Wow. You will never cease to amaze me with the tiny little details you toss into your story, which open up whole avenues for other stories you haven't fully pursued. That tiny quote by Kinoc is very evocative and provides a good window into Auron's thoughts at the moment. He isn't feeling very friendly towards Yevon, even though he's about to be saved by a priest.

Lulu's tears are a gorgeous image as well.

Seriously. You're brilliant. The effect of that crazy X-2 idea of projecting images from the past. I'm not sure what message Lulu would be trying to send with that image, but it seems like "hope."

I like that we've got Zuke back as well and that he's mysteriously being haunted by his former guardian.

What a bittersweet reunion for Elma and Lucil. Hooray! She heard it all. I hope she pulls through. And they get to cuddle a bit too. It's a nice reprieve from all of the heavy stuff going on. You have a great instinct for that balance between humour and drama.