Hey everyone... Sorry for the long-ish wait. AP classes and finals and stuff... They just eat your life. So, um, please excuse any strange grammar/syntax errors (laugh). XD

Dissonantia13 and Lotusbitch: Thanks for reading and reviewing once again :3 I don't want to say anything else for fear of spoilers though, so...

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Day Nine: Jurisdiction

Lightning dragged herself through another sleepless night. She had dreamt of the day Hope and Caius had fought on the streets of Academia, the day Caius had pushed her away after Hope's comment about their little duel—"The next time I see you, I am going to end this." Once again she wished she could actually have some peace for once.

But she knew that wish wouldn't be granted any time soon. She changed clothes and slipped down the stairs into the dark, silent, early-morning kitchen.

She allowed herself to sink into the silence enveloping her and let her mind go blank. It wasn't easy, of course, considering everything that had happened, but eventually…

Caius. She felt the ghost of his lips on her skin, heard the sound of his voice echoing in her ears. Even though he hadn't entered the kitchen to interrupt her thoughts as usual, he was still in her head. Why was she so drawn to him? When was he going to try to get his revenge on Hope? Should she try to stop him? Was it even worth trying?

There was a noise on the opposite side of the kitchen, and Lightning jumped. She glanced over to see Fang standing at the window.

"Holy hell, Sunshine." Fang was grinning at her. "You don't have to jump so high. It's just me."

"I thought you were someone else," Lightning said dryly.

"Who?"

Lightning drew in a breath, but said nothing.

Fang strode over to where she sat. "Caius, wasn't it?" she asked quietly, with a smile on her face.

Lightning turned her face away. She was at a loss for words. How had Fang known?

"It's only a matter of time before your sister finds out," Fang said under her breath.

"What?!" Lightning exclaimed. "What did you say?"

"Lightning, hate to break it to you," Fang said, "but everyone's heard about the fight."

"Fang." Lightning rose to her feet. "Whatever you do, don't let my sister find out."

"There's nothing I can do," Fang answered. "I'm sorry."

Lightning shook her head. In truth, there was nothing she could do either.

Fang said nothing for a minute and walked over to the large window at the edge of the kitchen again. "I kind of miss Cocoon," she said and laughed. "Ironic, isn't it?"

Lightning wanted to say she kind of missed Valhalla, but didn't dare. She slid back down into her chair and blinked hard.

"Hey, Lightning, don't feel so bad, 'kay?" Fang said, turning around to face her again. "Caius isn't such a bad person. He's not too bad-looking, either," she added.

"Glad you think so," Lightning muttered emotionlessly.

Fang crossed her arms. "C'mon, lighten up, Sunshine. It could be worse," she said.

"Worse? Really? Everyone knows about me and Caius, Hope is trying to kill him, and Serah has no clue. I don't really see how this could get any worse." Lightning sighed.

"I do," Fang said unhelpfully. "Your sister could know about Caius. Hope could actually kill him."

"Etro," Lightning groaned. "Fang, you're not helping."

"Sorry," Fang laughed.

Just then they both heard a distant crash. Both of them turned toward the front of the building sharply, straining to see what had caused the sound.

When Lightning heard a trace of Caius's voice, she started running.

Fang was at her heels in no time. "What the hell?" she was saying. "What's happening?"

Lightning knew exactly what was happening, but was moving too quickly to answer.

She shoved the door open and rushed outside. Fang followed behind her. A crowd had gathered in the street, and standing across from each other in the center of the action were Hope and Caius. Hope was holding a gunblade again—the sight of it made Lightning uneasy—and Caius had his sword.

And he had something else.

Trapped in the crook of his arm was Serah. She was breathing in gasps, as Lightning could see from the unsteady rise and fall of her chest. Serah was staring at Hope as though… well, as though he was her last hope.

"If you do not cease this right now," Caius hissed, "I will end her life."

"You—you wouldn't," Hope breathed.

"I would," Caius said, an air of confidence surrounding him. "And then do you know who Lightning will blame? You, Estheim—you."

"She would never blame me for something you did!" Hope screamed.

"You know how Lightning feels about me." Caius smirked.

Serah was reeling. She hit Caius square in the chest in an attempt to get away. He didn't even so much as flinch. "Caius, tell me that isn't true!" she shrieked. "Tell me she isn't with you!"

"I would not lie," Caius answered flatly.

"That sentence alone is a lie," Hope said, and activated his gunblade, switching its form into that of a gun. "Let Serah go and we'll find out who the true victor is."

"Is that a challenge, Estheim?" Caius asked.

Lightning was frozen to the spot. She couldn't seem to do anything but stand there stupidly with her mouth open, staring at the duel playing out in front of her. How on earth had her innocent sister gotten pulled into this?

She wanted to slap herself. She was a soldier. She was trained and armed. Why couldn't she do something? Anything? Anything at all?

"Yes, that is a challenge, Caius. That's what it has been every single day I've looked you in the eye," Hope growled.

Right, Lightning thought, reaching for her own gunblade and finding nothing there. She wasn't armed. She'd lost her weapon somewhere during the trip to the time bubble, just as Serah had lost her engagement necklace. And Hope had made them all believe they had no way of attaining weapons.

What a fib that had been.

"Why don't you try to hit me?" Caius asked, the smirk creeping further across his face. "You are afraid of harming her, are you not?" he continued, gesturing to Serah, who tried to jerk out of his grasp, but to no avail.

Hope said nothing. He looked uncomfortable.

"You are weak," Caius said. "You don't even have the strength to—"

Then Hope took a half step forward and pulled the trigger.

Caius and Lightning both gasped in unison. Hope looked Caius in the eye and then stepped back, pulling the gun back and pointing it at the ground once more. Caius winced, and slid to the ground.

I doubt murder is even possible here.

For the first time in her life, Lightning hoped that Caius's words rang true.

She could not lose him.

Serah moved away slowly, looking from Hope to Caius and back again, as though wondering what had gotten into Hope, what had happened to him.

Lightning's feet took her into the crowd. Her voice rang out in the silence, his name on her lips: "Caius."

"Lightning," Hope said, sounding panicked. He put one arm around her. "Lightning, I—"

"Don't," she said, pushing him away.

"Light, I didn't—"

"Shut up," she told him abruptly, and immediately saw the flash of hurt in his eyes before she turned back to her sister and Caius.

"Nothing here…" Caius gasped through his teeth, his arm clasped around his wound, "can ever… change…"

At first Lightning's mind was blank, and she wasn't sure what he meant, but after a second it came to her. Hope had said it himself—this Academia was an unchanging rift in the timeline. Caius could not die.

Could he?

She knelt beside him, watched as his he clutched his wound, watched his expression contort in pain. "Caius," she whispered, so close that her lips brushed his ear. "Don't you dare leave me, Caius Ballad."

"No…" he countered. "This… This only means… I am returning to the timeline…"

Lightning moved away, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood. No words escaped her—she had none left.

"Lightning," he whispered, pulling her close. One of his hands slipped around her waist. "Never forget."

"Caius?" she gasped. "What do you mean?"

Then his eyes slid shut, and he fell backwards. First his wound began to shimmer, and then the rest of his body followed, evaporating into nothingness. Lightning could do nothing but watch—she felt frozen.

And then there was nothing there but nothing.

When Lightning finally stood up and spun around, she saw Hope taking off and running in the other direction, dropping his gunblade on the ground beside him. She reached out and opened her mouth to call out to him, but he was too far gone. And then Serah crashed into her, throwing her arms around Lightning's neck and sobbing into her shoulder.

Lightning was silent. Even as the onlookers of the event, including Fang, ran up to the two sisters, asking what happened and if everything was okay, she stared straight ahead at where Hope had just disappeared. Caius's disappearance kept replaying over and over in her mind, tormenting her.

Nothing else mattered to her right then.

She drifted through the next hour or two—how much time had actually passed, she didn't know—and realized where she was again when she looked up and saw the familiar surroundings of her apartment. Outside the window, the early morning sun was just ascending into the sky, winding up behind several dark clouds that telegraphed the beginning of another rainstorm.

Fitting, she thought bitterly.

A few minutes later there was a knock on her door. Lightning stood up heavily and went to open it. When she did, she found Fang and Serah standing outside in the hall.

"Lightning," Fang began. "I'm really sorry about earlier. Do you mind if we come in?"

"I guess not." Lightning pushed the door open wider and allowed them inside. She glanced out into the hall again unconsciously; it was as if she was still expecting to see the dark shadow of Caius to be lurking around her floor.

"Hope disappeared," Fang informed her. "We have no idea where he went, but…"

"I don't care if he never comes back," Lightning spat. She was facing the window, and when she turned to face Fang and Serah again, she saw that their eyes were wide with shock. Lightning stared back a little too long, and Fang tried to explain.

"You see, Light… For a while there we were all under the impression that you two were…" She paused. "You know… together?"

"We weren't," Lightning said. "Serah knew. Didn't you, Serah?"

Serah nodded bleakly. "But I didn't think that you were involved with Caius," she added, her voice soft.

"Whether I was involved with Caius or not was my business." Lightning clenched her hand around the edge of the end table behind her. "I didn't want everyone to revoke their trust in me again just because of something stupid like that."

"'Something stupid like that', huh?" Fang echoed. "I dunno, Sunshine…"

There was a pause. The three of them stared at each other for a moment, and then Serah's voice broke the silence.

"Lightning," she said. "I know it's… strange to say, but I just want whatever's best for you. So about Caius… I'm not blaming you."

Lightning's eyes widened. "You're… not?" she asked.

"No. I know just how you feel." Her sister's eyes were brimming with tears. "I made my choice, and you made yours."

"Lost me," Fang remarked, holding up her hands in mock surrender.

"Let's go find Hope," Lightning broke in, changing her mind. She spun on her heel and strode out of the room.

"Wait, what?" She heard Fang's confused voice behind her as she turned her back.

Lightning turned again and looked at Fang and Serah. "I said, let's go find Hope," she repeated.

"I thought you didn't care if he disappeared," Fang called after her.

"I don't," Lightning said, "but if he does, I need him one more time before he's gone."

She marched out of the room and into the hallway, leaving them to follow her.