WHY HELLO THAR! I MISSED YOU GUISSSEEEE!

Honestly, I think the muse for this story smacked me in my sleep because I've been up since two writing it :O. IT'S CRAZY HURR~

Here is the horribly late update (AND THE LONGEST CHAPTER) of ELECTRIC BLUE, and finally some plotlines are formed, some secrets are revealed-it's madness here in Oahu :B

PSSSST, there's more LightxCloud in this one by popular demand ;3

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! They were so heartwarming, and I can't thank you all enough to know I have such support for my silly story :) Thanks everyone x3

Okay! Quick notes: I laid off the humor a bit in this chapter, only because I wanted to introduce the main storyline clearly and seriously. Though the story will remain very comical, the fanfic will have its more somber moments. Just a heads up :). And also, I apologise if it seems like Lightning is a mute and Cloud talks more than usual. Take this in mind-Lightning is not used to being out and being with other people, thus her quiet nature; Cloud in this fanfic has not endured the horrible events that he has in the final fantasy series. I pictured using the "Cloud" personality when he was in Crisis Core before and when he met Zack, not after (I won't spoil anything). He was actually pretty social, believe it or not before he turned all angsty! *gaspies* That is all~

PS: PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF YAMS listen to the song near the end of the chappy! It is the most perfect music for the scene, and it's just so beautiful Dx. Here is the link - http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Sa_VJceQBuE&list=PLAD03279BEC6BE7D0&index=6&feature=plcp - Thanks :3

DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy and its property, characters, and themes all belong to SE! I only own my story and OC's. Hawaii owns itself~


Chapter VII: Two Inches of Glass

"So you're telling me you work at a surfboard shack, fix boards, and make boards!… but you don't actually surf?"

"Yup."

The two blue-eyed people had situated themselves at a moderately crowded café in town, sipping on delicious cool smoothies. They each sat in comfortable chairs under a red and yellow umbrella covering their glass table, but few words of actual consideration had passed between them. Both had no intentions of being on an actual 'date', and so chatting was much easier and less nerve-wracking…so far, that is.

Cloud set his drink down before leaning over the table a bit to speak,

"Where did you learn everything about boards then?" he inquired, honestly curious about the woman's knowledge.

Lightning reclined in response,

"Sazh. My boss. He used to be a pro apparently."

As she finished her sentence, a dark-haired waiter came up and asked how the two customers were, Cloud giving an honest grin and replying earnestly, while Light grunted in a passive manner, averting her eyes from the man. Cloud caught a glimpse of the odd behavior from the girl and became curious, but he quickly shoved the suspicion out of his spiky-haired head assuming he had misread her actions.

"If you have no interest in surfing," Cloud asked while tasting his vanilla smoothie. "Why work around it?"

"Honestly, I feel like I'm being interrogated—"

"I feel like a creep asking you all of these things."

Light took a sip of her drink before rolling out of her slouch and over the table, placing her elbows on the table bringing her close to the blonde's brilliant blue eyes.

"Then let's hear about you instead, Strife. Do you surf?" she added the end part with a teasing smirk, trying her best to give Cloud a taste of his own medicine before she slouched back into the chair.

"Well, yeah, but it's just a hobby."

"I've heard that one before."

Cloud laughed softly before putting a hand up in defense.

"One last 'creepy' question—"

Lightning waited lazily with an eyebrow raised, unsure of his intent.

"If you don't want anything to do with surfing, what are you doing in one of the biggest surf capitals of the world?" He said as he drank his smoothie.

Lightning went quiet for a moment.

"Honestly?"

She sighed, gazing off in one direction.

"People leave you alone out here. You could have luggage carrying Maker knows what, have records covered in black and blue, an enormous amount of fame, or maybe nothing at all—and no one cares."

Cloud stared at the pink-haired woman inquisitively. He definitely hadn't expected a serious answer from her anytime soon, so hearing that really threw the blonde off. She was right. Fame and mysterious backgrounds galore populated the island, so each celebrity was like a pigeon in a city. A wave in a sea...

"Hey, do I know you?"

Lightning literally jumped out of her seat as the dark-haired waiter from before stood on her left side, bending down a bit to look at her face.

"U-um, no. Never met." She squeaked, her irritated voice prevalent.

"Gee, I swear I've seen you around before!" the guy peered at her closer, smiling widely like a child.

"You must be mistaken. I never come into town…" Lightning continued to turn away from him, pushing against her chair as best as she could without it tipping. Her vexed tone was evident with every syllable and movement.

"Oh, so sorry miss. Didn't mean to startle you." The young man laughed as he stood back up and scratched his head. He turned to grin at the blonde man but was met with a pair of fierce, cerulean eyes glaring at him, as if threatening, "I'd get lost if I were you"in the swirling irises.

The man "EEP"-ed before skedaddling off into the safety of the café.

Cloud's eyes followed after him all the way to the door before he turned his gaze to the icy-eyed woman sitting across from him, who was sipping her smoothie acting like nothing had happened. A moment of silence passed between the two, Cloud interrupting it,

"Ex?"

Pulling the drink away from her lips, Lightning let out a louder-than-Light laugh before holding out her giant empty glass.

"Refill. Now."

XXX

**Use Somebody by Tiki Taane

"Am I supposed to feel like an idiot?"

Serah shouted as she gripped the front of the board with her delicate fingers while planking on the board. The gun(board) rode the baby wave slowly as it headed towards the shore where Snow awaited his 'student'.

"Exactly how you're supposed to feel!"

She continued to float on the wave, which was less than a foot tall.

"And how does being an idiot help in my training?"

"Balance, balance, and more balance!" he bellowed, even though she was a couple feet away.

Groaning, Serah felt the board finally wash up on the shore as it rocked unevenly with the white bubbles surrounding it. She stepped off of it to stand up, and when she grabbed the board up off the sand she placed a hand on her hip and glared at Snow,

"I think you're crazy."

"I think you need more practice."

"I think that's a bit obvious, Sherlock."

"Only one way to fix that." He grinned smugly.

"I'm not doing it—"

"Again!" he sang cutting her off with a smirk on his face.

A red hue flushed on Serah's face, as she growled at the huge blonde.

"No. Way.—" she crossed her arms over the board and 'huff'-ed

"Agaaaaiinnn!" he chanted, once again severing her words while waving his fingers in front of the girl, trying to make her laugh.

His charming yet annoying nature couldn't be ignored by the pink-haired girl.

"Ugh, fine!"

She swung the board around swiftly, causing Snow to duck to avoid getting smacked in the face.

"That's the spirit!" he bellowed while pumping his fist in the air.

**Young Blood by The Naked and Famous

This madness continued on for about an hour, the two squabbling and laughing, while Serah would fall face first into a wave every now and then. The sun flickered above them like an orb of fire, the crabs crawling onto the shore to bathe in its warm glory. The cerulean waves curled beautifully like a hand slowly closing, and its white, bubbly spray glistened handsomely as they covered the blonde surfer rolling through. Snow stretched out his left hand to graze the wall of clear water on his inside, turning his head to gaze out the oval opening of the pipe causing a smile to appear on his stubbly face. Serah watched from the shore, a grin spreading across her dainty lips as she tried to mentally note down some tips, but the dashing looks of the surfer kept interfering.

A wave began to build behind her with a soft rumble, causing Serah to cringe on her board, thinking back on the day before and the horrible incident, but a large hand grasped her own. Gasping softly, she looked to her left to see Snow's pearly grin, which obviously translated to, "You can do it. Trust me—". With a quick nod and look of determination, Serah turned her gaze forward waited for her instructor to give the signal to start paddling.

The board began to tip forward just barely, and immediately Snow gave the signal with a "Paddle! Paddle!". Jumping a bit from the loudness in his voice, the young girl reached forward with hesitant arms and started paddling forward.

Suddenly, she felt a surge of confidence overcome her, and she was no longer paddling, but pulling the water with her palms, streams of blue water running through her delicate fingers. Her eyes softened as the wave began to lift the board onto its forming plateau, and her arms slowly pulled out of the water to grip the front of the board. Everything muted out except the girl's hard breathing and the pulse pounding in her ears. The ice blue color in her irises lit up as she stood, her feet slipping just a bit from the speed of the wave. She closed her eyes, awaiting the cold water to smack her face from the falling impact.

But nothing came.

Gently opening her tightly closed eyes, the feeling of the ocean breeze blew through the girl's pink locks, and the sound of a rushing wave echoed all around her.

She was surfing.

Serah couldn't believe it. Her eyes shot open all the way to prove her thought, and the sight of the tip of her board hovering over the water was more than enough evidence. A huge smile spread across her face.

"Oh my gosh, Snow! Look!" she cried before turning around to look at the beanie-headed blonde, who was wading in the water on his own board, his arms crossed in satisfaction.

"Yeah, alright!" he shouted by cupping his hands, grinning as widely as her.

"Snow! Snow, I'm doing it! I'm surfing—!" she continued to shout before realizing she was standing backwards on the board losing her concentration. Her foot slipped on the gun as her whole body tilted backward and into the wave, the board flying out from under her.

"Oooh—" he cooed, wincing as if in pain before he broke into a fit of laughter, paddling towards shore.

Stumbling onto the shore and laughing like a maniac, Serah began prancing around her board that had washed up from the crash.

Snow walked up from the foamy waves with his striped board under his arm, a smile on his face. Serah pounced at him with a wider than wide smirk before wrapping her arms around his chest. A blush painted across the broski's cheeks and soon the girl's following her realization as to what she just did. Letting go hastily, Serah returned her hands to a crossed position as she stood uncomfortably in the sand her chest heaving from the large breathes she was taking from the adrenaline rush. Snow turned his head and scratched it awkwardly unsure of what to say or do.

It took a moment for the girl to actually speak as she paused to catch her breath.

"That was…" She huffed out, eyeing the sandy ground

Snow turned his gaze to the girl waiting with an earnest look on his face, curious as to what her answer could be.

"fun." She said. A ginger smile playing on her lips.

Snow smiled back.

XXX

**Traffic in the Sky by Jack Johnson

**Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson

The busy streets of Oahu were filled to the brim with people, Hawaiians and tourists alike, but the bright and warm sun had everyone wearing sunglasses and some hats.

Walking around in an open-air shop, Cloud carried an assortment of crazy items in his hands.

"This has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever done."

Lightning stated simply, looking in the mirror at her reflection. With her pink hair and fair skin still visible, the woman had about four different fake leis draped around her neck, sunglasses both on her head and over her eyes, and a giant sun hat with a plastic pink flower on the side shading her face. The one thing all of the accessories had in common?—They were tacky with a capital 'T'.

"Well you can't go on a tour without at least looking like a tourist."

Cloud chuckled before putting a dash of sunscreen on the girl's nose and handing her a fanny pack.

"There! You're all set." He grinned gently as she turned to face him.

"I hate you."

"Come on, surfer girl, smile—"

He put his arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner as he turned her to look into the mirror again, placing some tacky sunglasses on before holding up a camera and snapping a picture of the two both looking serious, Cloud's expression a bit more amusing.

Quickly shedding all of the junk off of her graceful body, the pink-haired Farron placed her hands on her hips while giving her signature scowl.

"How much am I paying for this tour?" she mocked while looking the taller blonde in the eyes.

"Only a fee for transportation, miss Farron." He joked before heading towards the exit.

"Come on, we got a whole tour left, and there are places to be seen—" he laughed as he walked through the sea of tacky merchandise.

Watching him with cold eyes, a small glimmer suddenly rose up from the deep icy pools in her irises. A small smirk curved on her lips, and an honest look of amusement crossed her pretty cheek bones. She set down the load stuff randomly on a shelf before heading after the spiky-haired blonde.

The day began to roll by like a motion picture as the two continued their trek through the city, stopping almost everywhere on the street. Grabbing flyers randomly from wooden poles featuring bands and college plays and laughing about them, using the viewing binoculars over a beautiful bay while people watching and mocking obvious tourists trudging along in their colorful shirts. Cloud, always keeping a hold of his camera, took pictures along the way,

"What's with the photo shoot? I thought the tourist was the one supposed to be taking silly pictures." Light asked, walking beside the blonde man on the sidewalk.

"It's a complementary bonus, since you probably don't want to waste time fidgeting with the camera," Cloud stated with a calm expression, "That's also an added fee—"

His last comment earning him a good punch in the arm causing him to wince in pain. And as Cloud rubbed the spot where he'd been struck, he turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse of a sweet and soft smile on the woman's face, but as soon as he had seen it, it vanished. Nevertheless, a smile of his own broke onto his face, gently presenting itself.

Lightning noticed him watching her and turned her face to look at his, an eyebrow raised,

"What?" she uttered with a tone of minimal annoyance.

Not noticing he had been staring, Cloud quickly coughed and carried onward.

"N-nothing. Just wondering what we should do next."

The woman wasn't convinced, but she merely shrugged in response.

"How 'bout snorkeling? Or maybe we should get you on a surf board." Cloud grinned, half teasing a bit about the last part.

Lightning stiffened, almost stopping completely. Her bangs covered her icy eyes, shielding her leaking emotion.

"No thanks." She muttered as she paced herself quicker than the man beside her, walking farther ahead.

Cloud watched with confusion in his eyes, but an even better idea popped into his head as he jogged to catch up to 's head turned away, unintentionally giving off a hurt vibe to the taller man.

"Okay then. How about the aquarium? I've heard it's a definite tourist spot."

Slowing down again, Lightning looked up at him and nodded, the idea sounding nice to her. Besides, the heat was getting to both of them, so being inside sounded like a wonderful treat on the hot summer day.

XXX

Everyone was gathered around a table near the center of the bar chatting up a storm, all facing towards the ocean. The bar was closed during the day, but Fang and Vanille were sitting on the barstools having a light conversation while sipping some drinks, the strawberry-haired girl occasionally teasing the older, much tanner woman next to her. Vincent, the lone wolf, was leaning against one of the grass umbrella poles staring out at the ocean, and one could almost swear there was a smile on the man's face. The sky was as clear as it had been at the start of the day, and the ocean had never been bluer.

Stepping up the back steps of the wooden platform, Serah rubbed her wet hair with a pink and white towel, her skirt back on but with her bikini top still worn. Her dripping pink hair had somehow remained in its side ponytail, and Serah slowly squeezed the excess water from the locks.

Snow came up behind her, setting the boards against the railing before Gadot's deep voice rang out,

"Hey-hey, look who's back."

"Hey Serah! How'd it go?" Maqui was quick on his feet as he jogged up to the girl, tripping as he went, Hope following behind with a slower step.

"Bet she didn't even get in the water." Lebreau mumbled to Yuj with a devious smirk earning a laugh from the blue-haired dude.

"Serah, here, rode her first wave." Snow said in triumph with a grin.

Everyone except Vanille and Fang whooped and hollered in celebration, laughing all the way. Turning their curious faces, the two Aussies gawked at the crowd, wondering what all the fuss was about. Vanille spun around in her chair before hopping off with a wide grin on her face as she skipped up to Serah.

Seeing the blur of red approaching her, Serah turned to face the kind girl before being enveloped by the Australian's arms as she was pulled into a huge bear hug.

"Way to go!" She cried as Serah stood still, stunned, but smiling too.

Letting go briskly, Vanille reached behind her own shoulder to open her pouch. Serah curiously tried to get a glimpse of what the girl was doing before a beautiful necklace of pink, red, and yellow hibiscus flowers was in front of her face.

"Here." The ginger surfer mewed, placing the garland over the younger girl's head gently.

"It's a tradition for riding your first wave around here to receive a lei of hibiscus flowers. Hope you like it, cuz' I made it!" she giggled before making a cute face.

Her face quickly changed to that of surprise when Serah returned the hug,

"Thanks, Vanille." She said with a sweet and genuine smile.

Suddenly, Serah was swooped up by Gadot as he gave her a small noogie, ruffling her hair up playfully. The pink-haired girl laughed as everyone continued to question how the lesson went and whether or not Snow knew what he was doing.

Maqui was caught in a mid-laugh before his eyes glanced over at where they all had been sitting earlier, his eyes growing wide.

"H-Hey! Guys, look, it's on!" he leapt away without another word.

Everyone's heads swiveled toward his direction, and swiftly followed after him, Gadot taking his time to walk over.

Snow, Vanille, and Serah were left gawking at the huddled group. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Serah looked up to see Snow's face,

"I have to head into town for a while, but I'll be back later. Hang out as long as you like." He half-whispered with a grin on his stubbly face. Though he felt bad for having to leave her so abruptly, he knew she was in good hands.

"Okay." She smiled before waving goodbye as the tall, burly man headed towards his car and off the bar patio.

He hit the sand with a thud before jogging to his car, but turned around as he ran with his hand in the air waving,

"Take care of her, Nil'!" he called as he winked.

"Aye-aye!" she hooted with a salute and a giggle.

The two girls stood quietly for a moment until curiosity got the best of Serah as she headed towards the group of people. Carefully approaching the huddle, the green surfer peaked around Gadot's large form to find herself looking at the smallest T.V. she'd ever seen. A small square box with two large antennas, the television frequently had blue streaks roll like credits on the screen.

"Man, look at that ride…" Hope said with an excited voice.

"Sweet moves—nothing but the best." Lebreau chimed in.

When she was finally close enough to see the screen, Serah's eyebrows rose a bit as she soon found herself glued to the screen.

Riding a jet black and striking blue gun board on a shoulder high wave, a girl of no more than eighteen swept over the foamy water like a torpedo, sailing through the air while performing marvelous aerial moves, including the advanced 360 spin technique in mid-air. The generic athlete expression plagued her fair visage as she finished the wave with a swift turn, the judges scoring her high in the ranks. The most notable trademark of the surfer…her shocking blue hair.

"Who is that?" Serah asked, the question directed at no one in particular, her eyes still focused on the blurry image of the surfer.

"Electric Blue."

Vincent slurred the words bluntly, suddenly appearing across from her, his silent footsteps allowing an invisible entrance.

"Who?" She inquired again, a tinge of curiosity in her soft voice.

"'Who'? Who's Blue?" Reno cried in disbelief, turning around in his seat to look at Serah.

"Come on, man, she just started surfing." Gadot chimed in, defending the younger girl.

Maqui rippled his fingers through the air as he began the explanation like a story,

"Electric Blue—no name, no previous records, just shows up at the world competition with some serious rip."

"That girl blew everyone outta the water. I mean, wow!" Lebreau waved her hands in the air, an impressed expression on her fair cheek bones.

After hearing everyone's say, Serah turned her attention back to the screen. The girl on the small television continued to ride more shoulder high waves performing all sorts of advanced aerials, causing Serah's eyes to widen a bit and her lips to part. The static and stray blue lines produced by the ancient video box continued to streak across the screen, distorting the entire picture,

"What happened to her?" Serah audibly mumbled as if she knew something wasn't right.

Everyone was suddenly quiet, until Maqui managed a squeak,

"Well…"

"She kinda just…" Yuj added while reclining in his chair.

"—Disappeared." Everyone said in unison.

Serah stared at all of them with curious eyes, confused how someone simply 'disappeared'.

"HA!"

Fang slammed her drink down onto the bar top with a clatter. Everyone's eyes turned to the direction of the unflattering sound with confused expressions plaguing their faces, Serah's especially. Still sitting in silence at the bar, Fang's lips curled into a smirk as she stood from the bar stool.

"'Disappeared' my ass."

"Fang…" Vanille approached the woman cautiously, speaking in a weak yet pleading voice.

Placing her hand up to hush the younger strawberry-haired girl, the tan surfer continued with a scowl on her beautiful face. Her emerald eyes glowing from the tiki flames nearby,

"I'll tell ya what happened, the moment the waters got too rough, she up n'quit," She raised her hands in the air in emphasis to her cause. Gadot already had his arms crossed, and Serah assumed he knew what was to come, considering his unamused countenance.

"Arrogant, cold—a pathetic excuse for a surfer."

Everyone remained quiet, knowing that trying to silence the upset woman was a death wish.

"Please—" Vanille whimpered softly only to be muted out by Fang's infuriated ranting.

"She's a bitch—That's all she's ever been!" She cried out with pure rage threaded in her words, her voice threatening to crack with every heightened pitch. Serah watched the woman in horror, never expecting such an explosion from the calm character, but she could have sworn she saw tears forming at the edges of the surfer's jade eyes as she shouted in ire.

"Fang, stop it!"

Silence struck the entire bar. Curling her fists tightly at her sides, Vanille was on the break of crying as she stared downward at the sandy, wooden floor, her whole body shaking from the pent-up emotions leaking from her cracked shell.

Fang snapped out of her rage almost immediately as if she had been under a spell. Her wide green eyes stared at her friend in shock before they shut tightly again.

"tch" Fang mumbled. Serah's eyes widened upon hearing the sound as the woman turned around and made her way down the wooden steps and onto the beach, her heavy steps sounding through the air.

Vanille remained rooted to her spot, her shoulders moving up and down in a rhythmic pattern, her breath shortening to quiet sobs. Suddenly, Gadot appeared behind her, towering over the young girl's frail body.

"Nil'?" he questioned with a deep and caring voice.

Vanille slowly stopped shaking, taking a deep breath and looking forward with the most determined eyes Serah had ever seen. So much emotion swirled in the pools of green adorned on her fair face,

"I'll be fine." She mumbled, forcing a weak grin as she turned her head to look up towards the man.

A painful hush hovered in the bar like a thick fog. All were silent, and even the waves seemed to recede from the shore in anxious fear of the hurt floating amongst the surfers.

XXX

They must have come to the aquarium on a good day because the crowd was actually a lot smaller and quieter than they both imagined it to be. Cloud paid for the tickets after a small banter with the pink-haired Farron over insisting that he pay for both and the two made their way into the large atrium, where different detailed pathways led to particular fish species. Standing in the center in utter silence for a few minutes, Cloud turned his head towards Lightning's,

"So. Which way?"

Lightning was as unsure as he was, with six different trails, the choice was difficult. Lightning looked around before piping up,

"Well, we have time for all of them, so why don't we just go around in order." She voiced, her vocal volume rising a bit from its previous tone, since she felt more comfortable around the taller man.

"Alright. Lead the way." Cloud grinned softly waving his hand towards the first entrance way.

Grunting with a smirk, Light gracefully made her way into the colorful arch way, leading into a hallway. Surrounded by glass, the path ended up being a tube with the tank on all sides except below you. Looking around with little more than a surprised expression, the younger woman gazed at all the marine life that swam about her. The tank consisted of minor fish species, such as clownfish, tangs, butterfly fish, all the way down to puffer fish, which were cute to watch. Pressing up against the bar keeping you from touching the glass, Cloud placed his hands on the bar next to Light, who continued to watch in awe.

"Well they were definitely right about the quality of the place. The fish are beautiful."

"Unh." Lightning nodded her head, feeling the warmth of her 'tour guide' brushing her delicate skin.

Moving hesitantly, the woman tilted her chin up to look at the man's face. A calm expression covered his entire visage, but a captivated emotion enveloped it as well, his light blue eyes piercingly bright in the darker tunnel. She turned back to the tank in front of her with a thoughtful look on her face,

It's been a while since someone's been so kind and open with me. It feels…nice.

The sound of Cloud's charming voice awoke her from the thought-dream.

"Let's go check out the other channels." He said with a calm yet excited look on his face.

"Okay." Light replied, turning once more to look at a lion fish dash through the blue waters.

They headed out of the first tunnel and into the next only to be halted in front of the other arch wall.

A large shark head protruded the rocky entrance, a couple more 'swimming' up the sides. Lightning stopped a few feet behind Cloud, keeping her eyes on him.

"Looks like it's being repaired." He muttered loudly, seeing the "Do Not Enter" sign plastered on the front over some tape.

He turned to look at Light only to be faced with her looking at the ground.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked with his hand reaching out instinctually, approaching her with a look of small concern, assuming she was tired or something.

She didn't reply immediately, but quickly jerked her head up to respond,

"Y-yeah, fine. Just…disappointed, I guess." She finished with a mumble, looking into his eyes with her own.

"Yeah, but there's always next time, right?" The spikey head of hair turned to look up at the shark head while speaking.

Lightning turned a bit, following the blonde as he walked past her to the next entrance.

"Right…" she whispered, biting her lower lip.

She stood still for a while before forcing herself to lift a foot to move,

"Hey Lightning, you like jelly fish?" Cloud pointed up at the other archway, fake jellyfish hanging over the entrance. His voice had a hint of teasing in it, to purposely lighten her up.

Nodding with a subtle grin, Lighting quickly followed the blonde into the entrance, unconsciously staying close to his side.

XXX

Evening had settled on the island, and the ocean breeze blew through the bar sweetly as the moon waned above the blue-black sea. A few clouds speckled the sky above, but not enough to cover the little twinkling stars lighting up the heavens.

Serah was helping clean up with Lebreau as she wiped down tables using a small briny cloth. She turned to gaze out at the ocean only to see Vanille leaning against the railing in utter silence, her pink skirt blowing gently in the wind.

Looking back at the others, she realized everyone was about done cleaning up, assuming it would be okay to take a quick break. She dropped the cloth on the table and softly made her way to the edge of the bar where Vanille had situated herself. Placing her arms quietly over the railing like the strawberry-haired girl had, Serah allowed a nearly audible sigh to escape her lips.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Vanille spoke, a sense of embarrassment edging her tone of voice.

"Fang's just been having a tough time lately."

Serah waved her arms in front of her with a sincere grin on her face, surprised by the red-haired girl's sudden change of character,

"I-It's okay. I'm kinda used to that sort of stuff—family drama."

"Really? Does your family have fights often too?" the emerald-eyed girl responded.

Turning back towards the ocean view, Serah swung her arms over the rail while watching the far off waves.

"Well, not really anymore. It's just my sister and me nowadays, but she can get a bit snappy."

Both girls giggled a bit as Maqui and Yuj began to bicker in the background, a broom in either boy's hands.

Leaning forward towards her pink-haired friend, Vanille grinned the cheeriest grin in all Oahu,

"So you two just live out here by yourselves? You must be awful close." Her voice raised a pitch in reaction, her natural

"Not exactly. She's really to herself, and I kind of haven't seen her since—"

"Vanille! Serah!"

The two girl's turned to face the person owning the booming voice, obviously Gadot.

"Eh?" they squeaked in unison.

"We're closin up!"

Vanille waved her hand in appreciation to the dark surfer, and returned her attention to the younger girl beside her. Serah stretched her arms out over the railing before giving a sweet and honest grin.

"Well, I better head home. Sis will be wondering where I am."

Vanille gave a huge nod of the head before replying herself, her voice full of boundless energy.

"Yeah, Fang's probably eating tubs of icecream as we speak," she raised her right arm up a few inches away from her chest while holding it diagonally across her body and balled her hand into a fist. "I'll see you later, kay?" she smirked at the newly born surfer, determination filling her beautiful jade eyes.

Looking at her with a sense of puzzlement, something came over the young girl as she instinctively raised her own right arm as her friend did and placed it against Vanille's, forming an 'X' between each other.

She nodded with a grunt and a grin, a bond of friendship suddenly growing between the two. Pulling their arms away, Vanille waved swiftly before bouncing off across the bar, calling goodbye to everyone. A choir of farewells echoed in the large shelter as the strawberry-haired girl headed to her car and into the darkness.

Serah stood quietly in place, returning her arms to the wooden rail as she gazed out at the murky ocean waters. Flashes of today's events played in front of her like pictures, laughter and many smiles accompanying the joyful phantasmagorias. Suddenly, the image of a blue-haired surfer flooded her mind. Performing those splendid tricks like a dance in her eyes as she had on the television, Serah couldn't help but marvel at the girl's talent. Curiosity filled the younger Farron's heart like a sweet feeling, and Serah wondered if she would ever become as amazing as the mysterious, Electric Blue.

XXX

**Relaxing Background Music by RelaxDaily (on youtube)

An enormous manta ray floated lightly through the clear sapphire water, flapping its beautiful, magnificent fans like wings with a pair of remora hovering underneath its alabaster belly. Watching intently as it passed by gracefully, Lightning's crystal blue eyes were in a trance as all of the beauty of the ocean swept by being separated by a mere slab of glass. Sea turtles soared along the fake current with somber looks on their faces, and then a school of yellow tang swiftly flew by, being startled by a devious sand goby.

Joining her side, Cloud too looked up at the enormous tank housing a marvelous range of fantastic creatures.

"It's beautiful." Light sighed as she continued to gaze on.

The blonde man looked at her with a hint of shock plaguing his face. Not so much shock, but surprise; surprised to see the usually docile and serious Lightning Farron entranced by something so simple. It made him grin, knowing he shared one of her passions,

"Yeah." He replied.

Serene silence hovered between the two as they continued to watch the life pass by them in the indigo world. A gorgeous leopard moray eel snaked across the tank, its incredible long body winding by like a ribbon in the air.

"You really love the ocean don't you?" Strife asked, pivoting his head to glance at her before returning his gaze to the eel.

Lightning didn't respond, her eyes fixed on the world in front of her. Cloud continued to flicker his eyes to glance at the slightly shorter woman, a grin appearing on his fair face.

The two stood there in total silence. An invaluable sense of tranquility and amity filling the two's ocean-drawn souls, their hearts fluttering in the sea of their stilled forms.


TA-DA!

PHEW! What a chapter! I really enjoyed writing this. In fact, I couldn't stop!

I want to thank you all again for waiting patiently for this update, and I apologise for its lateness. I'm ashamed, and I hope you all will not be too mad at me, though I honestly deserve it. I LOVE writing this story. Truly, I do. I promise I won't abandon it! I PROMISE

Anyway, thanks for reading! R&R if you want, you're reviews are what fuel my passion for this story :D

Until next time...:3