So hey guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of NR! n_n
Once again, a huge thank you to my reviewers, GCFarron and OscarMerrinoz96! Seriously, you guys rock; reviewing pretty much every chapter of mine.
As I stated last chapter, this fic is actually going to turn out to be an eventual Hope/Light. I'm still working on their relationship as of yet (and wondering how to properly portray a relationship between a 21 year old and a 14 year old) but I'll figure it out. xD So there'll be more Light/Hope for all those who have been wanting to see some. Like I said though, this fic is not rated M for adult themes; I can't take romance past a heavy fluff.
Anyways, enough of me blustering about that, I know you guys wanna know what happens next so, enjoy as always! (:
Chapter 17: Eyes of the Future
Night had begun to fall, and Lightning looked up at the gathering darkness that was beginning to be overtaken by the swath of stars above. When she looked behind her, Cocoon's crystal shell never looked further away. Someone poked her in the side, and she slapped the hand away angrily.
"Shall we rest for tonight?" Obviously it was Snow - he was the only one stupid enough to poke her like that. She shrugged, but then cast a look at Serah - she was looking tired.
"Fine with me." She watched Snow walk away to Serah; he carried her over the last few rocks and set her down on one. He does care... doesn't he? She let out a soft snort. Sometimes I wonder what she sees in him. Leaving her vantage point of a shrubbery free cliff, she walked back towards them. She saw that Hope had already gathered a small pile of wood, and she allowed herself a small smile. Hope was a good kid.
"Uh, Sis? Have we got any matches? It's getting cold." Lightning uncrossed her arms, and stalked over to Snow until she stood right in front of him. Sure, he was taller, but he was cringing back at her sudden glare.
"Snow, why would we need matches, when I have this?" She waved her left hand in front of him.
"Huh?" He looked confused for a moment, while Serah and Hope giggled somewhere behind her. "Oh! Right... You should have said so, Sis." Lightning let out an irritated snort.
"Sometimes I wonder how you forget, Snow." Waving her left hand carelessly behind her, she scowled at him. "Fire." The small bloom of flame instantly arose from the pile of wood. Lightning curled the fingers of her left hand together after the spell had left it - it felt normal to cast magic now. Like it was always meant to be part of me. Funny. I was so distrusting of all this spellcasting mumbo jumbo when I first got it.
"Hey Claire?" Serah's inquisitive voice piped up behind her somewhere. Turning in her sister's direction, Lightning crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
"Can you really cast healing spells?" She let out an internal groan; truth be told, she wasn't - and would never be - good at casting the medic spells. Sure, she could, but... Hope and Vanille were so much better. I never really got the hang of all that healing stuff.
"If you count them not being really effective, then yes, I can." She heard Hope give a disbelieving snort as she said the words. "What?" she snapped in his direction, slightly irritated that he didn't believe her.
"Light, don't downplay it. You know you could... can." This time it was her turn to snort.
"Right, kid. Whatever. We all know that you were much better than me." She heard Snow laugh behind her. Ignoring him, Lightning walked to the cliff again, looking back at Cocoon. The crystal was now completely tinged in light blue - night had really fallen.
"Okay, before Sis rips our hair out for teasing her... we'd better work out the watch schedule for tonight." Snow again, and he sounded anxious to please her. Smirking slightly at the thought that he didn't want to make her angry, she turned around again. Sometimes he knows more than I give him credit for.
"I'll take the first shift, if you guys want." She really didn't mind - it would give her time to think... away from the prying eyes of her sister and friends.
"Okay, Sis, wake me up this time, aight?" Lightning let out a small huff, clearly Snow hadn't forgotten the last time she was supposed to wake him up for watch and hadn't. She waited until he had settled with Serah and Hope was asleep by the still burning fire before she let out the sigh.
Looking up at Cocoon again, Lightning found herself holding her hands very tightly in her lap - she realized she was involuntarily trying to stop them from shaking. Urgh, why... It only took a few moments of perusal through her current mental state to find the answer.
Of course this was about Serah... when has it not been about Serah? She cast a glance at her sleeping sister, comfortably wrapped in Snow's coat - she could barely see her beyond Snow's bulk. It wasn't that she didn't trust Snow to take care of her - she'd seen enough to know that he cared just as much as her, but...
But I don't know if even he can protect her from what...
As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew that she hadn't been close to Serah in the last few years. And she knew that it was their growing distance that hadn't allowed Serah to confide in her, had allowed Serah to spend so much time with Snow. But even then... I didn't protect her last time. And this time... it's not just about Serah. It's about Hope too. I promised... They've seen too many ugly things they shouldn't have. Shit... why did I tell them?
She knew it was too late for her, probably too late for Snow to be protected from all the things this world had to offer. Fuck, what haven't I seen or experienced? But it wasn't too late for Serah, wasn't too late for Hope.
They actually have a chance of living a normal life, a life that's actually...
Hope stared at the sun that was just beginning to rise underneath Cocoon's bottom shell - it reminded him of the morning they'd woken up from their brief crystal stasis underneath it... and the moment he'd realized Vanille and Fang were gone. Ironic that we're now off to save the world again. He cast a glance at Snow, who was still snoring, and Serah who was wrapped in his coat, her pink ponytail fluttering slightly in the light spring breeze.
Lightning hadn't bothered joining her sister near the now dying fire, instead, she'd picked a spot a ways off against a stone cliff. Hope could see her from where he was sitting on a rock - she actually looked peaceful when she was asleep. Light, you just have too much on your mind all the time. You don't need to run around protecting us, feeling like it's your dutyto take care of all of us, you know...
He watched as the breeze played with the pink bangs that framed her heart shaped face and she moaned slightly, groggily raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun that was now fully over the horizon. Her pale blue eyes blinked open, and Hope looked away quickly - he didn't want to get caught staring at her.
The crunch of her boots on the bracken and grass announced to him that she was approaching. He could sense that she was standing behind him, also looking at Cocoon.
"Hey." Her voice was quiet.
"Hey Light. You're up early." She let out a snort, knocking him in the forehead with her knuckles.
"If only it were actually early. Time to wake up the 'hero', no?" Not bothering to wait for his reply, she walked towards them - both of them were still asleep soundly. Hope let himself smile a little before following her - he saw her pause.
"Now... I'm wondering how to actually wake him up." Her voice held a little uncertainty - and Hope glanced at her, unsure if she was actually hesitating or was just trying to think of a way to annoy Snow.
"Well, you could poke him. Or you could send another Water at him." He saw her smirk, clearly she was remembering the last time she'd thrown a Water at her sister's husband.
"I'd cast the spell, except it would get Serah wet too..." Her voice trailed off as she edged her boot - hard - into Snow's side, and Hope had to hold back the laugh that bubbled up inside him. Snow had jumped at least a several inches into the air - quite a feat for a man of his calibre, as Serah was woken by the sudden movement. He looked hilarious - his blond hair messy with the bandanna crumpled up, and he was trying to wear a look of indignation while it was obvious that Lightning did not look happy - she'd crossed her arms over her chest again.
"Sis, what was that for?" he spluttered out, clearly not relishing the amused look on Hope's face.
"Look what time it is, you idiot. Did you plan to sleep all morning?" Turning away, Hope caught the surprised yet content look in Serah's eyes, and he knew what she was thinking. Light rarely has the time for a joke, and this is her being outright playful. Gathering up the pack that contained their food, he slung it over one shoulder before walking to Serah, who was still giggling - Snow was fruitlessly trying to block and evade Lightning's punches. Evidently, Snow had said something she hadn't liked.
"It's great to see Claire acting happier, huh?" Her light blue eyes still held the surprise, but were also full of fondness for the two people she was watching.
"Yup," he replied, watching them spar for a few more moments before going over to break them up. "It sure is."
Snow looked up at the top of the mist shrouded mountain. Clearly he'd underestimated the time it would take them to walk the couple of inches shown on the map Lightning had found in Oerba Ruins - they'd been walking for days. Luckily, the Pulse monsters count was down, or it would have taken them even longer. Snow suppressed the sigh of relief at the thought that they might finally find some of the answers they were looking for at the top - according to the history papers they'd unearthed, the Farseer Tribe lived at the peak of the mountains.
They'd walked so far from Cocoon that it was now hidden behind one of the mountain ranges, and there hadn't been any sign of civilization since - Pulse Management had favoured development in the opposite direction of Oerba; there were less mountains to string new rails and communications across.
And the vegetation was different - instead of the chaparral and other canyon flora that existed around Oerba, the wildlife was beginning to remind Snow of the Sunleth Waterscape, except it was less... leafy. The trees were straighter, and they had spiky leaves. His shoes brushed some pink plant he didn't know - the scent of the flowers was definitely pungent here.
The crunch of boots announced that Lightning, Hope and Serah were catching up to him. He'd promised to scout ahead... Great, now Light's gonna get mad at me for not doing my job. And sure enough...
"Snow, what are you doing standing there staring at a flower?" Crap. I'd better think of a reasonable excuse before she chews my head off. Quickly picking it, Snow held it out to Serah.
"Just wanted to see... how nicely it would look with Serah's hair," he stammered out awkwardly, shying away from Lightning's piercing gaze. He saw her roll her eyes, while Serah eagerly bounced forward to accept the flower. He put it in her hair, and instantly his heart warmed when she smiled at him.
"Thank you," she murmured quietly. Suddenly, a low growl from the bushes sounded ahead of them. Instantly, Lightning had drawn her omega weapon and Hope pulled out his boomerang. The look she shot him told him all he needed to know: he was in charge of protecting Serah.
Her blade sliced through one monster, and she aimed a spell at another with her other hand - Snow recognized the Blizzara. The sudden frigid blast of air from the spell buffeted them a little - he could feel its icy breath from where he was standing. He swung his fist at another monster that had burst out beside him - watching it vanish into black smoke, Snow scanned the bushes for more. A second gust of air hit his back - Lightning must have aimed an Aerora at something, and he could hear the boomerang as it cut through the air.
"Come on, let's move!" Lightning's shout came from somewhere up ahead; pushing Serah ahead of him, Snow followed the bright red flicker of the soldier's cape as she began to climb the steep mountainside. Clambering over several boulders, Snow heard and felt several monster bodies make an impact with the rough stone - they couldn't get past it, and only the Maker knew how long it would take them to figure out to try and jump over the rocks.
Fortunately, the rock surface was smoother than he'd thought - once they were over the initial barrier of boulders it was easier to climb. Snow saw Lightning slow down, casting a worried glance at Serah and Hope; though he was doing his best to push them up in front of them it was obvious that they didn't have Lightning's stamina.
The circular path that spiraled around the mountain began to flatten out the higher they climbed - and it was getting harder to breathe. A thin mist had begun to cling to the sides of the mountain now, and Snow heard Lightning stop.
"Let's take a break," she suggested. "You guys look like you need it anyways."
Snow settled himself on a jutting rock next to a clump of more flowers, and pulled Serah to him. She gratefully accepted his gesture, and settled herself on his knee.
"You okay, baby?" He felt her pink head bob - she was out of breath still and he could see the beads of sweat that darkened her pink hair.
"So." Lightning's tart voice made him look to her. "I think we'll reach the top by tonight, even with a slower pace. You have any suggestions about how we charge in there to ask questions?" She brushed perspiration darkened pink bangs behind one ear as she raked a hand through her hair.
"You know... that is a good question." Hope was settled by Lightning's knee, glancing up to the peak.
Snow let out a laugh. "Just leave the cinematics to me, Sis, my charm will get the answers." He saw her snort.
"Really, Snow?" she asked dryly. "Well..." Her voice trailed off, clearly lost in thought.
"Snow?" Serah's small voice piped up beside him.
"Yes, baby?" He caressed her hands with his large ones, bringing one of her hands to his lips, kissing her fingers.
"We'll be alright, right?" She sounded a little unsure, but her bright blue eyes were hopeful and she was clearly expecting him to comfort her.
"Of course. Your hero's got this - you know it." And I hope she does - I'll be there for her no matter what.
Lightning huffed as she reached the top of the path - she resisted the urge to rake her hands through her hair again. It's been awhile since I've climbed a mountain. Sounds coming from up ahead made her stop in her tracks - she held out a hand to stop the person behind her - Hope.
"Quiet," she hissed. She was glad it was dark - there was definitely civilization ahead and they needed to work out an entrance strategy carefully. The moon was a little too bright for her liking - at the top of the mountain they were above the fog line and it shone like one of those military spotlights back in New Bodhum. The moonlight wouldn't do much to conceal their movement, but she'd seen an excellent copse of trees just ahead to their right which would do nicely.
Her hand tightened on Hope's wrist, and she pulled him after her up the last few rocks. Kneeling on the ground for a few moments to catch her breath, Lightning quickly scanned the horizon for any sign of human life. None. Good.
Shoulder rolling forwards into the shadow of the copse of trees, she saw Hope creep quietly after her - he was also breathing hard. A crumble of rocks made her wince - definitely Snow and definitely as discreet as usual. I see he hasn't learned to be quiet... like I told him, he'd never survive in a real war.
A small scuffle made her look up - Serah was crawling towards her, and she pulled her sister into the shadow of the leaves. Her gloved fingers brushed Serah's arms - for a moment, her sister looked surprised at the contact, but happily returned the light embrace.
"Thanks, Claire." Lightning nodded her assent at the comment, before turning her attention back to the cliff. Snow was due for an appearance any moment now...
"Shit!" His loud curse made Lightning want to get up and scream at him, but it took quite some effort to hold her tongue. She had begun to get up though, and a hand closed on her cape, pulling her back down. Luckily... there didn't seem to be anyone around - she didn't hear battle yells coming after them. That doesn't mean that stupid oaf can't...
Snow made it to their copse, still cursing under his breath. Lightning put on a scowl, and closed one fist around Snow's shirt.
"What the hell were you thinking? Do you want to give us away like that?" She lowered her voice to a harsh growl, barely controlling the anger she felt at him. Snow didn't reply at first, giving a sheepish glance towards Serah, who was looking a little reproachful, before mouthing "Oops" in her direction. Lightning rolled her eyes, giving him one last glare before turning her attention back to what was on the other side of the copse.
The whole mountain top was awash in moonlight - she really didn't see how they were going to go in unnoticed. There was a high stone wall, and all she could see beyond that was smoke, presumably from fires. There weren't any visible silhouettes of guards, but... You never know. There could be dozens of snipers just hiding in the shadows.
She felt something poke her back. Irritated, she turned around, ready to snap at whoever had the stupidity to jab her while she was observing the scene before her. Obviously it was Snow, who didn't seem to have any grasp of the seriousness of the situation, as usual.
"Sis, why can't we just walk up to them?" Lightning fought the urge to punch him as her fingers curled into a slim fist - and then she remembered that for Serah's sake, she probably shouldn't.
"Because," she snapped back. "You want to waltz in like there's nothing wrong? We don't look desperate at all. And what are they going to see me as? That's right, Snow, in case you've forgotten our fal'Cie was an enemy to their tribe." She paused there, slightly amused at the shocked expression on his face. Idiot.
Lightning pushed herself into a standing position, carefully pressing down each foot carefully in front of the other, motioning for everyone else to follow. She was glad of the spiky leaves that lay on the ground - it concealed her footsteps, allowing her to move silently. She pulled out her gunblade - there was no telling if there could be an attack any moment the closer they drew to the wall. And sure enough...
"Intruders!" A male voice somewhere above her head. She whipped her head up to the source of the sound, but the man had jumped down already, sword raised. Instantly, Lightning raised her own sword to counter the downward slash. More thumps hit the ground, signalling that other guards had jumped down too. Burying the tip of her omega in the man's thigh, she quickly turned. Hope was busy throwing Nue at some of the further guards, while Snow was acting as Serah's bodyguard and was swiping back and forth with his fists.
"Thundaga!" She channeled the spell from her left hand, hoping to get most of them with the one thunder spell. She heard more than one cry of shock, and whipped around to throw an Aerora at one of them who was dressed differently than the others. Their leader?
The man swung his scythe at her, and she dodged the uppercut, rolling forwards underneath the blade. She switched her gunblade back to gun mode and prepared to attack.
"I'm no one's slave!" Swiping at him with the weapon, she felt a flicker of surprise that he blocked nearly half her blows. He's good. The last bullet hit him square in the shoulder, but not before the tip of the scythe cut across her weapon arm. Shit. Before she could utter a cure spell, the doors in the wall banged open.
"Stop." Instantly, the guards stopped fighting, and Lightning backed off to stand with Snow, Hope and Serah. She didn't lower her weapon though, wearily looking at the man that had thrown open the doors, accompanied by more guards. Just how many... are there? The man raised a hand and looked at her right in the eye.
"My name Yangt'zu, Tribe Leader of the Farseer Tribe. You must be the Oerba l'Cie our seeress foresaw coming a few moons ago."
Lightning narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the fact that they had been expected, and she definitely did not like the seeress part.
Yangt'zu observed the young woman who was so clearly their leader, and so very obviously a l'Cie. The aggressive stance she'd taken meant she was no stranger to battle, and he met her blazing cerulean eyes that were brimming with suspicion. He had to play this next part right if he wanted her, and he needed her... for the coming Eclipse. Even if she was a l'Cie from an enemy tribe.
"You're very impressive at fighting. Why don't you come in, and we'll have a chat?" He tried to keep his voice amicable even though she was glaring at him, and it was clear from the expressions of her companions that they didn't trust him more than she did. He took the moment to assess her friends. The big man standing close to another girl with pink hair would be hard to take down, for sure. And as for the teenager with silver hair, well, he was small, but Yangt'zu had already seen him fight. The only one who didn't look like a fighter was the girl with the pink ponytail, who also happened to be the one not looking at him with outright hostility. Her little sister? She'd held a curious look in her eyes ever since he mentioned the word seeress. He turned his attention back to the older pinkette, expecting her to move towards him. Instead, she just held her weapon higher and readied her left hand.
"And why should I trust you?" she shot back, clearly not fooled by the sudden warmth. He felt a startle of anger at her tone - no one in his tribe would dare speak to him that way, and from the shocked looks of his guards, they clearly thought so too. Yangt'zu took a breath, calming himself. Remember, you need her and her friends.
"Because I have the answers you want." And he did... only he wouldn't tell them the complete truth. The seeress, Xue, had also forseen the people who were trying to amplify the Eclipse, to once again open the Door of Souls. He knew they were after her too, but for all the wrong reasons. And he could not let them get their hands on Xue, the real l'Cie they needed for their purposes.
To his relief, he saw her relax a little, the suspicion fading a little. The platinum haired teenager beside her poked her side, and murmured something in her ear that he couldn't catch. Her expression relaxed, and she gave a sigh.
"Fine," she said evenly. "We'll have your little chat. But I expect answers." The look in her eyes held challenge, and he was a little shaken to see that the suspicion in her eyes was not yet gone. He watched as she muttered a cure spell, instantly wiping the one little wound his soldiers had managed to give her. Impressive indeed. But the more impressive she is, the harder she'll be to catch in a net.
*grins evilly* Well, I'll leave the interpretation of the events up to you. Not going to spoil anything since anything I say will just tie into the following chapter, and well, you guys will have to wait. *cackles*
But, as always, speculation and such welcomed, and be sure to leave love in reviews. The more love you leave, the faster I want to get the next chapter up. I have work again this weekend, but I'll try to get the next chapter up by tomorrow evening. I'm going to see The Hunger Games after work on Sunday with my folks too, so well, the chapter after that might not be up till Monday. But I do promise at least one chapter this weekend, and the next chapter is a long one.
Feed review monster, and I'll see you guys tomorrow!
Hearts!