So hi guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of NR! 8D

Thanks again to my reviewers: Mylaervain, GCFarron, and OscarMerrinoz96! I'm glad you guys think I've got the character relationships and emotions right, that was a big thing I was aiming for in this fic - to keep the characters as in-character as possible.

Moving on, some serious action and some badass brawling in this chapter, plus, well, a big grand entrance, ha. I'll leave it to you guys to read on for the rest. Enjoy as always! (:

Chapter 29: Divine Judgment

Feeling her muscles tense despite the severe lack of sleep she'd gotten in the last few days, Lightning drew her weapon, trying to see in the semi-dark place. There wasn't anyone unfamiliar as far as she could see, and she could only hear her own short, accelerated breathing that sounded unnatural.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Snow's voice came from somewhere behind her, but she didn't bother turning around to face him.

"Something's here." The words were barely out of her mouth before she knew it, knew it with a certainty that rooted her to the spot. Maybe she was paranoid, and maybe she was being too sensitive and was overreacting, but her soldier's sense dictated her actions now - and there was no way an entrance would have disappeared without a trigger, just like there was no way a levee would have broken suddenly after five hundred years of stability.

Raking her ice blue eyes over their current setting again, she spotted a torch holder. There was no guarantee it would catch, but it was better than standing here like sitting ducks in the semi darkness. The Fira that left her hand took more out of her than she thought it would, and she shook her head slightly, trying to clear it. I should really get some serious sleep soon.

Obviously, Snow had been right - her lack of sleep was messing with her head more than she thought it would, but there was no way she was going to admit that, especially in front of him. And Maker knew that if she couldn't function as well, how the hell was she supposed to protect Serah and Hope if there was actually something here? Shit.

The flame flickered to life in the darkness, casting dancing shadows on the upper level of seats. And then she saw it - blood red eyes far up in the very tallest corners not brightened by the minimal daylight that penetrated the roof and barely touched by the flames' life. She hissed a curse before closing her lips - hating herself for showing frustration before an enemy.

"So glad of you to join us today. Did that pathetic Farseer Tribe leader tell you we were here? Oh, so sad." Lightning jerked her head up to the sound of the voice, locking gazes with a pair of blood red eyes. She had to admit she was surprised - Yorun wasn't here to greet them with his usual sadistic comments. Or maybe he's just biding his time and decided not to show himself just yet... bastard, she thought bitterly.

"What do you want?" she spat bitterly, hating the mocking tone, hating the contempt. Death... is not something to be toyed with; not something to be spoken of like that.

"If I were you... I wouldn't be concerned about me and what we're planning. I'd be concerned about myself. See... this is the ancient coliseum of Tythell, where the inhabitants used to watch death fights for the own amusement." The man paused for a moment, letting the full impact of his words sink in, before ploughing on, every syllable becoming more falsified with honeyed tones. "And to reveal a way out... well, there needs to be a victor. And I wonder who the victor will be today."

Lightning grabbed Serah's arm, pushing her sister against the stone statue, sweeping her blue gaze over the wall. Not seeing anything, she turned her furious blue eyes back up to where the man had been standing, but he was gone. The ground under her feet trembled a little, and she tightened her grip on her weapon. There isn't...anything here!

She was completely unprepared for the leap of the first feral monster, claws hooking into the front of her vest, slamming her body into Serah's as they both hit the stone statue, hard. The short cry of pain was torn from her lips as she felt the claws dig deeper into her skin, struggling futilely to push off the heavy weight of the monster, acutely aware that she was squashing Serah underneath her. Pushing up with the blade of the omega weapon, she felt the weight lessen as the monster reared up in pain. Rolling out from underneath the claws, she took another swipe at it before it could come crashing down on Serah.

Why the hell... Her lips were set to hiss at Snow for not coming to help before she whipped around at the sound of battle. Snow and Hope were several feet in front of them, engaging several more monsters and the sound of pounding claws on stone made her turn. Moving forward, Lightning held back the hiss as the movement tore at her clawed ribs. Shit.

"Serah!" Her sister would have to fight... there was absolutely no choice and there was no doubt that what the man had said was right... if they wanted a way out they had to win. Maker, I don't even want to know how many monsters this place could house. The dash of soft sneakers behind her stopped her speculation in its tracks as she held a hand out to stop her sister from moving in front of her. "Stay... behind me."

"But Claire..." The protest was already clear in her sister's voice and she'd only spoken two words.

"Don't argue with me! Yin and Yang!" Her own Cure spell wiped the evidence of the monster that had crashed into her before she sent several at Serah. There was no way she was letting her sister pay the price for her own carelessness. But she was going to pay the price for not sleeping... I'm really not sure the last time I slept... forty hours ago...maybe? She felt like she was dragging her limbs through water.

"Slash and Burn!" Moving forward again now that her ribs were no longer bothering her, she swept two Blitzes in a row in the area around her - the movement cleared the fuzziness in her mind for a few heartbeats before she aimed several bullets at the monsters, hoping to catch it in a paw. The sharp squeal cut through the air, and she allowed herself a small smile as the black smoke swirled around her. Panting slightly, she stopped to catch her breath.

But there was no opening. No way out as far as she could see.

"What the... I thought if we won, we'd leave?" Snow's voice came from beside her shoulder, but she was honestly too tired to come up with a snappy response, instead choosing to catch her breath. But Snow's question didn't need answering when the floor split in the centre beneath their feet. Springing back, pulling Serah and Hope along with her, Lightning watched as the monster slowly advanced towards them.

The Zinitra let loose a shriek.

Hope backed away slowly from the flying monster that was creating small gusts of wind from its wings.

"Nice birdy..." Snow murmured from his side as he pushed Serah behind him, readying his fists. Who does Snow think he's kidding? Hope shot a glance at Lightning - she seemed okay except for the fact that she looked pale, dark shadows evident under her eyes even from here. Light... I hope you're okay.

"Tri-Disaster!" Moving his boomerang at the moment of her command, Hope threw the Firaga at it at the same time Snow sent an Aquastrike at it.

"Snow, you fucking idiot!" he heard Lightning screech. Sending a second Aeroga its way, Hope avoided the first swoop of its claws as it raked them over his head, dodging away, he found himself next to a very flustered Snow as they both stared up at the monster. For the first time, Hope felt a claw of doubt hook him as he stared at the monster that didn't seem like it had been very bothered by their spells. Can we...win this?

"Come on, kid, we've got a monster to finish." Snow pushed him forwards as he jumped up with a Flamestrike; Hope breathed a sigh of relief - at least Snow seemed to have figured out why Lightning had sworn at him. The Aeroga that left his hand sent the monster flying into the air as Lightning slashed at it with her own Flamestrike. And when it finally staggered in flight, several spells later, Hope felt the drain of magic on his well of magic - this thing was tough.

"Diversity!" He threw the cure spells at Lightning and Snow - they had been up against the monsters while he had stood further back in front of Serah. Breathing hard as he paused for a moment, the tail of the monster swept over his head once, before slamming into his back. The magic left his hand instantly as he struggled to stand; thankfully the monster hadn't hit him right on. But he back away again as it reared into the air. Something's coming...

Hope didn't have time to react with some sort of spell before the Feeding Stoop swept over them like the impact of several tons of bricks. Knocked back, it was several moments before Hope found the strength to get to his feet, gripping Nue tightly. Wiping his hand over his cheek, he felt his own magic wipe away the marks of its claws, when he realized there was no one else attacking and Serah had shrunk against the wall; the monster had turned on her.

Lightning had her weapon stuck into the rock - she was propping herself up with it and he could hear her gasps for breath. Hope couldn't even see Snow until the flash of the white coat stuck out to him against the statue several feet away. Serah's cry of fear made him turn around and Lightning jerk her head up, but neither of them were in the condition to send another attack in the Zinitra's direction nor make it in time.

Maker, please no... Someone help us...! It can't end like this!

The moment the desperate thoughts permeated his mind Hope felt an explosion of pain in his left wrist. Dazed, he thought for a moment that the monster had decided to go for him and Lightning after all, and this was only the preliminary strike to what was assured as another brutal assault. Instead, he was greeted by the green flash of a summon circle as his brand began emitting a blue light, throbbing in time to his heartbeat.

The Eidolon suddenly appeared before him, silent and impassive.

Alexander. Hope felt the Eidolon's much stronger Cure spell sweep over him, freeing his body from pain and fatigue. Willing it to channel some power into healing Snow and Light, Hope turned his attention back to the Zinitra.

The monster seemed unduly unaffected by the summoning of the Eidolon, but at least it wasn't targeting Serah anymore. Throwing the Aeroga in its direction, Hope willed his Eidolon to follow. The Lofty Challenge left the monster pummeling away at the metal giant, leaving Hope free to cast spell after another in its direction. He heard the sickening punches as his Eidolon drew the enemy away from him and attacked it.

His last Firaga caught it in a staggered flap of its skeletal wings. Alexander... I need your help!

The Eidolon responded to his thoughts, transforming into the golden fortress. Hope clambered onto his Eidolon, eying the monster. It definitely looked much more battered now; wings flapping at an uneven pace and staggering a little, but that didn't make its claws less sharp. We can't underestimate it, he thought grimly.

"Clear the way!" Hope shielded his face and eyes from the blast as his Eidolon attacked with the cannon fire, sending shards of rock flying up into the air, shattering the ceiling that blocked the light from above. Sunshine hit the top of his head as the ceiling cracked and the entire place was flooded with light. "Fire!"

The blinding flash of light was followed by the tendrils of black smoke as Hope dropped to the ground, the Eidolon vanishing. He glanced up at the sky and the pristine white clouds that seemed to be such a stark contrast to the littered rock and cracked stone that was down here. A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned around, slightly surprised at the unexpected contact.

"Not bad." Lightning. Up close she still looked exhausted, but he felt the flutter of tiny wings of relief that she wasn't hurt. "Thanks."

He shrugged her hand off, not wanting to admit he was embarrassed at even that slight contact. Light... Their eyes met; quickly looking away, not wanting to betray his emotions to her, he took a deep breath. "Yeah... It was nothing."

Snow slapped him in the back with one hand, the other holding onto a very dusty looking Serah. "Nice one, kid. Too bad you had to rain all that rock down on us..." He stopped when Serah gave him a playful poke.

"Don't be so ungrateful, Snow!" Hope watched as the poke quickly became a pinching war between the two, not sure if he was supposed to feel exasperated or amused. A quiet sigh of frustration from Lightning made him look up at her - she was raking dust out of her cherry coloured hair, and he saw her glance up.

"Light? What's wrong?" The question slipped out before he could stop it - she looked like she was thinking and he knew from experience she hated being distracted while she was thinking. He saw her shoot him a reproachful look, before letting out another sigh.

"Well, we won, right? Where's the way out?" The giggling from several feet away stopped and an eerie silence settled in the place. Blinking through the bright sunlight and stone dust, Hope tried to discern the promised exit, but it was as Lightning had said - he couldn't see one. He heard someone's footsteps crunch through the stone shards scattered on the floor.

Several loud cracks and several minutes later, he heard Snow yell above the sound of the shifting rock. "Hey guys, over here!" Exchanging a dubious glance with Lightning, who shrugged, he followed her and Serah as they made their way over to the sound of Snow's triumphant voice. The big man was standing with an enormous proud grin on his face and Hope could see a dark hole made into the stone barrier. It wasn't the way they had come in, but then again, they wouldn't have needed to go back the way they got in.

"See, Sis? Your hero's got this." The devilish tone of triumph was so blatant Hope didn't think he would be surprised if Lightning punched him.

He heard a disapproving snort by his right shoulder. "Forgive me if I'm not too impressed, Snow. We all know brute force has always been your forte." Brushing by him with another irritated huff, she led the way into the exit; Snow's mouth was open - he'd clearly been trying to think of a comeback.

"H-hey Sis, you're supposed to be impressed-" he spluttered as he squeezed after Serah into the hole. Hope had to hold back an amused giggle - the sight of Snow's bulk trying to fit in a hole in a rock wall that was just only slightly bigger than he was didn't look like it would bode well. He heard Lightning call back from somewhere ahead.

"Problem? Don't tell me you actually expected me to be impressed, Snow. You were the one who tried to Aquastrike that Zinitra - don't you know that Water elementals heal it? Or do you just have really bad memory that you can't remember?"

Stifling a laugh, Hope squeezed into the crevice behind the big man.

At least you sound okay, Light.

Snow stretched his arms as he emerged into the noon sunlight. Rubbing his eyes in the sudden brightness, he glanced around. They were certainly on the other side of the coliseum now, and he could see the smaller causeway that led to the cathedral. And there was no sign of the creeps that they'd met inside the coliseum either.

Pulling his back into a stretch, he patted the back of his bandanna before cracking his knuckles.

"Alright! We got this!" He caught Lightning's eye roll as she crossed her arms, only to move one to press into her temple. Man, Sis looks tired. Maybe we should...

"Snow?" Serah's quiet voice came from beside him and he bent down a little to her level. She pulled one ear of his to her mouth - ignoring the disgusted look from Lightning, he complied happily. "We should rest. I'm worried about Claire." He hugged the top of her head slightly; he knew Serah would suggest it, and quite frankly, he knew they could all use the rest.

"You got it baby, leave this to me." Cracking a slightly evil grin on his face, he approached Lightning, who was observing him with a suspicious look on her face. But even the abrasive expression on her face couldn't hide the evident fatigue: she was even paler than usual and he could see the dark shadows under her eyes.

"Hey Sis, time for a lunch break." He hoped he sounded offhand enough - even he knew directly suggesting she should rest would only earn him a slap and perhaps only a few more insults.

"Really, Snow? Don't play games with me, I know exactly what you're gunning for." Do you, now? She paused for a moment, shooting him another venomous glare. "I'm going to tell you exactly once. Shut up before I make you."

He waggled a finger in her face. "Ah ah, Sis. Try."

She growled in anger, blue eyes darkening with irritation. "You want to bet?" She raised a gloved fist.

Moving away from her first attempt at hitting him, he gripped her hand on the second, before putting on a serious face. "Seriously, Sis, have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You look like a zombie. Get some sleep."

"No."

"Claire... please?"

They broke apart, with her withdrawing her hand as she turned to her sister. Serah, to Snow's everlasting appreciation, was approaching them with the puppy dog eyed expression he knew for a fact worked on Lightning. The only expression that worked on Lightning. He watched, half amused, as she lightly embraced her sister, whispering words he couldn't hear. But it didn't matter - if Serah could get it out of her then he wasn't going to interfere.

Looking away deliberately, he found Hope looking at the sisters with a rapture of interest. Pulling the platinum haired teenager aside, he dragged him down to the water's edge.

"Hey kid, I know Light's your heroine, but leave her alone, okay? Let Serah convince her... and this way she won't get mad at us for embarrassing her." Seeing the doubtful look on Hope's face, Snow let out a confident laugh again. "Trust me, kid, I know what I'm talking about."

The teenager looked down at his shoes. "She's not my heroine," he mumbled indignantly.

"Ha, really? Your face begs to differ." Seeing the slightly angered look on his face, Snow decided, wisely, to stop. "Okay, okay, kid, I'll stop. But why don't we get some food before Sis gets down here to kick my ass for being a jerk?"

The relief in the emerald green eyes was obvious, but Snow wasn't going to press. The kid would figure out just exactly what his relationship with Lightning was on his own and at his own pace - he didn't need to be pressured or influenced. "Okay."

Snow felt a smile stretch his cheeks and he cracked his knuckles again. "Alright! Let's see what we can catch in here. If Sis can get a fish, so can we."

Returning to the main avenue fifteen minutes later with a dripping invertebrate in his hands, Snow spotted the pink hair of Serah on top of another roof. Handing the creature to Hope as he gripped the stone ledges of the wall to climb up, he reached his hand down for the pink creature so the teenager could climb up after him.

"Snow, what the hell is that?" He jerked his head up in surprise; Lightning was sitting with her back against a wall, eying the thing he held in his hands with an expression of utter distrust. Isn't she supposed to be asleep? Shooting a slightly accusatory look at Serah, who looked back at him with an apologetic one, Snow sighed.

"Some sort of seafood?" The attempt at a joke failed miserably - she was looking at him with an expression that all but said Really? He shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Sis, it looks edible though, okay?"

He watched her close her eyes - whether it was from frustration or actual exhaustion he couldn't tell."Just don't make me eat it. I don't trust anything with eight tentacles."

Snow laughed again. "Your call, Sis."

As he and Serah found a way to skewer the pink thing on a metal rod Hope had found lying around and placed it above a fire, he cast a glance back at Lightning, who was now, thankfully, asleep. Her pink bangs fluttered slightly in the breeze, and Snow held back a smile of amusement: even in her sleep he could see she was holding onto her gunblade tightly.

But the woman asleep in front of him looked at least five years younger than the person he'd seen this morning. Stripped of her cold, independent attitude, she didn't look like the stoic soldier she was. He narrowed his eyes, feeling amusement bubble inside him again.

We should really make you sleep more often. You look much more pleasant. Heck, Sis, you actually look friendly when you're not glaring at people.

He heard Serah giggle beside him.

"Claire looks like someone else when she's sleeping, doesn't she?" He rested a hand in her pink hair, twining her ponytail around his thick finger affectionately.

"You read my mind, baby."

She giggled again, a warm, affectionate expression entering her eyes as she looked up at him. "You know," she mused quietly, "I think Claire would have much more people chasing after her if they based their opinion of her on her while she's asleep."

Snow let out a hearty laugh.

"She'll kill you for suggesting that."

There were flames licking her body, but she couldn't feel the heat. In fact, holding her hand over the fire produced no pain, even though she could feel the heat waves pressing against her slender form. Hugging her arms to her, Lightning tried to see where she was, tried to find a way out. But there was only flames and darkness.

Putting one foot in front of the other, she hugged her arms to herself. There was something else here... something she couldn't see but nonetheless who was making its presence known to her. Something nudged her from behind, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, before realizing it was only her Eidolon. The horse nudged her arm again, somehow unharmed in the flames that surrounded them.

"Odin..." She didn't waste any time getting on its back, but even with Odin's fast gallop there was no end to the flames. She tried slicing at the flames with Odin's scythe blades, but the metal simply cut through the flames, leaving them unharmed.

"You're fighting a losing battle there, sweetheart." Fang's voice melted from the darkness, but Lightning couldn't see the grey haired Oerban. "Try seeing things for what they are... instead of fighting."

Lightning woke with a start, and for a moment, she thought she was still caught in her dream that had become reality, before she realized she was looking up at a blood red sky - she assumed it was sunset. Serah was the only one she could see at the moment, sitting with her chin in her hands, humming quietly.

Getting up, her weapon scraped the stone rooftop, making her sister turn around.

"You're up!" Her sister's arms embraced her again; Lightning hesitated before returning the gesture. She pulled back as Serah inspected her with a scrutinizing look. "You look better."

Raking a hand through the wavy pink strands of hair, she shrugged.

"Claire?" Her sister was looking at her with a slightly chiding expression.

She returned the look. "What?"

"Don't wear yourself out like that again, okay? Promise."

Lightning let out a sigh.

It's my job to be worrying about you... not the other way around. You've seen things in the past couple of weeks I would have never want to let you see... and that's my fault. Urgh, Serah, I promised Mom I'd take care of you. She said you'd be able to help me too... But not like this. Not like this.

"Look, Serah..." She paused, unsure of how to continue before what she said lead to another argument. "I know you care... and well, I appreciate it. But... honestly, you should be worrying about yourself. Not me. You've seen so much that you shouldn't have... Urgh."

A sudden pressure on her fingers made her stop. Serah was gripping her hands tightly, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"I knew you'd say stuff like that. But Claire... I don't want to see you getting hurt either. And I know what you mean... I won't pretend that Yangt'zu's death didn't sicken me... I won't pretend I was so scared to see you almost die, but... I care too, okay?" Her sister's fingers traveled up her arms until it turned to an embrace Lightning couldn't back away from.

She returned it, knowing it was what Serah wanted. And strangely... a part of her was glad that Serah didn't blame her... that Serah was okay. And the other still felt guilty about breaking her promise to her mother.

"Hey, Sis, nice to see you're up." Snow's annoying voice broke into their embrace, and she let go of Serah quickly, turning to glare at him. She wanted to slap the grin off his idiotic face, and his Chesire Cat smile only grew wider as he noticed her anger. "Good to see you too, sleepyhead. Never thought you'd be able to sleep eighteen full hours."

What? I slept... Lightning looked at the sky before she noticed the direction of the red glare. East, not west.

She turned an accusatory glare at Snow. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She didn't dare glare at Serah - she knew that it would only serve to make her sister feel guilty. Plus, it felt nice to be mad at Snow for something at the moment, seeing as he had decided to turn up at that particular moment.

"Naw, Sis, you needed some serious sleep. How long had it been since you last slept? Thirty hours? Forty? You're not a machine... contrary to what you might believe."

She glared at him for a few more full heartbeats before looking away angrily. He was right, of course, but there was no way in hell she was going to admit it. Jumping off the rooftop in one fluid motion, she found herself looking into Hope's anxious green eyes as she landed barely a pace away from him

"Hey Light." At least he wasn't grinning at her like some overconfident oaf. She nodded a response as he looked at her with those wiser-than-he-looked green eyes. "You look better."

"You don't say," she muttered under her breath. But somehow, his comment didn't bother her as much as Snow's had. Maybe it was because he felt much more like Serah to her or maybe... she didn't know. Either way, it felt natural to care about him... and for him to care about her. There wasn't really time to dwell on it... she would have to figure out the exact reason why when there wasn't the threat of imminent death hanging over their heads. A small prickle of warmth touched her though, to know that he cared. The same pinprick of warmth turned into one of slight embarrassment when she heard Snow jump down behind her.

She moved forwards; for some reason it made her feel uncomfortable for Snow to see her and Hope in such a close proximity. Setting her clear blue gaze on the avenue that lead to the cathedral's causeway, she began to walk briskly in its direction.

"Let's go."

And wherever the fuck you are, Yorun, you'd better watch it. We weren't prepared last time, and if you think I'm going to be making the same mistakes this time, well, you'll be in for a nice surprise.

Uh huh. Light, your threats are awesome. That being said, expect action in the next chapter or two, ha. We'll finally get to find out exactly what's in the cathedral, and well, I think it's good. *cackles*

And yay, Hope got Alexander! I always found it funny that the smallest kid in the party got the freaking biggest Eidolon that shot cannons at everything - that's pretty cool. And that means there's one Eidolon left to reveal, but Serah won't be getting hers for awhile, sorry. D:

I'll be rather busy for the next two days - work Saturday and Sunday, but I do promise at least one chapter this weekend. (: Anyways, leave love as always in reviews and I'll see you guys next time! 8D

Hearts!