'Oh come on...' Zack began.

Claire Farron sensed a huge portion of puppy eyes coming up again and she was not to be disappointed.

'You could at least apply for the Guardian Corps... You could work right here in Bodhum and stay with Serah and Snow!'

There he went again...

'Hey, that actually sounds like a great idea!' Serah piped up from the other side of their breakfast table.

Great.

Now the two of them had joined forces against her, it didn´t seem there was much of a choice for Lightning anymore.

She didn´t like the idea of picking up a job in the military again.

Not really.

Sure it was the only thing she had ever done, the only thing she was actually good at, but still...

Those years had changed her. The war had changed her.

And what she had found inside of her, what that war had brought forth in the innermost depths of her being, the killer, the monster really, now that finally it seemed to sleep, she wasn´t sure whether it would be wise to rouse it again. Wasn´t sure whether it´d be wise to feed the beast that had awoken there inside of her.

Yes. Lightning wasn´t sure she was ready to face Jenova again. At least that side of her. The monster. Residing there inside her body. Buried only inch-deep beneath her skin. Right inside her very core.

She guessed she wasn´t.

Who would be?

Also she wasn´t exactly sure the Guardian Corps would do.

Risking a look over at the silver haired general sitting on the other end of the table, she found him studying her features intently.

Sephiroth.

He didn´t want her to join the Guardian Corps.

He wanted her to come with him. To the sanctum.

Whatever his plans for her, they didn´t include her staying here at Bodhum.

She knew that.

And she felt torn.

So very torn.

Because what was she supposed to do?

Sure, she loved him. Had secretly done so for years. And now that finally she´d found out he returned her feelings, had done so all this time, she knew the answer should be easy.

But somehow it wasn´t.

It wasn´t to her.

Of course he had promised a lot there at the beach. Had been talking about having a family of their own... But what kind of family would that be exactly?

With both of them in the military?

Also she wasn´t exactly sure she was ready for this.

Not sure whether she´d actually be able to live like that at all. To walk a path that she had turned her back on all those years ago.

The one where you settled into cozy houses with your life partner, the one where you married, had kids and everything.

She wasn´t sure she actually wanted that. Was ready for that. Would actually be able to do that even if she wanted.

Somehow it didn't feel quite right.

And Serah...

She wasn´t going to leave Serah...

Never again.

What kind of family would her´s be if Serah wasn´t in it?!

'Lightning?!' Serah prompted when she didn´t say a thing.

Apparently, she had been silent for quite some time now.

'I... I don´t know.' the pink haired female stammered.

She felt Sephiroth´s mako stare drilling into her skull, but she didn´t find the courage to look up.

She knew he expected her to come along.

But still...

How was she supposed to do that?

How was she supposed to leave Serah again?!


'NO! There´s just NO WAY I´m going to join the Guardian Corps!' Genesis voice echoed from the walls of the Farron´s hallway like the roll of thunder. He was sounding `slightly´ upset.

It was one week later and the group of them had just arrived back from their trip to the Sanctum, back from their job interviews.

'I wanted to join the PSICOM! I'm not getting why I have to take on a job in the pussy department just because you are such a stupid bastard!' The redhead yelled beside himself with fury.

'Guys?!' Snow asked, rushing out of the living room to see what was going on himself, his eyes huge, his tone worried.

He was pushed back through the doorway by a completely infuriated Genesis Rhapsodos, elbowing his way past him up the stairs and into the guest room, cursing obsceneties all the way as he went up. He didn´t care to lower his voice once he reached the landing.

Snow Villiers having no clue about what was going on at all caught a glimpse of silver hair vanishing out the back door, his new sister in law nowhere to be seen.

'Shit...What´s going on?!' the burly blonde inquired, somewhat taken aback at the First Class diva´s crazy antics.

'Nothing much...' Angeal informed, seeming completely at ease himself as he walked into the hall.

'Lightning got her job at the Guardian Corps.'

Snow just kept looking at him incredulously.

'So...?!' he prompted when the First Class didn´t care to elaborate.

'Well, when she came out of that office again, Sephiroth went in to negotiate something for the rest of us.' the First Class continued, shrugging his broad shoulders.

'We all figured it was something about our loans or whatever.'

'Anyway... They offered him a high ranking position in PSICOM. Well, they actually offered a job at PSICOM for all of us.' he explained somewhat unenthusiastically.

'And?' Snow said, growing slightly impatient.

'He reclined.'

'He reclined?' the giant blonde couldn´t believe his ears.

'Uhm...Yes...' Angeal Hewley verified.

'Decided for all of us to join the Guardian Corps instead. Here in Bodhum.'

'But uhm...' the freshly married man stuttered. 'I don´t understand?! Why did he...'

The burly First Class gesturing over to the glass doors leading out onto the porch, where the silver haired General seemed to be in middle of a heated discussion with his new wife's older sister, something in Snow´s head finally seemed to click in place.

'Ohw...' was everything he managed as realization dawned on him.

'Yes... `Ohw´!'


'You don´t have to do that! You guys don´t have to stay here...'

She must have said it at least a thousand times already, had done so all their way back, but somehow the silver haired man infront of her didn´t seem to listen.

'What if I want to!' Sephiroth threw in.

'Look at Genesis. He´s really unhappy.' Lightning talked right over him. She couldn´t get why he was being so selfish.

'If we leave to join the PSICOM without you, I´d be really unhappy.' the general cut in. 'I don´t want to leave you behind...'

'Sephiroth...'

He silenced her by gently cupping her cheek, making her look up at him in the process.

'If you are not coming with us, then I will just stay here too. There is no way I´m going to leave this place without you.' he said.

His voice was low, soft, and his beautiful mako eyes were burning into her´s so intently that she almost couldn´t bear to hold his gaze.

'I´m not going to lose you again...'

'Sephiroth... I...' The intensity of his stare silenced her almost instantly.

'Lightning, I want to be with you... There is no way I´m going to leave you for a stupid job...'

At this she finally pulled away. Trying to bring at least a few feet of distance between their bodies, she made over to the other end of the porch.

She needed some space to think. Some distance really.

Somehow her brain just wouldn´t work right, would sometimes stop working altogether, whenever she dared to come too close to that man.

They had gotten closer those past few days after Serah's wedding, that week, had spent some time together walking the illustrous city of the sanctum, travelling there and back together, had shared their lunches and dinners and breakfast but still, after everything that had happened, suddenly things were going all too fast.

Lightning was not ready for a relationship. Not yet. And definitely not for talks about family or beach houses.

There were just so many things she needed to work out. So many things she had to get in oder. Her whole life was mess. There were so many things she had to work out for herself before she even could begin to picture herself even considering all of these things.

Why couldn't he understand that?

Why did he have to put her under pressure like this?

The silver haired man in question not leaving her much timy to sort her thoughts, her was there next to her almost instantly. His hand reaching out for her´s once more, he didn´t even let go of her this time, when she tried to pull away.

Turning her head back to look at him, the pink haired woman gave him one of her frustrated sighs.

'Sephiroth... This won´t work... Not like this... I can´t... I mean...' she stammered, trying to keep her voice low so nobody would actually have any chance to listen in.

Those Mako green eyes suddenly pleading she felt him squeeze her hand again.

'We will find a way to make it work.' was what he told her with finality.

'I...' Opening her mouth to protest, the pink haired first class felt herself silenced by the determination in his eyes, the certainty, the finality, that after all this time still gave her goosebumps. And not in a goodway.

If Sephiroth said they'd find a way it would work, then they'd find a way it would work.

What Sephiroth said was law.

He wasn't her superior any more.

Lightning was aware.

Shin-Ra was no more.

SOLDIER was no more.

Still. The way he looked at her, the way he spoke, there was still a part of her that felt reluctant to oppose, to speak up against him really.

The realisation of that fact unsettling her to no end, suddenly Lightning didn´t know what to say.

It wasn´t that she didn´t want to be with him.

It was just that... Somehow she wasn´t sure this was the right thing.

All of them staying here in Bodhum just because of her...

It somehow didn´t feel right.

Especially since Genesis had such a hard time accepting the fact that he wouldn´t work for PSICOM.

Although, technically Genesis Rhapsodos was a grown man who was free to do whatever he wanted, somehow Sephiroth still was his boss, was somehow still her boss. It was a fact that the extermination of Shin-Ra couldn´t change. Was an unwritten rule, some quiet agreement between the six of them.

He was still their general. Would always be. And where he lead they´d follow. Shin-Ra or not. End of the story.

The tall man standing next to her softly tugging at her arm, Lightning hesitantly looked up again into his eyes.

'Light?'

He wanted a reply. Needed an reply really. Something that would tell him how she felt about it, some kind of indication that she did agree. She was aware.

And she hated it.

What was she supposed to say?

It didn´t seem like she´d have to come up with something anytime soon though.

The silver haired First Class taking a step closer, it was only a few moments later that she felt his lips descending on her own again in a kind of shy but persuading kiss.

It made her insides burst with bliss, with happiness and her heartbeat speed up as if she were running a marathon, all her rational thoughts flying away with the soft sea breeze caressing their skins - until suddenly there was the unexpected sound of the porch door thrown open.

The pink haired woman, she instantly made to break away, even pushed the general away from her to hastily retreat a few steps, before trying to act nonchalantly she turned to face the newcomer.

'Sorry to interrupt you guys... But food´s ready.' Snow announced, carefully sticking his head outside.

'That´s okay!' Lightning just said.

Fighting hard to act as she usually would, she was horrified to feel her cheeks blush crimson.

'Let´s go inside, I wonder what´s up for dinner!' she casually called over to the silver haired man standing at the edge of the porch now completely abandoned as she made to follow her brother in law back into the house.

The accusing stare he gave her. The way he looked at her, completely stunned. Devastated. Hurt even...

No matter what would happen in her life, Lightning didn´t think she could ever forget that stare. Not until the day she died.