Hearts in Chaos--chapter 13The Long Days of WinterLightning woke up the next morning and croaked when she tried to groan. Surprised, she sat up and turned her focus inward, examining her throat. The phlegm had returned, jamming up her esophagus partway down; she cleared her throat, finally having to empty it out entirely just to be able to breathe. Her joints ached slightly and her forehead felt a bit warm while her fingers felt cool. Trying not to be concerned, she climbed out of bed and put on her uniform, tossing her nightclothes on the unmade bed. Her chocobo was on the floor; she picked it up and set it on the pillows, right side up, where it could gaze at the wall with its button eyes.Noting it was only six-thirty, she then went to the bathroom, which, mercifully, was empty, and finished washing up within fifteen minutes. When she came back out, Caius was there at the bar as usual, looking more awake than she felt, and nodded a greeting.“Morning,” she said, t
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 12Cocoon and PulseAutumn transformed into winter. Serah began to visibly develop, gaining a swollen belly as the baby continued to grow inside her. Snow, still scrambling to help Rygdea coordinate with the pillar settlement and several other places, including what remained of settlements on Cocoon, grew frustrated with his inability to spend time with her and his child. Serah continually assured him everything would be fine, even as she began to look into a position at the upcoming women’s security regiment. Rygdea brought up the idea of a militia that had jurisdiction in every area, but each branch would function independently, meaning that they would simply be homogenous within their structure but not necessarily to the outside observer.Then he dropped the news on Snow that, yes, there would be an official New Bodhum Security Regiment that would ultimately report to the central government but operate under the growing
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 11Windows to the SoulThe days passed slowly, autumn fading into winter, time feeling as though it were crawling along. The NORA household grew quiet as the only inhabitants became Serah, Snow, and Lightning, plus the calico feline Snow and the occasional neighborhood cat looking to play with her. With the weather regularly unpleasant, there were very few visitors to the household otherwise. Rain regularly swept the beach. Caius often secluded himself in the inn, becoming very quiet whenever Snow did see him, and for a while Lightning didn’t bother him. This went on for a week or two, and generally Caius turned up once a day as usual, though he didn’t say much. Rather, he seemed to be thinking, and Snow had to wonder what about.Nearly three months after he and Serah had gotten married, he noticed his wife suddenly being much quieter than before, though he sensed it was not in a bad way. In addition to the stringy mu
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 10Promised EternityFor the first month since the founding of the provisional government, things went smoothly. It had yet to have an official name, but as far as organization went, everything was going fairly well. The settlement at the base of the pillar continued to grow every day. The security regiments grew bigger, and when Rygdea showed off intelligence reports at the morning meeting, Caius saw images of the pillar settlement bristling with construction equipment, indicating explosive growth as the Gran Elevator grew closer to completion. At first, the stated goals of the new government were widely accepted: unifying the Pulse and Cocoon people, stabilizing society, and building a new future in the wilds of Pulse. No one said anything about it.A week after Caius had made the deal with Lightning to someday have their “talk”, the first incident of this new arrangement occurred and caused a stir. Living in the sh
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 9ReconciliationWhen Lightning reached out, she found a thread connecting her heart to Caius’s, and if she felt along that thread, she found the tangled emotions that radiated off him like the flares of the sun.The days of autumn passed quickly now that Serah and Snow had made their commitment official. The first few days were spent trying to get used to the arrangement as well as the legalities that came with it. The NORA house bounced around into different hands for a while before Snow put his foot down and said the house would belong to him, his sister-in-law, and their little family. Everyone else had to move out, and for good reason: the two hoped to have children, and there needed to be places for them to sleep when they grew older. Lebreau left first, but she had already had her eye on a little beach shack someone had been trying to sell for months, so she picked it up with the agreement she could still run the ba
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 8UnificationThe Academy, at this point, was a nearly-finished brick building frowning over a small section of New Bodhum, tucked away toward the foothills of the mountains. Its façade was quite strict, large windows reflecting the morning light and the pale sheen of a moon as it hung in the sky. The atrium where the Foundation met was in the center of the great building, built with materials collected or created from Pulse’s many natural resources, with a single desk of questionable quality and chairs all around it – folding chairs, lawn chairs, camping chairs, wooden chairs, metal chairs, and stools were what the Foundation sat on this morning.Rygdea, the more-or-less de facto head of the group, stood at the east end of the table and leaned on it, looking uncomfortable with his position of power. Snow sat at the west end, with Bartholomew and Hope in the middle on the north side and the NORA members on the south side. Sazh and Dajh betwe
Quick Mind Story - Caius and SerahIt was just already too much for him. He couldn't bear all the sadness inside him. He couldn't stop thinking."I am so sorry..." His eyes are just looking on the ground with tears slowly falling down from them."For what?" Asked Serah, looking at Caius."I think... I think I killed Lightning for sure. There is no way back. She's gone.""What? And why would especially you cry for that?""That's something you shouldn't really care about." He tried to wipe out his tears and look elsewhere, but Serah grabbed his arm."You loved her, didn't you? Etro forced you to do this, no? There must be some way how to get out of here. We can change time
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 7The Changing SeasonsThe next morning, an hour or so before sunrise, Snow got up before everyone else, careful not to disturb Serah as she slept. As he slipped out, he thought about what Lightning would say if she caught the two of them sleeping in the same room, even if they were in separate beds and several feet apart. There just wasn’t room anywhere else – Maqui and Yuj slept in their garage, while Gadot had a friend he stayed with on the other side of the cliff, and Lebreau usually stole the sofa unless someone invited her to stay with them. Unless everyone slept in the spacious master bedroom, it was more practicality than anything.He couldn’t imagine Lightning being too happy about her sister sleeping in a room with a man, whether they were in the same bed or not.He came out to the front lobby to find it empty and the front door still locked closed. Yawning, he unlocked it and slid it open, letting in the dim morning sunshi
Final Fantasy XIII - Guardian and SeeressGuardian and Seeress—Warning—CONTAINS POTENTIAL AND ABSOLUTE SPOILERS!Paddra Nsu Yeul Caius Ballad"You're not alone." Yuel turned around, and gave a smile, her entire face lighting up. "I know. I have you with me, Caius," she said. It was hard for Caius to smile back, but he managed it, and it made Yeul happy. That's what mattered, wasn't it? Or was it to free her from this fate, of being reborn over and over? He couldn't take it anymore, watching her just begin her life, and then it was gone. For her to keep dying, because she was forced to see visions of the future. Etro's gift was Yeul's curse. As Yeul tur
How it FeelsHow it FeelsYeul watched Caius from their little makeshift campsite outside of the great city of Academia. He stood on a small hill staring towards the city as if he were waiting for someone. Yeul hugged her knees closer to her chest and glanced up at the orange colored evening sky.The fading light of day reminded her of herself. The setting sun was just like her dying life. Beautiful, bright but gone in an instant.As much as she wanted to say it didn’t bother her and that she had willingly accepted her fate, a part of her dreaded and hated her short life. Hated the Goddess for giving her the eyes of Etro slowly poisoning her youn
Final Fantasy Seven Minutes in Heaven Caius “You get to go next, because I like your shirt. Simple as that.” Yuffie ran up to you and dragged you back to the middle of the room. “I really hope you get someone cool and not lame.” She grabbed the hat and held it out for you. “Good luck.”“Why thank you Yuffie, that's sweet.” You felt around inside the full hat for your item, finally choosing small round objects that felt like they were tied together by a string. After lifting it from the hat you saw it was just that, beads, on a thick string. “This is, interesting.”“You find beads, interesting. I find that depre
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 6-------------Promise Keeper“What?”“I know. Too weird.”It was the next morning in the NORA residence, a morning clear, bright, and beautiful except for a few storm clouds drifting in from the ocean – storm clouds that fit the mood all too well. In the center room of the house stood Serah and a man she’d only gotten to know since Cocoon fell, Rygdea. The two looked at each other, Serah bewildered as well as shocked, Rygdea uncomfortable and anxious.“But why?” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Why would anyone… do that?”“What’s going on?” a third voi
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 5-------------Failed PromisesThe next morning, Lightning came out to find breakfast laid out and Serah already gone for work.Sitting on the couch and using the coffee table as the breakfast table, she forced herself to slowly eat the big plate of scrambled eggs, so fresh the yolks were orange and the whites perfectly clear, combined with crisped hash browns, fresh Pulsian fruit cut by her sister’s skilled (and patient) hand, and a crunchy vegetable with a thick brown skin she carefully ate the meat out of. She then deposited the plate and utensils in the sink, rinsed them, washed them, and stacked them, started to head out the front
Hearts in Chaos--chapter 4----------Can’t Help ItAs the morning sun rose up above the horizon to set the sky ablaze, Caius headed into the NORA house, not liking the prospect of facing Lightning today. After their brief argument the previous day, he wasn’t sure she would even want to look at him. At least it was cooler inside, the temperature noticeably lower; as usual, he sat down at the bar and looked around. Lebreau tended the bar and looked sidelong at him as she mixed something. Serah was nowhere in sight, and neither was Lightning, or anyone else for that matter besides the bartender.“Hey, you,” she greeted him.He leaned on the coun
Xanadu, Part 2Caius x Lightning | Set 5-8 of 26 | Not even the alien nature of Valhalla can hide every secret, even those buried for centuries...---------EmotionHe let his emotions take over for once. Instead of fighting, he pleaded with her to kiss him. When she boldly pressed her lips to his, he wanted to cry. This was what he had long desired. Over a thousand years of loneliness – had it been worth it? Had it all been leading up to this explosive moment, this kiss that threatened to blow him away?She tried to pull back almost immediately; he felt her body shaking, likely from terror. To steady her, he dropped his sword and slung both arms a
Contest: Future GazerCaius x Lightning | Minor spoilers for XIII-2-------------Future Gazer“You wandered off again, didn’t you?”The Guardian in question halted in the entrance to the practical but lovingly-decorated hut sitting in the center of the settlement. It was nearing nightfall, the sky turning a bronze hue touched with wine reds, the breeze slow, soft, and warm. He stood a moment longer to let that breeze whisk past him, bringing with it the fresh scent of grass, trees, wet soil, and chocobos – not entirely unpleasant smells.Three hundred years, and he hadn’t grown tired of those scents yet.“My apologies.&rdqu
Divisions of Time--Finale----------Fabula Nova CrystallisSerah blinked and looked around in shock at vast plains covered in waving green grass, the sky gold and pink as the sun began to set, the city of Academia smaller and shorter than it had been but a second ago. In the sky, the form of the Eidolon swooped down, and when it hit the ground, the very human form of Caius Ballad greeted her instead, on his face an unreadable expression. Silhouetted against the sky was Cocoon, though she dare not look long, smaller, with many of the crystals missing but the pillar very much intact. Standing and staring up at it with an expression of awe was Noel, about thirty feet aw
Divisions of Time--Chapter 21--------------March of the DreadnoughtsThe two men heard it at the same time, repeated two more times before it was abruptly cut off. The guard scrambled to intercept the invasion; Nomin looked down at Caius as they stared at each other – Caius bleeding from a few cuts all over his torso, Nomin still mad with a blood-thirst."We'll finish this later," he snapped.Caius glared at him as he ran off toward the scout's whistle. He struggled to get up; Lightning hurried to his side and helped him."I hope you're ready for this invasion force," he told her bitterly. "It will be unpleasant."She squeezed his good shoulder. "Stand your ground.
Divisions of Time--chapter 20---------What You Leave BehindThe morning dawned oddly clear and bright for such an ominous time. Lightning, tired from the festivities of the previous night, slept until sunrise – which, in this cleft where the city resided, was when the sun rose over the cliffs to warm the place. As she woke slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, awareness crept into her. Memories of the previous night and the seeress's grim words came back to her. She sat up in bed, rubbing her arms, bringing back the memory of Caius's warm and willing embrace.That tore open a fresh wound and made her cringe.She kicked back the sheets and climbed out of bed, hurryi
Divisions of Time--chapter 19-----------End of the Season"I don't know about this. Doesn't feel right.""Then you're obviously not used to wearing something so nice." The seamstress spoke around the pins clamped in her teeth, face contorted into an expression of complete concentration. The whole time Lightning had been fitted into her new outfit, the seamstress, Kaya, had been somewhat short-tempered. Now she worked with quick, skilled hands, tucking and pinning and quickly basting when needed. Lightning stood with the floor-length mirror at her back and a curtained window to her left. Outside, the sunset faded fast. The sounds of the festival wafted in on the breeze
Divisions of Time--chapter 18-----------The Sky KingThe hospital was peaceful this late at night – nearly midnight, if the quiet was any indication. Lightning sat patiently as the physician examined her behind a curtain separating her and Caius. "You're fine," he said at last. "Some minor bruising, a couple of claw wounds, but nothing too bad. Should be fine in a couple days." He patted the gauze he'd put in place on her shoulder and instructed her to put her shirt back on. As she did, he went into the other room and talked quietly to Caius and the nurse in there.Lightning made sure she was modest before saying, "Mind if I come in?""Oh, sure," the physician said.
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