Hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time to open this amateur fanfiction and read its contents. I hope you enjoy the story that unfolds, and I very much appreciate your constructive criticism. Please enjoy.

~ Puu ~

Run.

Run, Claire.

Run!

Legs pumped, lungs gasped, heart pounded. Rose pink hair flashed like a blur as the girl ran further and further from her captors. She knew she was close to being caught, and she knew that no matter how much her legs burned, or how much her side split, she had to keep running as fast as she could.

She was Lightning.

She was a refugee, a criminal, an outcast who needed to be kept away from society. At least, that was the label society had pinned to her forehead. But in truth, she was lost, alone, and pissed.

She was so pissed.

Pissed at the government for locking her up, pissed at her parents for leaving her, pissed at the world for being so unfair.

Her anger drove her on, and Lightning knew she was getting further and further from the soldiers chasing her. Glancing behind her, Lightning saw nothing as she turned the corner.

Before she knew what happened, Lightning had run right into a wall - or rather, a person - her momentum sending her sprawling backwards to the cold, hard cobblestone floor. Heart pounding, Lightning's head flipped up so she could glare at whoever wasn't watching where they were going.

The bright blue eyes that met hers seemed to be full of energy and light. Instantly, Lightning felt annoyance grow in the pit of her stomach. This was just some jerk who didn't give a damn about anyone but himself.

"Hey, sorry about that, you okay?" the man asked, holding a gloved hand out for her to take. Lightning scoffed and stood, brushing off her knees.

"Watch where you're going, Trench," she snapped, peering around the corner.

The man smirked, his perfect teeth contrasting with the dark alley. "Who you running from?" he asked, looking around the corner.

"That's none of your business."

"So you are running. Well hey, I'm running too. Why not run together? I could go for a nice companion."

Lightning's jaw dropped, but she quickly shut it and shook her head. "No thanks. Try asking someone who can tolerate a pompous ass like yourself." Before waiting for a response, she started running away from the man, ignoring how her muscles screamed for her to stop. She wasn't sure how far ahead she was, but she wasn't about to waste any more time standing around. She had to get as far away from the city as possible until she came up with a plan.

"You know…this…is nice," Lightning heard a panting voice say beside her. Her head snapped to the side and she skidded to a stop, her face fuming with anger. The same man from earlier had followed her, looking smug after getting a reaction from her.

"Leave me the hell alone. I don't have time to deal with you," Lightning warned, eyes darkening. The man held both hands up in surrender, still smirking.

"Hey, no need to be like that. I was just -"

He was interrupted by a bright light shining on them both from the sky above. Blocking her eyes, Lightning looked up to find a PSICOM helicopter shining its light on them.

She had been caught.

"Dammit!" she hissed. Before she had time to think of a plan, at least ten PSICOM soldiers had surrounded the two of them in the street.

"Snow Villiers, Lightning Farron, place both hands on your heads and get down on your knees. You are under arrest by the order of the Primarch," one of the soldiers said.

Lightning did as she was told, slowly lowering herself to her knees. The man, who she assumed was named Snow, followed suit. "Hey," he whispered, leaning closer to her. She ignored him, her anger boiling higher and higher with each passing second. "Hey!" he hissed again.

"Shut. Up," Lightning growled.

"Hey, keep your mouths shut!" one of the soldiers yelled. They were all stepping tentatively closer, afraid of their prisoners. Lightning could read them all like a book. They were scared men hiding behind some government-approved armor.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.

"Get down," Lightning whispered.

"What?"

"Get down."

Before the soldiers had any idea what had happened, Lightning had pushed her toes against the ground and propelled her body upward into the air. She had approximately three seconds to land and fight before the soldiers gathered their bearings.

One.

She flipped, curling her knees into her body as her body fell towards the ground.

Two.

She landed, feet first, solidly on the cobblestone street.

Three.

Lightning's feet kicked out and swiped, taking out the legs of the closest soldier. He fell, his gun slipping out of his hands, there for Lightning to take.

She quickly grabbed it and began to shoot, taking out the next two soldiers closest to her. The bullets of the remaining seven soldiers began to fly, and Lightning knew she needed to move. She ducked and rolled, backflipping twice to avoid the fast-flying ammunition. While in the air, she shot her gun, taking out another soldier.

Six down. She could do this.

Out of nowhere, another spray of bullets began falling from the sky. Before Lightning could react, she felt a searing pain in her arm. She cried out in agony, resisting the urge to clutch the bleeding bullet hole as she shot at another soldier and missed. Bullets were still flying everywhere, and it was a miracle she hadn't been ripped apart yet.

"Lightning!"

She turned, following the voice to find Snow punching a soldier square in the face. The soldier crumpled, out cold. "Get the chopper!" he shouted, kicking another soldier in the chest and punching him shortly after. He turned to her, holding out his hand. "Come on!"

Shoving the nerves that were screaming for her to fall down and cry aside, Lightning sprinted towards Snow and took his outstretched hand. In one strong flourish, Snow's thick muscles swung Lightning around and threw her into the air. She propelled straight for the helicopter, shooting repeatedly at where she knew the engine would be. She missed, she missed, she missed again. She was losing momentum, and it was only a matter of time until she would fall back to the ground.

'Save me, Claire.'

Lightning cried out and shot one last time as her body began to fall back to the ground. Just as she knew it would, the helicopter exploded in a blast of fire and shattered metal.

Now she had a new problem. She was falling, and falling fast.

If they hadn't taken her manadrive, she would be able to get herself out of this, no problem. But nothing was slowing gravity's pull, and she was going to die.

Something gray was flying towards her, and Lightning narrowed her eyes. A piece of the helicopter? No, it was too flimsy. A piece of clothing? No, it was too bi-

Yes, it was a piece of clothing. Lightning reached out her hand, snagging the large coat before it could fly past her. Seeing the ground growing closer and closer, Lightning quickly maneuvered her hands to grab the large coat's sleeves and held it above her. The giant trench coat filled with air, turning into a small, makeshift parachute. It slowed Lightning's momentum just enough that her ankles wouldn't shatter when she finally came back to the ground.

Finally, Lightning's feet and the street met once more, and she was back on solid ground. But she was still alert, searching for any more PSICOM soldiers. To her surprise, all of her previous foes were on the ground, dead or out cold, she wasn't sure.

"Hey."

She spun, ready to fight, but loosened her stance when she realized it was just Snow. "Glad to see you alive," he said, giving her that odd smile he gave her earlier. "If you don't mind, I'd like that back." He glanced at his coat that was being held in Lightning's arms, giving her a look that said, 'You're welcome for saving your life.'

Lightning nodded and gave him his coat, brushing her hands off on her shorts. She looked at a nearby soldier laying lifeless on the ground and tossed her empty gun onto his chest.

"He could have had a family," Snow said, his voice filled with a strange sadness.

Lightning scoffed. "They dispatched low-rank soldiers to deal with two criminals. Their mistake, not ours. This guy is a casualty caused by the government. Couldn't shoot, got himself shot instead. That's just how it works."

Snow was silent, still looking down at the motionless man.

"Well, it's been great, but I've gotta get out of here. Good luck out there," Lightning said, starting to walk away.

"Hey, wait-"

Snow's protest was interrupted by a loud cry of pain, caused by his hand on Lightning's wounded arm. She let out a string of words that Snow had never even heard of, and he quickly pulled back. His hand was covered in blood, and that was when he noticed the wound on Lightning's arm. "You're hurt," he said.

"Yeah, no shit. Thanks for the reminder," Lightning snapped. Snow crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not leaving you alone until we take care of that," he said. Lightning simply scoffed and continued walking away.

She could hear his heavy, obnoxious footsteps following behind her. Her annoyance grew with every loud clunk his boots made. "Don't make me punch you, Trench. I'm not above that," she warned.

"Doesn't look to me like you're in shape for punching anyone right about now."

"I can take care of myself."

"Clearly."

Lightning spun, her electric blue eyes meeting Snow's icy ones. They stood there for several moments, staring each other down until the other budged. Finally, Lightning sighed and turned away. "Fine. Make it quick."

Snow smirked triumphantly and lead Lightning into a nearby empty alley. He wasted no time in tearing a long strip of cloth from the blue sash around his waist and wrapping it snugly around Lightning's bleeding wound. As soon as it was tied, Lightning removed herself from the awkward silence and started walking away for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Fed up with his games, Lightning spun around and threw a punch right at Snow's pretty face. Her fist connected solidly with his jaw, and she was surprised to not hear the familiar cracking of bone beneath her knuckles. This guy was built for physical superiority.

"OW!" Snow shouted, grabbing his sore jaw. "What the hell was that for?!"

Lightning crossed her arms over her chest and said, "I warned you. Stop following me."

"I said I'm not leaving until we take care of that. Wrapping up a bloody wound doesn't take care of it," Snow said matter-of-factly. Lightning resisted the urge to groan, realizing that she was stuck with this guy whether she liked it or not.

She didn't utter another word as she started walking away, this time expecting the clunk of heavy boots on the cobblestone street.