"Sis?" Lightning's eye twitched at the sound of Serah's voice. "Hey, Light? You okay?"

Lightning snapped both eyes open, quickly shutting them again because of the sunshine streaming in the window. When they were opened once more, the images blurred for a moment before falling into place, revealing Serah's anxious face above her. Instantly, she felt guilty; there were dark circles beneath her sister's eyes, like she'd been refusing to get any sleep in her vigil over Lightning.

"Yeah," she muttered, voice raw and cracked. She sat up slowly, aware that blood would rush to her head if she didn't. Blinking, she realized that she was currently in Serah and Snow's apartment, lying in the guest room. "How…?"

Serah shrugged, looking helpless. "I don't really know… a couple of members of the Guardian Corps found you three unconscious at the base of the crystal pillar, and, well…" she swallowed visibly. "Your two friends were both marked as Sanctum l'Cie- the boy on his ankle and the woman on her forehead. Claire… are you…?"

Lightning suddenly realized what she meant. Even though there was no burning sensation, she could feel it there- already weighing her down with the focus it brought. She nodded silently, looking away from the bright blue eyes.

"Light!" cried Serah; Lightning hated it when she fretted. "What happened? Don't tell me you actually went to Cocoon!"

Her silence was all the answer that her sister needed.

Serah sighed a bit. "Typically stubborn," she murmured, half to herself. "Do you know what your focus is?"

Lightning wondered if she should inform her sister of the strange vision- of the millions on the cliff top. Deciding that it was best if Serah didn't get involved, she said, "No. Where's Lenora and Spencer?"

Serah suddenly deflated, her outrage momentarily forgotten, before she giggled. "Oh, they're fine. Spencer's gone to reign in Lenora, and Lenora's currently trying to kill my fiancé."

Lightning could only raise an eyebrow, before she exited the room. Sure enough, Snow was running pathetically around the apartment, pure fear on his face, while Lenora screeched curses at the top of her lungs (not sounding unlike a shrieking wyvern) and chased him with her TALON out and ready. Spencer sat in one of the recliners, yawning and monitoring the spectacle with something akin to amusement on his face.

She made her way over to him; oddly enough, at that moment he was the one that she felt the most familiar with.

"You're doing a great job of 'reigning her in'," she commented wryly. Spencer only chuckled in reply.

Lenora slowed upon noticing Lightning now in the room. "Hey there, soldier bitch! Your sister took good enough care of us, she's sweet, I guess. Spencer, stop laughing, midget ass!"

Lightning once again felt laughter building up inside her, and had to push it down. It was happening more and more often these days.

"Anywho, there's something that's really fucking important that we need to talk about. Do you know who the hell I am? Yeah? Good, that helps, I just- WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, YA LITTLE FUCKER?"

The last outburst was directed at Snow, who had frozen in the middle of his attempt to crawl out of the room. Lenora delivered a swift kick to his behind before turning back to Lightning.

"Yeah," she growled sarcastically, all signs of good nature vanishing. "I'm Lenora Raines. Cid Raines was my older brother. Big whoop. Thanks for killing him for me, by the way."

The room fell deathly quiet at her words. Snow's mouth was open, like he wanted to say something, eyes flickering between Lightning and Lenora. Spencer was staring at Lenora with a warning look in his eyes. Lightning herself did not take her gaze off of Lenora, noting the bitter tone with which the tall woman had spoken.

"Oh, I know all about it," said Lenora. "Not that you could've told me, you didn't know who I was, but I would still like to hear your reasoning for it."

That was probably the longest that Lenora had ever spoken without swearing, making Lightning realize that she was dead serious. But she couldn't bring herself to speak the truth, not with everyone listening now.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," she said, her voice practically oozing cold and carelessness.

Lenora drew back her fist and slugged Lightning in the face. Snow and Spencer yelled, rushing forward to grab Lenora, but Lightning held up a hand, unfazed. She needed to let the woman get it all out of her system.

"Stop it, Lenora!" said Snow loudly. "Your brother was trying to kill us! He was a Sanctum l'Cie!"

"So you were Pulse l'Cie, and you thought you had to fight him?" murmured Lenora, not looking up.

"It wasn't like that," argued Snow. "He was trying to fight his focus. Dysley wanted us to destroy Cocoon, and Raines thought he could stop us by killing us! Lightning did what she had to to save us all!"

Lenora suddenly froze, looking around at everyone slowly. "So… he thought he could kill you, and that'd be it?" she whispered. Then anger blazed into her eyes. "That bastard! I'm gonna kill him and send him to hell when I die!" Lightning thought it ironic- she promised Cid the same thing.

She turned back to Lightning, not looking all that apologetic. "Sorry about punching you," she stated. Lenora slumped, looking exhausted. "After he vanished, I started tinkering with machinery a bit more. It's how I became a mechanic, I guess. When I made a prosthetic for one man, more people started coming to me to fix things. I eventually made enough to get out of there, and moved to a little town near Bodhum. We got purged when I was nineteen, and then I found out that my effing brother," she spat out the word contemptuously, "Was replacing Dysley as Primarch."

"That wasn't really him, though, was it?" mused Snow. "He was only a shell, a puppet of what he used to be."

Lightning felt distinctly uncomfortable at his words, and could practically hear Cid whisper: "That's what you are now, and you know it." She wanted to protest out loud, but it would only draw attention to herself, and…

What if he was right? She was a l'Cie again, tied to a focus, cursed to bear this task or face turning into a Cie'th. The fal'Cie were using her yet again, and they'd dragged two other innocents into their game as well. The thought disgusted her.

"Hey everyone!" came a peppy, cheerful voice from the doorway. Vanille waved from there, Hope beside her. Lightning quirked an eyebrow at him, and he reddened slightly.

"Lightning!" Before she could stop her, Vanille barreled into her with a bone-crushing hug. "You're back! Sorry about your apartment, I was staying there, Serah said you wouldn't mind…?"

Lightning gave her a tight smile and shook her head. "I don't."

"Okay, great!" squealed Vanille. She bounced over to Lenora, peering up at her face. "Hello! Who are you?"

Lenora looked half shocked, and half like Vanille was contagious with some kind of horrible disease. "I need my coffee," she stammered out, before practically fleeing into the kitchen. As she passed Lightning, she heard her mutter something along the lines of , "…too happy…"

Spencer followed her. "She forgot to deactivate her TALON…"

"Things aren't great around here, Light," said Serah, bustling around the kitchen and preparing lunches for the many people in her apartment. "Someone's started going around and murdering government officials. Vanille and Hope found Gimmerick's body the other day, and a few more were found in their homes. The Guardian Corps has been frantic, and PSICOM… well, they're not really helping."

"I should probably report to Amodar," replied Lightning.

"Nope," said Serah, in a tone that allowed no argument. "He said that you're still on leave for two days, he doesn't want you tearing your hair out over this. Plus, there's the fact that you're a Sanctum l'Cie now, too."

Lightning bit back a sharp retort, but she knew that Serah was only trying to look out for her.

In the other room, most people were having conversations. Vanille was chattering away with Spencer of all people, though he looked distinctly uncomfortable. Hope was arguing with Sazh and Lenora about airships, discussing their functions and which one was the best. Snow stared out into space, probably wondering when Serah would come back and sit next to him.

Lightning frowned slightly from where she was, pondering what Serah had told her. She was almost certain that all that was occurring was not a coincidence- her being branded had made her certain of that. Was Eden the one who was orchestrating all of this? It was possible that the fal'Cie had lied when she'd said that she wanted to attempt being a do-gooder.

And yet… her vision hadn't really involved anything all that bad. The people in it appeared to be fine, after all.

So if Eden wasn't behind the mayhem, then who was? Whoever was going around killing aristocrats was clearly skilled in combat and stealth. Snow had also mentioned to her that all these events were causing a large amount of unrest among the population- more than one person was considering revolting at that point, thinking that the government was unable to protect them. In fact, many had already left the city, wandering through the Pulse wilderness.

Lightning couldn't help but think that they were idiots. Only those trained to fight stood a chance in the wild. Hopefully, those that had departed were in large groups, and their safety would be enhanced by numbers.

"Anyways, lunch is almost ready," said Serah. "Why don't you go sit down?"

The tone with which she said it was the way a mother would speak to her daughter. Lightning did as she asked, if only because her sister did not look ready for an argument. As a matter of fact, she looked exhausted; probably from taking care of Lightning, which only served to make her feel more guilty.

"You had better marry that idiot soon," she muttered, unaware that the entirety of the living room's occupants were staring at her in shock.

"Did I hear right, sis?" said Snow. "You actually approve?"

"Course not!" barked Lenora loudly. "She said, 'Snow Villiers is a hairy dick.' You had it coming, ass."

Snow huffed while the others sniggered, and they didn't notice the look of gratitude that Lightning sent Lenora. Lenora returned it with an actual grin and a nod.

Lunch was mostly eaten in silence, until Spencer ended up being the one breaking it.

"So… Lenora and I are new to the whole l'Cie thing," he said slowly. All eyes were trained on him, and he shifted, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. "Uh… how does it work?"

Vanille seemed more than happy to oblige him with an explanation. "Well, when you're a l'Cie you get a focus! You have to complete it, or your turn Cie'th; when you do, you turn to crystal! Don't worry, though, most likely you'll wake up. Anyways, you also get magical powers; they develop kinda slowly, so be patient. Oh, and when you're frustrated and stuff, you get an eidolon!"

"Idol-whatnow?" asked Lenora blankly.

"A creature that you can summon at will," explained Sazh. "Didn't you know at least that?"

"Never was fond of that mythology shit."

"Oi! There are kids here!" said Sazh, glancing at Dajh. Dajh grinned innocently at his dad, while Lenora flipped Sazh the bird.

"See this, Dajh?" she said loudly. "This is what you do when you're pissed at someone."

While Sazh frantically told Dajh over and over again to never use such vulgarity, the rest of them filled the two fledgling l'Cie in. Needless to say, Lenora actually seemed rather happy about it, showing this by 'accidentally' casting Ruin on Snow. Spencer had then very calmly sent a cure to the man, who was mostly all right.

"That man is a frickin rock!" spluttered Lenora. "Is there anything that kills you?"

"Hopefully not," replied Snow, actually chuckling. Lightning rolled her eyes; their antics were probably something that was going to become regular. She had to admit, it seemed as though Lenora and Spencer were a part of the family now. They certainly kept up the group's reputation of being… odd.

A knock on the door silenced the talking for a few moments. Serah, looking confused, stood up and opened it, revealing a very harassed looking Rygdea standing.

"Oh!" gasped Serah, hands flying to her mouth. "Mr. Primarch, sir, I'm sorry- come in! I didn't expect any other visitors…"

"Ah, don't sweat it, Miss Farron," he said, grinning wearily. "Just thought I'd catch up with old friends. What's going on? Some kinda party?"

"Shit!" screamed Lenora, diving behind the couch. Lightning raised an eyebrow at her, before looking back at Rygdea, whose eyes widened in shock at the sight of her.

"Lenora?" He looked around, catching Spencer's eye. "Spence?"

"Don't kill me!" yelled Lenora from behind the couch. "It was all Anne's idea, she was the one who planted the centipedes in your apartment, I told her to get some ketchup for you in return but that bitch just wouldn't fucking listen and"-

Lightning slapped her upside the head. Rygdea nodded at her gratefully, causing Lenora to scowl and cross her arms.

"As you've probably figured out," he said, chuckling, "I grew up with these idiots. They're part of the whole reason I decided to revolt against the Sanctum in the first place."

"Who's the idiot?" muttered Lenora.

Rygdea ignored her. "I heard we've got more l'Cie now."

The room grew quiet; all eyes flitted from Rygdea, Lightning, Lenora, and Spencer back to Rygdea again. Lightning gave a curt nod in reply, while Lenora just lifted her black-brown bangs. Spencer pointed at his ankle.

"Sir, what's been going on?" asked Lightning. "Why are you really here?"

"Thought maybe you l'Cie could do me a favor," he said, with a light shrug. "We've gotta catch this damn murderer one of these days, and I'd prefer it to be sooner than later. I'm aware that Amodar ordered you not to get involved, Colonel Farron, but I think you're the man- sorry," he amended hastily, noticing her glare, "woman for the job. I suppose the idiots could help out, too, but that's up to them."

Lightning nodded, glad to finally have something to do. Serah, on the other hand, looked worried.

"Are you sure, Light? What if you get hurt again?"

"I'll be fine, Serah."

"You always say that," her sister grumbled, but she didn't object otherwise. Hope opened his mouth, but Lightning shot him a warning glance- she didn't need him getting involved again.

She had enough to blame herself for already.

"Light?"

"What?"

"I'm bored."

"Good for you."

…

"Sis?"

"Snow."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Snow pouted at his sister in law, which Lightning completely ignored. Nearby, Lebreau snorted at the sight, her gun hanging over her shoulder as it always was.

"You are pretty annoying, lover boy," she called.

Still, her leader did have a valid point. Since Lightning couldn't work directly with the Guardian Corps as she usually did, she was 'stuck with them', as she put it. As Maqui had predicted, she was being her normal, stick-up-her-ass self, except the tone with which she spoke was even more deadpanned than it used to be.

Lebreau snickered to herself when she remembered the shock and horror that had been present on Gadot and Yuj's faces when they found out just who they were working with. She wouldn't have been surprised if they pissed themselves. Then again, she couldn't deny the fact that she too had been scared out of her wits, and inexplicably relieved that she was stuck with Lightning, Snow, and Maqui instead of the other option.

But with Lightning telling them to stuff it every few minutes… it was boring.

They were on night duty, something that Lebreau regarded with vicious hatred, as it kept her from getting her beauty sleep. However, she'd thought that maybe this would be worth it, as they'd be watching out for the killer. So far, her expectations were crumbling quickly- there was not so much as a peep of a murder, despite the many street rats roaming about in the moonlight. Lightning didn't seem to be bothered by not sleeping; based on the dark circles under her eyes, Lebreau guessed that the soldier was used to it.

She elbowed Maqui when his eyelids began to droop. He shot her a reproachful look, but didn't nod off again.

"Nothing's going on…" groaned Snow again.

Lightning's eyebrow twitched. Lebreau was smart enough to recognize it as a warning sign of her approaching fury. She shot him a look, which he completely missed. She sighed inwardly; sometimes the leader of Nora could be a complete airhead.

"So," said Maqui, quietly enough that Lightning didn't react. "Whaddaya think will happen if the killer turns up where Gadot, Yuj, Lenora, and Spencer are?"

"They'll probably get claws buried in their throat," replied Lebreau lightly. "I know that Lenora was practically foaming at the mouth because Spencer wouldn't let her have any alcohol."

She noticed Maqui shiver, probably picturing Lenora standing there with a maniacal grin on her face, blood dripping from her TALON. The woman's height did not help, and Lebreau was hard pressed to keep from shuddering herself. The younger Raines just had to be insane; there was no other explanation.

"Geez," muttered Maqui. "I know that you and Gadot don't like it when you can't have alcohol," here she sent him a dirty look, "But that's just crazy. She's twice as bad in the morning because of her hangover, from what Spencer said."

The members of Nora had quickly realized the value of Spencer's friendship. If you were friends with Spencer, you were protected from Lenora's wrath. If not… well, then you were basically screwed.

It was at that moment that Lebreau's phone rang.

The sound rang out through the square, making Maqui and Snow flinch and glance nervously at Lightning. The soldier didn't even seem to notice; she simply kept staring straight ahead of her, a slight frown on her face. Lebreau knew that she was distracted enough, and she quickly answered the call.

"Yo!" shouted Gadot, making Lebreau wince and hold the phone several inches away from her ear. "You might wanna get over here!"

"Why?" she asked sharply, while gesturing frantically for Lightning's attention. "What's going on?"

"Not really, sure, but some shit's going down. The murderer's gotten into an abandoned building with Lenora and Yuj in pursuit. Spencer's been shot in the shoulder, I have to stay out with him. I don't know how their doing, but I still hear gunfire!"

"Got it." She snapped her phone shut without waiting for Gadot to answer her confirmation. "We have to move," she announced to the pink haired woman, who nodded quickly in response. Maqui groaned and muttered something that suspiciously sounded like, 'women'.

She'd kick his ass for it later.

"Aw, yeah!" said Snow, hitting his fists together. "Finally, some action."

Lenora held up her metallic arm, once again blocking the rain of bullets emerging from the lithe, black-garbed figure. She gritted her teeth, glad that the material she'd used to construct her unusual weapon was strong enough to block bullets. The fact that she could raise Steelguard every few minutes or so helped, but it wasn't yet powerful enough to prevent the shots from entering her skin.

Damn this assassin. That message was ringing through her mind every five seconds, as she could never get close enough without risking being shot at point-blank range. The Ravager role was not an option for her, as her sole offensive paradigm was a Commando. They were skilled with a gun, whoever they were, and they were capable of dodging Yuj's bullets with relative ease. Lenora let a string of curses loose as one of the bullets bounced off the wall beside her head.

The murderer had almost succeeded in killing an elderly politician, until Spencer had attempted (and failed) to use his 'harpoon', as he dubbed it. Lenora wouldn't take that kind of shit from him; it had taken her hours to make! However, the shot had missed its mark, but the assassin was stopped, and they'd given chase until they reached this building.

It was at that precise moment that Spencer was shot in the shoulder.

That mere fact made Lenora want to tear out the killer's entrails, piss all over them, and then present them to a Behemoth for dinner. Since he went unconscious from hitting his head on the cobblestones, he couldn't Cure himself, and she wasn't a Medic. She screeched several colorful choice words when her arm suddenly wouldn't move again, no matter how much she tried. Damn trains.

The gun of the killer was now aimed at her. Lenora responded in the only way she could at the moment.

"YOUR MOTHER WAS A FUCKING DONKEY WHO MARRIED A BASTARD WHO COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHETHER HE LIKED BANANAS OR RAISINS!"

It worked; the figure paused, allowing Lenora time to get her arm back in control and to raise it to block the imminent bullets. As the figure shot, she thought she heard them say, "What the hell?..."

She couldn't help herself; she began sniggering at the thought of being shot at by some random assassin who couldn't possibly beat her in a swearing contest. Lenora:1, Killer: 0.

"That's right, bitch!" she crowed, still laughing maniacally. Out of the corner of her eye, Yuj's eyebrows went up. "Can't shoot me, can you?"

The fact that more bullets bounced off her arm as a response only made her laugh even harder. The room was dark, and she could see the figure beginning to edge off to the right.

"Yuj!" she bellowed. "Escaping right, shoot there!"

The mercenary complied, still looking slightly freaked from her previous outburst. Lenora decided that she would have to risk getting shot; maybe, they'd treat her with as much reverence as they'd treated Lightning if she had a bullet wound.

…or they'd ignore her. The mental equivalent of giving her the finger. Yes, the latter was far more likely.

Lenora slashed across the chest of her opponent, causing them to take a step back to avoid it. Using the momentum to carry her forward, she was about to slash again, when her arm didn't react.

Again.

"Shit in a bucket!" she cursed, causing the person to once again cock their gun (and head) at her.

"You're a weird one," they muttered, voice barely intelligible. Lenora couldn't identify it; she was too busy realizing that their gun was pointed right between her eyes. Panicking, she swung her entire body around in a circle, her arm limply following and slamming into the assassin. She heard them gasp sharply, but they didn't back down, pointing their gun down at her foot.

Lenora braced herself, but no pain arrived. Instead, her assailant was promptly slugged in the face by a panting Snow.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Why are you asking?" she spat at him, causing him to take a step back. "Go and catch that fucker!"

When he only stood there, staring blankly, she swore again and turned around to where the murderer was already up, and running for the door. Yuj's bullets had no effect, as they shot at him, causing him to duck beside an old desk. Just as they reached the door, it banged open.

Lightning strode into the room, her Blazefire Saber in gun mode and pressed against murderer's forehead, an emotionless look on her face. They backed up, and were soon surrounded by Lenora, Maqui, Yuj, Snow, Lebreau, and Lightning.

Oddly, Lebreau seemed to know the person.

"You still owe me twenty gil for that drink."

The person, still garbed in black, gave a throaty chuckle in reply.

"That's right, I do, don't I?"

The person's voice came out weird. Lenora frowned; not even Rygdea had an accent like that. The only person who did…

…was Vanille.

Lenora's eyebrows contracted, recalling when Vanille had been pestering her to talk more about herself. When she'd basically told the girl to go spew her shit to someone who cared, the redhead Pulsian only seemed to take it in stride, talking and talking about her childhood. And she'd mentioned one other person, over and over again.

A certain feisty young woman by the name of Oerba Yun Fang.

Evidently, by the expressions on Lightning's and Snow's faces, they'd guessed as well. As they were probably speechless from shock, Lenora felt it prudent that she be the one to venture an opinion first.

"Well, you picked a shitty time to turn up. Now, before I fucking claw your face off, mind telling me what the hell you think you're doing?"

The other Pulsian woman pulled off her mask, revealing incredibly messy dark brown hair and jade shaded eyes. She turned to Lightning, whose face was still a mask, betraying nothing.

There was none of the usual humor or teasing in Fang's voice.

"Hello, Light."

It was all she could do to prevent hot tears from spilling out of her eyes.

Nothing helped. Not leaning on Hope's very comfortable shoulder, not a cup of hot cocoa made by Serah, not a rant from Lenora, not a piggy back ride from Snow, not a fatherly chat with Sazh.

Nothing could change the fact that Fang was in prison. Fang had killed all those people. And Vanille was devastated by it.

She was currently sitting with Hope in a waiting room, at the Guardian Corps headquarters. Lightning had convinced Amodar to allow her to visit Fang, and Hope came along with her- officially, for safety reasons. The real reason was that Vanille simply needed him to be there. If Fang couldn't be her pillar of support, then he certainly could.

A door opened, and Lightning strode into the room, her face dangerously calm. "She's ready to see you," she stated curtly.

Hope tightened his grip on her hand, a silent question: are you sure?

By way of answering, Vanille stood, swallowing her nervousness. Hope stood wordlessly with her, walking with her to the hall that contained the cells, not leaving her side once. He somewhat helped to steady her when the ground had been pulled from under her with the news of Fang.

Lightning wordlessly pulled open one of the doors, revealing a person garbed in an unfamiliar black outfit, but with an achingly familiar face.

"Do you want me to stay out here?" asked Hope gently, his green eyes filled with compassion. Vanille nearly burst into tears at how kind he was being.

He was so… different, now.

"Yes… please."

He stepped back, hand slipping out of hers. She turned around again, walking like a zombie into Fang's cell. The older woman sat on a bench, staring down at her bound hands, not even bothering to look up.

"Interrogation, already?" she murmured. Vanille swallowed, before giving a reply.

"Nope."

Fang's head snapped up; she instantly recognized the voice, and her face was plastered with shock. "Vanille?"

She stood up so fast that Vanille took a few steps back, in shock and fear. She back away from Fang quickly, which only served to make Fang more confused.

"What?" she demanded. "What's wrong?"

The facts that Fang had been missing ever since she woke up, that she was actually an assassin killing aristocrats, the fact that she'd been here all this time and had not even tried to find them, and the fact that she now expected Vanille to welcome her rushed in on her.

"What's wrong?" she cried. "What do you mean, 'What's wrong?' You weren't even there when I woke up, and now you go around and kill people? And you want to ask what's wrong?"

Fang's face softened. "Vanille…"

"And it's not like it's been easy, you know! Hope and his father are homeless, Serah's stressed, and Light's just… well, she's a living zombie! And you're going around and killing people for no reason! Lenora was right, you're out of your mind, and Etro, Fang, where have you been?"

Fang scowled darkly, an expression that Vanille had rarely seen and that, quite frankly, frightened her. "I was doing a favor…"

Vanille let the tears fall now, noticing Fang panic at this sight. "Hey, come on now," said Fang hurriedly. When Vanille ignored her, continuing to cry, she sighed.

"Look," she stated. "All I can say is I'm sorry. I don't know if that'll work, and I can't tell you why I killed those people, but that's what I can do… for what it's worth."

The red haired girl still cried, but in silence. Then, Fang opened her mouth.

"Remember that pink gorgonopsid we once found?"

Vanille looked at her, and the tiniest of smiles appeared on her face.

"Uh-huh," she whispered. "And we healed it, because it had a broken leg."

"Yup," replied Fang, grinning a bit. "Mum and Dad went berserk when they found out about that one, eh?"

"Oh, yeah!" cried Vanille, a full-fledged smile appearing on her face. "And they made us sit facing the wall for an hour, but then we secretly still went to help out that gorgonopsid, and then… hey!"

Fang raised an eyebrow at her accusing stare.

"You're making me feel better." Vanille pouted. "That's not supposed to happen. I'm supposed to be mad at you!"

"And how's that workin' out for ya?" asked Fang, brushing a few of her bangs out of her eyes.

"…not so great…" Vanille could hardly believe it. She'd intended to tell Fang that she hated her, that they could never be friends again, but she'd instead forgiven her so easily. Hope was probably wondering what was going on by now.

Fang's smile turned a little sad. "Vanille, I promise that what I'm doing is for the best. I'm doing everything to help you and the rest of New Bodhum. You just have to trust me on that one."

Vanille found herself nodding. Yes, she trusted Fang- she'd trusted her longer than anyone else, always. And Fang had not once betrayed that trust; she'd always tried to help her, to give her aid when she needed it.

"So…" Fang's grin turned slightly evil, and Vanille felt apprehension again. "Hope came with you, right?"

"Yes," she answered cautiously. She was beginning to get that feeling- the one that Fang's questions had ulterior motives, and that she had something planned. Realizing what her Pulsian friend might be insinuating, she blushed scarlet- something that Fang did not miss.

"Aww, look at that!" Fang practically yelled for all the world to hear. "My little Vanille's got a crush!"

"Fang!" hissed Vanille, glancing anxiously at the door to the prison cell. Sure enough, Hope's face was peering through the window, one eyebrow raised.

"Ah, you can let 'im in, can't you?" asked Fang, the evil grin not once leaving her face. Gingerly, Vanille nodded, opening the door as though it might burn her at a moment's notice. Hope stepped in quickly, looking between Fang and Vanille with a look of confusion on his face. She felt the color drain from her, as she realized just what Fang was up to.

"Vanille, could I have a quick work with Hope alone?" asked Fang, her voice altogether too sweet. Hope looked slightly disturbed by this, his green eyes flashing with warning as he turned to Vanille. She laughed a bit nervously.

"It'll be fine," she said, trying her best to sound reassuring. "She doesn't bite."

Several minutes later found Vanille standing outside Fang's cell, shifting her foot nervously from side to side. When Hope finally emerged, his face was even paler than before, and his eyes were wide.

"Fang!" called Vanille admonishingly. "What did you do?"

"Nothin' important!" yelled Fang back. "Just threatened to rip out his entrails and feed them to an uridimmu. That's about it."

"You haven't had a chance to live again."

Lightning inhaled sharply, sitting straight up-like a board- at the same time. A sheen of sweat coated her face and neck, and her hands were shaking again. She almost reached for one of her caffeine pills on the bedside table, but stopped herself just in time, knowing that she couldn't allow herself to depend on them. Even so, she had needed one the other day; it took sheer force of will to even be able to take it.

The words that had just rung in her ears, clear as day in her mind, had been spoken by a sad looking Nora Estheim. The woman had turned up this time, trying to explain that Fang didn't mean any harm, but at the same time accusing Lightning of 'killing to the point of no return'. Lightning knew that to be true- the blood of hundreds was on her hands, still visible despite the fact that they'd been lathered with soap and water for years.

Groggy, she sat up- realizing that she was seated in an extremely uncomfortable chair, across the room from a certain Pulse-accented woman, who was currently being questioned for the crimes she committed.

Or at least, she should've been questioned.

"Had a good nap, Sunshine?" asked Fang, now looking somewhat wary. "You sure looked like ya needed it."

Nothing was said.

"Wot? I thought I was the one not talking."

Trying to retain as much of her composure as possible, Lightning stood up, dusting herself off with dignity, and once again chose not to give Fang an answer. Instead, she stared straight into the Pulsian's eyes, causing the woman opposite her to fidget uncomfortably.

"Why have you killed four important members of the Sanctum government?"

"For the last frickin' time," said Fang, exasperatedly, "I can't tell you that. I promise it was to help us all, why can't you just take my word for it?"

Lightning bit her lip as a thousand answers rushed to her mind. Because too many other people have gone back on their word, yourself included. Because if I don't find out what's going on, more people are going to get hurt. Because if you don't tell me, the Guardian Corps may order me to use torture on you. I don't want to do that. I really don't…

But she said none of those things. Instead she replied, in a dull tone of voice, "Because I've been ordered to find out."

"Oh, for the love of…" Fang ran her fingers through her hair. "Listen to me, Light. We're friends; you can't deny that, even now. Hell, in another life, we might've been sisters. We're family, all the way. Family trusts one another, but you don't seem to get that."

Lightning ignored her preaching. "Are you working alone?"

Here, Fang swallowed thickly- Lightning saw the bulge in her throat move. "…no."

"Who are you working with?"

At that, Fang finally went off. Her eyes blazed, and she stood up, her pose full of pride.

"Look, you washed up has-been soldier!" she yelled. "I told you that I can't tell you! What the hell is wrong with you? The world's moving on, Light, but you can't seem to come to grips with that fact. You'd better find a way to move along with it, or you'll be left in the dust. Everyone else is trying to cope with the challenges that this new world presents us with, but you- you're freaking fading away! You think you're the only one?"

Fang's words stirred something within Lightning that she hadn't felt in a long time- rage. Something began to burn inside her, heating up with every sentence Fang intoned. The floodgates of her inner panic and pain were creaking open, releasing the torrent inside her.

She snapped.

"Of course not." She meant to yell it, but it was as though her vocal cords had lost all strength, and it came out in a whisper. She looked down at her combat boots, noting how their brown and the gray of the floor seemed to clash at that moment. "Every 'washed up has-been soldier' feels that way. We carry the weight of the dead on our shoulders. We wade through rivers of blood. We give pity to others, and keep none for ourselves."

Fang looked disgusted.

"What happened to you?" she demanded. "What happened to the fierce, determined fighter I knew? What happened to… Light, are you crying?" Shock came over her features.

She was. The usually stoic soldier was not afraid to admit it, but she was mourning. In Fang's presence, she could allow herself to show remorse- to grieve for the lives she had taken, for the lives that were saved but were heartbroken, for Raines, for Nora, for her parents, for the enslaved fal'Cie- even for herself. For the very first time, she felt that she could empathize with the beings who had made her a l'Cie. They were lost without their parent.

Claire Farron had never felt more lost in her life.

"Hey…" Fang took a few cautious steps forward, well aware of the soldier's temper. Lightning did not move or respond in any way, but welcome the sudden warmth when Fang wrapped her arms around her tightly. Knowing that the Gran Pulsian wouldn't care, she buried her face in her friend's shoulder and continued to let the tears flow.

"I don't get you," muttered Fang, rubbing Lightning's back gently. "Was it all a façade? Just to make Serah and the rest of us feel safe? Either way, you shouldn't be going through this, Light. I'm so, so sorry. This is my fault."

At those words, Lightning opened her eyes again, a tiny frown forming on her face. Carefully, she stepped out of the embrace, suddenly feeling angry again.

"Don't you dare blame yourself, Oerba Yun Fang," she growled warningly. "Because what happened to me was my choice, and only mine. I did this; I can undo it."

"Yeah, but…" Fang didn't shrink under Lightning's glare. "You shouldn't have to go it alone, should you? I mean… look, I'm just gonna come out and say it."

"I'm listening." Lightning knew she shouldn't be the one judging anyway; her reputation said that much.

Fang took a deep breath. "While I was in crystal stasis… well, you know how it's like you're asleep, but you can still think a bit? Well, I thought a lot, and I think I've figured it out. At least, it made sense in my mind."

"Spit it out." True to her nature, Lightning was getting impatient.

"Look, I think the fact that you killed Raines messed you up. Am I right?" Fang asked, now looking hesitant.

Lightning felt her face go stony at his name, but some unknown force made her nod. "It was something I had to do," she said, her voice empty. "He was an obstacle in our way."

"Spoken like a true l'Cie…" muttered Fang, but then she paused. Her vibrant emerald orbs became slits. "Wait a second, you're lying. I know you too well. Your voice shook."

It was all Lightning could do not to break down bawling at that moment. Fang was just too sharp; few people could break through her defenses the same way she could. She could practically see the gears clicking together in Fang's head, and dreaded the next moment when Fang spoke.

Outrage flared in her friend's eyes. "That goddamned bastard!" shouted Fang. "He did it, didn't he? He made you kill him! That time before we rescued Vanille and Sazh, he"- She broke off, suspicion and shock once again appearing.

Lightning flinched when Fang pointed an accusing finger at her. "You knew, is that right? You knew that he was going to betray us, all along! You agreed, you promised to kill him!"

Lightning sensed that the interview was coming to an end. She turned away from the Gran Pulsian, unable to bear the accusatory look Fang was giving her.

"I'm going to keep looking," she stated loudly, cutting Fang off on her rant. "I'm going to keep searching until I find out exactly what's going on. This time, you won't stop me, Miss I-Shot-Lightning-Farron."

She glanced at Fang out of the corner of her eye for her reaction.

"Shoulda known a bullet wouldn't slow you down…" muttered Fang. Then her gaze became wary and full of warning. "Listen to me, Claire." Lightning flinched inwardly at the use of her real name. "For your own safety, stay out of this. Don't get involved. Leave New Bodhum- leave this mess behind- while you still can. Please. Better yet, take everyone with you."

"So I should just abandon the rest of the Cocoon citizens to whatever's coming?"

"Yes. I wouldn't blame you. No one will."

Lightning stared at Fang, hard, for a long time. Her eyes narrowed when Fang unflinchingly returned her stare, an equal amount of determination in her eyes. She was the first to break their gaze.

"I can't do that," she said quietly.

Fang exhaled, closing her eyes, as Lightning turned to leave. The prisoner's last words only made her pause for a moment.

"You loved Raines, didn't you? He ripped out your heart and never gave it back."

Lightning exited the room.

Fear.

The traits of a leader were many- courage, determination, patience, willpower, confidence, and wisdom were many. Most would agree that fear should not be among that list.

Rygdea had been taught that fear was, in reality, one of the most important. Fear made you cautious, careful, and more willing to take a step back and view everything on a larger scale. The very person who had taught him this- Cid Raines- was now dead, by his own gunshot.

Still, this fear was irrational. It was too immense, too suffocating, to be healthy for any proper leader. The Primarch of New Bodhum was afraid of the unknown.

It was something that haunted every single human being alive, whether they wanted it or not. 'People fear what they do not understand'- Rygdea couldn't remember where he'd heard it, but he knew that it was true. Everyone living in New Bodhum walked with an uncertain pace, wondering when the next attack would be, who would be murdered next, what crazy event would occur next. He'd been wondering the same thing himself.

And, in many ways, he was guilty. He should've been inspiring confidence in his people. His friends- if he could even call them that- all knew, along with himself, that he wasn't the right person for this job. He was one for following (and maybe bending) orders, but he never exactly had a heart for giving them.

He had tried to convince Amodar several times now to take his post. He was almost certain that the man would make an excellent Primarch.

Each and every time, the General would firmly shake his head, saying his place was the Security Regiment. Colonel Farron had also refused, stating that she wasn't the inspirational type.

Currently, he sat in an office that he had never once intended to be his. Lenora and Spencer were in there too, having just finished explaining how they'd apprehended Oerba Yun Fang, the one who had been killing many of his advisors. He still couldn't quite believe that the woman had been the one responsible- when he knew Fang, he remembered her as a good-humored, sarcastic young woman. Very free-spirited.

"Oi, Prim-ass," said Lenora, waving her hand in front of his face. He grinned tiredly at the new-found nickname of his. "Got any booze?"

He jerked his head, understanding her desire. "Cabinet on the left."

The unusually tall woman stood, making her way over to the cupboard and cursing when her left arm did nothing at all. Spencer sighed a bit before standing up and opening it for her, ignoring her indignant screech of, "I can do it myself!"

He watched with interest as Lenora ripped the cork out with her teeth and spat it to the side, like the way he imagined a pirate would. She was soon guzzling it down, which he knew couldn't be healthy. Spencer quickly intervened, convincing her to slow her gulping.

"You really gotta get rid of that addiction," commented Rygdea.

Lenora opened one eye and glared at him.

"How long have you been doing it?" he asked. "Been about four years or so, right?"

"Something like that," said Spencer, rolling his eyes. "She claims that it helps her focus on her work. Never was a good liar."

"So, ya do it to keep from feeling bad, do you?" asked Rygdea. "Brigadier General Raines thought about it too, ya know."

That got a much more entertaining response; Lenora sprayed rum onto all of his papers, something that made him just a bit annoyed, but otherwise it was funny to watch her wheeze for air.

"… the hell?" she gasped.

"He didn't know how you were, if you were even alive," continued Rygdea. His gaze slid to hers. "Food for thought, Lenora. Anyone up for a game o' cards?"

Fang sat in the cell, darkness now closing in around her. She felt it like panic, clawing at the edges of her mind, whispering insistently that she had to get out. She couldn't stay here- that much, she was certain of. Her eyes closed and she tried to steady her breathing, the get the sick feeling out of the pit of her stomach.

No matter how she tried, she failed again and again.

The Pulsian woman knew that the balance of her world hung by a thread. If no one could stop the impending threat, they were all done for.

Fang did not want to die. She was shaking, as the claustrophobia closed in again.

She had to get out.

They all had to get out.

Author's note: A bit shorter than my last few chapters. So, now I have to explain that Lenora and Spencer both have accents like Rygdea's, since the three grew up together. Rygdea, much like Cid, was captured while they were playing their game of stealing; his upbringing in the slums was the reason why he disliked the Sanctum so much. Questions:

1. If anyone is a fan of Soul Eater, do you know the song "Salve Maria-Peace Be With You"? I was thinking of that when I wrote this. I think it fits rather well.

2. Yup, Fang's back. Like everyone else, her life's a bit messed up right now. Why would that be?

3. Next chapter, the world goes to the dogs. What do you think I mean by that?

4. I'll try to feature Sazh a bit more in the next chapter, but I can't really think of anything to do with him. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading, and thank you to all my reviewers so far. Please continue to review, it inspires my writing. Until next time!