Chapter 10: Taking a Break
"Vanille! What the hell just happened?!"
Fang led the other L'Cie to Vanille's location. They all initially stopped a few feet back, but the moment Hope realized Selene was unconscious, he ran over, and began shaking her body.
"Come on, Selene! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" He begged. Lightning walked over, and put her fingers against Selene's neck.
"She still has a steady pulse. No signs of severe injury. She's not leaving us yet, Hope." Lightning said reassuringly. Hope breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, the ultimate next stop is Oerba, right?" Hope asked.
"Yup. Home sweet home." Fang confirmed.
INTRODUCTION: Innocent Starter by Nana Mizuki
Hiza wo kakaete Heya no katasumi
(Hope is sitting in a corner, his knees curled up to his chest.)
Itsumo fuan de Furueteita
(Sazh's chocobo chick flies down to his shoulder, and gives him a gentle peck. He looks up, and smiles.)
"Hontou" wo shiru koto ga kowakute TOBIRA wo tojita
(Cut to Hope alongside the rest of the L'Cie. Selene is standing away from them, glaring at them.)
Yasashii uso ni Ibasho mitsukete
(Selene looks to the moon, her hand over her heart.)
Yume no naka ni nige konda
(She prepares to fight Lightning and her friends.)
Dare mo shiranai Kodoku no umi wo
(Lightning draws her Blazefire Saber, and charges to Selene.)
Fukai ao ni someteku
(Cut to a shot of Selene standing on water, eyes closed, her hand closed over her heart. The water is slightly disturbed by Selene standing over it, and it ripples faintly.)
Sabishisa kakusu Ichizu na omoi
(Cut to the group fighting a Fal'Cie. Selene is standing on a nearby pillar.)
Kimi no KOKORO wo kizutsukete iru
(Selene blasts the Fal'Cie with her magic. Vanille turns to face her and smiles.)
Hitomi no oku no himitsu
(The camera pans into Selene's eye as a tear falls from it.)
Suikomare sou na
(She looks towards the sky, everyone at her side.)
Egao no ura no shinjitsu ni
(Cut to a shot of Lightning and Selene standing back to back, with shots of their faces behind each of them. Lightning's face is as cold as usual, and Selene mirrors it.)
Yawaraka na ai
(Sazh's Chocobo chick comes to rest on Selene's shoulder, and she looks at it with some degree of wonder.)
Boku ga todoke ni yuku yo
(She slightly smiles, and she releases the Chocobo.)
Furetara koware sou na
(Cut to repeated shadowed flashbacks of what appear to be battles.)
Nukumori ga ima
(Show that some of the warriors are L'Cie and Fal'Cie, and show the Lunarian brands.)
Kako wo hanare afuredasu
(The flashbacks disappear in a wind, and Selene's face shows determination.)
Zutto soba ni iru kara
(The rest of the group walks up and joins her. Sazh's chocobo chick flies and rests on her her shoulder.)
Kanashii kage ni madowanai de
(It ends with the group facing the audience, the Fal'Cie behind them with evil smiles on their faces, the two known deities behind the Fal'Cie, and a shadowy figure behind them. It is all on a black background.)
The two Pulsians were now smiling. They were almost to their home village (well, they had really been smiling ever since they got back to their world), and after all the hell they'd been through already, it would certainly be nice to see some degree of civilization. Of course, since the Cocoon-blooded members of the party were somewhat curious and Selene still wanted to finish the trial that she spoke about, not to mention that Gran Pulse was a vast wilderness with no clear direction signs… they probably weren't going to actually arrive for some time. However, Selene was still out and it was still late. There was a unanimous unspoken vote to rest in the cave for the night.
"So, who's gonna watch sleeping beauty over here?" Fang asked.
"I'll do it." Hope replied, volunteering himself. They all looked at him in shock.
"Are you sure?" Lightning asked.
"I'm sure. I'm stronger than I used to be." Hope reassured.
"Then we're counting on you, little hero." Snow said, patting him on the back. He nodded in acknowledgement. Vanille helped move Selene onto a makeshift bed, before going off to sleep. After everyone else was asleep, Hope gently scooted closer to her.
"What happened to you? You're really strong, so what could've taken you down like this?"
He then noticed there wasn't a scratch on her. He was very confused now. What breed of magic (it had to be magic since there weren't any weapon marks) could take Selene down like this? She had no fever, and there were no other signs of status ailments. He was only fourteen, sure, but he'd certainly grown up and learned a lot on his journey. However, something else soon caught his eye.
As he was investigating Selene's weakened state, he noticed a makeshift bag made of monster remnants. The strap was leather (probably from the Gorgonopsid family), while the bag itself seemed to be made of carapaces (Niravons, no doubt), fastened with a button made from metals that were easily found around the savage wildlands. He quietly opened it, discovering it be lined with very soft leather, similar to the inside part of the strap. When he looked at its contents… well, he didn't know what to say or do.
It contained supplies, sure, but it also contained crystal tears. He recognized them almost immediately. The kind that were obtained from the various Cie'th wandering throughout Gran Pulse. There were a wide variety, fitting to the wide array of Cie'th that they'd fought. There were a good few in the bag, which made him wonder… just how long had the Lunarian been collecting them, and why was she collecting them?
"Don't tell the others about the Cie'th tears, Hope."
He was startled. Selene's eyes were barely open, and her voice was a whisper.
"Why are you collecting them in the first place?" He asked.
"For a little plan I have that I'll tell everyone when the time is right." She replied, smiling weakly. Those words made Hope a little nervous, but he knew how stubborn the princess was, so he decided not to press the issue. He then smiled as a thought crossed his mind.
"You know, while you were out… we finally got the stuff we needed to ride chocobos." He started. Selene then cringed.
"You're not implying that I'm going to have to try to ride one of those overgrown yellow birds… are you?!" She asked, half-panicking. Hope didn't answer, laughing so hard that he eventually just exhausted himself and flopped beside her. She groaned. She didn't mind petting, playing with, or being next to the giant birds… but she had a very difficult time riding them. They felt strange. There was no saddle (she was certain). They were scared very easily. She did not think they were proper mounts.
"Hathor help me…" She prayed, falling back asleep.
Ending: Inori no Kanata (Beyond the Prayer) by Akiko Shikata
awaki sora no hazama hitohira no hana wa kobore
(A beautiful flower's petals tear off into the wind. They flow past Selene and the L'Cie.)
mai tatsu kin iro no kaze ni hirari yura re
(Snow holds Serah's crystal tear close to his heart. Selene looks at the back of her hand.)
doko e mukau
(Cut to the back of Selene's hand, with a L'Cie brand and a tear on it.)
mawari dasu toki no haguruma
(Cut to a closed-eyed Selene, standing on a crystal pillar in the moonlight. The camera zooms to her face, revealing a single tear from her left eye.)
karamiau omoi oikakete te o basu
(Lightning and Selene stand back to back on the same pillar just seen, in the moonlight. They both hold their hands over their hearts.)
ori na sareru mirai to kako no kawaranu negai yo
(Cut to a scene of a nude Selene in chains.)
donna kurushimi sae mo koe te kanata e ha ga takeru
(She breaks free, and flies to a full moon in the distance.)
aoki hitomi no soko hitotsubu no shizuku kobore
(Selene looks down in doubt, and she is crying.)
sazameku gin no izumi yurare yurete
(Pan out, and reveal that she is levitating above a silver fountain. Her tear disturbs it.)
nani o utsusu
(Show her reflection in the fountain. It is disturbed by her tear, which turns to crystal.)
tachi kire nu kanashimi no wato
(Selene's tears form chains that bind her.)
wasurare nu tsumi no wabachi o ima toki hanatsu
(Vanille wipes her tears, and she breaks free of her chains, flying away. The two arrive to meet the rest of the group. They look towards the full moon in the sky.)