She could tell from the look on his face that he had been confused by what he saw in her eyes. She'd gladly take confusion over recognition. As if magnetically charged, he approached her again, closing the distance without realizing. He cupped her cheek. Breaking the earnest contact, she leaned into his palm. What was it that he saw in her eyes? It was unrecognizable and unidentifiable to him, but it was genuine whatever it was.

She mouthed his name, wondering who might hear if she dared speak it aloud.

Snow...

His breath hitched in his throat.

He was in a daze as she brought her hand up to caress his rough cheek. Sliding it under his jaw, she guided his head towards hers. He could hardly believe this was happening. Was she going to kiss him? His stomach flip flopped in anticipation when he began his descent at her insistence.

"... there's something I need to do before I can't..." she whispered.

Her warm breath tickled his mouth. She met his bewildered gaze and held it.

Lifting herself up on her tip toes, she touched her lips to his. He did not reciprocate the slightly awkward gesture. His face was stunned at first, eyes wide and unblinking. In fact, he wasn't even sure who this woman was that stood before him; the one he thought stood here initially would surely rather punch him in the mouth than bestow a kiss upon it.

The unreturned kiss lasted only seconds before she broke away. Her hands dropped unceremoniously to her sides with a splash. His lips tingled as he stood there gawking at the fine pink tint on her cheeks. She just kissed me...? He snuck his tongue out to lick his vacant lips. They held the slightest bit of sweetness from the caress.

Guess I can go back to hating him. Lightning accepted bitterly.

Snow watched her head sink, a sort of confused compassion creasing his brow.

"That's what you needed to do?" He blurted obtusely.

She snorted still not looking up, her embarrassment obvious.

Ah, hell.

He quickly explained himself. "Sorry, I... uh... I meant that I didn't expect you to do that." he swallowed stiffly. This whole scenario seemed like a bizarre dream. In his dreams though, he was usually a bit more suave. That, and she hadn't pummeled him yet. He took a deep breath. She refused to look up.

"Let me try that again..." His tone had a provocative edge.

He made short work of threading a hand through her hair and bringing her face to meet his in a deliciously wanton kiss. He wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, once again pressing their bodies together. Her arms encircled his torso, hands kneading the firm muscles in his back. The kiss was heady and lightheadedness loomed. He opened his mouth slightly and she mirrored his movements, awkwardly parting her lips against his. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and confidently, he brushed the tip of his tongue over hers. This felt so natural; like they'd done it before. She tasted so damn good; so different from Serah.

Serah...

Keeping his eyes closed, Snow broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against Lightning's. She leaned farther into him trying to maintain the connection, but when he denied it, a throaty growl escaped her. He heaved a shaky sigh, and mentally checked what faculties he was still in control of. Apparently he wanted this more than he knew; his body reacted strongly to the enthusiasm of the kiss and the sound of Lightning's need. He had a feeling he was about to get in over his head. At the end of the day, what price would he pay for betraying Serah? As for Lightning, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle the raw nerve she'd become. Emotions were running high and they clouded his head. He snatched her wrists in his hands, prying her arms from around his body.

"I... should go." Was all he said.

Astonished, she watched as he pulled away from her. As he started towards the dry slabs of rock she held out her hand to him, wanting his warmth back against her. He got farther away from her and still she stood. Being apart from him made it hard to breathe. She willed her feet to move through the water, her hand still reaching. It felt as though she were in a nightmare unable to move under her own control. Her voice was hoarse when she opened her mouth to speak. It was no more than a whisper that got lost in the mist.

"Wait..."

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, and she began to push herself clumsily through the water with her hands. She managed to swallow and found her voice.

"Don't go."

It was faint, but he'd heard her. Those words echoed in his head, but his feet worked relentlessly against him through the water. He hated hearing the emotional chord in her voice, but one of them had to leave. He sorely wanted to turn back and take her up in his embrace again. He wanted to kiss away those tears he knew had welled up in her eyes because of him. But how could he?

She couldn't let him walk away; but maybe she should. Would it be easier? Less complex, certainly, but easier? Would she regret letting him walk away from her with all that was unsaid and undone now between them? Maybe she should have been the one walking away.

A cool realization washed over her. It was now or never. Damn you, Villiers. Ceasing her chase and clenching her fists, the cry of his name shattered the stillness of the night.

"Snow!"

He stopped in his tracks. His name on her tongue made him feel weak. This was a problem. More than that, he decided, this was the point of no return. This was where they became something more, or forgot the whole thing ever happened. It could be no other way.

Her body ached, and he begged to respond in kind.

He placed his hand over his heart. Forgive me.

When he turned back to her, his gaze fell on her slender physique. Droplets of water glinted on her skin under the light of the moon. She must have felt embarrassed to let him gaze upon her so freely. She crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to retain some modesty. He felt an unadulterated smile cross his lips, watching her entirely out of her element. He had not had a favourable first impression of her, but that had all changed when they got swept away in this mess. How peculiar it would look to anyone if they were to see them now.

She was enchanting, standing there before him; much like he imagined a Valkyrie of Asgard might look if one were to ever grace his presence. She held her head high now, her gaze firm in spite of herself. He approached her slowly, waiting for the fantasy to dissipate into the mists.

His gaze never left hers as he reached out to take her wrists again. This time his touch was soft and deliberate as he drew her arms out to the side and away from her body. He didn't want her to question his intent. He would never hurt her or do anything that she didn't want, but her arms moved easily and without hesitation. She never looked away from his face as he ran his tempered hands down her silky skin to cup her elbows. He craned his neck and caressed her collarbone with the tip of his nose. She made no sound but tipped her head back languidly. She arched against him, and he closed upon her hip pulling her into him. His eyes were courteous as he regarded her state of undress. Slowly lowering her other arm into the water his fingers discovered the blackened brand of the l'Cie between her breasts.

A whisper of a moan escaped her throat as she savoured his intimate touch.

That was it.

His body tensed for a second as his resolve finally collapsed. He may have claimed the title of Hero, but he was mere flesh and blood. He took her head in his hand and crushed his lips on hers again. She tingled with excitement as she pushed off his bandana and tangled her fingers in his hair. She tugged on it when his tongue seduced her lips apart. They moaned against one another, breaths ragged as they captured each other's swollen lips in a vigorous display of want.

If felt good to let go. Her senses were filled with him. Even though she hated losing control, she realized that she trusted no other like she trusted him. He had blamed himself for things that were beyond his control. She felt the guilt that he endured everyday since this all began. She knew that it wasn't his fault, but she had blown up at him all the same. She needed someone to blame, and he was there. He was always there.

Now there was no blame or resentment. There was only an overwhelming need to get closer. Everything that wasn't him or her melted away as they gave into each other. His hand brushed her hair off her shoulder, and he devoured her neck. Feeling him shoulder her weight she grappled onto him; again her actions were clumsy. She was kissing his shoulders and his neck, her warm tongue darting out to explore him. A shudder came undisguised but he steeled himself against the more intense of his testosterone driven urges. He'd not go forward until she wanted him to, as damn near impossible as that seemed. Her pace encouraged him to the brink of sweet delirium where he was doomed to come undone, but he fought to retain a shard of his sanity. He'd not have the villain in him take over.

Hooking her leg around his waist, he relished at how urgently she held onto him. His hand clutched her satiny thigh, his other sprawled against her lower back. He dipped her slightly backward so that he got the best angle of her pulse. He found it arousing to bear witness to her unrestrained actions. He winced slightly against the milky skin of her neck as she dug her fingertips into his flesh. All of this was quickly working to a fevered pitch, but worry troubled him.

Something was wrong.

"Lightning. St...op" Her assault on him continued even after he spoke her name. "Ahh..." he hissed, pressing his lips against her neck. He grazed her collarbone with his teeth.

A rustling in the trees made him turn his head away. There was definitely something wrong.

Unhooking her leg, he stood protectively in front of her, turning towards the sound.

When he released her, her mind was foggy with desire and she was unsteady on her feet. His back was to her. What's happening? She felt herself waiver atop weakened knees and instantly his strong arms steadied her. "There's something out there" he said in a low tone. They faced the trees where he'd emerged earlier.

Her ears perked up. She splashed her face with a bit of water to hasten mental clarity.

"I'll go check it out." he said looking down into her face, smiling gently. "Stay here."

"Fat chance." She pushed her way around him and headed for the shore.

He chuckled lightly, and waded after her, finding his bandana and wringing it out. He noticed the sway of her hips and the dimples in her back. He had guessed she was the no nonsense type. Black looked brilliant on her.

"Whew" he sighed audibly, resituating the bandana.

The heavy fabric shorts he always wore under his pants weighed him down in the water. She had a wide head start, and he was thankful. The cool water on his pelvis and the slight edge of the danger served as a sort of cold shower.

Rushing to her clothes, she threw on her overcoat and buckled it closed. Grabbing her gun-blade she closed her eyes and stood as a statue, listening intently. She heard a twig snap from across the way near the path. She flipped open her eyes and saw that Snow was trudging out of the water. "MOVE!" She ordered. A ferocious Pulsian wildcat, fangs bared and claws extended, lunged out of the trees and barreled into Snow.

"Wha-" The next thing he knew, he breathless and on his back. The good size wildcat stood on his chest, pinning him and swatted at his face. Just in time, he covered his head with his forearms, and the huge paw raked across them. Sharp claws tore the flesh on his arm and he winced, feeling the trickle of drawn blood. He'd not been paying attention when he'd been tackled. As penance the flavour of his own metallic blood was on his lips, which had not so long ago known another forbidden sensation. Taking advantage of the second of respite, Snow threw a punch at the menacing face and connected with authority, dazing it.

Lightning took careful aim with her weapon and fired. The gunshot echoed through the forest; the bullet successfully meeting it's target between the eyes. It collapsed lifelessly on top of Snow, keeping him against the ground.

"Whoa. Thanks." He took a second to steady his breathing.

With herculean effort, he pushed the beast off of himself and got to his feet. That could have been messy. He shuddered slightly, feeling a bit too human. A layer of dirt clung to him, and his forearm stung. He looked down to assess the wound. Not too deep, but lots of blood. Three gashes of ripped flesh marred his brand. Looking back in Lightning's direction, he noted she was already completely dressed. Shame, that...

"I'm going back to camp. It'll be dawn soon." Lightning had already started up the path back, her voice was stiff.

"Yeah! You go on ahead. I'll... catch up with you." He sighed watching her jump lightly from stone to stone. Always with the pushing away. As his heart sank, he mocked himself. Was it something I did? He pulled his bandana off and ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey Lightning!"

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Listen. I'm really so-" he started.

"Don't." She said coolly and resumed her course.

She didn't want to hear him apologize for anything that happened. He had nothing to apologize for. She was the one that didn't know how to deal with the tumultuous emotions inside, so she put the wall back up and walked away. She was glad for the opportunity to stand on more familiar footing and safeguard him, for a change. It managed to dull some of the sting from the embarrassing scene in the water. It was all about saving face, but was she embarrassed about what had transpired, or was she just ashamed? She wasn't sure of anything anymore. She flushed at the thought of her naked skin all over his, her hands knotted in his hair, their bodies entwined. It felt so good but at the same time, her heart ached with guilt.

She looked up at the quickly lightening sky; at Cocoon.

Snow was back in the water, cleansing himself of the dirt and blood that stuck stubbornly to his damp skin. He wasn't at all sure what had happened. He'd never thought of Lightning in that manner. That was until recently. He held her in high regard, and as such, he'd kept his random masculine thoughts caged. She wasn't someone who should be the object of some illicit fantasy, either in his mind or anyone else's. Plenty of times he'd been in earshot of some unflattering comments about her. She was cold to everyone and so everyone judged her as such, but he'd taken up for her on more than one occasion.

One night he'd been sitting at the shack in Bodhum having a drink with friends. He'd overheard some bawdy drunkard loudly proclaiming that he'd teach that frigid Lightning Farron a thing or two. The drunks at his table had whooped and hollered as the man made lewd gestures with his hands. Snow was quick to anger and hauled the poor excuse for a man out of the establishment by the collar, ready to oblige him with a lesson. She wasn't easy to get along with, that much he'd admit, but she didn't deserve to be referred to in such a manner. He found he had wanted to protect her, even then, and tender thoughts had crept up on him so silently he hadn't been aware when they had started to take over his heart.

Dawn was indeed coming. He raised his eyes to the sky; to Cocoon.