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And the viper Lindzhei bore fangs into Gran Pulse and crafted a cocoon both ghastly and unclean. And those who dwell in that Cocoon are not Men, but slaves of the Demon Lindzhei.

Vanille Dia Oerba thought, remembering the words that everyone on Pulse knew from childhood. Cocoon had been made in the distant past by the God Lindzhei, who had also created the fal'cie guardians responsible for maintaining the artificial world that was now the seat of the Sanctum. Vanille looked down from Cocoon to the spire of the Pulse Vestige. Inside the otherworldly tower dwelt Anima, the Pulse fal'cie that protected Oerba from the threat of Cocoon.

'Vanille!'

Vanille raised her head to see Fang walking towards her and she smiled, waving at her. Fang was the closest thing she had to family, now, and they were very close. Like Vanille, Fang's parents had been killed by PSICOM, the Sanctum's soldiers, and they had become very close.

'Hi.' She said, as Fang sat on the wall next to her, just staring out at the ocean for a moment.

'I'm going to the Vestige. I...came to say goodbye, Vanille.'

'Fang, no!' Vanille exclaimed, jumping off the wall to face her.

'You can't. You know what'll happen if...' She faltered, her lower lip trembling and Fang looked away. She did know what would happen. She would become a l'Cie, chosen by the fal'cie for a great destiny. Those that succeeded in their quest were transformed into crystal and gained a form of eternal life, while those that failed became mindless Cie'th. To be chosen by the fal'cie was a curse

'I have to, Vanille. As long as Cocoon exists, we'll never be safe. As a l'Cie, I'll have the power to fight them.'

'Fang...' Vanille said, but she turned and walked away, without looking back. 'Fang!'

Fang stopped at the top of the steps, looking up at the closed door above her, with a grim smile on her face. This had to be it. The rest of the Vestige was empty, so this was where Anima had to be. She started to walk up towards the door and it opened slowly, revealing a darkened room beyond and she stepped through. Inside, the room was empty apart from the hemi-spherical structure at the end with a mass of tubes and wires running up into the ceiling, flanked by two fans set into the floor. Of Anima, there was no sign.

'Anima! My name is Oerba Yun Fang. I'll serve you as a l'Cie.'

She shouted to the empty room, her voice echoing off the walls, but nothing happened. In frustration, Fang rapped her knuckles against the metal casing and turned to leave when, with a hiss, it split down the middle, revealing a shape inside. It was vaguely humanoid, being an assemblage of mechanical components with a horned visage and a blue crystal set in it's chest. Two blue eyes looked at Fang as the fans rose from the floor, revealing themselves to be blocky, edged spirals that rotated slowly in the air. Fang backed up, instinctively, looking up at the visage that now towered over her, feeling a primal fear. So, this was a fal'cie.

'Is that...Anima?'

Fang spun round to see Vanille standing behind her and her heart stopped.

'Vanille!' She yelled. 'Get out of here.'

Without waiting to see if she obeyed, she turned back to the fal'cie and stepped forward. 'Anima, I'll become a l'Cie. I'll fight against Cocoon.'

Anima didn't react, just floating there and Fang heard a crack of energy, looking back to see a red barrier now blocking the door behind them, with the emblem of Pulse in the centre.

'No!' Fang yelled. 'Take me. Let her go.'

If Anima heard, or cared, it gave no sign and then everything went black. Fang opened her eyes, finding herself drifting in inky blackness and she looked around for Vanille, spotting her floating above her, or below her. Wherever they were, there was nothing to give what she was seeing any perspective. Above them floated a green, multifaceted crystal that rotated slowly.

'Vanille!' She yelled, trying desperately to reach her.

'Fang' Vanille called, just as the sound of bells filled the void and energy pulsed from the crystal, resolving into a huge figure that loomed above them. It had a human face, with one half covered by a metal mask with metallic, segmented tentacles wrapped around it's arms and shoulders.

Hallowed Pulse! Fang thought, feeling a primal chill as she realises that she was looking on the God that had created Gran Pulse. Pulse seemed to regard them for a second, before green energy lashed out and ensnared them, wrapping around their limbs and bodies. Fang arched as she felt the power coursing through her body and everything went black.

Fang opened her eyes to find herself back in the Vestige, lying on the floor with her cheek pressed against the cold metal, the vision fading from in front of her eyes. She remembered seeing Cocoon, floating above Pulse. l'Cie were granted a vision upon being branded that related to their Focus, which was the task entrusted to them by the fal'cie Slowly, she raised her head and caught sight of the brand on her shoulder and she felt a moment of fear, despite herself that she pushed aside with an effort The mark of Pulse. The brand of a l'Cie. Fighting against her shaking limbs, she got to her feet and turned to see Vanille staring at her, her eyes wide. Wordlessly, she raised the hem of her skirt enough to reveal the brand on her leg and Fang felt a heavyness in her heart.

'Vanille.' She said, his fists tightening, helplessly. 'Why did you come here?'

'We made a promise, remember? That we'd always be there for each other.'

Vanille said and Fang strode over and wrapped her in a fierce hug, as if afraid she'd turn to crystal right in front of her.

'I won't let it happen.' She whispered and Vanille hugged her back.

'Fang...' She began, but Fang broke the hug and turned away, her foot clanking against something metallic and she knelt down to look at the item lying Inthe floor. It was a red spear with two prongs, covered in black tracery. Cautiously, she picked it up and hefted it in her hand, feeling it pulse in time with her heartbeat. Turning, she saw Vanille holding a staff in both hands, a blue handle that branched out into white tips like horns or branches. Vanille turned it over in her hands, looking up at Fang, who shrugged.

'Come on.' She said. 'Let's go.'

They left the Vestige and began the short trek back to Oerba, Fang walking ahead with the staff gripped tightly in one hand, Vanille trailing behind, keeping her distance. She knew that Fang was angry, and frightened, and that she wouldn't want her to see that. Suddenly, Fang stopped and put out her arm, stopping Vanille in her tracks.

'Trouble.' She muttered, gesturing to the four Gorgonopsids ahead of them, jaws snapping as they moved to surround them.

'Stay back.' Fang snapped, raising her spear as the first jumped and she speared it through the side and it fell with a whimper. Smelling the blood, they others howled and attacked at once. Fang felt power building within her and she moved quicker that she thought possible, vaulting over their heads and sweeping her spear in a wide arc that sent two of them flying back with howls of pain. However, the third was unhurt and it lunged towards her, claws extended for the kill. Behind it, Fang saw Vanille raise her weapon, sweeping the wand towards it and monofilament cables whirled from the tips to ensnare the creature, wrapping around it's limbs. Vanille's brand suddenly glowed and she pressed her hand to it, seeming to draw out a ball of fire and launch it at the Gorgonopsid. The fireball engulfed it and it gave a cut off shriek of pain, falling still with a charred wound on it's side. Vanille flexed her wrist and the cables withdrew back into the wand, which folded in half. Shaking, Fang got back to her feet and faced Vanille.

'What did you do?' Fang asked, and Vanille shook her head.

'I...don't know. It was going to kill you and...I felt my brand get hot. When I touched it, my hand caught fire, but I wasn't burning. Is that...the power of the l'Cie?'

'I guess so.' Fang said, looking around, seeing no sign of any more monsters. 'Come on. We need to get home and figure this out.'

Fang glanced out of the window, before picking up the two cups of coffee and moving to sit at the table with Vanille. It had been quiet in Oerba, with most of the villagers out at the fishing grounds or working at the rail depot, but she didn't want to take any chances. Until they knew more about their powers and Focus, she didn't want anyone to know what they had become. Vanille picked up her coffee and took a sip, but Fang left hers on the table, her thumb scratching idly at the handle. She'd made the coffee out of habit, but she had no appetite for it. She couldn't think about anything so...normal right now. Not after what had happened. She'd resigned herself to her fate as a l'Cie, being willing to pay the price to save Vanille, which was the only thing that would have kept her going. She'd failed at that before she'd even started.

'Why did you do it?' She asked, trying to keep her voice even.

'I was doing it for you, Vanille. As a l'Cie, I could have kept you safe. Now, we're both doomed!' She finished, slamming her hand onto the table, spilling some of her coffee onto the scratched metal and she looked up to see tears in Vanille's eyes.

'But, you didn't ask what I wanted.' She said. 'I don't want to lose you, Fang. I don't care if we have to spend an eternity in crystal. If we wake up, we'll be together again.'

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and gave a shaky smile.

'Besides, we don't know anything about being l'Cie. Maybe crystal sleep isn't the end, but the beginning of something else.'

Despite herself, Fang found herself smiling, too, putting a hand on Vanille's for a moment.

Crystal sleep is the reward for fulfilling our Focus. And the fal'cie wouldn't want to lose their weapons so easily. Maybe, just maybe...

Fang picked up her coffee and took a sip, feeling some of the weight lift from her heart.

'Alright. Either way, if we don't want to end up as Cie'th, we need to start figuring out our Focus. What did you see?'

'I saw Cocoon. That's all. Just..an image of Cocoon. Maybe...we need to go there?'

Fang frowned; even though she was no coward, she was afraid of going to Cocoon.

'Cocoon's a nest of vipers,Vanille. Why would Anima want us to go there?'

'I don't know.' Vanille admitted. 'But, we haven't got much else to go on. If we go there, maybe we'll learn something that will give us a clue.'

Fang looked out of the window at Cocoon and then back at Vanille.

'Alright. We'll leave first thing tomorrow.'

Thanks for reading. Any comments, suggestions and constructive criticism very welcome.

Vanille sat on the edge of the wall, listening to the rippling of the waves, looking up at Cocoon. It was maintained by the fal'cie, beings beyond human comprehension, who had created it in the distant past