breathe again; what should totally be the Lightning Returns universe

Being crystalized was like dreaming. Even if you were aware, you weren't aware that you were - if that made sense at all. But sense wasn't really something you could count on, either.

It was only when the whispers in the back of her mind grew louder that she really began to realize what she'd done.

"Wake up."

It wasn't Vanille's voice this time, though it did sound oddly familiar. She had a feeling it was one she should have recognized, but just simply couldn't place. Not yet, anyway.

"Please."

How long had that voice been pleading? The tone was oddly desperate, like they'd been asking this of her for a long time. Perhaps she should obey. Maybe…Serah's memory needed to survive in her heart, instead of a tomb.

That thought was all she needed.

She did not see the flash of light or the crumbling of crystal dust. She did not see the rolling waves of Chaos or hear the bells toll - at least, not at first. For a long, suspended moment, she was something in between an eternal crystal and an expendable human.

A deity, perhaps.

The spell was broken when she took her first quiet breath, her eyes opening the sheer surprise it was to actually feel her body move again, rather than simply dream or imagine it. Her surprise magnified a hundred fold when she was suddenly snatched in a powerful embrace that nearly knocked the breath right out of her.

"Lightning…"

Her head turned slightly when she recognized the voice and astonishment made her stiffen. No, it…it couldn't be…

"Hope?"

Instead of pulling back to look at her, like she'd expected, his arms only tightened around her. She wondered which one of them was trembling…or maybe it was both of them.

"Light…I can't believe it…"

It didn't occur to her that the fact that he was here spoke volumes about how terrible things had gotten, that things were going to get even more difficult and there was no guarantee that they would all survive to tell the tale. But none of that mattered right all.

All she could do was breathe, her arms lifting to return his embrace.