Chapter Ten: Back on Task

"You have rid me of the horrid monster Ultros," the Arbiter of Time said, relief clear in his voice. Soon after Lightning and Caius had defeated Ultros and his companion Typhon, the Arbiter of Time reappeared in his current spot: the center of the Coliseum. "I cannot thank you enough for the work you have done."

"Our pleasure," Caius said with a slight smirk. And Lightning found herself agreeing. It had been such a great pleasure to take out Ultros after all the disgusting flirting he did. Nobody would dare speak to them lightly in the future, that was for sure. If the two of them could defeat two monsters who were strong enough to cross the paths of time on their own, then they stood a fair chance against anyone, even the goddess herself.

"I have thought of one way that I can repay you for your services," the man continued to Lightning and Caius. "I cannot have you training in my arena; it would be open treason against the goddess Etro. But I am willing to send you to any time that you want to go to so long as the goddess has not cut it off from you."

Wow. That was a better offer than Lightning had been expecting. Not that she really knew what to expect in the first place, but still. "We'll need to talk it over before we come to you with your decision," she said.

"As you wish."

The Arbiter of Time disappeared from his spot quite suddenly to give Lightning and Caius some privacy. She looked over at him, speaking her thoughts first. "Do you realize what this means?" she asked without waiting for a response. "He might even be able to take us to Valhalla. We won't have to jump along the timeline anymore and wonder where we're going…"

"He would only be able to do that if the goddess did not block us from going there," Caius agreed. "But Lightning…I do not think we are yet prepared for this battle."

"Really?" she asked in surprised. "Why, do you think we're not strong enough?" It made sense; they had only fought together in this battle. The rest they sort of split off and one person ended up defeating the enemy. But Caius's shaking of his head proved that those weren't his thoughts.

"It is not our strength that I doubt," Caius stated. "It is the strength of this world. Recall how in the beginning of this, we said that Etro would need to be faced on two fronts: in her world and in this world. Before we face her in Valhalla, we must ensure the safety of this world. Or she may have won before we even arrive there."

"Okay, so where should we go in this world to protect it?"

"There are a few eras that I think could be in danger, but we've been falling into those eras naturally thus far."

"You're talking about the dragons, aren't you?" When Lightning and Caius jumped through time the first time, they arrived in New Bodhum and faced the Dawn Dragon. And then the next time, they landed in the time of the Ice Dragon. That was the last dragon they faced, because after that, Lightning purposely had another desire in creating the rifts. They lost sight of the goal of protecting her friends after a while, but now it seemed like it was time to get back on task and protect them. From there they could face whatever other threats were scattered throughout time.

"Yes," Caius responded, confirming her suspicions. "We're attracted to those dangerous eras because your desire to keep your friends safe includes Fang and Vanille, who are trapped in the crystal pillar. That is why we've gone to the ages of dragons, or so I believe. But in the case of protecting those in Academia, I do not believe we will simply stray into that time."

"We need to go to an age around 400 AF and get weapons above all else," Lightning figured. "Just returning to 500 AF won't do any good." As badly as she wanted to go and just see her friends, she knew that she had to focus on fighting the war above all else. Getting back to 500 AF wasn't guaranteed since they were just jumping around time; in fact, it was going to be nearly impossible because—"Wait a second," she said suddenly. "You said before that we can't visit times where are friends are, but the first place we went was 500 AF. How does that work?"

"Easy. 500 AF was the period of time where Valhalla first appeared because that was where Noel and Serah returned to," he explained. "The timeline has always been the most unstable there. So Etro could not deny us passage."

"Okay, that makes sense," she agreed, fortunate for Caius's knowledge and ability to explain things clearly. "So there's still a chance that we can get there in the future. But as for getting close to 400 AF and getting weapons, this is our only chance. We need to take it."

"Agreed."

"Alright, we're ready," Lightning called to the Arbiter of Time.

The man instantly reappeared in the center of the area. "So, 405 AF?" he assumed. Obviously he overheard their conversation. What was the point of him leaving then? Never mind it, Lightning thought. She nodded her response. 405 AF, Academia was their destination.

"405 AF, Academia," Caius added. "You can guarantee that we can go there?"

"Yes," the Arbiter of Time said with a nod. "I am certain this time is not kept out of your access. Though I don't know why, since the goddess knows your plans…"

"Does that mean it's a trap?"

"Not likely," Caius said lowly. "It means that the goddess does not believe we can make a difference."

"Hmph," she hummed, a smile of bitterness spreading on her lips. "Guess we'll need to prove her wrong."Challenge accepted, Etro. You're going down.

"That we will," he agreed before shifting his attention to the Arbiter of Time again. "Now, if you could be so kind…"

"I do not operate using the rifts as you do," the figure stated. "I can teleport you both there instantaneously without using the Historia Crux. This is the gift that I have. The two of you need to be in close proximity for me to be able to do this."

Lightning and Caius, though allies in battle and on better terms with each other now, gave each other wary glances before standing right beside each other. Half a foot still separated them from each other.

"Perhaps I was not clear enough," the Arbiter of Time said apathetically. "You two must hold hands."

Are you kidding? Lightning thought as she rolled her eyes. But then she changed her mind. Whatever. Let's just get this done. And Caius, having the same thought process as her, reached for her hand the same time that she reached for his. The grasped each other's hand and stared down at them for a brief moment before they both looked up at the man who ordered this.

"Alright, you are ready," he declared. "Do not release each other."

As soon as the Arbiter of Time said this, Lightning felt off balance on her feet as the area began to blur. She felt like she was swaying and that she would fall down onto the ground, but then she realized that was just it: there was no ground. She tightened her grasp on Caius's hand automatically, as if he had a better stance than she did. But he was just as unbalanced as she.

Still, within a few seconds, the blurriness began to clear. Instead of silence, noise started entering her ears. The sounds of a city, where tons of people were walking around like they would any other day. Footsteps started growing louder and so did the soft breeze that always blew through the city because of the cars flying way above their heads.

And then the area itself became as clear as the sounds. They were standing in the middle of the city, facing the Academy's Headquarters building. The city wasn't as big as it had been in 500 AF, but it was still impressive to look at.

"Don't move!"

Lightning grunted, turning her head and suddenly seeing Academy soldiers surrounding her and Caius in a circle. With guns lifted and the safety's off. "Great," she mumbled automatically. They made an entrance and now the army saw them as a threat. Who wouldn't? Normal people didn't just show up out of the blue.

"Who are you?" asked the apparent head of the soldiers. The only reason that Lightning could tell was because of a star that he wore on the shoulder of his standard Academy outfit. And the fact that he spoke, obviously. "How did you just appear here?"

"We come in peace," Caius said. "Lower your weapons."

"You're in no position to be telling us what to do," the man said. He lowered his gaze to their hands, which were still grasping each other's. "Release each other."

Lightning and Caius both looked down, and upon seeing that they were still holding onto each other, released at the same time without hesitation. "Now," the Academy soldier continued. "Unless you can provide some proof of identity, we're taking you to Headquarters as prisoners. And do not think you can escape us; our guns can outmatch swords any day."

Not my sword, Lightning thought, glaring at the man. You have no clue what wars we've fought in. You have no idea how strong we are. Still, she didn't want a fight. "I'm a friend of Director Estheim."

"Yeah," the man chuckled. "You and every other girl in Academia. If that's the best that you can come up with, then I'm afraid talking here is pointless."

The soldiers came in closer to take them away. "I am!" she said defensively, still glaring at the head man. "My name is Lightning. I'm a time traveler like Hope. We fought together before Cocoon stood on its crystal pillar."

Everyone stopped advancing. Even the leader seemed at a loss for words. "That's a strong story," he managed. "Can you back it up?"

"How?"

"Give me information that only somebody travelling with Hope would know."

Um…She glanced down at the ground, trying to think of something. Hope Estheim was an incredibly famous man. Wasn't his whole life documented somewhere by now? What information could she offer that was unique? "We travelled with four others: Fang, Vanille, Snow Villiers, and Sazh Katzroy."

"Anywho who read a history book could know that," he scoffed.

"The place that five of us joined for the first time was in the chamber of Anima."

"We all know about Anima making everyone l'cie. Saying that you met there could be coincidence."

Lightning scoffed in frustration, lifting a hand to her face. There was no satisfying this guy. She didn't know what type of information he was looking for! "I know where the brands were on everyone," she stated.

"As do most people."

"Come on!" she mumbled in frustration. What information wasn't public? They didn't try to keep any secrets back then, or apparently afterward. Everyone wanted to know exactly what happened after Cocoon fell, so everyone was informed about how the Fal'Cie really were raising them to be destroyed. None of the details of their adventure were secret; only maybe…personal secrets. "Do you know the real name of Lightning?" she asked softly.

Finally, the head's expression changed to one that was more receptive. "It's classified information," he declared. "If you can tell us that, then you check out."

She curled her hands into fists, staring down at the ground while all the gazes were on her. She hated repeating this name. She hadn't said it for years herself. And now she had to say it like a password? Still, she was Lightning now, not Claire. And Lightning did whatever she needed to in order to complete her goal. "Claire," she finally said. "My name was Claire Farron."

"So it's true," the chief gasped. All at once, he and his men lowered their guns. "Lightning disappeared out of history after the fall of Cocoon. Director Estheim spent a lot of resources looking for you, and now here you are, five years after the director went into a deep slumber to travel to the future."

"I'm aware," she nodded. "I've jumped through time to do something for Hope from the future."

"Let's discuss this in headquarters," he said. "Then I can help serve you best. I'm sorry for the harsh introduction, by the way. My name is Steven."

"It's fine," Lightning said, extending a hand to shake Steven's outstretched one. "People don't often just show up out of nowhere."

"Very true," Steven said with a small smile, shaking Lightning's hand before withdrawing. "Well then, follow me. Whatever Director Estheim has in mind, I'm sure that it's not a light matter."

"No it's not," Caius agreed, speaking for the first time in a while as they started towards headquarters. I'm surprised they didn't ask him for his name, Lightning thought as she glanced over at him. But she supposed that as long as he was with her, then he would be fine. Funny how Lightning was a celebrity. Even 400 years after her work in saving Cocoon, she was still remembered and studied in history. Though she didn't care what people thought of her, she was curious.

"I can't believe that I'm meeting you," Steven said after a minute or two of walking. "The Lightning. You're thoroughly mentioned in Director Estheim's biography. Apparently you had a real hand in shaping him into the find man that he is today. It's an honor to meet you."

"Thanks," Lightning said simply. But she couldn't take credit for Hope turning out the way that he was. Her other friends helped raise him as well after his mother died. He really looked up to Snow too; they became like brothers. And Fang and Vanille like his older sisters. Then there was Sazh…He wasn't quite a father figure; he wasn't old enough to be anyone's father. He was more of a comical uncle. But no matter what, Lightning wasn't responsible for Hope turning out so great. She even messed him up for a while, getting him to focus on revenge and all that. He turned out alright despite that. Better than alright.

As they entered the main headquarters, Steven took them to his private office. It was only the three of them, so they had plenty of privacy. "So," he said as he took a seat. "What brings you to this year, Lightning and friend?" He arched a brow faintly at Caius, wondering his name.

"We're keeping his name secret," Lightning found herself saying. "Along with a lot of other details. The last thing we want is to create a paradox."

"Right, of course," Steven agreed.

"We met with Hope in the year 500," Caius said. "And we request that you work on manufacturing weapons at a higher rate than you originally intended."

"More weapons?"

"And don't let it take away from the New Cocoon project," Lightning added. "Do not change anything about that." If they did, it could be devastating for the future. They needed the new Cocoon to rise on schedule, but they also needed the weapons to defend it. Extracting the weapons from this time would alter the future, because then the future's weapons would have nothing to develop from. It was complicated, but it made sense in her mind. As much as they could, they needed to stick to what history was meant to be.

"Why do we need more weapons? Are we in danger?"

"We can't tell you that information," Caius stated.

"But if you're requesting weapons, that must be the case. What strikes us in the future? Is it that mysterious villain that Mr. Estheim never revealed much about?"

Ha, you're talking about the man standing right in front of your desk, Lightning thought as she glanced over at him. Ironic. "No, it's not about him," she said. "All that you need to worry about is making more weapons. Nothing more. Keep your new world project on time and build weapons."

Steven stared down at his desk for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. But what choice did he have? He would either choose to obey their order or he wouldn't. Getting more information wasn't an option. "…Alright," he finally agreed. "Do we need to do any specialization in weapons? Start researching to fight a specific enemy."

"No," Caius said quickly. Confused, Lightning looked over at him. Why couldn't they get a head start on it? And then she understood; disclosing that information would tell Steven they were against the goddess. He couldn't know that. Nobody could. "Leave it to your director. He'll do what he needs to do."

"Okay."

"Thanks," Lightning said with a nod. "Good luck." She turned and walked out, with Caius following behind her. It was an abrupt exit, but she didn't care at all. First off, long goodbyes were never her things. Secondly, there was no more reason for them to be here, so it was time that they moved on to wherever the rifts of time took them. And those were the only two reason that Lightning needed to make her exit.

As she and Caius exited the building and walked through the city, he couldn't help but comment on that farewell. "You like to take charge, don't you?" he asked, though it wasn't a real question. The answer was obvious.

"Yes," she said evenly. "I do. Is that a problem, Caius?"

"No need to get defensive," he stated with a "hmph". "I was simply pointing out that you are the one who is calling nearly all the shots on this journey of ours. You decide when to say goodbye to people, where to go-"

"Well, if you want to be more involved, you'll need to speak up sooner. I'm not one to stand idly and wait for somebody else to take charge. You want control, you need to take it."

"Why is this topic so important to you, Lightning?" Caius asked as he looked over and studied her. "I haven't done anything to provoke you, yet you are snippy with me."

"You partially did provoke me, actually," she said honestly without looking over. "The other day when you called me a slave. I'm proving you wrong now; slaves don't have control of things. I do."

"You're still thinking on that?" he inquired in surprise.

"I brought it up, didn't I?"

"Lightning, stop."

Though Lightning hated obeying orders, she stopped walking because Caius had. It wasn't like she could leave without him, so she would indulge him right now and listen to whatever it was he had to say. Knowing him, it was probably something biting and hurtful. Or at least, intended to be hurtful. He couldn't truly wound her heart because he wasn't in her heart. She told herself that, anyway.

Caius studied Lightning from his spot a few feet away, his eyes locking onto hers when he spoke. "I was wrong to antagonize you back at the Bresha Ruins," he said calmly. "You were manipulated in the past because you were strong, not because you were weak. I apologize for all that I said."

Lightning was shocked to say the least. Caius Ballad not only admitted that he was wrong about something; he also apologized. Maybe he wasn't as arrogant as he appeared to be at first glance. He had reason to be arrogant in battle, but she figured he had a superiority complex and believed he was above being wrong. "…I think I've misjudged you, Caius," she said after a few moments. "I thought that almost everything you'd say to me would be to antagonize me."

"It was in the beginning," he confessed. "I feared you would become too soft if I didn't keep that anger burning within you. Now I see that your strength isn't just physical. You're intelligent and determined. I know that whether I antagonize you or not, you will have the same passion for this battle."

"Got that right," she agreed.

"So I've decided not to antagonize you anymore," Caius declared. "I've appreciated being civil with you since New Paddra and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"So would I," Lightning said with a nod. She and Caius hadn't gotten into any arguments since the one that she just brought up. She hadn't even noticed the peace that settled between the two of them and how much she appreciated it until she looked back at the times when Caius purposely angered her. But if he was going to change to be more sincere, then Lightning would be less guarded and stop analyzing everything he said for insults.

"Alright then," Caius said as he started forward, past Lightning.

She hummed in amusement, though she followed behind. "Taking charge, I see."

Caius smirked. "I can't allow you to have all the pleasure."

"Fair enough." She would have asked him if he wanted to have the pleasure of creating the rifts, but she knew there was a reason she was creating them. Caius wasn't able to yet. His greatest desire was not to save the future, not even for the sake of avenging Yeul. His greatest desire was still to bring her back from the dead. No rift could grant that desire.

Whether Caius admitted or not—whether they discussed it or not, Lightning knew the truth. Caius had a big heart. And it was full of grief. As long as that was the case, he wouldn't be able to create a rift that could take them places like Lightning could.

The two of them walked for a long time since the city was so big. They walked and walked until they finally reached the outskirts of the city, where they could disappear without creating a scene like they did when they entered this era.

"So now we want to go to whichever eras are in danger," Lightning assumed. Not to go to 500 AF to check on Hope and the others.

"Right," Caius agreed. "The future can worry about itself. "

"Will Hope even know what to do with the weapons?" she wondered aloud. "The 500 AF we visited didn't have those weapons. That means we created a new future…one where we didn't meet with Hope and tell him that Etro is evil."

"Hope's memory, along with everyone else's, should still stand," he assured her. "They have had direct contact with us. Because of what we once were—nearly god and goddess—our influence should help them retain the memories of when we visited. So they will know what to do about the weapons and fighting Etro. We can depend on them."

At Caius's tone, she looked over at him. "It's nice to have people to depend on, isn't it?" she asked. She was able to hear in his tone that he did appreciate it, even if he was all alone for a long time. He had Yeuls with him, but he was fighting a war all by himself. No allies he could count on. Lightning couldn't imagine experiencing that; she always had at least one other person she could count on even if she didn't often trust people. That was something she was truly fortunate for.

Caius looked over and met Lightning's eyes. "Yes," he said honestly. "It is."

Lightning held Caius's gaze for a few moments, knowing that he was being truthful and sincere. And she appreciated it. But after a few moments, she did tear her gaze away and shut her eyes. Her greatest desire—protecting her friends—in mind, she created a rift in time. She and Caius disappeared into that rift and moved onto their next destination. The next time they would save.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Sorry this chapter is late! I was on vacation this week and have been busy ever since I got home. But here's the chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it. (:

Let me just say how SHOCKED I was to come home from vacation and see all the reviews. It was crazy! You guys make me feel so special, so thank you so much for your ramblings, analyses, compliments, and faithful reviewing. I'm also making a shout out to all my foreign followers! Thanks for trying your best to review; you guys do speak English very well. (: You all rock!

On another note, if you want a personal response to your review at anytime, feel free to request it; sometimes I don't respond directly to each review because I can't think of too much to say. That doesn't mean I don't care, because I really REALLY do.

Hana-chan98: Yup, Ultros is really that weird. xD I played his original game (FFVI) and he was really flirtatious and awkward. He was so fun to write!

Saph34: the characters ended up in 500 AF because that's where they were at the end of the game except for Snow. Noel went back to 500 AF with Serah, Hope jumped forward to that time to raise Bhunivelze, and Sazh was also there in that time assisting in the final battle. Snow I just had jump there to be with the rest of the crew since he's able to travel the timeline on Shiva.

MaroonAngel of Darkness: "I really want to see a picture of Light riding Chaos Bahamut now xD." Hey, me too! Any of my readers out there artists? I believe some fanart is in order!

That's it for tonight. Everyone have a great day/evening/whatever it is where you live!

Peanut out.