Vanille woke up, looking around. She counted, one, two, three… someone was missing. She looked around, noticing it was Lightning.
"Well, have a good nap, Vanille?" Snow smiled at her, they were on Pulse, and she'd taken quite a few blows from a behemoth.
"Yeah…. say, where's Light?"
"Light? She wandered off a while ago."
Vanille stood up, looking around. She noticed Lightning's gunblade had fallen out of it's holster.
Vanille gasped, "She left it! I've gotta go take it to her!" She picked it up, struggling under it's weight.
"Here, let me help you, Vanille."
"No, no, Fang, I've got it. Don't worry, I'll be back." She smiled at the group, walking towards the plains up higher on the mountain.
By the time she was close to the top, Vanille had to fight the urge to drag Lightning's sword on the ground.
'No! I've got to take care of her sword!'
When she reached the top, she stopped. She saw her usual cold and distant leader standing in the grass. She held the crystal Snow usually held onto, looking up at Cocoon. She heard Lightning sigh, and she spoke up.
"What are you doing up here?"
The soldier quickly spun around, reaching for her blade, only to find it was in Vanille's hand.
"How… Where did you get that?"
"Sorry… you left it back at camp." Vanille handed the sword over, and Lightning took it, easily putting it in it's holster with one hand.
"Wow, you must be strong, it was so heavy! How did you do that?"
Lightning looked at the girl, her face stone, "You get used to it I guess…"
'She carried it all this way… Just for me… That's something like Se-'
Lightning's thought was cut off, by the ghost of her sister standing beside her, "Like something I would do."
She gulped, she knew her sister was just a figment of her imagination, and tried to push it from her head. Serah did not move.
"Why are you up here, Light?"
"That's none of your business."
"Is it because you miss her?"
"No." Serah's ghost spoke up, "Yes it is, don't lie to yourself."
"..shut up…" The girl spoke under her breath, but Vanille still heard it.
"I… I'm sorry…."
"No… not, nevermind."
"You know, when I met Serah… She told me about you. She told me how much you care and love her…"
"She didn't say that…"
Serah became irritated, "Of course I did, sis! Stop lying to yourself!"
Lightning sighed, 'Why won't she go away…?'
"Well, either way, I'm not leaving without you."
"Yes. Yes you are."
Lightning glared at the orange haired girl.
"Nope. Not a chance."
"Leave. Vanille."
"No!"
Lightning's anger overcame her and she shoved Vanille, and the small girl fell to the ground. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked in shock.
Lightning recognized that look…. It was the same look-
"She looks like me, doesn't she?"
And before Lightning knew it, it was not Vanille before her, but Serah. Only younger, she was twelve. It was the day she had told Serah that she was Lightning, and scolded her for calling her differently.
"Come on, sis, stop running away from the truth…"
Lightning lost it, "Shut up, Serah!"
Lightning fell to her knees in the grass.
It was only then that Vanille realized Lightning had taken off her boots.
Vanille quickly put her arms around the girl.
"There she is, Lightning, I know what you're thinking."
"…you… you don't know shit, Serah…"
Vanille pressed her face into Lightning's back, who was currently bent over, staring at her knees.
"I know plenty… I know you Lightning… I warned you that this would happen… That your lies would come crashing down…"
"….stop it… please, Serah, just stop it…"
"…but you didn't listen to me… you never did listen to me… and you know that you're the reason I'm gone… you just can't admit it…"
"…i… it's not my fault…"
Vanille hugged her tighter, she had no idea what was going on with Lightning, but tried to help her in any way she could.
"Stop denying it, sis… The longer you do it, the bigger the hole in your heart will be… it'll just get bigger… and bigger, until there's nothing left of you but your own pathetic lies and cover ups…."
Vanille watched as Lightning tightly balled her hands into fists, her knuckles turning white.
"…why? Why are you doing this to me, Serah?"
"…i… i want to see you hurt… just like you've hurt me for the past six years… you were never a replacement for our mother… you stopped being a sister all together when they died… and I can never forgive you for that, no matter how long I have tried… I sat in my room and cried every night, and you know it. But you didn't care anymore… you let me stay alone… it's you're fault."
"…please… I'm begging you, Serah… stop…"
Serah had no mercy, and continued, "And now you're hurting… this girl… this random girl from pulse… she reminds you of me… and just like me, you know you're doing the same to her that you did to me…"
"…Serah… I'm sorry… please… I love you Serah…"
Serah bent down, squatting to Lightning's current height.
"…you told me to treat others the way I wanted to be treated… I held up my end of the deal, but you didn't… now… this girl, this Vanille… you know she'll end up just like me… I despise you… no, I hate you, Claire Farron."
And with that, Serah disappeared. Lightning quickly spun around, hugging Vanille to her shoulder, pressing her hand into her hair. The sudden disturbance had caused Vanille's ribbons to fall out, and her hair fell down her back.
"… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Vanille…"
"L-Lightning….? W…What's wrong…?"
"I'm doing it all over again… just like I did with Serah… I'm such an idiot. I'm not going to let you slip through my fingers like she did."
Vanille hugged the girl back, "It's alright…"
She was shocked at this new Lightning she saw…
'Is this… Is this the real Lightning Farron…?'
Vanille pushed Lightning back, noticing she was crying. The first time she'd ever seen Lightning show any emotion.
"It's okay, really."
Lightning smiled through her tears. Vanille had heard about Lightning's smile from Hope… He said it was almost somehow, magical. He hadn't been lying. It was so rare for Lightning to show emotion, that this sudden smile, made Vanille smile herself.
"Now, that's more like it…"
Lightning backed up, running her fingers through her hair. In all their antics, late afternoon had turned to night. She saw Vanille shiver and she unbuckled her jacket, taking off the cape and wrapping it around her.
"T-Thanks…"
"Don't worry about it…" Lightning looked away, and Vanille saw the slight pink shade on her cheeks.
Vanille and Lightning lied about two feet apart on their backs, looking up as Cocoon glowed in the night.
"Should we go back…?" Vanille asked, still wrapped in Lightning's cape.
"You can… I think I'll spend the night here…"
"Oh… okay."
Vanille stood up, beginning to walk away. She looked back at Lightning, who finally seemed to be at peace.
'I can't just leave her here by herself…'
Vanille quickly turned around, laying down next to Lightning once more, only this time, she lied so close that their arms were touching. Vanille looked over to see that Lightning had slightly unzipped her top, exposing the very tip of the black l'Cie mark. She quickly looked away, not wanting to be reminded.
Suddenly, Vanille felt a warm arm around her, "T…Thanks…"
Vanille looked back at Lightning, "Don't mention it…"
"She told me what I already knew, but didn't want to accept. By pushing you away… I was hurting you just like I hurt her…"
Lightning pulled Vanille closer, and she quickly laid her head on Lightning's chest.
"Shh… It's okay, I promise… Just don't think about it right now…"
She felt Lightning smile again. She was doing that a lot lately, was it because of her?
The pair remained silent, until Lightning finally spoke up. Vanille felt her chest vibrate as she spoke.
"It's Claire."
Vanille looked up at her leader in confusion, "huh?"
"Back on Cocoon… you asked me what my real name was… It's Claire."
Vanille smiled, knowing that she was the only one who knew her real name.
"Claire… I like it… It's pretty, like you."
She saw Lightning's face turn red, looking away.
"You know Claire… you're like a rose…"
Lightning lifted and eyebrow, and Vanille lied back down on her chest.
"A rose is beautiful… so beautiful that I want to try to reach out and grab it… But just like everyone else, it'll try prick me with it's thorns. Thorns don't know who's a friend and who's a foe..."
She felt Lightning sigh softly. Vanille listened to her heart beat rhythmically, and felt her chest rise and fall with each breath. She was surprised at how warm and soft Lightning's skin actually was… she half expected it to be cold and scaly, like a beast. Vanille yawned, and she felt Lightning's hand on her back.
"Get some sleep… you'll need it."
Vanille smiled, was this how she treated Serah? Was this what it was like to have a sister? She guessed that she'd just have to ask her when they rescued her at long last.
And like a rose… one day you'll die… but not without the love and wonder of others…