Faint Memories [Cloud]

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Well, that gathering with the Goddess of Harmony had certainly been eventful! Not even starting this conflict, and there already had been a fight. Zack and Angeal would be alright, but there was one person she could not quite put her finger on. The third person that carried the exact same Buster Sword, and who Zack obviously viewed as an important friend. He seemed so familiar to her, and her heart knew that he was an important part of her past. What could she be forgetting, though? The young woman would admit that her childhood memories were a little blurred, but she was not too unhappy with that fact. Her first years of life had been spent in the confines of the Shinra Laboratory after all, and she knew that she was a Cetra. She remembered Zack, and she remembered her mother, but why not this blond haired man? "Hmm, I know him, don't I?" she mused to herself quietly. She was currently perched beneath the shade of a tress, watching the peaceful surroundings of her resting area.

It was very beautiful here, and the looming tower not too far from her made this place seem ancient in a way. Was this what the ruins of her people looked like? For a moment, a flicker of a looming temple across a bridge shadowed the Crystal Tower. Voices of people she did not know, and a solemn resolve settled within her heart. Pain seared though her temples, and Aerith reached to grasp her head in surprise. Closing her emerald eyes, she tried to figure out what that had been. A lost memory? Of what? "O-oh. Temple of the...Ancients?" she murmured, confusion lacing her voice. Cloud was there, but how could that be? As the pain slowly dissipated, the young Cetra became worried about the part of her past that was gone. To regain it, victory needed to be obtained along her journey.

A shaky breath escaped her lips, and her hands slowly slid back to rest upon her lap. Faint memories of an old temple, and of voices that had an important place in her heart. She was not too worried, because they would come back to her in time. Maybe it would be best to keep these quiet revelations to herself. Aerith did not want to give false hope to possible friends she could not even remember. One memory did not equate to the whole she was missing. Smiling to herself, she pulled herself into a standing position. She could not rest all day after all! Then she would become as lazy as Zack could be! Giggling to herself softly, she stepped from the shadows of the tree and into the warm sunshine.

[cloud strife]

Lots of new warriors, this time.

It was hard not to notice. This cycle had been all but filled with new warriors, and more than a few of them were from his own world ... some had been around before, but not for a while since, and others were just entering for the first time. It was strange. He'd always been the one whose memories had been broken into pieces, either by Sephiroth or himself, but now he was one of the few who remembered nearly everything about his past. Memories of the past cycles ... they were more difficult, but they were there, he could feel them. Enough that he knew more or less what was to come.

We've won. Ever since the thirteenth cycle, we've won. Oddly, the thought was not comforting. Cloud finally broke his thoughts, and looked about himself. It was strange, the way different zones were connected in this menagerie world, but eventually got used to it. This time ... a grassy field, surrounding a great tower. Not a familiar spot, but it was at least a pleasant one. He just hoped there wouldn't be a Warrior of Chaos waiting for him. He didn't fight for the pleasure of it, and only raised his sword when he had to. The problem was, he very frequently did have to.

He walked through the field, bending down and drifting a hand across the grass. He smiled. It was peaceful, and reminded him of another time ... on a hill, with a friend.

That all seems so long ago now ... I wonder if I'll ever get back.

Then, he saw her. Aerith. In a moment, all those old hurts and weaknesses, all that old pain and guilt came rushing back. He saw Sephiroth, descending from above, a dark angel with a cruel sword in hand ... but no. He couldn't go around with all that guilt, not again. On the other hand ... he didn't think she recognized him. Perhaps her memories were still lost to her. That almost made him laugh, just from the sick irony of it all. He walked towards her, still calmly, not quite sure what to say. How did you tell someone that you had let them die?

"Hi. I'm Cloud."

[Aerith Gainsborough]

A presence touched the edge of her senses, more sensitive with her Cetra heritage. Familiar from that meeting with Cosmos, and one she swore she knew within her heart. Her mind did not remember, but she knew that her heart did. How conflicting both logic and emotions could be at times. Aerith tended to follow her heart more than her mind at times, so she waited patiently for Cloud to make his way over toward her. Emerald eyes studied him curiously, looking for any gesture that would be familiar to her. He had bent down to caress the grass of the field, and she remembered her own love for nature. Oh, how lovely this place would look with a field of flowers! A field of white lilies, like the ones back at her Church! Or perhaps some roses, too? Aerith shook herself from her thoughts, watching as emotions flickered through Cloud's eyes. Pain and guilt were the most prominent, and her brow furrowed. Why did he feel such a way? Did it have to do with the old scar that ran along her back and stomach? [She had vague memories of the previous Cycles coming back to her.] She could not remember where the wound had come from, and so Cloud must have known with the pain he was gazing at her with. What had he gone through?

Aerith curled her lips into her most warm smile, glancing up at him as he soon stopped before her. "Hello, Cloud. I'm Aerith," she greeted back. She was curious to know about what he knew about her, but she did not want to see him in pain. Perhaps she could console him in some way. Clasping her hands behind her back, Aerith leaned forward in a familiar gesture. [Like the second time she had met him in her Church.] An expression of concern flickered across her features, and she studied the male before her closely. His eyes caught her attention the most, eyes that glowed like those of SOLDIER. Infused with Mako energy from the Planet itself. The words 'Ex-SOLDIER' and ' First Class' popped into her mind, along with the image of Cloud laying on the flowerbed of her Church unconscious. Her memories really were missing, and many of them must have centered around the youth before her. Realizing she had been quiet for a little while, Aerith leaned back with a small laugh, along with a faint blush across her ivory cheeks. "I'm sorry, but you remind me of someone. Someone that appears to be very important to me," she explained after a moment. Oh, how could she forget? In yet another familiar gesture, Aerith cupped her chin with her palm, resting her elbow within the palm of her free hand.

"Someone that appears to be you!" Aerith smiled sweetly at Cloud, happy that she at least recognized him from her brief recollections. What their connection had been, she was not entirely sure. Well, now was as good as any time to reacquaint themselves, right? More at peace with herself, the young woman glanced toward the sky with a peaceful smile. Her hands slid back to her side, clasping together as she often did. "Ne, Cloud, you don't need to feel guilty about meeting me. Whatever happened between us is in the past, right? Everything will turn out alright in the end," she reassured. Aerith did not know why, but those words felt right to say. As if she had done so before to ease Cloud's pain and inner turmoil. He was her friend now, and that is what friends did for one another.

[Lightning Farron]

She too had been relaxing in the peaceful area around the looming tower, directly opposite from the girl called Aerith; much to her dismay, she had been oblivious of the other people in the arena, and as soon as she heard voices, she shot up into a standing position. She automatically went for her gunblade, a flick of her wrist easily manipulating it into sword form, and she simply stood, silent as a shadow. She couldn't see the owners of the voices from where she stood, but that didn't mean they couldn't see her; it was best to get out of the way of any attacks that might come. The ex-soldier had no way of knowing if the people were friend or foe, and she wasn't about to take any chances.

Swiftly she scaled the tower to the landing closest to the ground, but even from there she could only see the tops of the peoples' heads. She went higher, to the second closest platform, and quickly she shimmied along the wall until she was at the corner of the tower closest to the people, which she now identified as a man and a woman, the former with ridiculously spiky blonde hair, the latter with auburn. A couple, maybe? But their relationship didn't matter. She had not seen them at Chaos' gathering, and while that didn't account for much (as she had not met Raine until afterwards as well), they certainly didn't seem the type to be fighting for a deity like Chaos, the girl especially. That could only mean that they were warriors of harmony, servants of the goddess Cosmos, sworn to protect the light and all who dwelled within it.

It meant they were Lightning's enemies.

Despite this, Light chose to remain upon her perch, her back pressed up against the tower in such a way that would conceal her from her foes. She could still see them, though, and hear them as well. The warrior of Chaos could have gladly done without the latter, though; much to her annoyance, the girl sounded irritatingly familiar in a way that she knew she should know, but didn't.

Lightning hated not knowing things.

She let out a soft sigh and adjusted her black lace-up top with her free hand, then proceeded to scowl at her chest when it slipped down and once again exposed the tops of her breasts. She wouldn't lie; the outfit was rather comfortable, especially her boots, but she hated low-cut shirts, more due to the fact that it caused men to refuse to take her seriously than anything else. But the pants were easier to fight in than the skirts she typically wore, so she'd have to deal with the top as well, as much as she hated it.

As she crouched on the Crystal Tower, her pink hair fluttering in the wind, she couldn't help but wonder if she could take on the two of them together. Each separately, she was sure of; the girl didn't look like she could put up much of a fight, and while the blonde guy looked considerably tougher (especially with that huge sword), she was positive that she could take him in a one-on-one fight. But together? It was possible that Light could die if it came to a fight, and then where would she be? Not saving Serah, that was for sure. But if she took them down... it would be two less warriors in her path to Cosmos.

"It's not a question of can or can't," she told herself, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the couple. "There are some things in life you just do."

[cloud strife]

For a moment, he wished he hadn't said anything. That he'd just turned around and walked away. It would've been easier, would've staved off all this ... confusion that he felt know, the strange fusion of guilt and happiness. He was happy, of course, in a choked, vexed way. Aerith was alive, standing right there in front of him. How could he not be happy about that?

Pretty easily, I guess. I let her die.

He thought he'd been over all that, but he guessed he was wrong. It was one thing to fight off Sephiroth, save a bunch of children, and then watch someone wish you well as they walked off to their peace ... it was another to look at the woman right there, to see her as happy and animated as he remembered her, and to realize that she barely even remembered him. Not that he could blame her. Cloud hadn't even needed the excuse of this madness with Cosmos and Chaos to lose his memories.

He flinched. He'd forgotten how easily Aerith could see right through you, how she picked up on even the slightest trace of emotion behind your eyes. When she leaned forward, he couldn't help but feel like he was being examined. Cloud wasn't often very expressive, but he felt all of a sudden like he might as well have an emotive roadmap across his face. In a sick way, it reminded him of Sephiroth, the way that the so-called One Winged Angel could look right through him. Except where Sephiroth saw only weakness, Aerith saw the light. She saw the light in everyone.

She smiled, and all those memories came flooding back, of the good times and the bad. He tried to focus on the good, but there was so much darkness to weight it out ... he pushed those thoughts aside. They didn't serve him well.

Not me. Not anyone.

"Everything will be ... all right. Yeah," Cloud said, almost as though he was reassuring himself, after Aerith spoke. Then he smiled, just the faintest ghost of one, and nodded. "Your memories will come back, eventually. We're still friends. Even if we don't remember why."

He wasn't really sure what else he could say. What else was there? He didn't want to have to explain all that had happened ... it was a long and convoluted story, and she didn't need to be trying to sort all that out before the fight with the Warriors of Chaos, anyway. And the fight would come. It always did. But was that his choice to make? Maybe she wanted to hear her own story ... whatever he thought wasn't often what was best. He'd made more than a couple mistakes in his time.

"Do you want to know? How we know each other, I mean," Cloud said, looking at Aerith, his face impassive, masking the conflicting emotion beneath. "It's your story. If you want it ... you should have it."

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Aerith's brow furrowed for a moment when Cloud flinched away from her at her closeness. Had she made him uncomfortable in some way? They both knew each other, right? Not taking the gesture personally, she kept trying to lighten up is rather muted demeanor. Her presence brought forth both happiness and a strange guilt from him, and she wondered what had happened to make that so. The young woman wish she could do more for him, but she was unsure of where to even begin. There were no memories to recall upon, and only the feelings of adoration and gentle care for him. Cloud was important to her, nearly as important as Zack it seemed. Oh, what was she forgetting? A journey that had somehow taken her to the temple she had recalled earlier, but all it left was so many questions. It had her wondering who else she had forgotten. No doubt many friends from the looks of it. Well, Aerith would just have to seek out her memories, right? Yes, and then she would fight with her friends to end this cycle of conflict, no matter what she had to do in order to create a peace for her home.

Her expression brightened at the faint smile upon Cloud's face, and so she merely smiled happily in return. Yes, it seemed he would be alright. "Exactly. Our hearts remember, and that's how I know you're important to me," she replied confidently. They were connected to each other, and that would never change. A faint presence was beginning to make itself known to her, and the Cetra's emerald eyes flickered over Cloud's shoulder. Who else was watching them? The presence did not seem hostile at present, but it was something for the young woman to keep in mind. There was a flicker of darkness from the aura, but it was separate in a way. A Warrior of Chaos? How had she not noticed before? Looking back to Cloud with a smile upon her lips, she wondered what he was thinking. He appeared so troubled, and her expression flickered to concern. Her slim hand reach out to rest upon his arm in a comforting gesture. Oh, what had happened to make him so somber and reluctant in her presence? Perhaps it did have to do with the linger scar upon her abdomen.

"I think it would be best if I did. I just want you to know I don't blame you for anything that happened in our story," Aerith reassured gently. Words that had an echo in her heart, as if she had said a similar statement to him before. Dainty fingers squeezed his arm in comfort, keeping the contact to show that this meeting and moment were real. Even with the mask of indifference in place, Aerith could see his conflicting emotions. His mako eyes could not completely hide how he felt. Closing her eyes, the Cetra was resolved to hear her forgotten past, because she needed to. If only to console Cloud that there was no need to hold onto his pain, and that forgiveness began with yourself. Perhaps the two of them should sit for this? Aerith remembered the presence nearby, but she decided to trust whoever was there for the moment, and that they would sense neither Cloud or her were a threat. Her hand soon slipped to his hand, guiding her friend to the tree she had previously been sitting beneath.

[Lightning Farron]

She rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger as the woman's fingers entwined around the man's. What was with them? Didn't they notice her? Sure, she was being subtle, but you'd think they'd at least have a feeling of unease. She was a Warrior of Chaos, for crying out loud, and there they were, acting like they were the only two people in existence. She felt an inane sense of bitterness sweep over her at that moment, causing her free fist to clench. Was this... was Lightning jealous of the pair?

That was crazy. Why would she be jealous? She had people who loved her, and cared about her... right? She had Serah. She didn't need anyone else. But Serah... Serah had Snow. She didn't need Light anymore, she made that much obvious when she ran out after announcing her status as a Pulse l'Cie and her engagement to Snow.

Lightning was all alone.

When she went off by herself, what she really wanted was just someone to sit next to her. When she told people to get lost, a little affection would have been nice, and when she pushed people away, locked them out, inside her was a little voice that was screaming for someone to tell her that everything would be all right.

But she wouldn't get that, because she was Lightning, and Lightning did things on her own, in her own way. She didn't have time for emotions. She had things to do, people to save, deities to slaughter. She made the same damn excuses every single time, and every single time, people went with it.

It didn't matter that this pair seemed happy together, and it didn't matter that Lightning was admittedly jealous over the love they appeared to share. They were enemies, and they had to go.

The ex-soldier straightened up, hardening her heart in preparation for the battle that would surely commence. She rose up on her tiptoes to rid herself of the stiffness in her legs, adjusted her shirt once more (to no avail), and leapt off of her perch, landing lightly in the grass about ten paces behind the pair. She figured she would just ambush them; kill the woman first, then move on to the stronger-looking man.

But too late, she realized that the woman could have been Raine's sister. Admittedly, Light had pictured a blonde version of Raine, but you could never be too careful; she had no intention to break the promise she had made. There goes the sneak attack.

Flicking her wrist to manipulate her blade into its gun status, she pointed it at the auburn-haired woman, her expression impassive as she approached the pair.

"You," she stated, jerking the gunblade in Aerith's direction so that the woman would know that Light was addressing her. "What's your name?"

[cloud strife]

A long time ago, Cloud had realized that life very rarely made things easy on anyone. He'd stopped hoping for an easy break. He just wished he'd gotten better at solving problems. As far as he could tell, he hadn't.

Come on. Should be easy. Just tell her you bought a flower from her, then led a psychotic murderer to her and let her die. Straightforward. It was so strange, to see Aerith without her memories. She'd always seemed like someone who could never be broken down, mentally or physically ... but then, Sephiroth had killed her, so why couldn't Chaos take away her memories? Things never worked out the way you wanted them to. He shook his head. He wasn't getting anywhere. He couldn't help but turn away when she touched his arm, but he forced himself to follow her to her spot beneath a tree. He sat down, and with a great force of will looked in her face.

"Well...." he started, before he realized just how much had happened. How was he even supposed to begin to explain it all? "Wow. A lot happened," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Would she need to know about all that had happened with him and Zack? With his own memories? Most of that happened before he'd even met her, but it was also important to everything that happened afterwards, and it was sort of important to know that he hadn't just handed Sephiroth the Black Materia because he'd figured it'd make for a fun weekend. He was about to start explaining that, when....

"Hang on. There's someone...." He thought he'd heard something, and by now he'd learned to trust his instincts. Cloud hated surprise attacks. True to what he'd thought, he heard a slight disturbance behind him, and turned around to see a pink-haired woman descending from the sky and landing quite gracefully. He frowned.

Familiar. I think ... I think I met her before. But that was a long time ago. Cloud still had most of his memories, but not all of them, and particularly not the ones that hadn't been reinforced. Then she drew her weapon, and without thinking, Cloud's was in his hands, the central component of his fusion swords readied for combat.

"I don't care who you are. Put your gun away."

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Aerith's gaze was gentle and kind as she observed Cloud, knowing that this tale would not have a happy ending for her. There was a hinting in the first recollection she had experienced when observing the Crystal Tower, and the name of the Temple of the Ancients. The young woman could not remember the journey that lead to such a place, or the reason why she had been there. It had to do with her heritage, one she had tried denying ever since she was a child. Being a Cetra had always frightened her, because it made her so different from everyone else. It lead to Shinra constantly trying to coax her back, but that meant cold lab walls, along with endless experiments. Her mother had been killed for being the last true Cetra, and Aerith was merely half. It meant her being alone, because being different meant power and isolation to everyone that had wished to use her. It was why she had never told Zack about what she was, or anyone else besides her adoptive mother. Blinking away her rather somber thoughts, her emerald eyes remained steady upon her friend. It seemed he had such a hard time in knowing where to begin. This merely reinforced that this tale was not a happy one, but she was determined to hear everything. "Well, that just means it's more important for me to know," she replied with a light smile.

It seemed the presence had decided to interrupt their reunion, and Aerith glanced up as Cloud did so. Perhaps she should have warned him, because now the presence had an aura of hostility. She wondered why that was, but a woman had dropped from her perch up the tower. Her landing was graceful, and her rather intricate blade was pointed toward both herself and Cloud. Aerith pulled herself into a standing position, her hand covering her mouth in concern and worry. Would she instigate a fight? Glancing more closely at the woman, her appearance was becoming much more clear and familiar to her. Emerald eyes widened with confusion as the woman demanded to know her name, and her head tilted to the side. Who was she? Cloud had drawn out his own sword, and Aerith was hastily trying to think of a way to resolve this situation before a fight did break out. Her hand once again rested upon Cloud's arm briefly, and she smiled at him in a reassuring manner. Her gaze expressed that she would handle this. Stepping between both Cloud and the young woman, her piercing gaze met the stranger's.

No, not a stranger. Aerith felt a connection to the woman before her, and her mind supplied a name from the depths of her buried memories. "I'm Aerith," she answered with a gentle smile. Emerald eyes brightened kindly, and she clasped her hands behind her back. Leaning forward just a little, ignoring the gun currently aimed at her, she tilted her head to glance up at the taller woman. "It's nice to see you again, Lightning." No, Aerith could not quite recall how she knew Light, but her heart recognized her, and that was all the Cetra needed to know. She had little memory of Cloud, but she knew they were both friends. All Aerith needed was to make Lightning hesitate enough to show that there was no need for a fight between the three of them. Emerald eyes were shining with slight amusement, but her smile was warm.

[Lightning Farron]

Tch. Of course the man wouldn't just stand by and let her kill this woman. Why had she expected him to? These emotions were clouding (ha) her judgement, making her see twists and turns when there were only straight lines. In order to do her job properly, she had to still her mind, move on instinct.

But for whatever reason, her head refused to stop whirling.

At any other time, she would have just pulled the trigger and turned to deal with the man. But now... something gave her pause, something she didn't quite understand. Maybe it was how familiar the pair seemed to her, or the annoyingly familiar sound of the woman's voice, or the feeling that maybe, just maybe, she had seen the man's weird sword around before. Whatever it was, it was throwing her off, and instead of pulling the trigger of her gunblade, she summoned one of the Zantesuken blades and pointed it at the man.

"Playtime's over, loverboy," she told the spiky-haired man, a look of disdain on her features. "Why don't you put your toy away before someone gets hurt?"

Light directed her attention back towards the woman who, she was astonished to see, was smiling at her. What was up with this pair? They have to be crazy, she decided. Only a crazy person would smile when they have a gun pointed straight at them.

Aerith. The name sounded strangely familiar, but she had to brush that thought away. Lightning had a job to do, and she wouldn't let any feelings of nostalgia get in her way. But the name, and that voice, and the kindness in her eyes... everything about her just seemed so familiar, like maybe they had been comrades before. That was ridiculous, though. She'd never seen the woman before in her life.

You've never seen that boy before, either.

Once again, Light was reminded of the teenager with slate-colored hair that had popped into her head while she was talking to Raine, and it was all she could do to keep from howling in frustration. Everything had been so clear before. She knew her role, her purpose, and what she wanted to do. But now... so many things were coming to the surface, and nothing was as she thought it was.

'It's nice to see you again'? Just what is this woman getting at? Light could swear on her life that she'd never seen this Aerith before, but she was acting like they were old buddies who just had tea yesterday. Yeah, I'd say crazy's a safe bet.

"What do you mean, again?" she snapped, and she moved her gunblade so that the muzzle of the gun portion was by Aerith's temple, her other hand still holding the Zantesuken blade in case the man tried anything funny.

Lightning wanted answers, and she was going to get them.

[cloud strife]

Cloud frowned, both at Aerith's handling of the situation and Lightning's attitude. Cloud had enormous respect for Aerith, but sometimes ... he wondered if she was too nice. He knew her. She was no pushover, and if she'd wanted to she could've knocked that gun out of her face with little trouble. But she chose to just smile and treat this Lightning like she was an old friend. This place being what it was, she might even have been an old friend, but if she was going to try and fight them now....

He rolled his eyes, though, at Lightning's words.

"Stop acting like a kid. You're the one pointing the gun and the sword." As ever, Cloud's face was utterly impassive, calmly surveying Lightning and Aerith, while he held his sword in one hand, raised and pointing at Lightning's Zantetsuken blade. The sword was huge, and he wasn't exactly a large guy, but he held it as though it was a feather. A pool of fire gathered around his left hand, ready to be converted into a sudden blast of Fire magic if he had to. When she pressed her gun even closer to Aerith, though, he stepped forward.

"You think you can stop me with one arm while you're trying to point a gun at her? My 'toy' here could cut you in half," Cloud said, his voice suddenly harder than normal, a shadow of the old Cloud, the one who'd been more than a bit of an asshole.

The Ex-SOLDIER. The one that existed in my head, he thought, but he didn't show it.

"Do you really want to die over this? Because I won't let you shoot her," Cloud said, his eyes hard and icy, while he still held his huge sword to meet Lightning's smaller one--which said a great deal about the size of Cloud's weapon, since Lightning's wasn't exactly tiny. "Put it down."

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Aerith could sense that this situation could quickly turn out violent if she did not figure something out. There had to be a resolution of some sort, because Lightning did not seem like the type to outright attack without a reason. She was a Warrior of Chaos, and that was certainly reason enough in this war. Still, there was something about her that had Aerith hesitating in allowing Cloud to fight her. Yes, she was quite able to escaping the gun that was aimed at her too closely for comfort, but she wanted to have the younger woman back down. She was careful, since she was well aware of the weapons drawn, and Cloud was much stronger in melee combat than Aerith could ever hope to be. Her smile did not waver, and she was determined to make Lightning see sense in this situation. "There's no need for fighting, you know," she scolded lightly, as if she really did not have a gun aimed at her temple. Emerald eyes flickered briefly to her friend, seeing that a sword had was pointed toward him, and she knew Cloud would not take that overly well. Keep calm, talking this through, and then everyone would conversing like they should. Even Aerith could admit that it would be a hard task.

It was a good thing she was too stubborn for her own good, and so she looked back to Lightning with the same smile in place. Emerald eyes pierced quite easily into Lightning's icy ones, as if searching her very soul. Whatever the young woman had been looking for, she was quite content that she had found it. A glimpse into the the vague memories she could recall of the woman before her. Strong, aloof, but very kind beneath all of the cold armor erected around her heart. "Cloud, I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing," she reassured lightly. The banter did worry her somewhat, because Aerith did not wish for the two of them to fight. Her heart knew what her mind could not recall, and so she angled her body to place herself directly in front of Cloud. Her slight form did little to obscure the view of Cloud, but it assured that she would have Lightning's full attention. Rather risky upon her part, but she was sure she could get through to the woman before her. All she needed was some time to answer her questions.

"I can't quite remember clearly, but I know we met before. You feel it, too, right?" she countered, barely moving as the cold metal pressed against her temple. Much too close for comfort, but she regarded Lightning with her same smile in place. "I promise I'll answer all of your questions as best I can." She held her empty hands before her, showing that she was of little threat to Lightning at present. She had not summoned her staff, and she hoped that the kind heart she knew the woman had would sway her from fighting for the moment. At least until her curiosity was satiated, and then Aerith could go on from there. All she needed was a little time to convince her.

[Lightning Farron]

She hated not knowing things. It drove her nuts every single time, and it was one of the few things that could get her to show an emotion that wasn't anger. This time, though, it was just making her confused, which only served to cut her already short fuse.

Of course, the idiot with the massive sword wasn't helping much, either. People like him irritated Lightning to no end; they get their hands on an oversized sword and all of a sudden they think they're the coolest thing that ever happened to this world.

'Stop acting like a kid. You're the one pointing the gun and the sword.' You're pointing a sword too, genius.

It took all of her self-control to not voice that particular sentiment. Did these people have any idea of what the word enemies meant? Light was with Chaos. They were with Cosmos.

It didn't take a genius to do the math there.

She raised an eyebrow at his threat, a contemptuous hmph of amusement escaping her lips at the idea. While she had to (grudgingly) admit that his ability to wield the massive sword so easily was somewhat impressive, she could tell by the way he held it that he was a slow fighter. A powerful one, to be sure, but his lack of speed would be his downfall if it came to a fight between them; Light was strong, fast, and agile, and it would be effortless for her to dodge his slower attacks.

"I'd like to see you try," she deadpanned, aqua eyes flicking from the blond man to Aerith as the woman moved in front of him, forcing Light to lower her Zantesuken blade. It disappeared with a small burst of light, and she then realized that it had appeared that way too; wasn't that how the Warriors of Cosmos summoned their weapons? Weird.

'You feel it too, right?' Yeah, she felt it. It was extremely uncomfortable, because she only felt it; it was as if her traitorous heart knew something that her mind didn't, and it was driving her bonkers. Still, though, it was enough to make her lower her gunblade, a quick flick of her wrist manipulating it back into its typical sword position. Lightning placed her left hand on her hip and held the gunblade loosely in her grip, scowling as she muttered an obstinate fine at Aerith's words.

Then, suddenly, she realized where she had heard the woman's voice before. Aerith's voice was admittedly gentler, but there was still that same core tone that had unnerved Lightning since she had first heard the woman's voice.

"Why do you sound like me?"

[Judge Gabranth]

"Because you're imagining something that isn't there, girl."

The voice came from around the corner on a different side of the tower, though the source soon revealed itself. Armored feet stepped around to reveal a fully armored man, wielding two swords in hand with a pitch black cape trailing behind him. The horned helmet offered no view of the man's face, the black eye holes staring out at the trio. He recognized each of them; Lightning Farron -a woman who was summoned during the twelfth cycle, though she was defeated by the manikins and didn't arrive until cycle fourteen onwards-, Cloud Strife -a man who was part of Chaos's forces in the twelfth cycle, but became a Warrior of Cosmos from then on-, and Aerith Gainsborough -a woman who had minimal involvement in the cycles though had been summoned since twelve onward-. Both Cloud and Aerith were Warriors of Cosmos, but this time it seemed Lightning was a Warrior of Chaos. It was easy to tell; Lightning was but a shell of her former self. If she knew who she truly was, then she would turn against them and fight for Cosmos. It was something that'd cost them a potential threat to Cosmos, and Gabranth felt they would need every advantage they could get.

He didn't intend to let her remember who she was.

"You are letting things that may not even exist cloud your judgment. Lightning Farron, you are a Warrior of Chaos. The two standing before you are your enemies. That is the truth you know and that is fact. You know you need to defeat them in order to achieve your desires, but you falter at the slightest provocation. Do you intend to allow your enemies to exploit your weakness?" the judge continued on, intentionally prodding at her in order to truly cloud her mind. He intended to provide her with a false clarity; that is, she would go full force towards the goal presented to her and ignore the truth within her heart for the truth within her mind. That was what he intended to do with her, and if it backfired, he would have three people against him.

"Do you intend to throw away the concrete knowledge before you in favor of a vague feeling you cannot even be certain will benefit you? Will you throw away the chance to save those close to you in order to listen to your enemies? The heart is a deceitful thing that will only bring about your ruin; it runs on irrationality and impulse. Your mind is what can guide you to success, and you know what it is telling you," Gabranth had approached the trio now and was within striking distance of Cloud's sword. Of course, his position had a strategical significance that if Lightning chooses him over the duo, will prove extremely advantageous. The positions of the two Warriors of Chaos had them flanking the two Warriors of Cosmos. Should Cloud attempt to strike at one of them, it will leave Aerith open to the other. It would force him on the defensive if both of them struck at once, and even then it would still be extremely difficult for him to manage both.

"Fight, Lightning Farron. Fight, and reclaim what is rightfully yours. Let your hatred fuel your blade, and let it strike down those who stand between you and what you desire."