Sazh said before realization gave him a punch to the face. "Hey hey hey, hang on!"

We both ran to the edge and for a minute I thought Lightning had thought it would be better to meet her maker vie cliff diving.

"What the-? Hey!' Sazh yelled baffled.

"Suicide?" I guessed as she got closer to the ground, but just as she would have been turned into a pink haired pancake she got ready to land on her feet and landed completely unharmed.

"Well I'll be damned!" I said with a grin sprouting on my face, my inner daredevil making and appearance. "That looked like fun."

Sazh only said "Damn." in shock.

"Come on old geezer!" I yelled jumping of as well. Even I had my completely psycho moments every now and again, and I always thought jumping from a high altitude, landing on the ground, and getting up and just go get a coffee would be a great way to relieve stress. Shame there was no coffee shop nearby.

I landed on the same spot Lightning did and jogged up to her. "Screw punching my pillow to relieve stress! I'm jumping of buildings from now on! Can I have one of those things you just used?" I said this all so quick I was surprised she understood me.

"I'm all out." She said quickly.

"Damn." I mumbled, my adrenaline gone as soon as it had come.

I turned around just in time to see Sazh land on his stomach.

"Nice landing." I said with my typical smart-ass smirk.

"Gee thanks." he said with no real emotion, standing up with some difficulty. I looked up and saw his chocobo land in his afro.

"At least your pet can land decently."

"Very funny."

"I know I am." I said turning around and walking ahead to catch up with Lightning.

'So now all we are going to do is take out a fal'cie. Sounds simple enough.' I thought trying to make myself feel better about going into certain death. 'I'm so screwed.'

Chapter 4 is now done. I'm happy I actually managed to get over 2000 words into this one. Pardon me while I go into joyful bliss that I finally posted a chapter exactly when I wanted to. Please review my story and vote on my poll! In case I don't update by Christmas, Happy Holidays everyone!