Hey lovelies! Please forgive the length of time; I'm a busy gal.
Because I felt bad for not updating in awhile, I decided to put this chapter into two parts, so I could at least deliver something and not having you thinking I left you all hanging : ) This chapter was a burden to write...I'm not very good at action scenes, but enough! Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favs-seriously they're what made me not give up; I've got responsibilities now! Lol. Special thanks to Avia Jenith; if it wasn't for her awesome review, I probably wouldn't have had the spark to decide how I was going to do this chapter. :D A happy ending is in store! Yay...
So read on sweethearts, forgive the shortness and overlook the mistakes-I'll upload part two as fast as I can.
Lightning's eyes widened; the shore suddenly came into view. "Stop the boat!" she screeched.
"Aw hell," Snow gritted, cutting the engine and yanking the lever up. "Everybody hang—" The propelling rudders buffeted as the skiff went soaring through the air. His coat burst open as Serah clawed her way out.
"Light, don't jump!"
It was already too late—the soldier had leapt out in order to avoid getting thrown out. Having entered the shoreline, an explosion of bright hues flashed—there was a catastrophic crash as the skiff came back down, it ricocheted off the ground and flipped; its passengers being harshly catapulted.
The sky heaved a torrent of sleet, the ravaging wind whipping it into a stinging mixture. Snow shoved himself off the bumpy, uneven ground, not giving his vision time to right itself; doubles of everything flickering back and forth. "Serah," he rasped, stumbling forward. A searing pain shot through his left arm and the shock brought him to his knees. "Argghhh," he grunted. The pain collected in his forearm, bubbling to the surface, bringing a faint blue light. Fuck, what is this…? His head shot up as Serah shrieked.
"Claire!"
What is going on? Slowly, Lightning sunk down to one knee, one hand clutching her chest, the other gripping…bones. Her eyes widened as she realized the ground was covered in bleached carcasses. Her mind was torn from the strange observation as another agonizing shock jolted through her chest.
He lay feebly whimpering on the floor, his thin arms pulled against his chest. "Light," he cried. Hot tears ran down his cheeks. "Light," he cried again, curling into himself.
She tried to keep it down, but the pain brought a ragged cry to her lips; she forced it into a low raging growl instead. Something warm seeped through her fingers, pink tendrils making their way into the atmosphere around her.
Snow tightened his grip on the struggling Serah. "Snow your arm!"
A terrorizing crackle ripped through the heavy gray sky; electricity tingled densely in the air. "Look lightning," Sazh exclaimed, pointing to the sky. A brilliant yellow streak zigzagged its way down to the water; the deafening thunder that came after it was earsplittingly pierced by Lightning's scream.
She couldn't take it anymore. I can't just stand here and do nothing! Serah wrenched herself from her husband and made for her sister. "Claire!"
"Don't touch her!" Snow shouted. But she had already thrown herself onto her. He watched, horrified as another streak of lightning flashed and suddenly bolted right into them—it seemed deflected as the soldier's arm shot out, directing it into the water. She can control the…? His mind struggled to process everything as something blasted from the freezing water.
A colossal, steely blue, winged snake launched from where the atmospheric electricity had struck and flung itself onto shore, rivulets of water streaming from its glistening scales as it reared up, eyeing the two sisters, delivering a hair-raising hiss.
Alerted by a cool presence behind him, Snow turned around, drawing his fists up to fight. Stiria and Nix regarded him reproachfully. "Oh!" Shiva? He looked down at his arm, seeing a blue glow fading from sight; it looked odd without the black mark of the l'cie brand. Not gonna question—let's do it! Mind now in overdrive, he whipped around, pointing a finger at Lightning. "C'mon baby, help her out!"
"My pleasure," Stiria breathed, ghosting forward.
Her head was pounding and she fought to regain her balance as she stumbled to her feet. I need to… Her ears were ringing, everything sounding slightly muffled. Get a grip. She felt charged: her tongue tasted metallic; her naval piercing tingled, sending shivers up her spine. Reality crashed down onto her as everything suddenly became painfully clear. She could see straight, and her ears picked up a thrumming sound; the giant water snake waving its tail back and forth. Oh no…did Serah just? She looked at her sister, her face frozen in fright and awe with her little fists clutched to her chest.
Stiria moved back, beckoning her sister over. "Alright," Snow chuckled—his grin died when the Shiva sisters pointed to the sea creature.
The soldier had barely taken a step before she went down again.
Sazh whipped out his pistols, Brynhildr standing defensively in front of him. The partially frozen rain pelted off her red metal. "Let's get it on," Sazh said, shrugging his shoulders.
Her mouth open in wonder, Serah lifted her hand as red petals gently swirled down. One landed softly in her palm and her fingers slowly closed around it, crushing the delicate scent. Why's it…raining petals? She bent down, stretching out her arm. "Hey Claire, look…" But Lightning was too busy gasping, her hands buried in the quickly accumulating snow.
Snow ducked when he spotted something barreling down from the sky from the corner of his eye. "Serah, watch out! Get back!" What happened next, no one was prepared for.
Another ragged, tormented scream tore from the pink-haired soldier—the ground heaved and trembled. Odin suddenly stood before them, regally impassive.
"Why's it look so painful-" Sazh was interrupted as Lightning sprang to her feet.
She swiveled around; her blue half-crazed eyes fierce with determination. "Snow!" she commanded, resisting the winces as pain rippled through her torso. She pointed to the huge hulking aquatic creature, calmly waiting their fated approach. "Help Serah tame that beast!" She rounded on her eidolon. "And you," she snarled viciously. All the pain I just went through to get you here? All that time wasted withering on the ground like some weak ass grunt? "Better stay here until I'm finished!"
Everything was so loud, there was so much chaos—the air quivered with it, literally. In the moisture-rich air, tiny electric sparks crackled every so often. Please Light…I don't know how much longer…I can hold on… His fever had spiked, increased adrenaline forced his heart to pump faster and he couldn't keep up. Neither could his bruised lungs. The lack of oxygen made his vision swirl and soon he couldn't tell what were sparks and what were the signs of his fading sight.
Fear quickened his steps. Things are about to get so ugly. Kirill jammed the key into the thick door, pushing it open. He paled at the condition Hope was in. He knelt down, pressing his rough hand against the youth's forehead. His pallid skin glistened with sweat; though he was burning up, his gray clammy skin showed no signs of the fever raging within. "C'mon squirt, don't die on me. Hang in there, ya hear?" He looked up at the earthen ceiling. "Listen, I've got to bring you up—these lower levels aren't safe anymore—this whole place's set to collapse."
He slid his arm beneath Hope's back. I've got to be quick about this; Boss sees me, I'm gone. "Mom?" croaked a faint whisper.
"She's coming. Hear all that racket? It sure ain't Boss." Kirill shifted the sick boy into his arms, barely hearing his breathed protests. "Hm? Sorry, I gotta move you—if Mute doesn't kill you, the ceiling would."
She…she won't find me… I have to stay here…I-I won't make it otherwise. But the words never left his lips.
Kirill cursed under his breath when the weight he was carrying abruptly got heavier; Hope's head lolled over his arm. I can't make it right—I never can, not with what I've done. But I can try—would you forgive me for that? A floating spark made itself known and Kirill swerved to avoid it. He didn't really think it was dangerous, but also didn't think he was in the position to find out.
Grunting, he jogged up the crumbling steps; he let out a gargled cry as his shin fractured against a jutting piece of stone. His foot had gone through. "Ah shit…" Arm wobbling with the strain of supporting his upper half, teary-eyed he examined the steps above him. His heart, like lead, seemed to drift down to the bottom of his stomach. The higher they got, the less reinforced the steps were with stone and the rattling of the ominous quakes had loosened the once well-packed earthen steps.
"I'll help your mom up here, got it?" Kirill heaved the teenager onto his back, wincing as pressured was applied to his throbbing shin. Breathing heavily through his nose, he hugged the damp craggy, winding wall and carefully treaded as close to it as he could. His pace was steady even as he heard the agitated howls of Mute.
Water dripped down the side of her face; her hands trembled as she gripped the bright orange coat. He doesn't have a coat…it's cold. Mind eerily blank, she drew out her gunblade and stuffed the coat in the case instead; it didn't quite fit. Wrinkling her mouth into a slight frown, she pulled it out and opted to tie it around her waist. Boots squeaking against the first-floor polished granite, she looked through the bars into the tiny cell, its little misshapen rectangular window allowing the soft hail to blow in.
She didn't even realize her numb fingers were wrapped around the iron bar or how hard they were squeezing. The sounds of terrified screams and commanding shouts; the grating clashes of metal against metal, the sharpness of metal biting into steel ice; the petrifying explosion of rumbling thunder—it was all subdued to her. Knowing that Hope was somewhere within her reach stilled her mind; it was as if she could only think about one thing at a time. And each slow, almost thoughtful, step she took gave her another premeditated reason to kill. By the time she reached the second floor, she was nothing less of a cold-blooded merciless murderess.
Serah watched in fear-saturated awe as the eidolon Odin delivered a crushing blow, quickly pivoting with a seismic strike—the cie'th that had risen from the bleached carcasses dropped like stones. The air reverberate thickly with the great sea snake's distressed roaring; the ground beneath Serah's feet separated and she gave a cry as the bones started falling through and with them, went her. Her blue eyes doubled in size; her hand, already too late, stretching out for anything to grasp.
"SERAH!" Bloody and battered by the elements, Snow charged forward only to be held back by the Shiva sisters. He struggled like a mad man against their cool unyielding grip. "NOOOOOO!"
"Fighting will not work," hissed Nix. Snow could only watch helplessly as the Serah's massive-in-length eidolon suddenly plunged into the hole after her.
Brynhildr crouched down in front of Sazh, letting her wide frame act as a shield as the debris came at them from the rapid burrowing of the creature. Sazh covered his head, squinting. "Snow! Man you got to handle this on your own! You've got Odin the Almighty at your side and your girls—Lightning's by herself!" He slapped his hand against the red metal of his protector. "C'mon Brynhildr, let's tear the ground up." Sazh straightened up, using his hand to shield them from the oncoming hail and headed for higher ground. Wouldn't be any use to go in through the tunnel—I don't doubt Lightning's skills that much. But we can help from above. He pointed to the bluff. "Up we go!" He threw himself onto the slippery rock and tried to scramble up, ignoring the dirt and tiny pebbles that embedded themselves into the cuts on his hands.
Sazh was suddenly scooped up; Brynhildr having had attached the crossbow to her back. Attempting to hold her master delicately, she clattered almost effortlessly up the seaside cliff.
Meanwhile, Serah hurriedly slid down the anaconda-like creature, turning to glance at it once more before running into the arms of her husband. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have fought it—it just wanted to protect you."
The rest of the passageway was dimly lit, but she stood by a hanging lantern in which through its dirty glass, the glow of fire could be seen. From the shadows, Angeal watched the pink-haired woman stroke the little limp bird in her palm. At her feet lay the slashed and mutilated bodies of four of his best men. Despite the bloodied state the four were in, she was spotless. Completely soaked by the ice melting from her, but spotless. They hadn't even managed to nick her. Remarkable… She continued to rub the little thing in her hand; her multi-pronged gunblade leaning against her leg, the hilt resting against her hip.
The sodden creature gave a pitiful chirp and tumbled over to its feet where it nuzzled the soldier's thumb. The legendary Lightning… He caught himself from chuckling. In search of Hope. His eyes shifted over to the door a few feet in front of her. He wondered if she knew.
The chick started cheeping more energetically, bouncing and flapping its wings in the direction of the door. Oh we can't have that. He stepped from the shadows, unable to contain his grin. Her head snapped up and before he could blink, she had shifted into an offensive stance, the gunblade pointing at his throat. The chick was gone. He didn't even see her pick up the weapon, much less aim it in his direction. "How fitting your pseudonym really is."
Her eyes, a cutting blue, narrowed. Her layered wavy pink hair continuously dripping, droplets running down her cheeks, her nose. She really was drenched, her form-fitting clothes outlining her body, her curves… Her bare thighs. Minuscule shivers ran through her. Oh you must be freezing, no doubt about it. The only thing that seemed off was the orange jacket tied around her waist.
Lightning gave a cry of disgust and thrust her gunblade menacingly at him. "Eyes up here, asshole," she ordered sharply. "Tell me where Hope is. Now." She gestured to the strewn bodies around her. "Or you'll end up like your buddies here."
Angeal raised his hands in mock surrender. "Oh they're not my 'buddies'; they work for me—" he hastily took a step back, though not fast enough when the sharp tip of the blade pierced through the soft skin of his throat. He kept his calm, despite the slow warmth that started to roll down his neck and the vinegary taste that started to seep up in the back of his mouth.
Her eyes were blazing; she was so close, he could see the dusted smattering of freckles beneath her eyes and across her nose. Jaw clenched, teeth slightly bared, forced breath—Angeal knew his life rested in the very self-control Lightning was gradually losing. His hand grasped the wall behind him, feeling around. "How about I open the door?" he offered, pleased that his voice didn't waver. His right eye almost twitched at the quick application of pressure before it was suddenly released. He briskly turned around. I'll just have to keep you both locked in here. He pushed the key in and though his hand ached to do it, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of wiping the blood from his neck.
His eyes froze on the empty spot. There was an abrupt click and he swiftly turned around, pulling out his own blade hidden in his cloak just in time to deflect Lightning's. He had no time to think because she came at him again with another rapid attack. "You can't kill me!" He dodged and ducked, grunting as his jaw cracked with her boot. "I die…" he let the blood pour from his mouth. "And your boy does too…" Angeal watched her position her weapon over her head; she looked like a cobra poised to bite.
Those chains, those shackles… Her heart beating frantically against her chest, she fought to control herself. She hadn't taken in consideration that she'd have trouble actually finding him. We don't have time to play games! "Liar, you thought he'd be here! I saw it in your eyes—your eyes that I'll soon gouge out!"
No time to raise eyebrows, Angeal dashed for the metal poles—anything to put a barrier between himself and her rage. "Really, you don't want to waste your time on me!"
He feigned right, but no way was Lightning falling for that. She gave a satisfactory hiss as she knocked the man back.
"Y-your right, I don't know where Hope is, b-but that should concern you," Angeal gasped, clutching his side. He leaned his head back, ignoring the sharp prong against his neck. "Believe it or not—I'm n-not the deadliest threat…t-to your boy," he grinned with blood-stained teeth as the pain intensified. "Touchy subject I've noticed. Forgive me, I…I was under the impression you were like…a mother to him."
Her whole body burned with the desire to thrust the blade forward, but she kept herself in check knowing that he was trying to bait her. "Touchy subject? You bet—you picked the wrong boy to torture. Now," she jerked her gunblade back, the weapon quickly folding in on itself, "talk before my finger slips."
He stared at the gun. "Go ahead kill me, but I'm not the monster Hope's afraid of. And every second you waste on me, you risk never seeing him again." He chuckled. "Though you'll never reach him—they're all out to get you. You know how often he cried for you?"
She fired.
How'd I do? ^-^ I thought Leviathan would be fitting...water and electricity-what a pair! xD Stay tuned; how will Light react when she finally finds Hope? And how in the world will she get him out if the place starts coming down...and not only that, but Mute isn't alone... Maybe Sazh can help! If he can't do it, then surely Alexander can! Leave some love?