I do not own Final Fantasy 13 or any of the characters.
Past
"Daniel!" Sari called walking over. "Your dad says we've got another assignment."
"Perfect," Daniel said. "I'm getting kind of tired of working for him. We never get any down time. Besides, do we really have to? We could probably get away if we went now."
"You know that there's no way in hell we would make it ten feet," Sari said sitting in his lap. "Besides, I'm not leaving and you're useless without me."
"And I'm sure me staying here has nothing to do with me being in love with you," Daniel said smirking.
Sari shrugged and brushed her pink hair over her left shoulder. He didn't know why but he had always loved the way she kept her hair over her left shoulder, the way that she was the only person he had ever met that had pink hair, and was the only person that actually understood him. She was his soul mate. And no one could say otherwise.
"So what's this assignment?" Daniel asked.
"We have to go find and eliminate a high ranking general," Sari said. "We have to play assassins."
"Wonderful," Daniel said. "More pointless killing."
"We're in a war," Sari said. "It's all killing."
Daniel nodded and they stood. He held his hand out and Sari took it then flew into the air taking him with her. After a couple hours they reached a massive stone fort swarming with enemy soldiers. Every soldier held a gunblade similar to Daniel and Sari's but theirs were all black. Paul could sense that the general was inside and Sari clearly could too. It wasn't that they had some power that allowed them to feel that they were near him, it was more that they could sense the tension the soldiers had from being led by him. He was a miraculous warrior, no doubt. He was also an excellent but strict leader, to the point of seeming cruel.
"Set us down on the bluff," Daniel said pointing at one a ways away. "From there we'll swim in through the port."
The fort was comfortably nestled between a cliff, a desert, the sea, and a massive river too wide to cross without a ship, which could be easily spotted. The Bluff they landed on was along the shore of the sea about a half mile away. They quickly dove into the water and began swimming toward the base. When they were nearing the port, a ship sailed past and they hid underwater and swam after it slipping inside just before the massive sea gate closed. Then they silently swam to hide behind a support beam as soldiers unloaded the ships cargo then sent it away and left leaving two sentries behind to play card while pretending to keep watch.
"You want them or me?" Daniel whispered.
"I definitely want you," Sari said grinning at his word choice. "But for now, I'll settle for killing them."
She switched her gunblade to its gun-mode and added a silencer then shot both in the head. They dropped fairly quietly and Daniel and Sari both climbed out and ran toward the stairs. They were almost but just as they reached the stairs, soldiers poured out of it.
"We've been waiting for you," one of the soldiers said. "There's a price on your heads. Just the heads. Nothing attached to them."
Daniel and Sari instantly kissed then Daniel began tearing into the soldiers. Within seconds he had killed most of the soldiers in the room and the rest were retreating. He and Sari followed, Sari in case the powers ran out, and soon reached the courtyard where thousands of soldiers were waiting. Daniel began to tear through them but suddenly Sari screamed and just as he turned, something exploded in front of him and hurled him over the fort's outer wall and into the bushes beyond. Just as he landed, the powers returned to Sari but she was already unconscious and unable to fight back.
Three hours later, Daniel stood on the cliff beside his father watching as their army battled the forces from the base. Reinforcements had arrived at the base shortly after Daniel had left to ask his family for help and the armies were fairly even.
"I think it's been long enough," Caius said. "I'll teleport you in then you are on your own."
"Thank you," Daniel said.
Caius placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder and suddenly Daniel was just inside the port. He silently crept through the fort until he reached the dungeons where Sari was chained to a wall with a gash on the side of her face but otherwise unharmed.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked picking the locks of the shackles and freeing her.
"I'm fine," Sari said before kissing him. "Now let's get out of here."
Just as they turned to leave, the ceiling of the room crashed down in a near perfect circle and a single man stood from the rubble. He was about seven foot with muscles around the same size as Caius's and a suit of pure white full plate armor. He held a large sword with no cross guard, and a massive rectangle for a blade with three of the sides razor sharp and the fourth having the grip extending from it.
"Crap," Daniel said. "Sari, while I fight him, you need to run."
"Okay," Sari said.
She instantly sprinted away and Daniel attacked the man he was originally sent to kill. Their swords crashed against each other's repeatedly showering both of them in sparks as they slowly floated into the air to the ground floor then out to the courtyard, now free of combatants. Then, Daniel ducked under the man's blade and kicked him away then flew away from the fort reaching Sari just before the man caught his leg and smashed him into the ground. Daniel rolled over and blasted the man with a sphere of blue energy that sent him flying back into the fort, then picked up Sari and flew her back to Caius.
"Father," Daniel said landing just as the powers returned. "Please safeguard her while I finish the enemy leader off."
"Very well," Caius said not looking away from the battle below the cliff.
Daniel turned to Sari and kissed her. Unlike every other time that day, this time it went on for several seconds, almost as if they wouldn't see each other again.
"I'll be back soon," Daniel said.
Then, he turned and flew back to the fort finding the man waiting. The man flew up at him and their sword clanged loudly once before the man flipped over and kicked Daniel into the ground. He rolled out of the way of the man's blade then spun kicking the man into the fort's wall. He stood and flew at the man and they fought in a blur for several minutes before Daniel suddenly slowed to his normal speed and stumbled barely regaining his footing. He was powerless but felt better with a sword than ever before. It couldn't have been time for the powers to run out yet. He had been counting. He still had a few more minutes. Something was terribly wrong and he had a horrible feeling he knew what.
"You're powerless," the man said. "Go recharge again. I will not fight an unfair battle."
"It's not unfair," Daniel said picking up the gunblade he had dropped. "But I'm glad to see you have honor."
The man nodded and shot toward Daniel. Daniel ducked under the first swing and into the man's knee. He smashed into the wall then spun out of the way of the blade again and then spun back the other way swinging his gunblade at the man's back. Neither of them had actually managed to do much more than bruise the other yet but they both knew the moment they did the fight would be over. The man swung at Daniel again and Daniel dropped to his back then planted both feet into the man's chest sending him flying. The man flipped over and flew straight back toward Daniel and Daniel dropped to his back again holding his gunblade up and allowing the man to impale himself on it. Daniel stood and removed his gunblade from the man's face then ran back to Caius to see Sari laying on her back with a stunned look on her face and Caius's sword buried halfway to the hilt through her abdomen and chest and into the ground. There was no way it was an accident.
"What the hell happened?" Daniel asked looking to Caius with a mixture of confusion and rage.
"You failed," Caius said. "You must be punished."
"You...killed her?" Daniel asked. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
He sprinted at his father and swung at him but Caius easily caught the sword between two fingers then mule kicked Daniel in the chest and sent him flying without ever looking back. Daniel landed hard and his gunblade narrowly missed impaling his head. He stood and picking it up as Caius pulled his sword free of Sari placing a foot on her shoulder to hold her down while he pulled his sword out of her.
"If you feel so strongly, come and get me," Caius said.
Daniel charged again and swung at Caius's head but Caius easily blocked it along with the next fifteen before backhanding Daniel and sending him flying again. For the next hour it continued like this until finally Caius transformed into a dragon and pinned him to the ground charging a sphere of black energy to kill him.
Then, he blasted Sari's body obliterating it and then glared down at Daniel.
"Enough," Caius thundered forcing Daniel to stop struggling. "Your punishment has been completed. You have been broken and then shamed. It's over."
And with that, he was gone.
"Daniel!" a familiar voice called waking him from his memory.
He opened his eyes to see Misaki sitting on top of him smiling down at him, her pink hair over her right shoulder, he nightgown hanging loosely over her, and her aqua eyes seeming to shimmer and instantly making him think of Sari. He had been with Misaki for months and still couldn't get over how much she looked like Sari. They could have been twins. Even their powers were similar. The main difference being that Misaki's powers were more attack oriented and fire-based.
"Hey beautiful," Daniel said smiling. "How's it going?"
"Great," Misaki said. "Time to go find our team. They've been on their hike for a week. We have to go find them and see if they passed."
Daniel nodded and she left with her clothes and changed in the bathroom while Daniel quickly changed in their room. Then she returned and flew both of them away from their home toward the mountain top they had told their team to wait at. When they arrived, their team had been massacred along with their significant others who had various powers and allowed the team to use them in a fight.
Misaki and Daniel landed in the center of the field next to two sets of dual weapons. One was a pair of foot long daggers shaped like miniature versions of Caius's knives. The other was a pair of short sword-sized ones.
"Those look weird," Misaki said. "What are they?"
"Trouble," Daniel said kneeling to look at the four eyes. "Closed. Good."
"The eyes?" Misaki asked.
"If they were open, we'd be doomed," Daniel said.
"Shame," a cold voice said as all four blades shot past Daniel and Misaki into their masters' waiting hands. "Guess we'll just have to fight harder, won't we brother?"
"Brother?" Misaki asked.
"Brother," Daniel said drawing his weapon and kissing Misaki. "Stay back. "They're strong."
With that, he sprinted forward and couldn't help but smile. His brothers were both their father's thralls and he could finally end that side of their father's power. At the same time, he could finally see just how much of Sari's strength had remained with him. Ryuu had his knives ready and in reverse grip, moving in a near blur spinning and swinging at him almost too fast to keep up with. At the same time, Daisuke was attacking him from the other side. Even with one sword, Daniel was able to fend both off while also avoiding their attacks in a way that they had to dodge each other's attacks. Suddenly, Daniel dropped and spun tripping both and moving to kill Daisuke. Just as he did, all four of their weapons' eyes shot open and they exploded into balls of black fire before two black monsters shot out. One was a knight in black armor with Daisuke's swords combined into one dual-bladed sword and a large black shield. The other was massive with four arms at his shoulders as well as fifty to a hundred other arms running up one side of his torso, across his shoulders behind his head, and down his other side, each arm holding a dagger.
"Shit," Daniel said.
Both of his brothers held out all of their arms and fired a dark sphere of energy from each. Daniel began either avoiding or slashing them away as well as back at his brothers. Just as the spheres began to explode and injure his brothers, one sphere that he had dodged, exploded beside Misaki. She flew through the air and he managed to just barely catch her but by the time he had set her on the ground, she was already dead.
"No," Daniel said. "Not you too. Please."
"Now what will you do brother?" Ryuu asked walking forward confidently.
"Now he will die," Daisuke said raising his sword.
"No," Daniel said standing and picking up Misaki's gunblade. "Now both of you die."
He charged to fight them but even with the skill boost he got, there was almost no way he could beat them both without Misaki's powers.
After three straight days of a destructive and grueling battle against his two brothers, Daniel found himself pinned to the ground. Daisuke was ready to end him and Ryuu was juggling his daggers with glee. Both had stayed in their monstrous forms since they had begun to fight and both were overdue to transform back from overuse.
Just then, a sphere of energy blasted Daisuke in the chest forcing him to take his foot off of Daniel. Daniel ran toward whoever had saved him and found a girl. She was his age and he felt his jaw hit the ground. She looked exactly like Sari and Misaki. The biggest difference was her black and fairly revealing clothing and the dangerous air about her.
"Nice to see you again Danny," Lumina said.
"Shut up and kill them," Daniel said.
"Which?" Lumina asked.
"The one with the knives, Ryuu," Daniel said knowing she would only fight one.
Lumina was suddenly surrounded by a sphere of dark energy then reappeared in a similar manor on Ryuu's head. Daniel sprinted at Daisuke and avoided a slash from him then stood slashing Daisuke's leg. he was partially surprised how much he had recovered energy just by getting help from Lumina. He fought as hard as he could and Lumina was doing the same with much more success until finally, Daisuke smashed Daniel away with his shield and Ryuu kicked Lumina away after slashing her stomach. Daniel gave her a potion and she drank it healing completely then stood.
"This isn't working well," Lumina said. "Any ideas?"
"One," Daniel said. "My power."
"Do it, fast," Lumina said.
Both Daisuke and Ryuu were preparing to shot hundreds of spheres of energy at them as they had done countless times over the past days. Daniel quickly kissed Lumina and instantly knew something was wrong. The transfer was always instantaneous. This time, nothing had happened.
"Fuck," Daniel said as his brothers fired the spheres.
Just before they hit, they all fizzled out and Ryuu and Daisuke both transformed back and collapsed. Then, Caius himself appeared between them.
"Daniel," Caius said. "Look who's the greatest soldier I've ever wanted to kill. I'll see you soon. Then, you'll see them again. I pray that you have a new power source by then. It would be a shame to see you finally fall."
Daniel turned back toward Lumina but she was gone.
"Terrific," Daniel said.
