"Do you believe in magic?"

Vanille had been working with Mother Reyna for only a year when she asked her this question. She was becoming adept with alchemy and Reyna was pleased to have such an eager and bright student. She was finishing up a draught that would speed recovery from respiratory infections when Reyna's question distracted her. "I've heard the stories."

"I asked if you believed in magic, not if you've heard some fairy tales."

Vanille closed her eyes so that she could think, her hands stopped mixing as her mind focused on the question. Reyna slapped her now still hand and Vanille returned it to mixing before the potion became cloudy and unusable. "It seems far-fetched."

"It is," Reyna smiled at Vanille, whose hands continued to stir, "but do not be so quick to dismiss far-fetched things. I suppose, then, that you've heard stories where the hero is faced with an obstacle he cannot defeat and, in desperation, summons a strength he didn't know he possessed and through it wins the day."

Those were her favorite stories. The hero, often striken by the beauty of the heroine, charges into battle and through valor and love is able to triumph and save the heroine from a grisly fate. "Yes."

"Where do you think that strength comes from?" Vanille had never had cause to think about it, had never wanted to delve deeper into the stories. It was enough for her that she enjoyed them. "Everything comes from something, even the potions and poultices we brew here. Their medicinal value comes from the ingredients themselves. Magic is all around us but most of the time we never stop to listen to it. Under times of great distress, however, we are more receptive and this is where we find the strength to overcome our obstacles."

-SAVAGE-

Vanille nearly drug Claire up the hill towards the Mother's house. She refused to let the older woman's hand go, the warmth she felt from it reminded her of the sacrifice she had just made and the bruises on her face reminded her of what Claire had just gone through for her. Her wounds were, admittedly, minor but taking her to the Mother's was more of an excuse for them to be alone than a chance to treat her. She was in need of some alone time with Claire.

Suddenly Claire spun around. In an instinctive move to protect Vanille, she stepped in front of her and put her hand out, her other hand swiftly and smoothly drew her blade. Vanille looked around to see what was happening, to find the enemy but couldn't see anything. Was it Jago, upset over losing the fight and Vanille? Or was it someone from Oerba, upset at the seeming infestation of Cocoonians that had been arriving? Was it someone from Cocoon, who saw Claire as a traitor and turncoat?

She watched in horror as Claire fell to one knee, her breathing became erratic and it became a struggle for her just to keep her balance. Vanille's heart stopped at seeing her strong soldier collapse. "Claire?" Her voice sounded weak, child like, and she cursed her own weakness.

"Run." Claire's voice was forced, spoken through gritted teeth as if she were in great pain. "Run, Vanille." Claire's first thought had been for her safety but Vanille wasn't about to run away. Not when she had just fought for her honor, not when the only thought in Claire's head was her safety, not when the woman she loved was dying in front of her eyes. What kind of a person would I be if I ran?

She looked to the trees ahead and spotted the assassin, a man wearing a hooded cloak and a deerskin around his shoulders. It looked wet, most likely a fresh kill. She was frozen, rooted to the ground in fear, but she took a deep breath and banished it, she didn't know how she would stop him but she knew that she would not let him have Claire.

The man stepped from the treeline and Vanille stepped forward, placing herself between him and Claire. Claire's sword had fallen to the snow and was loosely gripped in her hand. She took it gently and brandished it, surprised by the weight. Considering the length of the blade it was oddly light, she had no problem holding it in both hands. When he saw her standing with the sword he stopped, the assassin's knife still in his hand. She gathered up her courage to stop her voice from shaking, "I won't let you touch her."

He looked at her and their eyes met. She noticed the eyes were blue and deduced that he was from Cocoon. They stood and stared for long minutes, every second they stood the sword in Vanille's hand seemed to grow heavier. Finally he laughed, a light whimsical laugh that she imagined an assassin would have. "Very well." This struck Vanille as odd. "The poison in her blood has no antidote and will kill her. The blade would have been a mercy." He shrugged, "My job is already done."

Vanille was angry, hurting Claire was one thing but completely ignoring her was another. Her fury gathered until she couldn't contain it anymore. He turned to walk away and she charged, closing the distance between them and swinging the blade down in an amateurish arc that the assassin easily sidestepped. He spun around to face her and she brandished the blade once more. "You hurt the woman I love. You don't get to walk away."

The man seemed surprised by Vanille's boldness. She couldn't see it but a smirk crossed his face, a smirk of amusement but also respect. "You're not my target, but if it's satisfaction you desire then I suppose I can make an exception." He brandished his assassin's short blade before him. "You can die here with your girlfriend."

He fell into a combat stance, knees bent and arms outstretched to provide maximum reach with his short weapon. Vanille tried her best to copy Fang's fighting stance, having watched the woman practice for most of her life she had learned a few things and every Oerban had basic weapons training but this was no spar and her enemy was deadly. She grit her teeth and held the blade in front of her.

The assassin circled her, looking for an opening. Vanille pivoted, keeping Blazefire between herself and her opponent. He lunged forward, stepping around the blade and jabbing with his own. Vanille took a step back and jabbed with the sword, backing the assassin off. He continued to circle around her, jabbing occassionally and looking for an opening. She fended him off with quick jabs but with every one the weapon felt heavier and heavier.

The assassin was worried about being discovered and so decided to end the game they were playing. Rather than try to stab at her he used his size and closed the distance between them, sidestepping Vanille's jab and grabbing her hands. He brought the blade around and tried to slash her but she ducked and it barely missed her. She noticed a thick, black fluid coated the blade, poison.

He used his size to take the sword from her, wrenching it from her hands, then knocked her onto her back in he snow. He arrogantly tossed Blazefire away. "Time to die, little fly." In that moment Vanille saw her life flash before her eyes; she saw her and Fang playing as children, she saw her parents proudly watching over her, she saw her brothers whom she adored, she saw herself working with Mother Reyna brewing potions, she saw herself at Fang's wedding to Anya, she saw her first meeting with Claire, she saw the first time they made love, she saw the fight with Jago.

He brought the blade down in an ice pick stab and Vanille closed her eyes. She was suddenly suffused with a warm light and, with a strength and skill she didn't know she had possessed, she pushed with her arm, rolling out of the way of the dagger and landing on her stomach next to Blazefire. She pushed herself to her feet and picked up Blazefire, brandishing it before her again.

To spite the cold and the deadly opponent before her Vanille felt warm, as if she were covered with a thick blanket or being embraced from behind. "You can do this." A voice whispered in her ear, though she strained to recognize it. "You've watched me fight before, you can do this." Warm hands covered her own and fixed her grip on Blazefire, she felt them bend her knees and straighten her back. Her senses sharpened and she saw the assassin almost in slow motion, his every vulnerability were clear for her to see. "You can do this, Vanille. I believe in you." If she could have seen her eyes she would notice they were glowing.

The assassin lunged but Vanille saw it coming and she intinctively knew how to counter it. She lunged passed his blade and swung her own in a wide arc that the assassin had to back step. Rather than fall back she continued the assault, pressing him back with skillful dodges and slashes with the sword that now felt as light as air in her hands. He went to dodge one of her cuts and felt something hard hit his back. He cursed, she had backed him up into a tree.

"May Etro forgive you."

Vanille shouted at the top of her lungs and thrust Blazefire through the assassin's chest. The blade pierced easily and stuck into the wood, pinning him against the tree. His eyes widened in fear as his last breath left him, blood poured from the now gaping wound in his chest and from his mouth down the side of his jacket. He slumped forward, the blade still holding him against the tree, and died.

The warmth left her and her eyes cleared. "I knew you could do it." She heard whispered in her ear before it left her feeling a weariness she had never felt before. The weariness of battle. Her mind turned back to Claire and where she lay on the ground. She rushed over to her and turned her over to lie on her back. Claire's breathing was irregular, her pulse was weak and she was sweating as if it were summer.

"It was only a matter of time, I suppose."

Vanille spun around at the voice and saw a man in a green military jacket standing in front of the dead assassin pinned against the tree. He had pulled back the man's hood revealing his light hair and fair skin. He had been Cocoonian. "A Cocoon assassin." Sazh turned around and looked at Vanille. "You killed him?"

Vanille thought she recognized him as one of the Cocoonians who had recently arrived but she wasn't sure and her stance showed her hesitation. "Yes."

"Good job." Sazh approached slowly with his hands up in front of him. "My name's Sazh, I came here with Snow and Serah. I'm not your enemy."

Vanille relaxed her stance after he introduced himself. With the danger over, her mind returned to Claire. She knelt beside her and tried to lift her up but couldn't. The strength she had fought with had left her and she wasn't able to get Claire to the Mother's. "Will you help me?" Her voice sounded pleading and Sazh knelt down to pick Claire up. He lifted her onto his shoulders and carried her up the hill towards the Mother's with Vanille leading the way.

Reyna was standing outside when they approached. She saw them coming and walked quickly to the door. She held it open so that Sazh could carry Claire through the door and set her down on the cot in the room. "What happened?" Reyna wasted no time in taking her vitals.

"We were attacked. Claire got poisoned." Vanille approached the table and assisted where she could.

"A nasty poison, too. I've seen it before." Sazh stood away from them and watched Reyna work. "Where I come from they call it Death's Hand because there's no antidote."

"That's because this particular poison does not come from your country," Reyna dampened a cloth and placed it over Claire's eyes, "it is from Oerba."

"So you have an antidote?"

Reyna smirked at Sazh. "Not exactly. I'm afraid you'll have to leave the room." She turned to Vanille. "Both of you."

"I can help."

"No." Reyna was forceful. "You must trust me, Vanille. I swear that I will save her."

Vanille wanted to be there, wanted to stay with Claire but she had come to trust Reyna and knew that when she swore something it came to pass. She nodded and left with Sazh, all of her thoughts turned towards Claire. She whispered a prayer to Etro for her protection and sat down in the main room to wait for the outcome.

"You gonna be okay, kid?" Sazh looked over from his own seat. He must have seen the worry on her face because she could see concern clearly etched onto his. He let out a sigh. "I don't know what your relationship was to her and I don't know what your healer is capable of but all you can do right now is believe."

Vanille closed her eyes and searched her soul. "I do believe." A scream echoed through the house that made both of them uneasy. From beneath the door to the bedroom poured a thickly scented smoke that made even Vanille want to wretch. A chanting could be heard through the wall broken by another piercing scream and Vanille closed her eyes. I do believe.

-SAVAGE-

Pain was her being, now. White hot pain coursed through her veins, a river of fire that had no end. She screamed but no sound came out, her vision was black and she swore that this was the end. Every breath was worse than the last and before long she was hoping each was the last. She writhed on the table she lay on, her body unable to lay still as it slipped deeper into her agony.

Suddenly she saw a blinding light. It broke through her darkened vision and burned her eyes. She screamed again, but as her eyes adjusted to the brightness she could see a face. It was distant, unclear but it looked down at her with benevolent eyes. She could hear chanting that at first had seemed distant but was growing ever closer. Louder and louder she heard it until it filled her thoughts and she realized that breathing no longer hurt.

"Come back to us."

An older woman's voice, soft yet firm, asking yet commanding. She could almost recognize the voice but the name wouldn't roll off of her tongue. As the face grew closer she thought she recognized the woman, she had seen her image on the statue in the temple in Oerba. "Etro?"

"Come back to us, Claire Farron. A storm is coming and we still have need of you."

The fire cooled in her veins until her body could relax. Her breathing evened out and she looked up into the eyes of the goddess.

"Now, wake up."

Claire's eyes opened slowly, her body was sluggish and she felt her joints ache as she tried to lift her head. She groaned, a pained sound that escaped her lips as she looked around her. She was in the room in Reyna's house that had been Vanille's, the old woman sat across the room from her in an old chair. She looked up and caught eyes with Claire. Reyna didn't say anything, just watched her from the chair as she struggled to sit up.

"Vanille...?" Her voice croaked, her throat was dry and talking was painful. "Where...?"

"Home," Reyna spoke in her heavily accented basic, "sleep."

Claire laid her head back and closed her eyes, relief flooded her at hearing that Vanille was safe. She wondered what had happened after she passed out and thought to ask her about it later. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Reyna holding out a waterskin for her. "Drink." Claire took a long drink. The liquid cooled the fire in her throat but sunk heavily into her stomach and before long she was coughing it back up. She leaned over the table and wretched, a thick yellow and black bile left her stomach and hit the floor. Reyna seemed satisfied and muttered something in Pulsian. "Dryd cruimt pa dra mycd uv ed."

She used the waterskin to rinse her mouth out then handed it back to Reyna who gently took it from her and set it down on a table across the room. "You lucky to be alive."

Claire laid her head back and caught her breath, the pain in her stomach and the ache in her body gradually subsided until she felt like she could rest easily. "I saw Etro, your goddess. She told me I was still needed."

"Then you are." Reyna's simple words were the last she heard before her weariness caught up with her and she fell asleep.

-SAVAGE-

Vanille couldn't sleep, her adrenaline was still high from the battle and her worry over Claire left her tossing and turning until the sun came up and she decided to get up and check on her. She dressed quickly and bounded downstairs where her father was just getting up. With a yawn he asked her, "Are you going to check on her?"

"Yes, father."

"Be careful. We pray to Etro for her swift recovery."

Of course you do. She nearly ran from the house and up the hill towards Reyna's house. When she got there she found the old woman already up and working on some herbs. She looked over to her as she stepped into the house. "She's sleeping but alive. You should not wake her."

Vanille peeked into the room and saw Claire sleeping comfortably on the bed. It took everything in her not to merely bound across the room and toss herself at the soldier. Vanille slowly closed the door and took a good look at Reyna, her eyes were sunken and she looked as if she were several years older than she was. She seemed pale and tired as she worked her mortar and pestle and Vanille worried for her. "Are you alright, Mother? You don't look so good."

Reyna managed a smile, albeit a weak one, for Vanille. It did little to reassure her. "I'm fine, child. It has been years since I've performed the cleansing ritual and it took a lot out of me." She finished grinding up several foul smelling herbs and brewed them into a tea that she then drank. Just the smell made Vanille want to vomit. As she drank it Vanille could see some of the color return to her face and some of her vitality returned with it.

"Thank you for saving her."

The sides of Reyna's mouth curled up but she didn't smile. "We will need her strength soon."

Reyna retired to the back room of the house leaving Vanille alone. She slowly opened the door to the room and looked in on Claire sleeping, her relaxed face brought a slow smile to her face. She closed the door behind her quietly and walked across the room to the bed. She sat next to her and ran a hand through her hair, Claire's sleeping murmurs warmed her heart. She lay down beside her and pulled her arm around her, and before she knew it she had fallen asleep.

-SAVAGE-

Claire's eyes cracked open and she realized she was lying next to someone. It didn't take much deduction for her to know who it was. Vanille was sleeping comfortably next to her, snuggled against her and she couldn't bring herself to disturb her. She pulled Vanille closer to her and contentment spread through her.

Vanille shifted and her eyes opened, she rolled over to lay on her back and looked up at Claire with drowsy eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe."

Claire leaned over and planted a lingering kiss on her lips. "Thanks to you. What happened after I passed out?"

Vanille wiped the sleep from her eyes. "I watched you fall and at first I didn't know what to do. When I saw him coming at you I just knew that I wouldn't let him near you so I grabbed your sword. We fought and somehow I killed him."

Claire's eyes widened, she hadn't thought her girlfriend had it in her. "I...don't know what to say. You killed a man and saved my life."

"Only because I love you."

Vanille's eyes were full of mirth as she looked up into Claire's crystal blues and saw there the love that she had been searching for her whole life. Her hand reached out and caressed the soft skin of her cheek. "I love you too."

They kissed, a deep kiss that kindled the flame that they felt for each other. Claire took Vanille into her arms and kissed her passionately, Vanille closed her eyes and lost herself in her lover's touch. Claire switched to nibbling at her neck playfully and Vanille's breathing turned heavy, punctuated by the occasional moan or sigh. Her voice was breathless as she said, "I missed you so much. I'm sorry," Claire's hands pulled at Vanille's shirt until it came off, "that it took me so long to realize how I felt."

Vanille gasped as Claire's hands now felt her bare skin. She took Claire by her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. "I'll make sure you never forget it." She stole Claire's breath with a kiss and pushed her down to the bed, straddling atop her and burying her with kisses. "My love."

Claire gave herself completely to Vanille and Vanille returned her passion and energy with fervor. They made slow, passionate love and when they were done they collapsed in each other's arms onto the bed. Vanille rested her head on Claire's chest while trying to catch her breath. She could hear Claire's heartbeat through her chest, a rhythmic sound that was slowing after their lovemaking. Claire held her close, the heat of their bodies banishing the cold of the outside world. Nothing else mattered in this moment but them and the love they felt for each other. Outside their bubble, however, pieces were moving and the board was being set for a grand game. A deadly game.