Final Fantasy XIII: Slaves of Fate

Mia had quietly followed everyone, unable to take in everything had happened to her now. She froze as she watched Snow fall to the ground, holding a silver heart shaped crystal in his hand. Thinking back to what Snow told her, Mia felt tears in her eyes and shouted, "Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She ran to him and cried, lowering her head. "If I was stronger, you'd still been around. Acting like the hero you kept saying you were! Please, say something, Snow!" It was because of her promise to him, she finally opened her heart.

 

Ryou spoke. "Stop blaming yourself Mia!" He said in a commanding tone and moved his arm around a bit. "And let me tell you this, I don't like my fate being controlled by someone or something else, as Light once said, we all make our fates our own and no-ne going to deter me from that, not even a fal'cie or the chance of becoming a Cie'th!" ryou said as his eyes gave a look of unfaulting determination.

"...I'll fight against that fate you so chosen for me, every step of the way!" he said and breathed deeply, he was going to say something he never thought he'd say in battle. "So all of you, get your butts in gear!" he said and raised his katana and swung it to prove his point.

 

'Forgive me for this one, Snow.' Mia thought as she gently took his bandanna and tied it to her arm, gripping her spear and standing in front of him. "You're right, Ryou. I shouldn't blame myself. I'll protect Snow and create my own fate!" She twirled her spear and pointed it at Jenny, Mia could feel a change in her and smiled. "I almost regret saving you, Jenny, now I know the truth about you."

 

Akira dropped to her knees crying. Snow had fallen, what kind of salvation did they have without Snow's cheerful words. Her entire body felt cold as she stared at him. "He's dead! Oh god!"

Lightning was still snarling at Jenny even as she spoke to Akira and whoever else was still grieving. "Get up!""But Lightning.." Lightning's words turned harsh, "NO, GET UP! We stand and fight no matter what happens. We can't allow even one thing like a friend falling in battle to let ourselves fall to our knees and cry. If we'd all done that, then Cocoon and Pulse would be destroyed and you would have never been born. He's not dead! I'm going to get his crystal back, with or without you. I won't let this creature who poses as a human to destroy all our faith! So get up and fight!" Even with tears in Light's eyes, she fought them back. She would not cry while she was in battle.

 

Ryou gave a small smile at Light's words. "Well then Light! You got me behind you, let's tear that crystal from her hands!" He said and ran towards Jenny, katana raised as he went to swipe at her but if she countered, he ha dan idea as he gathered Aero magic in his hand, ready to use it to back away from her before the attack.

 

Mia wasn't sure how to use her Light magic, so she gripped her spear and stood next to Lighting. "I'm with you all the way, Lighting! We'll wake up the hero and save Cocoon and Pulse! All right, you monster, I'm coming at you with all my strength! If the rest of you are up to this fighting, then save your tears until the end!" She smiled, feeling as Snow had rubbed off on her. She ran up and attacked Jenny, swinging her spear.

 

Shinryu readied his lance to thrust straight downward and impale his target. To attack a fal'Cie, he's sure to get obliterated, but it doesn't matter to him. If he had never become a l'Cie and took the form of a dragon, he would've died centuries ago if not longer. As he landed into the stone floor, Shinryu deeply impaled his weapon into it, narrowly missing both Jenny, Lightning, and the others. From there, he stood up and threw off Omega's coat. He might have underestimated how cold it was in this elevation, as he's only wearing old, ragged clothes, but he could deal with it. The boy grabbed his spear and pulled it out of the floor, swinging it overhead and into his battle stance. For a moment, he glanced over his shoulder at Lightning and the others before refocusing onto Jenny until a familiar voice called out.

"Grr..." he snarled. Omega took a bit of offense to Lightning's words, since he isn't human himself. "A 'creature who poses as a human,' you say?" Omega called out from his hiding spot, carefully not letting his anger be released with his words. His brand lightly glowed as his eyes once again became an unnaturally cold blue. "Tell me, Lightning, would that include me as well?" he continued. The recently crystallized arm resonated with strong magical power in preparation for anything to come. Already knowing their strength, he figured that was all he needed.

 

Mya shook the anger out of her. She's right. We'll save Snow! We have to! She switched to her Synergist Paridigram and casted Haste on all of her friends.

 

OOC: Not going to lie, Lightning's speech and everyone's subsequent post hyped me up
BIC:

Leo looked around. His back was with Grey's, but he was surrounded by mist. Freyja was nowhere to be seen. Outside, the battle raged on and loudly at that. "That's it!" He yelled as he decided it was time to take a chance. Whatever was happening with Snow was driving him crazy. "Fire! Sparkstrike!" He yelled as his left hand shot a fireball straight. Simultenously, he dove forward, his gunblade vibrating and streaming electricity. He spun around as he did it, spiraling through the air. The technique was sloppy, but it was an impulsive defensive and offensive technique. The Fire spell was intended to hit anything in his way, either to defeat an opponent or alert him something was there. His spinning sparkstrike gave him a small cloak of electricity and protected him as he spun. He only did one cycle as he landed outside of the mist. He ran forward, forgetting about Grey. "Snow!" He yelled, stopping in his tracks. He felt his eyes tear up when he saw Snow on the ground. Leo wasn't as motivated as the others, having not heard Lightning's speech.
​

"Tsk," Cid clicked his tongue as he stood up. It was finally time. He stood in place and laid his eyes on Snow. Nothing else was on his mind. He knew none of their attacks would even land on Jenny, let alone hurt her. In fact, a calming feeling soon reached him. It took Cid a second, but he realized it was an invisible barrier. His leader was protecting him.




Snow laid in place. He wasn't dead. In fact, he was breathing. Barely, but breathing enough to be alive. "M.." he mumbled something, but didn't have the strength to finish it. Without his bandanna, the top of his blonde hair was visible to all.



"Die? Why would I do that to my precious tools?" Jenny asked the l'Cie. She didn't flinch at any attack. She was beyond a fal'Cie. No attack could reach her. Any attack would simply be deflected by the invisible and unbreakable barrier around her; only a flash of pink upon each attack indicated a barrier was in place. She put the same barrier around Cid. Freyja was taking part in the battle, but Cid was simply standing there, waiting for his destiny to embrace Snow's. The blonde l'Cie's crystal was still in her hand. Suddenly, a strange feeling reached her. The boy who had attacked her, she didn't recognize him. She could sense something similar to a l'Cie, but he wasn't that. Omega...she thought, having noted that boy's energy arrived with her Crystal l'Cie's. No matter, her plan was in motion. "Snow...embrace your demise for it is much more than that!" She yelled as she held his crystal in the air. It started to glow as she continued, "A demise, a reward, an accomplishment, a damnation, all in one. Thus is the true nature of fulfilling a Focus!" She aimed the crystal at Snow as it started to shrink into her skin, disappearing. "However, this is much more than a Focus, it is beyond destiny. Your Focus is still in place, Snow, now fulfill it!" She yelled the last words with utmost glee, the kind of glee a sadistic predator has when his prey falls into the perfect trap. "Snow, your time has come! But your Focus is incomplete! Become the tool you were meant to be!"



Snow's body started to float off the ground, higher and higher. It stopped after reaching about ten feet. Serah, Lightning, Mia, Leo. Four name ran through his head quickly before the first repeated itself. It's not over. I'm the hero... His skin started to peel off rapidly as it turned to glass. His arms slowly moved to his forehead, his wrists crossing over his forehead and culminating in fists. His body turned so it was standing, albeit still in the air, but his eyes were still closed. His knees bent as Snow's body took a defensive position. Suddenly, his clothes evaporated into light as water erupted from his feet. The water quickly crystallized. The crystal around his feet grew. The crystal around his left foot stretched into his right foot while two streams of crystal stretched out from his left foot. The two streams spiraled around to Snow's back before meeting. The crystal streams culminated in an explosion of crystal behind the naked Snow's head. Then his entire body became crystal. Snow's face was expressionless and his eyes were closed. His lips parted once, whispering "I'm the hero," before merging again. Snow ceased to speak, think, and, in a sense, live. Snow was now crystal. It was as if he had fulfilled a Focus. The Crystal hero floated down and back, towards Jenny.

"SNOW!!" Leo yelled with the most anguish his body could muster in his voice. He ran forward towards Snow, but his mentor was quickly floating away.
​

 

Lightning felt a flash of pain throughout her heart as she watched, helpless, as Snow turned to crystal. "SNOW! NO! You can't take him!" Lightning forgot her speech, and her reason to be stoic. She ran after his floating crystal, her hand outstretched to grab him.

Akira watched Lightning run after Snow and felt the urge to run after her. Snow was a crystal. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. Everything went blurry.

 

OOC: A lot of people seemed to think that, Terra. lol
I just somehow knew it wasn't though.. although I didn't predict that of all things.
Anyway, here comes some more hyping up speech.

~

"Dammit! Snow!" Jaden yelled out..
He should have known that he could do nothing against Jenny... that it wasn't his or anyone else's fault about what had just happened to Snow. Yet, Jaden's normal carefree attitude vanished in an instant. He couldn't believe what had just happened.
He heard Snow's last words before the crystal transformation was complete.
"...You are the hero.. Buddy." he told the crystal weakly.
...Jaden just knew he couldn't stand still under such circumstances... keep moving. That's what he had to do or he would go crazy.
He turned and glared at Jenny. "You! ...You think we are your tools?
How wrong you are...
The tomorrow we're trying to grab for ourselves is not the tomorrow you set up for us; its the tomorrow that we will create! A tomorrow that we will choose out of all the infinite possibilities! We'll fight our way through and protect Gran Pulse and Cocoon!--we'll stop the Crystal L'cie too!
Snow wouldn't give up now! And neither will I!" he yelled out at her and at the sky... and at everyone in general on the tower.
That's right... this was one of the rare time's he was dead serious. The anger showed in his voice and his words had power behind them.
He truly believed them, and he wanted everyone else to believe them too.
"Mark my words, These blades will cut open a hole in our fate! And that hole will be a path for those behind us!" he shouted as his two blades became coated in even hotter and windier attacks. The flames rising up higher and burning more furiously, the wind blowing much stronger and wilder than before, it felt like his brand had started burning agin in a new intensity, but he just ignored it. Letting this boost in power take over.
Fira-strike and Aerora-strike.
"We'll get Snow back no matter what! Even if we have to kill you! Then revive you just so we can kill you again until you do it!" he yelled as he charged at Jenny again.

 

"Jenny!!!!!!!" Mia shouted angrily, jumping into the air. She gripped her spear and began to fall, toward Jenny. She thought to herself, 'We will bring you back, Snow. I'll give you your bandanna and thank you for your promise. I will become stronger and help everyone. I will.....................' She brought her spear above her head and brought it downward as she fell to attack Jenny.

 

OOC: Its been soooo long since I posted but ive been around I just couldnt think of anything to add so im just gonna say that Noah's injuries overcame him and he was unconcious.

Noah's eyes fluttered and opened slowly, he picked his head up and looked around it seemed much had changed since his nap. A quick glance showed that everyone was still alive and well, except for the eccentric man everyone looked up to as a leader, he seemed to be nothing more than a crystal statue. Also, there was a new face, another young boy like him, although something felt off about him. Noah noticed everyone focusing on a figure not far from them, it was jenny, she had come back! Everyone seemed to be angry with her though, to Noah's confusion.

Noah picked himself up and started to walk slowly towards the action, pain shot all through out his body but he ignored it. He opened his mouth to speak up and make himself known, directing his first question at anyone who would oblige him with an answer, and then turning to Jenny, "Hey, what happened?" Jenny, you came back, but, why are all these people mad at you? What happened to the guy with the bandana?" pain pulsed through his head once he finished speaking and his hand raced to grab it and hold on like it was falling off. He didn't want to intrude but he needed some answers.

 

Omega walked out into view and past everyone to get to Snow. On the way there, he noticed the kid he almost vaporized the head off was still alive and walking towards the group. When he reached Snow he stood next to Lightning and looked on with her at Snow's current state. Everything's starting to go to hell. If she could turn Snow to crystal, what's stopping her to do the same with Lightning? He had to get everyone out, even by force if situation called for it. "Run," he whispered to Lightning, "Take everyone and get out of here."

Shinryu looked at Omega as he went past. It looked like he was up to something, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. Then Jaden's movements caught his eye along with Mia's. Seeing everyone else's attacks bounce off from before, he deemed any others a waste of energy. With a quick decision, he blocked Jaden off with his lance before he could actually land a blow. There was nothing he could do about Mia, though, as she was already in the air when he was doing this.

 

Ryou's eyes widened in shock as he heard everyone and Snow's last words. "..." He gathered his Aero magic within him but he built it up, winds blowing furiously as Ryou felt his arm feel in pain perhaps from the force of bringing out the magical energies all in one push as it became bigger, his hair dancing from the wind.

"Get out of the way, all of you, I don't know what will happen if I let this go." He said, his tone sounding enraged as he stared at Jenny, making eye contact with the woman. "You call us tools but but tools can harm you if you're not careful, everything's unpredictable when using them, I refuseto be your damn tool, your slave or whatever the hell you call us, Snow is a man who I respected and he had something to fight for and you care little for his efforts?" He felt the pain hightened as Ryou didn't focus on it.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect those I care about, I'll even take Snow's damn place or take on his mission to find that person he searches for until I become a Cie'th, My Focus will be kicking your ass and saving my comrades." He said and he swung his arm letting the Aero be released as the wind sphere rapidly closed in on jenny and Ryou clucthed his arm, it felt like he shoved it in a fireplace still burning.

 

Jaden was feeling too overwhelmed by this build up in power that he himself was feeling.
He completely ignored Shinryu as he knocked him aside, not losing any speed. "MOVE IT CANNONFODDER!" he yelled.
"She's gonna get what she deserves!" he roared as he closed in on Jenny, aiming his overpowered Fira and Aerora-strikes at Jenny.

 

Lightning froze when she heard Omega's whispered word of run. She couldn't abandon her friend. The one man who cared for her sister, who made her happy and put her before everything else. Light thought this situation was turning out almost like the first in the beginning of their first journey. Instead Hope, Vanille, and Sazh weren't here. And Snow was the crystal instead of Serah. "Snow...." she whispered, feeling all the motivation he'd given her over the years disappear. The old hate replaced it. Fight. Something inside of her whispered to her. Fight. In battle there was no room to feel your emotions, to worry, to be distracted meant you would die. She desperately needed to fight.

 

"This is not a battle that you can win or even walk away from when it's over. Don't fight because you feel the need to fight or else you'll end up like me: A living weapon," Omega continued, "Look around you: one of them is almost dying from major blood loss due to a head injury, another is trying to stop everyone else from wasting their energy fighting an impenetrable barrier, not the fal'Cie or god or whatever she is inside it. It almost reminds me of those times in my dream with Snow and Barthandelus...anyway, the ones fighting are fighting not only because they're enraged but also because they don't know what to do, no doubt you're feeling the same right now. You're their leader now, Claire. Guide them with a clear mind. My advice to you is to get them all out of here so that they can calm down and assess the situation rationally, but it's your decision in the end. Leave Snow to me. I know a place to keep his crystal safe. Ask Titan about it in The Faultwarrens." He turned to have a look at battle, seeing Shinryu getting pushed out of the way and was waiting to see him retaliate. "One more thing: Doesn't the new kid look nearly exactly like Hope when you last saw him?" he mentioned.

 

Light flicked her eyes away from Snow's crystal to their new comrade, now that he mentioned it....he kind of did. "Hope.... Lightning closed her eyes for a second, trying to think rationally. Although it was odd why Omega was helping them, he had a point. She didn't turn to look at him when she spoke to him, "How do I know I can trust what you say? How can I know Snow will be safe where you take him." Her blue eyes had turned icy. She already knew Omega was right. Fighting whatever Jenny was now would be their demise. She needed them to get away from her and keep them away from her until they could find a way to kill her.