Final Fantasy XIII-The Fall

"Farron!"

My words went unheeded. I was following the lieutenant through the fal'cie that had been captured, and I was trying to calm her. Nothing helped. She was hell-bent on finding her sister. I growled as she cut down c'ieth after c'ieth, and I quickened my pace to catch up. "Slow down, Farron, don't overextend yourself." I muttered, and when she ignored me, I sped up, moving ahead. I grasped the hilts of my own blades, yanking them out of their twin holsters as more c'ieth stumbled into view. I gunned down the first, and decapitated the second, killing the third with a horizontal slash across its chest. The lieutenant didn't thank me for the help, even though I took out all and any others we ran into. I didn't expect her to. By the time we reached the top of the fal'cie, she was panting, as was I, only less so. She found her sister lying on the floor, and she tried to carry her out. I watched with concern, then turned as the sound of footsteps approached from behind me. I whipped out my gunblades, taking aim at the enemy. It wasn't an enemy. It was a tall, blonde man, a small teenaged girl with red pigtails, and the silver-haired boy from last night. After a brief pause, I sheathed my weapons. "Civilians shouldn't be inside this structure. How the hell did you get in?" I already knew the answer, but I had to play the part, didn't I? "I flew. These two… well, ask them." I sighed, then closed my eyes as the scene I never liked started to play out. The man gave a yell. Ran forward, past me. I listened to the cries, and I knew the girl had crystallized. I only opened my eyes when a smaller hand touched my arm. I looked down, and saw the silver-haired boy watching the scene and clutching my hand for comfort. I gently squeezed his hand, and turned to watch as the scene came to a close. The lieutenant was striding up the stairs to the fal'cie's chamber. I gently pulled the boy forward, and he walked with me up the steps. I watched with despair as the lieutenant attacked the fal'cie, and I stepped in front of the boy in preparation for what was to come. The fal'cie groaned, then suddenly sprang to life. The fal'cie, Anima, was small, with no human face to speak of, and bronze hand-attachments that spun furiously. I strode forward, and offered my assistance by drawing my twin gunblades. We attacked Anima, the blonde using brute force, the lieutenant and I switching between firing and slashing. The fal'cie quickly crumbled under our combined efforts, and sent us falling towards Lake Bresha below. I twisted, and saw the boy falling near me. I reached out, and grabbed his hand. He felt the contact, and he wrapped his arms around me as I pulled him sclose to shield him. The fal'cie was branding the others, from the sound of their cries. I felt a white hot pain on my hip, and I heard the boy scream. I closed my eyes, and tightened my grip on him. He had fainted, and was limp in my arms as we fell towards the lake, and the next chapter of our journey.