AN: Pretty self-explanatory on what's going on in this one, right? And yes, I did go there and I usually don't... XD More weird prompts to be uploaded soon! This was set before Snow even came into the picture, heh. ^^; I guess I can leave it up to you on who/what killed who, why he saved her, ect. Unless you want to know all that from me. Just know that Sephiroth didn't kill Lightning (he gave her life but I guess the process would have killed her but she was dying anyway...) XD

Encounter

"How is it?"

How is what? Who are you?

"How does it feel to fight for hatred? It's like mud, isn't it?" A deep, smooth voice calmly answered, echoing to her thoughts with a cold edge to his tone. The voice belonged to a male but the shadows concealed his visage for her to observe his features. Was he death? He was right before her, he wasn't in her head. She was trying to stay focused on the source of the voice that she nearly missed the rest. "A bottomless darkness where the more you struggle, the more you get pulled in."

Hatred… Yes, she remembered now. Her words, the gunshots, the sound of a blade slicing through meat, the footsteps… Flashes of her life appearing before her eyes. She was dying. She had thought that dying would be far more painful than this, but it wasn't.

Weeks ago, there was a serial killer who targeted young girls that had Bodhum's PRISCOM and Guardian Corps all in a buzz and outraged disbelief of the public on why they haven't captured the criminal. Lightning had to work past late shifts but always advised her younger sister, Serah to always be accompanied by friends at night and to lock up the house before and after she leaves.

Lightning was able to return to the Farron household early one night but her sister wasn't present nor left a voice mail. The elder Farron was concern and called the authorities but since Serah was at the age of consent, they couldn't post the Missing Persons alert until forty-eight hours as it's possible that the younger girl had turned off her phone and could be out with friends. Lightning knew that wasn't possible.

They found the body the next day lying face down in the sewers. She was repeatedly stabbed over a hundred times and her clothes were torn and tattered, there had been a struggle. How was anyone supposed to know that Serah would be the next target? Lightning blamed herself for not protecting her sister, for not taking more precautions in ensuring her safety, for blindly ignoring that she fit the descriptions of victims... For everything!

"Serah, no... Not my Serah!"

She threw up upon witnessing the body, cried, screamed, beat her fists until they bled... Everything... She went through the five stages of grief in an emotional rollercoaster that never seemed to end (skipping the final stage obviously). Denial, anger, bargaining, depression tormented her constantly, fueling her anguish and hunger for justice. Strong walls of emotions were thrown up that isolated her from the outside world, orchestrated and kept tumbling out all at once.

She was all the family that Lightning had left in this world.

They took her off the case because of personal attachments and she left the force to track down the killer herself. She was so close too...

Until he killed her.

"There is time left. I offer you salvation so you don't needlessly die." The man's voice droned on, even with a subtle hint of pity. She hated being pitied on. "Live so you can kill your sister's murderer or die here. What do you want to do?"

I don't even know his name and he wanted to help me… Why? How does he know about that?

Time was running out, she could feel it. With the last reserves of strength she had left, her arm rose from the bloody puddle she was lying on and her hand wavered reaching up. Her mouth quivered as she tried to speak, to say, "Help me avenge Serah's death, I can't die yet," but blood made her throat gurgle and trickle past her lips. Her arm dropped and with inhuman speed, the man stepped forward to clasp her hand in his before it fell. He was beautiful, almost like an angel with the moonlight illuminating on his long silvery hair and his emerald eyes regarded her coolly, studying the bloodied mess before him. She could have sworn she saw a lone black wing had emerged from his right shoulder but that could have been a trick to the eyes.

"It always has been your choice, girl." He said, smirking after Lightning chose to live and for him to save her. She blinked and smiled sadly, her aqua colored eyes watching him. He leaned down to hover above her lips before parting his over the exposed flesh of her throat. He stopped. "This is the part where you close your eyes."

She willingly closed her eyes and surrendered completely to this mysterious stranger, grunting softly when what felt like needles piercing her neck all at once along with an animal-like growl that followed and metallic fluid flowing into her mouth coaxed to swallow when he pressed his lips against hers.