Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Final Fantasy XII and its characters. They belong to Squeenix. I only own my OC and any other OC's that I make up. Also, mah brother from another mother (no LOL not rly XD) owns his OC Sem as well :)

"Hi there!" - talking

*Ugh, why?* - thinking

"Dude, what the hell?" - dreams or any different language spoken

My shuper awesome fantastic maginificent buddy has edited my chapters, written some of it, and owns his OC Sem ^^

JAPANESE USED:

Hai - yes

Oniichan/Niichan/ -nii : older brother, Hikari will be calling Kai this all the time, (Kai-nii, Oniichan, Niichan)

Hikari- her name means Light

Okaa-san - mom/mother

Otou-san - dad/father

Nee-san/ -nee/ Oneechan/ Oneesan - older sister

imouto - little sister

My POV:

We all were sitting in the Strahl, and we had already arrived at Balfonheim, but we had all stayed in our seats. We all just sat there. Everyone was dead silent, and I don't think anyone was moving either. The top floor of the Pharos was utterly demolished when we left. I couldn't speak. I just cried. I broke my wall when we got in the Strahl. Vaan just held me in his arms, crying a bit as well. I was crying a lot. For Reddas…..For Sem. I sobbed and sobbed. Someone broke the silence.

Unexpectedly, Fran spoke up. "There is something I have to say." she said, hesitantly. "He would want me to tell you..." she trailed off.

"Who? Sem?" I asked, trying my best to wipe all my tears away and listen. Fran nodded, silent.

"Is it this, incident, he kept mentioning?" Basch asked, softly. Fran nodded again.

"It was...it was about 5 years ago." she began slowly. I saw Balthier perk up slightly, listening intently. "My clan and I found a group of Humes wandering our Wood. They said they were scientists, but would not tell us where they were going, or what they were searching for."

"I know." Balthier spoke up. "That was about when Draklor...Cid...began his 'experiments'. He had people everywhere, looking for new Magicite."

Fran nodded. "Yes, that is what they eventually told us as well. We followed their progress, slow as it was. Many times they encountered our patrols, and were given the same warnings that they were not welcome and should leave. Yet they ignored us every time. After a while, it became clear they were growing hostile towards us. My clan sent a group of our hunters, myself among them, to tell them one final time to leave. But when we arrived, they attacked us, killing two of us. We did the only thing we could then. We struck back. And..." she trailed off again.

"You killed them." Penelo finished, softly.

Fran shook her head. "No." she finally said, "We slaughtered them." Everyone gasped and I looked up in surprise. "The few that were still alive turned and ran, whether to get reinforcements or simply to get away and live, I will never know." She grew quiet for a moment, before continuing. "We followed. When they left the Wood, we grew hesitant to leave. We finally sent only six of our hunters to follow them. I was one of those six. We caught up with them as they were nearing where they had set up camp." Her expression grew pained. "There was already a small group from the camp watching with alarm, then outright fear as we came upon the few, and killed them too. We then approached the camp, and told them the same we had told the group in the Woods. Leave, and do not return. We left then, but I lingered a moment, looking at what we had caused. One thing in particular caught my attention. There was a boy, younger than you." she said, looking at me. "He was by two of the bodies, whom I now saw as a male and female. A thought struck me, that it was I who was responsible for the death of this boy's parents." She stopped again, staring at the floor.

We were all looking at her in shock, both at what she was telling us, and at her reaction to it.

"That boy was Sem, wasn't it?" Kai-niichan said, surprising us further with his insight.

Fran nodded. "The look he gave me when he looked up, it was full of pain...loss...hatred. With that look, I felt doubt for the first time in a long time. I then realized that I could no longer stay and protect the Wood properly. When we returned to my clan, I told Jote that I was leaving. She protested, but I reminded her that this was not the first time I had felt this."

"That thing she said, about what happened 50 years ago?" Vaan asked. We all glared at him for asking it, but he didn't notice.

Fran nodded once. "That one look has stayed with me since. I thought I had buried it these past years." she said, with a look at Balthier "But when we came across him that day, it came back. I saw his face then, and it was the same one I had seen all those years ago. I felt guilt, much like then as well..."

"And it still haunts you, even today." Balthier finished. Fran nodded again.

"Well, at least Sem's with his pa-" Ashe was cut off by me.

"HE'S NOT DEAD!" I screamed. Everyone turned to me. I shook my head and reached for his pendant. "I don't believe that Sem's dead, and none of you should either. He….he's still alive out there somewhere. I know it." I said, calming down a bit.

"All right…." Oniichan said softly. I sniffled and wiped away a few tears.

"I….I have something to also say about Sem." I said. Fran turned to me. "This pendant he gave me. This belonged to his friend named Deo. Deo and him….grew up together, and Deo….her parents were killed in the war, making her and Sem orphans. So, Sem was reminded of him and Deo when he saw Penelo and Vaan. He…..he taught Deo magic, but then she was abducted." Penelo gasped.

"So, she's a mage like me?" Penelo asked. I nodded.

"He told me he didn't know why, and he didn't know when, but she was abducted. There was nothing to indicate a struggle. He said it was almost as if they waited for her to get ready." I explained some more. "He told me he failed….failed to protect her." I said as I wiped away more of the tears that came running down my cheeks. Vaan hugged me and I shook my head as I buried my face in his chest. "Sem's still alive." I mumbled.

"We know. We know." Vaan whispered in my ear as he rubbed my back. Basch sighed and stood up.

"Let's go." he said.

"To Reddas' manse. Someone's waiting for us there." Oniichan stated as he held hands with Ashe when they stood up. The rest of us stood up as well and we headed out of the Strahl and into the Aerodrome. We eventually reached the manse, but I still had tears going down my cheeks and my eyes were red. Penelo had a few tears as well.

"Al-Cid?" Vaan asked once we got inside Reddas' Manse and inside his office. Al-Cid was sitting behind Reddas' desk, his loyal female assistant stood by his side. "How did you know where we were?" Vaan asked as he went over to me and held my hand. Al-Cid got up and strolled over to Ashe, who was holding hands with niichan.

"My little birds, they tell me many, many things. My lady, the war begins now." Al-Cid stated.

"Then you were unsuccessful in stopping the Rozarrian fleet?" Ashe asked.

"All went according to plan until it came time to request withdrawal of our most devoted generals. In their enthusiasm for war, our great military leaders went behind my back... Straight to Marquis Ondore's Resistance." Al-Cid explained.

"The Resistance?" Ashe questioned.

Al-Cid replied, "During training, a division of the Resistance ignored their orders and disappeared. They were next found exchanging broadsides with the Imperials over Old Nabradia."

Basch asked, "Why would they go there? They were asking to be found!"

Al-Cid clarified, "You misunderstand. Those ships most surely belonged to a Rozarrian division. They may have joined Ondore's resistance forces as patriots, or even mercenaries... but they are regulars of the Rozarrian army under direct command of our war-pavilion. This fifth column has invaded Imperial airspace and provoked a response. His Excellency the Marquis was obliged to give his main fleet the order to attack. And the battleground... is Dalmasca."

"Rozarria will enter the fray, the defense of Dalmasca as their excuse... and we will have a war between empires." Balthier stated.

"They will bide their time - wait until the Empire has spent itself against the Marquis. But Vayne - he will crush them and the Marquis both between his hands." Al-Cid said.

Basch said, "Vayne holds the Dusk Shard no longer. His advantage is lost." Al-Cid shook his head.

He replied, "Vayne has advantages enough. He stands on higher ground, and my birds tell me he has awoken something quite large. Bahamut, Lord of the Sky. There was a stirring in the Mist near Ridorana. Bahamut awoke soon after this."

"It is the Mist that came before the Cryst was undone. It breathed life into this Bahamut. If Reddas had not stopped it when he did, how much more Mist might it have drunk? All went according to Doctor Cid's designs." Fran cut in.

"Yes, the man's last great accomplishment, I fear. And so it falls to me to put an end to the thing." Balthier stated.

Ashe questioned, "Vayne commands Bahamut himself?"

"He comes to Rabanastre." Al-Cid answered.

"Then I will defend Dalmasca and stop this Bahamut. This is my charge -" Ashe was cut off by Vaan and I both stepping up to Ashe's left. We looked at her.

"That's our charge, actually." we both said with a small smile. I mustered up that smile as much as I could. Penelo moved to Ashe's right, where oniichan was, and they both looked at her with a smile.

"It's our home. It belongs to us all." Penelo stated.

"And no way are me and Hikari going down without a fight." Oniichan stated with a grin as he held Ashe's hand tightly. Ashe glanced behind her at Fran, Balthier, and Basch, then she smiled. Al-Cid's assistant exited, and Al-Cid headed towards the door.

"And my charge is to hinder and delay this Rozarrian invasion for as long as is possible. I will do what I can. Ah, yes…" He turned back and touched Ashe's hand, to which I could see Oniichan tense up to. "When this unpleasantness is done, you must come to Rozarria. I will take you to the Ambervale of Clan Margrace. Such things I will show you! Until then, I will be waiting." Oniichan cleared his throat and I looked down with a smile. Al-Cid left and Ashe looked a bit shocked. Oniichan sighed, and so did Balthier. When we got outside, Vaan talked to Reddas' trio and told us we could go to the Bahamut.

"When will they attack?" I asked.

"They said Vayne will attack tomorrow." Vaan replied.

"So, we'll rest in Reddas' manse for now." Basch stated. We all nodded and made ourselves at home. The girls and I chose one room, while the guys stayed in the other. Vaan and I walked up to the roof and we sat there. He laid his head on my lap and I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Hikari?" Vaan whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I love you." he stated. I smiled.

"I love you too Vaan…" I replied. He got up and surprised me with a kiss on the lips. I widened my eyes, but I smiled through the kiss and kissed him back. We stood up while not breaking the kiss. Vaan put his arms around my waist and I put my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss even more. We let go of each other and stood there in the position, with my arms around his neck and his arms on my waist. We were both breathing heavily, and our foreheads were against each other.

"Let's go rest up." Vaan whispered. I nodded with a smile. We headed down and went our separate ways into our rooms. As I got in the room, I turned to the lock on the knob. I remembered the incident with Sem back in Archades. Then, the scene where Sem and I kissed flashed in my mind. I unknowingly brushed my pointer finger on my lips. I sighed as a few tears went down my cheeks. I hadn't noticed them until I saw small wet spots on the floor.

"Hikari…? Are you all right?" Ashe asked as she put a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head as I took off my glasses with one hand and wiped my tears away with the other.

"It's just that Sem…" I struggled to say.

"We know Hikari. We know he's important to you. To us." Penelo stated as she hugged me tightly. I sunk to the ground and shook my head.

"I hope he's all right." I whispered.

"As you said. We should believe he is still alive. So, just know that he's alive somewhere out there." Fran spoke up. I turned to her and she gave me a small smile and nod. I nodded back and sniffled.

"Ok. I think we should get some sleep. We'll need it for tomorrow." I muttered as I walked over to one of the beds and put my glasses on the nightstand. I took off my shoes, pouch, and bag. I sighed as I lied down on the bed and closed my eyes as I fell fast asleep, clutching the pendant that was around my neck.