The Gift of Eternity

Lightning wasn't surprised to see more Cie'th ahead of them, but unlike the ones she had fought not minutes before, these were stronger and faster. The flying ones reminded her of the PSICOM Soldiers that used machines to fly, while the big tall guys were like the PSICOM enforcers. It would make sense, the lack of a PSICOM presence. Left behind were the weapons they used, and so many questions remained unanswered. What she didn't understand was how these former Soldiers had been turned into Cie'th so easily, as if never given a chance to complete a focus at all.

What was a fal'Cie's purpose if the ones it marked couldn't complete the tasks given to them? The second thing Lightning noticed was that despite the sheer numbers formed against them, not a single one had touched Serah. Why? Walking beside her was the last person she ever expected to stand in a battle with, but she didn't find herself ungrateful. If anyone had her back, it was Snow, and she didn't have to pay so much attention to whether or not he could hold his own in a fight. On her other side, was Sazh, a man that had proven himself more than worthy enough to continue following her if he so chose.

Snow had trained for years out in the wilds, even if he had never fully considered a military strike to this magnitude. The fact that he had managed to survive this long against a force like PSICOM told her enough, regardless of her personal feelings. Staying just a head of the others, "Light..." he had so much he needed and wanted to say to her, but she simply shook her head, her gaze falling on him. There wasn't a way for her to put into words what she felt inside of herself, but he seemed to understand as he nodded and they continued on in silence, slicing through their enemies with ease.

When they weren't fighting, she thought he might have brushed up against her, and despite her reservations of personal interactions, she found her heart beating a little faster every time. She didn't have time for this, but if she was going to die, she'd go knowing she finally met someone that was more than her match and equal in a fight. In the past, she had never been allowed to consider fighting at his side, but she made a promise then, that if she managed to survive, she'd never allow an entity like PSICOM to control her ever again. Her life was her own, and who she chose to allow in it was also her choice.

Serah turning into a crystal had changed everything, and what none of them realized was that them coming together, despite the odds against it, were the necessary requirements for Serah to complete her Focus. Just one or two of them wouldn't have been enough; no, fate had decreed that these were the ones necessary to restore balance to the two worlds of Cocoon and Pulse alike. The fal'Cie would not survive this day, but it would just long enough to make them the instruments necessary to complete a task started just before the War of Transgression. The fal'Cie had never dreamed that one of the people approaching was the chosen one, the one with the potential to unleash Chaos and bend it to her will.

Once, a long time ago, Lightning had felt something similar to the feelings she had now. However, unlike when her parents had died, she wasn't a helpless child, but a woman with skill, agility, and enough rage to cut down any enemy before her. The fal'Cie, as the group approached, studied the group curiously. It was a strange pair, the two of them. Snow had the potential of being both a commander and a protector, but his protector side was more dominant, whereas Lightning seemed to focus more on the need to fight as her way of shielding those she cared for.

The fal'Cie felt a flicker of unease about the blond at her side. Yes, she was the chosen one, but there was something unique about him, something older than even the 'Maker'. The fal'Cie's knowledge did not extend past that, but making him a l'Cie along with the Soldier would provide more than enough power to complete the task necessary to return the balance to both worlds. In years past, when the fal'Cie had tried to create this scenario, always a female had been the protector, and the male the warrior. All the more reason the fal'Cie knew that the end of days soon approached and she'd be the one to deliver the world to redemption. There was also an aura about them, as if something connected them in a way it had never encountered before. Other fal'Cie had mentioned a rare few had the ability to mentally connect, but only if they were soul mates prior to becoming a l'Cie. Was that the case with those two? Despite her outward aggression, she had nothing but admiration and respect for Snow; where as Snow wanted nothing more than to prove that she could rely on him, even if he let her fall from time to time.

Snow's need to protect Lightning despite his anger towards her, further confirmed the fal'Cie's suspicion. The NORA, para-military commander wanted her, but decided to win her over without force. Was this what the human creatures called love? The fal'Cie didn't understand it, but that really wasn't its concern. Were these people strong enough to carry out what needed to be done?

With the help of Snow and Sazh, defeating the monsters proved rather simple, at last coming to a small, dark corridor. Other than the tiny specs of light at their feet, they saw no more than a centimeter in front of them. Knowing he'd more than likely not get another chance, he quickly moved closer to her, his hand curling around her arm. At first she tensed, but without knowing where her sword was swinging, she said and did nothing. "I'm sorry."

She sucked in a deep breath, wishing she could see his face. Why would he tell her that now? Rather than release her, he simply pulled her closer to him, his thumb making small, light circles against her skin. She felt like he was branding her, but if she tried to jerk away, she chanced bumping into one of the others and alerting them to what was going on between them. "I kept telling myself that I'd do anything to keep you safe, to spare you more pain than what PSICOM has already done, but I don't think I'll be able to keep that promise. Not this time." It was very rare for him to admit something like that, and her heart ached all over again.

Was it really so close to their own deaths that he'd give into an emotion like despair and hopelessness. "We're not going to die," she hissed venomously. Why the hell had she said that? As if reading her mind, she felt his breath against her left ear, a smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Now who's making empty promises?" he gently taunted, his tone filled with sorrow. Just as she was about to respond, they came to a large open chamber and he pulled away, Lightning feeling at a complete loss. He was supposed to be nothing to her, and yet she already knew that if she lost him just as she had Serah, it would destroy her.

She tried to convince herself that it was because of Serah, that Snow had been one of the last people to see her alive and happy. Lightning knew that was a lie, that wanting him close was her own insecurities rising to the surface. If she allowed herself to care for Snow, she risked losing him just like everyone else she considered important in her life. Was it already too late?

"I'll try to reason with it."

"Why?"

Snow really had no idea, but he felt like it was worth a try. Without anyone seeing him, his fingers brushed against the back of her hand as he moved towards the object on the far side. "So this is... the fal'Cie." It was the boy that had been following Snow, and she wondered how Snow had managed to acquire them? As reckless as he was, these two weren't exactly his first choice for fighting companions. The metal object being a fal'Cie was a good guess, and she almost told the kids to get the hell out. However, with the monsters behind them, they really didn't have any choice except to ride out what ever was going to happen. At first look, it just reminded them of an out dated machine, not blinking or active. Lightning nor Snow had a lot of knowledge when it came to the fal'Cie, only what they had heard as children or read in books.

The fal'Cie decided to wait, already knowing what they were thinking. It had no desire for small talk or negotiations. Rather, it waited for Lightning to make her move. This woman had so much grief in her life, having endured her fair share of the Sanctum's cruelty and lies. The fal'Cie knew he had chosen the right group, all of them connected through this one woman. She would be the catalyst that drove them.

She hated the fal'Cie, but it didn't care, only that she care out its will. Lightning was the one and just as she had her role to play, the fal'Cie had its own to accomplish. Kneeling before it, his arm crossed before him, Snow tried to plead with it. The fal'Cie felt her rising agitation as Snow placed himself in a submissive and vulnerable position, as if both had equal potential to be either a commander and a protector. She simply protected in a different fashion than Snow.

Her fingers began to curl tighter around her gun blade, itching to lash out, but she didn't want anyone to accuse her of not giving Snow the chance to do the peaceful route. Lightning was beyond making peace with the world. So many lies, so much death, and it was in her eyes, the fault of the fal'Cie and the Sanctum. "Serah's a crystal now. You gave her a Focus, and she did it. You got what you want! Now let her go!" There was nothing, and Snow sagged, defeated. "Please. Turn her back!" he begged. She's just a young kid, he wanted to tell it. Clutching at his chest, "I'll be a l'Cie instead!" he offered.

The fal'Cie had every intentions of making them a l'Cie, but Serah still played a vital role in all of this. So long as they held on to hope of setting her free, they'd continue to fight the Sanctum, and the very thing that kept Cocoon from freeing these people from their existence. Enraged that Snow would ask such a thing, Lighting had chosen that moment to act. "Fine, you go on begging. Like this thing gives a damn what we want!" She swung the blade down with all her strength, the metal bouncing off, but she readied herself to do it again. Snow watched as she continued to attack again and again, driven with her own shock and grief and she fell back.

Not giving her a chance to hit the ground, his arms quickly circled around her, the commander once again at the forefront of his personality. Would he make up his mind? Lightning thought. "Lightning," he hissed softly, and she had to look away. She didn't want him trying to understand her, but it was more than likely too late for that. Did it really matter if he did?

"It's this things fault that the Purge started, and it's people who are dying. Serah told us to save Cocoon. That means this thing needs to die!"

Snow needed no further confirmation about Lightning's part in all of this. For her own reasons, ones he might ask if given a chance in the future, she had forsaken her career, followed after her sister, and gone after the thing she considered responsible for hurting Serah and Bodhum. To Lightning, this was 'an enemy of Cocoon.' She had made a promise earlier, to go up against everything that was taking advantage of innocent people, both fal'Cie and Sanctum alike. An orange glow chose that moment to awaken, so hot and intense that they had to step back.

"What the-?" Sazh asked.

The fal'Cie had so little time, but they had proven themselves capable of the tasks needed for them. Even the youngest had a role to play in all of this, and should one fail, all would fail, and with them any hope for either world. The fal'Cie judged each of them, the strengths and weaknesses, and never had it run across a group that was so intertwined as these five. Snow, the Protector, Lightning the Commander, Vanille the Compassionate, Sazh the wise one, and Hope the intelligent one. The fal'Cie sensed a sixth, but she wasn't close at the moment, having gone in search of Vanille. It was just as well.

Lightning fully expected to fight this thing on her own, but Snow had no intentions of leaving her, and strangely enough Sazh didn't either. The only one that did try to run, was the youngest, the girl going after him. Afraid he might get hurt, Vanille quickly caught up to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and casting a series of healing spells around him and the others. None of them would realize what she was doing, not without l'Cie powers of their own. Why were they fighting a fal'Cie? They couldn't possibly stand a chance of winning?

They will complete what you have not, and it was gone. Vanille's eyes widened in shock. The fal'Cie had drawn these people here, using Serah to do it. She had little choice but to watch, but she knew in the next few moments, she wouldn't have to have a reason to hide what she was anymore.

"Come on," Sazh tried to reason with Lightning. "Do you really think you can kill a fal'Cie?"

"I'm doing this for Serah!" she wasn't going to leave, and Snow was right along side her. It was one of the few times in their lives that they both agreed on something, regardless of the reason behind it. Sazh remembering why he had come, pulled out his pistols. As the thing woke up, it began to expand, and instead of a lifeless piece of machinery, it now towered over them, tall and wide.

"Dahj..." She heard the old man whisper. She had no idea who that was, but it seemed like she had a partial reason to why he had chosen to continue following her. "I'm in. As long as you don't mind an amateur. I've got these things. Might as well use 'em!"

"Thanks," she told him. All of them were together and in sync with her decision. Perhaps it wasn't the best decision, but in there own grief, all of them saw no alternative. And with that the battle begun. Going on the offensive, they started to attack the arms, Lightning tossing the occasional potion as they needed it. As the arms were regenerating they attacked the main body, and as they attacked from the inside, and the army from the outside, the fal'Cie didn't have the strength to keep up the fight.

The fal'Cie waited, and just as they thought they had won, it opened a void beneath them and swallowed them, closing overhead. Here, in pure darkness, they saw nothing, hearing only the sound of a clock chiming echoing in their ears and minds. "What's going on?" they heard Snow ask.

Lightning spotted a large crystal above them, a strange blast hitting it, and then exploded in every direction. Not once did the clock stop chiming, a wave of ice spreading out from the Vestige, and across the land beneath. The only ones safe from its affect were the five of them. However, while the fal'Cie released its last dying energy, it grabbed them with hot tentacles, searing them with its brand. They fought and struggled to get free, but the fal'Cie gave them no choice. He knew what their intentions were before making them a l'Cie, knowing they'd complete their Focus, and restore balance to both worlds. In marking them, each had a vision, and until later, they wouldn't know it was linked, all of them connected to the same Focus and the one that had given it to them. Even Vanille's original Focus had changed.

The nightmare revealed something like a monster that seemed intent on destroying Cocoon completely. In a last wave of power, the dying fal'Cie exploded, turning the Hanging Edge, and the lake beneath into a world of eternal crystal. Not a single Soldier survived, and inside the void, the six companions floated, cursed with their own fate and task; just like Serah.