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

Notice: Nearing the end and I still manage to get 19000 views? Unbelievable, but it's happened all the same, and for that I am thankful. Thank you readers, thank you so much!

Last Chapter: The Tenth Power

We all rose above Edenhall, the Gate of the Goddess shining light upon us all. With the death of Orphan the fal'Cie Phoenix died, plunging Cocoon into darkness except for Eden. I heard a strange sound and looked at my arm, my eye widening. It looked like it was covered in ice, but I knew that wasn't the case. I was turning to crystal. One look told me that the others were too, and Lightning said "Together now!" I grasped her hand, she held onto Sazh, Sazh held Snow, and Snow held Hope. But that wasn't all of us. Snow reached out his hand and called "Fang, Vanille!" "Sofia!" I called.

The three of them looked up at us, before turning to each other. "Vanille?" Fang asked, and she nodded at her. "You two ready?" Sofia asked, to which they both smiled. "Ready," they said. The three of them held hands, and their brands glowed gold. They were enveloped in light, and a shockwave of energy shout outwards, instantly disintegrating all the monsters in Eden. The dust from them all gathered around the three of them, and the light faded to reveal what they had become. The Piteous Wanderer, the Beast of Chaos, the Destroyer of Worlds. Ragnorak.

Ragnorak spread its many arms and roared to the heavens, while outside Cocoon could be seen falling to the sky. The beast jumped off the edge of Eden and plunged down through the clouds, heading for the base of Cocoon. Pieces of magma and flaming rubble slammed into it, but it would not be stopped. It fell into the lava, and Cocoon drew nearing to landing on Pulse. Ragnorak burst out of the bottom, wrapping its arms around the base. Liquid crystal shot up from below, and the shell of Cocoon rippled as it melted and flowed like water. Within the liquid the faces of Vanille, Fang and Sofia could briefly be seen, and Ragnorak let out one last might roar.

Instantly gargantuan crystals, deep blue in color, shot out and the pillar solidified, the shell doing the same. Cocoons fall grinded to a halt, and everything was still.

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When I opened my eyes I expected to see the broad plains of Pulse spread out before me, Cocoon standing overhead. But what greeted me instead was another place entirely. There were no walls, no ceiling, even the floor didn't exist. It was just a plain white something to stand on, while the same whiteness was spread for an unknown distance around us. "Where are we?" Lightning asked, and I turned to see her standing beside me. Strangely enough though, the others were completely gone. "Where are the others?" I asked, and she shrugged. I looked around; hoping to see them, but the same emptiness was all around us. There was no one for miles in sight.

That was, until I heard a voice say "Well done, Outsider." Lightning started at the voice and reached for her gunblade, but stopped when I smiled. "Who was that?" she asked, I shook my head. "Don't worry, she means us no harm," I said, kneeling down and bowing my head, and hand over my heart. The whiteness in front of us shifted, and from it appeared the goddess Etro. She looked the same as always, only with a few slight differences. She still wore the same silver armor Lightning would wear, with a long cape of snow-white feathers and a slim but graceful sword at her waist, but now her helmet had been removed.

The goddess's face was that of a beautiful young woman, her skin milky white and almost glowing. Her ears and nose were pointed and her long silver hair flowed down to the small of her back. Her eyes were a golden yellow, accompanied by cherry red lips and perfect teeth. She smiled, and when she spoke her voice- soft yet strong, feminine and ethereal- sounded through the air. "You have my sincerest gratitude, Outsider. Now because of the efforts of you and your friends, the copies of the games in your world will no longer be able to affect this reality. Thank you," she said.

I smiled. "Thank you for showing me this world. There is more in it then I could dream," I said formally. "Deiru, who is that?" Lightning asked. I looked back. "That, my dear Lightning, is the Goddess of Death and Time. Etro," I said shortly. She gaped at me, but I looked forward again. "Can you tell us where we are?" I asked. She nodded, and waved her hands. Instantly tiles appeared out of nowhere, landing below us and forming a checkerboard and black and white tiles, while two small paths led to the left and right. "This is an especial part of the Void Beyond, the rift between gate and gate. I have brought you here to offer you something," she explained.

I frowned in confusion. "Offer me something?" I repeated, and she nodded. "Do you remember the words that you read not moments before you arrived in this world?" she asked, and when I shook my head she sighed. "Very well, I shall repeat them: Your fate has been altered, child who bears the crest of the moon. Now you travel to a world beyond your own, cursed to follow the same path as others. Should you follow the path to its conclusion, you will be rewarded with a choice beyond value. Fail, and you shall never see the world you know again. Do you have what it takes to prove your worth? Come, and let us see," she recited. "And now, I have brought you here to offer that choice."

Etro spread her arms, and an orb of light appeared in each hand. She flung her hands out to her sides, and they shot towards the end of the path, flashing bright before disappearing. In their places stood a pair of Time Gates, both golden and Etro snapped her fingers before a group of individuals appeared before us. I gasped, saying "Mom? Dad?" My parents, along with my brother and sister, stood before us. My father, Deibu, was in his mid-forties, average in height and with a pair of black glasses, a shaved head and graying beard. His skin was tanned from working on street construction, and he wore a red T-shirt with blue jeans with boots.

My mother Anba was both smaller in height and age, in her mid-thirties and only five-two. Her bleach-blonde hair reached her shoulder and her build could be best described as "plush" rather than overweight. She wore her usual pink T-shirt and black jeans, a pair of tennis shoes and her nails painted blue and aquamarine. My sister Emiri at age thirteen was almost as tall as my mother, and had the same hair only brown. She too wore glasses, and was dressed in jeans, high-top shoes and a "1-Direction" shirt. My brother, Akiresu, was tall for a nine-year old and was the third person to wear glasses. He wore a green shirt that had a picture of a T-Rex and said "Dino-mite" and wore jeans with neon green running shoes.

"Deiru? Is that you?" Anba called, and I smiled. Instantly my whole family and I rushed towards each other, and my parents wrapped their arms around me. "Thank goodness, we were so worried!" my mother said, and my father asked "Where the hell were you?" "Long story short, I got sucked into another word had to go on a long and dangerous journey in order to both it and time itself," I said simply, smiling at the expression on their faces. "But why are we here?" Emiri asked, after giving me one of her few hugs. I shrugged, looking back over at Etro. "Would you care to tell us that?" I asked.

She nodded and held up her hands, an artefact appearing in each one. The first artifact was like a globe of Earth; the snow was quartz, the sand amber, the trees emerald and the water was sapphire. The second was like a miniature Cocoon, the way it was now with the crystal pillar. "I hold in each of my hands an artefact, each capable of opening a separate gate that leads to either the world of Cocoon and Pulse, or to your home world. But each gate only opens for a specific group of people. The question that I ask is this: Which artefact will you use?"she asked. I gasped, my eyes widening while everyone else did the same. I looked at my family, seeing their expressions the same as mine, thunderstruck.

I looked down, the hard truth hitting me. I had a choice as to whether or not to stay in Cocoon, but that was the simple thing. I had to choose. "You the heck are you? You can't just make my son choose something like that!" my dad called, glaring at Etro angrily. She looked at him and then at me, saying "The choice must be made before any of you can leave this rift between realities. Take as much time as you need." She shimmered before vanishing, the two artefacts hovering in the air. My dad glared at the place where she stood, until I said "Dad, it's all right." He looked like he was about to protest, but held up my hand to stop him. "Just let me think," I said.

His anger faded and he slowly nodded. The blankness around us swirled again, and a set of steps appeared for me to sit on. I did so, and looked down with a thoughtful expression on my face. So this was the choice that Etro had promised, and if there was ever an example of bittersweet then this was it. I looked at me family and then at Lightning, knowing full and well that whichever one I didn't choose was the one I would never see again. I looked at me mother, father and siblings.

These were the people that I had known all my life, the ones who had born and raised me, along with my siblings. In that world I had friends, family, where I could go to school and live a normal life. No battles, no l'Cie curse, no worrying from day to day whether or not it would be my last. My father may have been a little on the strict side, but he did it with the best intentions and was the reason why I had been so successful when it came to academics. My mother wasn't the best out there, but she tried and had been there when I was down. And of course both of my siblings pissed me off to no end, but that was to be expected from a little brother and sister. Then I looked over at Lightning.

Here was a world that I had been shown, even if I hadn't originally asked for it. And here was a new group of people, one that I had more trust in than any of my other friends. Lightning, the woman who had won my heart and that I loved more than anything in either world. Snow, who despite being a pain in the ass was a good ally. Hope, who had shown me strength even when things were hard. Sazh, a guy who had the wisdom of age without the accompanying crankiness. Fang, strong in everything that she did. Vanille, always keeping things up with a smile. Sofia, a friend from my home world that had adapted to this one just as much as me in even less time. All these wonderful people, a fresh and exciting life, and where I could be with the woman I loved.

So which one did I pick? You guessed it.

I stood, the steps I had been on vanishing, and I said "I've made my decision." My father nodded, and he said "Deiru, whichever one you choose, I'm with you on it." My mother nodded in agreement. I smiled and nodded my thanks, walking towards the artefacts and calling "Etro!" In a flash the goddess reappeared, and she asked "Have you made your decision?" I nodded. "And?" I smiled, taking the artefact on the right and holding it up. "I choose to stay here, on Cocoon," I said. Etro nodded, saying "If that is what you wish, then it shall be. Considering that this shall be your family's final farewell, take as much time as you need." She stepped back and became silent, and I walked to my family.

"Well, guess this is goodbye," I said, looking from one of them to another. "Guess so. But like I said, if this is what you chose I'm with you," my dad said, smiling sadly. He and I hugged, patting each other on the back, and when we pulled back he said "I did tell you that you were going to do something great. And look, you went and saved an entire world!" I laughed. "Yeah." "And I always thought so too!" my mother added. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow, and she admitted "Okay, maybe not something this grand. But I knew you would do something huge!" I nodded and I hugged her too, letting her give me a peck on each cheek.

"There's still one thing I can't believe," my sister said. "And what's that, Emiri?" I asked. She smiled and pointed at me. "Thaaat... Deiru's got a girlfriend! Deiru's got a girlfriend!" she chanted in a sing-song voice. My face burned red and I said "Emiri!" She laughed, but then turned serious. "It's gonna be interesting not seeing you around anymore. I hope you'll like thing here Deiru," she said. My embarrassment faded, and I said "Don't worry, I will. And you enjoy your life too." She nodded. I knelt down next to my brother Akiresu, and I said "Hey, I'm not gonna be there anymore, so it's you that's going to be the real 'man' of Mom's house. Think you're up to it?"

He nodded. "Yeah! You can count on me!" he said confidently. I chuckled and ruffled his hair. "I will." I stood and extended my hand towards the globe-like artefact. It flew towards me and I caught it, handing it to them. "Here, this will take you back," I explained. They nodded and walked towards the gate, and my father held up the artefact. It disappeared and the gate opened my family rising into the air. I waved good-bye and they waved back, before vanishing into the gate and being transported back to my old world.

"Deiru…" Lightning said, and I turned to look at her. Her expression was a mix of emotions. Shock, sadness, tension, relief and, oddly enough, guilt. "The two of you shall have plenty of time to speak later. But for now, Lightning Farron, you must leave," Etro said, steeping forward. Lightning looked at and was about to argue when the goddess added "The last part of this conversation is meant for the Outsider only. I shall speak to him and him alone."I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Light. I'll see you soon," I promised. She looked at me with that same strange expression, but nodded and took the other artefact. Opening the other gate with it, she looked at me one last time before going through the gate.

I watched until the gate stopped spinning, and I looked at Etro. "You were saying?" "I must thank you for finishing this journey. Because of you the timeline in longer in threat of shattering, and I can rest easy knowing that fact. And because you have chosen to stay, I am able to give you one last thing. Extend your arm and show me your mark," she told me. I did as she asked and she held up her hand, the metal glove disappearing. The skin of her hand was milky white and almost glowing, like the rest of her, and when she grasped my arm it was cool to the touch. "What are you doing?" I asked. She smiled.

"You were blessed by me with ten powers, meant to assist you on your journey. First was the gift of magic, which you possessed even prior to becoming a l'Cie. Second was your sword Indomitus, which you could summon at will and was literally indestructible. Next came the ability to join your mind with those of others, along with your spell Salvation. Fifth was you Eidolon Regnuma, and the sixth power was to able to transfer any of the other five to another human. Uried was your seventh power, one I regret giving, and eight was your power of Absolute Protection. Ninth came your ultimate move, Lunar Blade…" Etro smiled wider. "And now for your tenth."

She placed the palm of her hand over my mark, before grasping it my arm and pushing. I gasped, feeling like countless pins and needles raced through my body, particularly in my head, over my heart and on my mark. A trio of images flashed through my head. One was the blood of Etro disappearing, being used to create the first human, Yeul. Next came what I had witnessed not long ago, the appearance of Ragnorak and the saving of Cocoon. Then one more flashed through my head, of Lightning in her divine armor kneeling before the Throne of the Goddess. Then my eye snapped back open and I gasped, and the moment Etro let go of my arm I drew it back. My mark was glowing a bright gold, shining with divine power.

"What kind of power is this?" I asked. "That is your ultimate power, only able to be used a single time. The spell will release all of you and your fellow l'Cie from crystal stasis, while still allowing them to retain their power over Eidolons and magic," Etro explained. My jaw dropped, and I looked up at her. "Are you serious? What about Vanille, Fang and Sofia? Will they be released as well?"I asked. To my dismay she shook her head, but added "But once the pillar of Cocoon is no longer able to hold, the three of them will no longer need to remain as crystal to uphold it. When Cocoon falls, your other friends will be released as well. All you need do is speak the incantation, and the spell will be cast."

I frowned. "How will I know what the incantation is?" I asked. She smiled. "When the time comes, you will know," she promised. "Thank you. Thank you so much," I said, bowing respectfully. Etro nodded, and said "You are most welcome, you deserve such a reward. Now, go through the gate and return to Cocoon. Farewell,Deiru Tamashi." I nodded and walked towards the gate, but just before I went through I looked back. "You know, I believe that was the first time you ever said my name." The goddess smiled. "You are correct. Now go, and free your friends from their crystals," she said. I nodded and went through, leaving behind my old life to begin a new one.

When I exited the gate I was on the plains of Pulse, near the base of Cocoon. The sight should have taken my breath away, but what drew attention was the sight in front of me. Lightning, Hope, Sazh and Snow were all standing there, their bodies having been turned to crystal. I was transfixed for a moment; Lightning's crystal form made her stunningly beautiful. Not that she wasn't before, and once I freed her we would be able to live a happy life together. With that I drew back my sleeve, seeing my mark still glowing with that same golden light.

I extended my hand and the light flared, shining as my palm glowed as well. Vine-like coils erupted from it, the same kind that Pulse had used to give us all our brands so long ago. Only while those coils glowed bright green, these possessed the golden light and Eyes that were the symbol of Etro. They wrapped around Lightning and the others and one tightened around my palm, attaching my brand like the others. Without even thinking, words appeared in my head and I spoke them. "My friends! Long have we fought against countless trials, working so hard to change our fate!

"Now our endeavors have been rewarded, for we have been gifted by the goddess herself. So bask in the glow and feel her power, as I cast my ultimate spell. Etro's Light," I called, and the light grew even brighter. Pure energy traveled through the coils and into their bodies, and they began to shine as the coils released the last of the spell and disappeared. Lightning was the first to revert back, and fell forward as she returned to flesh. I caught her and said "Lightning?" She snapped her head up and looked at me, her expression riddled with guilt. "Deiru?" she asked. "That place, your family, you chose to leave them behind?"

I nodded, and her eyes magnified by tears until she began sobbing uncontrollably. Startled, I pulled her against my chest and asked "Lightning? What's wrong? I'm here; everything's going to be okay." "No, it's not!" she yelled. "You gave up your entire world just so you could be with me-" "Claire," I said firmly, cupping her cheek and forcing her to look up at me. She gasped at both the action and use of her real name, and I said "Don't you get it yet? I didn't give up my world for you. Claire, you are my world." Lightning's eyes widened and she stared at me, before kissing me and holding me tightly, as if afraid I'd evaporate into thin air.

I kissed back and held her just as tightly, overjoyed that I would be able to stay with her. Eventually we pulled apart, and I smiled at her as our foreheads touched. "Speaking of worlds…" I began, turning and looking at Cocoon. "They did it. They saved the world," I said. "No, they gave us a new one," Snow said, and we turned to look at him. We nodded, and Sazh said "That's one gift I'll forgive them for now wrapping." Hope chuckled. "Yeah." "This all we can do. The rest is up to you," we heard Vanille's voice say. "Does this mean we completed our Focus?" he asked. "Cocoon's seen better days, that's for sure," Snow told him.

"Yep, I'd say this qualifies as a demolition. Focus complete," Sazh said. "Whatever you want to believe," Fang said, sounding amused. We were all silent for a moment, until Hope called "My brand! It's gone!" The others looked at him in surprise while I grinned. "It's easy to lose sight of things in a world as wide as this one,"Vanille said. Lightning looked at the pillar. "It really is a miracle," she said. "But if you keep going you're sure to find what you're lookingfor-sooner or later."A pair of figures were walking in our direction, and I heard a young voice say "And, and, and there a whole big bunch of chocobo there!" "Really?" we heard a female voice say, and their faces became clear. It was Dajh and Serah. Snow said "Serah," and ran forward, and Lightning smiled happily. "It is."

Sazh ran forward and called "Dajh!" "Daddy!" Dajh called, running into his father. "Snow!" Serah called, and he replied "Serah!" Both groups laughed happily, and Snow asked "You're okay, are you?" "Yeah, I'm fine!" she replied. Hope looked at them, but his gaze rose to the pillar and he asked "They're gone, aren't they?" I placed a hand on his shoulder, and I said "Don't worry; they'll be back one day. I made sure of it." He looked at me and smiled, and Serah ran in front of us. She was about to hug Lightning when she saw me, and asked "I'm sorry, I don't think we've ever formally met. Who are you?"

I smiled and bowed elegantly, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Deiru Tamashi, at your humble service m'lady," I said, standing. "And I... Well, to put it blunt, I'm currently in a relationship with your sister," I said simply. "Deiru!" Lightning called, her face turning crimson. Rather than being shocked, Serah laughed and said "No, it's okay; I'm glad actually. It's good to know that Claire's finally found someone." Lightning looked at her, and embraced her saying "Serah, I'm sorry." They pulled back and she said "It's okay," before they were interrupted by Snow.

"Hey, come on, the apologies can wait! We've got a wedding to plan! You are gonna allow it, right?" he asked. "Snow, you don't waste time do you?" Hope asked, slightly exasperated. "No, I don't," he replied, and Sazh added "That's right! Just charge in, guns blazing!" "And damn the consequences. After all, it usually works with head as solid as granite," I pointed out. Snow let that go by, looking to Lightning and saying "I swear to you, I will make happy." Lightning nodded. "I believe you." Then she looked at me and I nodded, and she smiled. "Congrats."

Deep within the crystal pillar, the crystal of Fang, Vanille and Sofia shone bright. "When prayers turn to promises, nothing can stand in their way," Fang said. "Despite the hardships we faced, we strivedforwardfor a better tomorrow," Sofia stated. Vanille concluded "We held the light of hope in our hearts, and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet a new dawn."

Fin

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And now Destinies Intertwined had drawn to a close! NOOO! But now that we are here at the end, I want to thank a few people:

AeonLegacy, who unknowingly provided me with the inspiration to write this story,

Atsirk Enoh, who supported me from the very beginning and gave me my first words of encouragement,

Keep Calm and Be Ninja, jhellou and greyspiritfoxx, for the plentiful reviews,

G.S. Phoenix and nick tanico, for the sublimely helpful ideas.

And last, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to allthe people who read or reviewed this story. Without all of you I wouldn't have had the motivation to continue this story. Thank you all so much!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)

Notice: Despite this story being over, don't expect that to mean I am! I fully intend to write a sequel to this story, and by the time you read this I will have already posted a poll on my profile to let YOU decided the title of it! The highest vote becomes the title!