Of all the absolute, invariable truths that existed in the universe, the one that Lightning ought to have been the most intimately familiar with was that which stated any time a situation appeared to be looking up, that was, in fact, a sign that the worst was yet to come. This had been the case on the eve of her twenty-first birthday when she'd been told by Lieutenant Amodar that she was due for a promotion and it had been the case when she'd found Serah in the Pulse vestige and it had also been the case at countless points throughout the ensuing journey she'd embarked on with a hapless crew of unlucky misfits. So, really, it was wholly her own oversight that she hadn't anticipated the line of furious soldiers waiting for them at the entrance to the village.

"Stop right there!" a soldier at the front of the company barked as they drew near. His stance was wide and commanding and he held a colorfully decorated partisan. "You will hand over all weapons in your possession and come quietly."

Noel, who had seen the soldiers well in advance and pushed to the head of the group, stepped forward and stared the man down, his height giving him the advantage in intimidation. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked calmly. He crossed his arms over his chest in a non-verbal statement of defiance. "These people are with me."

The soldier didn't back down. "You're under arrest as well, Kreiss," he informed Noel coolly. "Letting these Cocoon vipers wander the village unchecked—just what are you thinking? You've put us all in danger." He pointed his weapon's blade at Noel's chest threateningly.

Noel's eyes narrowed. He raised his left arm and pushed the weapon aside with the back of his hand. "These Cocoon vipers were invited by Yeul herself," he informed the man just as coolly. "They are guests and you have no authority to detain either them or myself."

"Well, now. That's a curious notion," a new voice came from just behind the line of soldiers and as Lightning watched the line broke momentarily to allow the owner of the voice to pass through. The man was nearly as tall as Noel and he was garbed in what was unmistakably an officer's uniform. From the way he held himself and his condescending tone of voice, Lightning could make an educated guess as to who he was. "Because I do believe I have every authority to have you detained."

Noel's expression soured and his posture became noticeably more rigid. His reaction confirmed Lightning's guess as to the officer's identity. "I'm doing as Yeul asked. I haven't broken any laws."

Kurlic apparently disagreed. "You overreach your station. I allowed you to bring these people here under the condition that they were to be closely monitored at all times, and instead I hear you've not only allowed them to wander about the village freely, you've also personally escorted them to the Hollow to have a covert meeting with their allies. Tell me, exactly how have your actions served to keep our people safe?"

Noel held his ground. "These people have done nothing to harm anyone here. The one who decided they were a threat was you." He accompanied this statement with a bold step forward. "Believe me, I get that you're scared by the possibility of outsiders discovering this place, but these people aren't here to fight. They're here to negotiate peace. Like it or not, we're not alone down here anymore and that leaves us with two options. We can make nice with our new neighbors or we can keep picking them off and invite retaliation on a grand scale. Which do you think is more conducive to keeping our people safe?"

Clearly Noel had hit a nerve because Kurlic's expression turned stormy. "You still doubt the might of our soldiers, I see." His serious gray eyes were hard as rocks and brimming with contempt as they stared Noel down. "I'll give you that the vipers outnumber us, but our men beyond outclass them in fighting strength. What do they know of hardship, protected and nourished for centuries in their floating crib? One of our warriors is worth ten—no, twenty of theirs. Let them retaliate. We've nothing to fear from an army of armed toddlers."

Noel's brow screwed up in frustration and he took another heated step forward. "You really don't get it. You're so full of yourself that you'll put everyone's lives at risk for the sake of your Maker-damned pride—"

Lightning decided it was time to inject herself into this discussion before it could devolve any further and stopped Noel by placing a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, a dozen spears were levelled at her. She ignored them and stepped past the tall brunette. "Kurlic, right?" she addressed the man directly.

Kurlic's eyes narrowed and he regarded her with obvious disdain. She saw his eyes linger on her uniform. "That's Captain Kurlic, girl. Or is Cocoon's military so undisciplined that you can go around addressing superior officers however you please?"

Lightning let the bait sink. "It sounds like you've made a lot of assumptions about us, but I wonder what facts you're basing them off. I find it curious that you profess to know so much about Cocoon's military might when as far as I can tell, you've never actually faced any of our soldiers in combat."

Kurlic's nostrils flared at her assertion. "You seem to have forgotten that we subdued and captured an entire battalion of your so-called soldiers. We plucked them right from their camp, easier than swatting a mosquito. They didn't even know they'd been taken until they woke up in our prison."

Lightning didn't bat an eye at the captain's story. She merely gave him an unimpressed look. "A battalion?" she repeated dubiously. "What you captured was a team of low-ranking, largely non-combative surveyors sent to record and catalogue Pulsian plants and wildlife. Why in the world would our military send a battalion of troops up into the mountains with no enemy to fight?"

A muscle in Kurlic's cheek twitched. Though he was trying hard not to show it, Lightning could tell that she'd taken some of the wind out of his sails with her correction. It was obvious he hadn't realized that the men he'd captured hadn't been a proper military contingent. Strike one on him. He was unknowingly playing right into her hands.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked pointedly into his eyes. "I think you'll find the caliber of the rest of our military somewhat higher."

Kurlic's lips thinned into a severe line and he appeared to size her up. Lightning kept her face perfectly impassive so as not to reveal her hand. If she played her cards right, she could goad him into challenging her himself. That would give her leverage in setting the terms of her victory.

The captain's eyes left her to sweep over her companions and he looked decidedly unimpressed by what he saw. "You think your ragtag group could put up more of a fight? A woman, a child, two men who aren't even dressed as soldiers…" His sense of superiority seemed to have recovered and he demonstrated it by scoffing. "Don't waste my time." He signaled his men and the line moved to surround them, the soldiers' spears still at the ready. He gestured to Noel with his chin. "Take Kreiss to my office and have him restrained. I'll deal with him later. The rest of them are to be escorted back to the Hollow and imprisoned with their comrades."

Lightning inwardly cursed. There went that plan. Despite his arrogant attitude, Kurlic wasn't as easily riled as she'd hoped he'd be. One look at his smug face as his men moved in on Noel solidified a suspicion Lightning had had the moment she first saw the line of soldiers waiting for them—that Kurlic never actually had any intention of letting them have any kind of correspondence with Yeul. She'd be willing to bet her favorite pair of tights that what he'd been looking for from the start was a way to get Noel out of the picture, and thanks to them, he'd found it.

Well, Lightning wasn't going to be put down so easily. Swift as her namesake, she drew her gunblade from its holster and lopped off the end of the spear pointed at her chest. Before any of Kurlic's men could react, she'd already whirled around and done the same to four more. The heavy steel tips clattered to the ground and several of the men retreated in surprise. Behind her, her companions wasted no time taking advantage of their confusion and leaping into action. Snow launched startled soldiers left and right with his powerful fists while Rygdea, Sazh, and Comelin used the threat of their firearms to send the less brave soldiers scuttling to the peripheries in fear. Lightning narrowed her eyes smugly and pointed her blade at the ornery captain. "We are going to see Yeul," she informed him evenly. "You can either step down and allow us to pass or we can go through you. Choose wisely."

Kurlic's face screwed up in outrage. "Drawing a blade on me will be the last mistake you ever make, girl. I'll see you put down!"

Lightning didn't falter. She merely shrugged and said, "Some people need to learn lessons the hard way."

It wasn't quite how they'd planned this meeting going, but in the end, Lightning was getting her fight. She didn't wait for Kurlic to draw his weapon. Fast as her namesake, she closed the distance between them and aimed a slice at his chest. Her strike was swift and her aim true, but the captain was quick for his age and, like a shot, he drew a short, thin blade from a sheath at his side and expertly intercepted it. It was just as Noel had said, he was no rookie fighter.

Kurlic grunted in annoyance and pushed her back, breaking the connection of their blades. With a deft flick of his wrist, he flipped the thin blade in his grip and Lightning prepared for a lunge but she was in for a surprise when instead of attacking with his weapon, his unoccupied hand shot into the sky and he called, "Thunder!"

She barely reacted in time, throwing herself into a sloppy roll to escape the crackling bolt of electric magic. Her heart thumped against her ribs at the close call. That had been an unexpected move to pull right off the bat. Kurlic didn't play around, it seemed. She scrambled to her feet just in time to dodge a follow-up blast of ice magic, then fire. Kurlic was pressing his advantage, not giving her an inch, and it was all Lightning could do to avoid the elemental bombardment. It was evident by his short casting time that he'd been using magic for a very long time.

Lightning cursed as she threw herself out of the way of another thunderbolt. Just how many spells had he queued? She needed to figure out a way to get back on the offensive and fast because at the rate she was going she was on a fast track to ending up a smear on the dirt.

It was as she was sorting through her options that the telltale warmth of enhancing magic encased her body and she felt suddenly as if her legs had become ten times lighter. She identified the magic right away as a haste spell and she spared a split second to shoot a grateful look in Hope's direction. The teenager's eyes were fixed on Kurlic and she could see that he was trying very hard not to draw attention to himself. Smart boy.

That one haste spell was all it took to swing the odds in Lightning's favor. With the advantage of increased speed, she was able to easily avoid Kurlic's magical barrage. She saw his eyes widen in confusion as she changed her trajectory to charge him again. She struck from below this time and their blades sung as they crashed together. Kurlic's expression was full of anger and he snarled in her face. "What sorcery is this? A Cocoon soldier able to use the goddess' gift? Impossible!"

Lightning broke their stalemate by arching backward and kicking a leg up to connect with the man's head. The force of the blow caused him to stumble and Lightning took the opportunity to retake the offensive. "What did I tell you?" she said as she swung again and again, pushing him back. "You don't know us as well as you thought you did."

Shifting seamlessly into ravager, she paid him back for his onslaught before with a thunder spell of her own and watched with satisfaction as it connected with a sizzling crash. Kurlic grunted in pain and his hand tightened on his weapon to keep from dropping it. Lightning used the opening to switch back into commando and connect a powerful strike with his side. Kurlic was thrown back and a line of red appeared where the edge of her blade managed to slice through his armor.

Lightning fell back and swished her gunblade through the air tauntingly. "Consider that a small sliver of payback for your watchdog in the ruins blasting me and my partner off the top of a skyscraper. Your approach to foreign policy is novel."

Kurlic gingerly touched the fingertips of his left hand to his wound and frowned when they came back red. He looked back at her and his hand curled into a fist. "You're more skilled than I gave you credit for," he admitted begrudgingly. "But I won't let you catch me off guard again."

Lightning braced herself as the familiar golden glow of buffing magic enveloped her opponent. She didn't have to wonder long which spell he'd cast on himself because he was on her before the light even faded. Their weapons collided again and the force nearly toppled her.

Lightning shifted her weight to the side and their blades made a metallic shiiing as Kurlic's momentum carried him past her. Thinking quickly, she shot a hand out to cast fire while his back was turned but he pivoted expertly and grabbed her wrist before she could complete the casting. Her arm was nearly yanked out of its socket when he spun around and used his superior strength to launch her over his shoulder, sending her flying. The only thing that saved her from a painful impact with the rough ground was that Kurlic's throw happened to send her straight into Snow, who managed to fend off his would-be captors long enough to catch her and steady her back on her feet. Lightning grunted a quick thanks to him and rubbed her shoulder. The joint was sore but still useable.

"Well, well. A man has finally swept our Lightning off her feet," Snow joked as he dodged a jab from one of the braver soldiers. "You should ask him for his number."

Lightning tossed a practiced scowl over her shoulder at him. "That's the worst joke you've ever made."

Leaving her brother-in-law-to-be to his battle, she smoothly shifted her blade into gun form and charged her opponent again, firing all the while. Kurlic was obviously no stranger to guns because he cast protect on himself and met her charge head on. The bullets were slowed by the spell, giving him ample time to dodge them, and once again Lightning found herself locked in a stalemate as his blade connected with the barrel of her gun.

Lightning gritted her teeth as she strained against the much larger man. This fight was going nowhere. Now that she no longer had the element of surprise with her magic, piercing his defenses was proving to be much harder. Kurlic was too skilled in synergy for her bullets and long-range spells to pose much of a threat to him and his physical strength made fighting him at close range inadvisable. She hated to admit it, but she was struggling.

Kurlic gave a great heave and Lightning found herself buckling under his weight. His blade was directly over her face now, barred only by her gun which she now braced with both hands. His stone colored eyes bored into hers and she felt like a new recruit again, barely holding her own against her combat instructor. Had her skills really languished this much after only six months? A man like Kurlic should be a spring breeze after taking down Orphan, so why was this fight giving her so much trouble?

"Lightning!" Noel's voice cut through the fighting. It was oddly clear amidst the ruckus that surrounded them. "Get ahold of yourself! You're not a person who would lose to someone like him!"

Lightning clenched her jaw and pushed back with all her strength. Noel was right. What was she doing faltering? This bastard was nothing compared to Caius. She should be able to take him in her sleep.

Kurlic's eyes widened as he was forced back. His blade quivered against hers and Lightning realized that she'd been buffed again. Her lips curled into a smile and she gave a final push which succeeded in knocking the captain back.

Now able to go on the offensive again, Lightning coiled her leg muscles and leapt into the air. Her jump took her high into the sky and she relished the feeling of the wind on her face like the touch of an old friend. Her body was light and responsive. It knew just what to do; exactly how to move.

Kurlic watched in shock as she shifted her gun back into blade form and readied a strike from above. Gravity did its job and she utilized the momentum of her fall to land a powerful blow which her opponent managed to block but she was satisfied to see his knees bend from the impact.

Not losing a moment, she flipped backward to put distance between them and promptly cast her most powerful thundaga. The spell hit before Kurlic could recover and the entire area became a chaotic mess of crackling lightning magic as thunderbolts struck indiscriminately at friend and foe alike. Lightning didn't have to worry about her comrades, though, as just as she'd anticipated Hope had read her intent and cast a split-second shellra on their allies. All around her, enemy soldiers cried out in pain as their bodies were wracked by electricity and she was pleased to see that even Kurlic hadn't escaped unscathed this time.

She didn't end her assault there. Her blood was singing in her veins, the thrill of battle taking over. This was what she'd been missing. She wasn't some Guardian Corps grunt. She was better. She was faster. Kurlic may be strong, but he was just a man. She was more. She was the goddess' champion—the savior handpicked by God himself. No one would stand in the way of her mission. She rushed the captain again and this time she charged her blade with fire magic to deliver a scorching flamestrike. Kurlic saw her advance and managed to roll out of the way but she wasn't finished. She flung out her left hand and barked, "Aeroga!"

The wind magic heeded her summons and wrapped her foe in a powerful twister. Kurlic was launched into the air by the force of the magically conjured tornado and Lightning took advantage of his immobility to unleash a flurry of strikes with her blade. The captain's armor was torn to ribbons under the barrage and when the spell finally released him he fell to the ground in an unmoving heap.

Lightning regarded his prone form coolly down the slope of her nose and elegantly lowered her blade to his neck. "That's checkmate."

Behind her, Snow let out a whoop and called out, "Alright! Way to go, Lightning!"

With the threat of Kurlic's soldiers neutralized by her thunder attack and no new reinforcements appearing, Lightning's companions were free to join her by the downed captain. Kurlic groaned and turned his head to look up at them through windswept hair and it was evident from his expression that he knew he was defeated. Rather than rubbing his loss in his face like she might've at one time, Lightning simply said, "I expect you're satisfied now?"

Kurlic turned his face away and she watched his jaw clench in frustration. She could see him grasping at the fragments of his pride. Finally, he opened his mouth and croaked, "Very well. Have your audience. I can no longer stop you."

Lightning nodded and pulled her blade away. She holstered it with a soft fwish and began walking toward the village's gate. Her companions hurried to follow and behind her she heard Sazh address the downed soldiers. "You heard it from him, folks. No more funny business."

As she passed through the gate, Noel appeared at her side and she felt the weight of his hand settle on her shoulder. "Hey, good work back there," he praised as they walked in the direction of the leader's hut. "I knew you'd pull through for us."

Lightning spared him a glance out of the corner of her eye. "Don't get the wrong idea," she warned. "I just want to retrieve our soldiers so I can go home. I really couldn't care less about the politics of your village."

Noel's lips quirked into a smile. "Fair enough," he allowed. "But that doesn't change the fact that you'll be helping us out a ton by meeting with Yeul." They walked in silence for a few moments and Lightning began to think that was going to be the extent of their conversation but then Noel opened his mouth again and said, "This is probably going to sound like it's coming out of nowhere, but…I'm glad that our fates crossed. Meeting you has been," he paused briefly, seeming to consider his choice of words, "informative."

"Hey, hey. Is that supposed to be a pick-up line?"

Lightning had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Snow and Hope joined them. The large man had his hands stuffed in his coat pockets and he wore a good-natured grin. Hope walked at his side looking thoughtful. His eyes found her but she got the sense he wasn't really seeing her. His expression was far away.

Noel let out an amused chuckle and crossed his arms. "I respect Lightning, but I feel like our personalities would clash." He made a show of considering Snow's implication and then lifted an eyebrow and said, "Maybe if she had a sister…"

Snow laughed and placed a hand on his hip. "No can do, buddy. I'm afraid the sister's spoken for."

Noel smiled a small, odd smile and raised his arms up behind his head. "That so? Well, lucky for me I already have a woman in my life. And believe me when I say I wouldn't trade her for anything."

They lapsed into silence after that and Lightning thought it would remain that way for the rest of the short walk to Yeul's hut, but the silence was broken by, of all people, Hope, who appeared to have returned to the here and now. "Say, Noel…" He looked up at the tall brunette with serious eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

Noel looked a little surprised at being addressed so suddenly by the normally quiet teenager but he nodded. "Shoot."

"The seeress, Yeul, she asked to meet with us specifically, right?" At Noel's affirmative nod he continued. "Then, does that mean she's seen our future?"

Noel gave him a little half-smirk and cocked his head. "Curious to know what lies ahead, huh? I guess that's natural for a kid your age." He rolled his shoulder casually and then crossed his arms. "Maybe she has, maybe she hasn't. What are you interested in learning about? Career? Success? Love?"

Hope dropped his eyes to the ground and shook his head. "Actually, I was hoping maybe she'd seen a vision that could tell us a little about what lies in store for the evacuees from Cocoon. I mean, moving to Gran Pulse…it wasn't easy. It's still not easy. It's probably a strange thing for me to ask about, but I guess I'm just hoping for some kind of proof that Cocoon's fall was really the right path for humanity."

Lightning watched her young silently. It didn't surprise her that Hope would still be thinking about the ordeal with Orphan. Faced with the daily struggle of surviving in an alien land, it was hard not to sometimes wonder if they'd in fact made the right choice. Lightning believed that they had, and she was certain Hope did as well, but doubt was a tricky beast to kill. She didn't blame him for looking for a little extra assurance.

As the leader's hut came into view, it occurred to her that they could always just ask Yeul directly. Lightning hoped the famed seeress would be personable and not some batty old lady who threw bones around to divine grand-sounding prophecies. That would undoubtedly crown this whole farce the biggest waste of time since the afternoon three months ago when Snow had sat her down and tried to convince her that adamantoises could be instated as a reliable method of long distance transportation.

Noel hummed thoughtfully. "The right path. Huh." He looked up at the sky where the very top of the crystalized Cocoon was just visible over the mountains and to Lightning he looked almost wistful. "That's a tough call to make, even for Yeul." He looked back at Hope and shrugged. "Who can really say what's ultimately right or wrong? Not me, that's for sure. But one thing I can tell you is that every action has consequences. A single choice can trigger a chain of events that not even Yeul's able to foresee. Trying to understand exactly how the path of history will unfold is like trying to touch a thought. You'll never do it."

Hope frowned and Lightning saw his gaze turn inward. "I see. I suppose I should've guessed it wouldn't be that simple."

Noel smirked and pointed at him. "And that is the head of the nail. But just hearing me say that isn't very satisfying, so I'll tell you what I do know. Humans aren't so weak as to let a little adversity beat them down. Your settlements will become towns, and the towns cities. Your engineers will build extraordinary machines that will make everyone's lives easier. You'll have cutting edge infrastructure and education, all spearheaded by a kind and popular leader, and eventually a day will come when nobody will miss being taken care of by the fal'Cie."

Snow let out a whistle. "Your seeress saw all that, huh?"

Noel shook his head. "No." He looked back at Cocoon again and the wistful look returned to his eyes. "I saw it. With my own two eyes."

Lightning could only look at him perplexed. Of all the fantastic claims she'd heard in her life, that one well and truly took the behemoth steak.

Apparently Snow agreed, because he said, "You saw it? Don't tell me you've got time-travelers here as well as seeresses."

Noel chuckled and shook his head again. "No. My experience was something of a special case and definitely a tale for another time." He stopped and pointed at the stairs leading up to the leader's hut. They'd arrived at last. "Now, it's time for you to meet Yeul."

Lightning chose not to comment, opting instead to follow Noel's finger and begin ascending the stairs before another disapproving captain could pop out of the ground to bar their way. Now that they'd finally earned their audience, she was determined to get it over with.

As far as she was concerned, with this, her mission was accomplished. She'd say whatever she needed to in order to get the survey and recon teams released and then she'd leave further negotiations in the far more capable hands of the General and Rygdea. She was done.

oO0Oo

Lame ending is lame but it's insanely late and I'm about to pass out. I cannot do words anymore. Goodbye, friends, I am gone.