Well Now.

It's been a very, very long time hasn't it? For that I'm sorry, complications, complications, complications. That's all I've seemed to have just recently and due to a brand new accident (Not horse related whatsoever) but vehicle related, I've had a lot bigger things to worry about recently than writing!

In fact, if it wasn't for an e-mail from a certain user, I probably wouldn't have been back updating this early anyway. Well, that's all a long story, and one for another time!

Read on and more importantly.

Enjoy! .

XX

"Vanille?" Lightning looked down upon the young l'Cie with meaning. Keeping her face stern and straight was actually surprisingly difficult. When her eyes caught Vanille's, she couldn't help but notice the guilt written across her face, but more importantly, there was something else too.

The girl looked a little upset.

"Light… I…" Vanille looked down at her feet sheepishly, shuffling her shoes across the sand. As soon as Lightning removed her hand from the smaller girl's shoulder, Vanille latched her hands together behind her back, looking completely dejected.

"I was just…" Lightning held up her hand to silence the young l'Cie before her. She didn't need an explanation, it was as clear as day as to why Vanille was here. If she'd been in the same position she could imagine herself the same way. Disregarding her own freedom would be worth finding what she was searching for. But still, the soldier couldn't help but feel a little bit wary of her current situation. The beach was still crawling with soldiers, both Guardian Corps and PSICOM.

"No need…" the soldier whispered, breaking their eye contact; mainly because the younger girls eyes were swimming with tears. She didn't do consolation, not comfortably anyway.

"No, I have to explain…." Vanille whispered, looking back up at the fireworks. She owed Lightning an explanation of why she disregarded her wishes. Lightning was kind enough to offer someone like her a place to stay, so she at least should let her know why.

"I… I want to stay here Light, I really do. It's just, if I don't get home…." she let her voice trail off, suddenly choked up at the thought of what would happen if her brand progressed further. She positively shuddered at the thought of the damage she could do to someone if she turned into a Cie'th here in Bodhum.

She couldn't hurt anyone anymore.

"It's just… I wanted to find Fang first. I wanted her to be there…"

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. Discussing this with Lightning seemed harder than ever, she couldn't remember ever actually talking out her fears before. Only to Serah, and then she had been brief with what she had to say. Now that Lightning knew what she was, it seemed even more difficult to talk.

Lightning looked back over at her, Vanille could feel her eyes burning into her skin; encouraging her to continue.

"I don't want to hurt anyone…."

Lightning frowned at her words, why did the younger girl feel like she would hurt someone by staying here, after all, l'Cie could control their powers couldn't they?

"What do you mean?" she asked quickly, her voice ever so slightly ringing with curiosity.

"Why would you hurt anyone?"

Vanille looked up at her in confusion. Surely Lightning knew what happened to a l'Cie that failed their focus? How becoming a Cie'th meant that she would have no control over her own actions. She wouldn't have a choice whether or not she hurt innocent people, her body would no longer be hers to control.

"Vanille?" Lightning asked gently, noting her silence. Vanille just looked further down, averting her eyes completely away from any contact. How was she supposed to ask the next question? It hardly seemed fair…

"I want you to promise me something…" she whispered quietly, so much so that Lightning had to strain to hear her mouse-like voice. The statement just made her frown harder…

Firstly, the younger girl had hidden being a l'Cie from her, then she had disobeyed her only rule; now she wanted the soldier to make her a promise? Even though Vanille had caused so much mayhem around her recently, so much so that everything that she found stable - her job, her freedom. Everything that even came close to the way she lived, could all be taken away for merely standing here conversing with the red-head.

Yet why did Lightning find herself so close to agreeing with the other girls wishes without question?

"What is it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to put back on a harder exterior. The truth was, she felt something towards the other girl, a strong sense of protection. It was the feeling that knotted her stomach every time Serah had been in trouble when she was a child, or even still now. It was a feeling she only experienced when she had something she so desperately wanted to protect…

So why did she feel it now, how could the girl standing before her really have made so much of an impact on her?

It could have been her child-like innocence, her charming naivety that only grew the more Lightning spoke to her. It could have been the fact she was alone, scared, upset. It could have been because Lightning so desperately wanted to know more, more about how she had become a l'Cie; about why she ended up here of all places, why fate had chosen the here and now - Alongside her.

Lightning couldn't put a label on the reason, all she knew was, she was ready to listen to what Vanille was feeling, and that in itself was rare. So when the younger girl opened her mouth to speak, she found herself forgetting that she was surrounded by people, on one of the night's that she despised the most.

She forgot all but the girl in front of her, about how her body was slumped in sadness, the firework's reflecting in her bright tear-filled emerald eyes.

"If I can't find Fang, if I have to stay here, in Bodhum…." Vanille swallowed before continuing, forcing down the lump forming in her throat.

"If I turn into a Cie'th, I'll hurt so many people. I can't, I can't do that again…" She looked up at the soldier, their eyes locking together.

"I want you to make sure I don't hurt anyone, even if it means…um… you know…"

Lightning shook her head quickly, knowing exactly what Vanille was trying to say.

"I'm not going to kill you, it's not going to come to that…" she said quickly, feeling a sudden grip of panic. She wouldn't even know where to begin if it did come to that, metaphorically speaking anyway.

"You know how it will end, if a l'Cie…. If I… fail my focus. That's what I'll become, a monster." Vanille argued back, forgetting her uneasiness at talking to the soldier, perhaps if this did end badly, Lightning would be exactly the person she needed by her side.

"Then we complete your focus…" Lightning stated, matter-of-factly. To speak the truth, she had seen what happened when a l'Cie failed their focus, it was an eternity of emptiness, left to wander the land as an undying monster. But what resolve really lay in completing their focus either? A crystal prison to which they should never wake, to her; neither option seemed better than the other.

At least helping Vanille to complete her focus wouldn't require what the young girl was asking of her….

"I have no idea where to start, all I know is. If I get home, I cant hurt anyone, Gran Pulse is big enough for me to wander without meeting anyone." Vanille's small body shuddered at the thought, wandering lonely across a derelict Archylte Steppe didn't seem too appealing.

Yet it was better than the alternative.

"Then I help you to get home…" Lightning whispered, feeling a sudden urge to speak softer, not letting go of the eye contact she had with Vanille. She couldn't imagine little Vanille as a Cie'th anyway. There had to be a way around it, to cheat fate as it were.

"You… you'd do that?" Vanille stammered, taken aback by the new side of Lightning - it seemed like the soldier had done so much for her over the past few days.

"I'll try." Lightning admitted truthfully, if there was a way of doing the impossible then she was completely up to the challenge… She half-smiled downwards, earning a slightly bewildered look from Vanille. Before the younger girl too smiled, perhaps not the best one she had ever seen, but it was an improvement none the less.

"Thank you…" she whispered, her voice suddenly lost in the roar of the crowd.

One of Bodhum's fireworks shot skywards, making both women jump. Even Lightning, and she had seen it many times before. It was the ending signal, the loudest, brightest skyrocket of Bodhum's display.. If there was anytime to wish, it would have been now. Instead, she looked around her cautiously, well-aware that the crowd would soon be dissipating.

She let her attentions leave Vanille for a moment, instead her eyes settled on the space where the PSICOM soldier had stood before, now missing it's occupier.

She turned back to Vanille quickly, now suddenly cautious. She mentally kicked herself for having this conversation here, feeling a familiar prickle of danger run through her. Grabbing the younger girls arm, she gave it a gentle squeeze, ready to hurry her off.

"We have to go, the guards will be patrolling soon…" she knew the drill, as soon as the fireworks stopped, her regiment would patrol up and down checking that everything was in order. Right now, she had no idea where PSICOM was stationed. She could have walked her own route blind-folded. She just didn't trust those guys.

"Wont you get into trouble for leaving?" Vanille asked quickly, looking up in momentary panic.

"I've been dismissed for the night, PSICOM's doing…" Lightning whispered quickly, giving her a reassuring nod.

"It seems you've made quite the impression on these guys." she added. Vanille frowned for a minute, she could have sworn she saw a playful wink from the soldier at her words. She shook her head, it was time to leave.

She glanced behind her quickly, allowing herself to be pulled gently forwards, fully committed to following the soldier. This time, she wasn't planning on going against what Lightning had to say. If Fang was here, she would have seen some kind of sign before now, it seemed Bodhum's fireworks didn't really work at all…

"Let's go…" she whispered, letting the pink-haired woman lead her away.

As soon as her eyes locked upon the sight before her, Fang simply saw red.

In fact, her heart had jumped somewhere close to her throat. At least, that's what it felt like. A shooting protective sensation shot through her body, making her temporarily unaware of the fact she had drawn her weapon in public. With her lance gripped tightly in her hands she didn't even stop to contemplate the situation before her.

She had been finally walking back in the direction of her new found commitment. Back to Rygdea, back to the Lindblum. That's when her eyes stumbled across a familiar glimpse of red-hair. She had all but given up on finding Vanille, having sat in Lebreau's little café for in excess of two hours, she had waited until the beach crowd had dissipated. Hoping that Vanille would have gone against her advice and stayed out a little after dark. Even then, Fang had been eyeing both military forces suspiciously.

She knew deep down that Vanille would never give up on her search for herself, yet she couldn't help but wonder if the younger girl had given up hope of finding her in Bodhum. After all, she had searched everywhere for her companion and being unable to go back to the Vestige wouldn't have left Vanille with many options. If Fang was being truthful, she wouldn't have stuck around either. Not if roles were reversed.

Unfortunately for her, they weren't, and this time. Cocoon had crossed the line.

She could see by the glowing Chevrons gracing the tall pink-haired woman's shoulder that she was Military. She had spent enough time with the soldiers of Cocoon recently to recognise the uniform.

It was just on the off chance that she had glimpsed Vanille, a simple look in a different direction, fate if you were. Jumping forward she had quickly approached until she realised that Vanille didn't walk alone.

If she had stopped to evaluate the situation, perhaps she would have realised that Vanille wasn't being restrained at all, quite the contrary. She was walking along with her usual springing stride. Yet Fang, being Fang - Rushed on in headfirst.

Lightning stopped walking abruptly, she had undergone enough training to feel when someone was following her.

She found her well-trained military instincts suddenly springing into life, the hairs on the back of her neck instantly creeping upwards, giving her an uneasy feeling. Looking on ahead, she noticed Vanille seemed completely oblivious to her sudden caution. Keeping her eyes forward, her hand hovered above her weapon quickly, and she listened intently. A slight noise close behind her made the pink-haired soldier move quickly, the street lamp they had just past cast a slight moving shadow next to her own as she did so.

The strike would have come as quite a shock to Lightning, if of course her instinct hadn't been quite as sharp. Hearing a slight swish behind her, she recognised the sound of a weapon being swung through he air.

No matter how silent the wielder, a heavy object always managed to make a slight noise.

Jumping a stride forward she braced on her heels, spinning around and grabbing her Blazefire Sabre at the same time, all on one smooth action. In doing so, she brought it to chest level, gripping it until her knuckles were white and forcing it forwards, away from her body. It met the lance with a slight chink of metal on metal.

Narrowing her eyes, Lightning looked up at her adversary. She was faintly aware of a little gasp from Vanille, however being reluctant to take her eyes off her enemy she just assumed it was sudden surprise at being attacked.

"Get out of here!" Lightning hissed in her direction, instantly imagining the person before her was military and that Vanille was their target. However, she frowned slightly, looking the woman before her up and down suspiciously - She didn't look like a soldier.

Her outfit was strange, not military whatsoever. The Sari she seemed to be boasting just covered her body neatly, leaving room for a perfectly-toned midriff to be on show, followed by long slender tanned legs. She just caught the woman's strange attire at a glimpse, having to take a step backwards as the other woman threw her weapon out, trying to catch her off guard.

That's when she heard Vanille shout from behind her.

"Fang!" her voice didn't sound fearful at all, in fact, it rang with happiness. Looking on in confusion, she glimpsed again quickly at the other woman. Everything clicked into place, she could see it now. The strange outfit reminded her of what Vanille was wearing. Was this who Vanille was looking for?

"Vanille, get out of here!" Fang growled. She swung her lance forwards at the soldier, once again meeting Lightning's weapon. She heard the soldiers boots scrape against the ground, finding a little grip against the pavement finally and holding her steady. Fang smirked a little. This woman was good, then again, her mind flashed back to the Vile Peaks.

She knew she recognised the soldier from somewhere. She was the one that came to help Snow out. She saw her fighting style back then too, when she had been against Pulsework Soldiers and Bombs.

She had been impressed then too.

Ducking down, she went for a lower attack angle, hoping to catch the other woman unawares and take her feet from underneath her. Lightning was prepared and leapt nimbly upwards, blocking a sneaky swing of Fang's lance towards her head.

Deflecting the blow, Lightning jumped backwards, swinging her own weapon forwards half-heartedly. She didn't want to hurt the other woman, yet Fang seemed to think she was the enemy here. Mind you, it must have looked a little suspicious, Vanille being with her. Fang was just being protective. Never the less, she meant business.

Dodging to the side, Lightning tried to raise her hands quickly, showing that she meant the other woman no harm. It just seemed to make Fang advance faster, blindly enraged at the soldier being with Vanille.

"I'm not going to fight you!" Lightning said quickly, blocking another swing of the warrior woman's lance. She had seen plenty of angry people in her time but Fang was beyond talking to. She pushed her backwards in anger, raising her own blade to strike and Fang did the same. Again, metal clanged together violently. It seemed they were very similarly matched.

She really didn't want to fight the other woman, she wanted her to see that she meant Vanille no harm. Yet she wasn't going to sit back and take the other woman's attitude either, if she wasn't willing to succumb to reason then she would have no choice but to hurt her…

"Fang stop!" Vanille said quickly, panic setting in. What if Fang hurt Lightning? She would never forgive herself. She started forwards quickly, with full intentions of breaking up the fight. She knew that Lightning was only defending herself but she couldn't bear to see either woman get hurt.

"You have to stop!" she shouted, tears filling her eyes and her voice lost in the continuous clash of metal. She closed her emerald eyes quickly, thinking of the best thing to do. Perhaps magic would split them, but what if someone heard? She would be arrested on the spot, not that they could make much more noise anyway…

Before she had the time to decide the best solution, her eyes flew open at a sudden rolling crack of energy before her. She had to shield them again quickly as she blinked in a bright white light of elementary magic, sharp against the darkened night sky.

Confused, she looked down at her own hands, temporarily semi-blinded. As far as she was aware, they were still fixed to her side. It was when she raised them again that she caught her first glimpse of the scene before her, the little white dots that had been hovering previously leaving her vision. She raised her hands to her mouth quickly in pure shock, making out the figure before her. She could see both Fang and Lightning several metres apart, both slightly stunned at the fact they were now laid firmly on he floor, their weapons thrown from their hands.

A crackle of powerful magic flowed through the floor before the young l'Cie and she shuddered, now fully aware of the cause.

Lightning raised her eyes in confusion, a little disoriented from hitting the ground so hard. Shaking her head she automatically looked in Vanille's direction first, thinking the younger girl had used her magic to split them up. However, she froze in place when she realised that Vanille hadn't even moved, she still stood rooted to the spot. The young girls hands were in front of her mouth and her eyes fixated on a spot just the other side of where she lay.

She caught a glimpse of Fang rolling over too, looking like she had also hit the ground with some force. Whatever spell had been used, it was a powerful one. Enough to knock the both of them a good few metres backwards. It was then that her eyes forced themselves a little further off the ground, fixating to another figure before them.

Lightning had to double take, making sure that she wasn't just disoriented from the fall. She realised in horror that she wasn't. It wasn't Vanille that stood before her, body trembling and arms spread wide, a crackle of magic residing in the air around her frame.

It was Serah.

A.N.

Well, I liked the first half of this, but the second half just seemed to get a little mentally draining so I'm sorry if this seems a little rushed and not up to my usual standard. I'm planning on doing a little tweak/ mistake correcting throughout my stories soon anyway so I shall hopefully be able to make it flow a little better when I haven't got so much to think about, I guess I just need to get back into the flow of writing and I will be updating my other stories soon…

Anyway , thank you for reading!