A/N: Finally! The next chapter. Sorry for the delay, I decided to rework it a couple days ago, and I just got it back from the cleaners. I've noticed little errors in the other chapters that got through my editing process. Sorry! I hope it's not too distracting. Thanks for being awesome and overlooking that stuff and thanks for taking the time to review! Much appreciated!

He'd only slept a couple hours until he'd gone to look for, and found, Lightning. A very naked Lightning. What a night! He had honestly just wanted to go and make sure she was alright. She could handle herself but he was compelled to go and look for her anyway. If something had happened to her he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Usually he slept like a rock so he didn't have an explanation as to why he was roused from slumber, but he had been restless that night. He'd been uneasy ever since they arrived on Pulse.

This slight insomnia was irritating; sleep was one thing he took great pleasure in, and if he was unable to sleep he might as well do something useful. He stood and yawned, scratching his belly under his shirt. Collecting the pot of water kept near the fire for washing, he placed it on the smouldering embers so at least it'd be warm in the morning. A quick hygiene boost always put everyone in a great mood, and it was much more pleasant to travel if everyone was in high spirits. Dusting off his hands he stood quietly in camp for a moment, looking over the sleeping faces of his comrades. He'd really do whatever he could to make their lives easier. Although, now there was a familiar face missing. Lightning. He glanced around again to double check and then around the perimeter of the camp. Hmm, I wonder where she went.

Turning away from the fire, he had taken off down the path with his feet as guides. I wonder if she came this way. His footsteps were silent as he made his way to, well, wherever. After a few minutes of walking, he felt a familiar, slightly urgent sensation, he headed off the path and into the thick trees to relieve himself. There was something fun about urinating outside, as long as no one walked in on him. But then again this was Gran Pulse, not outside the Shack back on Bodhum, where civilization was somewhat lacking.

Well, this is as good a place as any. Unlike on the smooth path behind him, he was clumsy in the trees. Making a great lot of noise while navigating the tricky terrain of ancient roots and sunken ground, he finally stopped and looked around before unzipping his pants and getting down to business. Bracing himself on a tree with one hand and guiding with the other, he sighed contentedly as the urgency drained out of him.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" demanded a voice from beyond the trees.

His head perked up in the direction of the feminine tone.

Lightning! He quickly finished up and started towards the sound, with careful footing. I hope she doesn't shoot me. He chuckled nervously at the thought. It was more than possible that she might; especially when she saw it was him. What's she even doing out here at this time of night? Emerging from the trees into a clearing, he put his hands up in the air. "It's just me!" In retrospect, maybe he should have turned around right then and there, but for reasons unbeknownst to himself he just couldn't.

The preceding events had complicated things and as it was, he wasn't good with complications. After all, he was a pretty simple man. When he met Serah, all he wanted to do was protect her and give her everything. Her charms were irresistible; she was sweet and playful, beautiful and kind. He was so lucky to have found her. He did whatever she asked of him, happily, and without question. Their romantic love was so innocent and light-hearted; they hardly ever quarreled, and when they did they couldn't stay angry at each other for long.

Then she'd been branded by the Pulse fal'Cie uncovered at Bodhum. There'd been an unquantifiable tension between them; she'd been distant before she'd told him about being branded. She tried to push him away from her and they'd fought about it, but she wanted to handle her focus on her own and not let him get involved. He almost let her walk away from him, but he couldn't let her face something like that by herself. He proclaimed that he would protect her until he could no longer do so. He loved her, and always would.

With a flick of his boot he sent a pebble bouncing into a small pond beside their newly worn path. He reached in his pocket and pulled out Serah's tear. Still walking, he regarded the crystal in his hand, quieting his mind. He wasn't able to hear her voice in his head as clearly as before, but he had been preoccupied. The memento was cool against his palm, and it gave him a sense of direction; a reminder of why he was doing all the things he'd done since that day when he'd lost her. Raising the crystal to the light, he smiled at it. I'll see you again, baby. Bet on it. Gingerly sliding the crystal back into his pocket, his mind was thankfully a little less addled.

Even though there were physical similarities between the two, Serah lacked a certain intangible intensity. She wasn't a kid, she'd had boyfriends before, he was fairly sure. They hadn't done anything too heavy; she never invited it. Actually, if he was being honest, she didn't incite it in him, either. Thinking about Serah was warm and comfortable, like cuddling a cherished toy. He'd never been driven to do anything indecent with her, not that it bothered him. He was happy with how their relationship had been progressing.

Lightning was another story, though. Even now, just thinking about her made his pulse quicken. She was the most practical person he'd ever met. She'd always err on the side of caution and was always sheltering Serah from the harder lessons in life. Lightning had a temper, although, and often it set the people around her up for bodily harm. She was strong, beautiful, and confident. She was a born leader, like he was.

What had transpired last night was wild and instinctual. A raw need had threatened to engulf him, so much so it took all his will to not give into it. When her tears spilled down his chest he had wanted to comfort her, like he would have comforted any friend, but he found his heart strangled by the strange emotions flowing from her. He averted a most serious error in judgment when he'd bypassed her lips, but after she kissed him, he found he'd become a slave to the way she tasted; the way she sounded; the way she felt and all in such a short period of time. She seemed to be the most addictive of drugs.

He rubbed the growth on his cheek. It had been so long since he'd shaved that the stubble was softening up. His hair was so light it barely looked like he had any beard at all. I wonder what it feels like to her... She had put her hands on his face so comfortably, and he knew what it felt like to him, but did she like it too? Her touch shocked him into dopiness and everything moved past him in slow motion...

Aww, give me a break! He sighed, clenching his fists, pulling himself back into reality. He wondered if she was destined to knot up his thoughts for the rest of his natural life. He needed a distraction from his silent torture.

He regarded the diverse group of adventures trudging the same path as he.

Hope and Lightning lead the group, as usual. She hadn't talked to him all day. In fact, not only did she not verbally acknowledge his presence, she didn't even look at him. As for Hope, he always stood a little too far into her bubble, but she never moved away. Sometimes she'd even put her arm around his shoulders or ruffle his hair. Walking evenly with her now, he'd look up to her admiringly, and when she'd catch him, he'd quickly look away. Even though she usually had little to say, she still smiled easily. They seemed to share a special sort of bond together, and he found himself smiling about it. She'd been hard on Hope, but he only came out better from the experience; he'd started toughening up. Sazh followed, walking with confident strides but keeping to himself, sometimes making conversation with the tiny chocobo that never strayed too far from him. Vanille and Fang talked easily with each other, Fang obviously very taken with her bubbly friend. He found their upbeat tones raised his spirits, but Lightning preferred to keep her distance from their happy conversations.

His eyes drifting nonchalantly from the figures of the two Pulsian women, they came to rest on Lightning. The sway of her hips were bound to land him in trouble again. Last night, the mere thought of them almost made him the main course for a Gorgonopsid, his arm ached and burned as the very physical reminder. But no matter how he may try, he found it impossible to look away from her for long. Her hair flowed in the slight breeze, the bright sunlight catching the unusual colour creating a halo around her head...

"Hey, Snow. What happened to your arm?" asked Fang, anchoring him to reality before he could drift away again.

"Hmm?" He brought his attention around to her voice, but he'd missed the question. The group had stopped walking and now eyes were on him. Vanille gasped, looking at the arm with the black bandana tied around it.

"Oh my gosh! Are you ok!?" she shrieked, running over to him, fingering the cloth until his arm was free of it. He winced a little as the crusted scabs attached to both his arm and the cloth were ripped off under Vanille's enthusiastic fingers.

"Oh! This? Yeah, it's nothing. You should see the other guy." he said easily. Tugging at his arm, she pushed his sleeve back over his elbow.

"When did this happen?" asked Vanille, pressing at the wound with her fingers, assessing it. "And why didn't you tell me earlier? I hope it's not infected..." she muttered as her hand started to glow, hovering it over the jagged gashes.

"I just had a run in with a big kitten last night. Nothing I couldn't handle." He winked at Vanille when she looked up at him. She grinned and continued with the incantation.

"Looks like you let that kitten get a little too close, eh Hero?" ribbed Sazh, grinning.

You have no idea. Snow smiled tightly.

"Last night...?" asked Fang, arching an eyebrow. Lightning had stopped as well, still in earshot of the conversation, Hope busily talking at her about something or other. Snow looked past his concerned companions to the pink haired woman. She threw him a sideways glance.

"Yeah," he started, wanting to make no mention of her in his recount "I was starting to stink, what with all this sweating and lack of proper hygiene. I went for a soak at the pond back down the path. I didn't want to offend the more feminine sensibilities among us with my manly fragrance." He held his nose as if to emphasize his point, then laughed lightly. This elicited chuckles from Sazh and Fang.

Vanille sniffed in his direction. "Well, you smell fine now!" She declared and stuffed the extra bandana back into his palm, letting his arm go. "There! All better!" The little medic then took her position beside Fang who nodded in approval ruffling her hair upon return.

"Much appreciated, Vanille." He smiled brightly at her as she nodded. Putting the bandana in his pocket, he looked back at Lightning. She stared where he'd pocketed the piece of cloth. He looked down at his mended arm, flexing it, watching the muscles ripple underneath the regenerated tissue. The skin was slightly inflamed where the gashes had been, but the ache was gone.

"The skin will be a little sensitive for a day or so, but then it'll be like it never happened!" insisted Vanille.

He held up his forearm and flashed his brand at her, smiling. And then the convoy was moving again.

He figured by the look on Lightning's face she hadn't notice him get pawed the other night. It seemed that she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. He didn't blame her, but things had changed. They insisted on opening a door; one that would be difficult and painful to close, if they were to close it at all. He knew that he didn't want to live without her in his life, but where did that leave him and Serah? Actually, he was getting ahead of himself. Considering Lightning's attitude towards him today, he wondered if he would still be breathing tomorrow. Maybe he'd score some points for keeping her from an embarrassing explanation with his one sided rendition, but probably not.

It would be dark soon and when they'd chosen a camp, Hope had dug in his pack to retrieve the remaining rations for dinner. A couple pieces of various fruits and some sort of jerky Fang had made was all that was left. Fang surveyed the food situation and nodded.

"Well, let's get a move on then, it'll be too dark to hunt soon." She waved a hand to Sazh.

"Huh? Me?" He pointed at himself, the chocobo chick in his hair looking quizzically back and forth between the other adventurers.

"Hey, it's ok Sazh. I'll go with Fang." interjected Snow, standing up slowly, dusting himself off. He was pretty stiff as he rolled his shoulders, stretching.

"Uh-uh, Hero. I think you should rest, yeah? Sazh and I can take care of dinner." Fang glanced over at Sazh, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We can handle it." he said on cue, smiling at Snow. "You take it easy."

Snow nodded slightly and sat back down heavily on the ground. He felt like dead weight; he was exhausted, after all. He just hated that it showed. Were his burdens more physical in nature and less mental, he might have dealt better, but here he was with women on the mind at a time like this.

Sazh walked past him, following Fang, and leaned down slightly to whisper something to him. "If I'm not back in an hour, you better come looking for me." He chuckled.

"I heard that!" informed Fang. Snow grinned apologetically at Sazh.

"Oops! Boss lady's calling!" Sazh saluted Snow and ran off waving, trailing the other very dominant female in the group.

Vanille and Hope were busy making a fire and giggling, talking quietly amongst themselves. He sat and watched them a few minutes, a look of amusement and appreciation on his face. At least the kids could have a few minutes of normalcy in this all but normal time. He'd always been of the mind that everything would be fine, but now he just honestly hoped that they'd get out of this alive. Time was of the essence, as according to their brands, but he knew that everyone else shared the same sense of foreboding.

Lightning had situated herself on the outskirts of the camp behind a thick, ancient tree, honing the blade of her sword. She was tense; she was exhausted, but most of all she was pissed. The slow grinding of the whetstone against her blade was comforting. This she knew about; the hard cold metal between her hands, a sparer of lives or an instrument of death. She knew where to strike to simply disable, as she knew how much pressure to apply to cause grievous injury. She was a natural with the weapon, and a quick study at the academy. She gave up a good portion of her feminity and most of her youth in favour of the service.

As for the more recent developments between her and Snow, she could just kick herself for letting things go as far as they did. Something took over her, made her do things she'd not normally do. It was frustrating to think about the scene; she'd been so powerless. Why had he been out there, anyway? Was he peeping at her? He was sleeping when she left the camp, that stupid dream still taunting her. Why were things happening the way they were? Her feelings were all jumbled up, but she could feel her face barren of emotion in spite of that. She continued to grind at the edge of her sword, concentrating on the fluid motions of her hands. She stopped and stared blankly in her lap for a long moment.

What is wrong with me?

Running the stone over her blade obsessively, not paying much attention, she thought about the conversations she'd had with Serah about the big footed brute. Most of them ended in Lightning telling her sister how useless Snow was. For her, his reputation had preceeded him. Sure she'd heard a lot of good things about him, but what did he see in her little sister? Serah wasn't even out of school, and she wanted to run off with Snow and get married? Tch. Yeah, over her dead body. She continued the manhandling of her beloved gun blade.

"But we're in love!" Serah had proclaimed; more than once.

In love, huh?

All motion stopped. At the words, her mind went blank and she felt Snow's calloused hands on her, tracing over the skin of her neck, arms and finally over her brand. Her palms were slick; the grip on her weapon and whetstone slackened, sliding from her grasp and onto the soft carpet of moss.

No way. Never. Not him.

But how could she know? She'd never been fond enough of any man to consider one in a romantic fashion, let alone grow to love one. Love had never been part of her plan, not when she was young, and not when she was an adult. She'd never considered it, never wanted it; never needed such things. To love someone else took away your personal power and made you a slave to their mercy. His mercy. But she was no one's slave! As if to emphazise the point, she grabbed her blade and brandished it overhead at a nearby tree.

"Hey, Snow! We're gonna go and get some more firewood, ok?" Vanille said, bounding up to him and bending over to look in his face. Standing a distance behind her, Hope's cheeks reddened when the peppy redhead had bent herself to address Snow evenly. He grinned at the boy, seeing the flush on his cheeks at Vanille's posture. When Hope saw that Snow caught him looking at her he spun on his heel, mouth gaping.

"Yeah, you kids have fun now, hey." He winked teasingly at Hope when his head turned back to scowl at the blonde man.

"We will!" Vanille called back to him as she ran off grabbing the silver headed boy's hand, dragging him along. He thought he heard Hope grumble as he hurried after her. Their chatter droned in the distance and eventually fell silent. Considering the empty camp, he wondered where Miss ex-Guardian Corps went. She's been gone a while. He tossed around the idea of wandering after her again, surely this time when he found her she wouldn't be bathing nude in a pool with the moonlight caressing every lovely curve and creating shadows in the hollows of her skin...

He shook his head. Maybe he should just stay in camp. He couldn't seem to keep his thoughts from wandering into intimate territory, not to mention he was good at putting his foot in his mouth when she was around.

His ears perked up when he heard the sound of a tree falling somewhere near by, and a cry of frustration; Lightning's cry of frustration. How does she have any energy left to swing that sword? Scooting down, he leaned into the curve of the tree and closed his eyes; the sand of slumber under his lids.

"Dinner is served." Came a voice, and a hand on his shoulder.

Hmmm? His eyes peeled open as he looked towards the touch. It was Fang. Bringing balled hands to his eyes, he rubbed them, attempting to banish the sleep that loomed. She pushed a stick of meat towards him, still steaming, smelling quite appetizing. His stomach growled savagely.

"Someone's hungry." Smiled Fang.

"Yeah, I guess." he grinned sheepishly, taking the stick of meat. "Thanks, Fang. It smells awesome."

She nodded at him. "Eat up." She took a bite of her own dinner, looking into the fire as they ate quietly.

He looked around thoughtfully as he ate what she'd given him. He didn't ask what it was anymore, whatever Fang was feeding them tasted more than edible and it kept their strength up to continue on. Everyone was asleep, and he wondered how long he'd been out for. He guessed Fang had taken over what was originally supposed to be his watch.

"I see that one's finally down for the count." Fang nodded towards Lightning's sleeping figure. "Fulla spit and vinegar, she is."

He laughed and nodded in agreement, tearing another piece off the skewer. His slightly crinkled eyes lingered on Lightning; he appreciated the time he could just look at her and she not be aware of it. She slept soundly, though the rise and fall of her chest was barely noticeable on her side her hands folded awkwardly under her head. Feeling revitalized from the nap and food, he stood up easily, tossing the empty skewer into the fire and took off his coat, folding it into a makeshift pillow. Approaching her side, he got down on one knee and softly lifted her heavy head in his capable hand, sliding his coat beneath it. His thumb brushed over her temple before he rested her head his coat. She shifted slightly in her sleep and breathed in sharply, smacking her lips. He froze. Uh-oh. She didn't open her eyes, but grasped a handful of the warm coat.

"If there's one thing I've learned in this life," started Fang, breaking the silence, "it's to be thankful for the things you have while you have 'em." He looked back at her, realizing she'd been witness to the tender moment between him Lightning, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at the redhead beside her, snoozing. Reaching out a hand to the sleeping girl, she brushed away some rogue strands of hair from her adorable face. "Cause, when they're gone, those memories are all you'll have left."