Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII-2 or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

I'm back, finally. I know it's been a long time, and you guys deserve an explanation as to why. But rather than go into some long-winded speech, I figured I'd give you a somewhat comical depiction of the struggles I've been facing. So here we go.

Imagine me, hunched down inside an old WWI trench, desperately firing rounds labeled 'effort' at an unseen enemy. However, the enemy laughs, and approaches my hiding place. Each footstep causes the ground to shake, until it eventually stands over me and blots out the sun.

It's a giant monster, one whose appearance is constantly changing, but each form has one thing in common. Each one has the word "Life" written on its forehead. Life laughs, and points at me. "Just give it up, feeble human! No matter how much effort you give, you will never find the time to write fanfiction! I made sure of it!"

I wonder what Life means, and then see a set of missiles fall from the sky. There are several of them, each bearing names such as "homework", "job", "family" and "getting decent sleep", to name a few. I look at Life in exasperation. "Oh, come on! I really want to do stuff that I enjoy! I like writing fanfiction, and I have so many ideas for my stories! How am I supposed to write if I have all this hitting me?!"

Life laughs at my anger. "That's the whole point! Your life outside of writing will consume the time you leave aside for fanfiction, until it takes you months to get one chapter done! Until you get your degree, this is your fate! HA!" it cackles.

I look on helplessly at Life's barrage hits me, and the scene fades to black.

So, yeah. It's not that I don't want to write. I really, really do. I just have zero time for it nowadays. I know my academic advisor warned me that this semester was going to be particularly work-heavy, but damn did I not believe her until now. (At least I listened when she told me not to take Thermodynamics on top everything else.) But now I've had my fill of venting, and will thus get right to chapter.

Hope you enjoy!

Ch.41 The Soul of a Robot

After leaving the Wildlands, Lightning and I returned to the Dead Dunes to begin searching for the tablets. The shrines holding them were easy enough to find, each one located at a rather noticeable point in the desert. Of course, like Fang and Sofia had warned, each one of them was guarded by several dozen Skeletons, which attacked us the moment we tried to remove the tablets.

With the four of us working together, we were able to finally get our hands on all three, but by the time we got the last one, it had reached 6 AM, marking the end of the Sixth Day. And thus, we were taken back to the Ark.

Once there, we offered up the souls we had gathered throughout the day to Yggdrasil. Sazh's soul was amongst them, making the offering ever more potent than the last. As such, it came as no surprise when a fifth fruit sprouted, giving the world another day of life. Now we had just one more soul to go to make the world last until the Thirteenth Day, fulfilling our pact with Bhunivelze.

We also uncovered our latest gift from Hope: the Amazon Warrior garb. On Lightning, it was little more than a set of undergarments, and on me it was much the same. Just a set of boots, armguards, and stylized boxers. I get that they were supposed to give us more maneuverability in combat, but still. It was like Hope had lost all common sense when Bhunivelze de-aged him.

Before I could complain about it, however, he stated "Seeing Sazh with his son Dajh… it reminded me of my own father."

My eyes widened and I clamped my mouth. Even when he had been older, Hope rarely talked about his father. The two of them had patched up their once-strained relationship, that much I knew. But that didn't make things any easier to talk about.

Still, Hope continued "Though, he wasn't anything like Sazh at all. He was a hard, strict man. Or so I always thought."

I looked at him. "Do you think his souls might be among those that are reborn?" I asked cautiously.

Hope shrugged. "I couldn't say for sure. However, even if we cannot truly see them, I know that souls must exist in some form. How else can we explain what happened between Sazh and his son? But this shows that God is not omniscient; he cannot see into the hearts of people," he pointed out.

Lightning nodded before commenting "Right. To him, emotions are just a mystery. Only humans can actually know them. That doesn't stop us from constantly misreading each other, though."

"My father and I are an example of that. For the longest time, we didn't understand each other. But then we learned to, and everything turned out okay. Hopefully, he will be reborn with everyone else," Hope said.

That ended the conversation, and we checked over our armor and supplies once last time before stepping onto the transporter, and were taken back to the Dead Dunes.

Day 7

Fang and Sofia were standing near the tram station to the Dead Dunes, waiting impatiently for us to get back. Why were they waiting? Well, it wasn't as if they had anything better to do. They had already tried to get the tablets from the shrines themselves—may times—but each time they barely made it out without getting sliced to pieces by the Skeletons. It was only Lightning and I returned that they were even going to try to again.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait much longer. With a burst of light, we appeared in front of the station, with me stretching my arms over my head.

"Ahh, the blistering heads and sand that gets carried on the wind and stuck in between your toes. How I missed this," I said sarcastically.

"Glad to hear it, 'cause there'll be a lot more where we're going," we heard Fang said, and looked over to see her and Sofia approach.

Lightning grunted. "Right. So, we need to gather the three tablets in order to reach the clavis. Where's the first one?" she asked.

Sofia pointed off into the distance. "The closest one is northwest of her, past a Chaos Infusion and about midway between her and Ruffian. It'll take some time to get there, so let's start walking." The rest of us nodded and did just that, following after the magic expert as she led the way.

Some of the local predators tried to give us trouble, especially once we entered the Chaos Infusion, but we were able to press on regardless. Eventually we reached what looked like the remains of a great shrine, with stone columns, areas of worship, and a pedestal for whoever was speaking to stand on. Except that the roof was completely gone, several of the columns were toppled over, and the whole area was covered in another layer of more sand.

"This is it? This is the shrine?" I asked, expecting a little… more.

Fang chuckled. "No, this is just the entrance. The real shrine is down below," she said, walking forward. We looked in surprise as she neared the pedestal at the front of the complex, and then slammed her spear into the ground. With a groan, part of the floor gave way, revealing a hidden walkway beneath.

We continued down the passageway, feeling the immediate change once we were no longer out in the heat. Not only that, but I could sense a tinge of energy in the air. Not as much as when we were standing before the door to the clavis, but it was still there. A flicker of divine power.

The feeling grew more pronounced the farther down we went, until we came to a door that appeared to be sealed. We opened it via a Pilgrim's Crux, and kept going. Finally, we reached the bottom, and found a room almost completely devoid of any dust or sand of any kind.

The room was mostly metal and remined me of the Pulse Vestige in its architecture, with a large projector screen mounted to the far wall. Hovering the center was a glowing box, one with a golden outline but a red center. My eyes widened. That had to be it.

We slowly approached the floating device, and Lightning activated her comm link. "Hope, can you tell me anything about this?"

"Let's see… I can tell you that it's very old," he said, making my eyebrow twitched at the obviousness of the statement. "Despite that, it's made with advanced technology, and acts as its own source of energy. Whatever its function, however, it doesn't appear to operate independently. It must need other parts to work."

"That makes sense. If this is the tablet, it will only work once we've put it in its appropriate place. Still, we've got one now. Only two more to go," I said.

Sofia pumped her fist. "Alright! After over a century of not making a progress, we're finally getting somewhere! This is awesome!" she cheered.

However, at that moment, we heard the sound of grinding machinery, which was quickly followed by the sound of clattering bones. The four of us turned and looked towards the exit. Hanging from the ceiling, suspended by a hook, was a pair of Skeletons. And behind them we could several more rows of them, over a dozen in total. Then, as one, the Skeletons removed themselves from the hooks and drew their weapons.

"This is not awesome," Sofia said. Fan groaned and pulled her spear off her back, while Lightning and I drew our swords. This was going to take a moment.

Eventually, after much effort, planning and more than a few magical explosions, we were been able to stop the Skelton horde from overwhelming us. Sofia had the bright idea to corral them into the room where the tablet had been, and advised us to do just that. We did, and once they were all in there, she used an interesting combination of Aeroga, Firaga and Icesparka to make the room collapse in on itself, burying all the monsters inside.

This had the unintended side effect of causing the rest of the tunnel to also start caving in, and we just barely escaped. Despite that, it was still an effective method of escaping with minimally injuries. Thus, we did the same thing at the tunnel near Titan's arm, as well as the one underneath Atomos's remains.

Finally, once we had all three tablets in hand, we made our way back to the ruins. The Cactuar stones and their teleportation function made getting back to the Sacred Gate easy enough, and we were about to move out from there. However, before we could do so, Sofia spoke up.

"Oh, guys! I just remembered. While we were exploring, I managed to gather some of the oil that Bhakti would need. The three energia that he needs, to be precise she said, pulling three tiny oil canisters from her pocket.

Fang smiled. "Alright. Then let's get that bot his fuel before he shorts out," she said.

We quickly found Bhakti, who was sitting in the same place that we had left him. Once we gave him the fuel, he released a simulated sigh in relief. "Thank you very much, friends. It feels good to be well and lubricated once again. Though my bearings do creak a bit after so long without servicing. But I suppose that's natural. After all, I am only a robot. I envy you humans, who do not require regular maintenance," he said.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Maintenance? No. But we can get hurt. And if we do, we have to get rest and care in order to get better," she pointed out.

"Yes, but the humans of this age not grow die or grow old. Compared to a robot that will never 'get better' if it breaks downs, yours is a life of infinite chances," the robot countered.

I shrugged. "Well, now you your own chance. The chance to save those friends of yours," I said.

"Of course! Follow me, please," Bhakti requested, before turning and roving ahead of us. It stopped a wall and extended a small drill from its front, which it proceeded to use to burrow through the wall. Eventually, it was stopped by what looked like a trap door, which I destroyed.

With the opening now clear, Bhakti rushed in, calling "Everyone, I do apologize for your long wait! You must have been quite troubled, being trapped in here all this time. But do not worry. You are now free to leave." After a moment, when he received no response, he said "Perhaps they have deactivated?"

I smiled. "Maybe they're out of fuel too. If that's the case, you'd just near to fill their tanks and they'll start back up," I pointed out.

Bhakti moved side to side in what I assumed was its equivalent of shaking its head. "I am afraid that they would have little use for fuel such as mine. After all, they are humans," he replied.

At that, all four of us went stiff as boards. For a moment, there was silence, and then Fang yelled "They're WHAT?!" and ran inside the room. We followed her, and stopped once we saw what was once Bhakti's comrades.

All that was left was a pile of skeletons near the door, the bones coated in dust and sand, and appeared to have rotted with age. A couple of them looked as if they had been reaching out towards the door, only for their efforts to have failed. They were even scratch marks along the walls.

I gapped in horror, completely stunned. Bhakti's companions were human, and if they were down here that long… No wonder there was so little of them left. As if summoned by my thoughts, Bhakti rolled up next to us at that moment, and looked at the bones.

"Goodness! You all look very different from the way you were before. Why have you all become so thin? Did the decades of dry air absorb the moisture from your bodies?" he asked, nudging one of the skeletons. When it didn't respond, Bhakti said "My friends do not seem able to start up. If they are broken down, I will need to repair them with new parts!"

Sofia sighed, and dropped to one knee. "Bhakti… Humans… They're not like robots. They can't just be fixed and restarted. Once they're gone, they're gone for good. And they never start again," she said gently.

Bhakti looked up at her. "Never start again?" he repeated slowly, and she nodded sadly. When she did, he started shaking and releasing small hisses of steam. "But… we were finally reunited after so long. I rationed my fuel so carefully! All so that I could witness the end of the world together with them, my dearest friends. But I had no idea they also needed refueling. They… They must have thought that I… abandoned them in here," he said.

While Bhakti was talking, I was inspecting the skeletons, and noticed that one of them had a wad of paper in its hand. Working carefully to avoid breaking anything, I extracted the paper from its grasp and unfurled it. Once I saw what was written on it, I said "I don't think that's the case."

The others looked at me, and I cleared my throat before reading aloud. "'We've been trapped for some time now. There's no food or water left. It looks like this is the end for us at last. If you're reading this, I hope you'll respect the wishes of the dead. Tale our remains and give us a decent burial.'"

"'Oh, and one other thing. I imagine you found a robot on the other side of this wall. If it's stopped working, please bury it together with us. If it's still moving though, please, fix it up and find it a new home. We may seem like fools for worrying about an old robot in our last moments, but Bhakti is not just a robot. He has always been our greatest ally, companion, and friend. Goodbye.'"

Bhakti stared at me. "They wrote that? They truly did?" he asked. His body started shaking, and the hisses of steam grew louder. "Thank… you. Humans are… such a kind species. I truly did... love… these human companions of mine. Farewell…my… friends…" he said, before he released a high-pitched whine and then went still.

"Bhakti?" Lighting said. When he didn't respond, she came close and looked him over. Hope came onto the line, saying "It appears he finally reached his limits. All of Bhakti's functions have shut down."

No sooner had he said that then a light rose up out of the bot, looking very much like a soul. I stared at it, before it entered Lightning and she absorbed it. "What the- Hope, what is this? This can't be a soul. Robots don't have souls, right?"

"I don't see how it could. Robots are creations of man, not God," he said.

Within my mind, I could sense Etro's agreement, but she added on "That being said, Bhakti definitely felt a bond with his human companions. Perhaps the strength of those bonds gave him something very much like a soul. It's incredible."

I relayed her words to the others, and Hope said "It's a nice fantasy, to be sure. But highly unlikely. In any case, it's time we continued trying to reach the clavis. I'll be in touch if you need me." And with that, he cut the connection.

Once he was gone, Fang frowned and crossed her arms. "So, what? Bhakti's just a hunk of metal that broke down next to its dead owner. Don't think I could get along with someone who thought like that," she stated.

"Same here. And Hope used to be the most sympathetic out of all of us except for Vanille. What gives?" Sofia asked.

I frowned. Now even Fang and Sofia were stating that Hope was acting unusual. If this kept going, I was seriously going to have to corner him for some questioning. But that would have to come later. For now, we had the murals to find in order to unlock the way to the clavis. With that in mind, we continued making our way through the ruins.

And that puts an end to this chapter. Rather than try and give some prediction for when the next update will be, I'll just say this: I will be trying hard to get it done and squeeze in the time needed to do so. So, don't think for a moment that I have abandoned this story. I never will, that much I can promise.

Please review! If you flame me then Bruce Lee will smash you with his nunchaku. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)