Dimensional Guardian: Book II: L'cie

by XInsanityXGuiltechXShadowwindX

Jared's back for his next mission! After 15 years in Weyard (trip is outlined inside), he finds himself in Bodhum. Is Lightning as cold as we think she is? Is PSICOM as stupid? What happens when a L'cie doesn't have a Focus? Why am I asking you? READ TO FIND OUT! Rated for suggestive content and future possiblities.

13. The Home Stretch

I'm making a reference to another story on this site in this particular chapter.

It's called

Icha Icha Paradise: Spiraling Love

by JackOfBladesX

It's a good one for a oneshot, and it might be a good idea to check it out.

Chapter 13

It had been 3 hours since Jared passed by Minato, and the group of L'cie finally made it Oerba. Fang, Vanille, Minato, Rose, and Lightning looked around, looking for any sign of Jared, if he were in the area.

Snow, on the other hand, was looking up and spotted Jared and Hope in an aerial spar, pretty far up.

Sazh was looking down at the Plaza, his eyes narrowed on one person there that he didn't think survived. 'Why is she still alive? We all saw her get hit by a Spell from Barthandelus. So how...' Then it hit him. 'The Stowaway... was it really her?'

"Anyone find Jared?" Sazh asked.

"Yup." Everyone looked at Snow, who pointed in the air. "I doubt I could shout loud enough for him to hear it."

Minato shrugged. "Allow me." His head then grew to 10 times its original size as he yelled. "JARED! HOPE! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

Two Ruinga missed their targets, as the two looked at Minato, whose head had shrunk to its normal size.

Jihl even looked at them, her outfit having changed this day to something reminiscent of Fang's Blue Sari attire, but with her PSICOM insignia on the left shoulder. At her waist was a sheathed Baton. She had also worn boots similar to Vanille, with fur lining, and edges.

She walked up to them slowly. "It's been a while... though I don't recognize two of you." Jihl looked at Rose and Minato.

"Nabaat..." Sazh nearly growled, which was strange for the Afro man.

"Relax. I have no quarrel with any of you. L'cie or not, I don't think it's necessary. Not after what Barthandelus did to me and is planning to do to all of Cocoon." She replied.

Jared and Hope landed next to her. "Sazh, Nabaat is on our side now."

"People don't change sides so easily." Lightning stated, her hand on Blaze Omega.

Jared shook his head. "Light, I've told you some of the things I can do. What I did to her opened her eyes. Being attacked by Primarch Dysley, or Barthandelus, is good enough of a reason to doubt him. I just gave her information, and sent her to a place to think on said information. A place without Sanctum influence."

Jihl nodded. "The Sanctum had it wrong. Pulse is not an enemy. It's not hell." She actually looked across the lake. "It has more beauty in it than even Palumpolum, which is widely known in Cocoon as the most beautiful place in Cocoon."

"And why, prey tell, are you wearing my clothing?" Fang questioned, her lance pointing at her.

Jihl looked at the clothing. "Honestly? I just found them. They're the only viable clothing here that would fit me." She looked at Fang. "I believe I should apologize for taking them without asking."

Hope chuckled at that. Snow just shook his head. "So, why did you decided to join us?"

"A Reality Check does wonders for the mind." Jihl answered. "Come on. I'll show you where I've been living since I got to this town. I've been trying to keep the place clean, but it's not really easy. The Monsters that came in here until a few days ago I've been clearing out on my own. Those Ci'eth are a pain."

Jared nodded. "That they are."

"Although, I am curious as to why the Monsters don't come in here anymore." Hope said, looking at Jared. Jihl did the same.

"Simple really. Monster Repellant Barrier at the end of the bridge, and on the dock. Built it, not Mechanical summon." Jared said, shrugging. "Come on, we may not have enough time left."

They walked into the main center, and looked at the area, before they walked into the house that Hope, Jihl and Jared had been staying in. Vanille and Fang recognized it as their place way back when. It was a lot cleaner than they thought it would be.

"Wow, she did a good job." Vanille complimented.

"Thank you." Jihl replied.

Jared went to the window and looked at the windowsill again. Fang noticed. "Alright, what happened there?"

"My own rage." Jared stated. "It happened last night, so don't worry about it."

Jared then looked at Rose. "Rose, can you come with me for a minute? Alone?"

"Do I even want to know why?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Lohan is acting up again." Rose's other eyebrow met the first, and nodded. "Alright then." The two left the room, and the house.

Everyone blinked at that. "Did anyone get that?" Snow asked, confused. He was also scratching the top of his scalp.

Hope nodded. "I think I know."

"You do?" Jihl asked. "Because I'm just as confused as the rest of them."

"It's the same reason we split off from them in the first place." Hope looked at Lightning. "It also dealt with you, and his own fear. Training me was only a bonus. It wouldn't have worked if Rose wasn't here either."

Lightning then pieced it together, followed by Minato. "He knew... And he didn't want to?" She mused, her eyes wide.

Hope nodded. "He told me the main reason wasn't the training. It was because of what your body was doing to him. If he had gone for it as it was, you would've been broken before he was done. He would've lost control, and wouldn't care about your feelings on the matter. That was something he didn't want."

Jihl sighed. "I think I get it now."

Minato nodded as well. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Honestly? A few hours, to a day." Hope admitted. "Really, it'll depend on the time Compression he uses, so I don't really know."

"You've learned a lot." Lightning pointed out.

Hope just shrugged in response. "No surprise. We're talking about someone that's done more than his fair share of Background Manipulation, and ass-kicking. I'm bound to pick up something."

They really just spent 5 hours of talking, though Sazh was glaring at Jihl for the first two. Minato was mainly talking with Fang and Vanille.

Hope was mostly talking with Jihl and Lightning, and went over a few things he had learned. Jihl gave some input, but not much. She admitted to not understanding most of the topics, so she only commented on those she knew something about. It wasn't easy, but she helped where she could.

Sazh was mainly watching Jihl, making sure she didn't try anything. He saw her chuckle at some of Hope's comments, and decided that she wasn't much of a threat anymore, but he'd be watching her nonetheless.

Snow was just watching the clouds roll by, while looking out over the Lake.

Fang came out to him, and found him by the docks during the fourth hour. "Something on your mind, mate?"

"A lot."

"Don't think too hard. You'll need your brain later." Fang smirked at the joke.

Snow didn't get the humor. "Very funny." His voice had a tinge of sarcasm. "I'm actually wondering about what Jared said on the ship that brought us down here."

"The deal he made with the Maker?" Fang asked.

Snow looked at his brand. "Yeah. If it is genuine, then how will we know?"

"Only Jared could tell us that." Fang admitted.

"Maybe, but it's still got me worried."

After that, it was mostly meaningless chatter between all of them. However, after 5 hours and 32 minutes, Jared came out of a single room, Rose right next to him.

They both looked haggard, sweaty, tired, and then some. Hope noticed and made the first comment. "You look like you went up against 3 gods and 9 armies from each at the same time."

Jared managed to sit down on a single bed. "I feel worse." He fell on the bed, and was snoring quickly.

Lightning was looking at Rose's eyes. "What about you?"

"I'll be feeling that for a week." She murmured as she passed out on another bed.

Jihl blinked. "Anyone have any idea how long it really took for them?"

Minato walked over to Rose and put a hand on her forehead, before scanning her mind. When he removed it, his eyes widened, as he looked at the others. "10 weeks 2 days..." He walked over to them and sat down, obviously surprised.

"They slept some, right?" Lightning questioned. Minato shook his head. "That... was entirely continuous."

Everyone was surprised at that, and looked between the two. Hope was the first to stop, and he ran a hand through his hair. "For some reason, I'm not surprised."

Lightning sighed. "Seriously, where does he get his stamina?"

"A lot of fighting and experience." Minato answered. "It comes with being a Dimensional Guardian. The longer you live, the more power you can get." He looked at Jared's sleeping form. "Still, he's not even 60 yet, and most Guardians don't get as strong as he is until they reach 200 years old, some take even longer than that, up to 700 years old."

"He's ahead of his own years, then?" Fang questioned.

Minato shook his head. "I think it's because his knowledge is so varied that he can literally pull strategies out of his ass, and put them into play immediately."

Hope nodded, understanding that perfectly. "He does, and with his level of Insanity, and his acceptance of it, his strategies are nearly flawless. Few, if anyone, sees through his plans unless he lets them in on it."

Minato blinked. "Probably has something to do with him being born in the Prime Realm."

"Prime Realm?" Snow asked.

"It's the realm all others gain knowledge from. It's the original realm, the original Earth. The original Universe. All other Realms that the Guardians, well, Guard are merely derivations of ideas from the Prime Realm, and other ways for everything to happen. Pretty much every Earth out there, even Gran Pulse, is little more than a Derivation of the Prime Realm, if the history was different. In one realm I visited, there was something known as the String Theory. In a nutshell, it stated that there was more than one universe, but each one was either completely different or a mirror image of the original, essentially creating a Multiverse. Each choice makes a different world."

"Wait, you mean Gran Pulse is just an imitation?" Fang questioned.

Minato shook his head. "That's not it at all. The reason each Realm is different, is not because of what choices the Immortals made, its the choices of the Mortals. Humans, Monsters, and the like. Gods don't choose any of it. A single change in the choice of one person can drastically change the history of an entire world. Heck another world is almost a near replica of the Prime Realm, yet the way the world is populated is different. The Prime realm, though I've never been there before, has well over 150 Countries from what I know. Several different Nationalities. This world, on the other hand, from one change in decision, there came 3 Leading powers: Britannia, Chinese Federation, and a European Alliance. They also encompass the three major Government types. Britannia is an Empire. Chinese Federation is more on the Dictatorship side. The EA is a democracy. Monarchy, Dictatorship, and Democracy are three of the most common Governments out there. Back in the day, Cocoon was a Monarchy, what with the Primarch, and all."

"Still is, apparently." Lightning stated.

"Gran Pulse, back then, was more of a Dictatorship/Democracy combination. They had a council, which decided everything. The council is the only form of Democracy there was. Everything else fell under dictatorship." Minato explained.

Fang nodded. "Sounds about right."

"Which do you believe is the best?" Jihl questioned.

Minato thought for a moment. "Honestly, I don't think any of them are any better than the others. The pros and cons of each one are different, but they weigh roughly the same. That's getting rid of personal opinion, at least. I would prefer Democracy, but with this, it's impossible to appease everyone. Dictatorship is good in the long run, because the economy flourishes, but when the wrong person is inducted, it'll lead to problems, and ultimately, a revolt. Monarchy... You're going through one of the top 5 Worst Scenarios for that right now."

Those awake nodded, understanding it. "A Dictatorship is only as good as the one who runs it, so it could go from bad to worse in a second. A Monarchy is usually led by a family, and really has the same problems as a Dictatorship. Democracy is more for the people than a ruling body."

"What about other Governments?"

Minato thought for a moment. "The rest are merely parts of those three, but one that I've come across is a Theocracy. It's a Government that's ruled by a Deity, or Religion. The Fal'cie are effectively a Deity, so both Cocoon and Gran Pulse have that in their systems. Theocracy tends to fall into Dictatorships, but is far more common in Monarchies. Basically, Religion says this, the government takes it and puts it as a law immediately. That's a Theocracy in a nutshell."

This conversation went on for a while, they ate dinner, found a place to sleep, and did just that. Hope was the first one up, so he went outside as the sun rose. About 30 minutes after the sun rose, Jared was up, and saw it. He also found out that Hope was outside, so he went to see him. "Morning."

"Hey, Jared." Hope replied, his voice more subdued than usual. "I've been wondering something."

"If it's about where to go next, then from here, it goes into the Home Stretch in game."

Hope sighed. "Not much to go on, you know?"

"With all the changes I made, that's the only sure thing. I'm not even sure if the Civilians will be getting into this, and Jihl was supposed to die on the Palamecia. I don't know if she wore Anti-Spell undergarments in game, but if she did, then that means the Palamecia went down, and she went with it."

"There's something else, too." Hope said.

Jared raised an eyebrow. "Anything about the plot of the game is pretty much useless right now."

"Actually, it's about Light." Hope stated. "Last night, she asked me about you."

"Hm?" Jared glanced at him. "About?"

"She was wondering how you got under her skin so quickly." Hope replied. "It was actually confusing. If you were anyone else, she would've said "Fuck off", and never said anything else to you unless she had to. I didn't know why, either. So..."

"You want to know what drew her in." It wasn't a question, but Hope nodded all the same. "Well, you know I'm open about a lot of things, right?" A nod. "And you know that I still hide a lot of other things, too." Another nod. "The contradictions regarding me are far too numerous, that it got her curious. As time moved on, that curiosity built up. Before she knew it, she was already drawn in, and I wasn't even trying to do anything. Just had to get my job done. I stuck to that, but her curiosity drew her to me. Someone who talks so much, yet hides even more is more than just an Enigma, Hope. It's my way of life. A Personality like mine can be dangerous. The curious ones will try to find out anything they possible can about you. The Outcasts will notice you, and try to be friends. Others will just flat out ignore you. Lightning and Serah both fell under the Curious Category. Serah was already smitten with someone else, but Lightning had cut herself off. She was ordered by her superior to see where my allegiance lies, but a single mission turned into her Curiosity going rampant."

Hope thought about it. "Being mysterious drew her in?"

Jared shook his head. "My personality held so many contradictions it's not even funny. The moment she found that out, her curiosity was piqued. She lost control of it before she knew it, but she didn't care when she realized it. Somewhere along the way, she found herself smitten with me. She didn't realize it, but I did."

Hope nodded. "I get it, I think. You got her curiosity to do the work for you."

Jared sent the teen a look. "Hope, I didn't force her curiosity into action. I wasn't even trying to get her to fall for me. She just... did."

Jared knew that Minato had heard that. Hope didn't. "And Serah?"

"She's Snow's fiance. I'm still only half convinced that Snow has no relation to Dart or Zieg." Jared admitted.

Hope sighed. "So, what's the story with Minato?"

"Minato is, to my knowledge, a Shinobi of Konohagakure, or the Village Hidden in the Leaves. His first appearance is on the day of his son's birth, sealing a Fox away into said son wearing a White Trenchcoat with flames at the bottom. The next appearance he made was actually in a side story known as 'Kakashi Gaiden'. It took place during the Third Shinobi World war, and in it, it showed an Uchiha's last moments, and what made Kakashi into who he had become: A Porn Addicted, Chronically Late, Lazy Ex-ANBU that is the sensei of said son. I didn't care to read who truly knew about the relationship between the father and son, but I do know that the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Village Elders Koharu and Homura, a few ANBU which were likely chosen on the spot, and the Sandaime's wife: Biwako Sarutobi, I believe her name was. Oh, and the names are read backwards compared to what you and I are used to. Comes with being a Japanese point, I suppose. Surname first, given name last. You and I are used to giving the given name first, surname last."

"Huh. Alright, good to know." Hope stated. "His next appearance?"

"Son is 15, or 16. Never checked, really. Honestly, what he did, by all accounts should have been impossible, but with the knowledge I have now, I have to say it's kind of expected really. He's a Guardian. We live for the Impossible shit. Cheating Death just to have a few minutes with your son definitely qualifies. That goes for his wife, too."

"So, you'll tell him, but not me?" They both heard Minato, but Jared wasn't surprised.

"I told him what I'd say if you thought that I didn't know you were eavesdropping, which I did." Jared admitted. "The reasons for keeping it from you are my own, but mainly for the timeline. I'm not there personally, so I can't affect the timeline, but when I get there, I can. It's a loophole most Guardians follow, as you know. I'm just doing what needs to be done at the moment, since my mission has no bearing on your own. Like I said, when I'm done teaching Hope everything I can, then I'll head to Elementia. I'll help out wherever I can, but if you become Hokage, then call me up. I'll be your 'Secret Weapon', and I would suggest you don't let your advisers or council know. The less they know, the better. If you have a child, and you are dead, I'd watch over them if you can't. While training him, I'll also be teaching myself Chakra using the information I got from you, and what I know from the Prime Realm. That reminds me of something."

Hope and Minato looked at him.

"Before you do, how long do you think it will take?"

Jared shrugged. "Not a clue." Minato sighed. "As for my question, you're still working on that Sphere Jutsu, last I checked. I could give you some advice, if you wish. I completely dissected it before I became a Guardian."

Minato nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

Jared nodded. "Well, as it stands, you've got one part down: Power. You want it to be a high power Jutsu, utilizing Shape and Nature Manipulation to the fullest. You can't seem to find out how to compress it properly, though."

"Compression is one thing. I can't figure out how to contain that much power without it blowing up in my face. Not with Chakra at least."

Jared nodded. "I figured that much. So, here's a little bit of advice, and a way to practice it... If you can get Kushina in bed, grab her breast, and swirl your chakra around in a sphere-like shape, and listen to the moans. I did it with Mana the night my second child was conceived."

"What does sex have to do with..." Minato trailed off, as his eyes widened. He realized what Jared was saying. "You mean...?"

"It should work. I mean, there are a total of Six Stages for what you want. Stage 1: Rotation. Stage 2: Power. Stage 3: Containment. Stage 4: Enlarge. Stage 5: Stage 3 + Element. Stage 6: Combine Stages 4 and 5. Stage 3 in the prime realm, is called the Rasengan, the Spiraling Sphere. Get there first. I've got ideas on Stage 5, one of which is for Wind, but you don't get that far. At best, you get to Stage 4. Your son gets it in the Anime."

"And the sex tip?"

"I was referenced to a Fanfiction site when I was younger. Found one particular one that was pretty good, and actually has that in it." Jared answered. "It's called Icha Icha: Spiraling Love. Stage 1 Rasengan was used as a Secret Sex Jutsu you would never tell your sensei about. It made Kushina melt whenever you used it, and Jiraiya couldn't figure it out for the life of him. It works with Mana, that's for sure. Spinning the Mana in their breasts is a powerful Arousal Boost. Trust me. I used it for the majority of my time with Rose yesterday. Believe me, it works."

Minato thought for a moment, and nodded. "Any chance you can pull off this Rasengan with Mana?"

Jared held out his hand, and charged a Ruinga that appeared to be spinning in every direction. "I can only do so with Ruinga at the moment. Ruinga has the Power and containment. All it needed was the rotation. I'd be doing so with Blizzaga, Firaga, Darkja, Waterga and Aeroga."

"Why not one for Lightning?"

Jared just through the Spiraling Ruinga out over the nearby lake, causing a Miniature Typhoon to appear, surrounding the point of explosion. "Because, Minato, Thundaga doesn't originate from the hands. Besides, Lightning Element and Rasengan has another base, and uses a different name."

"And that is?"

Jared sat up, and walked towards the bridge, gesturing them to follow. Once they were out of the Village Limits, Jared saw a Vampire Ci'eth. Minato and Hope were on guard, but Jared waved them off.

"Don't worry. I'm going to show you how I learned it with Mana. It's a different Version, with a Different name, and a Different Source, but otherwise, the two are the same. The speed required is crazy, and you'd need to be able to deal with Tunnel vision. A Master Gunman can do so if he also has the speed. Otherwise, you'd need something like the Sharingan in order to get past that barrier. They're pretty much the same, so if you see someone do something similar, you'll know which one I'm talking about."

Minato nodded, but was ready for anything. Jared then put his arms to his sides, and Lightning charged up, running down both arms. He then jumped up, the Lightning gathering at his hands, making very few sounds, and he spoke. "Thunder God Attack, HIYAA!" He went down and hit the Vampire, piercing through it completely, leaving the electrical Charge on the Ci'eth, before the Lightning produced a powerful discharge frying the Ci'eth almost instantly.

Jared looked at the other two, who were impressed. "Not bad. Thunder God Attack, though?"

"You've got the Flying Thunder God in your possession, though I figured out how you could do it so easily after finding the method, and you're surprised at this Spell, which I didn't even create?"

"Wait, then who did?" Hope asked.

Jared shrugged. "Not really sure. First user I know of is Kanzas, and he was a Dragoon. Not sure if someone else used it before, but I figured it out highly quickly. Still haven't managed to put it in one hand, though. That's the other version I know of, but I can't use it with Mana. I tried for 2 years with no progress."

Minato crossed his arms. "Still, that was impressive. Still, you're probably right. One would need High amounts of speed to pull it off."

Jared nodded. "That's how it was explained. A High speed job laced with Lightning Element Chakra. It was labeled as an Assassination Jutsu, but it's too noisy, and without a counter to the Tunnel Vision, it's basically useless. I trained my vision since I was 13. Using a bow, several guns, and hunting game was a good way to practice. On my own, I could probably rival a Sharingan in perception. Not to mention I can run at Mach 1 with ease, and can still see with utmost Clarity. I can't really turn on a dime at those speeds but I can run a mile at that speed and then turn around in less than a second, with relative ease."

Minato nodded. "Good to know I have a fast friend."

Jared looked back at Oerba. "We should get back. Remember my advice for the Rasengan, and if you need to see it done, ask Kushina about the Imari. It's the same basic principle."

"Thanks." Minato said.

"Uh, was I really needed?" Hope asked, confused.

"Not really." Jared admitted, as they started walking back to the village. As the others woke, they gathered in the village Square, which was pretty small. Everyone, including Minato, looked at Jared. "Any ideas?" Sazh asked.

Jared looked up to the bridge, since it was nearing Noon. "I have one, but..." His eyes narrowed. "He's back."

Most of them were confused, but Jared got up, pulled out Twilight Dragon, and unsheathed the triple helix blade, before jumping up to the Bridge, looking at the drop off. Everyone else followed him up, ready for a fight.

What they saw, none of them, sans Jared, expected.

Serah Farron was walking towards them, Jared's eyes narrowed. Snow, however, was about to walk forward.

Jared pulled Cerberus and pointed it point blank at Serah's head. Lightning held in her gasp, but her eyes narrowed. "Jared..."

"You're not fooling me, Barthandelus. I know you're making this illusion." He pulled the trigger, causing the image to shatter like glass before Dysley showed up, walking towards them. "I see our little Pulse Friend is a cut above the rest." He stated, causing everyone to put up their guard, even Jihl, who was now in a rebuilt PSICOM uniform. "Although, I did not expect you to be alive, Jihl."

"Cut the crap, Barthandelus." She spat out his name like venom. "Your words mean nothing to me. The Sanctum cares nothing for Cocoon. If they did, you wouldn't have tried to kill me, only to fail."

"I can see that." Barthandelus replied, his voice still calm. "Tell me, how did you survive. Nothing I know PSICOM is given can resist Magic to such a level."

"That's none of your concern." Jihl retorted, drawing a Dark Black Baton. It was similar to her older one, but was now a Deep Obsidian Color, with a Crimson Red Grip. She pointed it at Jihl, but Jared held up an arm. "Jihl, this one is out of your league." The L'cie, Minato and Rose stepped forward. "We've got this."

"No." Jihl stepped right next to them. "I'm in this, too. You're not putting me out of this so easily, Jared. Fal'cie or not, I will stop him from destroying Cocoon."

"Then save your strength for the true fight!" Jared retorted, causing her to falter. "Barthandelus, you are nothing but trash." He pointed Twilight Dragon at the man, who then transformed into a much larger form.

"You believe you can take me?"

Jared was silent, but his face was hard, almost as if he had gotten rid of all emotions. "Yes." His voice confirmed it.

Jared vanished, and reappeared high into the air. "Radar Missile." 45 Missiles appeared and charged Barthandelus, causing quite a bit of damage.

"Firaga!" Sazh and hope fired a pair of Firaga each at Barthandelus while he staggered from Jared's strike, causing another strike of damage.

Fang, on the other hand charged in after the Firaga and landed several hits with her Lance. Lightning was right behind her and landed several Aquastrikes on the Fal'cie.

Vanille had used Deprotect, Deshell, Debrave, and Defaith on him, since they all used Libra on him and found out. Then she switched to Ravager and fired Spell after spell, usually Waterga, Thundaga, or, on occasion, Quake.

What none of them noticed, however, was that Jihl was charging her Manadrive, which she still had.

Jared fired a Darkja on Barthandelus's face, when Jihl finished. Jared was the first to sense it, and backed off, as Jihl pointed her index and middle fingers at Barthandelus. She had been completely ignored so far, but with this, she won't be any longer. There was a spark of lightning on her fingers because of the Manadrive system, but it was contained due to the AMP technology, so she aimed, unnoticed, until Jared nodded. "Whatever you're doing, do it!" This caused pause from everyone on both sides.

That is, until the power reached the senses of Hope, Rose and Minato. They all looked at Jihl who was pointing at Barthandelus. "Manadrive Cannon fire!" A large beam, rounding off a 3 feet in diameter charged at Barthandelus, surprising those that didn't know of it.

Jared was surprised because he recognized it from another game. "Huh. Guess there was more than one application of that move. Go figure." He aimed Cerberus and fired. "Tri-Blast." It hit Barthandelus, who had not seen the Manadrive Cannon being charged up, nor did he even expect her to have a Manadrive system in the first place. Jihl was sweating slightly. 'I knew using that was a large risk. I've only done so once, after all.' She thought.

Jared, however, took advantage of everyone's surprise, and brought out something else.

He glowed red, before a red ring appeared around his feet on the ground. A large burst of energy came from his location, sending wind in all directions and the bridge to start cracking. Minato recognized the Energy source, but it was far more powerful than it should have been. Cerberus had vanished. Twilight Dragon was fading, but fell into his Shadow. Jared black hair was now whipping around wildly in the wind, as a Red aura formed around him. He floated up a bit, before he vanished, and landed a powerful hit to Barthandelus's body, sending him into the air, surprising everyone else. "Kaioken." He charged around through the air, not in his Dragoon Form, and landed several hits as a red blur before Barthandelus was grabbed, and Jared spun around, sending Barthandelus further inland with a Hammer throw.

This is something that only Rose recognized. 'But that's impossible! He couldn't be... I would've known if it was HIM!'

Everyone was shocked still, even Jihl. She had never seen him do this, but he landed right next to them, as Dysley showed up once more. "It appears as though you are now ready." The red aura disappeared from Jared's body, though his eyes were slightly glazed, before he blinked, slightly confused. Another Minerva Airship showed up near them. "Be a dear and complete your focus. That is your ride." Dysley vanished. Everyone looked at Jared who was still confused.

"Alright, what happened?" Jared asked. "I remember drawing on a Red Energy Source, but after that, nothing." His voice denoted his confusion.

"It was Ki, but..." Minato was cut off by Rose.

"How did you learn the Kaioken? The only one to use it was someone I haven't seen in several millenia." She questioned.

Jared blinked. "I never learned to use the Kaioken, or anything similar. I was planning on doing so after this, but not now. Besides, I only know what it does, and a few similar things in ability, but different in prospect and energy source."

"Wait, you know what it is but you don't remember?" Snow asked, confused.

Jared shook his head. "Later. Let's get moving. I'll have to get everything done, and learn Chakra first. Then I'll work on Controlling the Ki I already have. I wasn't in control of my own body at the time, but I know that you guys were not a threat to me or my ideals. It's how I know you wouldn't be affected if it happened again."

They all looked at each other, but prepared for a battle. Minato was prepared for a One day war now, and Rose was already ready for it. Hope had Nue ready, and was hoping he could do some good. "Alright, there's a little something I want to make clear. Once we get there, we're splitting into groups." He then outlined the plans, with a Scale model of Eden that he snuck from the Gapra Whitewood before he blew the place up. "Hope, you and I are a group. Minato, Rose, you're group two. True, these teams are Overkill, but we've got the big monsters and damage control. Lightning, Jihl, you both are Group 3. Jihl, if you're running low on energy, ask Lightning for a Thundaga on you. The suit will jump start your Nervous system, and completely refill your stamina. You'll feel like you just got a full 12 hours of rest, and ate a healthy breakfast."

Jihl and Lightning nodded.

"Sazh, you're with Snow. Show them what it means to be Hot and Cold. More damage Control, but also help out the Civilians on the Way to Orphan's Cradle here." He pointed to a place on the map. "All groups are to meet here eventually. When you do, wait for the others. Minato and Rose excluded. You two will continue to run Damage Control and protect the civilians. If any Military operative tried to strike you, knock them out, but don't kill unless necessary."

"Vanille, Fang. You're the next group. Make your way to Orphan's Cradle, and protect Civilians along the way. The route, and how you do it, aside from killing said Civilians, is up to you. Just don't strike the military until they strike first, got it?"

"Got it." Vanille nodded.

"Heh. It'll be good to do this, mate." Fang added. "So, what happens when we get there? We gonna strike head on?"

Jared shook his head. "Jihl, or should I say Nabaat, your first Objective is to find Rosch. I know he's still alive. I didn't kill him. Convince him to drop the "Kill the L'cie" plot, and focus on Protecting the Civilians. If PSICOM doesn't strike us, we don't strike them. Same with the GC. Lightning, you go with them."

"And you want me with her when she does?" Lightning raised an eyebrow.

"I want you there, because, one you can recharge her suit, and by extension her, before you split from there, if you do." Jared stated.

"Fine. I don't get why you're still avoiding me, though." Lightning pointed out.

"Light, now is not the time. This is the final stage of what has to happen. Some of you may not have much time. When it's finally over, then we can go that route. Until then, its a no go." Jared's face and voice were serious, and for business only.

"I'll hold you to that." Lightning replied.

"I would be insulted if you didn't." Jared shot back. "Everyone understand their roles?" They all nodded. Jared stood up, and walked towards the Minerva Ship. "Then Let's Roll." The group followed him into said ship, and it took off. Sazh, figuring that it would take them where they needed to go, didn't even take to the controls.

He was right, but he didn't like it.

They let the ship take them where it wanted to go, and prepared for a fight.

-Eden-

There were a lot of Floating vehicles, looking as if to start a race. Cid Raines, the current Primarch, was speaking over an intercom.

Let us Forge ahead with unflinching Courage, and Honor the fallen with action.

Engines starting revving up.

With thee hands, we shape the future

They heard a snap, and the racers shot off the starting line.

It wasn't long into the first lap that a single racer had noticed a glowing symbol. "Huh?" through said light, which turned out to be a portal, came a PSICOM Minerva Ship. The L'cie and others from the group, including Rose, Jihl Nabaat, and Minato, were falling as well.

"Odin!" Lightning shouted, summoning her Eidolon. Jared brought out his Velocycle, and kicked it over to Colonel Nabaat, who grabbed it and jumped on, before revving it up.

Aside from Jared, all L'cie had summoned their Eidolons. Jared and Rose turned into Dragoons, while Minato started to flying next to Rose without any form of wings. In fact, he was Ki to fly next to her.

Snow, Stiria and Nyx stopped a racer that was flipping due to the Minerva Ship almost crashing into him. Snow was on top. "And the Hero saves the day!" He holds his arm up.

However, a Camera soon caught sight of his L'cie Brand. Some gasped, but the ones that were in Bodhum and Palumpolum, even some from Nautilus, had come out of the crowd, wondering what was going on.

"Probably should've covered that." Snow mused, as he jumped off of the straighten racer, as Stiria and Nyx combined to form the Shiva Cycle, which Snow rode down the Track in the Reverse direction.

Intruders on the race circuit! Confirmed Pulse L'cie! All units respond with lethal force!

"Catch me if you can!" Snow taunted as the Hoverbikes went after him.

Soon, he went under an overhang, which Hope was on top of. He jumped down, not scared in the slightest. A Myrmidon stopped in front of him. "Hi there." he greeted. The Myrmidon was about to strike but Alexander stopped it, and destroyed it. "Cut 'em off." Hope called out, causing the large Eidolon to block the PSICOM Hoverbikes off from progressing. Hope added onto this with several Radar Missiles, which dealt more damage than most of the weapons he know of. 'Note to self: Thank Jared for the Radar Missiles.' He thought, as those that hit a Radar Missile either went down, or crashed into Alexander.

Further down, Lightning was riding Odin. "Ready? Let's do it!" Odin jumped, transformed, and performed a slingshot maneuver with Lightning, sending her on top of an oncoming Hoverbike. She fired Blaze Omega into the Engine of the one she landed on, before jumping over to another one. "Die scum!" The pilot of the second one shouted.

"You first!" Was Light's response.

She plunged Blaze Omega into the engine, and send the Pilot flying out with her off hand, before jumping off.

It exploded not 5 seconds after she jumped.

As she jumped, fang chuckled on Bahamut next to her, and Light kicked another grunt out of his Hoverbike, and took the controls, firing at another pilot.

Elsewhere, Vanille and Hecatoncheir were being shot at. Hecatoncheir had blocked most of the gunshots from hitting Vanille.

"Stop that!" Vanille cried out.

Another PSICOM unit pulled out a Rocket Launcher. "Block this!" He fired, but didn't expect it to explode before it reached its target, giving most of them pause.

Rose had cut it in half before it reached Hecatoncheir.

They also didn't expect Kunai to rain down in the middle of them all. They were caught even more off guard when there was a Yellow Flash moving between them all, cutting them apart. Minato showed up with a frown on his face. "Those guys were too easy." He commented.

Jared, meanwhile was following Lightning, who called Odin to return to his Gestalt Mode, which was a horse. She managed to take down a large airship with PSICOM units on it, and he followed her in Dragoon form, taking out Mechas that she didn't using Twilight Dragon. She then landed nearby, as Phoenix lit up the skies.

Jihl came in behind her on Jared's Velocycle, Jared floating beside her and Odin as a Warmech landed in front of them. Jared looked at Jihl and they both nodded. He then flew off to find Hope.

Lightning was able to handle the Warmech with Odin's help, not worried at all. She looked at Nabaat, who nodded, and got on the back. Odin was Dismissed. They went to find Rosch. Hopefully, he could understand their predicament.

-elsewhere-

Dark Purple Portals, otherwise known as Transgates started opening up all Over Eden.

One of them, a Dreadnought came out of it. Civilians were running away in panic, before a being seemingly made of Black Flames was in front of them, particularly sandwiching them inbetween the two. Minato flew passed the Black Monster, AKA Rose, and punched the Dreadnought, making it skid back a few yards.

Rose followed up, and grabbed one of the arms at the base, before pulling the damn thing off with sheer strength, causing sparks to fly, and her to kick the thing away, before Minato managed a Power Sphere: A Rasengan without the rotation. It was a much larger one, nearly unstable, but it did it's job and shattered the Dreadnought. Minato and Rose out, at the civilians then each other. Not a word was spoken. They didn't need to say anything.

They nodded, and jumped off, which surprised the civilians. One of them looked like a Monster, but one of them recognized the other one. 'My god... Mina-kun?'

Elsewhere in Eden a large four legged being, an Adamantoise, came out of another portal. Hope and Jared met this one. Hope made a hole in its head, before Jared throw a small box into said hole. There was an explosion, and the Adamantoise fell to the ground, dead.

The Civilians nearby looked at the two and recognized them as the L'cie that were in Palumpolum. They were surprised they had come. "Advice?" Hope questioned.

"Less flair more Style." Jared replied. "Now let's move." The two jumped off, as another Adamantoise showed up.

Thing is, it was about to step on a child. Jared's eyes widened. "Hope!"

"Right!"

Jared got underneath the foot, stopping it with a single hand. He looked at the kid. "You okay?"

the kid looked up at him, wide eyed. The kid's mother was also wide eyed. He was a known Pulse L'cie, stopping a child from being stomped flat.

With one hand.

"Hope!" Jared looked towards Hope, and saw a large metallic object. Funny thing was, he didn't recognize it. He did know one thing, though. It was effectively a powerful Pulse Laser. 'Note to self: Ask him what that thing is.'

A large green beam fired from it, and covered the Adamantoise's head and upper body. Jared then threw the leg away, before using a Firaga on the body.

Elsewhere, aerial creatures had come out. These were cut off by Jihl and Lightning, who effectively bottlenecked the portal that was on their path, Lightning let loose a few Thundaga, while Jihl fired some Pulse Lasers from the flying Velocycle.

The portal collapsed on itself with the attacks, and the two moved on.

Snow and Sazh were now riding down the streets, Snow on the Shiva Cycle, Sazh in the F-1 Brynhildr. They were taking on the smaller fry, but there were a lot of them. "Hey Snow?"

"Yeah?"

"Ever think that Jared might not know something?" Sazh questioned.

"All the time!" Snow admitted without restraint.

"Really? He's known everything so far."

"He still doesn't know the future!" Snow said as he jumped off the Shiva Cycle, coming up to a Dreadnought. Sazh did the same, and faced it down. "Ready to kick some ass, Hot shot?"

"Cool your jets, Ice man." Sazh retorted with a smirk.

-Elsewhere-

Amodar was commanding a bunch of others in the Plaza. They were the Citizens of Bodhum. "don't let the Monsters kill anyone!" Amodar ordered. "Use what you've learned and Protect our homes!"

NORA was on a group of Hoverbikes as well, looking for Snow. They each had guns and spare ammo.

"Gadot, you really think he'd be this way?" Lebreau questioned the big man with Orange hair.

There was an explosion of Ice and fire nearby. "I'd bet dollars to donuts the Ice over there was him." Big man Gadot answered in his gruff voice.

-on the streets-

Civilians were now striking down PSICOM Elites, same with the Guardian CORPS. The ones from Palumpolum were being led by Tsuba Tanto, AKA Bartholomew Estheim. He had Mortal Edge in hand.

He wore a black muscle shirt with White and Gray flames running along the waist. He had Black skintight pants, with the same colored flames around the ankles. He also wore Tan Combat style, Steel-toed boots. Behind him was roughly 350 Civilians, each holding guns. The GC from Palumpolum was also there, raising another 500 strong. "Stop the Monsters from killing Civilians. If you come across the L'cie, help them out. Move in groups of ten or more." Tanto ordered.

"Right!" The Civilians replied, grouping in groups of 15-20 people. The GC went in Groups of 10-20, as well.

"What about you?" A Soldier questioned.

Tanto gained a smirk, though it went unnoticed as everyone was behind him. "I'm going to find the biggest threat, and chop it to pieces." he tightened his grip on Mortal Edge slightly, before jumping extremely high, surprising the others.

-with Rose and Minato-

Rose, in Black Monster form, and Minato were flying down the streets, seeing another portal caused them to stop, as a massive Behemoth came through. "A King Behemoth." Rose stated, her voice sounding slightly like Static.

"You want this one?" Minato questioned.

"With Pleasure." Rose charged, Minato coming in behind her, and she grabbed its arm, and ripped it off. "Looks like you need a hand." She taunted as she heard the cries of the Behemoth. She then sent Black Flames through its head, killing it instantly.

"Quick, brutal, and efficient." Minato summarized. "Lets move on."

"Agreed." The two flew down the streets, seeing the Calvary, who was abut to shoot them, but PSICOM got there first, thinking the two to be L'cie. Minato managed to dodge the fire, but Rose melted the bullets before they hit her.

The Black Flames around her body was more than just an attack source, apparently. The Calvary was about to shoot PSICOM, but Black Flames engulfed them as Rose passed by, causing them to lower their weapons, and follow them. One of them decided to call in. "All units, there are two others pulling together. One seems to be made of black flames, and has wings. The other has Golden Blonde hair, and is wearing a Purple Bodysuit underneath a Green Vest with Pockets. They took out PSICOM units that shot at them, and are now in the process of slaughtering the monsters on Highway 6."

Roger that. We'll be on the lookout, and ask for help if they are around. A voice came over the radio.

However, another one came over, which was not someone the guy recognized. In fact, it was female.

Is the blonde still nearby? She questioned.

"Who are you?" The soldier questioned. Said Blonde was next to him immediately, staring down the monsters, his hand held out to the soldier.

If he is, just put him on! The female was pretty much pissed. That much was guaranteed by the tone of voice used. The soldier handed it to him, and he put it to his ear. "Kushina, I presume?"

MINATO YOU BASTARD! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE GOING TO TEST YOUR HIRAISHIN?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE YOU'RE AT?!

Minato sweatdropped. "That's you alright. Listen, I popped up on Pulse. I've been here before. I'll explain later. Right now, I'm working with 4 known Guardians, one of which just so happens to be my daughter."

Well then, make that five. Kushina retorted. Like hell am I gonna let you have all the fun!

Make that Six. Another voice came up. The name's Tsuba Tanto, and I just diced an Adamantoise, currently staring down a pair of dreadnoughts.

Kushina, I didn't expect you to show up. Jared's voice sounded out.

Who are you, and how do you know me?

Name's Jared Shadowwind. You asked Psycho to send me a Data Analyzer.

Oh. Well, that makes sense. Where are Mina-kun?

"Highway 6, apparently. You?"

I'm in the High Plaza, just outside the Primarch's office. Sounds like he just got shot. Kushina answered.

Calvary did that. Jared stated. Saw Rygdea shoot Raines, who should've been dead by now, but really isn't.

This is Fang. Hey, Light. Rosch is here.

Where?

The Edge of Highway 9, I think. Fang replied. He's in a Large ship. The same one that Paku shot down.

Good to know. We're on our way. Lightning replied.

Minato looked at the Soldier, and then at rose who had just torn the last beast in half, before looking at Minato. He looked at the device, found the frequency, made another device similar, put it to his ear, and handed it back. "Good luck." He then ran towards Rose, before taking to the air with Ki.

-down a tunnel-

Snow and Sazh were running through another tunnel, where they found 3 PSICOM Commandos, scared shitless of the Long Gui in front of them. They both stood in its way. They were about to strike, but a javelin Missile hit it from above, causing the PSICOM unit to just look around confused. Snow and Sazh decided to begin attacking.

They both landed very few hits before Jared came down, and stabbed the back of its neck. "Mortal Danger!" The thing froze, fell to the ground, and started to vaporize itself in Gold Particles. Hope landed nearby, Dark Blue Energy wings out. The four L'cie looked at each other. "Kills?" Snow asked.

"190, not including the Long Guis." Jared stated.

"187." Hope answered. "You?"

"128." Sazh answered. "Ice man here got 152."

"That's right Hot shot."

Jared blinked. "Nice nicknames, you two."

Hope nodded. "We should get moving. There are more on the way."

The other three nodded, the PSICOM soldier completely ignored. With the skill the L'cie showed off, he had no chance on his own. Jared looked at him, nodded his head to the tunnel, and the soldier just ran into it. He then went out with the others.

-with Minato and Rose-

The two had just reached town Square, and saw a woman with Crimson red hair. Minato recognized her instantly. On her body was a Battle Kimono, a Green Vest similar to his own, and nearby were three Calvary Units. All around the four of them were corpses of Monsters, and a few PSICOM grunts that tried striking her.

The Grunts were cut in half.

"Kushina." Minato nodded to her.

"Minato." The red head replied, swing her Katana to rid it of the blood. She then looked at Rose. "Who is this?"

"Another of the Guardians." Minato stated.

"Alright, what's really going on?" She questioned.

"We'll fill you in later." Rose stated in her gruff voice. "Right now, the Civilians are more important."

Kushina shrugged. "Fine by me. Let's move."

The two nodded and went off, the Calvary units confused.

-Highway 9-

Lightning, Fang, Vanille, and Nabaat were standing in front of the downed Proudclad, and an injured Rosch.

"You... You monsters... And Nabaat..." Rosch started.

"I am my own person. Not a slave to a Fal'cie's will. I was hit by Barthandelus on the Palamecia. Had they not gotten me out, I would be dead. If not for them, I'd be dead. They may not like me, but at least they know how to put differences aside, and work for a common goal." She held out a hand. "Have all PSICOM Units back down from the L'cie, and reroute their attention to the Monsters, and safeguarding the Civilians. Once you do, PSICOM will be ignored by the other L'cie. You strike them, they strike you. Plain and Simple."

Rosch was surprised. They were sparing him? 'then why would they want me to tell the others to...' He looked at the hand, and saw the Communicator.

He took it. "All Units, this is Commander Rosch. Revert all attention to the Monsters, and Safeguarding the Civilians. Do not attack the L'cie. I repeat, do not attack the L'cie."

Commander, the L'cie are...

"Sparing my life as I speak." Rosch cut him off, silencing the others. "Spread the orders. The L'cie are not to be struck. Safeguard the Civilians."

Yes sir! A voice came out. Rosch looked at Nabaat. "PSICOM HQ. How long would it take for you to get there?"

Jihl looked at the Velocycle. "Probably 5 minutes, give or take." She went over to the Velocycle, which was grounded, and it went airborne, as she held a hand out to help him up. "Lightning?" She questioned.

"Last one if we split here." The Pinkette returned, before focusing a Thundaga on Jihl alone, who felt the energy run through her body.

"Thanks for the juice. Good luck with Orphan. You'll need it." Jihl took off with the Velocycle.

Lightning then looked at Fang. "Could we get a ride?"

"Bahamut?" Fang questioned, as she summoned her Eidolon, who immediately went into Gestalt. The three L'cie got on, and went out on the back of the Dragon.

-elsewhere-

A Dragon came through another Portal. This time, it was Paku, who immediately took aim at a Long Gui and fired his Shadow Cannons at them, killing them instantly.

I wonder how Jared's doing? The large Dragon mused, as he took out several other monsters. Oh well. I'll find out later.

He flew off and took out more monsters.

-Orphan's Cradle entrance-

Jared and Hope were on top of a ledge 60 feet above the ground. The two had Sniper Rifles, pointed out, picking off Monsters everywhere.

Snow and Sazh were coming up the path, since they separated about 20 minutes back.

Lightning, Fang and Vanille were coming through the air on Bahamut's back.

They landed on the ground near the entrance as Snow and Sazh got there, neither out of breath.

Jared and Hope jumped down and met with them. "Ready to go?" Jared questioned, earning a nod from everyone else.

Everyone then saw floating glowing rocks that they couldn't grab. "Time's running short. These crystals are not a good sign."

Sazh looked slightly apprehensive. "I don't like this. Is cocoon falling apart already?" He asked.

"It could be Orphan's having some trouble holding things together." Hope answered, before the crystals all stopped in place, as did everything else.

Jared looked out and saw an Explosion, but it wasn't expanding, nor was it contracting. Jared, Fang and Hope all knew what this meant.

Someone had stopped time.

A woman in Dark Blue clothing showed up in front of them. Her hair was Black, her eyes a bright silver. Jared looked at her in slight surprise. "Mind if I ask what you're doing here?" He asked, confusion showing in his voice.

"Wait, so this isn't an Illusion?" Snow asked.

"If it is, then I'm seeing it too." Lightning admitted admitted, ready to strike the woman if need be.

The Woman held up a hand. "Calm yourselves, L'cie. I am not here to fight."

Jared still had his hand on Twilight Dragon, but the others were more apprehensive. "Again, I ask why are you here? We're doing the job you asked of me." He stated, still calm.

Hope, Fang and Vanille were silent, but only Hope knew who it was.

"I am here because it appears as though there is a change in your directive, Jared. Recent Events have led me to a different conclusion from before. This is something that I did not see coming." the woman explained.

"So what? One of them is off the list now?" Jared questioned, not liking the fact that a plan is finally getting thrown off course.

"I'm afraid so. The entire plot is only the fault of Barthandelus, not Orphan. This is not how it was supposed to happen." The woman replied.

"Jared, who is this?" Lightning questioned.

"Everyone, meet the one known as The Maker." Jared introduced them. Everyone, sans Hope, had their eyes widen.

"Wait, if you're here then..." Sazh was cut off.

The woman huffed. "I am not here for Barthandelus's Wishes. I would never condone such an action. Destroying all life on Cocoon. Tch. Even as a kid, he was delusional."

"I gather that much. Did someone drop him on his head or what?" Jared asked.

"Or what is a good question. It wasn't being dropped. Believe it or not, he was actually the worst of my children from the beginning, not to mention a complete Momma's boy." The Maker shook her head. "I would still want Barthandelus gone. I just no longer want Orphan Gone."

Jared shook his head. "Changing the orders at the last minute... Sounds like this is Soa's Idea."

"In a way, I have her to thank for giving me the right information, which I checked up on. It is why I am here now. I must leave soon. Remember, Defiers of Fate. You will all be freed of your Focus and will never be able to get another one once Cocoon is saved. I already have Dajh and Serah ready to come back." Snow, Lightning and Sazh's faces showed surprised. "Consider it your reward for a job well done, if you succeed. I wish you luck, oh, and Jared?"

Jared raised an eyebrow. "I already know what your next assignment is. Turns out, it's guarding someone that is in the area, but shouldn't be."

"Kushina, Minato, or Rose?"

"None of the above. It's inside of Kushina, if you know what I mean."

Jared nodded, it making sense now. "So, I have to guard the Furball, eh?"

"Only to make sure it reaches the next container, Soa and I plan to run interference with her, too, but it will take some time to get her back. For that, though, you need to do me and Soa favor."

"I'm not gonna like it, am I?"

"Probably not."

Jared shrugged. "Meh. Beggars can't be choosers. Is that all, Boss?" He finished it off in a Joking tone.

"As it stands, yes. Beat back Orphan if he tries to strike you, but do not kill him. Barthandelus, I ask that you don't hold back."

The L'cie nodded, not liking the change any more than Jared did, but agreed nonetheless, because they knew he would pull through. Jared just smiled. "At least you're not one of those insufferable goddesses that think they're always right, and never get something wrong the first time."

"Please. Even Immortals make mistakes. Some tend to forget that. Soa made one when she came up with the Virage Embryo, and she recognized that when Melbu first came into the picture. It was meant to combat anything that the World itself couldn't handle, but she made it too powerful. Its why she liked Charlie for sealing it off. By the way, someone named Ilias is constantly saying 'Fuck off'. She thinks ill of you to an extent not even I would wish on anyone. If it were my choice, I'd say you'd go tear her a new one after your job here, but that's not my decision." Maker replied.

Jared shrugged. "Any other Gods against me?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no. There's more curiosity towards you than other Guardians... Although one of the gods from another realm has his eyes set on Rose, I don't really care much for her. You, on the other hand, are from the Prime Realm. It's actually exceedingly rare for a Guardian to be born in the Prime Realm. Most just go there for Vacation, not to raise a family. In fact, in all my time as a Goddess, I only know of 5 that were born there, you being one of those five. No one knows the true reason why, but, three of the other four actually committed Suicide. The fourth one didn't really do much before being killed in battle, since she couldn't really accept the fact she was a Guardian. You are the only one that was born there that is currently alive."

Jared raised an eyebrow, not exactly surprised that others were born there, but somewhat surprised that they committed suicide. "Why would they commit Suicide?"

"I don't know why. They may have been afraid of themselves, or they may not have understood the true meaning. Either way, the only ones that could possibly know are dead, and that's it." She looked up. "I must go. Time is running short, and I can only hold it for so long. Remember this, L'cie. No matter what happens, as long as you follow your heart, you will never regret a single thing you do. Something I did not say before, the Focus reflects the Heart, no matter what."

Jared's eyes widened. "And Eidolons? Are they a reflections of the L'cie's Personality?"

"You catch on quick. I don't believe that has ever been revealed. It has nothing to do with the knowledge, but rather, what one would do with the Knowledge."

"Focus reflects the heart, not the Fal'cie. Spells come from the Will. Eidolon comes from the Personality."

The Maker smiled as she faded starting at her feet. "That is the truth of the L'cie. I had interfered it the creation of L'cie from the beginning. You 6 were chosen for this long before I had asked him to come along for the ride. It was I that chose you, not Anima. Not Barthandelus."

The Maker faded completely. They all looked at Jared. "What? Not my fault I didn't know."

"You could have at least Suspected it."

Jared shook his head. "Honestly, even if I did suspect it, I had no basis, no proof and no memory of anything even hinting at it." Time started back up, and Dysley's face enlarged showing himself to the group, who was now on guard.

It is time L'cie.

"Barthandelus, you are going down! No more time for words, because anything you say is meaningless! I saw the polls. The Civilians have their doubts on the Sanctum. PSICOM is now on our side. You've lost the Political Battle. Now its just time kick your ass and kill you off. The Maker decided to spare Orphan, but not you. You're still going to die, by Order of The Maker."

"The Maker has not been here in over 1,000 years."

"She has been. You've just never seen her." Jared stated. "In fact, you just missed her."

"A power that large..."

"Was suppressed to the Max. I have better senses than you, and I know what to look for to see if one is a God. I've met 7." Jared's voice had hardened.

Barthandelus's form vanished. I shall see you at the Seat of the Sanctum's Power.

"You mean Orphan's Cradle." Jared stated. There was no response.

He looked at the others, his face determined. "Anyone having Second Thoughts?"

They all looked at him as if to say "Are you Fucking Kidding me?" He chuckled a bit. "Just asking." he walked into the nearby building. The others followed him. 'But since they didn't back out, they are in it to win it... Damn, I spent too much time with Disney as a kid. I still remember "I'll Make a Man out of you" from Mulan... Now that I'm on that train, I wonder if there was actually a world where it is clear... I figure a Goofy Movie would. It has more differences from the Prime Realm, but Mulan isn't. Same with the Aladdin Trilogy... I also wonder if the Star Wars Galaxy is actually in the Prime Realm, or another one entirely. Oh well. I'll find out sooner or later. Time to kick Fal'cie ass.'

Jared smirked as he reached the end of the passage, leading to a stairwell.

00000x00000

Chapter Complete.

FINALLY!

Time to post, and I couldn't figure out how to make the "Invasion of Eden" Scene work. I had to get a brainfreeze in order to get it started with Whoppers Flavored Breyers' Ice Cream.

Seriously, it works.

ALL HAIL INSANITY! ALL HAIL THE LOG!

ALL HAIL THE BRAINFREEZE, THE DESTROYER OF WRITER'S BLOCKS!

PLEASE NOTE!

I don't own the idea of Brainfreeze destroying a writer's block, but it works. I should know. It got me past a particular block here.

END NOTE.