Do you remember the time we went to that alternate world Fang?
Hrm? Oh yeah, sure do Vanille.
I wonder...do you think the others remember?
...I doubt it.
Oh...maybe...we should tell the story?
...Why the sudden pondering Vanille?
...So much has changed since then and I--I...I was thinking about him and we're crystals forever now and...
Oh well, then tell the story. I'd like to hear about it from you. You're a good storyteller.
Uhmn, okay...I guess I'll start back when we first ventured through Gran Pulse...
"Ooooiii!~", Vanille called with an extremely perky tone from her perch on the edge of a cliff, "Hurry up!" Lightning jumped along the cliff's ragged edge with Fang not too far behind. Snow and Hope looked from the base of the high precipice, having to shade their eyes from the sun. Sazh scoffed and threw up his arms. Snow and Hope looked at each other with the same exasperated expression. "She really wants us to go up there huh?", Sazh said. Hope sighed, "She doesn't play around. I know from experience." Snow chuckled, "She's quite the ball of energy." Vanille shrieked, "Don't be wusses! Get up here!" She waved her arms with violent enthusiasm. The boys rolled their eyes and slowly began the climb up.
Vanille giggled triumphantly as the boys finally clawed onto the landing, panting excessively from exhaustion. Fang snickered at them and Lightning shot Snow a condescending raise of the eyebrow. Snow weakly grinned back with his usual dumb expression. "Hey, give the old man a break!", Sazh said, raising his hands into the air. Hope finally muttered in between breaths, "Why did we come up here again?" Fang answered, "Vanille said she found something and she wanted to show us." "Yeah!", she swung her arm in a circle to point, "It's this way! Come on!" She skipped away, the girls walking and boys heaving up to follow her.
Vanille skidded to a halt as she approached her interesting find. She turned and pointed, "See?" Lightning and Fang looked up, seeing as the boys straggled behind. "What do you suppose that is?", Fang said as she looked the peculiar thing up and down with her arms crossed over her chest. "I think it's a Cie'th stone,", Vanille said, hopping to each side of the large stone and examining its crystal surface with curiosity and placing her inquisitive index finger to her lip, "but it looks kinda odd though." "Whatever it is, don't touch it.", Lightning's eyes were narrowing, "We're barely getting by as it is. We don't need any more trouble." The boys appeared behind them and Sazh said, "What is THAT?" Vanille spun around and answered with her arms raised and head cocked for emphasis, "We dunno." They all examined the rock with questioning and wary looks.
The stone was crystalline and held the same basic design of that of a Cie'th stone, but that was where the similarities ended. It was bright orange and dark violet in color, three times as tall as the usual stone, spikes jutting out from the back where the arc should be, and; instead of a serene and spritely goddess gracing the front of the crystal; there was an odd bird shaped crest. It was hovering above the floor and glowing faintly, the shine beating with a rhythmic pulse that swept through the air.
The pulse spread out further at the arrival of the boys and formed into waves, washing over the l'Cie a strange feeling. Almost fluid and eager, it licked at their skin and lapping at them as the ocean would to the shore. It slowly crept its entwining ripples into the l'Cie's minds, washing over them on the inside with warm feeling. Not soon after the feeling took hold, a voice swept in called out in their minds 'Come...Hear my story...Finish my Focus...', then ebbed back its hold only to entwine itself around them again along with the pulse and its sensations. The voice was rasping, desperate, enticing, and held an air of a divine yet personable feminine figure. They could tell this without even seeing it, listening with intrigue and almost a tiny bit of lust. The actual nature of the being was uncertain, feeling friendly and yet poisonous all at once. An almost guilty pleasure if you will, addicting but still righteous and pure in every way.
It wanted them back, with a burning passion that could be felt in the air. The voice became tangible, holding their hands like a best friend once, patting their shoulders like a mother next, then caressing their cheeks like a lover. But they wanted it more, so much so that it felt like their entire soul rested on even the tiniest moment of its rapture. They were talked into thinking that they couldn't let this amazing sensation slip away, because once it was gone they would never feel such love again. And the touch was so sensual and amorous that it became addicting, making them fill with elation as it slowly began to wax its touch over their brain, bask in joy when it soaked over them, aggressively cling to it when it pulled back, and cry out in fatal desire when it ebbed completely away. Such conflicting and yet intense mix of emotions was just too much. It felt so wrong yet so fine all at once. They wanted to give into to this sensual and loving feeling and let it surround around them with its overwhelming embrace again and again...
They stared at it with intent and wonder, hanging on every utterance the spirit-like voice made. Even Lightning's eyes were bright with longing. Hope raised his hand up to give in to the ensnaring call but when his hand came into his view, he blinked awake and examined his mark. The voice recoiled back from his hand and he was left with lingering regret until his sense began to restart. Then a frightened expression took over his face. "What's going on?", he called out in surprise, making everyone slightly turn towards him, still keeping an eye on the stone at the same time.
Hope's l'Cie brand was shining with the same orange light emanating from the stone. He flailed his hand violently, attempting to shake whatever the strange light was off. But at the same time, he didn't want it to disappear, for it to touch his cheek like his mother once did again. He became terrified at this realization and battled with his thoughts for control, snapping his arm away so he could think straight.
Fang looked down from the struggling Hope and to her side. The same light was being emitted from the brand on her arm. She gave it a look of pondering, wondering if maybe the feeling would get stronger if she touched it. She was afraid that maybe she'd end up a thrashing mess she saw Hope to be if she turned away from it as well. Or maybe that was an idea the voice injected into her mind? Either way, she softly pressed her palm into her mark. It didn't burn but felt warm and inviting, like taking a best friend's hand in yours before skipping together. Her eyes began to hang lazily and she listened to the voice get louder as it coiled around her back and whispered into her ear, 'Come...touch me...'
Vanille slowly blinked and turned around to the stone. 'Hurry...your hand...' the voice caressed her hand with a lover's kiss. "Yes...", she murmured in a seemingly unconscious, yet happy tone. The voice smiled to her and kissed her hand again, telling her sweet things about how much better it would feel if she could touch it. She slowly raised her hand up to shoulder level and straight out along with the chanting of the voice. Her bangles tinkled and beads swung as she slowly crept forward in a sleep walking state, the voice carefully leading her as if Vanille was a blind person walking in a field of tacks. However, to Vanille it felt as if she had finally met the mother she had lost before she could even meet her. And she wanted to know more about this person.
She smiled as her hand felt warmer and warmer from the voice's embrace as she neared the stone. Hope looked up at her, apparently snapped out of his trance and had managed to regain composure. He quickly ran up to Vanille, "Wait! Vanille!" He snatched her arm as her finger became an inch away from the increasingly satisfied crystal.
"Let go Hope. It wants me to help it.", Vanille murmured with a sleepy, emotionless tone. "Who knows what it wants? We don't even know what 'it' is!", Hope urged, keeping a strong hold on Vanille's arm. She gave a haunting, empty-eyed side look to Hope, "It wants you to come too..." Hope blinked as his hand felt warm again, the voice lightly taking him by the hand. He looked down at it with an almost pleasing surprise. He blinked as her remembered his mother's hand and let go of his hold on Vanille to reach out to his seemingly apparent mother. Vanille smiled as she raised her hand up again and let out a blissful sigh as her palm connected with the crystal's surface. The crystal let out a blinding light from the place where Vanille's palm laid on its surface.
The voice smiled, that is if you could see it, which the l'Cie apparently could. A face appeared in their minds as the light faded. It had a delicate opaque veil covering its eyes, long dark hair flowing from underneath that framed a pale, heart shaped face. It had an almost sweet smile, one you would find your mother would give you to comfort you. Yet its expression read conviction and determination at the same time. "I need you to help my children defeat the rising storm harming their universe's tranquil balance. For in defeating their evil, you will find the way to defeat yours.", the voice prophesied in an ethereal and royal tone. She gave one last friendly smile and whispered, "May the Maker be at your side and my blessing be to your service." She bowed and began to disappear into a haze. "Wait...", Vanille murmured with soft urgency, reaching out to take the voice's non-existent hand. The voice shook her head and and whispered, "Good luck, sweet child." Vanille stretched her hand out further, but it loosened without her command and went to her side.
"Huh?", Vanille murmured sleepily as her eyelids forced closed. She tried to force them open but they snapped shut by themselves, enshrouding her in darkness. A whoosh of force tingled against her skin, sending a freezing sensation up and down her nerves. She flicked her eyeballs spastically beneath her closed lids to ascertain what was happening. Her body did not listen to any of her commands and seemed to float on an electric cloud. It sent burning shocks of pain that made her body twist a little on its own. She couldn't move to get away from the pain, not even able to wretch her face. Vanille sat inside her almost convulsing shell, shrinking in fear from and wishing for it to stop. Then her mind slowly went blank as her inner voice began to fade on her as well, sending her into a silent frenzy. Then it all went cold and her soul fell into stasis, without a thought or stir. Despite all of that, she was still waiting for something to wake her up, hoping it would be sweetly and gently with the last of her evanescent vitality.