XXX

"Asael's kidnapped Fang!" Vanille burst into Fang's room in hysterics. "He's taken Fang!"

Lightning looked over the couch ledge at Vanille as the little one scurried over, sweating and nearly in tears. "Asael's taken Fang, Claire! We have to find and save him!"

"What do you mean, Asael's taken Fang?" Lightning winced. "What happened, Vanille?"

"I was going to grab something to eat," Vanille breathed raggedly. "But I heard Fang talking to Asael inside, so I turned around, 'cuz it sounded like Fang was having a really sweet moment with his dad, but then Fang started sounding all funny and slow. I peeked in to see what was happening, and Fang passed out in Asael's arms. Asael was like 'I'm sorry' or something. Skelt came in then and Asael walked out with him! God knows- they're probably trying to force Fang's surgery on him!"

"Shit," Lightning cursed. "I thought Asael made a true turn around. I thought-" Lightning winced. "I never should have trusted that he could change. We need to save her." Lightning grunted. "I-" Lightning gritted her teeth. "I can't get up," Lightning cringed, holding out a hand. "Help me, Serah."

"You can't stand?" Vanille gaped. "Did Asael poison you too?"

"More like overuse of Fang's dick disabled her," Serah snorted, pulling Lightning up to her feet. Lightning half-groaned, leaning heavily on Serah.

"I'm okay," Lightning flinched, middle so sore, Fang might as well have still been in her. "We just gotta get Fang. Vanille, do you know where their lab is?"

Vanille gave her a helpless look. Serah tossed up her arms, almost pushing Lightning off-balance with the gesture. "This is great! We have our strongest warrior kidnapped with no idea where she might be, no way of finding her, the parents are out of this world, and the only other capable fighter can barely stand from having her vagina exploited too much!"

Vanille's eyebrows creased. "You guys keep calling Fang she…"

"Fang wants to be a girl now-

"She's chosen to be a woman- " Lightning gave Serah a petulant look for speaking overtop of her.

"Really?" Lightning almost toppled as Vanille grabbed her up around the stomach. "That makes me so happy!"

"And Fang proposed to her," Serah added.

Vanille squeezed her so tightly, her insides started to hurt. "That's amazing! Did she buy you a ring? Let me see it!" Vanille released her to grab her hand. Lightning was saved by Serah steadying her before her legs could jellify too bad. "Ohhhhhh," Vanille cooed. "It's so beau- "

"Vanille!" Lightning cut off. Vanille's attention snapped up to her. "Focus." Lightning reprimanded. "We've gotta find where Fang's at. Ideas?"

"Umm…"

"Rafford!" Serah blurted, drawing their eyes. "Rafford's Fang's friend; he wouldn't change Fang against her will, would he?"

"Rafford knows where the bunker is!" Vanille chimed.

"He probably wasn't included in their plan," Lightning nodded. "Skelt and Asael both know that Rafford's sympathetic to Fang's quirks."

"So we just have to find Skelt."

"I'll check his room!" Vanille volunteered.

"If he's not dead," Lightning added darkly, freezing them both to look back at her. "If Asael's ready to force Fang to undergo surgery against her wishes, I'm not putting anything past him."

Vanille bit her lip. "So…"

"Check the dungeons, Vanille." Lightning advised. "Serah, you can check Rafford's room. I'll scope out Asael's. If you find anything that might help lead us where Fang's been taken, bring it."

"Can you walk?" Serah asked doubtfully, knowing just how much Lightning was leaning on her for support.

"I'll be fine," Lightning assured.

"Yeah, except if Asael's in there or doubles back and finds you there. In the state you're in, all he has to do is push you over before you're out for the count."

"I'm fine, Serah." Lightning grumbled, guiding herself along the back edge of the couch. "Everybody out- and report to Rafford's room when you're done."

Serah cast a doubtful look back at her, to which Lightning rudely ushered her out. Vanille scurried along too and squeezed Serah's hand before departing for the dungeons, Serah for Rafford's. In the bedroom, Lightning sighed, leaning heavily on the desk. She gazed down at herself in trepidation and willed her body back into action against the aches and soreness. Come on, Lightning thought, wincing as her legs trembled and threatened to buckle. Fang needs me. The thought spurned her on.

XXX

Serah tossed up her hands as Lightning entered a little ways after Vanille and gingerly leaned against the door frame. "I don't think Rafford had any idea of what they planned to do. He doesn't even have that much work equipment here. I did find this, though." Serah started approaching Lightning with a vial.

"What's that?" Lightning eyed the vial suspiciously.

"It's a muscle relaxer. It might help ease… some of your aches." Serah pressed the vial into her hands. "Don't be stubborn, Claire. Just drink it."

"It won't make me loopy?"

Serah shook her head. Lightning downed it. "So now what?" Vanille asked. "How are we supposed to find them when they could be anywhere in Gran Pulse and we haven't even got a clue where to look?"

"Skelt's," Lightning announced, lowering the empty tube from her lips and tossing it to the side. "We can check Skelt's room."

"Who's Skelts now?" Serah asked, befuddled.

"He's the scientist, right? Who works with Rafford?"

Lightning nodded. "Fang's told me about him before. Guy sounds like a real asshole, purely interested in Fang for the science of his experiment. He might have something in his room, some clue where the base is at." Lightning directed. "Check all the guest rooms down this way and shout if you find something."

They set off again with Vanille wandering down the far corridor way, Serah taking the left. Lightning took the close right and was relieved when the simple act of walking had already started to feel just a little bit better.

The first door Lightning checked was empty and had obviously not been used in some time. Lightning moved onto the second and faced similar circumstance. Methodically, she moved down the row this way, amazed at how much empty space there was in the castle. Fang had been right; this place was built to house an army of Yuns. Now it was home to just one…

Lightning reached the seventh door down the line and found it locked. Frowning, she stepped back and kicked the door- to utterly no avail, besides ringing pain up her leg and through her middle, almost unbalancing her. Someone huffed from her side.

"No delicacy whatsoever," Vanille shook her head, stepping in where Lightning had rebounded. Kneeling in front of the door, Vanille took out a hairpin holding her bangs back and stuck one little end into the door jam.

"That's never going to work, Vanille." Lightning breathed, catching her lost breath after that spikingly painful attempt to kick the door in. "The castle's been upgraded. I'm sure they didn't forget to magnetize the lo-" click. Lightning abruptly shut up.

Vanille grinned, looking back at her. "You were saying?"

Lightning rolled her eyes. Serah hurried down the hall to them just as Vanille was pushing open the door. Serah gasped at the scene they found inside.

XXX

Asael stopped by the guard at the door to the bunker. Cradling Fang to him, he'd not so much as let the scientist touch his child of yet. "Lieutenant," Asael summoned his attention over, where the guard dutibly reported. "We might be followed." Asael informed him, very serious. "I want you to control your men. Under no circumstance are any of our pursuers to be killed." The man gave him a curious look. Asael's voice hardened. "You will do what you have to to subdue them, but if I find so much of a fraction of over-aggressive exertion, you and your entire squad will face a firing squad empty-handed. Understand?"

XXX

"Rafford!" Lightning crouched in front of the man and ripped the tape from his mouth in one quick tear. Rafford barely flinched, but rested back his head to the bedframe with a short moan, wincing. Lightning checked Rafford's hands and found them bound like his ankles around his back. When she started to unwind the tape, however, Rafford mumbled.

"N-no. Lightning-" Rafford breathed in deeply. "You have to… Fang. Save Fang."

"You know Asael took him?" Lightning's heart sunk. Asael had truly gone off the deep end if he was condoning the capture of one of Fang's best friends like this.

"Not Asael." Rafford's tone was raspy and scratchy. "Skelt…"

"Serah, get him some water." Lightning ordered, noticing the fray of the tape on Rafford's wrists. She slowed the removal towards the end and was glad of it, for Rafford had scraped into his skin in the attempt to escape. Lightning slowly, carefully removed the last of it, doing her best not to hurt him further. "Vanille," Lightning winced as Rafford did. "He's bleeding. I need a potion to stop the bloodflow."

Vanille started rifling through the doctor's room for the equipment.

Lightning pulled the nearby bed cover off and offered it to Rafford. "Bite this." Rafford did so without question and closed his eyes. Lightning ripped the tape off over his open wound. Rafford clenched his teeth, stiffening as a sharp sting ripped through his wrists. "Rafford," Lightning put a hand to his forehead to check for temperature. "Are you- "

"You have to rescue Fang," Rafford almost choked, swallowing rapidly to provide enough spit for the chore of speech. "Asael doesn't know- Skelt wants to use him. He wants to…"

"Alright, burglars! Time you get a taste of- " Snow startled. "Lightning?" Behind him, Gadot's eyes widened when he saw Rafford.

"Whoa! Lightning, he's old!" Gadot's brow furrowed. "You're having an affair on Fang with this guy? Ughh. Fang's gonna be heartbroken."

Lightning would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't so worried.

"How'd you find us?"

"The break in alarm went off when someone tried to open the door without the key." Snow explained. Lightning gave Vanille a look. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Fang's been kidnapped." Lightning stated shortly. Snow stiffened. "We could use your help. Either volunteer now or steer clear of our way."

"Who would kidnap Fang?"

"It's Skelt." Rafford choked, throat still dry for speech. Serah budged in behind Gadot and Snow, flustered a little when she passed Snow on her way to Rafford. She gave Lightning the cup and moved over close to Vanille, helping her search. Lightning offered Rafford the glass and held it for him, tilting it back at his lips. Rafford drank hungrily.

"Skelt?"

"He's the Sméagol you punched for Serah," Vanille answered shortly, inching closer to Serah possessively.

"That pervert?" Snow was outraged. "Who was watching you girls? He did something to Fang?"

"He wants to clone Fang's DNA." Rafford touched Lightning's hand desperately. "Everything we were going to do to change Fang was cosmetic. Removing his feminities, treating him with steroids, giving plastic surgery, it would have been all reversible, given time."

"Skelt's not planning to do that?"

Rafford shook his head gravely. "He wants to remove the feminine chromosome from Fang altogether. He's going to try to 'fix' him to being fully male, then copy the 'righted' sequence from Fang and inject Pulse soldiers with the genes to bring back the glory of the Yuns. There's an equally half-chance that Fang won't even survive the operation."

"Whoa," Gadot whispered to Snow. "I'm gonna call Rygdea, man. This sounds intense."

"That's not going to happen." Lightning gripped Rafford's shirt to stop her hand from shaking. "You know where their base of operations is, don't you?"

Rafford nodded.

"Take us to them." Lightning begged. "Please."

Rafford gripped her hand.

XXX

Fang felt heavy and weighted down. So very tired, she didn't even open her eyes for lack of energy, she felt so sluggish. Something warm was covering her and it made her hot. Fang tried to kick off the blanket, but her leg wouldn't life more than an inch before she found she couldn't move it any further. Fang tried to move her arms and faced similar results. She sighed sleepily and willed her eyes to open. Slowly, a crack of light shined through.

Fang had to close her eyes right off the bat for how bright it was an invasion into her pupils.

Blinking rapidly to clear her eyes enough to see, Fang's eyes gradually came into focus. She found herself staring up at a white ceiling with fluorescents shining brightly far above. Fluorescents? Fang blinked again, this time in confusion. They didn't have fluorescent lighting in the castle…

"Fang? Are you up?"

Fang turned her head, trying to focus and take in her surroundings. "Dad?" She couldn't see him. She tried to move, but again found herself locked into place, this time noticing the cold touch of steel to her wrists. She was in a medical lab, one she recognized. It was the same lab that her father had taken her to just a little less than two weeks ago. Before Fang could logically put two and two together, Asael stepped into view.

"I'm here, Fang." Asael took her hand under the blanket. "Are you with me? Do you know where you are?"

"Why are we at the lab, Dad?" Fang croaked, throat unusually dry. "I feel so heavy…"

"It's the sedative, Fang. Your last sedative's still wearing off."

"I was sedated?" Fang tried to move her hand again and found that cool metal blocking her as it pressed into her skin. "Dad, am I…" Fang glanced down at herself, at the blanket, and noticed for the first time that she was completely naked underneath it. Combined with the lab setting and the cool restraints binding her arms and legs, it started to click. "Dad?" When no answer came to the question in her voice, Fang's cool shook.

Asael crouched so she wasn't looking up at him, but eyelevel. "I know this isn't what you want, Fang."

"Then don't do it!" Fang started to panic.

"You can hate me for this. I would too, in your place."

"Dad, please!" Fang begged. "I don't want to hate you! You're my father! Don't do this."

"I have to protect you." Asael's voice was eerily steady, despite his increasing heartbreak. "I won't be around forever to do that. This is the only way I can keep both you and Lightning safe when I'm gone."

Fang's eyes watered. "Dad, please. I'm happy. I don't want to change. Claire and I are both capable of defending ourselves, this won't change that. Don't force me to undergo this." Asael lowered his eyes. Fang's vision was starting to blur. "Please don't do this, Dad."

"…I'm sorry, Fang." Lifting a hand to her cheek, Asael touched his child for the last time she'd willingly let him. "You really are beautiful… just like your mother." Fang choked on a sob in the back of her throat. Asael leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

Fang's eyes burned hot.

"Asssael, we mustss measure tha boy." In his excitement, Skelt's sloppy lisp was increasingly terrible.

Asael closed his eyes.

"Preparationsss musts be taken. He iss to- "

"Shut up, Skelt!" Asael hissed, turning to glower at the little man, who shrunk back. "I will make all the necessary procedures myself. Get to your control gadgets and stay there. You will do your part and leave my daughter the fuck alone."

Fang suddenly squeezed back, hard. "Claire's going to come for me. Dad- "

"Nobody's gonna be killed, Fang. I've already ordered it. She'll be safe."

Fang was silent a moment, then. "…Dad," Fang's fingers curled around her father's. She was crying freely now, silent, but noticeably shaken and heartstruck. "Don't leave me when it happens."

"I won't, Fang." Asael promised, squeezing her fingers. "I'll never leave you when you want me here."

Fang sniffled and hid her face to cover the tears, with only her tormentor to take comfort from.