I'm writing again. And the crowd goes wild! Okay, I've had a lot of time to think of where this story is going, and I think you're going to like it. Enjoy!

Xx

Vanille wakes up with a start. It's still dark outside. A thought had woken her up. What did she do the last time she lost Fang? She walked. She just wandered aimlessly then got help from Serah. Maybe if she walks aimlessly again, she'll find another helper? Being sure not to wake Maqui, Vanille exits the house and begins walking down the beach. By the time the sun comes up, she's on an airship. She doesn't want to know where, she just wants to go.

If it's Nautilus, maybe she'll run into her old friend Sazh. They had such a great time on their previous visit there, what with the chocobos and the shows. That'd be nice to see him again, and little Dajh too. The airship comes to a halt, and people filter out. Vanille walks out to a nice town-like area with a sign overhanging the entrance.

Welcome to Palumpolum.

She walks and walks until the sun is right overhead. Feeling weak from no food or water, she sits down on a sidewalk. It isn't long before she's crying. She hears footsteps, but she just can't put on a happy face for everyone else anymore.

"Hey, are you okay?" A man asks.

"Yes, I'm fine." Vanille says without looking up, before crying even harder.

"No you aren't. What's wrong?" A million images fill Vanille's head. The moment when she was reunited with Fang. Fang and her at Euride Gorge. The time when Fang found out the truth and forgave her despite how awful she'd been. Holding hands surrounded by light. More tears flow out of her, her heart aching like never before. "Vanille?"

"What?" She looks up, eyes blurry. "How do you know my name?"

"It's me, Bartholomew Esthiem. Hope's dad." She blinks her tears away, remembering him suddenly.

"Oh, uh, hi." She wipes her runny nose. Then a thought comes to her, he knows what it's like to lose someone he loves. "Mr. Esthiem?"

"Call me Bart."

"Bart. Okay." She sits up straighter, looking at the older man's eyes through his glasses. "What was it like when you lost Nora?" He pauses, thrown off by the question. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She covers her face and cries again.

"Just went through a break up?" Bart asks and Vanille nods. "Well I don't know much about losing someone by choice, but I know from my son's experience that sometimes it can lead to something better." He says carefully.

"Wh-what?" Vanille looks up again, eyes wet.

"Come on, I think I know who can help you." He extends a hand, which Vanille takes, and helps her to her feet. They walk side by side for a few minutes without saying a word, then Vanille feels the need to break the silence.

"What were you saying about Hope?"

"He had his heart neglected for a while. And then someone else's heart got broken. And it benefitted him in the end." Vanille's mind jumps to Snow and Serah. Does Hope...wait. No, of course not.

"What about the broken heart?"

"It will find love again. All hearts find love."

"So...Serah broke Snow's heart..."

"And my boy found love." Bart says easily. Vanille looks at him in shock. She kind of expected that Hope would fall for Snow, but she hadn't expected his father to be so...okay about it.

"And you're okay with that?" Vanille says, careful on her word choice. He laughs and she fears that she's fallen into a joke.

"If my son is happy, then it's fine with me." She smiles. It's touching to see how much a father can love his son. Tears threaten again. "Which is why I think letting you talk to this person will help."

"Huh?" Vanille is snapped back to reality.

"She's over there by the ledge." He turns to leave. "I'm sure I'll see you soon." Vanille makes a small nervous noise but doesn't follow him. She instead turns to the ledge and walks. Seeing a figure there, she tiptoes over and stands by her side.

"I would of never expected for history to repeat itself this accurately." Vanille says slowly. The girl jumps a bit at her voice, as if she was expecting someone else. She takes in the sight of Vanille.

"Need some more advice?" Serah smiles a bit.

"Yes, actually. And this time I can't just face it later." Vanille's tears finally start.

"Yeah, I've learned that that doesn't really work." Serah leans back, looking at the sky. "I lost someone very important out of not telling how I really felt. I told myself I could wait. I couldn't." She looks over at her pigtailed friend. "Oh my god Vanille! Are you okay? Did I say something?"

"I'm fine." Vanille wipes her eyes. "I just know how you feel."

"What do you mean?" Serah puts a small hand on the Pulsian's shoulder.

"Fang left me." Vanille cries loudly and hugs Serah, needing to hold on to something solid in fear that she'll float away into space and die. Serah doesn't speak, she just holds her friend. They hold each other and talk, until Serah too is crying. They talk about their mistakes and how they thought they found true love for sure. After countless hours, they sit on the ground, just throwing a sentence out at a time.

"I got over him, though it still hurts to think of how awful I was." Serah muses.

"I was with Fang for so long. I remember living on Oerba, everyone together."

"Sometimes that kind of stuff is just better a story than reality."

"You think so?" Vanille looks at Serah, head tilted. The now pink sky casts gorgeous colors into the pale girl's hair.

"Yeah. It's like a wonderful love story turned lesson." She looks at Vanille and shrugs a shoulder. "You have to learn from it." Vanille lets the memory of Fang fade, she knows it will come back later, but for now, being here with Serah, it's gone. She smiles.

"I can learn." She replies. Serah's eyes, so light and pure, reflect the sunset perfectly.

"I know you can, Vanille. I've always known that." Serah touches Vanille's chin lightly and lets her fingers linger. Vanille closes her eyes, feeling an odd sensation travel the length of her spine. It's almost like what she felt with Fang, but it seems different still. Sweeter, even. Vanille smiles, light shining dimly through her eyelids. Before she can think, she feels a hand on the back of her neck, she feels herself moving in. She feels Serah's lips on hers.

Waking up next to Lebreau just feels right. Like Fang was meant to do this all along. Fang traces circles on Lebreau's exposed thigh, raising goose bumps. The woman smiles in her sleep. Fang lays back and tries to think of a more pleasant situation, but fails. Her thoughts drift to Vanille, an odd vacancy takes over her heart. She's never stopped to wonder why her feelings for the pink haired girl had run dry.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but it does concern her a bit. Lebreau stirs next to her. Fang closes her eyes, mind still thinking. I wonder how Vanille is taking this. She's probably set her thoughts on being alone forever. After all, she won't find another Fang out there.

Will she?

Xx

Yeah, chapter completed. The next one will be better, I promise. Read, review, enjoy. Thank you if you still read this!