I don't own Final Fantasy XIII nor do I make any money off is. All the things in this fanfic are own by Square Enix

Love is the shrapnel fired from a shotgun named Lust and it levees you pulling fragments out of your flesh long after that blast.

Lightning has that kind of painful love for Hope. Her heart wanting him while the taboos of the world push against that love, crushingly so. This isn't going to be so much about the Lightning fighting the law as it is about her fighting against the taboos of the world, of herself.

Thank you all the reviews.

It's encouraging to hear that your looking forward to an update.

Just makes me try just that much harder to improve.

Part Two: The Dangers of Sunscreen

"Yeah, fun in the beach sun here we come!" Snow yelled as his wife Serah, Lightning and the rest of the NORA crew hit the sands. The white sand beach were part of a major resort on a tropical island. They where much better the beaches at Bodhum, fewer people too.

Snow looked like a pack mule carrying everything from coolers, umbrellas and beach blankets. He was going without his trademark hat and coat but his swim trunks reflected his taste with patterns of dark and icy blues.

Serah had a yellow bikini with khaki shorts. Lighting had on her new white swimsuit but it was under her normal white jacket so no one had seen it yet. Godot, Lebreau, Maqui and Yuj fallowed behind them dressed in there own beachwear.

Sazh had arrived ahead of Snow's group with his son Dajh and Hope, who they picked up on the way over. They had a nice long stretch of the beach picked out all for themselves. Sazh and Dajh had similar green swim trunks but Dajh had a Chocobo print on his trunks. Hope had orange swim trunks with a blue tidal wave print on the legs and he had on a vest the same teal color as his ever-present bandana.

"Hey, hey looks like you guys finally made it." Sazh said taking some of Snow's supplies off him and helping him set up.

"It's not like we can just hop in our own airship and take off somewhere like you Sazh."

Maqui and Yuj ran up to Hope and exchanged high fives. It was nice to see Hope with people closer to his own age Lightning thought. Even if they were junior hoodlum friends of Snow.

"Looks like we're all here." Lightning said as she pulled a beer from a cooler. She had only just cracked it open and took a sip when a very familiar voice with a very distinct accent startled her.

"What the hell do you mean we're all here when you leave us out?" Fang said grinning like cat at her friends stunned faces. Vanille was in tow right behind her.

"Vanille, How did you and Fang get here?" Hope asked shocked but happy at the same time.

"By boat." Vanille answered honestly and without further explanation.

"That's not what he meant Vanille." Sazh added.

"Look we're here all right and I suggest you don't asked about it. Even if it is a reasonable question. Just except the fact that we're here and go with it." Fang said as she slips past Lightning and took a beer from the cooler.

Just as if this beach party couldn't get any more bizarre, it did.

"Come on you two if found the perfect spot."

"How is this any different then another spots on the beach?"

"Shut up! You two aren't even carrying anything."

The group that set up next to our heroes was Jihl Nabaat her body almost busting out of a sexy white and copper colored bikini. Cid Raines in white trunks holding a book he was reading. Lastly was Yaag Rosch in black racing Speedo and a black tank top, who was hauling all their stuff.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Everyone in both groups asked/yelled one anther..

Jihl studied the heroes from under her glasses. "R&R and as for why this spot it's at the ideal point of latitude and longitude for optimal sunlight this time of year. As for the rest just don't worry about it."

Yaag glared at Cid. "What I want to know is why the hell you're here Cid? Your not with PISCOM so why spending your R&R with us!"

Cid looked up from his book and said with complete and brutal honesty. "Because it's fun tormenting you Rosch."

"THAT'S IT! All of you can go to hell! I'm going to go swim 5km and pretend I never saw any of you." Yaag said as he dumped the beach gear marched off into the surf with as much dignity as a man could have in a Speedo.

Dajh not having the others hostility towards their former enemies went to greet Nabaat. To Dajh she was like a favorite teacher. "Hi, miss Nabaat."

Jihl went from ice queen to doting teacher as Dajh walked over to her. "My look at you Dajh, you've grown so much. Still I thought you be a few centimeters taller then you are right now. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"I get to stay up all night playing with daddy."

The heated glare Jihl fixed Sazh with was intensified by the sun reflecting off her spectacles. "Mr. Katzroy I thought told you a growing boy like Dajh needs his sleep! He's in the most crucial growing period of his life. I bet you feed him junk food whenever he wants? What happened to that Ten Year diet and education plan I made for him?"

"Easy off woman. He's my kid not your lab rat and I'm raising him. The only time I'm home from my job is night and I need to spend sometime with my boy. I'm doing the best I can on my own."

"That's just an excuse and just so you know I do care how Dajh grows up! I took over his education for a time so it reflects poorly on me if he doesn't reach his full potential. I can't let him grow up to be some pumpkin-head who thinks the Square root of Pi is cherry."

"I like pumpkin pie myself." Snow said helpfully.

Serah had to be doubly embarrassed because her husband wasn't and he didn't get why everyone was looking at him. The silences that fell over everyone only ended when Dajh pulled on Jihl's arm. "Sandcastles, I want to build a sandcastle."

"Huh, sandcastles?" Jihl ran the word thru her mind several times thinking it over. "Yes, let's go build sandcastles it can help you get an idea of what geometry is."

"With a moat." Dajh added with a raised fist.

"And moat." Jihl agreed with equal enthusiasm at the impending construction while wishing she had a portable level and some brick molds.

Sazh was a little beside himself. "Damn, my only son ditched me."

Cid looked over at Sazh from over the top of his book. "Better be careful or else your son will be raised by an intelligent and beautiful woman." hard to tell if he was kidding because his face didn't crease a bit.

"I think we should just except that their here and not let it ruin our fun." Vanille said relaying on her happy go lucky life outlook.

Fang saw Lightning was still dressed in her white jacket and only her jacket. "A better question is what Lightning has under her jacket? Something spicy or maybe the answer is nothing at all?"

Fang's smile widened as Lightning face turned into a tomato. "No more stalling. Come on now, time for the big reveal."

"Fine." Lighting said as she threw off her jacket and showed off her white one piece swimsuit. There was almost a collective sigh of disappointment, like the much hyped grand finale was a bust.

"I told you it wasn't cute." Serah said with a knowing sigh.

Fang was searching for the right word. "How… … ….practical of you."

Yuj and Maqui both looked so dishearten, like their dog just died.

Hope was the only one with a different opinion. "I think she looks good. I mean the golden zigzags look like lightning bolts and that's kind of cool."

Snow patted Hope on the head. "Hope your such a kid it's almost painful. The lines look like lightning bolts? Only a child would think like that."

"Doesn't matter anyway. Lightning would still be beautiful no matter what she's dressed in." Hope said that the same way someone talks about a natural order of the world. Like saying things fall down when dropped, water is wet and Lightning Farron is beautiful.

"Speaking of beautiful, check out the chicks down the way." Maqui said spying half a dozen very cute and very lightly dressed teenage girls in bikinis.

"That's a large group of targets. Any obstacles in the way?" Yuj asked.

"Negative, no boyfriends or parents in sight. We have a clean angle of attack." Maqui conformed.

Hope ran over to the two NORA members holding a Frisbee. "Hold on guys."

"What, your not going to back down from this are you Hope?"

Hope grinned like general plotting the siege and downfall of an enemy stronghold. "No but I got an idea. We head down the beach throwing this Frisbee between us as we work our way closer to the girls. This way they see coming us but we're not making a rush straight at them. When we get close enough I'll hook a Frisbee throw that will accidentally lands in front of the girls and that will be our contact point. From there it's every man for himself and individual achievement based on how many hotel room keys he gets."

After fighting monsters for his life confidence wasn't a problem for Hope. In fact he had confidence to spear for both Yuj and Maqui. Hope wouldn't say it out loud but he knew he was cute even handsome and he could lay on the charm when he need it.

"Sounds good." Maqui said holding his hand out. Yuj put his hand on Maqui's and Hope put his hand on Yuj's. The team broke off and shifted into the "Warriors of Love" Paradigm. As the three left of the adventure of a summer Hope took off his vest. Lightning stopped him before he got to far away.

"Did you put any sunscreen on your back?"

"No, that's why I had the vest. It's no big deal and we're kind of in a rush."

"Get over here before you fry yourself." Lightning said in the same commanding tone she used in battle. Like when she'd tell Hope to switch from Ravager to Medic or we'll all die. It left him no room to argue.

Lightning snatched a bottle of sunscreen lotion and sat down on a beach blanket under an umbrella. Hope sat down only a breath's length in front of her, his back toward Lightening as she rubbed oil on to her hands. As Lightning worked the oil into Hope's back she leaned over to his ear and whispered. "Thank you Hope."

"For what?"

"I thought the lightning bolts on this swimsuit were cool too." The two shared a smile and small laugh. She saw Hope missed oiling his ears and neck.

"Hold still I'll get your neck and ears too."

"But Light…"

"No buts and hold still."

Lightning's hands glided over Hope's oh-so smooth skin as he obediently turned his head his way and that to let her cover him in oil. She felt his soft sliver hair tickling her fingers, the angles of his cheeks and the throbbing of his pulse. Lightning had to bite herself so hard it hurt to keep a pleasurable moan from escaping her lips.

Having Hope like this in her arms was a fantasy come true, a fantasy she had on many lonely and frustrated nights. In Lightning's dreams no matter who she started fantasying about he somehow got switched out for Hope. The fantasies all ended the same way. Lightning wakening up alone, ashamed and worst of all satisfied despite how wrong it made her feel.

Her living fantasy came to an end with Hope's voice. "Light you don't need to oil my chest."

Lightning had been rubbing Hope's chest for the past half minute. She would still be doing if Hope hadn't spoke up. "Sorry." Lightning apologized pulling her hands off Hope even as her finger ached, physically ached, to touch him even just a second longer.

Hope got up and didn't even think to give Lightning a look back as he ran off with Maqui and Yuj. He didn't know or even suspect Lightning's wandering hands as anything put an accident. No one else noticed the incident either.

Lightning's mind was now as unsteady as the waves of the ocean. She only meant to keep Hope from getting a sunburn, she didn't want to see him get hurt. How did it go from looking out for him to secretly enjoying him like that? Hope trusted Lightning completely. In battle he trusted her with his life and Lightning in one weak moment she violated that trust and Hope.

'This is going to be a long week.' Lightning thought to herself as she could already tell she'd need a vacation after this vacation.

-End-

I'm a Sazh/Jihl fan. I can't be the only one who thinks the loving single dad and cold solder complete each other?

But like Fang said tapping on that fourth wall don't think about it so much. You can say I'm just being lazy but I really don't want to think up a how or why Fang, Vanille and the PISCOM crew got there. Just go with it.

I will say one of my favorite Final Fantasy moments is in FFVII when you run into the Turks on their vacation and freely admit that was part of the logic here.

P.S I went thru three ending before I found one that worked with the story. Here why the two before never saw the light of day.

The first had Lightning diving into the ocean to hid her tears after rubbing Hope down oil to hide her shame. That was already done in the game with Vanille in the rain so I thought of some other way to get Lightning in the water.

Then I got jacked by my dark side with something so bad and yet so perfect but really out of place for this fic. It had Lighting enjoying oiling down Hope far to much. The last line I was going to put in this chapter was

-Lightning had already gotten her new swimsuit wet even before she hit the surf.-

That was way to sexual changed for this story and I think it would have felt like I blindsided the reader (You) with a kick to the teeth. Yet I loved that line so here it is in postscript. If you don't get that then I would have also had to bump up the rating of this thing too.

I 'm happy with how this ended. I just expanded on the whole sunscreen moment. Something innocent suddenly become not so innocent and was now something deeply personal for Lightning. Also it didn't make me feel like I need a shower after rereading it.

the next chapter had a game of Beach Volleyball and what could go wrong with a game of Volleyball?