Author's Notes: Little late, but Happy New Year everyone! ^.^ Here's the new chapter of AL. I hope you enjoy it please remember to leave a review!
Words: 2,487
The Archylte Steppe - ? AF
Tipur raised a hand at them in greeting as he and Noel slowly caught up on the latest activities since He and Serah's previous victory. "Well, over in the Clearwater Marshes a few of my hunting parties have reported seeing unusual activity."
"Unusual?" Fang mumbled – her eyes locking onto the Nomadic leader while Noel and Vanille listened as best they could.
"Do you think it has something to do with the Faryl again?" Noel asked as he rubbed his chin – his mind going back to the day when he and Serah defeated the Faryl. Nothing bad happened after we took him down, and we just assumed we'd fixed whatever paradox it was… but what if there was more too it?
Hearing his words, Tipur placed his hands on his hips. "That's what I said at first, too. According to Myta down by the sheep there, it's like a rip in the sky and in it you can see our land as well as another. We're not sure what the other is, all we know is it holds some similarities in its landscape. But, some of the monsters we've seen in the rift are creatures who we've believed to have been extinct for centuries."
"So you're saying it's like seeing two different worlds overlapping?" Vanille put together as she cocked her head to the side.
"If that were possible, then I would say yes."
"Oh, it's possible…" Noel breathed out as he thought back to the first night he and Serah met, turning to the gang and away from Tipur he took a serious tone. "When Serah and I met… the same thing happened over in New Bodhum. According to Maqui, he said it was like the plants had aged several hundreds of years… but with you guys you're saying you're seeing things that should've died off years ago."
Taking in the words, Vanille raised a finger as she walked up by Noel and Tipur as she slowly but surely began to make the connections. "So you mean instead of seeing the future like you guys did in New Bodhum, they're seeing the past of Gran Pulse, possibly?"
"Exactly!" Noel confirmed with a smirk.
"So we're seeing the past, what's that have to do with anything important?"Fang muttered from where she stood, her arms folded on her chest. "I mean the gates are gone? So it's not like we can go back and change things and even then… You and Serah could only go into the future you never went backwards, right Noel?"
"Now that you mention it… we could only go forward in the timeline. Even the paradox that happened in New bodhum was in the future."
"So then, seeing the past is a paradox in itself." Fang said calmly as she placed a hand on her hip. Clearly still not too sure if she wanted to be a part of whatever it was they'd gotten themselves into.
"But things are changing… our time. It doesn't exist anymore. What if in order to change things we have to go back?" Vanille managed to ask as she thought about everything that she and Fang had woken up to after their 500 year sleep.
Taking in their ideas Noel crossed his own arms, "It's that's the case then… maybe new gates are forming?" Turning back to Tipur, they all looked upon him with determination. Picking up on it he couldn't help but offer.
"I know you helped us before. Why not go check it out for yourselves? Since its appearance hunting over in the Marshes has been stopped, so we haven't gotten too close to it."
"However, if you all wanna give it a go don't let us stop you. I'm sure if anyone can figure it out you all can." Tipur finished with a chuckle and a grin as he recalled the past deed Noel and Serah had accomplished for his people before. If anyone could help them, he just knew Noel and his new acquaintances' could. "Just do me a favor, if you learn anything please come let us now. Without that section to hunt in, our food sources will become scarce."
"You got it," Noel assured him with an arm bump before looking back at the others. "Ready to go check it out?"
"Why not." Fang breathed out as she picked up her lance from where she sat it upon their arrival.
"Sure," Vanille chirped happily. Waving goodbye to Tipur, they set out on down the trench.
The Archylte Steppe - Year Unknown
"Vanille," Hope breathed out as he shook his head, "I can't let you capture me."
"And I can't let you leave," Vanille called back to him her grip on her binding rod as tight as ever. The very thought of fighting him was putting a sickening pit in her stomach, a pit that she herself wasn't even sure why it had formed.
"I'm sorry, Hope. I can't back down on this…" she finished determined as she flung the rod back behind her head and prepared to release it.
"Vanille, please think about this!" Hope called over to her as he managed to dodge the binding wires of the rod. Coming to a halt on a tiny ledge above their campsite, he looked down at her- his jade eyes practically pleading her to stop. I can't fight her… I can't hurt, Vanille. But if I stand by and let her catch me, then who knows what will happen. If I'm caught things in the war could change! Pulse might attack sooner or worse whatever happens might alter the timeline and completely rewrite the history I know. I can't let that happen, regardless of who I'm fighting.
"I have," she called back – knocking Hope out of his thoughts. "No matta' how hard I try and think about it letting you go is impossible."
Hearing her words, his he felt his heart pound in his chest as his mind continued to think of the one thing he never wanted to do. "Why? Why can't you do it!?"
"I'd be betraying my people!" she shouted back, however that wasn't her main concern since her fellow villagers would really only know what she told them, but… there was one person in the village who could out her. If I let him go and I return to Oerba, the seeress from Paddra will know. If I let him go and he ends up hurting us, I'll be put on trail and possibly even killed for my mistake… But if I capture him and take him in and nothing happens then we're both safe. Hope can't possible hurt anyone once inside the city and if something goes wrong he won't be able to be blamed because he'll be locked up. With that on her mind she gave the binding rod a few more lunges – a few nabbing him on the shoulders as he dodged.
"Can't you see I have no desire to fight, especially with you Vanille!" he shouted at her from midair as he pulled out his boomerang. Then, before he knew it, he heard it hit as Vanille gave a small cry and fell to her knees; her binding rod a small distance away from her. His heart beat picked up, as Vanille took short breaths and held her arm where she fell.
"Vanille… I…" he began to stammer out as he realized what happened. His eyes darting from Vanille to his boomerang on the ground. Just as he took a step towards her though, a voice rang out from the cliffside ricocheting down causing them both to look up.
"Fang!" Vanille called up at the woman, her eyes wide as her hand held the wound on her shoulder where the boomerang collided.
Oh no.
Fang!? Don't tell me she saw all that! Vanille cried to herself as she released her bleeding shoulder and watched her sister head their way – anger raging in her eyes.
"Why you!" Fang called out as she jumped from the cliffside – her bladed lance in hand as she smacked down on her feet, her Blue eyes darting over at Hope. Jumping to her feet despite her injury, Vanille got between Hope and Fang her arms outstretched protectively.
"Fang, it's not what you think!" Vanille shouted over to her – her emerald eyes wide with fear; her actions dawning on her. Wait…what am I saying?! Just moments ago I was ready to take him in myself, so why am I?
"What are you talkin' about!? I saw him hit you – just look at your shoulder!" Fang spat out her lance still drawn out and ready swing in Hope's direction.
"Fang!?" Vanille continued to pout out as her sister gave her a forceful shove out of the way. Hope watched as Vanille hit the ground – his eyes glued to her as he called her name.
"Look out!" she shouted back – her emerald eyes watching them both in a panic as Hope managed to only get a small cut through his jacket on his right arm. This… this can't be happening. If they fight like this… They might actually…No…I have to stop them.
If this keeps up… I might actually get captured. Hope told himself as he did his best to dodge as many of Fang's swings as he could. "Stop it!" he heard Vanille cry out from the sidelines – just as his eyes locked onto hers, Fang's lance sliced him like a knife through his jacket and right across his chest. Damn it! Wincing at the pain that began to spread throughout his body – he lost his footing and collapsed. Looks like I lost… he told himself as he took a few deep breaths and glanced up coming face to face with the tip of the lance.
"No, Fang don't!" Vanille shouted as she got to her feet and ran across the tall grass of the steppe – her arms grabbing the staff herself as tight as she could.
"Vanille!? Let go!" Fang shouted in protest as she tried to overpower the young red head.
"I can't let you!" she replied shaking her head, her voice cracking here and there. Hope watched Vanille, his heart beat slowly calming down as she stared back at Fang – her determination never wavering. This was the Vanille he knew. Smiling to himself he looked back up at the girls and gave his boomerang a final toss. I'm sorry, Vanille…
It cut through the air and before Fang and Vanille had a chance to react it knocked them back onto once another. Realizing what hit, Vanille fumbled around until she was was back on the grass, her palms resting in the dirt. "Hope!" Vanille shouted back her eyes wide with concern as she watched him turn and disappear before they even had the time to get to their feet.
"Damn, he got away!" Fang cursed as she stood up and dusted herself off – her lance in hand. Shooting a glance back to Vanille she placed a hand on her hip, "And what were you doing, missy! Just who was he?"
"He…he was… Hope." Vanille replied, her tone dropping with each syllable. "A man from Cocoon."
"Cocoon!?"
"Mhmm."
"Well he's gone now. That's what matta's" Fang told her sister reassuringly as she helped the red head up to her feet. "We don't have the resources to chase after him, When we get back to Oerba we'll go see the council about it. If someone from Cocoon's landed on Pulse it's only a matter of time till more invade."
Hearing Fang's plan, Vanille felt her heart sink. Something about turning Hope in to the high council just didn't seem right. And to be honest, she was scared. Scared of what they might try and do to him if they did catch him.
"Come on, let's get going Missy." Fang called out to her has she headed back up the hillside where she'd left her chocobo tied. Following uneasily, Vanille gave one last glance in the direction the silver haired man had run, before raising her hands in a praying gesture. Hope… please be alright and try not to get caught… I really don't know what they'll do. With that she lowered her hands and continued up the hill to Fang and her valiant steed.
The Archylte Steppe - ? AF
"Finally made it!" Vanille huffed out as she made her way to the top of the Clearwater Marshes side of the trench.
"Good thing, Sazh and Dahj stayed behind. I can't imagine them climbing that." Fang mused as she short a glance over at Noel and Vanille.
"Yeah," Noel chuckled as he got to his feet and finished pulling Vanille up as well.
"So nowhere too?"
"Tipur said we'd have to go south. So I guess we'll just start walking in that direction." Noel replied as he ran a hand through his hair.
After walking for about an hour, they finally saw it. Coming to a halt they stared over in disbelief. "Whoa! They weren't kidding were they?" Noel stumbled out. "This is definitely bigger than the one in New Bodhum by a long shot."
"So this is the paradox, eh?" Fang questioned curiously as she eyed the land in the distance. She didn't know what it was but something about it was familiar. Walking over to her sister, Vanille put a hand on Fang's wrist.
"Hey Fang… doesn't that kind of look like back home?" Vanille whispered out as her eyes looked over with worry.
"Sure does, but it can't be…" Fang replied just as hushed. Realizing no one was following him, Noel turned back and smiled over at them. "Come on. We can at least check things out. I'm not sure if we can actually touch anything, but who knows, maybe we can find some kind of clues about how to get to Hope."
At the mention of Hope, Vanille instantly nodded her head. "We're coming!" Vanille replied back as she let go of Fang's wrist and ran up as fast as she could. Splitting up, Noel went to the west, Vanille to the east, and Fang took the middle.
Making her way through the areas were the worlds overlapped, Vanille soon came to a crashing halt as her heart skipped a beat. It can't be… Vanille thought to herself, her heart beat racing as her emerald orbs locked onto the item in the rift. "Hope's boomerang," the words practically fell out of her mouth as she made her way over to it. Bending down, she gently picked it up and held it to her chest.
"Hope… He was here…" she managed to utter out as a few tears of happiness welled up in her eyes; a soft smile forming on her lips. "If he was here, then that means he's either in this world or…he can't be… part of the rift?" It can't be…