Rain whispered down from beside the wooden platform, while a set of pale fingers began to curl tightly around the weathered railing. Despite the solid cords of rope that suspended the lift in place, Lightning couldn't ignore the waves of nausea that rippled throughout her stomach.

"Light, it's not gonna fall-"

Lightning drew in a sharp breath, closing her eyes. "I'm fine."

Fang was leaning back against the side of the lift. "Alright... Just lemme know if I can do anything."

Lightning nodded. "Thanks." She exhaled, but the fluttering sensation still lingered within her innards. "How... How high does this place go?"

Fang grinned, and she lifted her arm to point at the levers beside the entrance of the lift. "There's three main levels, but to get to the others, you have to climb."

Lightning slowly opened her eyes, but she nearly squeezed them shut upon sight of the dwindling ground below, nearly hidden by the rolling mist. "I'm not afraid of heights."

Fang nodded. "It's just vertigo, I know." She reached over to take hold of Lightning's shoulder, and Fang squinted to examine the goosebumps that lay speckled along her recently-shifted skin. "Hey, if you're getting chilly, we can try to find us some warmer clothes... Although I doubt we'd really need them for the rest of the trip."

Lightning began to sit down, turning away from the open side of the platform. "Yeah, I've hardly ever gotten more than a slight chill with the carapace."

Fang chuckled a bit, and she sat down as well. "Pretty insulated stuff, eh?" She nudged at Lightning's shoulder with her own. "Although, I seem to remember a certain someone nearly freezing herself to death over a particular-"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "I was upset, and that was a mountain." She leaned back, resting against the side of the lift. "When I told Serah that we were leaving... I could tell it was cold, but I barely felt it, even before I'd shifted back." Lightning held up her hands, examining the lines upon them, uninterrupted by carapace. "It... It was the quietest that street's ever been."

Fang began to smile, before she closed her eyes, leaning back beside Lightning with a soft thump. "It was snowing that night, wasn't it?" She sat in silence for a moment, but then she slowly opened her eyes. "Yeah, I remember when you ran up to us... Covered in slush."

Lightning nearly smirked at the memory. "You try dodging cars without falling face-first once in a while..."

Fang snorted under her breath. "You took the highway?"

Lightning nodded, but she nearly jumped in place as the platform groaned to a halt, revealing a large, wooden loading dock. "Are you sure this is the right level?"

Fang nodded as she rose to her feet. "Yup, second-highest bit of Paddra..." She moved to push open the platform gate, stepping carefully out onto the suspended pathway. "Most of this level is made of bridges, but some of those pillars have buildings inside." Fang pointed up at a massive rock formation. "Nearly all of it's residential, though; pretty inconvenient to carry supplies or commodities across something like this..."

Lightning nearly winced as the bridge lurched beneath her, wobbling back and forth. "Why would they even build all of this?" She glanced down at the city below, but another ripple of nausea dragged her back to the present. "Surely there's enough space without it..."

Fang let out a laugh as she began to walk across the suspended wooden beams. "There's an old Yun saying... Hmm, how do I translate this?" She thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up with a wry smirk. "'You can measure a person's worth by the heights that he climbs for no reason.'"

Lightning attempted to match Fang's pace, but her damp sari still clung to her body, having only just gotten out from under the rain. "Well, I think that they might've taken this one a bit too literally."

Fang laughed again. "Probably, but it was a whole lot more important back in those times." She looked down to examine the streets below, and a small frown flickered over her face. "Last time I visited, this place was twice as busy."

Lightning let out a shaky breath as they finally reached a solid stone platform. "Is the tree much farther? I'm not sure how many more death-defying heights I can handle."

Fang's gaze slid over to Lightning's face, and she began to rumble low in her chest. "Losing your touch, Farron?"

Lightning met her gaze with a quiet, yet distinct hiss. "There are clouds in this damn place, Fang."

Fang only smirked, and she began to stretch out her arms with a sigh. "All this from the chick who scaled a mountain in one night..."

Lightning's fingers curled at her side. "Care to back yourself up, then?" Her upper lip twitched, and after a moment, Lightning tilted her head to the side, staring deep into Fang's eyes. "Race to the tree."

Fang's breath quickened, and she slowly leaned up to her full height. "No shifting."

Lightning nodded.

"And none of that fancy footwork, either..." Fang eased forward, until her breath started to ghost over Lightning's nose. "Straight across the bridges; first one to touch the trunk gets a request from the loser."

Lightning silently cursed the shivers that ran down her spine. "Request. Alright." She glanced to the side. "I don't see any tree, though."

Fang leaned close enough to brush her nose against Lightning's cheek. "Too... Bad."

Lightning reeled back as Fang suddenly lurched forward, barreling over the platform with a raucous laugh, so Lightning whirled around with a snarl, but Fang had already leapt over to the next bridge, almost half-way across the length of it.

"Damn it, Fang!" Lightning's legs took off of their own volition, and she began to narrow her eyes, having long forgotten her churning bout of nausea. "So much for honor!"

Fang's sari fluttered beside her body as she sailed across the scattered network of bridges, while the soles of her feet barely touched down against the suspended planks of wood. "Honor? Honor's only good when you're racing an equal, Light!" She glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, simultaneously doubling her pace. "I could pile-drive you into the ground, but you'd outrun me in a heartbeat!"

Lightning bit back a growl as she rushed over the swinging, wobbling bridge, and she nearly lost track of Fang for a moment, before a flash of brown, mane-like hair flickered on the bridge above her.

"Keeping up, love?!"

Lightning cursed under her breath, but her legs remained steady, even as the city below loomed further and further away with every passing second, until it was barely visible beneath a thick layer of fog.

"Oi, Light!" Fang suddenly appeared on the platform beside her, and she laughed as Lightning swerved to the side. "Just making sure that you weren't spacing out on me!"

Lightning lunged ahead, and Fang had to leap forward to outpace her.

"Nearly there, you know..!" Fang jumped just out of Lightning's reach, nimbly reaching out to take hold of a wooden post, which swung her to the side, allowing her to reach the next bridge with ease. "Hey, see how close the ceiling is?"

Lightning glanced up out of the corner of her eye, and for a moment, her thoughts stilled at the sight of the swirling, intricate carvings. Each figure was depicted as being joined with the next; an arm would loop out to form the tail of a great cat, while a set of claws would become the teeth of a smiling reptile, stretching on until a single, solitary image caught her gaze, that of a massive, looming structure.

"Wait... Hey, Fang?!" Lightning attempted to even out her breath while keeping her pace as steady as she could. "Fang, I have a question about-" She grimaced as Fang suddenly disappeared within a small opening along the cave wall, so Lightning quieted, racing after Fang with a slow shake of her head.

"You could have-" Lightning's eyes widened at the sudden sensation of cold, damp stone beneath her feet, and she squinted, staring out at the dappled, patterned darkness that awaited her.

"Sorry love... But I wanted to win this one."

A pair of arms suddenly snaked around her waist, and Lightning drew in a sharp, shaky breath, slowly closing her eyes.

"What was your question?"

The back of Lightning's neck prickled under a warm, steady breath, and she nearly shivered at the gentle squeeze at her waist. "There was a carving-" Her thoughts ground to a halt as several pointed teeth met the side of her neck, pressing down gently to tease the fluttering pulse beneath. "Fang, this isn't private-"

Fang hummed against her skin. "Look around."

Lightning opened her eyes, and after a split-second of squinting, they widened at the sight before her. "Fang..."

Fang leaned over to nuzzle the side of Lightning's face. "The roots are supposed to be symbolic, in a way... Well, to put it bluntly, I've heard that certain couples come up here to... Seal the deal."

Lightning narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm not doing it under a tree."

Fang kept quiet for a moment, before a soft whine rumbled against Lightning's back. "Aww, Light..."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "You get a request, but I have my standards."

Fang huffed under her breath. "You seemed just fine when I started kissing you back in the-"

Lightning cleared her throat, before she reached out to brush her fingertips over the wide expanse of strange, stone-like bark that lay before her. "What is this stuff, anyway? I can tells it's wood, but-"

Fang chuckled. "Fossilized! It's just as tough as the rest of the city..." She eased to the side, slowly releasing Lightning's waist. "Lemme ask you this... Do you think that this thing here is the trunk?"

Lightning stared up at the massive pillar of rough, marbled stone. "Well, what else would it be? I doubt that I could even stretch out my arms as far as-" Her shoulders were suddenly gripped, and Lightning growled under her breath as she was turned in place, but the sound withered in her throat as she took sight of the towering, stony giants that wove out before her, and she began to gaze along the entire, giant span of twisting stone until it had coiled out into the darkness.

"This is the highest level..." Fang glanced up at the ceiling of the cave. "Anything above this is considered to be non-city grounds." She leaned in to rest her chin against Lightning's shoulder, easing her voice to a low whisper. "Makes you feel real small, doesn't it?"

Lightning stared at the weathered gaps that lay high, high above, and she squinted to examine the gigantic, twisting root system. "Very..." Her voice echoed quietly against the cavern walls, but Lightning could barely make out at what point the floor had ended, or where the roof began. "The rest of it's up above us, right?"

Fang nodded against Lightning's cheek. "I've heard that you can climb the mountainside to see the whole thing, but I've never tried it personally."

Lightning glanced up at the gaps in which the roots tapered down from, before she narrowed her eyes to examine the hazy shafts of light that filtered out from the ceiling. "I'd bet we can climb through those."

Fang tensed, and she began to lean away from Lightning's shoulder. "We'd have to shift back."

Lightning held up her hand, watching as her fingertip quivered, allowing the furthest point of her nail to expand, sharpening out into a claw. "You know, I really don't think that those roots count as a 'trunk'..."

Fang's eyes widened.

Twin pairs of shoes crunched down against the gravel path, while a rustling series of echos carried out from the shrubbery beside it, tousled by the wind. Flowers waved back and forth beneath the gentle breeze, sheltered by cover of darkness, although the smallest rays of sunlight peeked out from the horizon, growing steadily brighter with every passing moment.

"We ran into someone, then... Her name was Serah, and I swear, it was like someone had taken Lightning and fused a clone of her with a basket of kittens."

Alyssa laughed, a single eyebrow arched. "What, she wasn't as grumpy?"

Hope let out a quiet hum, and the corners of his mouth twitched up. "Just as kick-ass as her sister, but double the friendly aspect."

Alyssa smiled as well, and she began to gaze around around at the wide, sprawling stretch of grass that bordered the wall of flowering hedges. "But... I thought you said that they were all still pretty wild?" She turned, and the faintest rays of morning sun began to trickle down over her shoulders, illuminating the parted curve of her hair. "Snow, Fang and Vanille."

Hope nodded. "They were... Well, maybe not Vanille." He turned to the side, taking in the gentle breeze that rolled throughout the garden. "She was always friendly, even when we couldn't quite talk."

Alyssa smiled, slowly turning in place. "But they made off alright, didn't they? Snow was the one on the news, back in Eden?"

Hope smirked to himself. "I still can't believe he stopped a bus..." He closed his eyes to think back, drawing up each memory in a visual manner. "That was after we went back to Light's place, but the media didn't leave us alone for very long, so we decided to go somewhere else." Hope imagined the grand, welcoming house that lay just within the forest. "But... It didn't last."

Alyssa frowned at his tone. "What do you mean?"

Hope opened his eyes, but only the flickering image of heat, as well as the choking, overwhelming scent of smoke clung to his senses, causing his pupils to shrink. "Nothing really lasts... Just hang on to what you have, okay?" He shook his head after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry, that didn't make sense out of context."

Alyssa shrugged. "It's alright." She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of flowers. "You don't have to say anymore if it makes you uncomfortable."

Hope nodded. "Thanks." He yawned, shielding his mouth with his sleeve. "How late is it, anyway?"

Alyssa reached into her pocket, and she squinted at the numbers on her phone. "Five."

Hope's eyes shot open. "Damn-" He turned in place, staring up at the gathering brightness along the horizon. "I've been up all night, damn it..." Hope started off down the path, before he paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I should get back; I have several independent projects-"

Alyssa waved at him with a grin. "No problem, just get some rest!" She giggled, still waving as he jogged off, but as Hope disappeared into the building beside them, Alyssa's expression fell, and her lips became a straight line. "Rest..." She looked over to the side, staring up at the rising sun. "If only we were all so lucky."

Sets of claws skittered against the rough, winding rock, while soft, hushed tones flickered back and forth between each vaulting leap, but soon, a pair of bright eyes gleamed from within the darkness, staring up into the light of day.

"Can you make it through?" Lightning had already clung to the side of a spiraling root, but her feet still dangled from the edge, treading slowly against the murky air. "I can't hold on forever, here..."

Fang rolled her eyes. "Keep your pants on."

Lightning snorted. "A bit tough when you're wearing a sari, don't you think?"

Fang chuckled to herself, but she grunted beneath the first press of rock against her chest, and she nearly wheezed when the pressure became tight enough that she feared it might have trapped her in place, but after a moment of short, breathless struggle, she toppled forward, landing face-first against a wide expanse of grass.

"Fang? You okay?"

Fang leaned away from the ground, blinking at the sudden brightness. "Yeah..." Her breath caught, and she leaned over even further, soon landing flat against her back. "Oh, Light..."

"What?" A series of scrabbling noises echoed out from the entrance of the cave, until a pair of horns peeked out from the gap, rising up after a moment, before Lightning managed to haul herself out from the cavern. "Fang?"

Fang only stared up from the ground, her arms splayed out beside her.

Lightning turned, following Fang's gaze, before she nearly stumbled back, staring open-mouthed at the enormous, stony pillar that lay before them.

Vanille woke to the sound of scuffling paws, and she groaned, burying her face even deeper into the pillow. "Bhakti, settle down..."

A sudden weight jostled down against her back, but Vanille kept still, even when a lock of her hair was yanked a little by a gentle set of teeth.

"Bhakti, no..." Vanille grumbled into the fabric, before she slowly turned over to her back, grasping the tiny dog in her arms to tug him close. "Weekends are for sleeping."

Bhakti's tail whapped against her side, and he let out a bark, panting at the open window that lay just beside the head-board.

"Shhh..." Vanille began to mumble under her breath, before her eyes slid open, taking in the first, dwindling rays of sun. "It's barely even-" A shrill sound broke the relative silence, and Vanille whimpered, reaching up to cover her ears. "No... Not the canary!"

Bhakti leapt down from the bed, racing in circles below the nightstand.

Vanille hissed. "Damn..." She winced as the chirps and squawks intensified, filling the air with a unyielding melody of disjointed sounds and warbles. "Damn, damn!" Vanille slowly rose up into a sitting position, rubbing at her forehead. "Did it wake you up, buddy?"

Bhakti's tail thumped against the carpet.

Vanille reached up to rub away the sleep from her eyes, yawning slightly at the chill breeze that billowed out from her window. "Warm night, huh?" She stood up with another yawn, before she reached over to pull the window shut. "Glad it didn't rain again..."

Bhakti leapt up to his feet, scampering past the open door and out into the hallway.

Vanille smiled to herself. "You want breakfast?"

A loud bark echoed out from the hall.

Vanille laughed under her breath. "Okay, okay... I'm on it." She pulled a robe over her nightshirt, before she began to amble out after Bhakti. "You'd think you were starving, or something." Vanille suddenly paused as a more distinct sound rang out over the constant birdsong, and she turned to gaze at the kitchen. "Who'd be calling this early?" She shrugged to herself, before she walked over to the tile floor, pouring out a bowl of dog-food as she reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Vanille? Hey, sorry for calling so early-"

Vanille smiled as she set down the bowl. "Serah, hi! Is everything okay?"

Serah laughed a little. "Yes... I'm just-" She paused for a moment, before she let out a short breath. "Vanille, I need to ask you a favor."

Vanille leaned back against the counter, watching as Bhakti began to eat. "Yeah?"

Serah paused again. "I haven't baked anything in years... And you've gotten so good at it."

Vanille grinned. "Not seeing a favor yet..."

Serah laughed a little. "Next week is pizza night, remember? The day after, would you come over and bake some bread with me? I just... I need to remember how, and we haven't seen much of each other, lately..."

Vanille kept quiet for a moment, before she nodded to herself. "Of course." She turned around, reaching over to rummage through her cabinets. "You want me to bring the supplies, or do you..?"

"No, I'll pick some up before then." Serah let out a soft hum, but it was barely audible. "Thank you, Vanille... It really helps."

Vanille frowned at Serah's tone. "Are you sure you're okay? You sound a little down..."

Serah tried to laugh. "Yes, I'm just a bit caught up with things; we got the results back, this time."

Vanille grinned again, and she hopped up to sit on the counter. "I ran into Nora yesterday, I know! Twins, Serah, you poor thing!"

Serah's laugh was louder this time, clearer. "I know, I know..!" She sobered after a moment, speaking in a hushed tone. "They asked if we wanted to know the genders, but we both decided it would be better as a surprise." Serah began to mutter under her breath. "I swear, if we have to repaint..."

Vanille giggled. "Just don't stress it; I know you guys will do fine... Lebreau's been giving Snow the time off as paid leave, right?"

"For the first few months, yeah, and after that, he'll be taking certain days off to stay home and help." Serah paused for a moment. "If it were any other job..."

Vanille nodded. "Yeah, Lebreau's not in it for the money; have you ever seen the garage out back?"

Serah audibly shuddered. "Vanille, I'd rather not-"

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Ex-mercenaries, my ass; they've still got a flamethrower and everything!"

"Vanille!"

Vanille let out a sigh. "Fine, fine." She smirked to herself. "Well, tell Snow that I said hi!"

Serah laughed after a moment. "I will... See you this weekend."

Vanille nodded, closing her eyes. "See you then."

The dark branches curled in place, reaching out into the sky, cleaving the clouds as they rolled, churning past, leaving a shimmering mist in their wake. The winding pillars towered without leaves, but even the tiniest branch stood strong, a silent testament to the ages.

Lightning would never recall such an urge at any other time, but for a moment, a mere, split second... She wanted nothing more than to leap up, to climb deep into the winding, darkened bark, to hide herself away alongside the sleeping, gentle titan.

After what felt like hours of simple silence and contemplative thought, Fang began to speak, barely whispering over the wind. "I've never been up here before... It's just like the stories, though."

Lightning stirred from where she sat within the tall, waving grass, and she turned, gazing down into the deep green rings of Fang's eyes. "Tell me one."

Fang smiled at her, then, having already shifted back into her human form. "That sounds like a request... And neither of us have touched that trunk."

Lightning leaned over, and her face slowly began to change; carapace folded, twisting away to reveal her soft, human skin. "Well, we could call it a draw... Both of us get a request." Her voice brushed against Fang's cheek, while her eyelids began to droop.

A smile eased over Fang's lips. "Kiss me."

Lightning's breath quickened, and she leaned down into a warm embrace, soon wrapped within strong, gentle arms, held snugly against Fang's chest.

"Mmm." Fang moved to nip at Lightning's bottom lip, teasing along the soft, flexible skin. "Been too long, huh?"

Lightning kissed her then, and she drew out a low, rumbling purr from within Fang's chest. After a moment, she slid her tongue across the pointed edge of a canine, barely escaping without a cut.

Fang opened her eyes, and she slowly began to pull back. "Light, careful..."

Lightning only mumbled, attempting to push herself closer to Fang's body, which proved extremely difficult when they were already pressed up against each other. "It's fine, Fang."

Fang rolled her eyes. "I don't care if it heals fast; I don't want you to prick yourself."

Lightning's upper lip curled, revealing her own set of canines. "How do you think I've handled these for so long? I've gotten good at avoiding it."

Fang snorted, but she began to smile again. "Well... Do you really want a story as your request? I'm more than willing to tell you one in the first place."

Lightning quirked a single eyebrow, staring down at Fang. "And I'm more than willing to get intimate in a private area."

Fang's grin widened. "A story it is... Well, you've already heard the one for this tree." She closed her eyes, and Lightning couldn't help but study the way that her brown mane of hair had splayed out in the grass. "How about this one, then..."'

The great darkness was all that they knew, and by that matter, they knew very little of light... Save the distant, pale stars that lingered in the sky above. Luck drove the scattered tribes to seek their fortune in the forest, and one day, a small hunting party caught sight of a great, towering stag... Named Hecatoncheir.

The group had soon circled it, but each of them were in awe of the unusual, glowing points that the beast bore upon its mighty horns, and they began to covet such a glow... But who would claim the antlers, once they had felled the noble beast?

The eldest Yun claimed that the horns should be divided equally, but his tribe-mates disagreed; what if the glow would cease once they broke the antlers apart? What if the same should happen if the beast were to fall?

They argued for hours, and in the time that it took them to approach a decision, the stag had caught wind of their scent, and it soon fled deep into the forest... But there is an old saying among the Yun, that once a prize has been sighted, that it is most dishonorable, as well as incredibly unlucky to simply abandon it.

So, they followed the winding, scattered hoof-prints, and the cloven tracks soon led them to a wide, shimmering pool, the likes of which reflected each star above so perfectly that it brought tears to their eyes, and they quickly found that none of them could bear to harm that stag that stood within it.

Hecatoncheir was a wary creature, yet fierce when provoked, so he lowered his antlers, warning the hunters, but in doing so, it left him open to their nets, and he was quickly, soundly captured.

The hunters received great praise and awe as they dragged the mighty stag back into their camp, but the creature carried a great, burning grudge...

They wanted their light? They could have it... For a time.

Anula, the gentle child, was likewise enamored by the stag, and she began to spend both her waking hours and otherwise caring for the massive creature, despite the repeated warnings from her elders.

The stag was humbled by the child's kindness, but he could not forget what the hunters had robbed him of... So upon the girl's coming of age, he reared up, bursting out from his binds, and with that, he swept Anula up upon his back, carrying her off into the sky...

They say that even the proudest of Yun were brought to their knees at the sight that they were granted. Hecatoncheir's antlers became brighter than they had ever been before, and Anula's body was swept up into the ever increasing fire, until all that remained was a vast, burning creature, one with feathers instead of hooves, and a brightness to rival the stars.

Phoenix, they named it, the great beast that would grace the people while they were awake, but after they had grown weary, it would steal Anula away, retreating off into the sky, which left the world with all but the darkest of skies.

Lightning stared up at the clouds, and she stirred, rolling over to face Fang within the grass. "Are all of these stories so unforgiving?"

Fang chuckled. "Life on Gran Pulse is anything but easy... It's meant to scare the living daylights out of kids so that they don't misbehave."

Lightning's eyelids began to droop, and her ears flicked to the side at the sound of birdsong. "Do you think the rain's stopped, down there?" She tipped her head back to stare around at the mountaintop, but she couldn't quite see the valley below. "I don't hear any more thunder."

Fang shrugged into the grass. "Dunno... And right now, I'm fine with not knowing." She yawned, leaning over to nuzzle against Lightning's neck. "Would you be alright with staying here for a while?"

Lightning reached over, wrapping her arms around Fang's shoulders to draw her close. "We should get back before dark."

Fang nodded with a lazy smile. "Plenty of time, love..." She closed her eyes, relaxing into the warmth of Lightning's embrace. "Plenty of time."