Where would Serah like to go?

Thinking about Serah's smile made her heart feel bright and warm.

My treasure. For that I would do anything. I'm sorry Serah, she thought, for not having been there for you. But I won't make you feel lonely anymore. I won't use my job as an excuse. I promise.

She felt like she had been running forward ever since their mother's death.

I shouldn't have to hurry anymore, I should take time to stop and relax; for Serah, and for myself.

Lightning sighed.

"What's wrong?" A familiar voice said behind her. It was Lieutenant Amodar.

Lightning made a slight bow, "Nothing."

"I understand." He replied, releasing the subject, "It's unusual to find you at the shopping mall before work, Sergeant, doing some shopping perhaps?"

"I'm just looking the area over, since this will be my patrol area during the festival. There will be quite a lot of changes to make around the shopping mall."

"I'm happy that you work so hard, but don't you think you should wait until the festival starts?"

"Well, what are you doing here, Lieutenant Amodar? The festival starts in only a few more minutes."

"Well, the same as you. An old guy like me can get pretty forgetful. I'll forget by the day of the festival!" Amodar cried.

He looked at Lightning and laughed, she chuckled quietly.

"I hope everything goes smoothly at the festival this year."

In eight days the sky above Bodhum would burst with fireworks. It will be the night people who want their dreams to come true will gather. The next day would be Lightning's twenty-first birthday. It would be the first time in a long while she would really be able to talk with Serah. Thinking about it made her heart thrum with excitement.

Lightning looked over Amodar's shoulders and noticed a young officer standing a few feet away, "Who is that?"

Amodar ceased laughing, "Oh, I almost forgot, I hope this won't be too much trouble, but I need you to watch over this officer."

"Watch?" Lightning asked, smirking, "You want me to babysit someone?"

"Yes, in a way. She is supposed to guard you during the festival, and I need you to observe her. This officer is a peculiar one that I don't trust. I think she's about your age. She's worked under General Brigadier Cid for quite some time and he's put her under my care from now on, and she will be accompanying you with the protection of Bodhum." Amodar explained, "She's similar to you; very experienced and hard-working, shouldn't be any problem at all. But keep in mind, this woman has been said to be very hostile on the field of battle, so please be careful."

Amodar handed a packet and shoved it into Lightning's hands.

"Her files?" she guessed, "It's rather small."

"Not much is known about her, she's dark and not very talkative, this was all the information the Guardian Corps could gather."

Lightning flipped through the papers, "Rin Takeda. Female. Birthday: December 12th. No parents, no siblings, no family and no history."

"It's just her name, gender, birthday, registration number and her skills and abilities. Rin has many attributes. Her mental abilities for one: cunning, persuasion, intelligence and manipulation. It has given her a reputation of a very young precocious strategist." Amodar shook his head dejectedly, "I want you to record anything she does that seems important to you."

Lightning nodded.

"There's another piece of information that we were unable to get a hold of and write it into her files. Rin has served for fourteen long years since she was twelve."

"Twelve?"

"She lost her family to some accident and Cid saw potential in her and he eventually took her in. The rumors I've heard claim that she was Cid's lab rat. For two years, she was experimented and tested on and she attempted to escape." Amodar stated, turning, he gestured Lightning to follow him.

"Hey, Rin!" Amodar called, waving at her, "Get over here!"

She slowly looked up from the ground and walked towards them with long strides.


Lightning's POV

Rin was nothing like I had expected when we encountered each other. She looked polite, respectful and calm, almost like a good role model. The officer was actually taller than I had expected, I was 5"4' and she was at least about 5"11.' Despite her height, she was slim but also had an athletic appearance due to her exercises and training.

What stood out the most to me was her appearance. She did not wear the GC uniform. She had an overcoat similar to mine, but it was coal black. She kept it strapped around her with a hood over her head; her collar was up and covering her mouth, not allowing me to take even a small glance at her face. There was little flesh showing, she kept the majority of her arms and legs wrapped in bandages, probably from injuries. The soft gauze also covered her eyes. Completely concealed.

Is she blind?

I was examining her and I noticed that her head was tilted down. She was holding her arm and it was raised out. We shook hands. Rin's fingers were stiff and cold to the bone. It was like she had slept out in a blizzard for months.

After a while, she spoke in a timid voice, "I am Rin Takeda. It's nice to finally meet you, Sergeant Farron."

Her voice was extremely soft, so quiet that I almost couldn't hear, even though I was straining. After a moment, I exchanged my greetings with her. Besides her manners, there was this odd cold feeling around her, almost hard and stoic. It made me uncomfortable, I think I gave her a quick look, but I don't think she really noticed or even cared.

I don't like her….

Just like that, she wasn't someone pleasant or appealing to be around, in my opinion.

"Uh-oh, we can't just stand around here all day. It's time for the festival, already dawn. Let's go." Amodar said, interrupting my thoughts.

Lightning straightened her clothes and looked ahead at the descending sun. It's time for work. It was time for her to become a soldier.

"Understood, Lieutenant." Then off she went. Rin waited a few feet, giving Lightning a respectful distance of space. She then shifted and followed Lightning, ready to receive orders.

The evening sunlight was bright, even as it set. Weaving between the happy shoppers, the two of them walked quickly. She heard people talking of silly things, and laughing brightly. The Coastal City of Bodhum was full of sights like these; Lightning watched them, still believing that Serah was watching them too.