Author's Note: So, after sitting in my room and making my Snow action figure do silly poses...I realized something: I need Balthier and Lightning action figures. Then my dream team will be complete! :D ...Darn you, over-priced action figures!

I thank you for giving me the most amazing idea ever, Joshua Chung! I'm sure you'll be happy, too. :)

S o S t a r s t r u c k

Chapter Sixteen

The Undying

"So, what d'we do now?" Sazh asked them all, breaking the silence that had claimed the group after Dysley disappeared. Lightning sheathed her gunblade and began to walk toward the air ship, her own way of telling him that they were going back to Cocoon. Snow, however, had a different plan.

He walked in the opposite direction of the female soldier, turning around once everyone else looked toward him. "I'm going to get Balthier," he informed them. "You heard what Dysley said, didn't you? Balthier's waiting for us. And I'm not going back to Cocoon until I know he's all right."

Lightning turned around at hearing the sky pirate's name, but she kept her gaze turned toward the ground.

"C'mon, Light," Snow urged her, walking toward her. "You want to go as much as I do. Right? So let's go save the leading man. This story is nothing without him." Both Fang and Vanille nodded in agreement, as did Sazh and Hope, but Lightning still remained where she stood.

"And remember the large hole in his chest?" Fang asked, stepping toward the other woman. "The blood was dry. He was only gone for a short time, so there is no way in hell that was the cause of his death. That wound wasn't recent."

"He's still alive, I just know it." The blond turned away from them all, walking back the way they came. "I'm going to get him back, even if I have to leave you behind. I'm not going to break my promise."

The others began to follow him as well, and Lightning turned her eyes toward the air ship. None of them knew for sure if Balthier was still alive, knowing that Dysley seemed to have lied about Serah's Focus before. He could have been lying to them about Balthier, just to force them against their will to destroy Cocoon. But, then again, if Snow seemed to believe that their friend was alive...Then there was no doubt that he was right.

Snow later mentioned that the first place they were going to look was back at the Oerba Village, where they'd left Balthier in the tomb. Dysley had said that the sky pirate was waiting for them, so that had to have been the only place he was. If not, they'd keep looking until they found him. Snow wasn't going to give up, and neither were the others.

"Do you think he'll want to be with us again?" Hope asked Vanille as they walked side by side. "I mean, he did storm off and leave us..."

"He'll help us, I'm sure!" she gladly answered, smiling brightly. "We don't need to worry. He's a part of our family now!"

Despite any doubt they may have had, they reached the village in a short amount of time. Snow quickened his pace when he caught sight of the stone tomb ahead of them, eagerly running toward the large doors. Fang was right behind him, and then she blocked him from opening the doors. He tried to get past her, but she shook her head at him. "We don't know if it's a trap," she said, "So be careful. Don't be disappointed if it turns out the old man was lying to us." She then turned toward Lightning, half smirking. "And don't let your feelings get in the way, pinky."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, walking past her as Snow pushed open the doors. As soon as they stepped inside they were whisked away to some unknown land.

They walked into what seemed like an empty room, but as soon as their eyes adjusted to the light they found themselves on a floating platform in the middle of an endless sky. There were many odd statues around them, and Lightning almost believed that they were of the fal'Cie. But when she looked closer, she changed her mind. They kept walking forward toward the circular platform, and stopped as soon as they saw someone lying in the center.

"Balthier!" Snow exclaimed, rushing forward with Lightning right behind him. The sky pirate seemed to just be sleeping, and there wasn't a blood covered gash on his chest anymore. His skin was pale, and his lips were parted ever so slightly. Snow shook Balthier by the shoulder, only to pull away when he felt his deathly cold skin. He turned toward the others, panicking. "Something's wrong! He's not-"

Lightning looked up instantly, staring at something overhead. "Snow!" she yelled, just as ghostly figures appeared all around them, floating in front of the statues. One of the creatures floated right in front of Snow and Balthier, seemingly staring down upon them, and the blond protectively covered Balthier's unconscious form with an arm.

"Well, this is something you don't see everyday," Fang murmured, pulling out her lance. "C'mon, give us your best shot, you beasts!"

"Foolish l'Cie. We cannot be killed," said the creature in the front.

Lightning stepped forward, standing close behind Snow. "What are you?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. The creatures were the gods of Balthier's world, Ivalice. The Occuria, as Dysley had called them.

"We are the Undying, wrought upon this world to end the everlasting control of the fal'Cie. This hume was our messenger - brought to your world to end all the forces of naught."

Snow looked down at Balthier, who still laid there unmoving. "What have you done to him?" Lightning questioned, weakly clenching her fists.

The Occurian god remained still. "He chose to stray from his destined path. And now, a new messenger must be chosen to become the Divine. Ragnarok."

"He can't be dead!" Vanille exclaimed, rushing forward toward the god. "If he's so important-"

It pushed her back with a gust of invisible magick, and Fang caught the girl before she could fall to the tranlucent floor. "L'Cie, know you not the truth? He is no longer among those who live, in his world. See."

And then, in their dazed mind-sight, they saw Balthier standing with his comrades from Ivalice against a monstrous man surrounded by floating swords made of magick. The sky pirate turned his head toward a blonde woman, hearing her call out for him. But as he turned around one of the swords pierced into his chest, forcing him to his knees. Balthier looked toward his comrades, but before he could say a single word he fell to the floor. Dead.

Lightning ran forward as soon as their vision was returned to them, raising her gunblade and crying out as she stabbed the Occurian god. Her gunblade went right through it, and sent her flying back toward the others not a second later. She landed on her feet, almost running back toward it until Sazh grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Why?" she yelled, her voice shaking from anger. "Why did you have to choose Balthier?"

"He was a heretic. Against all we strove for, all we longed to control," it told them all. "A second time to live we gave him, yet he strayed from our calls. Now, he rests. Eternal, yet frozen. Ragnarok must be summoned, l'Cie. Know this. Do you?"

"He's not gonna be Ragnarok," Fang said with a scowl. "Why would you want to destroy your own world? You're the gods of Ivalice, aren't you?"

"Our chosen one betrayed her vows. The Dynast-King's last descendant chose a new path, cutting our control. This hume was her follower, sworn by his oaths to end the Undying. Yet in him we saw truth. He was to become the Divine, the one to destroy the fal'Cie Orphan. Not your world, nor ours."

Vanille bit her lower lip. "Then, Dysley was lying..."

"Barthandelus spoke the truth. L'Cie, you have the destiny. The destiny to end your gods' reign, and begin anew."

"We won't do a damn thing unless Balthier comes back with us," Snow sternly told it, lifting up Balthier's limp form into his arms. Balthier unconsciously laid his head on the blond's shoulder. "So either he comes with us, or your world goes down with Cocoon."

The god was silent for a moment, floating before them in silence. Lightning raised her gunblade again, stepping forward so that she stood beside Snow. At last, it spoke to them. "The end is at hand. His sins will be absolved, yet once Orphan is naught...This hume will be naught."

And with those final words, they found themselves consumed by a bright light, returning to the realm of the living.

"I think he's waking up! Guys, Balthier's back!"

Balthier heard Vanille's eager voice calling out for the others as soon as he began to open his eyes. She smiled at him, tears leaking out from the corner of her eyes. He wanted to ask her why she was crying, but he couldn't seem to find his voice. After she gently helped him sit up from laying in her lap, his vision began to clear up and he looked at the others' faces when they stood around him.

"Balthier, I..." Snow uneasily murmured, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry for the things I said to you, before. I didn't mean...I mean, I really just-"

The sky pirate smiled weakly. "Snow," he said, his voice hoarse from being silent for so long.

The blond met his gaze, then cast his eyes downward. "I don't want you to leave us," he finally said, "We're...we're family now."

"I believe Vanille's cheery-ness is rubbing off on you, Ice," Balthier stated with a weak laugh, watching Snow get embarrassed at the sound of the nickname. He looked toward the others, mainly Vanille, and asked, "Tell me, what did I miss while I was gone?"

Hope stared blankly at him. "You...don't remember?"

"Got a case of amnesia, eh?" Fang laughed, folding her arms across her chest. "You ran off, we met Dysley again, and then followed you to the Occuria."

He flinched, narrowing his eyes as he tried to think of where he'd heard that name before. "...Occuria?"

"Yeah," Sazh answered, "The gods controlling your worlds. Dysley kept talking about them when we confronted him the first time. You were there, remember?"

"I don't...seem to remember it," Balthier muttered, rubbing his forehead as he stood up. "Occuria?"

Vanille nodded, her hand still on his arm. "They said you're their messenger, to rid Cocoon of the fal'Cie. Just like Dysley said."

Balthier looked toward them all again, stopping when he laid eyes on Lightning, who stood behind them all with her head turned away. Why wouldn't she look at him? He frowned, blinking slowly. "They told you something terrible, did they not?" he asked, mainly toward the woman who didn't seem to be listening to him.

Fang sighed loudly. "Light, tell him," she said to the other woman, who had turned toward them at this point. "Tell him what the Occuria told us - what they showed us."

"No," Lightning answered, glaring at the them. "They were lying. Just more fal'Cie smoke and mirrors. There's no such thing as the Occuria, and there's no way Balthier is going to..." She clenched her fists, unable to even finish her sentence. Balthier walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders as he faced her. She, however, continued to refuse to look at him.

"Light," he breathed. When he said her name, she slowly looked up at him. He was taken aback when he saw the furious tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Lightning?"

"I won't let you leave," she said, her voice shaking. "You're one of us now. I won't...I won't let you die. Not now."

He removed one of his hands from her shoulders, leaving one resting on her arm, as he turned around and looked to the others for understanding.

Vanille was the only one to say anything. "The Occuria showed us what happened to you before you came to Cocoon," she whispered, closing her eyes. She looked as if she was about to cry again. "You died, Balthier. That's...that's why you're forgetting everything, and that was why you...you were gone since yesterday. Your life in Ivalice is over."

Looking down at his hands, Balthier remembered. The figure holding out their hand to him, the blood on his hands, hearing Snow promising something to him from a distance...and Lightning. Lightning holding his hand for what seemed like an eternity, and then disappearing in the darkness. He was dead, but...

Snow placed a hand on the sky pirate's shoulder, worriedly watching him. "Balthier..."

"So I've been wrong all this time," Balthier murmured, stepping away from them all. "The leading man...does die."

Suddenly, a bright gold light erupted from the ground at Balthier's feet and an strong force pushed the others away from him. He backed away from the summoning circle forming before him, clutching his wrist when something burned a marking onto it. Balthier could only stare as the esper Ultima appeared in the gold light, smiling beautifully at the one who summoned her. She extended her hand toward him, beckoning him to her. He also reached for it, but Snow and Lightning ran forward, distracting him.

"An Eidolon?" Snow asked, bracing himself for battle. "But, you're not a l'Cie!"

"No," Lightning answered, pulling out her gunblade. The tears were gone from her eyes, and the normal Lightning was back. "It's one of your espers from Ivalice, right, Balthier? The ones you told me about?"

The sky pirate only nodded, his eyes turning back toward the goddess of espers herself. He slowly pulled out his two swords out from his scarf, and Ultima let out an ear-shattering scream at the sight of his apparent betrayal toward her.

"Focus on the battle, Balthier!" Snow yelled out to him, almost grinning. "It doesn't matter if you're alive or dead! You're here now, and that's all that matters!"

When both of them ran forward toward the esper, Balthier felt his strength slowly leaving him when Ultima raised an arm in his direction. She had cast Doom on him, something that the Eidolons of Cocoon usually did to their summoners to test their strength and their will to live. Sighing deeply, he rushed after the other two toward the esper. Lightning's eyes met his as she turned around, and he nodded in her direction; assuring her that he was all right.

With that, the two of them went after Ultima with magick charged sword attacks, while Snow focused on using physical strength to confuse the esper. From time to time she would target only Balthier, but after seeing how he and Lightning worked together so much, she changed her main target to the female soldier.

Lightning gracefully dodged what ever magick attacks were sent her way, and it was even hard for Balthier to keep track of where she was going. Both Snow and Balthier would often look to each other, just to make sure that they were both okay. Snow would grin widely, giving him a thumbs up, while Balthier would simply smirk in his direction.

At last, the esper Ultima was defeated, and she lovingly took Balthier's hand in her own as she faded from sight.

"I am Ultima, the High Seraph. I am in your debt, hume."

Balthier watched as she faded away, then turned his eyes toward the burned esper brand on the inside of his wrist on his right arm. Both Snow and Lightning walked up to him, and the others stood up from where they had fallen around the camp.

"You all right?" Snow asked, frowning slightly.

"I've...fought that esper before," the sky pirate answered, weakly narrowing his eyes. "With the others, before...before I left them behind."

The blond looked hopeful. "Are you starting to remember things, then?"

"No, it's a feeling. A hunch, as you would say." He turned toward the female soldier standing at his other side, then said to her, "Lightning, if I truly am as the Occuria say, then once this is over-"

"I won't let you die," she interrupted, casting her eyes downward.

Balthier smiled weakly, and then lightly hit her chin with his fist. She looked up at him, at their eyes met. "Thank you," he said with a weak laugh. Surprisingly, she returned his smile with her own, and Balthier swore that seeing Lightning smile was one of the most beau-

Snow stepped in between them, lightly pushing the sky pirate's shoulder. "Hey, no love for the hero?" he asked, grinning widely.

"Not if he continues to interrupt my thoughts," Balthier murmured, rolling his eyes. The others walked over to them, and Vanille immediately tackled him, nearly knocking him to the ground. Neither of them couldn't help but start laughing, and the others joined in eventually.

Even though I knew that there was still a chance that we wouldn't survive this journey...I knew that this story would have its happy ending. All that remained was where the heroes would make their final stand.

Epic chapters are epic. And two chapters in one day? Yaaay. :3