Final Fantasy XIII: Slaves of Fate

"Naivete and innocence. Such is the mind of youth."
Leo grabbed Akira's arm and shook his head. "No...not your fault," he said, his voice almost a whisper and trembling. "Lightning is...well, she's Lightning." He felt his eyes sting hard. "Ryo...and the rest of Oerba...they're gone. Just....gone."

​

As long as I have a want. I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.

Cid's face was stone as he looked at Grey, taking in what he just said. Then, without warning, he burst into hearty laughter. "Ha! I like you, kid. You're one damn riot." He smiled and patted Grey on the back. "But I have my own Focus. And it's not destroy Cocoon. So tell me, what are you planning to do?"

 

Akira felt her eyes burn and she flung herself on Leo, holding onto his clothes tightly and let years of sorrow spill out of her. Somehow none of it seemed as bad as being abandoned by Lightning and having no idea what to do for their Focus.

Lightning sighed and waved the Moogle away, "Hey...I have a job for you. Take this...to Leo. If he doesn't understand, make him understand what I'm trying to say. The boy is relatively bright, he should get it." She handed the little creature her survival knife she got from Serah on her 20th birthday. Survive Leo...that is your Focus for now. I'll be back soon and if you've turned Cieth I'll just have to beat some sense back into you. Lightning reached the elevator to Cocoon within a few days. It would take a while for the moogle to reach Leo and the others, but while she was here she might as well find out the real reason behind everything. Setting her icy blue eyes on the Sanctum, Light stepped inside and waited as she rose in silence. That boy...the one running the Guardian Corps now....he's related to Grey. I wonder...

 

"Naivete and innocence. Such is the mind of youth."
Earlier that day, Leo would have blushed and wouldn't know how to react if Akira did what she just did. But now? Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her and let his own tears spill out. The day's events rapidly played out over and over in his head. They all had asked to be Lightning's and Snow's apprentices in order to fight the Crystal l'Cie...but he never imagined this would happen. "We need to move..." he whispered. He looked up at Byron, but said nothing to him specifically. "Before the Crystal l'Cie try something else...or before the Calvary finds us again. We need to get out of the crossfire...we need to recover." As he said it, he squeezed Akira. It wasn't that he was trying to squeeze her specifically, but his body was simply tensing beyond what he thought it could. He felt as if he was knocked down, his body would shatter upon impact.

​

 

Without pausing, Byron approached Mya and placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly, attempting to be comforting.
"I won't let that be all there is." he said simply. And it was the truth... from a certain point of view.

 

"Tch... Nahah. No way Leo. We can't keep running. We gotta turn and fight!" Jaden slammed his fist into his side, turning his head to hide his face which was nearly unleashing tears that he wouldn't let flow. "I don't run away, and I don't quit god dammit!" His fist was clenched tighter, his knuckles white from the effort. "I'm going to find those guys... and I'm going to end this before anyone else can die." he said lowly as he began to take several paces in the other direction.

"Oh what do we know? We do have a smart tool after all." Linegia snidely commented from next to Cid. "Nice speech, although be warned, I'll be watching you." she warned him, after all... she didn't trust anyone but Cid and Jenny.

 

While in the middle of a courtyard of frozen flames, Omega remembered to ask Shinryu something. "That kid. What was his name?" He waited for a response, but didn't get one. "So he dies nameless, then."

Shin thought about Ryou. Sure he didn't know him for very long but at least he still remembers how he...

Wait, did he look like that? I don't...know? Who is he? I feel like I-

"What is it now?" Omega complained, "Are you feeling like you're forgetting someone? It's a natural effect for those who get erased. They are gone from existence. It's like they were never born." He turned his back on him before quickly thinking, Like saying that's ever going to help. "Hey, don't worry about it. This happens to everyone who came in contact with them. The rate of decay depends on how much a person knew them or how many memories they've shared together; the more a person knows, the slower it goes but will eventually be forgotten completely. That could be in a year or five decades for all I know. I'm sure that whoever you're 'talking' about had plenty of people like that. But for people like us who only knew them briefly? They'll be gone in a matter of hours or less. Now stop thinking about it and pick up the pace. I have to get Blood Sword and Masamune before we go back." He continued on, not looking back at the boy.

 

OOC: Just gotten the motive to post again, I read from my last post and onwards so I kno what's happened, Everyone escaped while Light heads to Cocoon, Aerith got Alexander, dunno if I'm allowed to post but if I can, i'll just say Ryou slipped away in the fighting.

 

POOC: Hey Webhead, can you repost my character banner? It keeps saying its a wrong link.

BIC: Mya looked up at Byron and nodded, regaining her senses. You're right. Just like Leo said, we need to move on. We don't want to lose another member.

 

Ryou barely managed to escape from the mayhem that occured as he coughed a bit, his clothes were all but dirty and clutching onto the unsheathed nodachi, the others escaped while Mia summoned her EIdolon, Leo even had one, Lighting had ridden in the opposite direction upon Odin, so he was all alone for now, Team Oerba as Jaden nicknamed them were scattered.

"That's what you get for almost a all-war out with the enemy." He thought with perhaps sarscam, Oerba was no more leaving nowhere to return to and with the I'Cie clock ticking evermore, it wouldn't surprise him if he became a Cie'th, something no one in their right state of mind would want as he pulled himself up against any surface that was available for him to lean back upon, he had such a hectic day, knocking on death's door literally with a point blank Ruinga, Snow becoming crystal Becoming a I'Cie, Oerba's destruction and finally this. "...It's like your whole world is turned upside down." he thought to himself before he decided to consider his options since no-one was around to lead.

"Either track them down, stay here to get killed or head off on my own." He pondered on these choices, he wouldn't be able to catch up with the Eidolon's speed so that was out of the question, if he stayed here, most likely a monster will consider him supper and being alone, that wasn't good odds so that left him with heading for the nearest town that was available to him. "There's the I'Cie brand to consider..." He thought and touched a hand upon where it was on his upper left arm, covered by what he wore, the Argent knew the faces of I'Cie so it wouldn't surprise him if it was easy to track down a I'Cie alone.

"What would Light do in this situation? Or even Snow?" He thought once again back to the times when it was just training in Oerba, Snow was as Light plainly said "Thinks he's everyone's best friend." and Ryou did appericrate Snow's way of thinking and his talk of being a hero, but he could sense Snow wanted to see someone with a fiery determination, Light's sister, Serah. Light and Snow never made much talk about family but just mentioned her name once or twice, Light did say it was a present from Serah.

"I wonder what this Serah looks like?" His thoughts trailing off from the predicament he was in, he never asked them what she was like due to respecting their privacy, perhaps if he met Light or Snow again, he'll ask them before hsi thought turned to his Nodachi firmly gripped in his hand. "Heroes of Oerba..." He thought before liking that name, just like Fang and Vanille as he forced himself to stand up.

"I'm not giving up, I swore I would fight this fate placed upon me and I'll be damned if I just let it go." He'd thought with determination and resolve, for now, he'll head to the next town if he could find one and so, he begun to walk despite his state of dirtiness.

 

Akira held onto Leo tightly, her intention wasn't for attention or even pity. She just really didn't know what to do or how to feel. "N-no...Leo's right Jaden. We need to recover. Sh-should we go after Light? Or...head our own way and try to figure out what our Focus is?"

Lightning closed her eyes as she waited to reach Cocoon. Time passes...so much slower for me. I won't change...I haven't changed. Serah is still my top priority. I promised Fang and Vanille I'd protect our family. And I will. She touched her forehead and sighed, "The Calvery..."

The Moogle, carrying a glittering knife, zoomed around monsters and pushed itself to move faster towards it's goal. Spotting a group of people it added a burst of speed to it's little wings, "KUPOOOOOOOOOOO!" It slammed into the face of a boy who was walking away from the others. Falling to the ground the little Moogle rubbed it's red nose, "Kupo..."

 

Ryou wasn't focusing on the road before him at all...well there wasn't one to begin with. "Wonder if the others think I'm dead?" He thought to himself, he didn't want to worry them so much but he had no choice, they were so far away from him he couldn't catch up with them, well if it were a chocobo, that'll be different story entirely and wild chocobos aren't exactly the riding types.

"Just keep moving forward." He said to himself as if things were going to be all right, if their Focus was all the same, he'd no doubt return with the people he knew.

 

Jaden turned around to face Akira. "I can't just run away though.." he sighed and then turned around to start walking again just before something collided hard with his face, making him fall over from the surprise and the thing land next to him. "Yikes! ...ouch, what the? Kupo? A Moogle?" he looked at the little creature next to him and picked the poor thing up. "Calm down little guy. What's the ru-" but then Jaden noticed what the Moogle had been holding. "Hey Leo! ...catch. I think it's a message from Lightning." and he lightly tossed the folded up knife over to Leo, he then stood himself up too, letting go of the Moogle and allowing it to hover next to him.

 

Akira blinked in surprise at the knife suddenly flying through the air towards Leo and Jaden's words. "A message...from Light?"

The little Moogle hovered around Jaden and poked a tiny what appeared to be a minature gunblade at Jaden, "Did you just call me little, kupo?! I mean, I know I'm small but...kupo that's rude! I have a name, kupo. It's Mogryo, kupo. Now...you should call me by my name instead of 'little guy' or I'll stick you with this, KUU-PEH!" Mogryo brandished his little gunblade around, cutting off a lock of Jaden's hair.

 

"Mogryo? thanks, that lock of hair was annoying me... kept getting in my eye." Jaden laughed, and then looked a little sad again.
sheesh... today is a rollercoaster of emotions eh? This is so not my style.. he sighed.
"So, Mogryo? Sorry about uh... the little thing, and thanks for bringing that? but uh... what's the story? You saw the old lady?"

 

Shinryu reassured himself. No. I'm sure I haven't forgotten him. I can still see him clearly. There's just no name to place him with.

"Ah, there you are!" Omega exclaimed upon finding Blood Sword in the ruins of the battlefield he was previously in. All the dirt flew off of the blade with one swing, held in place due to the still air. "Still gives off that deep crimson shine even in the darkest of places. One more to go. I hope you still remember how to take down dragons. And don't confuse them with those devolved wyverns. What am I talking about, you have the Dragoon Lance. It was made to kill dragons."

 

Mogryo sheathed the tiny gunblade. "I dunno about old, kupo, but she said she was on a mission that was really important and she thought the group of kids she left behind would feel lost and disfunctional...well, kupo, her words were lost and useless like a lump of idiots. She wanted you all to survive, kupo." He flicked his little furry ears and brushed off the small red jacket he wore. "So are we going to go someplace interesting with good stuff or what, kupo?"

 

Oerba was nothing but land now, and since much of it was infertile due to snow, no plant life..The citizens were not here, Oerba was mostly empty to begin with but this..It was like Gran Pulse sucked it dry."If I find who did this..they are dead."He said, clenching his gloved fists. What could he do now? There was nothing here, not even evidence of anyone destroying the town, he would have seen debris."It's like the buildings got up and left.."

 

Jaden listened to Mogryo's account of Lightning's words. ...He had still been tempted to leave, but.. "Heh... well, if that's how the old lady wants it. Then I guess you guys will be stuck with me after all." he told them, resigning his decision to leave and kick some Crystal L'cie ass.
"Besides, I can always go and kick their butts later, and heck. We're Team Oerba. We're gonna go save the world right?" he told them, adding enthusiasm into his voice to try and pick them up too.
Ryou... would be mad if I went off like this anyway.
He walked up to the others and patted Akira on the shoulder while she was being held by Leo. Nearly everyone here were his friends, he'd grown up with them. "It's alright. I'm not going to let anyone else die. Any trouble that comes our way, I'll just cut right through it and make a path for those who'll follow." He clenched a fist and looked at the others with a serious tone to his eyes but a big grin on his face. "We won't lose."







~

"Slow yourself down, tool." Linegia said to Grey. "You'll encounter her again when the time comes. When she is ready."
Lin! I'm bored!
She ignored the voice inside her head. "More importantly." she looked to Cid. "What is our next move? And beyond that... what should we do about Omega?"

 

OOC: @Heartless_angel, for some reason, a few of the graphics I made (Mya's and SNow's for instance) aren't loading completely. I can't figure out why. I'll have to reupload them later (They're on a flash drive) to photobucket and then I'll post it again.
BIC:

"Naivete and innocence. Such is the mind of youth."
Leo continued to hold on to Akira, though he freed one arm to catch the knife Jaden had tossed at him. "Lightning's survival knife," he whispered softly, realizing that there was a message in the object alone. "That's it. That's what we do," he said as he let go of Akira and took a step back to open the knife. "We survive," he looked at Jaden, then Akira, then the others, even the newcomers. "Lightning is on her own mission, whatever that is. If she still has a Focus, I'm sure it's not the same as ours," He wasn't the most experienced when it came to giving pep talks, but he was trying, "We're all in this together, and even though we lost Snow, Grey, Light, and...even Ryou," he looked down and wiped his eyes, "We still have each other. And these guys," he motioned to the newcomers, Angel, Ren, and Byron (whom he made a mental note to ask something later), "Not to mention Mogryo and, even Belias." At the last name, he touched his chest, where his brand was exposed. "So I say that we survive, we regroup and recover, then we take the fight to the Crystal l'Cie. Who gives a damn what our Focus is?! History says Lightning and Snow and their friends defied their Focus and saved Cocoon. I say history repeats itself! So I say we survive and make sure the Crystal l'Cie don't!" He reached into his shirt and pulled out his Gunblade and raised it to the air. "Now who's with me?!"

​

As long as I have a want. I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.

Cid scowled. "First of all, it's Jenova. Not Jenny. Jenny's just...a host." He then turned his scowl into a grin. "But you're on your own there, kid. You think she has the time to waste on insignificant tools like us? You're happily mistaken," he looked at Lin. "She's probably off pulling some strings somewhere. So I suggest you think of a way to destroy Cocoon yourself."