Author's Note: No, I am not dead in case you were wondering. I am very much alive. I've been caught up playing Lightning Returns recently so I've been busy doing that. How has everyone's Holidays been? Mine has been alright, not much excitement. Either than that, the plot with Nathalia will most likely be after the plot with Arystillia(which takes place in the first game) so she will be in the second game most likely. Also, Deene (a character that is mentioned later in the chapter) is the someone that Arystillia loved in her past and is the one who looks a lot like Hope. Also I named him Deene because it means Hope in french (I think). I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I might update Sunday or Monday because I really want to get the part with Nathalia into the story soon since Nathalia is my main OC while Arystillia is my friends's OC that I'm writing for. Everybody has tragic pasts in Final Fantasy XIII, it's just what makes them them, I guess... Enough talking, I hope you read and enjoy the chapter. Also my fighting scenes still suck so bare with me.
After what seemed like an eternity of running, the three women got close to the place where they were supposed to be, according to Arystillia's instincts.
"Do you even know where you are going?" Lightning asked.
"I know what I am doing, Light." Arystillia replied, more blunt then usual. Fang sighed as she kept up with the sapphire haired woman who looked way too young for her age.
"Tell us a lil' about yourself. You can't remain a mystery now, can ya?" Fang told the other woman.
"What? Except for the fact that I'm physically the same age as Lightning, I don't know what to tell you." Arystillia replied with boredom in her voice.
"How old are you?" Fang asked.
"Older than you would expect." Arystillia replied.
"Like what, 521?" Fang asked.
"Add another 500 to that and you'll be able to know how old I am truly." Arystillia replied before continuing onwards, leaving Fang in shock when she figured out Arystillia's true age. The continued until they saw Hope fighting a flying orange monster.
"The hell is that thing?" Fang asked.
"Ushumugal Subjagator." Lightning replied.
"Ushumu- what now?" Arystillia asked, frustrated that she couldn't pronounce it.
"Does it matter?" Lightning asked as she pulled out her Blazefire Saber.
"Not really." Arystillia replied before pulling out her Mystic Lance in staff form and turned it into lance form.
"Where's Snow?" Lightning asked Hope.
"He's okay." Hope replied as he sent a Thunder spell at the Ushumugal Subjagator. Fang got out her Bladed Lance and together, the four of them started attacking. Fang switched to being a Saboteur and attempted to put Slow on the machine/monster. Arystillia chained Thunder, Water, Blizzard, Fire and Aero spells for a quick stagger as Lightning chained attacks and Ruins to keep the stagger up. After Fang successfully got Slow on the damned machine, she switched back to Commando and jumped up and did a chain of attacks. Hope was assigned as the Medic of the team and would heal when necessary or switch over to be a Synergist and putting buffs on when the main attackers needed it.
"Stupid chunk of metal." Arystillia mumbled as she put sent out a Thundaga and a Thundara spell. The machine crackled as too much electricty was being sent to it causing bits of it to malfunction.
"Send as much thunder elemental spells at this machine. It will cause a system overdrive and cause it malfunction." Arystillia told the crew. Hope and Lightning switched over to being Ravagers and sent out a flurry of Thunder and Thundara spells while Fang kept attacking the machine with her lance. Arystillia reached towards her l'Cie brand and closed her eyes.
"Ramuh." she summoned as her eidolith appeared in her hands. She launched the golden crystal into the air, leaped into the air and sliced it with her staff causing sparks of electricity to appear. After the electricity disappeared, Ramuh appeared with his staff in his hand.
"Finish the job!" she commanded as Ramuh floated up into the air and transformed into a godlike bird. Arystillia leaped into the air and landed on Ramuh and held her lance out, turning it back into a staff and placed it away. She grab a hold of Ramuh's staff and closed her amethyst eyes.
"Time to end this." she said as she raised the staff high into the air, causing the sky to cloud over with flashes of lightning everywhere. A few bolts charged right into the staff and Arystillia leaped off of Ramuh and landed near the machine. She held the staff out and the eidolon behind her charged up the electricity and sent it towards the staff. She released the bolt, also called Judgement Bolt onto the machine and it crackled and completely fell apart. Arystillia did a back flip and landed near Ramuh, returning the staff to the eidolon before nodding.
"You did well, until next time." she said and Ramuh disappeared, leaving the eidolith which became one with her brand again and clearing up the sky. The first thing that popped into her mind was Hope and she turned around to see Lightning and him having a conversation.
"Um, Operation Nora didn't really work out." he told the rose haired woman as he gave her back her survival knife. Lightning didn't say anything, instead she pulled him into a hug and ruffled his silver hair.
"I'll keep you safe. I promise." she said as she took a deep breath.
"Me too- I mean, I'll try." he said. Arystillia let out an irritated sigh and plopped down on the ground. Fang walked over to her and lightly nudged her.
"Does someone have a crush?" Fang asked. Arystillia scowled at her before turning away.
"Not in this life time." Arystillia replied.
"Huh, from what I just saw. I assumed you were jealous." Fang teased.
"Why would I be jealous of Lightning and Hope?" Arystillia asked.
"It's not that big of a deal if you do like him." Fang replied.
"I am physically 21, really 1021 years old. He's 14." Arystillia responded as she lightly smacked the back of Fang's head.
"And love needs no age." Fang told her. Arystillia stared back at the tanned woman before opening her mouth to say something but decided not to say anything.
"When one loves someone, they don't care about the age difference. Or that was how it was like in Oerba." Fang continued.
"Just shut up." Arystillia said, not sure what the emotion was but she felt uneasy about it. Could it be that I am falling for Hope? No way, he's a little kid that is way too young for me but then what is this feeling that I am feeling? Arystillia questioned herself. She felt the presence of Hope behind her and quickly turned her body around so that she faced him.
"What is it, Hope?" Arystillia asked. He took a deep breath before looking at the ground.
"You were right. I shouldn't kill Snow because my mother, my father, Light and you would be disappointed in me. I-I'm sorry for taking out my anger on you..." he told her. Arystillia shook her head.
"You don't have to apologize. Not at all. You did nothing wrong, you were just blinded by rage. I was the same as you at one point..." Arystillia told the boy.
Warriors... they are cursed to fight forever for the safety of our tribe...
"Arystillia?" came Nathalia's voice as she entered her home, there was sorrow in her voice.
"Was is it?" Arystillia asked, concerned. Nathalia sighed before looking her sister dead in the eye with her icy blue eyes.
"It's Deene. H-He's dead..." Nathalia told her.
"W-W-What do you mean by he's dead? You're joking right? Please tell me that you're joking..." Arystillia asked, on the verge of breaking down. Nathalia looked at the ground before shaking her head.
"I wished I was joking but he is gone. I heard it from a few of the hunters." Nathalia said with no emotion in her voice. Arystillia stared at her sister in horror before slowly falling to the ground. Nathalia, with her quick reflexes, caught her sister before she fell to the ground.
"Arystillia. Arystillia. Get a hold of yourself." Nathalia spoke, a bit more hushed to bring comfort to her sister.
"B-But why...?" Arystillia asked, voice cracking, "why?!" she yelled before completely breaking down and crying hysterically.
"Dear Etro, why must you be so cruel to us all? Is it because of us being unbranded l'Cie tasked to rule over this tribe or is it because you just love seeing people suffer?" Nathalia cursed the Goddess. Arystiilia buried her face into Nathalia's shoulder as her sobs became silent cries. Nathalia hated seeing her sister in so much pain but she couldn't do anything, nothing at all. After a while, Arystillia finally calmed down and Nathalia released her hold on her sister. The puffy eyed girl looked at her younger sister and down at the ground and repeated a few times before keeping her gaze at her sister. Violet eyes meeting with Aquamarine eyes.
"What exactly killed him?" Arystillia asked, voice still shaky.
"An unknown monster. It was said to have a giant plant blub on it's back." Nathalia replied.
"I will find that monster and slay it with my own two hands." Arystillia spoke with a fierce determination look in her eyes.
"Arystillia... you'll die." Nathalia spoke with concern.
"Then so be it." Arystillia spoke, anger and determination in her voice.
"Sis..."
Arystillia face palmed herself. Nathalia's concern over me caused her to shut herself away, she locked her heart away. After dad died, a small bit of her heart broke, when she heard about Caius' supposedly passing, another part broke, when our mother shut herself away, another piece broke, and finally, when I neglected her over my own anger, she completely isolated herself and froze her heart so that no one could ever hurt her again. I'm so stupid! Arystillia mentally beat herself up.
"You were starin' off into nothin' for quite a long time. Somethin' on your mind?" Fang asked.
"Nothing." Arystillia replied.
"Someone wanna help me carry this fool?" Lightning's voice called out.
"I'll let Fang do it." Arystillia gestured towards the tanned pulsian woman.
"Let's go to my home..." Hope mumbled as Arystillia scruffed up his hair.
"It'll be alright, I promise." Arystillia said with a half smile.
It'll be alright, I promise... Weren't these the words I told you when you came home that one day, devastated when you heard about Caius' supposed death? I broke the last straw didn't I? I neglected your concern and you shut yourself away... I'm too stupid to be your older sister... I don't deserve you as a sister... Maybe... you would be better off I just died...