The images around her faded into nothingness and Lightning found herself surrounded by darkness. From behind she could feel a surge of heated air that steadily increased in intensity. Unsure of where to go, she decided to walk away from it. She wasn't sure what was around her, but anything with such intense heat couldn't be good. Walking undeviatingly ahead, the memories of what had just happened flooded her thoughts.

'How could any of it have been possible? It's not possible to travel through time, it goes against everything. And what was Jihl doing there? Was it all a dream? It had to be, because neither Fang nor Vanille ever indicated that they knew me from their past. Besides, Barthandelus would have ever-so-nonchalantly rubbed it in my face. Well he did, sort of, when he kept taunting Fang. Even if Fang didn't remember, wouldn't Vanille have said something? None of this makes any sense…I never should have followed Jihl. I can find Fang on my own, I don't need anybody else. I never have.' Lightning's thoughts rambled on. 'First, I need to find a way out of this limbo, or whatever it is.'

"Claire!" An unfamiliar masculine voice shouted.

Lightning pulled out her gunblade ready to fight the individual brave enough to call her by her legal name. "Show yourself!" She replied.

"Claire, you have to come with us honey." The same voice continued followed by incoherent whispers.

'Honey?' She thought. "Keep talking like that and I'll cut your larynx right out of your throat!" she shouted.

The area in front of her cleared away, dimly, allowing Lightning to see the events taking place in front of her.

Lightning walked close enough to the image that she almost felt as if she were there. What she saw was a young girl staring blankly out of a window with a teddy bear wrapped in her arms. 'That's…me.'

"What the hell is this? You bastard I want to know who the hell you are and how you know about this!" Lightning screamed into the darkness.

"Claire, dear, you can't stay here any longer. You must come with us." An older woman's voice spoke from behind the child.

The crash of lightning and the roar of the thunder from the storm outside the window became so audible that Lightning remembered how the house shook with its ferocity. 'Why? Why am I seeing this?'

"Someone must have tampered with the fal'Cie Phoenix for this type of weather!" The man said to the woman, both frightened at the rarity of the storm.

"Claire, this storm is too dangerous for you to be standing so close to that window, aren't you scared?" The woman asked compassionately.

The young Lightning remained stationary in the same position; the man said to the woman, "If she won't come, we will just have to take her."

The woman replied, "She's just a little girl who lost her only parent, we can't just pluck her up like some criminal; why don't you go comfort the other child and let me handle this one."

"Sure thing, Wilma, if you need anything just give me a shout," the man said as he walked out of the room.

Wilma walked closer to the young girl and put a hand upon her shoulder. "Dear, I know you must feel lost, but you must remember your sister, you must be strong for her."

The younger Claire shrugged her shoulder away from the woman and squeezed the bear she held even tighter.

"Claire, you must come with us. You are too young to be left on your own, and you want to stay with your sister don't you? I promise that we won't let anything bad happen to you or her," the older woman pleaded.

Suddenly, a crash of lightning struck directly in front of the window, shattering the glass, forcing both the little girl and the old woman on their backs and knocking out the power to the house.

"Claire! Claire! Where are you! Are you okay?" the woman shouted through the darkness.

The roar of the thunder was deafening. "Wilma! Are you okay?" the man shouted from the hallway.

"Yes Jack, but I can't find Claire! Oh dear, I hope she isn't injured!" Wilma said.

Lightning struck once more in the distance, illuminating the room and showing the young girl standing once again at the window.

Wilma grabbed her by her shirt to pull her away from the open window. "Claire, come on we must go, now!"

The girl wouldn't budge.

"Claire, I mean it, we have to go!" Wilma said more forcefully.

"Claire, cut this out, you're going to get hurt," Jack said walking back into the room.

Finally the girl turned to face the two social workers. "My name isn't Claire. Don't call me that ever again. Claire is dead."

Wilma placed a hand over her mouth to prevent a gasp at the sadness and shock she felt at the words coming from the young girl.

"Stop that nonsense!" Jack protested.

Wilma reached behind to Jack's wrist and glared at him before turning back to Claire. "It's okay sweetheart, you can be whoever you would like."

Jack shook his head in disbelief.

"My name is Lightning, and I never want to hear the name Claire ever again." The young girl proclaimed.

"Anything you wish honey, let's just get out of here so that we can get you two to safety." Wilma said with sincerity.

The young girl agreed and proceeded to follow the man and woman out of her home with her sister.

The image faded and the warmth from behind her crept up once more, except much faster.

'I bet Jihl is behind this. That bitch! When she took me to that temple, she was able to read my mind or something. I'll kill her!' Lightning thought.

Lightning began running to escape the heat, but it was much faster than her, and soon she was sweating bullets and becoming slower and slower. 'Great, so this is how I go out…in a puddle. Never would have expected this one.'

Her legs felt like they were made of iron and she was stumbling in the melting pot around her. It didn't take long before she could no longer find the strength to move and she dropped to her knees "What do you want from me!" she cried.

It was becoming difficult to breathe due to the intensity of the heat, and she was soaked from head to toe in sweat.

"If you want me dead, then just kill me you coward!" She screamed with what energy she had left.

Lightning leaned over, too weak to keep herself in the upright position. 'I am so sorry, Fang…I wasn't strong enough…to keep myself…alive.' She closed her heavy eyes, and succumbed to the darkness.

Lightning lay waiting for death to come upon her. There were no flames to be seen from the inferno surrounding her, all that existed in this realm was darkness. The more she resisted dying, the faster life seemed to be drawn out of her.

Lightning had stared down her mortality several times in the course of life and especially as a l'Cie; yet even laughing in the face of death, she had never felt more condemned than she did at this moment. In the hopelessness she found herself feeling more isolated than ever and reminded of the image she had just seen of herself, a young teenager, and being forced to overcome the loss of her last remaining parent.

All of a sudden, she no longer felt the heat. For that matter, she couldn't feel the ground which she lay upon either. Lightning was unable to differentiate between her eyes being open or closed in the pitch black void that surrounded her.

"You felt alone then, didn't you?" An indeterminate gendered whisper spoke in the distance.

"Yes," Lightning muttered.

"You pushed everyone away from you." The whisper spoke once more, sounding almost like a heavy gust of wind.

"I had to. For Serah." Lightning weakly protested. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Life was hard for you?" The whisper asked in the same tone.

"I had to be strong. That's why I joined the Guardian Corps…to take care of Serah." She explained.

Lightning paused for a moment, confounded, she asked, "Am I dead?"

"Do you wish for death?" The whisper asked, this time sounding like a distant boom.

Lightning pushed herself back up to a sitting position "Never," she declared.

"Why do you fight?" The whisper asked gently.

"I won't let the people I care about slip away from me ever again!" She replied contemptuously.

"You blame yourself?" The whisper asked, the sound resembling the release of a pressure valve.

"I know that I could have done something to stop it!" Lightning shouted.

"It is your destiny. Why do you question your fate?" The whisper cooed like a summer breeze.

"Because it's mine to determine, the fal'Cie, nor anything else will control the outcome." Lightning proclaimed.

"The events that happen to shape your destiny are just as important as the causatum. You defy your purpose?" The whisper said in the same breezy tone.

Lightning stood up into the darkness on shaky legs. "My purpose is to find Fang. I would rather die searching for her and know for certain that she lives or is dead, and if she is dead when I find her then I will have to accept it. But if she is alive and there is a chance that I can save her, then nothing can stand in my way! Even if it means being damned to an eternity in this abysmal place; I will not give up!"

"Your convictions are strong. I will show you that which you desire." The whisper roared like a tornado.

Lightning pulled her gunblade anticipating a fight, she said, "Show me what you got!"

From all directions Lightning heard the shifting of the world around her. She felt as though she was levitating since the only movement she could feel was that of her own volition. From beneath her feet another image appeared, just as it had before, in front of her.

A vividly brilliant display of Eden in its prime appeared before her and the bird's eye image flew from the highway through the buildings and right into Orphan's cradle where she saw for the first time herself as a Cie'th. 'I don't remember this. I remember being in a cold dark place…sort of like this one, except it was unbearably cold instead of hot...oddly enough, everyone was in that place as well, and none of it really made any sense.'

Fang lay dying underneath the bodies of the Cie'th and miraculously transformed into Ragnarok. Vanille in her usual passive position, pleading for an end. Ragnarok failed once more, and the Barthandelus/Orphan duo relentlessly tortured Fang. 'That's when I woke up. From the start, I could never bear the sight of Barthandelus taunting and tormenting Fang.' The energy released by the group transforming back into human form unleashed enough force to destroy this form of Orphan and permanently shut Barthandelus up.

Lightning witnessed them destroying Orphan. 'We were all so strong, and Fang was so brave…' She recalled.

When Orphan was defeated Lightning saw Cocoon fill with darkness and saw herself floating above Fang and Vanille. Almost overcome by emotion she remembered that she had no recollection of what happened after that moment. 'I must have already turned to crystal'

Fang and Vanille transformed into Ragnarok and used the magic and friction from the descending Cocoon to create a molten flow from the Cocoon crystal that stretched to the ground on Pulse and encapsulated all of Cocoon; then suddenly the whole thing froze solid forming a crystalline pillar that held Cocoon in the sky above Pulse.

Immediately after freezing the crystal, Ragnarok whipped its tail in a precise motion setting the crystallized bodies of Lightning and the others safely upon the ground. In an instant Fang and Vanille were returned to crystal stasis and resting within the capital of the pillar.

"She's alive!" Lightning shouted; allowing a tear to form in her eyes at the magnitude of the emotional response, having witnessed the events she was unaware of.

The images then showed the people evacuating Cocoon, Lightning taking charge of the situation. Followed by the first encounter with Jihl since Cocoon, as well as Lightning going off to the Faultwarrens unsuccessfully in search of clues that might lead to Fang. The images then followed through the escapade with Jihl on Cocoon and through the Mah'habara Archaeopolis and into Paddra where Snow rescued them, and finally Lightning stumbling upon the statue that sent her into the past. Then the images went upward toward Cocoon and showed Hope standing atop the Crystal case that held Cocoon holding some type of staff. He lifted into the air and brought it back down, shattering Cocoon in a blinding light.

"Why are you showing me this? Who are you?" Lightning demanded.

The images faded once more and all that was left is darkness.

"I granted life through my blood. Because of me, it is you that the fal'Cie fear the most." The whisper spoke in a gust-like tone.

"Etro," Lightning gasped.

"I have long awaited you Lightning. You do not believe in fate, yet I can name the countless events that took place to arrive at this moment, the cause for each and every event to happen in life, and I can foresee what will unfold with and without my interventions. Do you wish to see?" Etro's whisper spoke like a cold winter breeze.

"That's not necessary, I believe you. But what do you want from me, Goddess?" Lightning asked.

"You must reunite Cocoon with Pulse. Lindzei still wishes Cocoon's people remain on Cocoon, but to do that is to curse humankind to annihilation," Etro continued. "You will find that which you seek, Lightning. Fang awaits you to unlock her crystal tomb."

"How do I save Fang? Tell me!" Lightning implored.

"Your brand will lead the way; just follow your heart." Etro's whisper said fading into the void.

She reached down to touch the area on her stomach that the searing brand was located, and realized that it was just as she suspected. "Don't leave without telling me! Please!" Lightning pleaded.

The air around her began getting heavy and she remained floating—or so she thought, since she could not feel any kind of solid surface. The air made her feel lightheaded and a euphoric sensation overtook her senses. 'I guess this is what Jihl was talking about at the camp in Yaschas Massif,' Lightning closed her eyes and let the feeling carry her off to a deep slumber.

The battle with the Pulse fal'Cie Dhaka wasn't an easy one; not due to the fact that he was a difficult opponent, but the fact that we knew Oerba was just beyond this broken tower and we had no idea what was awaiting us.

We had to keep going even though the daunting task seemed to be at our own peril. Our brands grew in detail with each passing day, and try as we may to ignore its presence, none of us wanted to wait for it to become completed to find that we had failed to completed our focus.

Sazh shouted back from the edge, "The view from here ain't that rosy."

I felt bad for the two Pulsian women, because from here their home looked like nothing short of a ghost town.

"You want to wait here?" I asked.

Vanille protested "No. I need to see for myself." All together we walked to the edge to observe what Sazh spoke of.

Fang and Vanille both blankly stared into the distance, the heartache written on their faces. "It's all gone," Vanille whispered.

Fang followed by saying, "Every trace of color." The emotions overtaking her typically-cool-demeanor, "We're chasing shadows. The whole idea of losing our brands is hopeless!" She roared.

I could tell that she was beginning to give up hope; to be honest, I think I might have felt the same if it were me looking into the desolate place I used to call home.

Snow chimed in as he always does. "There's got to be a way."

Vanille replied. "You think…you really think it's possible?"

Hope grabbed her hand and assured her that anything is possible and that's the reason we came here.

I looked to Fang who was still staring at her homeland. "There's no going back now."

Confidently, looking at me out the corner of her eyes she replied, "You think I don't know that?"

I couldn't imagine the thoughts that were going through her mind, and I didn't want to pry, so we headed down. Fang remained behind the group for a few moments, I guess to gather composure before going home.

Walking on the crystal dust, it became apparent that it was fine as powder and the closer we got to Oerba the more Cie'th seemed to appear. I noticed that the crystal powder liked to find a home in the crevasses of my gunblade and made a mental note that I would need to clean it once we found a place to rest.

Fang and Vanille both carried a somber look upon their face when we finally entered the city—it was in ruins and completely devoid of life, save for the roaming Cie'th.

"Which is your house?", Hope asked Vanille.

Vanille chuckled. "What do you mean, which is ours? All of them. They're all ours."

"Yep, everyone in the village." Fang confirmed.

I thought it was such an alien concept to share everything and never place solitary ownership over something as constitutional as a home.

"So, you want to take a look around?" Hope asked.

"We'd better. Got to find something to help us lose these brands." Fang insisted.

Sazh interjected, "That's not the only reason we're here. You're finally home. Make the most of it."

I knew that was what Fang was wishing, she would never ask though. We walked around defeating whatever Cie'th appeared to be an imminent danger to us, and I was constantly reminded that I needed to clean my weapon and possibly do a little bit of upgrading my equipment before I found myself in the next major battle, otherwise I might find myself in some serious trouble.

We went inside several buildings, most of which in remarkable condition considering they had been abandoned for over five-hundred years. One of the buildings we searched contained a very modestly constructed robot which caused Vanille to become quite excited.

"Oh! Bhakti!" She shouted, causing the little robot to roll slowly toward her. Shockingly it was still functional after so many years of being left alone to the elements.

"Friend of yours?" Sazh asked.

"Yeah!" Vanille continued, "You're okay, I was worried." She said placing a hand over the robot, just before it shut down.

Fang walked up from behind. "He wanted to say goodbye."

Sazh interjected, "He's not ready for the scrap heap yet. Bit worse for wear, but it's nothing that I can't fix. Just need to track us down some parts."

The sun was beginning to descend over the distant mountains; having finally reached our destination, we decided to go ahead and rest.

"So what did you do for fun around here, Vanille?" Hope asked.

"We played all kinds of sports, danced to the most amazing music you ever heard, ate the most delicious food, and so many more things. We just basically celebrated life any chance we could get, right Fang?" Vanille replied with enthusiasm.

"Heh, that's right." Fang concurred.

I examined the run down home and part of me was in awe at the similarities Cocoon shared with Pulse. They are just like us, except neither of us were aware of the other. There are so many things that perplexed me, but I don't think I really cared to find the answers.

"Well then, I'm going to go find us some grub! Anyone want to tag along?" Snow said, stretching his arms behind his back.

The room remained silent and everyone just glared at Snow. He made an awkward gesture and said, "I'll take that as a no, then. Well, I don't want to hear any complaints about what's for dinner!"

I rolled my eyes and turned around to continue my investigation into this Oerban home.

"Guess I'll go look for some of the parts to fix this little robot," Sazh said, walking out the door behind Snow.

"Come with me, Hope; I'll show you around! I know it's been a long time since I was here, but from the looks of it not a lot has changed," Vanille said, taking Hope's hand and practically pulling him out the door.

I picked up a Chocobo doll and turned to Fang "So, you lived here?" I asked.

"I guess you could say that. I spent a lot of time here." Fang replied.

"Gran Pulse sure has some strange traditions," I said.

"Ha! No stranger than Cocoon!" Fang shot back.

I knew that Cocoon's customs must be as alien to her as Pulsian traditions are to me. I wanted to learn more about her, and what better place to learn about someone than their hometown.

I smiled and tossed the stuffed Chocobo doll at Fang just before walking out the door as well. Fang just stood there for a moment; analyzing the doll she smiled before she followed me.

"Ya know, I bet you would have liked it here in Oerba. Before the war it was a really fun place to live—beautiful too, believe it or not." Fang said from behind me.

"I can imagine that," I replied, walking up the street that led to several houses.

"You said you spent most of your time at the house with the toys; where else did you spend your time?" I asked nonchalantly

"Not far from here. Wonder if it's still there?" Fang replied.

"Let's check it out," I said allowing Fang to walk ahead of me to lead the way.

From the look of things, the war hadn't really damaged the town all that much. I had thought that in a major war such as The War of Transgression, everything would be in ruins but it looks like everyone left in a hurry and there wasn't any damage to speak of related to war.

We walked past several houses most of which looked similar to the each other and finally we came to what appeared to be a cottage or a maybe shack, and Fang stopped. "Here it is. Looks a bit more shabby than the last time I saw it, but I guess you'd expect that after five-hundred years."

"Kind of small, isn't it?" I replied, placing my hands on my hips.

"Yeah, well, I did a lot of travelling so it was perfect for me and my friends to come back and stay however long we needed to, then go back about our business." Fang explained.

"Let's go inside." I said walking toward the door.

"Um, sure." She replied somewhat reluctantly.

Upon opening the door, I felt as though I had stepped back in time for a moment, and yet just as all of the other homes, it was apparent that a great many years had passed.

"Look the same?" I asked

"Yeah, it does. It's just like I remember it." Fang replied with a stoic posture, hands on her hips.

She walked around the room observing things and then left to investigate another room. I remained in the first room, and I just happened to look down; what had caught my eye was a very detailed picture of a Cactuar. I reached down to pick it up and blew the surface dust off.

"You like that?" Fang asked humbly.

"I was just admiring it." I replied, surprised.

Fang smirked. "I thought you might say something like that. Killed it myself, ya know." she said; causing me to shrug my shoulders and set the photo down on an adjacent table.

"Whatever." I replied, somewhat embarrassed at her remark, but couldn't tell if she was bragging.

Then she held up something in her hands. "Look what I've found!"

What she held in her hands appeared to be a bottle of alcohol. "You really think we should be drinking?" I asked dryly.

Fang chuckled. "Hey, how often have you had a taste of five-hundred year booze? Besides, what's a couple drinks gonna hurt us? I mean, we're already l'Cie, I don't think it gets much worse."

I shook my head, knowing nothing good could happen with all of us drunk. I didn't protest though, "Well, let's get back. The others are probably waiting for us." I said, concerned that the others might get worried, or I might get too comfortable here alone with Fang—could have been an excuse to avoid the latter as well.

We walked toward the door and Fang took a long last look letting out a deep sigh before she closed the door and we walked back.

The aroma of the food that Snow had caught permeated the air; which caused my stomach to rumble and I picked up the pace a bit.

Fang laughed. "Hungry?"

"You have no idea!" I replied.

Walking up the stairs I could hear the others chatting with one another, and when we entered it was visible that Vanille was stirring something in the pot on the stove.

"Hey Light! Sazh got the stove working, and Vanille said she knew how to cook the fish that live in the lake, so dinner is on Vanille's tonight." Hope said enthusiastically.

"Ah, you're not making what I think, are you Vanille?" Fang inquired.

"Hehe! How did you know?" Vanille replied sheepishly.

"Well if that's what we're having, then I guess nobody will object to a bit of this then?" Fang said pulling the bottle of liquor from behind her back.

Snow stood up and walked over to put an arm over Fang's shoulder. "You've got to be kidding! That has to be five-hundred years old. Where'd you get it?"

"I haven't had a drink since Dajh was born, but I sure could use one now." Sazh interjected.

"You went back to your place, didn't you Fang?" Vanille asked.

"Yeah, it's in about the same condition it was when we left it too." Fang replied.

The fish dinner was actually savory, and I didn't even know that Vanille could cook. Shortly after we were all finished eating, Fang popped the top of the bottle of liquor and everyone waited in anticipation for Fang to take the first sip. She took a whiff and by the look on her face, it wasn't going to be a pleasant drink.

"Bottoms up!" Fang said before turning the bottle up to her lips.

She took one big gulp from the bottle and swallowed it making the most disgusting face I had ever seen her make. Clearly the alcohol was strong and possibly putrid.

"That good, huh?" Snow asked.

Fang coughed and passed the bottle to him. "See for yourself."

Snow made the same disgusting face as Fang, and passed the bottle to Sazh who did the same and by the time the bottle made its way to me, Vanille walked over with some cups she had found in a cupboard near the stove.

"Here, this might make it easier!" She said with a smile.

"Having a drink, Vanille?" Fang asked.

"Nah, I figure Hope and I will just go build a campfire or rummage through some houses; isn't that right Hope." Vanille said with a grin, jabbing Hope in the ribs with her elbow to provoke an agreeing gesture.

"Haha, okay then. You two have fun." Fang laughed.

We sat there sipping on our drinks for probably an hour, talking about everything except our dreaded brands. Remembering the better times, I suppose.

Sazh found a deck of playing cards on a shelf, which led to none other than a game of poker. It was fun teaching Fang how to play, but once she caught on, she ended up taking all of our money. After I lost more coin than I was comfortable with, I poured myself another drink; deciding now was as good a time as any to go ahead and clean my gunblade, so I excused myself and walked out.

I walked down to the lakefront and gathered some drift wood to kindle a small fire before sitting down to dismantle my weapon. Maybe it was the alcohol, but my intrigue in Fang was becoming amplified, and I was having difficulty concentrating on my gunblade with her body seeming so tantalizing, my gunblade fumbled out of my hands and I let out a loud sigh.

"Having trouble there?" Fang asked, despite my hopes that she hadn't seen that.

I didn't acknowledge her nor did I avert my eyes from my weapon, not quite sure why, but whatever I was feeling I didn't really want to deal with it.

She took a seat beside me and placed her lance at her side, leaning back to rest on her elbows. The shades of orange and red were reflected off the lake from the sun and she said "Ya know, it used to be so beautiful here; trees and flowers everywhere. There would always be children and adults playing on the beach, even at night there would still be boats riding around out on the lake."

"Sounds identical to Bodhum." I replied, never taking my eyes off of my weapon.

Fang took a sip from the bottle of alcohol she had brought out with her. "Nothing about this place seems familiar, huh?" she asked.

It was difficult to imagine coming back to find your home in such a state, it must have been difficult for her. I looked up, "No, but I guess it's a lot like Cocoon, when you think about it." I said with a shrug at the odd question.

"Hmm," she hummed as she continued staring out at the lake.

Pointing out across the lake at several pillars holding up broken ledges of what appeared to be the ruins of a bridge. "Know how that train bridge was destroyed?" She asked.

"How should I know? The war probably." I replied.

"Probably." She said softy.

I continued cleaning my gunblade and she sat there lost in thought for what felt like an hour. I don't know what I was anticipating, maybe I was just enjoying being alone with her in the sunset. Then out of nowhere she asked me, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

I cleared my throat. "What do you mean?"

She shifted her body to face me. "You know, when people die, they are reborn to fulfill their destiny."

I thought about it for a moment and replied, "I don't know. I've never really thought about it. Why do you ask?"

"I've just been remembering things that happened before being turned to crystal." Fang replied with a sad look upon her face.

Fang must miss the people she lost. I too know what it's like to feel alone in the world. My heart melts when I think about the sadness she must feel for the state of the world she tried so desperately to protect…unsuccessfully.

"You couldn't have changed anything, it's the fal'Cie that have caused all this; they've manipulate us all like puppets." I reassured her.

"Yeah." She said taking another sip of her drink.

I was at a loss for words; she wasn't in a rampage to kill everything in sight like I would be if it were me looking at Bodhum in this condition.

I saw her looking up at Cocoon with an emotionless expression donned upon her face, and I thought of Serah. "We will find a way to fix this, Fang." I said as I put my gunblade back in its holster.

She half-smiled, but didn't say anything. I then became determined to get her mind off what was bringing her down. "So, what would you be doing right now if there had never been a war, and you were just living a normal life?" I asked.

Fang smiled and turned her head to face me. "Hm, well. Probably the same thing we're doing right now. Drinking, and chatting, maybe playing a game or two." She sat up and moved a bit closer. "What would you be doing if you were still on Cocoon and Anima had never arrived?" she interrogated.

"I don't even have to think about that. Working. I was always working, day and night. If there was an extra shift I was always the first to volunteer, maybe if I hadn't worked so much…Serah wouldn't have been branded and none of this would have happened." I said, not even realizing it until the words were already spoken and I knew I couldn't take them back. Must have been the alcohol taking away my inhibitions.

"All work and no play, huh?" Fang said jokingly.

"Yeah, that's how I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant so quickly, not to mention I was well beyond my peers in terms of skills and aptitude…I guess everything comes at a price though." I said, feeling a bit remorseful for my ambitions.

"It takes passion to be so driven. Serah knows you love her; I'll bet she's dreaming about you this very moment." Fang consoled, almost naturally placing her hand upon my knee.

My heart began racing at the warmth from her hand. "I hope you're right." I replied, taking a drink from my cup of five-hundred year old alcohol.

"This isn't bad once you get used to it." I said, wincing at the tingling liquid going down my throat.

Fang's hand remained on my knee which caused my palms to sweat and I felt my stomach doing flips. I was hoping she couldn't see that her touch was making me flushed and thankful the dim glow of the sun provided camouflage.

"This has always been my favorite drink when it comes to alcohol. When I came across it back at the cottage I just wasn't sure if it would have kept its flavor all these years, but I couldn't just leave it." Fang replied.

"It definitely carries a punch." I laughed

"Ha! Cocoon women are just lightweights compared to the women from Gran Pulse." Fang taunted.

I wanted to rebuttal the insult but before I had a chance, she caught me by surprise and asked me the very question I've been curious know about her.

"So Light, did ya have a sweetheart back home?" Fang asked shyly.

I felt my cheeks and ears get very warm at the question. "No," I paused then continued, "I didn't have time for much else besides work. I mean, sure I went on dates occasionally, but never anything serious." I stopped to look away and asked, "What about you?"

Fang sighed. "I remember meeting someone just before the war, but I don't recall what exactly happened after that. So, I guess the answer is no."

I wasn't sure of the feeling that statement inspired, but I certainly didn't appreciate the mental image of Fang with some nasty Pulsian sweating all over her and doing what I can't even imagine. A chill went up my spine at the thought.

"Getting cold?" Fang asked.

"No. I just had a weird thought." I asserted

"Must not have been a good one to make you shiver." Fang laughed.

"It wasn't." I said, returning a smile.

Fang reached her other hand toward my face and moved a strand of hair that had fallen over my eye; my body froze at the contact of her touch. I had never been comfortable with being close to anyone, except for Serah.

My breathing got heavy and my head was spinning. I couldn't contain my composure any longer, maybe it was the alcohol, and maybe I was just panicking, either way I had to do something.

I quickly stood up and walked to the water's edge. My body fully aware of the areas that Fang had just touched, and the spot where her hand rested was turning cold quickly.

Fang followed after a few moments and stood at a small distance away from me. "Sorry for being pushy into your business. I suppose alcohol knows no boundaries." Fang said with uncertainly.

I took a deep breath and I replied, "Don't apologize. It's my fault. I just don't like people getting too close."

"I would never hurt you, Lightning." Fang pleaded.

"I'm not into taking chances." I declared.

Fang reached out her hand to put atop my shoulder, which caused me to shrug it away. "Just stop." I said sternly.

"You can't run forever, ya know." She argued.

I spun around to face her "Who will stop me?" I spat.

I looked over her shoulder and began to walk away, and she caught my wrist before I could move.

"I will," Fang maintained.

Fang put her other arm around my waist and drew me close to her. I couldn't breathe, I was frantic, I wanted to resist but my body wouldn't allow it.

Fang stared into my eyes for what felt like eternity in the glow of the setting sun and gentle flames. The rhythm of her breasts rising and falling against mine slowly calmed my breathing. I closed my eyes and allowed my senses to take over, which were acutely aware of everything; I could smell the musk of dried sweat and the way our pheromones seemed to come together. I felt her steady arm pulling me ever-so-slightly closer to her; I could almost taste the sweet aroma of alcohol lingering on her breath.

She leaned forward and brushed her lips against mine, causing my body to start trembling. Fang then released the hand which held my wrist, placing it on my neck and pulling me toward her. Once more I felt her lips upon my own, pressing gently and I willingly reciprocated.

I could barely hold myself up on shaky legs so I reached my arms around her waist pulling her into me, causing a soft moan to escape her lips. In that instant, I felt my lips open slightly enough for her tongue to slip through and touch my own. I thought my heart would leap out of my chest at the intensity of what I was feeling; I had never felt anything like this before. The only thing keeping my feet upon the ground was Fang holding me there; I was afraid that if she let go I would float away, so I tightened my own hold around her waist.

Both of our tongues danced around in each other's mouth. Our breathing increased in tempo, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better she moved her lips from mine and blazed a trail down to my neck, where the steam of her breath and the touch of her lips made my body do things it never had before. I let out a deep moan. I felt every nerve in my body suddenly awaken, I felt a quickening in between my legs, my heart was threatening to thump out of my chest.

Fang's mouth moved up to my ear lobe where I felt her mouth enclose around it, gently sucking and slightly nibbling the sensitive skin. I couldn't handle it. I knew then that I must be dreaming because nothing could possibly feel this poignant, so inexplicably wonderful.

Then Fang whispered in my ear. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this. I want you more than anything I've ever experienced. This fatalistic curse of being a l'Cie pales in comparison to the sense of destiny and the desire that takes hold of me when I'm with you."

My knees wobbly buckled at the words she spoke; looking into my eyes she kissed me with more emotion than I knew was possible. I could feel the breath stuck in my throat, my stomach flipping, and the throbbing in my pants making a wetness that I was acutely aware of.

In a blaze of passion, we moved and I found myself lying on the sand, with the exquisite pressure of Fang's body atop me. She held herself up with her left arm while the right remained around me. I couldn't think, all I could do is feel, and it seemed that even my body had no control over that.

Fang's eyes never left contact with mine as she moved her hand down my side and up to my face where she drew an outline of my jawbone with her finger tips just before leaning down to kiss my lips once more.

It felt like electricity as her hand moved gently down my arm; finally stopping at the palm of my hand where she drew circles with the tip of her finger. I was trembling in the fervor of it all; Fang took my hand and pulled it to her lips where she kissed each of my fingers, she then whispered, "I have been in love with you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I will never allow anything to hurt you again, I promise."

In the intensity of my emotions I felt the magnitude of it all rushing over me, I felt tears welling in my eyes.

I had never felt so exposed yet reassured in my life, and it was all too much for me. The walls of my guarded demeanor had been penetrated by this mysterious woman, not only that, but she reached into my heart and shocked it back to life.

"I love you Lightning, everything about you astounds me." Fang said, then kissed my cheek which was about to become streaked with warm tears.

"Fang! Lightning! Hey, where are you guys?" Hope shouted from not far away.

Fang's expression turned to one of sadness, and she hung her head slightly before she leaned down to kiss me.

She stood up and then reached her hand down to help me up. "Guess they're lookin' for us. Kids ruin everything, don't they?" Fang scoffed.

I just smiled in response, and dusted the sand off my backside. I was still having difficulty collecting myself after what had just happened, and while I wasn't sure how far it would have gone with Fang, I certainly wasn't ready for it to end.

"Down here!" Fang shouted to Hope.

"Oh, okay! Just making sure you didn't get eaten up by something." Hope said just before walking away.

Fang and I just stood there for a moment, probably thinking the same thing; how we both wish we could be together under different circumstances.

She broke the silence. "Well, I guess we'd better get back, unless you plan on sleeping down here tonight instead of an actual bed."

I smiled at the suggestion, and as she turned to start walking away, words I thought I would never utter came out of my mouth. "I love you, Fang."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to me. So I continued, "There's just something about you that draws me to you, and I find myself unable to think about anything else at times."

Fang looked down. "I know exactly what you mean…Do you remember when we first arrived on Pulse and the fal'Cie damaged the ship causing Vanille and Hope to fly out?"

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"When you didn't hesitate to jump out behind me, and when you summoned Bahamut with me, I knew then that this was real. It was like our consciousness was connected" Fang said.

"What do you mean? We had to save them." I questioned.

"I know that," Fang quipped. "I guess, I didn't know if you cared about me…enough to risk it all, and free fall into oblivion. Vanille is the only person left that I could call family…and I was more concerned that you cared about me..."

"I didn't think about it…I just reacted…If you were up for taking the plunge, then I couldn't let you go alone." I paused and considered the meaning behind that statement. I realized that I didn't even think about the consequence in sealing Serah's fate if I hadn't survived…which is why Snow asked Fang to save Vanille and Hope instead of doing it himself I assume.

Fang smiled and wrapped her arms around me. "I promise that no matter what happens, I will never give up, even if it seems damned and hopeless. Protecting life, it is the only hope of giving us a future together."

I squeezed her tighter. "I promise too."

Fang then whispered in my ear, "I would rather die than allow something happen to you. I want you to know that."

"Hey, are you guys coming back or what?" Vanille shouted.

With that, she broke our embrace and winked at me "Rain check?" before heading up to meet Vanille.

Lightning opened her eyes to an indistinguishable sight, accompanied by muffled thuds in the distance. She lay there for a few moments only to realize that the thuds were becoming louder. As she regained her vision it became clear that she was back where she started in the temple. 'Maybe it was all a dream,' she thought.

Moving her arms up to push herself off the ground, she felt an excruciating pain from her ribs, reminding her of the beatings Jihl had inflicted upon her; affirming that what she experienced was not a dream.

"I have to find her," Lightning proclaimed.

Holding her breath, she pushed herself up and reached into her satchel for a potion. Hand finding purchase, she put the bottle to her lips, tilted her head back, and let the thick, bitter-tasting liquid slide down her throat. Within moments her pain subsided and she was able to stand. It had grown darker in the room and she knew that it wouldn't be long before nightfall.

Reaching to her side she felt that her gunblade was where she left it but that Fang's lance was missing. Frantically she searched the grounds around her but found only debris from the deteriorated temple. "Jihl," Lightning said through gritted teeth.

The banging thuds seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment and Lightning was certain it was the Cie'th trying to get in. She knew that exiting the way she came in wasn't a possibility, so she looked around for an alternate escape and noticed a hole in the ceiling with the only feasible thing she could climb being the goddess statue resting underneath it.

Lightning kept her gunblade ready in hand in case of a surprise awaiting her at the top and she began her ascent up the statue.

While climbing the goddess statue, she couldn't help but recall the conversation she had with Etro and how the instructions she left were so vague. 'What I experienced couldn't have possibly happened. It defies everything I know. That seems to be the trend these days though. I don't even know where to begin. I know that Fang is trapped in the crystal, but what can I do to save her?' Lightning thought but as she reached the top and looked up to see Cocoon, and the message was clear as day, she knew what she needed to do.

"Hope, what have you done?" She whispered to herself.

Cocoon was fully lit just as it had been before the fall of Orphan's cradle. 'That can only mean one thing. It's impossible though!' She shook her head in disbelief before leaping across the roof of the temple.

The roof wasn't very stable and cracked with every step she made. Once she made it to the edge to look down at the Cie'th, to her amazement, there were only a couple roaming aimlessly. 'What was the banging then?' She wondered.

Moving stealthy she walked over to the edge nearest the entrance and saw a lonely Cie'th banging unrelentlessly at the door.

'Well, that's odd.' The Cie'th was not only aberrantly banging on the door, it was also holding something in its hand. Lightning moved closer and closer trying to see what the Cie'th held when a piece of the ledge that held her up broke off. A large slab of rock fell down beside the Cie'th, drawing attention to Lightning.

She quickly leaped out into the street before the piece that held her up completely fell, and in doing so saw the object the Cie'th possessed "Fang's lance…but how?" Lightning asked herself.

Killing one Cie'th wouldn't be that difficult so long as she killed it before the others could come to assist the solitary Cie'th, she decided. With her gunblade already in hand, she prepared for the beast's attack, but strangely, when the Cie'th approached her it stopped in its tracks and just stared at Lightning. 'What the hell is going on?'

The Cie'th then raised its arm that held Fang's lance and threw it on the ground at Lightning's feet. Untrusting of any abnormal behaving Cie'th, Lightning didn't avert her gaze from the monster. A strange feeling came over her as she stared back at the monster; it was almost as if the creature was in despair. Of course she knew that all Cie'th were just l'Cie who failed their focus, but it had never been a notion to her that they could actually feel or think. "What? What do you want?" Lightning asked the beast.

The Cie'th only stared, but then began convulsing as it raised its arm preparing to attack. Lightning was prepared, but sensed that the other Cie'th were rapidly approaching her location, when suddenly the beast struck upon itself. It turned away as if almost telling Lightning to go now if she wants to live. Unsure of what to think, Lightning just reached down and grabbed the lance but noticed a piece of fabric with an emblem attached to it; but before she could analyze it, she decided it was more important to escape, so she just shoved it into her pocket and threw the lance over her shoulder before running as fast as she could through the horde of Cie'th toward the gates of the city.

When she was finally safe from the Cie'th and outside of the Archaeopolis, she knew that she wouldn't get far on foot at night, particularly because of the damaged condition she was in. So she stopped in an open area, where she found an enclave of large rocks that would provide protection while she rested and waited out the night. She lit a very small fire for warmth but made sure that it was surrounded by rocks well enough that it was dimly lighting the enclave and a monster would need to be very close in her vicinity to see the light.

Lightning hated not being able to rush back to Oerba to find out the situation with Cocoon, but decided she would take this time to prepare for whatever would be awaiting her in Oerba. She pulled out her gunblade and began sharpening the blade with a stone.

Every altercation she encountered in the past few days left its evidence on her blade. Nostalgia took over while she sharpened, recalling that first day in the meadow when she met Fang, and the way she was so obviously captivated with Lightning.

"It was real…" There was a heavy gouge in her blade which she recalled acquiring when she leaped from the train onto the plane, immediately followed by remembering the look on Fang's face when she found out that Lightning was from Cocoon. "What does any of this mean?" she muttered.

Lightning's heart was beating faster and she was sharpening so quickly that if her hand slipped even slightly she would certainly lose a finger on her blade. She was taking her frustration at the hopeless situation out on her precious weapon, and was brought back to reality when the vibrations of her arm caused the lance to slide off her back and jab her elbow.

Lightning was breathing heavily through her nose when she looked back to see the lance. Putting her own weapon to the side she picked the lance up and admired its beauty, running her fingers along the grooves and edges.

It then occurred to her that the Cie'th also threw a piece of fabric at her along with the lance. She reached in her pocket and pulled it out. Holding it up she clearly saw the emblem. "The Supply Corps. This came off of Jihl's uniform. Why did that Cie'th have a piece of Jihl's uniform?"

Lightning pondered for a moment. 'What the hell is going on here? What did you do Jihl?'

Copyright: Square Enix ©

Author's Note: Thank you for reading this story that predominated my spare time for the better part of two years. Finally after 6 years of sitting on the shelf I have decided that it was complete already it just needed some tweaking. It only makes sense that there would be a sequel since FFXIII has three parts in the series.

I am currently working on the outline for the follow-up to this cliff-hanger, so I appreciate your patience!

As always, feel free to review and let me know what you think about the story!