Slight spoiler at the end of this chapter, it's only what a chaacter says in the game but I though a warning would be appreciated

The Oerba War Chapter 4: The Strawberry Blond

Fang squinted her eyes trying to get a better look at the figure that had exited the large airship that was parked in the large field. Still unable to tell if it was a man or a woman Fang stood

up and started out into the field. "Whoa whoa. Where are you going Fang?" Vanille asked running to catch up with her friend.

"What do you think Vanille. I'm gonna go find out who that was." Fang answered still looking forward as she continued until the pair reached the airship.

"Whoa look at this thing, holy cow it's even bigger than the village!" Vanille gasped as she stared up at the metallic ship.

"Our village isn't much bigger than a cage." Fang muttered as she joined her best friend in looking over the futuristic machine, Fang turned around and stared up at the moon like colony of

cities in the air known as Cocoon. Turning around the young woman saw that the strawberry blond had just turned the corner and entered the village, quickly the two young women followed

after the figure. Reaching the edge of the village Fang pulled Vanille down beside her so that they were hidden behind the wooden fence.

"It looks like a man." Fang stated as she peeked over the fence.

"Let me see!" Vanille piped up trying to lift her head over the fence but couldn't because Fang was holding it down with her other hand.

"No Vanille you'll blow our cover." Fang hissed quietly silencing the younger girl.

"Fine fine." Vanille pouted crossing her arms over her chest. "But why are we following this person? I mean we live in this village so it doesn't make sense why were hiding."

"Were hiding because I don't want him or her whatever it is, to know that were following them." Fang explained still watching the figure walk down the path.

"Oh, alright then." Vanille replied as the two young women stood up and started after the strawberry blond. After minutes of following the person, Fang suddenly felt the sensation that they

themselves were being followed. Swiftly turning around she saw nothing but the dusty floor of the dirt path, with a few stray plants blowing across the path. Letting out a sigh of relief

Fang turned and started after her friend who was already ways ahead of her. Running after the red-head Fang could not see her anywhere, up ahead the sight of the strawberry blond was

just turning into a hut. Squinting Fang tried to see which one exactly but could not, for it was too far and and a slight fog had settled in just as a light shower of rain started to hit the dirty

path with thunder crackling overhead and lightning flashing in each direction making fresh streaks across the sky.

"Vanille?" Fang asked as she came to a stop in the middle of the abandoned path, sighing as the rain fell down, splashing on her exposed skin. A sudden noise to her right caught Fang's

attention. "Huh?" She asked and as soon as she turned to face the cause of the sound she was struck unconscious. With a light thud Fang fell to the ground, dirt slightly rising up from the

impact, an armored figure slowly bent down and picked her up bridal style and followed in the same direction as the strawberry blond.


"Mmmm." Fang moaned as she awoke from her unconscious state. She could hear two voices in the room, both male and it seemed like they were not exactly seeing eye to eye.

Carefully sitting up Fang held a hand to her head as the headache set in, slightly opening her eyes she groaned as the light stung them. Looking to her right Fang saw the strawberry blond

from before-who now she confirmed to be a man-standing across from her father. The man wore a white vest like top with long white loose sleeves, he also wore blue fingerless gloves with

gold plates on the back of them. He wore brown pants(made out of the same material as Lightning's skirt) and black boots that the pants went over. A sheathed weapon hung from his

waist, he also wore a red cape pinned to his left shoulder. Looking up Fang saw that he was a good looking man with his strawberry blond hair (Yuj's exact style) and piercing light blue

eyes. "Who's this?" Fang asked as she sat up in her bed looking over to her father.

"Oh Fang your up, uh don't worry about who this is." Her father said in a tone telling her not to question him any further. The strawberry blond looked over to her with a smirk on his face,

and his eyes wandering up her long tan legs, to her chest and then her eyes. Fang scoffed at the man and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know young lady, you really need to learn how to respect your elders." The man said as Fang glared at him.

"Oh please your barely older than me." Fang shot back, the man looked about twenty-five years old a good four years older than her.

"Listen kid, just know this. The people I work for could have your life in an instant." The man threatened.

"I still don't understand why your 'people' had to knock me out." Fang stated standing up and walking over to the man, he was about a head taller than her so she had to look up.

"I didn't want you to hear our conversation." He stated motioning between her father and himself. Fang then noticed the black armor on both of his shoulders which donned to blue stripes.

"Who ever said I would have?" Fang frowned in an attempt to throw the man off.

"Don't play dumb, you were following me." The man said clearly not being fooled by Fang's acting skills, which in reality were quite impressive.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night chief." Fang replied waving him off as she turned her back to him, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going Fang?" her father called to her from across the room.

"I'm going to go find Vanille." Fang answered grabbing her lance and placing it on her back.

"Uh dear it's nine at night." The strawberry blond man informed the younger girl, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Oh man how long was I out?" Fang asked turning to face the two older men while leaning against the wall of the cozy hut and crossing her arms over her chest.

"A while." Was all Lakota said as he turned back to the man. "Now sir, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." The man's response was a simple shake of his head before turning and heading

for the door. "You'll regret this." He told Lakota "And stay out of trouble kid." He muttered to Fang, giving her a pat on the bare shoulder before leaving the Yun residance.

"Who the hell was that?" Fang asked after a few moments of silence between the father and daughter.

"He, is from Cocoon. In the military, PSICOM I believe, or was it the Guardian Corps I can't remember." Lakota spoke sitting down at the table, Fang sighed put her lance in the corner and

joined her father at the table. "The military? what do they want with Oerba?" Fang asked crossing her left leg over the right.

"They want to use the village to make weapons for them." The old man answered sighing.

"Huh, so what was his name?" Fang asked curious about the man.

"Didn't give one. Although his men referred to him as Farron." Her father replied.

"Farron huh, sounds more like a last name." Fang mused tapping her fingers on the table surface, repeating the name over and over again in her head where have I seen that name before?

Fang asked herself over and over again trying to pinpoint the memory where she had read that name.

"Yeah, I heard that's his last name." Lakota said thinking out loud. I got it! in the mines below the village of Granbach, sure it's a day walk from here so I'll just take a chocobo cut the time

in half. Fang thought, planning when she would take the trip hmm I'll have to take a day off of work. I better take Vanille with me too Fal'Cie knows what she would screw up there all alone.

Fang chuckled upon thinking of what the young girl would mess up when a thought struck her.

"So dad what did Danbora say about me missing work?" Fang asked a little nervously, although she shared a close relationship with her boss he was still lineat about missing work.

"Your excused, he says he would have done the same." Her father replied taking a sip of water.

"So uh dad. I was gonna take tomorrow off of work to uh um go do something." Fang stuttered unable to come up with an excuse.

"Suuuure dear, just take Vanille with you." Lakota replied giving his approval knowing that it must be important for Fang to miss work since she's always had a great track record.

"Thanks!" Fang grinned happy to have her father's approval. "Yeah I wouldn't want to leave her to work the ranch alone either."

"There are some things, a lot in fact that kid can't do right." Lakota chuckled thinking of Vanille, and her troublesome ways.

"Yeah tell me about it." Fang chuckled at her friends expense. "So um I'm gonna go out and find Vanille."

"Alright dear, just don't stay out to late tonight." Her father told her with a smile. "And don't try to get with any guys tonight." He chuckled at his own joke as his daughter rolled her eyes.

"Gee thanks dad." Fang said sarcastically as she stood and exited her home, leaving behind her Bladed Lance. Ten minutes later the young tan woman found herself on Vanille's doorstep

waiting impatiently for the slow girl to answer the door. Normally at this time of day Vanille's parents were out shopping or having a romantic dinner together, Fang sighed at the thought

of having a nice dinner with the one she loved. Vanille answered the door with a big grin on her face, she wore the same clothes from before save for her hair was now let loose.

"Heya Fangy dearest!" She smiled moving to the side to allow her friend to enter her home.

"Hello to you too." Fang replied putting a hand to her head, it still ached from since she woke up. "So what happened with you?" She asked thinking of their little adventure earlier in the day.

"Um, well my parents saw me and took me home because the army was here, and they didn't want me getting into any trouble." Vanille shrugged. "What about you?"

"Um, I got knocked out by one of them. Didn't see it coming." Fang sighed sitting down at the nearby table crossing her legs.

"Whoa that's pretty harsh...hmm I didn't even know we were being followed." Vanille said scratching the back of her head. "Hey you know those air conditioners on Cocoon?"

"Yeah." Fang answered twirling the braided part of her hair with her index finger.

"Well my dad ordered one and their coming to install it someday this week." Vanille said excitedly clasping her hands to her chest and bouncing up on the tips of her toes.

"How exciting." Fang said sarcastically rolling her eyes. "I'll have to get my dad to order one also...I'd never go outdoors again."

"Is it still raining out?" Vanille asked what in Fang's mind is a fairly stupid question as she frowned at the short girl.

"Um...no I fell in a puddle on the way here." Fang said flatly motioning to her wet body, her tan skin glistening in the dim lighting of the hut.

"Oh hehe." Vanille chuckled at her own stupidity as she went over and took a seat next to her friend. "So did you find out who that strawberry blond was?"

"Oh yeah it was a man that goes by Farron, it's his last name I guess, first unknown." Fang explained her discovery to her friend.

"Ooooh was he hot?" Vanille asked her face taking on a look mixed with both curiosity and excitement.

"Uuuh yeah, I would say so." Fang answered glancing out the window that rested near the table.

"Just another guy on your 'who to do' list huh." Vanille teased grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh please Vanille, you have probably been with every guy in the village by now." Fang teased back winking at her closest friend.

"Haha funny Fango, but I'm still a capital V unlike some people." Vanille smiled giving Fang a punch on the shoulder that adorned her large black tattoo.

"I've told you about a million times Vanille. I did notdo Aspith." Fang yelled mildly at her friend. "Ugh I don't even know why I ever went out with him in the first place."

"Yeah tell me about it. He was way older than you." Vanille agreed idly playing with one of the salt shakers that rested on the tables smooth hardwood surface.

"I'm naive okay." Fang joked at her own expense.

"Yeah and I'm smart." Vanille laughed before stopping and realizing what she had said, frowning at her own stupidity.

"Oh my Vanille you are so dumb." Fang laughed harder causing Vanille to turn a shade of red.

"Am not I made an honest mistake!" Vanille objected with a pout, Fang couldn't help but stare at Vanille's hair. It was rarely-if ever let loose and not in it's regular state of pigtails.

"So do you always let your hair loose once your home for the day?" Fang asked with a frown.

"Um, yeah. What do you think it's always in the same style?" Vanille asked but received no answer as Fang's attention was caught by some small object driving continuesly into her foot.

"Vanille what the hell is that thing?" The wild haired woman asked frowning down at the thing with curiosity in her eyes.

"That's Bhakti!" Vanille replied happily, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Bhakti?" Fang asked to clarify what the thing was called.

"Mmm hmm." Vanille hummed still smiling.

"What the hell is a Bhakti?" Fang asked picking the thing up off of the floor.

"It's not a Bhakti, it's just Bhakti, that's his name." Vanille clarified taking Bhakti from Fang's hands and placing it on the table.

"Well what is he?" Fang asked still not able to get a straight answer from Vanille.

"He's a robot, silly. Can't you see?" Vanille teased while petting the robot for some unknown reason.

"A robot? hmm so it's from Cocoon then huh." Fang mused out loud. The thought of Cocoon made her mind drift back into thought of the strawberry blond man named Farron or more like

what he went by. "Uhhh yeah he's from Cocoon." Vanille said slowly before nuzzling the robot with her nose.

"Ugh the only thing I would buy from that floating tyrant is an air-conditioner." Fang muttered more to herself. The truth is that Fang has a great dislike for the floating city, planet, or colony

whatever you want to call it, because the citizens that reside there are so paranoid and afraid of Pulse for no reason at all. And the fact that their military is so hostile towards everyone that

if you don't agree to something they ask of you they will take over your city, village, camp where ever your living. Those were only some of the reasons for Fang's hate of Cocoon.

"So were taking the day off work tommorrow." Fang said out of the blue as she tapped her fingers on the table, glancing over at her red-headed friend.

"Really!? that's awesome." Vanille cheered doing a fist pump. "How come though? you never miss work."

"I want to go check something out down in the Granbach mines." The young woman explained. Hours later Fang was tossing and turning in her sleep, Lakota watched with worry as he

wondered what could be causing his daughter to do so. She had always been a deep sleeper rarely experiencing problems with being overcome with sleep since the day she was born.

Fang was having a bad dream, well more of a weird dream would be the better way to describe her current state of sleep. Several large beats kept coming torwards her and she kept

batting them away, but when she did so her arm was not that of a human's but more of a large beast more than ten times the size of her actual arm's size. Suddenly a feminine voice seemed

to emanate from the darkness, it started in a foreign language but sooned switched to Fang's native tongue. She sounded young- about eighteen years old but her voice held a dark tone.

Ragnarok

Come day of wrath

Oh Pulse l'Cie

Embrace thy fate

Thyne home to burn

That fallen souls

Might bear our plea

To hasten the Divine's return

Oh pitiless wanderer

Ragnarok

Make of this day

A grave epoch

Deliver the Divine

Ragnarok


Wow Final Fantasy XIII is amazing! my fav game ever! 31 hours in :P anyways reviews help conitinue the story if you want more :P and I got my Lightning play arts the other day =O it's amazing!