I'll Protect You

Hi again. Chapter 2 here, waiting for your eyes to read. I really think that this story, as a whole, is my best work, though I guess I am a little conceded .. I try not to be though, so I'll try to be truthful about how I feel about these posts. You guys won't enjoy my writing if I don't enjoy it, right?

There it is again. Oh well, I tried. Enjoy Chapter 2

Edit: Same as Chapter 1.

Name: I'll Protect You

Timeframe: Just after the previous chapter (in this story)

Word Count: 3738

Disclaimer: I did not come up with, own, or create Final Fantasy XIII or it's characters in any way. I own only a copy of the game and a game guide. That is all. I own nothing more.

Chapter 2: Remembering an Old Friend

The young man's eyes looked into Fang's green orbs with confusion in them. He couldn't seem to bear Fang's hostility towards him. He cast his gaze onto Vanille, who was also apprehensive, her hands in a brawler-like stance. Fang had withdrawn her lance already, holding it loosely in her left hand, her right shielding Vanille from the stranger.

His face was battle hardened, but soft and kind. He was a little taller than Fang, though nowhere near as tall as Snow. He had short, slicked back brown hair that stayed out of his brown eyes. He wore what looked like a brown leather vest, with one strap on his right side, that went down to his navel. He wore a white silk cloth, that went to just before his wrist, on his left shoulder, taking on a look similar to Raines. He had a pair of light but thick fur pants that went to his knees, and a pair of black leather boots that came up to the middle of his shins. Fang could also make out a short, flowing blue cape, as thin as his left sleeve, but less supported, centered down his back. His L'Cie brand was on his stomach, just above and to the right of his navel. On his back, keeping his cloak from flapping like a flag in a windstorm, was a large, red axe, similar in appearance to Fang's Bladed Lance. It had the words "Oerba" and "Gamenern" written on it, much like how Fang had her name written on hers.

The man looked at Fang and put a hand up, as if trying to settle down a group of restless children. "Relax." he spoke, his voice unusually kind for just coming out of the blue and trying to strike up a conversation with them. "I'm not here to fight. Actually, I'm kinda sad. How'd you guys forget me?" his voice sounded playful, but Fang still didn't listen to the man.

"Remember you?" she growled, her grip on the lance tightening, her teeth gritting. "How do you forget someone you don't even know?" her voice may have alarmed the rest of the L'Cie, for they took a peek out to see the stranger, looking back at them with confusion. "Anima must've really messed you guys up…" he scratched his head, his voice loud enough for Vanille to hear. "Anima? You know of it?" she inquired, moving around Fang's right arm. Fang moved to try and keep her safe, but Vanille looked at her with that 'Don't baby me!' look in her eyes. Fang reluctantly dropped her arm, allowing Vanille to approach the stranger.

Lightning and the group were as apprehensive as Fang at the moment, but seemed less likely to attack him, especially with Vanille in the line of fire. Lightning still withdrew her Blaze Edge, the gun blade slicing the air as it unfolded to it's sword form.

Vanille looked the boy in the eyes. He seemed flustered, embarrassed. She thought of Fang whenever she did this to the warrior. She explored the man's hazel eyes for a moment, before asking him "What do you know Anima?" in a tender voice. He sighed as he tried to think how to best put into words what he needed to say. "Anima…" he started, looking around at the ruins of his former home. "Anima made me, and all of you-" he pointed his finger out, taking care not to hit Vanille, maybe due to an angry Oerban and her friends being within a second of reaching him. He panned it, from Fang (on his far right), all the way to Sazh (on the far left) and finished "L'Cie" Everyone seemed to tense at this. How did he know this? Was he a friend? Was he an illusion? Lightning didn't wait for an answer. She lunged at the man, hoping that an ambush would make it possible to hit him before he could recover.

Lightning was deflected by an agility far beyond her own, sending a gasp of shock throughout the watching L'Cie. Lightning felt humiliated. How did he do that? She wondered. She recomposed herself and tried again, this time to be countered, the man using her own momentum to flip her over, pinning her under his axe's long handle, disarming her. He then pointed her gunblade at the rest of the group, using the weapon with such ease, it rivaled Lightning's use of it.

"I didn't come to fight you." he said, casting a look at the group that conveyed his words. He looked down at Lightning, who seemed flustered, and said, "Promise that you won't try to kill me if I let you have this back?" he asked playfully, almost jokingly. He folded the gun blade into it's compact gun form, handing it to Lightning, then let her out from the pin he had on her. "I don't make promises." was her cold reply, hiding the fire that had been burning inside, and forcibly took the weapon back.

He put his axe on his back, looking at Fang, wishing she would do the same. She only tightened the grip more, the knuckles in her left hand becoming white and obviously stiffening up from the pressure. "You hold that any tighter, and you might break it in half, Fang." he joked, pointing at the lance. "Or you hand." Fang's grip loosened, not from the man's suggestions, but because he was right. The man looked again at Vanille, then said, "I can prove that something is messing with your memories. I'll tell Vanille here something that happened 500 years ago, right before we-" he motioned at himself, Fang and Vanille. "Became crystal."

Vanille leaned towards the man, lending her ear to him as he whispered something about the past. Her eyes widened as she heard something that no one else knew about, but then said, "It's true." Fang gapping at the response. "He did know us, Fang. Maybe Anima really did mess with our minds. I know he did it to you before." Fang's eyes cast themselves downward as she remembered waking up in Bodhum, not remembering her Focus or what she was doing there.

Sazh was the first to speak after a fairly long silence. "Well, if the girl trusts ya, then I see no reason why I shouldn't." he spoke, stepping down from the house, moving to greet the man. "Name's Sazh Katzroy." He extended his hand, the man returning the favor. "Your's?" Sazh asked. The man let out a sigh, "You probably won't believe that, either." he looked at Fang, a look that somehow seemed so familiar, yet so distant, in his eyes. "My name's Oerba Yun Gamenern."

Fang and Vanille's jaws would've hit the dirt had they not been attached to their heads. Everyone else seemed confused. "Wait. You're Fang's brother?" Snow asked, confusion in his voice, as it was in everyone's eyes. "Eh, yes and no. No, I am not directly related to Fang. It's our Clan name." Gamenern spoke, his eyes connecting with every person in the area. "I was orphaned at age 4. I lived with Fang's parents till they died in the war, 2 years later." his words stung at Fang's heart. He had that part true. "We were put into an orphanage together. That one." He motioned towards the run down building that he jumped off of.

"I'm not a blood relative, no." He continued, "But she was- no, is-the closest thing I have to a sister." His voice seemed light, filled with sorrow. Vanille then felt sorrow, for she remembered that it was in that orphanage, after the Cocoon attack on Oerba, leaving her orphaned, that she met Fang. If this man, Gamenern, really spoke the truth, there's no doubt that she met him too. Fang then cast a look of disgust at the man who claimed to be her Clan brother, grip tightening on her lance once more. "You are not my brother." She growled, lunging at Gamenern the same way Lightning did.

Sazh had to jump away to avoid the flying warrior, who went straight on the offensive. Gamenern used his will, his hands and magical augments, to deflect every attack effortlessly. He then attempted to use Fang's momentum like Lightning's, but the warrior seemed to anticipate it, and rolled, pulling him into a headlock.

Then suddenly, she felt her head starting to spin. Gamenern didn't attempt to hit her, let alone try to knock her lights out. "Damn…Lady…Luck…" she swore before consciousness faded from her.

xXxXx

Fang sat on the bed side, facing away from the boy her age sitting next to her. "I will not watch over that crybaby!" she snapped, arms folded across her chest. The young boy, maybe 6, with brown hair and eyes, tried to reason with the girl. "Guardian said we need to watch over a younger orphan. She's the one we got." he looked at the orphan in question. She sat in a corner, knees to her chest, sobbing quietly. She was no more than 4 years old, her long red hair tied into two pigtails, braided several times, with a light blue bow at the end of each one.

"I don't care what Guardian says. I'm not watching over that brat." the young Fang scowled.

"Come on, Fang!" the boy protested, trying to convince his sister, from the way things looked.

"No, Gamenern!" Fang responded, her voice harsh and cold. As if it were in a dream, those words echoed as if being played by every wall in the room.

xXxXx

Fang shot straight up, her face covered in a cold sweat. She was inside the house, looking at the cot she slept in as a young adult. "Woah, bad dream…" She said, looking around, then feeling like her head was just stomped on by an adamantoise. "Oh, I really need to lay off the liquor." she said groggily, which was answered with a light chuckle. Fang shot around to face the source of the noise, only to lose her sight to dizziness. She held her head in her right hand, while her left held her right. The man who chuckled placed his hand on hers, and muttered some spell. She soon felt the dizziness and grogginess fade to nothing. She then saw a face with brown eyes smiling at her.

"Trust me, you haven't hit the hard stuff in a while."

Fang seemed to smile at this, remembering her antics as an older teen. "I, I remember now. It hit me all at once." she confessed, her eyes glancing at the window in the room, light seeping in carefully. The man spoke. "Vanille's memory came back too, but hers wasn't as, shall I say, shocking?" Gamenern then sat next to Fang on the cot and placed his left arm around her body, hugging her brotherly. "Don't worry about the forgettin' me part. You just worry on staying alive." he spoke to his Clan sister in a caring, soothing way.

The two sat in this way for only about five seconds before Lightning walked into the room, her gazed locking with Gamenern's, her mouth opening to speak. "I need to talk to you. Alone." She added, looking at the warrior. Fang gave a slight huff then said, "Fine." And stood up. Lightning took a seat across from where Gamenern rested, looking at the warrior, then back at Gamenern. The Pulsian woman had barely walked out of the room when Lightning asked, "Who are you? Really?" Her cold, cynical voice piercing the quiet of the room. Gamenern scratched the back of his head, looking at the soldier. "I thought I already told you that. Vanille and Fang remember me now." he seemed confused, and frankly, worried. Light's eyes didn't falter. "Why the sudden arrival now? Why weren't you with them on Cocoon when they woke up?" Again, cynical. Gamenern humored her.

"I woke up here on Gran Pulse. It was night, about 2 weeks ago. Maybe more." He started, looking down to remember the voyage he made to get here. Lightning's mind was working overtime, piecing the puzzle together. 'About the time Vanille and Fang woke up.' she thought, still glaring at the young man. "You probably saw the large Fal'Cie on the Archylte Steppe. That's Titan, the Fal'Cie in charge of basically all life on Gran Pulse. He oversees the evolution of the strongest races and the demise of the weakest." Gamenern let a short sigh out before continuing.

"I was forced to prove my worth. To take his trials in the Faultwarrens. It was difficult, yes, but I accrued some, let's say, unique powers." he saw the question in Lightning's eyes before she even knew she did. "I don't know about all of them. But…" he looked at Lightning with a slight smile, pointing at her heart. "I can sense that's where your brand is. It's also progressed quite far, about 70% of the way." Lightning instinctively held her hand to the brand, then cast a glare at Gamenern. "Don't worry, I can only see the brand. Nothing more." He added, quickly but calmly. Lightning still held no trust for the man.

"Why show up now? I'm sure that you have had the time to find us until now." Lightning's voice had softened somewhat, and she made a note of it. 'You can't trust him. He could be the enemy.' her voice shot out, but she countered by saying, 'Then what's the Sanctum?' her internal debate ended rather quickly, as Gamenern broke her thoughts. "I tried, but I was held up. I figured that I should come here, you know, see it myself." His eyes looked downcast as he continued. "I heard from Titan that all life within a 2 week journey of here was either slaughtered by Fal'Cie of turned into Cie'th." He cast his look to the sun seeping in from the sheet on the window. He walked to it, a sigh forming as he reached it.

"It was beautiful." he said softly, turning to Lightning. "Flowers everywhere, people laughing, children playing. You wouldn't know there was a war if we weren't so close to Cocoon." He looked up at the sphere, it's green-white hue reflecting the Pulsian sunlight in a beautiful rainbow of colors. "Vanille was really happy here. She seemed so carefree. So energetic. It was unusual for someone her age at that time." Lightning didn't follow. "We were at war." He said, as if it were obvious. "We lived in fear, every day could be the end." his eyes watered as he spoke. "Most people were wed by age 16. They had children starting at age 17. Vanille is well beyond that age. Never had a romantic relationship." He then gave a sudden chuckle. "Fang never let her."

Inadvertently, Lightning turned away, her inquired expression turning to hatred. Gamenern was good at reading faces; he saw through her attempt to cover it up. "You're jealous." he stated. It wasn't a question. "Why?" He seemed to know that the soldier, quiet from what he had seen, would be hard pressed to answer the question. And she didn't. Gamenern sighed. "You're jealous of Fang and Vanille." Lightning shot a quick "No!" at him, catching herself after the fact. 'Too fast.' She thought. Gamenern had the answer. "You like Fang." Was his deduction.

He barely had time to react to Lightning's fist flying at him, her face angry. He caught her right hook, then deflected her left, before giving her a slight push back. "Hmm." He said, a smile creeping onto his face. "Hit a soft spot." He gave a short chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm kidding, by the way. I can see you don't have time for that kinda thing." he sat back down on the bed he got up from, looking on as Lightning slowly did the same. "Fang was always, how do I put this?" Gamenern's mind tried to find the right word to describe his sister. "Flirty." he said with justification in his voice. "I won't go into details, but she had that air about her. I wouldn't see it as weakness if you found yourself, attracted?, to her." he seemed to be speaking playfully to her, but inside Lightning had a war to fight.

He's right, you know. You do treat Fang differently than everyone else.

I do not.

Admit it. She's grown on you.

Shut up.

Gamenern saw the internal conflict and asked, "Lightning?" The redhead looked at the boy, then said. "Alright. Guess you can be trusted for now." He voice returned to that cold, cynical tone she began to interrogate him with. "But I will still cut you down if you show the slightest bit of betrayal." her voice was no more than a growl as she walked out, her cape flowing proudly behind her. Gamenern gave a slight sigh, shaking his head. "Fang…"

xXxXx

Outside, everyone was looking intently at the sheet that Gamenern was just walking out of, a look of concern and confusion on his face. He made eye contact with Vanille, his face feeling warm as he could tell he was blushing. "What'd I do this time?" he asked, his voice laced by a light laugh. Vanille huffed as she walked over to him, grabbed his arm, and dragged him to the door. He gave a quick glance back to the rest of the L'Cie, a range of expression visible. Fang had a sly smile on her face, while Sazh and Hope looked a little scared. Snow had a similar smile to Fang's, but Lightning was unreadable, her face more annoyed than anything. He then looked at the back of the young girl's head and asked. "Where are we going, Vanille?" he seemed genuinely confused. This wasn't normal. Even for Vanille. She gave another huff. "Just keep up.' Her voice sounded annoyed, Gamenern's confused smile turning over instantly.

He followed in silence as the pair walked, at a brisk pace, to the old school playground he, Fang and Vanille gathered at to play when they were kids. He traced his hands over the see-saw that he once rode, looking at a large gash that had been etched into the metal in Pulsian. "Yun Gamenern. Yun Fang. Dia Vanille." it read, the engravings worn down but still there. "Remember when we did this?" He asked Vanille, still tracing the engravings as if looking for another.

Vanille didn't respond as quickly as Gamenern expected, or hoped for. He turned to the girl, only seeing her hair. "Vanille?" he asked again, his hand placed on her shoulder. He felt a soft heave as he did so, the quiet sob that was released confirming that she was indeed crying. "I, I missed you." she said, sorrow heavy in her voice. Gamenern brought the girl into his chest, his arms wrapping around her back. "I missed you too. Both of you." He said, Vanille's sobs heaving him as well. "But we're back together. We've got each other. And everyone else." he leaned his head towards the house as Vanille backed away to see the boy's face.

Her heart warmed as she heard his words. They were the same ones that Fang used after they defeated Hecotancheir, and Vanille opened up about her memories. "I know." her voice was still wet from the tears, but she seemed so strong. "But still…" her voice trailed off as she looked up at Cocoon. "We have to destroy that to complete our Focus. That's what it is. To destroy Orphan and Cocoon. Bring the Maker back." She recalled Barthandelus's words to the group in their last encounter. Gamenern shook his head.

"We won't destroy Cocoon." His voice was calm, shocking Vanille. "What?" she gasped, taking a step back. Gamenern regained his posture after Vanille left his arms. "What I mean is, we won't destroy it in the same way we tried to last time." He knew about the whole Ragnarok business. "Fang won't let it come to that. And neither will I." Vanille let a soft smile creep onto her face. "Gamenern…" she seemed lost, her eyes locked with the older boy's brown orbs. She felt soothed by him just as much as by Fang. She really looked up to them. Gamenern gave her a slight nudge as he walked past her. "We're gonna need to head back inside. It's getting late." Vanille agreed, then followed the boy swiftly to the small shack they all stayed in.

Vanille was inside first, and Gamenern stayed on the porch, looking at the square that lay before it. A few particles of the crystal dust flew up with the wind, adding a chilling howl to the cries of the Cie'th that were once the noble and calm residents of Oerba. Gamenern felt his heart wrench. 'It's really gone…' he told himself, as if still in disbelief. He remembered when he hunted his first hunt. When he met his first girlfriend. Shared his first kiss…

xXxXx

He was interrupted by a hated presence, inviting itself into his home. He could tell, just from the way the wind howled, who it was, but he smirked when the old man appeared. "Hello Barthandelus." Gamenern said, as if talking to an old friend. The Primarch failed to acknowledge the greeting. "Pitiful and weak, that's what you are." the old man's voice was disgusted. "I see now why you need us. You can't live without the constant babying." Gamenern laughed, then yelled, coaxing the rest of the group from the house. "Barthandelus!"

It wasn't long before the man had teleported the road, Gamenern had reached the bottom of the stairway, and the group had exited the house. They looked at the Primarch with hatred building. "Dysley." Snow growled, his fists as tight as he could make them. Barthandelus laughed.

"The place where it all began. Oerba. The home of Ragnarok, the culler of Cocoon. It was here." He teleported away, his voice still lingering. "That your fates as a L'Cie were sealed." He reappeared just behind Gamenern. The young man swung his axe swiftly, but the illusion faded. He growled. "Show yourself, you coward!"

The full form of the Fal'Cie appeared this time, anchored in the center of the large square. It had what looked like a mask over his face, his usual shoulder pads gone, and said "Use your hatred. Become Ragnarok. Free Cocoon from it's impending doom."

Any questions about the story, please add it to your review, as well as what you think. I'll try to update often, as this is the only project I have at the moment. I've been trying to format these differently, so that the true version doesn't look so cluttered. (Will try to fix that soon if it doesn't fix with this update)

Anyway, see you all in Chapter 3.