I'll Protect You

Well, here it is. The last chapter of I'll Protect You. Firstly, I would like to thank all the people who've reviewed my story, even the one who didn't quite like it. I can't say it didn't affect me, but I'm certain that this story has gotten better since then. And, to those who don't review but still read (I know you're out there!), I still want to thank you. At the very least, you are enjoying the story, I hope.

This chapter is the shortest of all of them, but it's more or less just a final dialogue.

Word Count: 2061

Disclaimer: I've said it for 9 chapters, and I'll say it one more time. I do not own Final Fantasy XIII, it's the property of SE. I sadly own nothing.

Chapter 10: From Prayers to Promises

Crystal sleep. That's the only logical reason that Lightning felt so calm after basically destroying her homeland, sending it crashing into Gran Pulse below. It should have made her uneasy. At her hands, millions of innocents were now most likely dead, and the Maker was now scourging what was left of the lands, rebuilding his former world. For all she knew, her crystal may be destroyed now, and that she was simply in the Limbo Gamenern had told her about.

But, when she heard those words, spoken gently yet clearly, quietly yet loudly, she felt the urge to comply. And comply she did.

She awoke with her hand over her heart, looking up at some large crystal pillar. At it's top, there was a large, porcelain sphere, surrounded by even more blue crystal. Cocoon. It was being held up by this pillar of crystal, looking like an explosion that turned to diamond in midair. Then she put the pieces together.

A deafening cry. The feeling of doom. Fang and Vanille separated from the group.

"They did it." She said, not to anyone in general. "They save the world."

"Yeah." Gamenern spoke from his spot in front of Lightning, sitting with one leg stretched out straight, the other bent, where he was resting on of his arms. To his left, his axe lay on the ground, his left hand just inches from the long hilt. "They did, didn't they?" He spoke with a slight pain in his voice.

Lightning stepped forward, sitting on the short cliff that Gamenern was near, her legs dangling over the side. "Why didn't she tell me, though?" Lightning didn't seem angry. She seemed curious, as if it was a plot in a crime novel she was fond of reading. Gamenern audibly shrugged, then sighed.

"She knew what you would do if she told you." He said, his voice low and somber. He knew that Fang wouldn't want him to spill the beans, but he knew Lightning had to know why. "She knew that you would either stop her from doing it, or do it with her without any thought. She wanted to avoid the latter the most, I think." He looked at the back of Lightning's head, trying to decipher the reaction from Lightning. The soldier simply said. "Hmm." before sighing.

"You may not be able to tell this," Gamenern continued, looking back up at the crystal of Cocoon. "But Fang was terribly selfless. She never did anything if it wasn't for the people she loved." Gamenern chuckled slightly as the words left his mouth. "That includes you, y'know?" Again, Lightning hummed at him in response, prompting him to continue. "It was because of me that she even spent that last night with you." Lightning finally made eye contact with the man, not shocked, but almost thankful.

He smiled reassuringly, then motioned back to where they both knew Fang and Vanille were. "Fang didn't want to hurt you, but she also wanted you to rekindle your relationship with Serah." Again, a hum. That was really getting annoying. Still, he went on. "I guess, if Fang could talk to you now, she'd say she's sorry. I know it doesn't mean to much from me, but she truly is. I know." Gamenern sighed as the last words left his mouth. Then, he heard a slight commotion behind him.

Serah and Show were hugging, recently out of stasis. Hope was examining where his brand was, now whitened out but still allowing the use of magic. Sazh was with his son, Dajh, as they talked about the chocobo chick that had been dragged into this as well as Sazh. Gamenern and Lightning smiled, though Lightning moved to the group, leaving Gamenern behind in his thoughts.

"So, you know when you two are getting married?" Hope asked, still unaware that Lightning had walked up. Snow and Serah looked at the soldier, Serah silently asking for permission. With a short sigh, Lightning nodded and said. "Congrats." Serah and Snow both laughed in joy, the younger Farron hugging Lightning. The soldier returned the hug, then looked to Snow. "You keep her safe, you hear me?" Her voice was laced with some coldness, but was genuinely softer than normal. Snow bowed his head, his hand over his heart.

"I will. She will never be hurt again."

Meanwhile, Gamenern was looking over the people who were landing from Cocoon on Gran Pulse. They looked confused and scared, but they were free. Sure, dependency is most evident when the source is gone, but Cocoon folk seemed like hardy people. At least, the ones that Gamenern knew.

His eyes then caught a small jewel flickering in the sunset, a redish-orange light glaring back at him. He moved from the hill, now out of sight of the others, and picked it up, feeling a small pain in his heart.

It was an apple, the same shape and tone as the Eidolith of Vanille. He held the crystal in his hand, up to his heart. He muttered a small prayer, before saying, "Sweet dreams."

"Who ya talking to?" A bubbly voice suddenly asked, causing the man to jump back uncharacteristically. He was in complete awe of what stood before him. There, looking as if nothing had even happened, were Fang and Vanille, both with white brands and not the least bit aware of what had happened.

Gamenern moved his mouth to speak several times, though no sound came out. Finally, when his voice did return to him, he could only mutter one word. "How?"

Fang shook her head slightly. "No clue." She looked back at Cocoon. "One minute we're saving Cocoon from falling on home. Then the next, we wake up at the base of the pillar." Fang seemed just as confused as Gamenern, though all three Pulsians smiled after Fang finished. They all looked up to the ridge, where the sounds of the group were coming from.

"Guess we might as well say we're back, huh?" Fang asked, rubbing the back of her head nervously. Vanille clasped her hands behind her back, and leaned over to Fang. "You mean, you want to take Lightning somewhere private, right?" Despite Fang's glare at the girl, Vanille and Gamenern laughed openly, further annoying the woman. She went to retort, but Gamenern cut her off.

"Lighten up. It's good you've found someone, Fang." He and Vanille both stopped their laughing to look at the Pulsian warrior, this time happy. Vanille nodded silently, then turned back to the ridge. "Let's go, girls." Gamenern said jokingly, motioning to the ridge, leading the two up to the top.

At the top, no one was looking in the direction of Cocoon, so they were behind the group, all of whom were talking, save Lightning, who looked on from a short distance. Gamenern gave one look to Fang, urging her to go. Fang swallowed heavily, then moved up to her lover. Silently, she slid her arms over Lightning's shoulders, crossing them over Lightning's chest. The soldier relaxed into the embrace, her left hand grabbing Fang's right arm lovingly.

"Wondered when this dream would actually begin." Lightning said breathlessly, not heard by the other's, who were still talking amongst themselves. She heard Fang give a wry chuckle, then felt the warrior's breath on her neck.

"So, this is your crystal slumber, huh?" Fang asked, unconvinced and half-annoyed. Lightning nodded silently, her lips curving into a small smile. "Well, if it is, I guess we got all the time in the world, huh?" Again, a nod.

With a simple motion, however, Light's smile turned into a scowl. She felt Fang's teeth nip lightly at the back of her neck, shooting a short pain through her. "What the hell was that?" Light asked angrily, and fairly loudly. All Fang did was smile as her teeth moved from Light's neck.

"Oh, nothing. Making sure it was a dream." Her said in a matter-of-fact tone. Then, she turned her voice into one of (false) wonder. "Did you feel pain?" She failed, however, at keeping her laughter at bay. She giggled uncontrollably into Light's ear.

Once again, Lightning relaxed, slumping back into Fang's arms. The warrior stopped giggling, leaning her head on Light's shoulders. "I'm sorry." She said, her voice now one of regret.

Lightning tilted her head so that it was leaning on Fang's, her eyes closed and a small smile returning to her lips. "I know, Fang. I know." Lightning said with obvious tiredness in her voice. Again, Fang chuckled.

"Look. I would've never kept this from you if I knew it would have to be done." Fang's voice now matched the soldier's tiredness. "Had I known that I would definitely had to go Ragnarok, I would've told you a long time ago." This time, the soldier chuckled.

"Fang, I know, alright?" Lightning moved away, turning to face the Puslian. She took in each feature on the tanned face, and never broke her eye contact. "I understand why you did it." Fang's face lit up slightly, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "You did it for me."

This time, Lightning was the one who embraced the warrior, planting a light kiss on her lips. It was chaste and quick, broken as soon as it came. Fang couldn't let it end there, so she vigorously reinitiated the kiss, deepening it immediately. This newfound intensity took Lightning off guard, though she couldn't hold back the moan of pleasure as Fang's tongue danced viciously with her own. Fang took her time exploring the valley of the soldier's mouth, taking in each flavor the soldier was.

They fought in this passionate, vigorous, romantic battle for what felt like an eternity, though it was most likely a minute or so, seeing as how the duo pulled away due to lack of oxygen. Both women were panting heavily, trying to catch their breath from the kiss. Lightning could still taste Fang's lips on her own: jasmine, sweat, and a slight hint of mint.

Fang was also savoring the strawberry blonde's taste on her own lips. No strawberries, like Fang had expected from the solider, but instead, she tasted roses. You know how, even if you haven't actually tasted something, you can tell how it tastes due to the smell it has? That's how Fang was able to tell that Lightning tasted of roses. Roses and red wine.

Before the two could even say anything, Snow's booming laughter hit their ears, causing them to shuffle away from each other, though in vain. Everyone knew about the two now.

"Hey, don't stop 'cause of us now." He said cheerfully, gaining a glare from Lightning and an elbow to the stomach from Serah. The man clutched at the point of impact, slightly stunned at Serah's newfound physical strength. "Ow! Sorry…" He said, his free hand rubbing the back of his head nervously. Serah just smiled.

"It's good that you finally found someone, Light." She said, though Lightning could only blush at this revelation. That blush got much brighter when Fang slung her arms around Lightning. The huntress had one of the goofiest smiles Light even saw on her face.

"Yeah, Light. No need to be shy." Fang teased, gaining only a playful punch from the solider. Everyone else smiled on, looking at the display before them, watching as the solider was actually happy with Fang. It was refreshing to see, to see Lightning was, indeed, human. She could feel. She could love.

Gamenern had turned back to Oerba, noting the relative closeness of the village. He gave an audible sigh, looking up to the sky.

We had been through so much. We'd been fighting since the day we were born, since the day we were branded L'Cie. Everything we did was for survival. For everything we cherished. For everything we loved.

We are still L'Cie. We are still looked at as monsters. We are still going to be treated differently. But, we gave Cocoon a new chance at life. A life without the Fal'Cie. A life free of their tyranny. A life were we can live our own way.

It'll take time to rebuild. It'll take time before Oerba, before Gran Pulse, is back to it's former grandeur. But it will happen. It will be so. Because when prayers turn to promises, not even fate can stand in their way.

Fin.

It's finished at last. Again, I would like to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story. It means a lot to me.

As far as a sequel goes, you guys tell me if you want one and I'll consider it. I do have a story to go along if there is a sequel, so I can write one up fairly quickly. But, I will be working on my other multichapter fic, and any random one-shots that I feel like posting.

So, until then, thank you, and please review.