So hey guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of Revenant Wings!

I do apologize-this chapter was one day later than promised; something came up and I didn't have the time of yesterday afternoon to finish up the last 1,700 words of this chapter. So I got up early today, and set my little fingers to work. :3

Thanks and love go to Jack Hargreave (and thank you for that pointer! I've been kind of obsessed with moving the storyline forward, but I'll keep it in mind!), Berl, H-thar (hun, you're a genius. I think this chapter'll answer a lot of what you said, so stay tuned!), Lightarcana, and GKMader (and awh, thanks!). You guys are really awesome, and I can say sincerely that I really, really appreciate all the support I've gotten so far, whether you review or favourite/alert me! You guys honestly make my day.

And without further ado, I present Chapter 11. Enjoy as always! (:

Chapter 11: Unrewarded Souls

Paddra was no less abandoned than Hope remembered it to be, some four years ago. The towering, rusting buildings were as decrepit as they had been in his memories, the wind whistling through the ancient concrete, causing scraps of metal to slither over the worn cement surfaces. The disquiet bothered him a little, but he wasn't going to show it: No need to make Light worry more than she already is. Despite the 'talk' they'd had a couple nights ago, he hadn't noticed any real change in her tense demeanor, and briefly, he wondered if it was even worth the time it took to try to reassure her. She's going to worry... whether I like it or not, isn't she?

And perhaps that was a defeat he'd have to accept – he could as easily change that as change his own nature, he supposed. I can't really ask her to change hers when I know... no matter what she says, she won't change how I feel. That had been something he'd been uncomfortable in discussing with her, and it wasn't just because he knew it would be a waste of time arguing with her. His foot nudged a piece of scrap metal, faded Pulsian alphabet too marred and weathered to even begin to decipher.

The scratches on the smooth metal uncannily reminded him of something else – the protective stances Lightning constantly adopted when she was with him, the ones that left her vulnerable and exposed. He hadn't exactly forgotten the moment the soldiers back in Eden had caught up to them, and neither would he forget how she'd almost instantly moved in front of him. A ripple of unexpected, uncalled-for anger suddenly unfurling somewhere deep inside, Hope found his hands tightening into fists at his side. It's not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, it's that I don't want her to constantly protect me!

As much as he could feel touched by the intent of those actions, as much as it was accompanied by an untimely warmth, that same warmth was balanced with an equal, almost irrational anger – the sentiment that he didn't want to be protected. How does she think I'll feel if she gets hurt because of me? That was something he didn't think he could express to her without getting into an argument – much less make her understand – and he knew all too well what an argument could do to the overall morale at the moment. Why doesn't she understand? he thought morosely. I want her to be safe as much she wants me to be safe.

That was something else, while he didn't think the point was lost on her, something she clearly didn't prioritize in her mental agenda – his emotional well-being if something happened to her. Light's just… the kind of person that always considers other people's well-being before her own… But when it comes to how other people feel if she does something self-sacrificial… she just doesn't consider it when she's making her decisions.

Foot kicking a piece of broken, worn concrete a little too hard, he saw Snow lift his head in the stiffening autumn breeze as the fragment of stone tumbled over the side of a fallen building, disappearing into the surface of a shallow pool, the unbroken still surface suddenly rippling out in rocking waves. Oops. Shifting over slightly on the lichen-grown cement, he caught a flash of the distinctive red cape in the distance, poking through the rubble just beneath the Paddran Archaeopolis; quickly glancing away from her direction, Hope tried to take deep breaths to calm the unnaturally harsh inner emotions. I know, Light. I know that you want to protect everyone that you care about. But I'm not a kid anymore… Somehow, I know I have to do something to prove that to you. Even if you've agreed to let me fight, even if you've agreed, silently, to let me come with you, there's still a part of you that hasn't accepted that.

A rusted traffic light stuck at an odd angle from the cracked concrete ahead caught his attention somehow. There has to be a way to protect you too. There's gotta be a way for me to fight too… Those thoughts made him think back to what she'd said, about how Carmine had supposedly found a way to reawaken the magical affinity that had been developed by their time as l'Cie. Is that possible? He couldn't deny the dark hope that question gave him – he knew she hated the idea of it, but… But it's the only way for me to fight. That much would be undeniable even to her. But she probably just shoved it away and it probably only reinforced in her mind that she's got to protect me. Giving his platinum locks a shake, he turned his gaze upwards to the unsettled grey skies stretched endlessly above them. I get why she doesn't want to work with Carmine. That… I get. And though he'd just berated himself for it, Hope couldn't suppress the urge to cast one furtive glance in Lightning's direction, easily picking out the pastel pink hair in the surrounding gloom of Paddra's ruins. But… I have to find a way to fight too.

"Hey!" Snow's loud yell echoed off the empty, silent landscape, jerking him unceremoniously out of his thoughts. The big blond was standing a ways off, near the foot of one of the circle of mountains that surrounded the ruined city. "I think I found something!"

Hastily suppressing a rueful smile, he picked his way over to the brawler; he caught up with Snow at the opening to what looked like a short path to the interior of the mountain. Squinting into the darkness, Hope could make out roughly hewn stone steps that twisted upwards, but how far they reached, or where they led, was lost in the darkness. Brisk footsteps behind him announced the arrival of Lightning; turning his head back a little, he saw her with her arms crossed over her chest, a dark expression on her face. "Did you actually find something, or were you just bored?" she muttered under her breath.

"Hey, hey," Snow chided, raising palms in mock self-defence. "I wouldn't dream of wasting your—sorry, our precious time, Sis." He had an appropriately abashed expression decorating his face, one that relaxed into a fond irritation the moment she moved away. His ocean blue gaze met Hope's, the same thought crossing both their minds, Hope giving him a small smile of his own. In some regards… she really is better. That was something the old Lightning would've said.

In retrospect, as she moved closer to him, silently accepting his presence as they started towards to the steps side-by-side, it was perhaps a cruel, black-and-white approach to her mental stability, classifying everything as 'old Lightning' and… And whoever she's become now. It's wrong… no, cruel to compare who she is now to who she was before. Because we all watched the stoic soldier disappear the moment the person she was fighting for was gone —that's something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Even now… four years later, that part of her is still here, no matter how many reassurances I give.

The looming darkness in front of them was thick, almost like a miasma, and for once, he was glad Lightning wouldn't be able to make out his expression in the almost complete darkness. And I know it's because I've watched her break down that this time… I want to protect her.

The shifting gloom was no clearer than it had been, and Lightning could have sworn they'd already climbed at least a hundred steps with no end of the stairs in sight. But she wasn't going to lie to herself — that was something that didn't work no matter how much she could've wished it would — she was glad for the darkness because Hope's warm presence was just beside her, their shoulders just touching, and she didn't want him to dissect her emotional stability by her expression as he so often was able to do.

The place was too claustrophobic — it pressed down on her like unrelenting gravity, determined to crush her to earth. Her heartbeat was too fast and too unsteady for her liking, and she could feel the beads of sweat beginning to gather on her palms. It wasn't that she was naturally claustrophobic or anything, it was that anywhere dark and confined tended to remind her of the Ice Cliff Palace, even if that place happened to be her room at night. She knew exactly why she was reacting this way — the military psychologist had even dissected that reaction for her, but it didn't help any, knowing the scientific rationale behind it. And right now, with only her heartbeat acting as a source of background sound, the doctor's words came echoing a little too loudly, drawn up by painful memories and rational thinking alike.

"You react this way because the environment in which your sister died was similar. Not the same, but to the human mind, it doesn't matter. The human mind codes fear stronger than anything else because fear is protective in nature. When your mind processes fear, it automatically produces the 'fight or flight' response."

Except there was nothing to fight and nowhere to run. She could spend the rest of her life hacking away at this one mountain range and not make a dent in it, and she could as easily run from the bowels of this earth right now as she could saw off her own legs. And this isn't even the only place that makes me feel this way. She let out a short huff, trying to dispel some of the emotional bonds associated with the place with the motion. Since I can't change it, I might as well get on with things. Picking up the pace, hoping that Hope—and Snow, who was behind them, wouldn't be able to hear the desperate panic in her quickened steps, she was almost relieved when she heard—and felt— Hope speed up beside her.

Sudden lightness ahead alleviated some of the rising panic inside as the last few steps opened up into an open area set into the stone that overlooked the Paddran ruins, overcast sunlight flooding in from an opening that was left in the mountain. Her relieved exhale of a sigh wasn't missed by Hope; Lightning felt a phantom caress gently touch her shoulder. "You okay?"

Suddenly afraid to look behind her, she only nodded breathlessly, forcing herself to relax at their contact. That same phantom warmth was suddenly wrapped around her shoulders— hating herself for the way she so easily accepted his comfort, Lightning rested the right side of her head against his collarbone, feeling embarrassed at how easily his steady heartbeat assuaged her own; she was now absolutely sure that he could feel her erratic pulse in their grazing contact. "I'll be okay," she rasped quietly; quickly breaking apart at the sounds of Snow's imminent arrival, she turned her attention to the other side of the area the steps had led them to, illuminated by the grey light.

It was a temple.

And not just any temple, because with a swallow of absolute dread, Lightning realized she recognized the statues and the symbols that were touched to a dim luminance by the pearly, watery light. This is…

Snow had moved forward, hands outstretched towards the stone creatures carved into the mountainside, long since overgrown with lichens— but no less hauntingly familiar— the same realization dawning on his expression. The renewed grip on her shoulder told her that Hope recognized them too; this time, she didn't resent the contact in any way— Lightning suddenly wasn't sure that the flare of hope that Snow's discovery had given her was such a good idea anymore. "This is…" Her voice sounded weak and raspy—impotent and hoarse, it gave away the weakness eating at the corners of her emotional equilibrium.

"Etro's Shrine," finished Snow quietly, his voice just as choked as hers. She watched him take a breath, and slowly let it out, as if steeling himself for what lay ahead— of that, she was envious, as she watched him sluggishly ascend the steps, the ones that mirrored the ones so often branded into her consciousness in dreams. He could remove himself totally from what he was doing and not let his emotions get in his way. Once, she could do that too; but now, barely suppressed memories were threatening to make a reappearance, and the rational part of her mind was screaming that right now was not, in any way, shape, or form, the right time to break down.

As much as she would've liked to listen to the cognitive part of her mind, her head was suddenly pounding, with her heartbeat hammering away at the back of her suddenly closed throat, restricting the sounds those memories wanted to elicit from the back of it.

Ice and stone contrasted starkly in an otherworldly world, a whole new plane in which black and white, darkness and light could exist on an equal level. Sudden clarity flooded every aspect of her senses as she watched the single-winged figure raise the spear in hand, ready to take aim at her sister again.

And suddenly, she was running, determined this time, to do what she'd been prepared to do last time—and this time, there was no Shiva to save them.

Pain. Unbridled and unrelenting agony permeated through the upper half of her body, aided and abetted by her own faltering heartbeat. Words, less significant than the silent whisper of a gentle spring breeze— they made no sense and she couldn't hear them. There was only one sound that registered in her rapidly dimming consciousness, one that she would have done anything not to hear.

"Light! Lightning!" A rough shake of her shoulders shattered the illusion of memories and nightmares that trawled through her dreams all too often, and Lightning found herself looking up at Hope's familiar, scared emerald gaze. His grip slid down her arms, stopping at her elbows. "Are you okay?" His voice was a rasp, but she knew he could tell she wasn't okay.

Trying to disregard how badly she was shaking, she mustered a nod, still unable to speak through her closed throat, and afraid how the words would come out. "Maybe you shouldn't be here," he murmured quietly. "This place is only going to upset you… isn't it?"

"No!" The forced one syllable word felt like a burn as she forced it out; pulling in a deep breath, she slowly disengaged herself from him. "I have…" I have to know if Carmine was speaking truth or lies. No matter how much this place resembles… there, I can't let it stop me. Hope had opened his mouth, but seeing the expression on her face, closed it; watching him swallow nervously, it was awhile before he said something.

"Okay. But… if something upsets you… You have to tell us, okay?" Those words, accompanied by the soft brush of her cheek, unfurled a gentle, warming sense of peace, soothing in the raging inner storm; the thinnest filament of down in an otherwise bleak and hopeless landscape.

Taking an experimental step forwards, surprised to find it quite steady, Lightning tried to calm her still-trembling fingers; clenching them into fists at her side worked, she found. "Okay."

Her fragile resolve was tested the moment she'd ascended the worn stone steps to where Snow had been waiting, silently watching her grapple with her memories, a pained, shadowed expression on his face—one that wasn't at all too hard to read. I'm not the only one… remembering.

She tried to remember that, but coupled with her earlier difficulty in keeping calm, she gave up trying to assuage the heady churn of emotions inside. Serah. "Hey Sis." Snow's voice was unusually subdued as she followed him across the threshold of stone, feeling oddly comforted by the steady, quiet footsteps of Hope just behind her. "I think… this is where they worshipped Etro—don't think we'll find much here. There is a back room though; just checked it out—it's through there, wanna go give it a look?"

Following his pointed finger with her gaze, Lightning couldn't help but notice that the muscles in Snow's arm were much more tense than usual: a consequence of keeping painful emotions tightly under control, something she was surprisingly not good at doing anymore.

A tiny, pained sigh escaped her lips; pushing away the debilitating memories and feelings, her right hand automatically found the handle of her omega weapon, a gesture of comfort from older days that didn't work as well as she would've wanted it to now; nonetheless, the sensation of holding on to something gave her something to focus on. "Yeah… let's go."

Tiny dust motes swirled before them as they made their way to the very corner of the opened shrine; locked in a celestial dance, the swirling bits of long-dead matter were pushed aside as they passed, disturbing the long-forgotten temple. The swollen, rotting wooden door pushed open on contact, exposing thousands upon thousands of stone slabs and paper pieces caught in the mercy of the elements; some still damp from the storm that had ravaged the Yaschas Massif not a few days before.

Her left hand brushed the carvings of a stone boulder that was just beside the wrecked entranceway; Pulsian alphabet swimming before her, Lightning realized what she was looking at. This is… Pulse's history laid out in stone. Throat suddenly dry as she scanned the smaller room, her pulse pounded in her ears, realizing what could be found in the confines of the brightly lit room, overcast sunlight from the balcony carved into the other side of the rock face lighting contents of the place brightly. Away from the main room, away from the constricting darkness of the passageway upwards, she was a little calmer, and a little better in control of her emotions. "Right… let's start looking." Her voice was still a little unsteady, but Lightning felt relieved that the words no longer hurt to be enunciated from a tightly closed, burning throat.

Spreading out quickly, she picked her way over to the very back of the room, the place where grey light poured in from the carved opening, taking in the Yaschas Massif scenery outside—the bright maze that was Eden looked far away from here; really, it was only a square-inch spot of colour in the unforgiving, untamed Gran Pulse landscape.

Turning her gaze back to what she had to look for, Lightning bent down to examine a heavy stone tablet that was directly illuminated by the watery lighting, fingers tracing the outlines of the Pulsian alphabet carved on them.

An hour or two later, Hope joined Lightning and Snow in the middle of the room; several pieces of damp paper that had somehow survived a couple of centuries of wear and tear clutched in his right hand, his mind still buzzing over the rich history that the room contained.

"So," began Snow with a cough. "I think I'll start." Scratching the back of his bandanna, the big blond glanced around once before starting. "I couldn't read some of the stuff—the letters weren't really clear anymore, but basically, that Carmine creep was right about the whole 'reincarnation' stuff. You know, that garbage about 'incomplete' reincarnation and all that crap."

At this, Hope saw, out of the corner of his eye, Lightning look away, her expression darkening. The urge to ask her what was wrong warring with the snap he knew would come if he asked her; he firmly pressed his lips shut. If it's important… she'll say it, right?

"But I did find something interesting," continued Snow, spreading a piece of paper flat in front of them. "This the amplifier thing you were talking about, Sis? I can't read some of the stuff written at the bottom, but it seems right." Sliding the damp piece of paper towards them, Hope watched her fingers tighten on the edge of the flat white surface.

Reading over her shoulder, Hope watched Lightning carefully, fear prickling at his instincts, grappling with the earlier conviction to do something about it—to protect her. He'd brushed her shoulder by accident as he made a move to give her some space, but the fleeting contact all but confirmed his suspicions; at this close proximity, he could feel her rapid heartbeat. Light…

He'd barely moved three inches away from her when she suddenly tightened her left hand in a fist around the paper. "Yeah… this is it," she hissed, a spark of anger consuming the dark shadow in her teal gaze. "Where'd you find it?"

Snow gestured somewhere over his shoulder. "Somewhere over there… I can't remember exactly where." He lowered his voice. "So… essentially, it's supposed to concentrate magical ability in an object outside the human body?"

He heard Lightning let out a low snarl. "So he was right. Paddra was researching this long before humans on Cocoon were aware of it." The ancient piece of paper in her hand crinkled as she scrunched it into a fist. "Meurites have long been an existence on Pulse—I found out that much."

Taking a breath, the papers in his own hand forgotten, Hope ventured a question, hoping it would divert the attention away from the amplifier design—he could guess exactly what she had against it. "But if they've been part of Pulse for a long time… why didn't Fang or Vanille mention it? And why didn't we see any last time?"

Lightning gave him a wry look, the look in her eyes telling him she'd acknowledged his question. "In short… because we were l'Cie. But this time…" she trailed off, a harsh edge entering her tone, "we're not. To them, we're just prey with an abundant amount of natural ability we can't use."

"Very good! To be honest, I expected no less from you, my dear Lieutenant-Colonel." Whipping around, Hope found the entrance to the small room barred with a squadron of soldiers and a figure he recognized as Carmine striding in confidently in front of them, a gleeful expression on his face. "Surprised to see me? Don't be—there're soldiers still in the hospital from their little encounter with you last time." A devilish smirk decorating his features, he gestured wildly with his hands. "You're not getting away that easily this time."

The distinctive click of the gunblade being unsheathed was just beside his right shoulder as Lightning took a step forward, omega weapon raised to shoulder height. "So this is what this is about?" Disgust evident in her cold tones, she advanced slowly towards the scientist. "Because we wouldn't help you?"

Carmine grinned openly at them. "Not quite." Voice dropping to what Hope could only describe as a low purr, he continued. "Don't you see? What you could become if you helped me? You could be as powerful as you were once, if only—"

"Why don't you stop lying?" Cutting across him harshly, Hope watched Lightning aim the weapon at his forehead. "You keep chasing us, forcing us to run around in circles until we don't have a choice but to do what you want. I told you: I'm not your guinea pig! If you want someone to be your lab rat, have fun looking somewhere else!"

For the briefest fraction of a heartbeat, Hope saw Carmine's composed expression contort in something akin to sick fury before he forcibly wiped it clean; clearly trying to keep his temper under control, he gestured to the soldiers behind them.

Hope barely had the time to pull out Nue stuffed behind him under his jacket when a rough hand pushed him out of the way of a round of incoming shots. Finding himself crouched behind a large stone slab with Lightning, whose hand was tight on the gunblade as they waited for the barrage of gunfire to let up a little. "They'll be here in a minute," she hissed. Giving him a critical look, Hope watched her weigh outcomes mentally, indecision warring in her aquamarine eyes. "Can you hit anything with that?"

It was a few precious heartbeats later when Hope realized what she was asking. "This? Y-Yeah," he stammered. Kind of. When I have time to aim, at least.

"Okay. Okay. On the count of three, I want you to follow me—try to hit as many of them in the distance as you can. Go after Carmine if you can, but don't kill him—there're answers I still want from him." Swallowing thickly, Hope watched her expression, the earlier indecision wiped by the icy fire that he knew so well.

Do we have to kill them? The lingering, unspoken question hung on his lips—the notion was silly, of course, he'd killed more monsters and Cie'th than he cared to count. But somehow, this felt different, even though in concept, it was the same. The clones, the enemies they'd fought last time… they no longer felt human to him, not after seeing what they'd done and what they were after. And even the Meurites— they didn't exactly feel human to him either. But this… They're just soldiers who're following orders. The thought was pathetic, and Hope knew if Lightning knew he was thinking like this, she'd cuff him over the head for being stupid, but he couldn't help it. I'm not a soldier… I can't help but to think like this.

And it was funny, because he'd never felt qualms about fighting before; somehow, somewhere in the four years since the Eclipse, his view of fighting had changed—he wasn't quite sure of what had brought that on, but he couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling that it had something to do with the outcome of that last fight in the Ice Cliff Palace: watching both Snow's and Lightning's pain, watching her almost completely succumb to that crushing depression, something had changed—that, at least, was something he didn't have trouble pinpointing. I'd never wish that on someone else. If they were directly after us, for their own reasons, maybe I wouldn't feel this way fighting, but if they're just following orders…

"Three!"

The harsh command cut across his thoughts; pushing himself up after Lightning as she sprang into action, he found that his grip on Nue was sweaty and nervous. His first aim was precarious, uncertain, but the weapon found its mark in the gun arm of a soldier anyways, dropping the weapon to the floor. Snow's bulk was suddenly beside him as the blond brawler charged, his boot catching the chin of another soldier, flinging the man away from them.

Surprisingly, the rain of gunfire suddenly stopped as Lightning skidded to a halt in front of him; unceremoniously bumping into her back, Hope peered over the top of her pink head to see what exactly had just put the battle to a halt.

One glance told him what, exactly, as a low growl filled the room before the gunfire resumed, this time not aimed at them.

The remaining soldiers were desperately firing their various weapons at a lone animalistic figure crouched by the balcony that opened up to the Gran Pulse landscape. He didn't need Snow's muttered curse or Carmine's yell to know what it was.

A Meurite had finally tracked them down.

Lightning felt her muscles tense the moment the soldiers' attention was drawn away from them—following their gaze, she'd felt her heartbeat catch in her throat the moment she recognized what could only be a Meurite crouched by the dim light that the overcast day provided. Glad as she was for the momentary distraction, it couldn't be long before the thing succumbed to the four or five guns trained on its form, at which point the soldiers would turn back to gunning for them.

Taking the brief respite the Meurite's appearance had given her, leaping lightly over the stone fragments that littered the floor, she set her sights on the squadron leader, who whipped around, pole-axe in hand as their weapons met. Dodging out of the way of the Sanctify attack, she twisted around, spotting Carmine hiding just behind the captain, white lab coat pressed against the stone wall. Narrowing her eyes, she shoulder rolled under the incoming sweep of the axe, readying the blade in hand.

"I control my own fate!" The first few bullets buried themselves in the captain's weapon arm; kicking him away with a backflip, she landed right in front of Carmine, gunblade raised at him. The resulting howl that sounded in the background told her that either Snow and Hope or the remaining soldiers had taken out the Meurite. But you… You won't get away without answering my questions.

He cowered away from her icy gaze; perhaps realizing his imminent defeat, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "You will answer my questions," she snarled. "And you can call off your little army before I have to hurt any more of them."

A flicker of something crossed his steel-grey gaze. What it was, she couldn't pinpoint at this moment, but it pulled at something inside. I've seen it before. She knew anger too well not to recognize it, but it wasn't fear either—with that, her gut twisted once again with instinct. Whatever it was, he wasn't scared of her, wasn't scared of what she had to say. Narrowing her gaze as she turned her head back to make sure the remaining soldiers had indeed dropped their weapons, it was only then that the expression came to mind: it was the exact same expression worn by her enemy on the night of the Eclipse: contempt.

I'm evil. I know, thanks. ;p

I chose to leave it at that, because the resulting explanations/interrogations and along with what happens next because of aforementioned events would tip this chapter close to 12,000 words and that's a lot of words. xD So I'll leave it at this, and leave you hanging for the next installment! *cackles* Feel free to speculate and such, though - I think I mentioned last chapter that we're quickly approaching the defining moment of this fic, and I actually hinted at it this chapter somewhere, so hopefully (or maybe not hopefully) you guys can pick it out!

Next chapter will probably take me some time-don't expect it before next Monday or so... *chews lips* Leave love as always, and I shall see y'all soon!

Hearts!