Final Fantasy XIII: Cursed Past

Chapter 30 of my Final Fantasy XIII story, the Action Arc begins, enjoy.

Reviews

Miya: Thanks, yeah, I like those sweet moments, Yup there are and he does, Sazh's boss will be revealed by the end of the next chapter.

TheWarrior12: Well wait no longer, the Action Arc has begun, thanks glad you are enjoying it, I always do my best with my stories :)

The Light to all Fears: Thanks, yeah, Noel was there with a purpose, there might not be a chance as, due to circumstances, explained in this chapter Lightning spends the Action Arc in soldier mode.

resistance123: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well the action's about to pick up :)

Jlbean: Well, there you go, he does, better make your predictions fast as Sazh's boss is revealed in the next chapter.

HarleyMarston-117: Thanks, glad you are enjoying it, yes they will meet again, he was initially there on Caius' orders but over time really did become friends with the group.

Beloved Nightmare Union: Don't be, Noel was just really good at keeping the connection secret. Actually she's wearing a tankini which offers more coverage, so only the edge of the l'Cie mark would have been visible and the tankini is black, same coulour as the amrk it was was camouflaged. Actually they do, their fates are going to be different this time, just wait and see:)

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII belongs to Square Enix.

Chapter 30: Secrets Unveiled

Friday 4 March 3 APW, Lightning was getting ready to go to school. Serah had spent the night at Snow's and they were going to go together, she would be driving by herself. She didn't mind because she knew that Hope would be waiting for her. As she got ready however her phone rang, she picked it up, it was Cid.

"Cid, what's going on?" She asked, confused, Cid's voice sounded urgent as he replied, "Lightning, I need to speak with you, it's important, sorry, but you're going to have to give school a miss today."

Lightning sighed, "Okay, I'm ready so…"

"Meet me outside," With that Cid hung up, Lightning also hung up and headed outside, sure enough the limo was there, she quickly climbed in and it drove off.

She looked over at Cid who was sitting tense in his usual seat.

"Cid, what's wrong?"

Cid sighed and then made a shocking revelation.

"On the 11th last month Rygdea was able to sneak into Dysley's headquarters. He was spotted and injured and only recovered two hours ago." Cid paused for a moment, "He saw the two shadowy figures that are leading PSICOM for Dysley, they stepped out of the shadow and he saw their real faces, but he can't believe what he saw."

"Which was?" Lightning asked, a strange feeling of dread overtaking her.

"They've been resurrected, Grand General Yaag Rosch and High Inquisitor Jihl Nabaat."

Lightning froze, unable to believe it.

Lightning stared in disbelief as the dark memories came again, not only was Yaag Rosch reborn, but so too was her hated enemy Jihl Nabaat. The woman who had been responsible for the brutal torture she had endured, worse still, she didn't order it but she condoned her men raping Lightning, each and every time, if Nabaat saw the horrific act she raised no objection. Her mind was racing, what was she going to do, how exactly was Dysley involved with those two, were they manipulating him the same way they had manipulated Primarch Malum? Something told her that Dysley wasn't being manipulated which made things even worse, who was he really if he was able to bring the dead back to life, especially after she had done to Jihl herself during the final battle.

"Stop the car!" She suddenly burst out, shocking Cid and the driver, "Lightning?"

"Stop the damn car."

Cid nodded and the driver stopped the car, Lightning suddenly opened the door and leapt out.

"Lightning, where are you going?" Cid called after her but she ignored him and ran.

She ran all the way back home, hurried up to her room and pulled the case containing her Blazefire Sabre out; she hurriedly flicked through the combination lock and opened it. She grabbed her weapon and its belt and strapped it on; she then hurried out of the house and took to the back alleys, knowing she wouldn't be found there.

She was still standing in the alleyway; she had pulled out her sword and was holding it in front of, one of the last things that belonged to her Father. When she had joined the Guardian Corps it had been her most treasured possession along with the other item she had taken with her, a Survival Knife that had been the last gift from her Father before he died, it was an indication that he wanted her to follow in his footsteps and become a soldier. Although she was certain he never thought she would join the way she did. She closed her eyes as she remembered that time.

Seven year old Lightning stood, clutching her Father's sword and the Survival Knife. She had just requested to join the Guardian Corps but had been refused on account of her age; she glared at the man who was in charge of the recruiting.

"PSICOM killed my parents," She burst out savagely with more anger than anyone expected from a seven year old girl, "I don't care what you say, I'm joining one way or another, I'm getting revenge for my parents, you're not gonna stop me!"

The man sighed and shook his head, "It's not as simple as that Miss, you're too young, I'm sorry but…"

"You've got spirit and great potential," Another voice spoke up; Lightning spun around and gazed in amazement at the warrior that stood before her.

Lightning blinked back the tears that welled up in her eyes, that had been the first time she had met Caius Ballad. Despite protests from the recruiter Caius immediately allowed her to join his squad, which she noticed consisted mainly of people from all different ages, at least a fifth of whom were around her age. Caius had explained to her that he only recruited those who were worthy to wield his gift and that, despite their age they were all the greatest soldiers in the Guardian Corps. He then proceeded to unlock her magic, branding her with his seal, just like the others, the tattoo she had. Throughout the years she fought with Caius and his 'Dragon Division' and spent most of her free time training with him, especially on training trips to Pulse. Over time, despite still burning for revenge she no longer felt alone, Caius became a Father figure to her and was always there to offer words of encouragement and kindness.

'Then he left, after the war was over,' She thought sadly, 'And I was broken, until I met Hope…I've gotta do this, so that at least, Hope won't have to suffer the same horror I did.'

With her mind made up she found that she had automatically walked to her destination, the train station. She walked up to the ticket booth.

"Yes ma'am, how can I help?" The woman behind the counter said with a friendly smile, Lightning hesitated only briefly before replying, "One ticket, to Eden."

She paid and got her ticket and boarded the train, heading for Eden, where she knew right now Dysley, Nabaat and Rosch were lurking, plotting their next move.

The group stood at school, confused, Lightning was late, she normally would have arrived by now, they had tried calling her but she hadn't picked up her phone, Hope was frantic with worry. The NORA crew were already at class, since the last time they were late they had ended up getting detention and grounded by their parents. Just then Fang's phone rang, she checked it, the caller ID was Cid.

"Just a sec, I gotta take this," She said before walking away to answer. Unbeknownst to her Noel had indicated to the others that they should listen in, although Hope and Vanille were reluctant they agreed and they moved closer.

Fang sighed and answered her phone, "Cid, what's the big emergency?" Knowing that that would be the only reason Cid called her during school hours.

"Fang, Lightning has gone missing." Fang paused, "Missing?"

Cid sighed and then explained, "I told what Rygdea had found out about PSICOM, she headed home, grabbed her weapon and then just disappeared, I fear she's gone to attack them."

"On her own?"

"Yes," Cid replied, "You know what we have to do, you also know how to do it, I'm counting on you."

"Got it, don't worry." With that she hung up.

She sighed and turned around only to find the others all staring at her.

"Fang?" Vanille looked at her questioningly; Noel shook his head, "Think it's time everybody knew the truth now?"

Fang groaned and then finally made up her mind, "Okay, it is time you guys knew the whole story, time you knew about what's going on…But this isn't the place, sorry fellas but we're gonna miss school today."

The others indicated that they didn't care and so they all drove off, heading for Sazh's diner.

'Forgive me Lightning,' Fang thought to herself, 'I've gotta tell them, everything.'

End of chapter, next up Lightning's past and her role in the war is finally revealed. hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.