Hey again!

Thanks again for tuning into the next chapter installment here, and I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves so far (because I know I am).

Shoutout to OscarMerrinoz96 for reviewing every new chapter I put up (man, you're the best!) and for my other "serial" reviewers, GCFarron and ziel101, you guys rock.

Nothing really much to say before this chapter (apart from my usual warning of dark themes), so we'll get started with the show, and I know you guys (after all of you who PM'ed me) care about what happened to Light, so here we go. Enjoy! (:

Chapter 10: Petals and Sacrifices

A shrill call of a little chocobo announced Sazh's arrival, but the older man looked far less happy than his pet did. Snow stood at the entrance of their house, watching the pilot struggle though the tall grass stems that lined the small mountain path. I need to tell Serah to remind me to mow the lawn after we get Sis back. He never had doubts that they'd find her. Sis, I know you're out there somewhere. We'll come get you, you'll see.

"Hey!" Sazh's voice sounded right beside him, and a yellow fluffball attacked his coat, chirping madly. "You alright, hero?" The older man's voice was tired, and Snow saw the light of suspicion in his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Just... too much has happened in the last two days. Kinda overwhelmed, ya know?"

Snow felt Sazh lay his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'll say. Man, kids these days... You guys are just trouble magnets, aren't you?"

Snow managed to let out a laugh. "Yeah, guess we kinda are, old man. Why don't you come on in so we can explain the situation?" Sazh walked past him, muttering darkly about how kids could never stay out of trouble these days, and how they dragged seniors into battle time and time again. The yellow fluffball on Snow's shoulder let out a peep, and happily fluttered into the house.

At least one of us is happy.

Serah tried not to look at Sazh as she was offering him tea. She didn't know him like everyone else did, but she'd heard enough about him from Snow to know that he was the first person who decided to follow Claire when she derailed the train in the Hanging Edge. And since Sazh didn't live with them, Serah saw him rarely, and never made the effort to speak with him. But we need his help... for Claire.

"Thanks Serah." Gently nodding at his thanks as she set the teacup before him, she moved to sit beside Snow. She wasn't quite used to the accent he used to speak with yet, and he intimidated her a little.

"So, you guys wanna tell me exactly how you lost Lightning?" At his words, Serah flinched. Because it's my fault. I should never have let her out of my sight that night. She felt Snow elbow her, and she looked up at his slightly angry face.

"Not your fault," he hissed quietly at her. Serah only nodded, and leaned her head against his broad shoulder. Her light pink hair fell gently in front of her eyes, and she raised her right arm to brush it away, only to wince at the flash of pain from her side. Serah didn't want to speak, didn't want to see Sazh's reaction when they told him how Claire had gotten taken away, didn't want to hear the story over again complimented by the all-too-fresh memories crowding into her consciousness whenever Claire's name was mentioned. So Serah buried her face against Snow, trying to block it all out, remembering the day when Claire refused to tell her how exactly her mother had died. She'd been angry at Claire then, but now, thinking back on it... Maybe there were things Claire never wanted repeated either... ever.

Serah had sat down at the couch where her sister was eating. It was rare that Claire got to eat with her during her work weeks, so Serah made sure to enjoy the moment as much as possible. She only saw Claire early in the mornings sometimes, and apart from the occasional day Claire took off of work, they never really spent time together anymore. Luckily she had Snow now, but she wondered if her sister was ever lonely in the way she was.

But today Serah had a purpose in keeping her sister in a good mood. She'd unearthed some medical documents in her sister's room while she had been cleaning it, and although she hadn't meant to look at it while putting them back, she'd caught sight of their mother's name on most of them. She hadn't really understood the messy doctor's writing on it, but if Claire had put such an effort into hiding them, there had to be something important in them... right?

"Hey... Claire?"

"Mmhmm?" Her sister didn't look up from her food, playing with it with a knife.

"Can I ask you something?" Serah hoped her voice wasn't trembling; she already knew Claire was going to be angry that she'd gone through her room, even if Serah had only been cleaning. Usually Claire insisted on cleaning her own room, not that it was ever messy, but she'd always insisted on dusting it herself and such.

"Uh huh." Her sister's voice was nonchalant, clearly not expecting anything odd.

"Do you remember... when Mom died?" She hated the way her voice quivered on the last word, hated the way it made her sound because then she knew Claire would only continue to treat her like a child and continue to protect her, when her sister should have been living her own life.

The look on Claire's face turned from puzzlement to a hesitant anger. "Serah... did you look through my stuff?"

Holding her hands behind her back, Serah shuffled fluffy slippered feet, trying to avoid her sister's gaze. But Claire's ice blue glare wasn't easy to look away from. "I found some stuff... while I was cleaning your room... I didn't mean to look through it, Claire, honest! But..."

"But you decided to look through it anyways?" There was a quiet menace in her voice as the look in her eyes darkened.

"It had Mom's name on it, and I..."

In an instant, Claire was on her feet. "Serah, I told you not to look through my things for a reason." But Serah couldn't see why details of her mother's death had to be so secret. She was fifteen now, the exact age Claire had been when their mother died; with no other family to turn to, the doctors had no choice but to tell the then fifteen year old Claire everything. Feeling an irritation rise in her chest at the thought that Claire didn't want her to know, Serah got up too, looking at her right in the eye.

"Why can't I know about it?" The words came out more snappish then she had intended, and she saw the blaze of fury light in Claire's eyes. But there was something else, something Serah couldn't pinpoint just at that moment, but what she had later recognized as pain.

"Serah, there are things you're better off not knowing about. I'm not going to pretend I'm not angry at you for going through my stuff, for whatever reason it was, but I hid that stuff for a reason." Lightning's voice was firm, and Serah knew she was trying to control her temper.

"So? That doesn't mean I don't have a right to it! She was our mom, in case you've forgotten!" Letting her anger take hold of her, Serah had run out of the room, ignoring the hand her sister had extended to her, and slammed the door to her bedroom. She'd heard her sister knock, but Serah didn't feel like opening it, didn't want Claire to explain. She heard her sister's soft footsteps disappear down the hallway.

When she'd worked up the nerve to apologize for her outburst later that evening, she had crept to the living room, finding her sister asleep on the couch. Serah wanted to shake Claire, to wake her up, but she knew that Claire would only be angry that she interrupted her sleep.

"So, what you're saying is... some fal'Cie reviving scientist dudes have soldier girl?" Sazh's tone was slightly disbelieving as he looked around at them all. "I mean, obviously Lightning's not here, but don't you think the whole fal'Cie thing is sorta, you know, crazy?"

"It doesn't matter if we think it's crazy. If they think they can do it, we can't really stop them..." Hope's quiet voice sounded from where he was sitting on an armrest. "Sazh, do you think you can get us an airship? To Oerba, I mean."

Sazh scratched his afro, careful not to disturb the snoozing chocobo chick in his hair. "Well... I suppose. Tomorrow morning, then? I'll need to contact my superior, and organize for Dajh to remain with your NORA crew for a bit longer, but it can be done."

"Thanks, old man. You really know how to step up to the plate when we need you." Snow's voice was hearty and appreciative - Serah liked that. He was always so optimistic. Between Claire and Hope she'd gotten the idea that his optimism on the journey had either annoyed the heck out of everyone or kept them all going. Somewhere between the two, Hope had told her. Gently wrapping her arms around his waist, Serah leaned into him again.

"Alright!" Snow pumped a fist into the air. "Tomorrow we go to Oerba and get Sis back!" Serah saw Hope shake his head, and Sazh pinch the bridge of his nose, muttering about how reckless kids these days were. Well... I like this about him.

"Hey, baby, you should get some sleep now if you're gonna go with us, okay?" Serah turned her attention to Snow's face as he looked critically down at her. "I know that side of yours is bruised pretty bad. I wouldn't even let you go if I didn't know you cared so much for Sis."

Sazh took a single look at the happy couple. "Alright, kids, I'll be here at seven tomorrow, see y'all then. Don't worry, I'll see myself out." And with that, Sazh shut the door of the house behind him, the chocobo chick snoozing happily in his hair. Man, I really can't catch a break with these kids, can I?

Snow had shooed Hope off to take a shower, and he'd carried Serah to their bed. Serah couldn't look at the empty room that was her sister's... it was too hard. Too many memories invaded her reality whenever she saw or heard anything that directly related to Claire. Claire... I really, really hope that you're okay... That you're gonna be okay.

"Hey... Don't put that look on your face." It was Snow. He held her small hands in his, and Serah appreciated the warmth that they held. "Sis wouldn't want to see you looking like that."

No, she wouldn't. But she's not here because we let her fight.

"Look, baby, I know you're upset, but brooding about it isn't going to make it better. What was your motto again...? Oh yeah, 'face it later'. Well? What happened to it? It disappear the moment Sis got taken away?" Snow scratched the back of his bandanna as he said this, looking intently at her.

Serah couldn't respond. Pulling her hands out of his grip, she wrung them despairingly. "No... but... Snow!" And she couldn't hold back the tears again as they tumbled down her cheeks. She felt a big hand wipe them gently away, and those same hands pull her into a warm embrace. "Snow... I can't bear it anymore... Do you have any idea what they might be doing to her? I can't close my eyes without thinking about that scream of hers, can't look or hear anything about her without remembering how she looked in the arms of that man. What if we're too late...? What if...?" Serah tried to contain the whimpers that were coming from the back of the throat, but she only managed to choke on more tears as they fell gently into Snow's shirt, darkening it.

"Shhhh... don't think like that, okay? We will find Sis. Don't give up before we've even started." Gently, Snow pressed his lips against her cheek. Serah didn't pull away, knowing that she needed him, knowing that even thinking about Claire more would only make it worse. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head into 'her' spot on his shoulder. "There... see?" His quiet whisper made her look up.

"Don't think about it, just think about what we have to do. You'll see her again, I promise." And this time, it was her who leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his, letting everything else slide away.

Snow... You and Claire work so hard to protect me from everything ugly in this world. And I know you do it because you think I can't handle it. But this... this made me realize the people who pledge to protect me can't always be there for me. You can't always take the blows so that they're softened when I get hit. I made a promise the day I saw Claire again too. I promised myself that I wouldn't let her do everything alone anymore. And I won't. After this... Claire won't have to fight by herself again. I promise.

Gripping the sheets, Lightning jerked herself awake from the depths of the nightmare, trying to calm her breathing and the shaking that was consuming her body. Looking at the torn cloth of her uniform, she saw the white l'Cie brand again. How did this happen...?

The rune circle. What was it? Why did something like that exist... in the first place? She didn't know, and didn't really want to find out.

Making her way slowly over to the door, she wasn't surprised to find it locked. Leaning against the cold stone, Lightning tried to cling to her reality, but it was slipping. Her dreams were filled with the people here pushing Serah into the rune circle, watching her scream, and not being able to help, frozen to the spot. Giving her head a small shake, she tried to focus on what she needed to do.

I need to get out of here... I need to find out why this l'Cie brand is back... and why I'm needed for this "Eclipse".

Gripping the wall, clenching her fingers into a fist, Lightning pressed her forehead against the freezing rock, hoping its touch would calm the raging thoughts and emotion. She remembered what the military psychologists said when one was faced with an unknown situation and didn't know what to do. Repeat facts you do know, and slowly work towards facts you don't.

Lightning took a deep breath. My name is Lightning Farron. I am a Sergeant for the Guardian Corps. I am... was a l'Cie. My Eidolon's name is Odin. These people want me because they think I'm going to be of use for activating their "Eclipse". I don't know what the Eclipse is. I don't know how I'm going to get out.

A small whimper escaped her lips when she realized she couldn't do it, couldn't continue. She didn't know how she was going to get out. But Serah… and Hope. I promised I'd be there for them… I promised. A cold hand wrapped around her left upper arm, just below her pauldron. Quickly, she wrenched her arm out of the grip, glad that she had enough strength to do so. Turning to glare at the person who had grabbed her, she noted that it was the same person as last time, and from the look on his face, she knew he was smiling.

"Defensive, aren't we now? Larcell is happy you're awake, Lightning. He'd like to see you again."

"But I don't want to see him," she snapped. "I don't want to go back."

Gently, he laid a hand on her face, stroking the bottom of her cheek. His grip tightened, vice like, and she found herself being forced to look at him. "You don't have a choice." The voice was quiet, but ever syllable was laid with menace.

Quickly, she flashed out her slim fingers, closing them around the cloaked arm that held her face. "How many times do I have to tell you people not to touch me?" She felt the burning anger begin to rise in her stomach, and narrowed her eyes at her assailant. She was a l'Cie again. She wasn't sure if she could cast magic, but hopefully the empowered limbs that being a Pulse l'Cie gave her was enough to take this one man out. And with any luck, he'd left the door unlocked so she could get out.

But he'd seen her glance at the door, and the smile on his face cracked even wider when he saw what she was thinking. "Ah ah ah… can't have you doing that. Larcell predicted you might, which is why he fashioned this." From under his cloak, he whipped out a shiny silver bangle that she instantly nicknamed the arm shackle.

"And what… the fuck is that?" Lightning tried not to sound disdainful; she was pretty sure she knew what it did.

"Well, let's just say… it contains l'Cie power till he deems you fit to use it." While his grip on her face loosened, she took the opportunity to wrench her face from him, and backed away quickly, settling into a defensive position. Lightning knew she couldn't give him the opportunity to put the arm shackle on her.

"Heh. You're not getting away from here… you know that, right? It's not going to hurt you."

Fuck it won't hurt me. That thing is going to take my only chance at escape and literally throw it out the window.

And try as she might, he'd probably eaten and drank in the last forty eight hours and she hadn't. He hadn't been knocked out with various concussions and drugs, and she knew the last of the drugs was probably still in her system. She felt his hand close around her throat, and her hands instantly went to the hand that was holding her, trying to pry it off. And in those seconds she felt cold metal close around her slim wrist. Dropping like a rock, she felt the strength she thought she'd regained drain from her; she felt as empty as she did when she first woke up in Lake Bresha after falling from the Pulse Vestige.

She felt the hand close around her other wrist again, pulling her up.

"Come along, you've wasted enough of Larcell's time."

Serah stood at the edge of the small cliff in the weak morning sunlight. The sun hadn't yet touched Cocoon's bottom curve, and it wasn't strong enough to dispel the fog that still shrouded most of New Bodhum.

It looks so peaceful… and, yet it's so hard to believe that just a few days ago, this town was fighting a war.

Leaning down, Serah picked a small flower that was growing on one of the rock cliffs. Some of its leaves were missing, but the flower was still in full bloom, dusted by the morning dewdrops. And something so beautiful can still bloom, even after everything its been through. It's a survivor.

"And Light is too," Hope murmured quietly from behind her. Serah turned to see him; clearly she'd said the last words out loud without realizing it. "So don't worry, Serah, we'll be okay. We will get her back." She noticed his hand tighten on Nue as he said this, and she realized she didn't have a weapon.

"Hope... I-I don't have anything to fight with."

Strong arms enveloped her from behind. "Don't you worry about that, baby. We don't need you to fight for this. All you need to do is to keep Sis safe after we get her back, okay?" It was Snow. I hope... that's true.

But the sound of an aircraft made the gentle blooms of flowers blow, and several petals swirled past Serah on their way in the wind. Sazh was here. He landed the small aircraft in their lawn, and poked his head out of the window.

"Hey kids, time to go!" A small "kweh!" followed his words as a yellow fluffball appeared in the window. Serah heard Hope chuckle as she eyed it suspiciously.

"Don't worry. That little chocobo can do more than you give it credit for," he whispered. "Come on, time to go."

Snow hoisted her into the aircraft, and Serah picked a side seat so she could look out the window. Snow had edged Hope into the front with Sazh so he could sit next to her, and Serah felt his arms around her shoulders. "Today we get Sis back," he murmured into her ear. Serah leaned against him as Sazh put the craft on a route to Oerba.

"I know. My hero always keeps his promises."

Gasping, Lightning sank to her knees, biting her tongue, trying not to cry out. Her brand felt like it was on fire, and she couldn't fucking breathe. Bringing her hands to her chest, she tried to call her summon circle again. It had worked yesterday, didn't it? But no matter how hard she reached into herself to try and find the rush of power, it wasn't there. She knew the iron bangle around her wrist had deactivated the moment they'd pushed her onto the rune circle again, but nothing was happening. Why... won't it let me...

"Come on, Lightning. I know you want to make this easier on yourself." Larcell.

"Go...to hell..." she spat bitterly. She heard him sigh.

"You're only making this harder for yourself, you know? Maybe I will have to call in someone to bring your sister. Maybe that will convince you?"

"Shut... up. Don't you dare... touch Serah." Her voice came out as a hiss, and if even she could hear the pain in it, there was no doubt he could too.

"Or maybe that kid you're so attached to... what was his name again?" He was toying with her, she knew it. She didn't want to play his games anymore, didn't want to listen to the crap he spouted every time he locked eyes with her.

"Don't be difficult, Lightning. Just let us-"

"Sir! An urgent message from the surface!" A shout interrupted his comment before he finished just what he wanted to do to her. Lightning tried to pay attention to the words that were being said.

"An unknown aircraft is approaching Oerba. We have information from one of the spies in Pulse Management that it's being piloted by a man named Sazh Katzroy."

She heard him clap his hands in glee. "Excellent, excellent! We did have the perfect bait! Now the rest of the l'Cie we know of are coming, and we all know what that means!"

Every single muscle in Lightning's body seemed to freeze. Serah, Snow... NO! Don't come here, please don't come. You'll just end up on this fucking circle like I am, trying to ignore the pain because they're trying to get you to summon an Eidolon and have you join them... She couldn't let that happen. Even if it meant...

"Fine," she rasped quietly. "I'll play your little games..."

She saw the scientist turn back to her, interest lighting his eyes. "Oh really? What made you change your mind so fast?" She knew he knew the answer; she could tell by the way he looked at her form, crumpled on the ground, knees drawn up to her chest, fingers digging into the stone.

"Just don't... Leave them alone..."

"Is that a deal, my dear Lightning?"

She nodded weakly, not trusting her voice to sound strong enough. He pulled her roughly into a standing position, his face inches from hers. "Just remember," he breathed quietly. "If they attack us, we will have no choice but to counterattack. I will instruct my men to give them fair warning. But if they insist, well..."

Lightning felt her muscles weaken at the thought. Snow would for sure charge into this place like all of hell was chasing after him, but if...

"I hoped we would come to this conclusion, Lightning. We appreciate your cooperation."

Oerba's ruins came into focus as they rounded the crystal shell of Cocoon. Sparkly bits were still present in the air, and Serah had to hold back a soft gasp of surprise. Vanille's hometown is so pretty... It must have been very beautiful once.

But as they neared Oerba's ruins, dark shapes began to form in the sky and on the ground, and Serah heard gunfire. Monsters?

The entire aircraft jerked left and right as Sazh tried to avoid the projectiles being fired at them from the ground. Serah could hear him activating switches as she desperately clung onto the seat's armrest.

"Snow, I need you up here!" Sazh's voice cut through the disarray and confusion. "You need to take the controls to target those monsters!"

"Got it, old man, I'm coming." She felt Snow's comfortable presence leave her side. Snow... I need you too...

She saw him take the joystick like control, and saw one, two monsters disappear from sight, melting into black smoke. There were more, but none seemed to be spawning, and she couldn't see a summon portal.

"Take out the guns below too, we'll get the grounded monsters when we land!" Serah gripped the seat tightly as Sazh began to accelerate and decelerate, suiting Snow's angle of shots. "Hold onto your breakfasts, kids, this is gonna be one hell of a ride!" But she could hear the slight amusement in his voice. They must have done this plenty of times...

Serah closed her eyes; she didn't want to see the violence, didn't want to hear it. But she could still hear the mechanized clicks and booms of the weapon Snow was using, no matter how hard she tried to tune it out. Maybe Claire had been right - she had never been accustomed to violence, would never...

And so she squeezed her eyes shut, no longer paying attention to the battle, and tried not to "lose her breakfast" as Sazh had claimed, as the craft swirled in and around the monsters. And finally, after what felt like an eternity, Serah felt the familiar arms embrace her.

"It's okay now, baby. It's over. We're gonna land now, and we'll find Lightning. Okay?"

Burying her face in his chest, Serah wrapped her thin arms around Snow. "Okay."

Pain. Surely this was what it felt like to be burned at the stake, if one didn't die of asphyxia within a few minutes. Every single muscle of her body screamed to be released, but she knew... that for Serah... Hope, and everyone else she cared about... that wasn't going to happen.

She didn't know what they were doing to her - didn't really care anymore. She'd let the words spiral around her, not taking it in. It was something to do with trying to coax the Eidolon from her brand, but it wasn't going to happen like this. That much she knew. Odin only came when she called him, whenshe needed him desperately. Not like this.

Lightning had given up trying to fight it, there wasn't any point. Even if they did end up summoning her Eidolon somehow, it wouldn't work like that. Words, sentences, screams and shouts crowded her consciousness, but none of them as acutely as the burning pain. Shouts...? Wait...

Thumps of footsteps. She couldn't hear what they were saying over the only sound she could hear - her heartbeat, but the tones were frantic. Distant booms, dying, guttural screams of monsters. The presences she felt in the rooms diminished, but she knew at least one person remained. Watching me scream myself hoarse.

The shouts were closer now, but she couldn't tell who they belonged to. There were only a couple of sounds she knew she could attribute instantly, but none of those were it.

And she hoped, desperately, that she would never have to hear them.

*sits quietly*

The content of that last segment there made me feel like I was so insignificant, even though I know it's not real. I feel shocked into silence, and I wrote this. Kweh. Hopefully that wasn't too dark/intense or anything for anyone (and if it was, I do apologize). D:

So yeah, I mentioned last chapter that things weren't going very well for Light... I won't spoil anything, but I think it's rather obvious that our "hero" and company will find her soon. So hang in there, Light.

That entrance of Sazh's? Well, that's only half the show. I realized half of it was going to be in the next chapter after I posted the last chapter, so well, more Sazh/Chocobo Chick (who is a girl, btw, did you know that?) epicness in the next chapter.

I tried to do an intense SerahxSnow moment there halfway through the chapter. But unfortunately, while I think I'm okay with writing darker themes, I don't think I could have taken that farther than I did. This fic is and will not be rated M for anything other than language (which is progressing to be more and more colourful, as I noticed) and dark themes/violence.

Anyways, once again, feed the review monster (correct speculations as to plot/characters gets you a special shoutout) and next chapter will be up tomorrow. Pack your weapons kids, it's action time. (Well, most of it will be, anyways)

Hearts!