Author's Note: I appreciate all the feedback, really, I love reading reviews and you want to keep your favorite authors happy and writing, right? hehe. Here's the next chapter. I think it got a liiiittle long winded, but I hope you bear with me. the next chapter should be a little bit more enlightening. lol en'lightening'. xD keep reviewing, keep faving, if you think this little story that could is worth your time. Thank you all!
Chapter 8
This time she landed in a secluded, but relatively well-lit back alley in the business sector of Palumpolum. Hoping against hope that this was it, she wandered out into the middle of the road. it was close to two in the morning, and no hover cars or people were around. she still sorely needed a shower, and a warm meal if it was possible. But she hesitated to find her friends.
What if she'd gone too far? Too close to where she'd started from, where none of them were of an age to even remember her. The thought made her shiver, and long for the quiet, calming serenity she'd just left. She leaned her forehead against the cold metal wall of a nearby building, suddenly dizzy. Hope's face was burned into her retinas, pure and unlined by the troubles of the world. she wished somehow that she could go back, capture that time in his life forever, and never grow old. Never worry. Explore Gran Pulse together...forever...
"Watch it!" she was jolted from her reverie by a late night taxi hover cab rushing past dangerously low. she ducked her head, heart pounding.
"Idiots." a low voice mumbled as it approached. she instantly felt very dizzy again and struggled not to be sick as the cool metal of the wall soothed her fevered forehead.
"Hey, you okay?" the voice had finally reached her, but she dare not look up. whoever the voice belonged to was wearing long beige pants and red hiking boots.
"I think so...just give me a sec." she tried to regulate her breathing so it didn't sound as ragged. Slowly, the taste of bile went away and she trusted her head to move upward. the effects of her passage were still disconcerting.
"You been drinking? Kinda stupid if you have. Never took to that stuff." the guy was scruffy, and barely out of his teens, maybe 21 or so. His eyes were sympathetic, however, she found herself being a bit wary, ever since she'd been duped before.
"I don't drink. Just felt a little sick...and I'm lost."
"Fair enough. I'm Faren by the way. Faren Dufell. You would be...?"
Vanille stuttered. she didn't know whether it was wise to give her real name in a world that might already know her. "Fang. I'm Fang Oerba."
"Fang...kind of a tough name for a little cream puff like you!" Faren chuckled lightheartedly. Vanille forced a smile, but felt too weak to laugh. If only he'd seen her in battle...
'If it isn't too much trouble...could I maybe stay with you or something for the night? I've been walking for a long time and I'm starving..."
"Of course, of course. I just recently got an apartment with some buddies. One of thems a girl, Selsia, she should know what to do with you." He pointed the way with both hands, and Vanille gently weaned herself from the wall and followed him. he stayed attentive and alert to the untrustworthy darkness, and for the first time in a very long while, she felt safe.
a PSICOM cruiser whizzed by overhead and Vanille found herself instinctively ducking and reaching for her large weapon, but it wasn't there, and Faren just gave her a weird look.
"What are you, afraid of PSICOM? they haven't been baddies since Barthandelus was killed, like, 10, 11 years ago. I barely remember it myself."
Vanille waited for her heartbeat to normalize before she spoke. "Yeah, I knew that. Just got a little startled. been a while since I've been around cruisers."
"I can tell." Faren grinned and guided her towards a vivid green slide door in a tall metal apartment building, with high balconies far above. It slid open at his keycard and he showed her in.
The house was small but well decorated, obviously with a female eye. Fresh flowers stood in a vase in the kitchen, and everywhere were bright floral patterns.
"I'll get Selsia. She's gotta be around somewhere. if you're hungry, help yourself to the fridge. Think there's some leftover fiend puree and cold pasta. Be right back." and he shot off. Vanille tried to remain calm as she walked to the large white fridge, but she lost it once the door was open and started shoving anything edible looking into her mouth. She was already unused to prepackaged foods after almost her entire life living rough, but now was as good a time as any to get acquainted with Super Sweets, Chocobo Chums and Light 'n' Sweet candy bars. By the time she'd done her damage the fridge was significantly emptier and she felt like she'd single handedly consumed an entire Flan Fiend. trying to tamp down the growing stomachache that was sure to ensue, she sat down at the kitchen's island and put her head down. the coolness of the marble top soothed her and she was almost asleep by the time Faren returned with his roommate.
"Here she is. That's Fang!" he pointed like a little kid showing off what he'd found in the sandbox. Selsia looked a bit edgy, with shocking blue highlights in her light blonde hair and dark eye makeup. Her brown eyes made her otherwise pretty face seem dark and dodgy. Vanille's guard was already up.
"Fang? Looks more like a Princess to me." she smirked and sat down at the bench across from Vanille.
"So, this your first time running away from home? You still look wet behind the ears, gods bless you if they existed."
Vanille bristled, about to scold Selsia for her blatant disregard of the gods, many of which she'd met herself but she bit her lip and swallowed her anger. "Yeah...I'm looking for someone, but I don't know where they live. I'll be back to looking tomorrow, I promise. I won't bother you guys any longer then I have to."
"bother us? au contraire! You're the most exciting thing to happen around here in a long time. you're welcome. nice accent by the way." selsia's voice seemed sincere, but with just a hint of sarcasm. Both girls couldn't ignore how Faren was across the room, hanging on every word but pretending not to.
"You probably need a shower. heard you've been walking for a while?" Selsia adopted a more understanding tone and took in vanille's trashed clothes with a quick glance.
all Vanille could do was nod. her stomach was in knots. So Selsia showed her to the economic bathroom, showed her how to use the hand-sensor taps and where the towels were, and left to find her some clothes.
Vanille fairly leaped into the hot bath water like it was her only chance of survival. with a sigh she submerged her tired, battered body into the pool, allowing all her worries to drift away, if only for a little while.
She drifted off into a world that wasn't her own yet, memories that she wished were hers, and that tasted real, but couldn't possibly have happened yet. Hope's lips pressed to her forehead, his body warm and possessive as he hugged her fiercely. He'd been so afraid to hug her back before, when they were little more then children, and she'd known then what and who he was. Fang had told her, so many years ago, back before it had all started. She'd never questioned how Fang knew, but then again, Fang was never wrong when it came to things like that.
The memory came to her, unbidden, like a rising tide on the shore.
"You asked me once, if I was ever curious about who my life partner would be." Fang paced around the clearing where they'd just finished killing a large creature for training. Vanille was hewing off the hard carapace to use for a bucket or a wagon for the children back at the village. She nodded slowly.
"I don't think I have one, but I feel like I've seen yours. In my dreams."
Vanille paused, sheathing her hunting knife. Fang had never spoken about her dreams before. Not even at Communal, when everyone else did, around the campfire, so the elders could divine their meaning and plan accordingly. She'd always claimed it was because the gods had never blessed her with a dream, but Vanille knew better. It was because her visions were too frightening. There had been many a night she'd been jolted awake by Fang's thrashings as she nightmared, a cold sweat on her brow.
"What is he like?" her voice was quiet, thoughtful. She'd always assumed she'd marry one of the village boys, preferably one who already lived in their house, so she wouldn't have to move, and while away her days adding to the village's population.
Fang's brow beetled as she concentrated on remembering. "He has silver hair..like an old man, but a bit darker, and he's young, barely more then a boy. He's...he's just experienced a great tragedy, and there is no one there to keep him safe."
Vanille felt her heart catch. Knowing that somewhere, someone was in such a state made her automatically want to help. "Who is he? I will go to him at once!"
Fang bit her lip and made a conscious effort to avoid Vanille's eyes. "I don't know. his clothing is so strange...My gut tells me he's not from this world. At least not yet."
"What do you mean? he hasn't been born?" Vanille couldn't help the edge of incredulity from creeping into her voice. She'd thought Fang's dreams were strange, but this was beyond it all. Not even the Elders claimed to be future-seers.
Fang was silent, then she knelt and continued the work of removing the carapace. Vanille had asked many more questions after that, but Fang had been resolutely silent until she'd backed off. It had been the only time her best friend had ever kept something from her. It still hurt, even now...
Loud knocking on the door woke her up, and a quick glance at the wall clock showed she'd fallen asleep for an hour. the water had gone tepid and her fingers resembled peach prunes. She quickly got out and apologized, drying herself off with the towel and taking the proffered clothes from under the door. It was simple fare, a pink t-shirt, brown canvas belt and orange short shorts, perfect for the warmer weather of summer. She slipped into it, and besides finding the shirt a bit short, everything fit well.
A sleepy looking Selsia mutely pointed to the sofa in the living room Faren had been occupying earlier and Vanille found it piled with pillows and blankets. with a swoosh, she threw herself into it, murmuring her thanks before almost immediately drifting to sleep.
Morning came all too quickly for Vanille, and with it, her worries returned full force. she still hadn't found Hope, and going by the date, she'd guess him to be around 25 now. she wrote a hasty note in dodgy Cocoon script, to thank Faren and Selsia before grabbing some breakfast and leaving quietly by the front door.
Palumpolum in daylight was every bit as impressive as it had been before, the last time she'd seen it. Not all the taller buildings had been put up yet, but it was still a massive presence. hover cars disconcertingly danced inches above her head, and people all around were chatting and living their lives. Before long, she'd gone deep into the heart of the business center. in the midst of two more impressive looking structures was a small park, covered with green trees and benches and fountains. Kids swarmed a playground near the middle, and parents as well as businessmen out for a stroll circled protectively.
Vanille watched quietly, a bit curious, wondering what her own life might have been like if she'd been allowed to live it out so peacefully. Without ever having to lift a weapon or defeat a C'ieth. it seemed these people still faintly remembered those times, watching out for their comrades and children with a wary eye, but the younger ones seemed a lot more carefree and reckless.
Drunk with peace. it was a term that made her smile.
Almost by chance she heard a man call for a little boy who'd run off the playground after a toy, a sort of miniature hover car.
"AREN! COME BACK HERE! I CAN'T SEE YOU!"
the little boy's toy seemed to find a beeline right to her, and she ducked wisely behind a tree trunk. the toy landed by her feet and the boy knelt to pick it up, but froze when he saw her, unsure of how to proceed.
The little boy was beautiful. He had the round plump face of childhood, and his hair was a strange, shifting strawberry blonde, more red then yellow. he had obnoxious freckles all across his face, like a perversion of her own, much lighter ones, and deep, trusting green eyes, so much like her own she nearly cried out with joy.
"Hey there. You're Aren?" she kept her voice soft, kind. Children were no fools, that she knew instinctively.
The boy nodded, then judging her of a low threat level, he proceeded to pick up his toy, brushing off the dirt it had picked up on it's landing.
"You look like my Mommy." he said. Just plain and flat out. An observation, not an accusation. it was all Vanille could do not to tell him she WAS his mommy. She didn't even know that for sure yet.
"Do I? that's funny." she smiled and reached out a hand, beckoning him close. She had such precious little time...
He obeyed her gesture, so trusting it hurt. Somewhere deep inside his heart he knew, even if she wasn't so sure herself. Blood knew blood, she supposed. His warm little body against hers just felt right...just like being with Hope had felt right.
"Now, I want you to promise me something, okay Aren?"
"Okay." he'd begun to say the word 'mommy' but stopped at the first m, watching her curiously.
"Always listen to your daddy, and be a good boy. And never forget your mommy loves you with alllll her heart." she waved her arms for emphasis. Aren's eyes went big.
"I promise!" he even crossed his heart, face earnest and serious. Vanille smiled and kissed his head. "Now run on, your daddy's worried about you."
he nodded, stopping to look at her one more time before obeying.
"There you are! I told you to stay in plain sight, kiddo." Hope's voice was a little deeper, and Vanille chanced a glance around the bush in front of her. He still had his medium length silver hair, but it was slicked back in a professional style more becoming of a CEO then the teenager she'd known for so long. He also seemed to be experimenting with a goatee, which had grown in just as silver as his hair. She made a face and giggled softly. Hope's eyes shot up as if at a gunshot, and she ducked down, but she was pretty sure he'd seen something. If anything, Aren would tell. He seemed the snitchy type. Just like her. with a regretful smile, she left the park, her heart heavy.
"Ciao..." she whispered.
It was wrong, making so many mistakes. Sazh had told her why miscalculations happened, but she couldn't dream of why her heart was so unsure.
And each trip was costing her, she could feel it. this time, her body had obviously been rebelling against the darkness.
Without a backward glance, she wandered around the city a bit longer, stopping long enough to look up the others at an information kiosk. Lightning was listed in a colony on Gran Pulse, but her exact location wasn't available. the same could be said about Snow and Serah. But Sazh was listed as Head of PSICOM Control in the capital. she grinned.
"You're future is just beginning." she sighed, heavy with all the knowledge her young mind already held thanks to the older man.
Her day's vacation ended all too soon on the outskirts of the town, back around where she'd arrived, but even further beyond the reach of the city's lights.
With a force of will she managed to find the dark place between again, and with even more will, to go inside, while her entire body rebelled against the eventual pain. It enveloped her like a still, dark lake, lapping her up like the ocean tugs at a large stone. and with each wave, more pain filled her entire body then she'd ever thought possible.
She cried out, once, twice, then her yelps petered out into whimpers as her body adjusted her pain threshold. And just like that, she left the world that was too late, hopefully to the one that was where she was meant to be...
