Summer passed and Autumn came, not that it made much of a difference on the beaches of Bodhum.

The days were just as sunny, the water just as warm, the sandy shores were just as frequented as they had been all summer.

The only difference was the breeze. It seemed to have picked up speed, seemed to come blowing from the Inland now. Instead of tasting like the salty sea it was carrying the spicy richness of herbs, a colorful blend of dried up leaves and berries, the foreign scents coming the forests and beyond.

The days in Bodhum had begun to get a little shorter too, the mornings came a little later and the evenings arrived more quickly, but all in all things had settled into some kind of routine.

Lightning's life was slowly taking form again was becoming more organized, more sheduled, more clear.

Her work at the guardian corps was doing her good, it really did, gave her meaning, structure, and purpose. All those things she had so missed those first few months in Bodhum.

She had gotten used to her new life, used to her new circumstances, had managed to settle into family life with Serah and Snow and her new job at the guardian corps. All in all life had gotten easier had gotten fine.

Still.

She had absolutely no idea how to handle her fling with Sephiroth. Or whatever it was, really.

She knew now that for him it was so much more than that but the truth was she still didn't have a clue of what exactly it meant to her.

After the incident on her sister's front lawn the general had kept his distance. Had stopped pestering her with uncomfortable questions and expectations and stalking her on the streets.

Still. It felt awkward between the two of them again.

The truth was Lightning had no idea how to interact with him.

How to deal with his expectant stares, with his hopeful glances.

She knew he wanted to be with her. Wanted her to move in, wanted her to make things between them official, wanted to take their relationship to the next level. To somehow be more than just comrades or friends or secret lovers.

But somehow no matter how much she thought it through, Lightning couldn´t bring herself to make this official, couldn't bring herself to give in to him. No matter how often she turned it over in her head, none of it felt right, made sense.

What would her life be like?

Would she be living with the general in that fancy beach house? Would they host dinner parties and have kids? Would she read them stories before they fell asleep and cook their meals?

Somehow she wasn´t ready to find out. Not yet. If ever.

This just wasn´t like the character she had made up for herself. Lightning the relentless SOLDIER. She was not supposed to give in to her feelings, to fall in love and start a family with her former mentor/boss. Or to have any feelings at all that was.

No this wasn´t the Lightning she had created. And definitely not the killer machine Shin-Ra had created. The monster.

Then who was it?

Claire Farron? The girl she had left behind all those years ago?

No... She had died the day her parents had... Hadn´t she?! Hadn't she?

Oh, what a mess...

For once in her life Lightning had no idea what to do, where to go.

Not at all.

It wasn´t that she didn´t want to be with him. Because yes. There was that huge part inside of her that wanted to. Badly so.

But then again. That part was probably just a bunch of degenerated alien cells craving their reuninon.

No. She wasn´t ready for this. She so wasn´t.

A few weeks back she´d been fighting giant beasts. A few months ago she´d been fighting in a war. And another few months ago she´d been genetically modified to be a bloodthirsty killer mashine.

Now that she had forced herself into the costume of the warrior, the killer, all those past years...

How was she supposed to change out of it from one day to the other?

Lightning didn´t know. Only knew she couldn´t do it.

She knew she wouldn´t be able to evade Sephiroth forever though. That he would bring this up again eventually. That this current ceasefire was really just the eye of the hurricane, the calm before the next storm.

Yes. There was a storm approaching. She could feel it. Could feel it in her very core. The way that he kept looking at her, the way he made to brush her arm whenever he passed by. It was only a matter of time until that bomb would blow up into her face, and she so wasn't looking forward to any of it.

Either way, there were much more pressing problems to be dealt with.

There really were.

It was about a month after they had joined the Guardian Corps, about two weeks after the guys had finally moved into their own places, that the sightings had occurred.

And strange sightings they were too.

Beast.

Monsters.

And their prey.

They were spotted all over Bodhum and lots of them, too.

Creatures that would normally stick to the woods surrounding Bodhum, would stay hidden behind the covers of the bushes, they suddenly started invading the city, had begun roaming the streets.

At first there'd been only a few deer and some hares.

But then it were gorgonopsids and silver lobos and uridimmus.

It wasn't exactly funny when you wanted to do your shopping and suddenly a pack of hungry gorgonopsids came charging at you from the nearby trees.

Not funny indeed.

No those sightings weren't only unusual they were also dangerous and there were more and more of them reported everyday.

The neighbourhood watch was working overhours now to reign them in, to get them under control really, and so were the guardian corps.

But still, nobody knew where they were suddenly all coming from or more importantly, why.


It was another sunny friday afternoon. At least a week had passed after the first sightings had occurred and Lightning had just returned to the Guardian Corp´s base station at the center of the city, returned from another patrol with Zack, another three hours spent slaying monsters.

With her new uniform drenched in monster juices, it almost felt like those low rank missions in the slums of Midgar again.

'Hey guys! What´s up?' Genesis greeted from behind the coffee machine, busy pimping his drink with a shot of rum and not even trying to be secretive about it whatsoever.

Yummy.

'Nothing much.' Zack replied.

'Just another great sunny day spent outside admiring nature´s beautiful wildlife.' he added pointing at is blood drenched shirt.

'Ughh! You two look like you could take a shower!' the First Class observed, scrunching up his nose in disgust as he walked over to set his coffee cup on the huge oak briefing table in the middle of the room.

'Anything unusual?' they suddenly heard Sephiroth´s voice, as coming out of one of the adjoining offices he made to join them.

Their eyes meeting for a tiny moment, Lightning couldn´t help but feel the longing to be alone with him again.

To feel him close to her.

To feel his skin on her's.

To kiss him.

To be with him.

It was rather irksome really. The way her body seemed to go on autopilot whenever she was close to him. Then again... Her body had always been a traitor when things had come to him.

'Uhm... No.' Zack answered when his companion didn´t answer whatsoever.

'Except for their display of poor body hygiene, of course!' Geneses threw, in pointing at his two comrades with a snappish smirk.

Lighting already felt one of Zack´s cheeky retorts coming on when suddenly the front doors were thrown open and Angeal Hewley came striding inside, the carcass of a huge doglike creature slung over his shoulders.

He carried it over to the briefing table where he unceremoniously dumped it onto the table top, spilling Genesis´s cup of coffee in the process.

'Angeal... What did we tell you about bringing food from home?! You can buy stuff at the cafeteria you know!?' the redhead started, the other´s just staring at the carcass lying in the middle of the table, a foul decaying stench radiating from it´s fur, instantly filling the entire room.

'What is this thing?!' Zack asked, carefully approaching the dead beast on the table, the rest of them just staring at the creature lying there in front of them.

'I don´t know...' Lightning heard herself pipe up. 'I´ve never seen anything quite like it...'

And it was true.

That thing...

Albeit having spent her entire childhood and adolescence there in Bodhum, the pink haired warrior had never seen anything like it at all.

With the head reminding of a dog´s, huge bulging eyes, and teeth, teeth much sharper and much longer than any dog´s could ever be, with it´s paws and legs canine but strangely deformed, she let her eyes trail to it´s belly where a huge gaping wound sat open in it's side, a large chunk of flesh missing where something had almost bitten it in two.

'I did some research guys...' Angeal began. 'And honestly... There are no recorded sightings of a beast like this in this area like ever. Actually I couldn't find any entry at all that fit it's description in any of the archives.'

The rest of them just staring at the carcass lying on the table completely lost for words, with it´s blood oozing from the wound and slowly ruining the carpet, it was Sephiroth who took a step forward to closer inspect the creature's injuries.

'Look at that wound... It looks like a bite wound to me..." He began, looking up to meet his female comrade´s eyes.

The pensive look in those deep green pools of mako, Lightning didn´t like it. Not at all.

'I wonder what had caused it.'

Sure, she wondered too.

'Behemoths maybe?' Zack offered form beside them.

'No.. I don't think so.' Lightning assured instantly.

'Behemoths don't bite lite that. They rip and tear...'

It was true.

Everyone who'd ever fought a Behemot would know that.

No. This was no Behemoth's doing.

And that strange doglike creature, it didn't look like it was on a Behemoth's menu either.

Well... Whatever that thing was and where it had come from, there definitely was something out there that was preying on it.

Something that did not belong there into the forest either.

It wasn't a very comforting thought.

Because whatever it was, it certainly had to be something huge.


It was later that day, Zack and her were already cleaned up and in a fresh pair of uniforms, that the six of them old SOLDIER comrades met in the city center square to go for a drink.

It was friday night after all and they hadn't done anything together in ages.

Gone were the good old soldier days where they'd hang out after work together every other day.

Where they'd roam the slums together or hit a pub or let themselves get treated by Angeal Hewley's cooking skills or just laze around the common room watching the news together and talking about the recent evens.

Well... Things were different now. They didn't all live door to door anymore, didn't eat in the same cafeteria. Had different things to spent their freetime with now, different interests, had pretty much their own lives now, their own responsibilities.

Sometimes Lightning missed it. Those endless nights spent together just walking around Midgar, talking random shit over a basket of Tifa's chicken wings down at seventh heaven, then on the other hand she had never really enjoyed those or had she?

She hadn't. Not really.

Well... It didn't really matter now. Midgar was gone. And so was the past. What had stayed were the people, those five people who'd become her family.

They were waiting for her in the middle of the city square.

Yes, Claire Farron was a bit late she had to admit. Well, she lived the farthest away from town of all of them, had the longest path to walk, and it was a little stressed therefore, that she arrived to their expectant gazes.

'There I already thought you'd never come.' Zack greeted her somewhat accusingly as he made to turn around and without wasting any time lead them towards the row of beach bars.

'I'm sorry, I was delayed.' Lightning mumbled somewhat huffily.

Her eyes meeting the curious gaze of her silver haired general Lightning couldn't help but blush.

The truth was she'd been having a hell of a time removing all the dried monster blood from her hair. A fact that she'd never admit infront of her comrades, lest they made fun of her girly problems.

How did Sephiroth cope with stuff like this, she wondered? Somehow his hair was always perfect, always shiny, clean and smooth.

'Okay, where to this time?' Genesis asked somehwat boredly.

'We could try 'The Cocoon'' Cloud piped up excitedly.

'Nahhhh.. NO way … 'The Cocoon' is for pussies.' Zack waved his suggestion away with a swift movement of his left hand.

'Plus I need somewhere with a decent menu.' Angeal threw in instantly.

'Okay how about,'the lanky Fal'Cie' then?' Genesis offered, osunding midly interested.

The other's slowly making their way towards the line of beach bars arguing about where to go exactly, it was before she knew it that Lightning found herself at the back of the group with none other than Sephiroth.

'Hey...' the silver haired first class said offering her a tiny smile.

'Hi...' Lightning said somewhat defeatedly as the two of them followed the others into the direction of the shore.

It was the first time in quite some time that the two of them spent time together in their freetime, the first time actually after that disastrous night at his brand new beach house and the day thereafter and suddenly Lightning couldn't help but feel stupid.

She had been glad he'd stopped pushing her, had been thankful for that breather, true. Thankful for the space, the air, the distance.

Still. She had missed him. Hadn't even realized how much she'd missed him until now that he was there right next to her. Was close enough that she could touch him had she wanted to.

And she did want to... Still. She didn't give in to her body's urges, the jenova cell's urges really.

They had kept their distance those past few days those weeks. Had communicated via reproachful stares, via expectant glances, mostly. Almost exclusively, actually.

'Are you okay?' her companion asked somewhat hesitantly and Lightning couldn't help but crack a little smile.

It was weird attempting a trivial conversation with him, was silly really, but at least he was trying and Lightning couldn't help but give him credit for that.

Maybe... Maybe he finally had understood?

Maybe he had come to the conclusion that pushing her wouldn't get them anywhere, that just leaving things as they were would be in their best of interests. That maybe staying friends or comrades really would be best for them.

Well, what ever it was she thought she'd better play along.

It had been some time since the two of them had had a decent conversation.

She might as well give it a chance.

'I'm fine. How about you?' she said, giving him a rare small smile.

'I missed you.' the man beside her said somewhat sadly.

His hand reaching out to take her's Lightning found herself pull away.

She regretted it almost instantly.

The brief touch of his skin, it had ignited her with that longing again, that terrible owerwhelming longing to be close to him, had left her with the empty feeling of loss, an urge to feel his skin again.

It made Claire Farron gave a frustrated sigh.

No. He hadn't understood at all.

It would have been too good to be true.

Sure she'd missed him too. Or at least her body had. Her crazy alien stem cells. There was no denying that. Still...

'Lightning I-'

'Here we are! I always wanted to try 'Chokobo Jack's' cocktails.' Genesis suddenly piped up from right in front of them.

They were standing in front of a dimly lit club with dark red painted walls. There were pretty budding bushes zeiren adorning the entrance area and the front doors were wide open, ready to admit her and her friends inside.

Lightning had almost forgotten they were there.

'That's okay.' Claire Farron said in agreement, quickly silencing her silver haired lover with one of her stern expressions as the others quickly made to file inside.

The silver haired first class, he gave her one of his withering glances in return.

'Are you two coming or what?' Zack called out from the doorway.

Well. Of course they were.


The topic of the mysterious beast number one on the list of conversation topics, Lightning didn´t really care to join the talk.

Her thoughts, they were elsewhere.

And she wasn´t the only one it seemed.

Her attention was on the silver haired male occupying the seat on the other side of the table of course, mako green eyes fixed on her´s at all times, their legs unbeknownst to the others touching underneath the tabletop where Genesis was placing drinks in front of every one of them.

Angeal had eaten himself through everything the kitchens there had to offer as usual and the whole table was already littered with cleared plates and all kinds of accumulated remains.

The evening out with their friends, to Lightning it turned out to be a never ending torture, as waiting for the others to finally decide that it was time to call it a day she sat there, waiting for an opportunity to be alone with Sephiroth.

It was true she was scared he'd bring up the old topic again, was dreading it already in fact, still there was no denying the almost irresistable pull she felt towards him, the urge, the longing, the need, it was unbearable. Really.

Annoying commitment discussions or not. She needed to be close to him. Needed to feel his skin underneath her fingers, needed to feel his arms around her body, needed to taste his lips. Needed him, like she needed air to breathe.

There was no denying that. There had never been.

And there was no way around it either.

How could she have gone without him those past few days?! Suddenly she didn't know.

All she knew was that she wanted the others to leave as quickly as possible so she could be alone with him, could breathe him, feel him.

The evening took forever and it was like an eternity later that finally they parted ways in front of the little pub.

With everyone bading each other good night and making towards their own respective homes, the general throwing her meaningful glances, it was just a few moments later that the two of them, unbeknownst to the others as ususal, vanished into the shadows of a dim lit alley.

Finding herself with her back pressed to the wall almost immediately ,(yes she was finding herself a lot in this position lately), Claire Farron instantly felt her lover´s lips crushing down on her´s, felt his arms around her waist, felt his hands sneak right under her shirt and the nails of his fingers dig into the soft skin of her sides, her hips, the small of her back, passionately, needy.

He wanted her. She could tell. Needed her, really.

His actions, they mirrored her own needs, desperately so.

'Please come with me.' the general started once they broke apart.

His breathing labored and one of his hands coming up to cup her cheek as he liked to do so much, she knew exactly where this was leading once again.

'Let´s go to my place. There´s nobody there to bother us... You could stay for the night again.' he said, his eyes pleading and the hand that had been on her cheek traveling down to her chin, her neck, her collarbone, her cleavage, while the other that had been resting on the small of her back was wandering down to her butt.

The pink haired female had a hard time resisting the temptation.

But in the end she did.

'I can´t.' she told him firmly, as gently but decisively she made to push away from him, if only just a little bit.

'Serah will notice. She´ll be worried...'

'She wasn't worried the other night.' the silver haired man in front her whispered as he leaned forward to kiss her lips again.

Lightning knew it was true. It was a feeble excuse really, but the only one that had come to her mind.

The truth was she was scared.

Was scared of him. Was scared of herself really.

She knew what would happen if she allowed him to take her home with him.

She'd loose control again. She already had. She always did around him.

They'd have sex again.

She'd stay the night again.

She'd wake up in that damned beach house again, he wanted her to move to.

Where exactly was the difference if she kept spending nights there again and again?

No.. It would only affirm him in his actions, would only get his hopes up again.

No. She couldn't have that. Could not have that at all.

It made her freeze midkiss. Made the silver haired first class pull away to look at her.

'You could just tell her.' Sephiroth suggested somewhat carefully.

Oh, she so knew he´d bring this up again.

'Tell her what?' she asked somewhat acidly as a means to play for time.

'About us...'

It was without saying a thing in answer that Claire Farron averted her eyes.

Why? Why was he doing this to her?!

Why did he always have to start with this?!

Why did he always have to ruin those few precious moments that they had together with discussing this nonesense?!

Why couldn´t he just enjoy this the way it was?

What they had now, wasn´t it enough for him?

Why did he always have to ask the impossible from her...

'I don´t want to hide my feelings anymore!' the General suddenly said out of nowhere.

His cheeks suddenly flushed Lightning could tell the words had been on his tongue for quite some time now. Had burst from his lips as though he'd been holding them back for Etro knew how long now.

It made Lightning's stomach twist.

'I need you... You are the only thing good that ever happened to me in my entire life...' he added somewhat pleadingly, using one of his hands to make her look up at him again.

'Please...'

'Sephiroth...' Lightning began, the pained look in those mako green eyes silencing her instantly.

'Please...' he insisted.

'No... I... I can´t.' she stammered, unsure of what to do, of what to say really.

'I just can´t... I don't..'

'Lightning please... Don´t do this to me. I can´t go on like this much longer.' the man infront her pleaded, eyes imploring her to give this a shot, to give this a try. To just consider it for once. Just once.

The pink haired female only shook her head in response.

'Come on, lets go back to the house. We can talk there.' the silver haired first class urged, tugging at her wrist tentatively.

'I already told you. I can't.' Lightning replied instantly.

'Why not?'

His voice had gone from gentle, pleading, to commanding, low, deadly calm.

Claire Farron only stared.

'Why do you keep doing that? Why do you keep pushing me away like that? Why are you so keen on keeping this, us , a secret?!' the man in front of her had raised his voice now. Mako green eyes blazing at her with indignation, with reproah.

They demanded instant explication.

And it followed instantly.

'Because i do not want it!'

It had burst form Lightning's lips before she'd even realized.

The words coming out much more forceful than she had intended, now they were out the pink haired warrior couldn't take them back.

The man infront of her looking as though he'd been slapped in the face, Lightning couldn't help but realize that it was true.

In a way it was. It really was. She didn't want this. Any of this. The house and the relationship and these stupid arguments...

He'd been throwing it all at her without ever stopping to ask her whether she wanted any of it too.

And then, in another way it wasn't. Wasn't what she felt at all.

Still, there was no taking back her words.

And there was no reason to stop there either.

'I dont want you picking horrendously expensive beach houses for me to live in!' she continued instantly.

'I don't want you to make all those decisions!'

'I dont want you to put me under pressure like that and I don't want that horrible alien connection bond thing!'

Her voice much louder and high pitched than she would have preferred, suddenly it all came bursting out.

'I don't want any of those things! I never wanted them!' she continued relentlessly.

Now there was no holding back.

'But somehow it's always been like this. Hasn't it?' she barked, looking up at him accusingly.

'You always made decision for me, did'nt you?! You always make decisions for everyone without ever stopping to ask for any of their opinions, without ever thinking about their feelings, about our feelings! About my feelings... All those years you never cared. You teased me, you humiliated me, you taunted me, fuck, you tortured me! You hurt me! You expect me to forget all that? You expect me to still dance to your tune?! Well I have news for you! I haven't! And I won't!'

All those words coming out of her like water bubbling from a fountain, all those things she'd been wanting to say to him for ages, Claire Farron found finally getting them out of her system felt like a huge relief.

'Lightning please...' the silver haired first class tried somewhat tentatively but she was not going to give him a chance to speak up again.

No.

She was only just getting started.

'You cannot do this with me anymore! You're not my boss anymore! I won't let you take advantage of me anymore!'

The silver haired fist class looking at her as though she'd kicked him in the stomach, Claire Farron quickly shook her head.

Now she had gone too far.

She could tell so from the tortured look on his face, from the crestfallen look in his eyes, from the way he bit his lower lip. That very lip she'd dreamed of kissing just a few minutes ago. That lip she suddenly found trembling.

'I'm sorry. That came out all the wrong way.' she backpedaled instantly. Suddenly all the air had gone out.

The tall lean first class giving a pained regretfull sigh, finally letting go of her wrist, he took a tiny step away from her.

Suddenly the tiny happy bubble he'd been carrying with him ever since his arrival in Bodhum had burst.

All those pretty things that had never been in the cards for him, a peaceful life at the beach, a partner and a family... Arriving at the idyllic beaches of Bodhum suddenly they had felt possible, seemed feasible.

But of course they weren't. They had never been.

He had been stupid. Blinded by false hopes.

He must have been delusional to think that she would want him. That she would accept him, that she would love him back, just like that.

No. Of course not.

And why would she?

He was a monster after all...

'Sephiroth...' Lightning tried somewhat tentatively.

But the man in front of her, he had already shut her out.

That handsome face, full of emotion just a second ago, it had turned back into that coldblooded killer mask she remembered so well, in just the blink of an eye.

'What am I to you Lightning?' he suddenly asked out of the blue, his voice suddenly cold, steely.

'What is this to you?' he gestured between the two of them, indicating he was talking about their relationship.

She had gone too far this time.

Lightning was aware.

He'd been putting up with a lot from her. He really had. He'd been prepared to try again and again. To give her new chances again and again.

But this time she had hurt him. Really had. Had hurt his feelings once too much.

She had pushed him away. Had pushed him back behind the confines of his impassive killer mask. That mask Lightning hadn't seen him donn in weeks now and Lightning knew that it was serious. That whatever was passing between the two of them right now was final.

'I... I don´t know... What are you talking about?!' she stammered, unable to think of anything to say as slowly she began to understand of what she had done, of what she was doing really.

It was the wrong answer alltogether.

The silver haired man in front of her, he only shook his head.

Looking up into his mako eyes Lightning found the cold predator stare of the killer, the piercing glare of the monster about to rip her to pieces.

It made a icy shiver run down her spine, made her blood run cold, made her heart stop beating for a second.

What had she done?

'Sephiroth... ' it was her turn now to look up at him pleadingly. Was her turn to tentatively grasp at his wrist.

But the gentle understanding man she'd only just come to know, the one who'd tried with her again and again, the one who'd been prepared to give his everything to make this work, the one who'd given up his career at psycom to stay close to her, the one who'd helped her overcome her fears of water and of hights and who'd bought a beach house for the both of them to live in, the man who'd been hiding behind that mask all that time. He was gone. Was gone without a trace.

There was only the monster she'd once known staring back at her now. The impassive marble features of the warrior, the fighter, the killer.

Oh no... What had she done?

'I can´t bear playing your games anymore.' the man infront her said.

And then he was off. Off into the darkness.