So hey guys, and welcome to Nascent Requiem's sequel, Revenant Wings! (Warning: Long-ass A/N ahead, skip down to the grey line if you feel so inclined)

I know I've said somewhere before that I only work on one fic at a time, but honestly, Unwritten is really being a bother to me in that I get stuck so easily on chapters and I get so caught up in the way things sound, it makes me want to rip my hair out, so I decided to get cracking on RW while I'm stuck. n_n I still intend to work on Unwritten and finish it before I turn my full attention to RW, but you'll know when I'm stuck on Unwritten when I update RW instead. xD

Rambling aside, this is NR's sequel, so I do advise you read NR first, as RW may be a bit confusing for you if you don't. That being said, I have a long list of people to thank, for reviewing NR after it was completed: That One Reviewee, H-thar, Lieutenant General Sora Hikaru, Soul Climax, Crowley (and actually, no, it was not, not intentionally anyways... I really like the meaning of the word 'revenant', and thought it fit, so here we are. n_n), Lightarcana, Echo the Dreamer, GunMetalX, GKMader, Labradoodles and Muffins, Random Person20302, Zapper90, OscarMerrinoz96, Erifrats101, Mylaervain, and thewhitespirit! You guys really know how to make a girl smile. Arigatou Gozaimasu! 8D

That being said, we're almost ready to go. Revenant Wings picks up three months after the epilogue of Nascent Requiem, to just set the timeframe for y'all. And this chapter is once again, surely and undeniably dedicated to my lovely and awesome LadyAlaska. (:

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is owned by Square Enix and is always happily returned at least partially intact.

Chapter 1: The Angels' Second Advent

Slamming the phone down onto the desk, Lightning tried to resist the temptation to sweep the metal-and-plastic thing right off the wooden surface. Muttering under her breath, she turned to flick the light off in the room, leaving the piles of paperwork behind as she left. Ever since... that, it seems like there's been nothing to do but paperwork. And these new recruits... aren't helping at all.

Even after so long, it was still an odd feeling to look over at the newer soldiers from what she would always see as the 'wrong side of the desk'. It wasn't that she minded the promotions in themselves terribly, it was that she'd have given anything to be out there in the field, killing monsters and patrolling streets alike; an old habit of thinking from darker days she couldn't shake off no matter how hard she tried. It clung to her like fog clung to thick ferns, unable to let go even though sunlight penetrated the upper levels of the forest. And so, instead, I'm stuck doing all this...

Slamming the door behind her, ignoring the summonses of various officers that badgered her whenever she left her room, Lightning tightened her hand on her omega weapon.

"I'm leaving," she snapped curtly at the young woman who sat as secretary to all the higher ranking officers. The girl looked startled to have been addressed directly, hastily brushing aside long aqua locks, before messily snapping into a salute.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Looking flustered as Lightning swept by her, the girl tried to rearrange her uniform into something that looked more professional. Striding past a captain that tried to get her to sign something, she left the busy building behind, walking into the moonlit twilight of New Bodhum. It was only then that she took her first deep breath of the day, letting the chilling air push out the daily issues that surrounded her like pressuring weights.

It was often that she was asked why she chose to continue to be a soldier, even after everything that it had ultimately cost her. Shaking her head at the veteran pensions involved in leaving and snapping harshly at the people who wanted to pry further, her only response had been: "I want to keep fighting." That much, at the very least, was true. There was a part of her that had always been fighting, had never stopped battling enemies, whether they were real ones that were after blood, or her own emotions and memories that chased doggedly at her mental condition. Serah...

It was still hard, even after so long, even after so many people had told her to keep living. It's not... that easy. Whoever made up the term "moving on" is an idiot; some memories and emotions were never meant to be let go of. Some memories and emotions will always be part of who I am... no matter what. And I know that. But... But letting her emotions and fears take over... wasn't the way to live either. It was a means to exist, to struggle through endless days with nothing but carefully controlled pain as the only guidelight, but it wasn't a way to live. He taught me that... A slight blush creeping up her cheeks at the thought, Lightning buried half her face in a gloved hand to hide it, even though the streets were empty, her only company the harsh orange light that the street lamps emitted.

The person in question was none other than Hope, who she'd readily allowed to move back in after his graduation and the subsequent events that had followed it. At first, it had been awkward, with four years of catching up to do, both in terms of physical events that had happened and emotional disparities that hadn't quite managed to make it across the sparse phone calls given back and forth, but in the end, what had been obvious in the moment of silence under Cocoon was still plaintively present and inevitably dominant. And I'd be lying to myself if I said that what happened wasn't the singular most meaningful thing since... When Lightning had realized that to be the undeniable truth, that was also the moment it had dawned on her how much she'd changed since... Since...

The old Lightning would have strangled herself before she admitted that she wanted to be close to someone, to have someone to confide in. But... I can't think like that anymore. Because connections make us who we are - we're defined by the people we meet. By the people we love and the people who love us.

The old Lightning would have jumped off a cliff before she admitted something like that too.

As her boot scraped the wet clods of dirt that led up to the cliffside on top of which her house had been built, she wondered briefly again, at the very nature of the relationship her mental well-being had so quickly come to rely on. That the 'connection', as Serah had put it so long ago, was there, there was no doubt. That both of them wanted it to exist, there was also no doubt. But is it right? The old demons came so quickly she had to pause for a moment in the brightening moonlight and look back at the spiderweb of lights spread beneath the height of the rock and earth path whose sides were overgrown with Gran Pulse flora, trying to use the sight to calm the sudden rush of emotions. Giving a slight shake of her head, Lightning tried to push those thoughts out of her mind. I...

She arrived at her doorstep too soon - quickly rearranging her face to the neutral, impassive mask she wore to work everyday, she didn't even have to raise a hand to knock nor fish in her pack for her keys. The door was opened the moment her boot made a small scuffing sound on the stone steps that led up to it. Expectant, but shy, viridian eyes were waiting for her.

"Hey." She tried not to sound too nonchalant and tired, but she didn't want to betray the mental argument that she'd had with herself just moments before. Whatever I think, whatever doubts I have... I can't hurt him while I'm at it. I've done that enough already.

Hope wasn't fooled by her tone; proof that he knew her better than she thought he did. "You look tired," he remarked wryly as she made her way to the couch, sitting down on the closest seat with a flop.

"Guess I am." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lightning looked up, ice blue gaze meeting his emerald one. "I'm tired of paperwork." That much was at least partially true - there didn't seem to be an end to the amount of trees that were killed in the filling out of her daily reports. What I wouldn't give to give myself a field job once in awhile... The thing about paperwork was that she was sitting still while she was doing it - her mind wandered less when she was doing something, and sitting there all day with a pen in hand didn't exactly cut it; unmoving in her chair, her mind was free to roam as the tiny printed letters swam uselessly before her. It wasn't a rare occurrence that she had to reread something because she hadn't processed it the first time.

Hope let out a soft chuckle. "You're always complaining," he teased. "Is it really that bad?"

It was proof to how much he'd changed her since he'd gotten back when Lightning realized she'd let out a snort. "You'd be complaining too... if you had to order around idiots who don't know how to follow orders, much less stay alive in a real combat situation, and fill out stacks of paperwork while you're at it."

He played with the light blue pauldron on her left shoulder absentmindedly as she talked. "It's not Lieutenant-Colonel Farron for nothing, is it?" The look in his verdant gaze was nothing short of amused.

"Right," she scoffed gently. "When I want to look after people who seem all too eager to get themselves killed... I'll let you know, alright?" Despite her tone though, a smile was forming on his face as their fingers found each others' - hers resting just on top of the fabric of the armrest with his cupped gently around them. Lightning found a small smile pulling at her own expression at both the gesture and his silent reaction.

The blaring ring of the phone made them both look up sharply as she swiveled her head to where the black plastic thing sat cradled on a small ledge across the room. "I'll get it." Making her way slowly across the expanse of her living room, Lightning let it ring two more times before delicately plucking it from the holder, narrowing her eyes in half-annoyance when she caught sight of the caller ID. She stood there, leaning against the wall, waiting.

"Yo, Sis. Guess who?"

Suppressing a sigh, she tried not to let the irritation creep into her voice. "You know, Snow, it's not exactly difficult to 'guess who' when I have caller ID." She heard him laugh, the sound crackling into static over the line.

"You sound more confident than since we last talked, Sis. Does this have anything to do with a certain someone living at your house currently?" Feeling a muscle pull at the corner of her eye in irritation, Lightning tried to keep her voice calm.

"And how... exactly do you know this, Snow?"

This time, she had to hold the receiver away from her ear when his laugh grated over the phone line. "Kid told me himself, Lieutenant-Colonel," he laughed, placing heavy emphasis on the title. "Really, Sis, you ought to monitor your house more carefully if you don't want stuff like that to leak out." Clearing his throat, Snow's voice took on a more serious tone. "Listen, I'm not here to argue with you about what may -or may not- go on inside your household. Got a room to spare? It's about time I paid you a visit like I've been meaning to for awhile." His tone grew more sombre still as he continued. "You're alright... aren't you?"

Pushing back the instant emotional relapse that his words instantly brought, Lightning fought to keep her voice steady. "Yes... I'm fine." I'll have to be.

"Excellent. Cause I'm gonna be at your place in..." He paused, a musing tone present in his voice. "...an hour or so, so you'd better be."

She barely had time to process his last words before she was spluttering indignantly. "Wait, what do you mean you'll-" The resounding click and the subsequent tone that signalled Snow had hung up on her left her standing there, staring at the black piece of plastic still gripped in her hand.

"What?" She didn't realize Hope was standing by her left shoulder looking down at her with a worried expression on his face. "Light, what...?"

Turning to him, Lightning tried not to show either her shock or indignation on her face. "Snow. He just said... he's inviting himself over." Catching his dubious glance at her reaction, she continued. "In an hour."

But instead of looking angry or surprised, Hope just chuckled again. "That's just how Snow is. He's as exuberant as ever. Sure, there are days where he's, well, full of memories too, but..." Hope trailed off awkwardly as he laid a hand on her arm comfortingly. "Don't worry... he won't bother you as much as you think he will."

For a moment, Lightning had to stop and wonder how Hope knew this, before the answer hit her in the face; Hope had been chased off to live with Snow in his schooling years in Eden. The instant that realization crossed her mind, guilt pushed its way through everything else. Because I was too weak and too pathetic to let him stay here. Some form of her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Hope's grip on her arm tightened as he took a step closer. "Hey... you okay?"

Swallowing past the sudden burn in her throat, Lightning was able to muster a nod, a nod that he wasn't fooled by. His other hand found her right arm as he stood in front of her. "Light. You're doing it again... For the last time... there's nothing for me to forgive, alright?"

Turning her head away slightly, she focussed her gaze on one of the cushions lying astray on the couches. No matter how many times you say it... there'll always be something there that has to do with me. She was reluctantly pulled into a shy embrace, but it was one she made no attempt to get out of. Her head resting against his collarbone, his voice was just above her right ear. "Please?" This time, there was something of a plea in the soft tones.

Breathing out deeply, she slowly reciprocated the gesture, slipping her arms around his waist loosely. "Okay." Her agreement was barely louder than a whisper, but she heard his appreciative hum in response. His lips had barely grazed over her forehead when a different buzzing sound filled the room, one that was coming from her phone stuffed down her pack.

Breaking apart quickly, she groped for the small plastic thing, flipping it open. There was no way it was Snow - he'd just called; Hope was standing right in front of her, and she doubted it was Sazh. That meant there was only one other place it could be.

"Lieutenant-Colonel!" The voice over the line was panicky and distressed as she quickly pressed the thing to her ear. "There's a situation! An unknown is attacking the city's southern side and we've lost contact with three squads sent to take care of it!"

Lightning tried to push herself from the emotion-wracked, uncertain individual she had been a mere few moments earlier to the professional she knew the officer expected from her. "Okay. Okay. Are you sure there's only one of them?" Trying to maintain an impassive voice over the obvious panic of the subordinate wasn't easy, with Hope listening to every word that was being shouted over the receiver.

"Ma'am, as far as we can see, he's alone. But we're not sure, we could send-"

She cut him off. "Where's your commander?"

"He's gone to deal with the situation, ma'am, but we've lost contact. His superior is in Eden with the generals and the rest of the higher ups; we're requesting backup as fast as possible from them, but it's possible they won't make it on time - we got wind of this barely twenty minutes ago and whoever it is looks like he's made it through the three squads we sent already. We need-"

"I'm coming." With that, she snapped the phone shut, gripping the plastic tightly in her hand, feeling the familiar pounding beginning to course through her bloodstream. Turning awkwardly to Hope, who had stood beside her the whole time, silently listening to the conversation. "Sorry..." The apology was out of her mouth before she even had time to think about what she was saying - the one word was automatic and uncontrolled and she saw him flinch.

"No. It's your job. You have to go. Don't worry about Snow - I'll take care of him." Walking with her as she made for the door, his hand lingered on her shoulder. "Stay safe... alright?" The last words tugged at something deep inside as she swallowed. "Promise me."

Their hands met in a final desperate clench before she let go, fingers going for her omega weapon.

"I'll try."

And for you... I will.

*bites nails*

So, I really hope I did alright in an attempt to create as intriguing a sequel as NR was, and I do hope that Chapter One was alright for you all. Leave love in a review if you wish (and concrits are always welcomed), and I'll see you all again in RW for the next chapter which may or may not be hopefully soon!

Hearts!