Final Fantasy XIII: The Beginning

MuKuan's Diner, one of the most popular restaurants in Palumpolum. Today was an especially busy day, most of the tables were full and some of the usuals were spending time at the bar, conversing and waiting for what they had come for. A girl was walking out of the kitchen with trays of dumplings in hand, her hair tied into ponytails like her sister's, though her hair was nowhere close to hers lengthwise. She also wore her white uniform as well as her pink apron that she loved.*

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One of the men noticed her walking out and smiled. "Hey, Melody!" he shouted happily, obviously a little tipsy already. "Where's that pretty sister of yours?!"
Melody rolled her eyes at the question, not at all surprised, however. "She's in the back," she answered with a sympathetic smile. "I think you've had enough to drink though, Mr. Estrium." The man chuckled, his friends joining in as Melody went to serve a table, shaking her head. It was only a moment before the kitchen door sung back open and the girl the men had been waiting for had made her appearance. Her hair was tied into two long ponytails, her long black ribbon entangled in her hair. She wore a tight white dress that *came down halfway covering her thigh and long white boots that reached over her knees.*

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The men began to whistle and cheer as the girl walked around the bar and lean on it, looking to the boys with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Heard you boys were looking for me?" she asked with a chuckle. "Well, of course, honey!" the one man cheered. The girl rolled her eyes. "I told you, my name is Belle," she told him. "And does your wife know you're here?" The man chuckled. "Of course, but what do you say if I take you home with me tonight? Hmm?" Belle smiled kindly to the man. "Maybe when I'm a few years older, and you're a few years younger. Now, I have some tables to serve, boys." Belle patted the man on the head as she walked away, the other man laughing at Mr. Estrium's expense.*Belle laughed as she walked toward her table, her little sister Melody walking by her. "Flirt," Melody teased. "Pays the the rent, doesn't it?" Belle joked before taking her table's order.*

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Belle opened the back door of the restaurant, a bag of garbage in her hand as she looked back into the restaurant. "No dancing on the table, Mr. Estrium!" she hollered sternly. She sighed as she closed the door and walked over to the garbage cans. It was chilly, especially in the attire she was currently in. It was for her and her sister though, and that was enough for her. Maybe after they made enough money, they could finally move back to Bodhum, maybe even get their old house back. Just maybe...

There was the clatter of footsteps all around; above, behind her, down the alley. What was happening? Who was there? How many we're there?!

Troops of men in full body suits surrounded her. PSICOM, there was no doubt, but what where they doing here? And so many... They filed all around her in several rows, pointing their guns at Belle as if she were a threat. Suddenly, Belle was taken by her two arms and began dragging her down the alley, her feet dragging on the pavement. Bells began to kick and flail, trying to resist. "Let me go!" she screamed, flailing like an animal. As she was dragged out to the street, people were staring in aww, wondering what in the world was happening. There were many whispers and murmurs, but one stuck out over all the rest. "...l'cie...?" At the sound of that title, Belle was chucked into the back of the transport unit, doors slamming and being taken away.*

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A man sat in the waiting room, young and extremely fit. Her had short shaggy brown hair and serious, dark brown eyes. He wore a nice uniform, Guardian Corpse to be exact.*

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A woman in a Sanctum uniform walked out to the waiting room, pushing up her glasses as she looked at the boy with a smile. "Terra Nevalian?" she asked the boy. He looked up nervously at the sound of his name, quickly standing up and nodding. The woman giggled, nodding to Terra and gesturing to the doorway she had just walked through. "Right this way, Mr. Nevalian," she told him, amused. Terra nodded again, quickly walking next to the woman as she lead him down the hall, his sight trained on his feet. The woman chuckled again at the sight. "Dot be nervous," she assured him. "I'm sure you'll do just fine."

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Belle sat curled up in the corner of the transport vehicle, her knees pressed up against her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She stared at the floor with a blank expression, her mind without any sort of thought. What was there to think of? Was she merely to question why this was happening over and over and over again? She had already banged on the sale and shouted for the past hour, and that helped none.*

The vehicle came to a stop, the engine still running. After a moment, the door swim open and a man came walking in with his gun in his hands. "Get up," he told Belle, looking down at her. She refused to look at him, not saying a word. "Get. Up," the man said more sternly, more authority in his voice. Nothing. Belle looked straight in front of her, as if she hadn't heard him. The PSICOM officer was becoming aggravated. The man grabbed bell by the arm and tugged her up to her feet. "I said-!" Belle had lost it. She quickly elbowed the man in the side of his helmet, causing him to stagger backward and release Belle. Before he could react. Belle made a sprint for the exit, tumbling out and falling into the arms of more PSICOM officers. She struggled to get away from them, but it was useless. They immediately began to drag her toward a large busing, the Sanctum logo on the top.*

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A little girl walked with two adults. The girl looked sleepy, her hair tied into two braids and wearing a nice red dress. She also carried a toy magic wand, one of her favorite toys, and had her teddy bear backpack.*

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The mother looked like her daughter, only wearing a lab coat and a single long braid on one shoulder.*

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The father was more serious looking, his blonde hair neatly cut and hardly expressive. The little girl looked up to her father, then to her mother. "Where are we going, mommy?" she asked her mother. The woman smiled down to her daughter, her eyes sad. "Right to where I had promised," she told her. "We're going to see the fal'cie..."

Name: Oerba Nevrinth Lucilla

Age: 20

Appearance:

http://th04.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/...na-d5o3epx.jpg

Weapon: Sabre

Paradigm role: Commander, Ravager, Sentinel

Eidolith: Wolf Fragment.

Eidolin: Moro - A white figure that wields a double handed blade. The crest upon its face forms sharp arrows backwards giving it a wolf-like personage.

Gestalt Mode: Beast Ravager

Personality: Sarcastic and playful at times.

Background: Lucilla was born within the village of Oerba where her parents and the others worked together to live off of the boundless lands of Pulse. When she was branded a l'Cie, she left the village as was the fate of all who had been called to fulfill their focus.

Lucilla stood with her sabre sheathed across her back. It had been a trying few months, but the time had paid off. Though it was still too premature to congratulate themselves, they had made it to Cocoon. With that step done, they were one step closer to fulfilling their focus that their Fal'Cie had forced them into doing. She would make sure she got the job done, for she had no intention of becoming a Cieth. She wanted nothing more but to go home. Home was where her friends and family resided, and she would do anything to get back to them.

"You two doing okay back there?" she asked over her shoulder. "We shouldn't stay here too long you know. Nigredo, you read the map, where are we?"

Name: Yaschas Massif fon Nigredo

Age: 25

Appearance:

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9647/oooocv.png

Weapon: Gunlance

Paradigm Role: Ravager, Sentinel, Saboteur

Eidolith: Pandora's Fragment

Eidolin: Albedo - A white and pure man-like figure that is enshrouded with a dark mist. The being wields a massive lance.

Gestalt: Lancer bike.

Personality: Serious though has a optimistic outlook on things.

Background: Hailing from Yasschas Massif, Nigredo was a protector of the valley. When he was out on a patrol, he encountered a beast that gave him a scar that stretches across his left eye. If it was not for the Fal'Cie's intervention, the beasts would have had him, for his kinsmen left him to die. Accepting his focus, he turned towards his goal as his heart festered with hate for his village.

"Palumpolum," he replied immediately. He had always been a man of few words. His voice, low and harsh, was slightly muffled by the mask he wore across his face, but it was still audible. "Cocoon dwellers have peculiar names for their cities. Too artificial and not enough nature."

Name: Sulyya Viara Austare

Age: 21

Appearance:

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Weapon: Bladed Staff

Paradigm Role: Ravager, Medic, Synergist

Eidolith: Celestial Fragment

Eidolin: Nevenastra - Large silver and black figure that has spidering pauldrons that wrap around her body. She wields a heavy lance to cut through her enemies.

Gestalt: Bladed flyer.

Personality: Quiet and shy. She rarely speaks out unless she absolutely needs to.

Background: Austare was Suyyla's healer. Her parents were Guardians of the Suyyla waterways that guarded the Fal'Cie

"This place has lacks the tranquility of the springs," she said as her hazy blue eyes searched the vast lake before her. "It feels so fake doesn't it? It's as if the life that flourishes within all things has quieted. It's far too still."

"Austare," said Lucilla as she handed her a cloak. "Put this on, and don't worry, we'll be back on Pulse soon enough. Kill a Cocoon Fal'Cie. Easy right?"

Nigredo scoffed. He walked ahead as his billowing black coat flowed behind him. "Kill a Fal'Cie? As if it were that easy. We should hurry. Someone is bound to find the guards that we left back there. Distancing ourselves from the stench of death should be our priority. Do we know what we're looking for? What do we seek?"

Austare spoke up. "We all had the same vision correct?"

Lucilla and Nigredo nodded.

"Then the answer is clear." She sighed as her heart felt like it was going to snap in to. She was always a gentle soul, she was always a healer for her people. The act of killing and destruction that was asked of her didn't come naturally. Her consciousness fought against it, but she knew to disobey the Fal'Cie would result in a fate far worse than her death. "We shall sentence this world into a sea of fire. this place must perish."

"Are you okay with that?" questioned Lucilla. She had traveled with the two long enough to have a pretty clear read on what morals and ethics stuck to the two. However, she had to admit, Nigredo was an enigma. He was a man that showed nothing. "Either way, from what I can see, both paths are aligned with death."

Nigredo jumped in. He was getting restless. "Lets go. We shall improvise as we have always done in the past. A path will be given to us if we seek it." He walked down the ramp that led to the dark alley and moved into a crowd of people who looked at him with suspicion before moving away.

Lucilla rested her hand on Austare's shoulder and grinned. "Come on then. We'll take it just want step at a time, dearest."

Austare flinched then nodded. "As painless as possible then."

Lucilla laughed. "If that's an option then yes. But, as our dear Nigredo said, we'll improvise. With luck, Cocoon won't feel a thing."

One month later...

*TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP*

Belle tapped her finger against the window of the building, wanting to go outside, wishing she could just go out and actually talk to people. Actually, if she was wishing for things she'd rather wish to be with her sister again, on the other side of Palumpolum again. Although, by now who knew where she'd ended up.*

"Something bothering you?" Belle looked back to Terra from the side, looking at her with his puppy dog eyes. It was weird, At the age of twenty two, a whole five years older than her, and she was the leader practically. Not something she was particularly proud of, though. "I hate it here," she stated bluntly, looking back out the window. She seemed so different now, as of all her hope had been drained from her body. Terra just nodded slowly, sitting in his chair. He looked over to Yume, who was drawing a picture I. The corner with some crayons, humming some sort of nursery rhyme as she did so.*

Belle stood from the window sill, walking over and kneeling down next to Yume. As the little girl looked up to her, Belle put on a weak smile. She found it easy to dothat for Yume, she reminded her of Melody in ways, when she was younger, at least. "What are you drawing?" Belle asked curiously. Yume smiled as she picked up her picture and handed it to Belle to look at. Belle looked at the picture which consisted of three figures. They seemed to be wearing cloaks and were walking, or maybe running, away from a mound of some sort. Or maybe it was a hill? Yume wasn't exactly a professional artist, it was hard to interpret the picture. "Who are these people?" Belle asked. Yume shrugged. "Travelers?" she answered, though it sounded more like a question rather than an answer.*

Belle nodded slowly, looking at the picture, then back at Yume with a smile. "It's pretty," she told her. Yume smiled happily as she took the picture back, flipping it over to continue drawing. Belle rose from her crouch and walked back over toward the window near Terra. "Another vision?" he asked. It became evident in the last few months that Yume had a sort of clairvoyance, though she wasn't even aware of it. Thy only seemed to show in her drawings, and she just draws what she wants. It has happened on too many accounts to not be clairvoyance though, or maybe at least something of the sort. Belle nodded, looking back out the window. "Maybe it's us," Belle guessed. Terra looked at her strangely for a moment, trying to guess what she was thinking. "Doing...?" Belle thought for a moment before answering. "Leaving, maybe...?"

The door of the room swung open, a man walking into the room; Harlic Mencley. He was the boss, sort of. Who the hell knew who the actual "boss" was anymore. The primarch? Or maybe even someone above him. Regardless, this was unconstitutional at the least. He had silver-blonde hair, light blue eyes, and fair skinned. He wore the usual Sanctum attire, like the other workers of this building. One thing was for sure though, no one liked him. "Hello, l'cie," he said, as if the word "l'cie" also meant "slave," although it might as well have at this point. Belle narrowed her eyes at the man, hating the back handed greeting. "What do you want, Harlic?" she asked harshly. Harlic merely smiled, lifting up a computer panel, flipping though several windows with all sorts of reports. "There were some guards found dead on the border of Palumpolum," he announced, getting everyone's attention now. We have reason to believe this is much more than an animal attack or even thugs." "Why's that?" Terra asked. Harlic looked at Terra slowly, as if he should know better than to interrupt him. "There was a sighting from one of the cameras," he continued, sounding slightly annoyed.*

He then held out his computer panel to show a close up picture of a mark, a very specific mark. The black lines and central slit of red, even an arrow or two. "L'cie?" Yume asked allowed. "Pulse l'cie," Belle clarified. She looked at hers on her right hand, the brand of the Sanctum fal'cie. It was much different than those of Pulse, curved and elegant, slightly similar to the shape of a vase in her opinion.*

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Belle looked at Terra and Yume. Terra's brand was on his back, in the small of his back to be specific. Yume's brand was on her chest. That was their mark, their reminder of what they were. "So what, then?" Belle asked, looking back to Harlic. "You want use to find them?" Harlic smiled. "We want you to eliminate them, actually," he said, "but yes, you were partially right." Belle looked back at the window once more, imagining Pulse l'cie in the city, and even them finding Melody. "We've sent out a lockdown warning," Harlic continued. "Citizens will be sent into bomb shelters, so-" "We won't have to hold back," Belle finished. Harlic was silent for a moment, obviously annoyed. "Yes..." he said slowly. He then turned and was ready to leave. "Head out immediately," he said before leaving the room.*

The room was silent for a moment. "So... That's that?" Terra asked. Belle shrugged, looking over to where their weapons were laid in a row. "Guess so..."

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*All civilians! Please move to the closest shelter! Follow the arrows to the closest shelter!*

Civilians began to quickly file into the building that led to the shelters, where supposedly nothing could hurt them. No one knew what was happening, but they were too cautious to think twice. In a matter of moments, all civilians were safely sent away into bomb shelters. The streets were empty, hollow, so much so that anything could be heard agains the walls of the buildings. Footsteps echoed as little Yume walked alone on the street, he tiny and quick paced footsteps echoing as she went.*

Austare looked out of the window as she saw the Cocoon citizens scurry across the streets like frightened mice. A loud voice had echoed throughout the streets warning the inhabitants and implored them to head to these shelters. She didn't know what it was, but it didn't matter anymore. She walked away from the window as she walked into the other room where her two companions resided. The trio had been at this place for over a month, and nothing had been amiss until today. She had to wonder what exactly was going on.

The three had completely redone their outfits as they swapped their pulsian garbs for ones that were more fitting towards the inhabitants of the strange world of Cocoon. Lucilla was wearing a battle dress that resembled something similar to the Sanctum officers they have observed since their arrival, Nigredo, though still hiding behind his white, reaper-like mask, had changed into a black jacket with a white undershirt worn underneath, and Austare had found herself a black sweater with a matching dress.

"It seems that we've been found," she whispered to the two. They both looked at her as all within the room grew sombre. "Lucilla. Nigredo. Do we stay and confront the coming tide or shall we depart? You both promised me. Our goal was to search for a way to reach the Fal'Cie, not to harm innocent if it can be helped. We should leave. Please..."

"We can't keep running forever." Lucilla leaned back against her chair as she stared at the ceiling. She knew it was only a matter of time before they would have to leave their peaceful residence. Up until now, the three had blended with the populace almost impeccably. However, as if the Fal'Cies knew their reluctance, a catalyst of action had finally forced them out of their hiding. "With what we gathered so far, the Fal'Cie that we were ordered to destroy resides in Eden. Surely we need more information than that?"

Nigredo spun a piece of gil on the table. His eyes were transfixed on its smoothness as he twirled it over and over again. "Only the worst of hunters prowl with little understanding of his surroundings. That ... is precisely where we are right now." He looked at Austare as he knew her heart was not steeled for the focus she had been given. He felt sorry for her, for this fate must have been the cruelest on her. "If you cannot stand it, Austare, Lucilla and I shall carry out the focus instead. You may disagree, but the promise I made ... I can't keep it. We need a way to get to Eden. We'll tear it from the Sanctum's throat if we have to."

Austare shook her head. "You can't! Please ... I don't want this."

"Would you rather become a monster? You know what will happen to us if we don't complete the focus!" He got to his feet and walked to the window. "This place will be discovered soon. I'm still curious on how they were alerted to our presence. Nothing else would warrant such an order."

"Those guards!" Lucilla snapped her fingers as she pointed to Nigredo. "We didn't hide the corpses too well, remember? They were bound to be discovered sooner or later."

"...You may be right," said Nigredo. "With the technology here, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have some sort of camera."

Nigredo walked over to the corner where his gunlance rested. He picked it up and twirled it within his hands as he tested the perfect balance and weight of his weapon. It had served him well - even in the face of his death. Again, he begged for its blessing, for - instead of tasting the monsters flesh - it would have to cut through human flesh again. He cringed at the thought, but it was required to survive. Death was the only way things could return to normal.

"Come on. There's no point in staying here any longer." He looked at Austare as his gaze softened though none could see. "You don't have to fight Austare. Just watch our backs and stay behind us. We work as a unit or we'll never succeed. Does that sound okay with you?"

Reluctantly Austare nodded as she took up her staff. "Lets ... go before I change my mind then."

"Then it's settled." Lucilla was already by the door as she stretched her limbs. Her back cracked twice as she sighed in pleasure. "That felt great. So ... why are we still here?"

Nigredo smirked. "Gather everything, and we'll move out."

"Already finished," said Austare as she strapped on a bag. "Lets go."

---

The three walked out on the abandoned streets as they headed towards their objective. Having stayed in this city for a month, the layout burned clearly in their minds as they turned a corner and drew ever closer to the Sanctum office. Though the feelings of the upcoming encounter differed between them, all three accepted the inevitable. Today, lives would be changed forever.

Austare was looking at the buildings as she stopped abruptly. Her hands tightened around her staff as she looked down a street. Lucilla noticed this and gestured to Nigredo to stop. She walked to where Austare stood. "What is it? Did you see something?" Her eyes scanned the streets, but no one was there. "There's no one there ..."

"Someone is coming," whispered Austare. Underneath their cloaks, the three tensed as their hands rested on their weapons. "They don't feel like the Sanctum soldiers we killed on our arrival ... there's a great flow of power emanating from them. I can't ... tell how many, but the feeling is overwhelming."

"Careful now." Nigredo stood in front of the two women as he reached out with his practiced hunter's senses. Then he heard it. Echoing footsteps that were closing in step by step. "She's right. Someone approaches."

Yume turned the corner of the street, the city buildings that made up Palumpolum dwarfing her greatly in comparison. She was only nine after all, not even out of elementary education and she was thrown into such a dangerous situation. Thankfully, wasn't a force to challenge, despite her age.*She continued to walk down the street, only making notice of the figures in strange cloaks a good distance in from of her. Strangely she smiled at the sight of the strange people, knowing full well what they were and even sensing the immense pressure emitted from their power. There was no doubt in her mind, they were the culprits; the Pulse l'cie.*

Yume smiled and began to skip before stopping maybe fifty yards in front of the enemy group. "Target acquired!" she cheered happily as she came to a halt. She happily reach behind her, grabbing the handle of an object sticking out of her teddybear backpack. She pulled out her toy wand, consisting of a large crystal ball at the end and a red velvet ribbon tied in a bow bellow it. She first swung it to her side before dramatically bringing it above her head and then down in front of her, pointed right at the trio of Pulse l'cie. "Terminate the enemy!" Yume cheered happily before everything turned to chaos.*Water began to form in the air, forming in large splashes and waves around Yume's little body. The large tidal waves began to continuously form around her until suddenly gushing out toward the Pulse l'cie.*

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As the waves roared toward the three enemies, the plan commenced. Belle had been scaling the buildings above, though normally the structuring of the buildings should have prevented her from doing so or, at the very least, making it difficult for her to do so. This wasn't the case, it seemed. She walked along the tops of the buildings with ease, watching Yume and making sure all went well. Her white fitted dress in surprisingly good condition over such a long time. As she watched, she witnessed her taking the first first move. This was it, it seemed.*

Belle reached behind her back, grabbing her weapon of choice that was strapped to her lower back as she began to fall forward, her feet slowly departing from the building as she began to dive to the ground, quickly gaining speed. Most people would've been crazy to do such a thing, most likely dying from such a stunt. Belle wasn't most people, not anymore, at least. She pulled out her weapon as it quickly unfolded and extended into a long silver staff that she took in both hands.*

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Terra was sneaking through an alleyways, contemplating whether this was worth it, or if this was more than they could handle. One thing was for sure, this encounter would most likely determine who turned to crystal and who turned cieth... Regardless, this was it. He grabbed his gunblade that hung from his side; half battle axe and half shotgun. The weapon unfolded into a large battle axe, huge iron blades flashing in the light as he left the alleyway in a sprint.*

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As the water roared toward the Pulse l'cie, everything happened at once. Belle flipped and twirled in the air, summoning mighty winds as she readied herself, staff ready to crush her target with a might gale; the blond Pulse l'cie. Terra came sprintig out of the alleyway with immense speed, stopping next to the male l'cie and his axe readied to be swung, eyes shut tight in order not to see what came next.*

Austare was surprised when she saw that the little girl began to conjure water that was now rushing towards them. She quickly gripped her staff as she willed her power within to surface. So it was true that the Cocoon Fal'Cie had l'Cie of their own. No matter. If these three l'Cie dare stand in the way of their focus, she had no choice but to rid the world of their very existence. She twirled her staff as great spherical circles that warped around her. She quickly repeated the sequence for Nigredo and Lucilla before they too sprung into action as they went to engage the two others l'Cie.

Though the shell spared her from the damage of the tidal-wave like spell, Austare staggered back as she snarled. It broke her heart to fight another - especially given the fact that she faced off against a mere child. She gripped her staff as she began fire engulfed her hands. All her life, she had learned how to restore and preserve life. Now she was taking it away. As the fire built up, she swung her staff like a bat and hurled it towards the girl. Her heart withered from the pain of her violence, but her mind appeased the guilty conscious with memories of the reward of their failure. She didn't want to become a Cieth. All she wanted was to go home where she could hear drops of water spill onto the Springs.

---

Nigredo dashed towards the Axe wielding man as he shivered with excitement. Though the thought sickened him at first, he saw the man, a tall, brown haired male, as he would his prey. It was now a test to see who was fittest to survive, and he had intention of losing. He met the force head-on as his arms vibrated from the sheer force and momentum that the man had built up. They were careless he thought to himself as she shifted his feet. He should have known that this was bait to lure them out. As he stepped around, he slid his gun lance against the side of the axe as he pivoted. He lowered his lance as he aimed the pommel at the man's back.

---

Lucilla was in a similar situation. A grin plastered across her face as she drew her sabre and jumped out of the way of the water spell. She would have thanked Austare, but she was busy with the enemy's mage. Instead, she had something much more lively to hold her attention. Her sabre become engulfed within a white greyish haze as she met the force of the lancer. They all looked so young, yet they were called to fight. The Fal'Cies really had a sick sense of humor she thought.

She grunted as the wind gale smashed into her ruinous power. A bright light exploded from the contact as Lucilla tensed her whole body. As seconds passed, she managed to throw the girl back. It was already turning out to be an interesting day. She readied her blade again as she studied the pink-haired girl. "You're not Sanctum; we've known that since our arrival," she said. "Perhaps slaves to your once proud defenders, no?" She grinned as she tensed herself readying to unleash a flurry of attacks of her own. "If so, allow us to set you free from your curse."

Yume giggled as the girl with her jet black hair came swinging at her, truly having fun with this endevour. ... It was odd, to say the least, but everyone has their hobbies and such. Yume's just happened to be being a l'cie. Yume whimsically *avoided being hit by the girl's staff, feeling the intense heat of the flames as it swung by her face. She giggled again, trying to show off as well, and what better way to do that than to fight fire with fire. Yume brought her wand up above her head and swirled it around in a circular motion. Flames began to ignite as they gathered into a large ball of fire. She swung her wand down in the girl's direction, sending the fire ball hurting at her.*

While the ball of flames had the girl busy, Yume quickly raised her wand above her head again, this time casting a spell that would slightly protect her friends, but at least this way the duration would be longer. Besides, she had confidence in her friends that that would be all they would need.*

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Terra stared down at the lance that was now pointing straight at his face. In a panic, he put all his might into deflecting the man and his lance, a loud gunshot echoing as the bullet zoomed past Terra's left ear. With the flick of his wrist, Terra's axe shifting into a one handed shotgun and aiming toward the man's feet. Her fired quickly, the recoil causing his gun and arm to shoot up and backward, the bullets that soared encased in ruinous magic. The air around the bullets then distorted before hitting in front of the man's feet, causing a large explosion that rippled the air itself.

A cloud of dust formed, but Terra doubted something like that would have ended the fight so easily. "Wh-what are you here for?" he stammered. It was strange, someone so large and intimidating looking would have such a lack of backbone, even evident when he spoke.*

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Belle was pushed back through the air, flipping backward before landing in the ground lightly as winds helped to ease her landing. This girl, she was very confident in her power, but Belle merely saw this as arrogance, talking southerly when the battle had hardly even commenced. Belle flashed a confident smile of her own, also having enough faith in her abilities that this would all end as a victory in her favor. "The only curse I bare is being too good looking," she mused, hoping to provoke her enemy at hand. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that these Pulse l'cie were all wearing Cocoon attire rather than that stance pulsian garb from the world below. ... How long had they been on Cocoon? Had they truly been in hiding all this time?

Now wasn't the time, all that mattered was the issue at hand. Belle scraped the end of her staff on the ground, causing sparks to hop all around through no marks were left on the staff itself. "If you don't mind, I had been looking forward to a particular 'crystal nap' and you and your friends are interfering." Belle then grabbed the end of her staff as it began to break off into links connected by chains, changing into a chain linked whip. Each segment ignited in a blaze as she aggressively swung at the enemy, the whip blazing intensely.

Lucilla smirked as she deflected the girl's attack. She could feel the heat as the chain struck against her sabre. She'd be lying if she the fun she was experiencing. It had been some time since she had been able to fight someone like this. However, she couldn't help but notice that her opponent's movements seemed ... amateur. Having been a Sentinel standing watch over Oerba, her stances were much more refined than this all-out swinging and slashing that she was fighting against currently.

As she saw a strike near, she swiped with her sword as she knocked the chain out of the air and jumped back. Her posture switched to an en guard position. "Don't flatter yourself, darling," teased Lucilla. "From what I've seen, your looks are ... average." She scoffed as she heard about the crystal stasis bliss. It was a common misconception. "It seems Cocoon doesn't educate its l'Cie. Bliss within crystal? Nothing but a prison my dear. Nothing but wishful thoughts to rationalize the intangible."

---

Nigredo jumped back from the blast as he saw a large gaping hole where his feet had been just moments ago. He adjusted his mask as he stepped back. The shrapnel from the first blast had nicked his mask. That was far too close. If the trajectory angle had been just a little more precise ...

He looked at the intimidating man as he observed in surprise. He would never have expected such feebleness from someone of his build. He held his lance in front of him as he fingered its trigger. He would have to be more careful against a gun wielder. "You too are l'Cie," he said as he watched the man carefully. "Our focus requires us to step on this fake world; I assure you, if we had a choice, we would have stayed far away from this place and remain on Pulse."

Perhaps he could reason with this man. He'd rather not fight even if his objective was to violently interrogate the Sanctum officers stationed here. It didn't surprise him that their intentions seemed sinister. "Though your precious world has stripped our home of resources and littered its waste onto our land, we have no quarrel with you." He narrowed his eyes as he stared through the darkened eye slits of his mask. "Will you not let us pass, l'Cie? We are both brothers and sisters trapped within the same fate; both slaves to a dream, which we don't desire. Please reconsider, for we have not come to destroy the world which you hold so dear."

---

Austare moved to counter act the fire ball that the girl sent back towards her. Right as she was about to dispel and redirect the magic, she stopped as she saw something move above on the rooftops. She cried out in pain as she felt something hot slam into her chest. She fell back as the air was punched out of her lungs. Through her blurry sight, she watched in his dismay as the flaming ball was re-dicrected towards a nearby building. Quickly working as she fell, she sent water to soothe the blazing energy.

She finally hit the ground as a glint of a helmet rose from above the building. In despair, switching to Pulsian, she cried out to her companies. "Nigredo...! Lucilla..."

---

Nigredo heard the gun shot as his eyes flickered to where Austare lay with her hand clutching her shoulder. "Austare!" A barrier shimmered around him as he jumped away from his opponent. He too switched to his native tongue as he saw Lucilla flinch in horror as she glanced at the healer. "Lucilla, we need to get Austare out of here, now!"

His voice boomed in authority as he landed beside Austare. She was bleeding. Another shot rang out, which bounced off the barrier he had around him. He shrugged it off as Lucilla joined him. "They have the high ground," he said in Pulsian. "We cannot win here. Normals and three l'Cie is too much in our current state. Take Austare and head back to the location which I told you two. I'll remain and draw them away from you."

"You stubborn fool!" she replied in Pulsian as well. "Though the Fal'Cie granted you the gift of the strongest of shields, you can't do this on your own!"

"And we'll die if we stay here! She's bleeding out Lucilla!"

Growling to herself, Lucilla stared at the pink haired girl. "She'll attack once I sheathe my sword. Your shield can only remain for so long against three."

"You forget who you're talking to Lucilla," he said. "If you wish to escape our focus, then you must keep moving. I'm sure we you'll find the answer within Eden. I only wish these l'Cie could understand our true purpose."

"They'd only be afraid of turning Cieth if we were to tell them of our intent to defy the Fal'Cie and our focus." She frowned as she sheathed her sword and bent to pick up Austare. "We should have never let her come with us. Fighting scared her Nigredo."

"I know," replied Nigredo as he switched back to Cocoon's speech. He began to inch back towards an alley as he watched three - the mage and gun wielder in particular. "You know what to do. I'll find you two."

Lucilla smirked as they neared the mouth of the alley. "Don't die you stupid oaf. We'll be waiting. If you're late, I'll personally come and collect you from the dead myself."

Nigredo smirked. "Looking forward to it," he said as another series of bullets slammed into his barrier. "Now go!"

BANG!

Everyone watched as there was a loud shot that echoed through the emptied cities. One of the enemy l'cie had fallen to the ground her blood pouring out rather quickly. Belle looked around as transport vehicles suddenly halted around the l'cie, Sanctum troops filing out around the group and pointing guns at the enemy. Belle watched angrily as she watched one person in particular *walk out in front of the troops, the Pulse l'cie rushing over to their wounded member. "Harlic!" Belle growled, stomping over to him as she glared. "What are you doing?! This is our fight!"*

Harlic looked looked at Belle from the side of his eyes, not evening turning to truly acknowledge her. "There has been a change in plan," he said, being rather vague about the whole thing. Terra swung his gunblade back and forth slightly, contemplating on what the man had said to him. It seemed odd, he didn't seem to want to hurt anyone here yet what he said seemed so threatening. Maybe there was something in between the lines he was missing...

"But I thought-" he started. "I never asked what you thought, did I?" Harlic interrupted. "The situation has been compromised, now leave." Yume stomped her feet, puffing her cheeks out as she walked over to Harlic. She looked up to him, pouting due to disappointment. "But we were playing!" she complained, not wanting to be stopped. Harlic looked down at her with disgust, clearly annoyed with the outburst. "You can 'play' on you're own time, you little brat!" he shouted at her, causing her to jump back a bit in shock. "Now move!" Harlic began walking forward, pushing the little girl aside and causing her to fall to the ground.*

"Hey!" Belle shouted, stepping quickly after Harlic. How could he do something like that, and to a little girl?! She angrily grabbed him by the shoulder in an attempt to stop him, but he had no problem doing that himself. He quickly spun back and smacked Belle across the face with the back of his hand, causing her to stumble back in disbelief. "Don't you dare touch me, l'cie scum!"

L'cie scum...? L'cie scum?! How could he even say that! She was THIS because of THEM, and he treats her like garbage because of t?! It was insanity at the very least, just pure insanity! It made her want to... Want too...

--------------------------------------------------------------

A young woman sat atop a building, overlooking the scene below. Her long black hair blew so the side, a single pink lotus-like flower stuck in it, as she sketched on a pad of paper. Her hollow blues eyes looked down on them, wearing strange foreign clothing; the strange slightly see through blue dress over the white garb underneath. She wore several beads and bangles around her neck, wrists and even ankles. She was sketching a picture of something strange and, in all honesty, irrelevant to the issue at hand; a bowl containing six different fruits. "They've finally ripened..." she said to herself, swinging her legs back and forth. She gently plucked the flower from her hair, holding it out in front of her before letting it go. The flower gently floated to the ground during all of the commotion. Right before the flower could touch the ground, the flower began to grow rapidly, vines and flowers brut sting out from it as they dug into the ground and broke up the pavement below everyone. The Sanctum troops began to scream and shout as they began plummeting down into the mysterious below, along with all six l'cie...

Nigredo looked around as he grimaced. They were like mice trapped in the corner in the face of hungry cats. He blamed himself for this situation, for he should have been more careful on their approach. His instincts told him of a trap, which happened like so, and he should have been cautious enough to avoid it. His eyes never leaving the faces of the soldiers that trained guns on him, he knew his shield could not stop all of them. He said over his shoulder without moving his head, "Lucilla. How is she? Is Austare alright?"

"The bullet punched deep," she replied as she began to wrap a bandage over the wound. She had found some stored neatly in the bag that the healer had strapped to her back. "I think - with no experience of healing - that she will be okay for now; however, we should get her real help soon." She pointed to the Sanctum soldiers and l'Cie. "That's going to be a problem though. No ideas I suppose."

Nigredo shook his head. "...On the brighter side, we won't become Cieth. We can die instead of becoming crystal or monsters. If you think about it, it's a release from our focus."

Lucilla shook her head. "If I wanted to die, I would have done it a long time ago, stupid." She hefted Austare to her shoulder as she stood behind him. "Our goal was to live was it not? We all have family and friends back on Pulse. I want to go back - without a brand."

Nigredo couldn't understand her feelings, for he lost all connections to his village when the other hunters had left him to die; however, he did find comfort in traveling with his companions, and he wouldn't let them down like his fellow hunters had. He shifted his spear as he changed stances from defensive to aggressive. He would try his best to assist.

Before he could rush off towards the enemy, giving Lucilla and Austare a chance to flee, he saw a figure fall from the building as he traced her descent. The black-haired girl dropped a flower as it fell before her path. Before it impacted, the flower expanded as vines stretched out and the ground began to collapse. Nigredo felt the floor beneath him give way as he shouted in surprise. He heard Lucilla scream as well and tried to reach out for her, but they were already descending too quickly into the darkness below. He shut his eyes as the sun slowly burned away from view.

----

Though the fall should have killed him, Nigredo got off with only a mild ache. He counted his luck as he looked around. His eyes soon enough adjusted as he was in some subterranean passage. He saw corpses of Sanctum soldiers littered about as he began to pick his way through the sewers. He had to find his companions soon."

----

Lucilla was in similar condition as she was still with Austare. As they fell, she had clutched the girl deeply to her chest, for she didn't want to leave her unconscious. She sat there in the gloom as she watched over the girl. She sighed as she brushed her hair away from her face. The healer's spirit was too gentle for their work. Austare wasn't built to fight, but to heal and Lucilla hated the Fal'Cie for picking her. A hunter or sentinel would have more than sufficed. She grunted to herself as she inhaled the musty air. She wondered where the other l'Cie were. Was Nigredo alright?

She threw her hands up in the air as she shook her head. This day had turned out to be a complete fiasco.