A New Awakening

Chapter one:

Fang lay in the grass and put an arm behind her head. She closed her eyes slowly at the brightness of the sun and breathed deeply. The air on Gran Pulse was warm and thick and she loved it. There was nothing in the world she would rather be doing at that moment.

"Fang? Wake up! Fang… Come on… Get up lazy bones." Came the voice she knew all too well.

Fang felt the sun on her face go and she opened one eye slowly to peer up at owner of the perky voice. She made a face and opened the other eye slowly, her emerald eyes meeting Vanille's hazel ones. "Not now Vanille... I am tired. I just want to sleep a little."

Vanille pouted and stamped a foot. "But we've been sleeping so long Fang." She whined "And they are probably waiting for us. Don't you miss them? I know they miss us." She made a small pouty face.

Fang grumbled but didn't move an inch. "Bloody 'ell Vanille… I told you I am tired… Go on ahead of me. I will catch up in a bit." She closed her eyes.

Vanille let out a soft sigh and Fang could tell that the shorter woman had left when the heat on her face returned. She grunted a little and felt herself dozing off. She would catch up with Vanille after she had a quick nap.

Fang groaned a little at the drop in temperature and opened her eyes, it was starting to get dark and the temperature was dropping fast. She would have to find Vanille and set up camp for the night, there was no way they would make it back to Oerba before the nasties made their way out of hiding, Gran Pulse was so treacherous at night. She sat up slowly and looked around. "Vanille? We should get a fire lit yeah?"

She reached for her lance and pushed it into the ground, using it to help her get to her feet. That nap must have really done the trick, she felt great. She looked around when there was no response to her call. "Vanille? Where have you run off to now?" She hoped that she didn't wander off too far and get herself into trouble. Fang stretched her long body and paused to dust her sari off.

"Bugger!" she made a face at the cold tingling in her right hand. She shook it a little, it must have fallen asleep. She looked around, flexing her fingers as she tried to wake them up. Now she was starting to get concerned, it wasn't like Vanille to wander off alone like that. The younger woman knew the perils of the land. Fang shook her head and started to walk, intent on finding her partner.

Not a sound came from the crystal aside from the occasional howling as the wind made its way through the caverns. The wind was usually accompanied by the sound of a light tinkling as loose crystal shards on the floor scattered. The crystal itself was holding up a civilization, keeping it from crashing down onto the world below it. The structure wasn't as strong as it had been and now there were the additions of man-made supports to hold the weight up from outside the caverns. The area outside was a lot less quiet, the sounds of workers trying to build the supports because of the concerns that the crystal could collapse into itself.

Among the workers, overseeing the project was a large lumbering man that fancied himself a hero. The work had become second nature to Snow Villiers and it was something he took pride in. Not only was the Cocoon restoration project a way for him to provide for his wife and son (because as his sister-in-law put it… The free ride was over.) But it was also something he connected to personally. The life of a friend, no a family member depended on the integrity of the structure. He rubbed at the stubble on his chin as he looked at the plans, they were ahead of schedule and he felt great about the progress.

"Snow… Snow… Man you might want to come take a look at this!" rang out the voice of his right hand man Dade. There was a touch of excitement mingled with the overall concern in his voice.

Snow pushed himself up on the table, making it creak under the bulk of him. He lumbered over to the pillar and leaned to look at where Dade was pointing. He leaned in a little closer, not really believing his eyes. "Well… I'll be damned." The crystal was cracking right before his eyes and suddenly he was thankful that he had been pushing this along as fast as he had been. His face broke into a grin. "Holy shit… She's waking up!" He clapped the smaller man heavily on his shoulder, causing him to groan. "Holy shit! I have to make a few calls! Get the boys going double time! We don't have much time." He grinned and sprinted to the break trailer.

"God damn it Vanille! Where did you go?" Fang had been looking for her into the morning. If that girl made it the night she was going to kill her. The frustration and worry was really starting to set in and why the hell was her damn hand still so asleep? It was freezing cold, tingling, and starting to really annoy her.

The effects of her worry were obvious as she stumbled a little on a root as she tried to step over it. She tried to recover from the stumble and braced herself against the tree. She leaned heavily on the tree and blinked, feeling her mind grind to a halt. What was she doing again? Why was she confused? And what was all that noise that surrounded her? It sounded like heavy machines and motors. She looked around and shook her head, trying to clear the fog to no avail. She groaned a little as her vision went black and she started to feel like she couldn't support her own weight any more. She sunk to the ground and felt the pull of sleep.

Lightning swore lightly as she nearly slipped on wet tile as she was coming into the bedroom from the ensuite. She'd been in the shower and ignored the phone the first two times it rang but as it started the third time she had finally lost her patience and stepped out, leaving the water running. She violently yanked a towel down from a hook. She picked up the receiver and tied the towel tightly around her body as she spoke.

"What the hell Snow? Take a hint you big moron." She paused at the sound of him chuckling on the other end of the line. She could hear the grin in his voice.

"Sis… You need to get down here right now… She's waking up!"

Lightning felt the towel loosening against her body and she dropped the phone in her attempts to keep the towel on. Snow could hear cursing and a thud as the phone hit the floor before Lightning spoke again.

"I am on my way… Call Serah and let her know I am coming to get Vanille." She hung up and hurried to shut the water off to the shower before struggling to get changed, pulling dry clothes on wet skin. She towel dried her hair and made her way down the stairs, pulling her shoes on as she came down. She pulled her jacket on and looked around for her keys, not sure where she put them down when she got home from work the night before. A sudden thought had her searching the pockets of her guardian corp uniform to no avail. She really needed to start putting them in the same place. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as she looked around the room. She grinned as she spotted the tell-tale moogle key chain she had been gifted with the Christmas before (her nephew had taken pride in the fact that his mom let him pick it out himself.) She left the condo, locking up behind herself and made her way to her car.

Serah opened the screen door and leaned out into the back yard. "Vanille! You need to come inside; Lightning is on her way over."

Vanille looked up from where she was playing in the grass with Eli, the four year old had been hounding her to come and play since she stepped out of her bedroom that morning. His eyes lit up and instantly the action figure in his hand was discarded as he scrambled to his feet.

"Auntie Claire!" He tore towards the house, nearly running the short pinkette over. Vanille laughed and got to her feet.

"Saved by the telephone…" She made her way into the house and followed her pregnant friend inside. "What time is it? She's awfully early for dinner isn't she?" She looked at the time.

Serah chewed on her lower lip and shrugged, wanting her sister to break the good news. "You know Claire." She smiled. "She likes to be early. Eli Fang Villiers! You get down from there right now!" She looked towards her son, who was bounding around the living room, floppy blond hair all over the place. She sighed and went to pull him down off a couch. "Eli… You'd better start listening or I'll tell your dad."

Vanille grinned a little and made her way upstairs to her room to get dressed. By the time she got back down, Lightning was in the living room with the highly excitable preschooler clinging to her leg.

"Wow… You must have sped the whole way here Lightning! You sure live up to your name." She blinked and paused at seeing the smile on the taller woman's face. Since when did she smile? Vanille looked at her cautiously as she sat on the stairs to lace her runners up. "What's wrong?"

Lightning was quick to shake her head. "Nothing is wrong Vanille… Everything is great! Better than it has been in years!" Vanille was starting to look at her like she had grown a second set of arms. Lightning looked to Serah. "You didn't tell her? " She looked back to Vanille. "She is waking up Vanille! Snow just called and said Fang is waking up." Vanille blinked and practically yanked Lightning off her feet as she went out to the car.

The crystal gave way and Fang woke up on the hard ground, among splinters of crystal. She groaned and pushed herself up off her stomach cursing lightly as she tried to dust her arm off and dislodge the shards stuck in her arms. She looked around the cavern and shook her head. Where in the world was she? and more importantly… Where was her sister?

"Vanille?" She looked around as she got to her feet and walked to where she had been sleeping up until about thirty seconds earlier. She pulled her lance free from the remaining crystal with a grunt and looked to the vacant spot that had held Vanille. She felt the panic in her chest rising a little and she looked around.

"Vanille!" she winced at the echo in the cavern and spotted light streaming in. Light meant a way gave a final look around before making her way towards the light. She tugged hard on her sari as it got caught on jagged crystal, making a face at the sound of the fabric tearing.

"Damn… This is my favorite one too." She shook her head and squeezed her way out of the cavern. She lowered her head as she made her way out of the final passage, her hand coming to rest on cold metal as she stepped out. Fang squinted hard at the blinding light, feeling a little ill as she was hit with the sudden smell of machinery.

She rubbed hard at her eyes and looked around, greeted with stunned faces and silence. She looked around at the crew as they stood gawking at the Oerban huntress. She gripped her lance tighter "Where is she?" she looked around. "What did you do with my Vanille?" Her stance lowered slightly, all her instincts telling her to go on the defensive.

After coming out from making the last of his calls Snow was quick to move to her. "Fang! Finally!" he beamed. "The others are on their way. Vanille will be so happy to see you… And I can't even imagine how Light's going to react… Wait until you meet Eli-"

Snow's rambling cut short as he felt the tip of Fang's lance pressed to his neck. "Who are you? Where is she? I'll kill you if you hurt her." Snow put his hands up and shook his head.

"Whoa Fang… It's me Snow. I am a friend." She watched him a moment before lowering her weapon, her green eyes still furious. She paused at the sound of a car door and turned to the noise.

"FANG! It's really you!" Vanille was coming at her fast and Fang barely had the time to drop her weapon before the shorter woman grabbed hold of her and tackle-hugged her into the dirt.

Fang hugged Vanille hard and kissed her hair. "I was worried sick about you yeah? Why did you wander off? I looked for you all night!"

Vanille blinked, still laying with her in the dirt. "Fang." She shook her head. "I've been awake for over two years! You're the one who kept us apart sleepy head." Vanille moved off the other Pulsian.

Fang shook her head. "No… I just saw you…" She paused and looked at her hand, not feeling the numbness anymore, the hand she was holding onto Vanille with as she slept. Fang sat up slowly and jumped a little at another hand coming out in an offer to help her to her feet. She looked up at the owner and cautiously took her hand, assured that if Vanille thought they were safe, then they must be. Fang sized up Lightning as she pulled her to her feet. She could take the smaller woman, and what in the world was that woman wearing? You couldn't fight in that. She looked at the jeans and tank top strangely before the shorter, pink haired woman latched onto the front of her sari, pulling Fang down and kissing her hard on the mouth.

She could hear the huge blond man let out a whoop behind them and Vanille let out a small squeal before she pulled away from Lightning. "Who are you people?"