(5,187 words) Holy shit fire, I apologise for my lack of updates, I've had this done for a while but the problem this time was no laptop to put it up. For I wrote this on my school laptop (which as I've mentioned before I'm quite sure, that means no fan fiction) because my home laptop was broken, yes broken, a four month old lap top is broken; now I'm sure that the piece of shit was a waste of money. I'm still using my friend to update as I have before for other stories because of it and its stupid brokenness.

Disclaimer: Look I don't own this I'm just trying to steal the legal rights to Serah, and nothing more; nothing wrong with that right…right?

Dance against the wind

Chapter 6: Planning's of lies

Fang sat herself down on the small wooden seat. The night of the party had come and gone, but she was yet to even mention to her parents what she had proposed to Cid about. Why? Maybe because she was quite rightly terrified.

This was a serious matter; it couldn't be dealt with just like that. She feared for her father's response in case he believed it was the wrong choice, he was not a man you would want against you, it was as she currently felt…absolutely terrifying. Her mother, regardless of her choice, would be ecstatic and filled with joy. She would want to get ahead with the preparations right away, because she would want to see the ceremony so goddess damn much. That woman was a rush, and apparently she couldn't compare to the Cocoon-heritage women around here. But honestly from seeing that Farron woman's party, the notion was oddly understandable.

At the moment she was in panic mode inside one of the Slaves miniscule houses on the outskirts of the plantation. It was of course Sazh's and his lovely/insane wife Annette's home. She was sleeping at this time as no longer being a young woman, and being pregnant at the same time finally was taking its toll. She was wrapped up in about half the blankets they owned, each were thin and old; doubtfully would they be keeping her warm. Dajh was outside playing with a small group of Chocobo Chicks. One of the few things the slaves here owned was a paddock full of Chocobo's and it was the time of the year when the mothers were having their new little babies. The Chocobo's supplied much for them. For children they kept them amused, they could be ridden to pass the time for older slaves (because they were, as her father put it, "horses for poor people,"), and when they got to a certain age most ended up as food. They were quite tasty to be honest, they provided something extra for the slaves who got small amounts of food the majority of the time; it was good they were such big creatures so there was plenty to go around. For reasons Fang could not fully get Sazh's young son was obsessed with the yellow birds, it was fun watching him around them. Sazh himself was cooking a stew made from what vegetables and meat he did have. For all what he lacked he could make a good meal when he wanted to, Sazh's cooking was widely known as the best (well widely known as in by all the slaves on the plantation). The best of it would have to be his stew that he was cooking right at the moment. It was said to calm the nerves as its wonderful taste hovered over your tongue, so she was told because at some point that sounded nuts.

He had cooked this up originally for his wife because she loved it so much but he recommended Fang try some, because maybe it might actually calm her nerves as it was easy to see her mind was just about to fall off some kind of edge. She was in full panic mode and the aging man wasn't one to be able to take seeing his friend in such a way. She had told them her problem, and they had fully understood the reason for such panic. They knew well enough what her parents would be like, it would either merit a terrifyingly cold negative response, or a positive one to a terrifying degree. So to her either way, she was doomed.

Sazh poured a ladle full of the stew into a bowl and handed it to her. The half full bowl shook in her shaky hands. The man gave her a half-hearted smile. Because he was not in her situation, he didn't know what he could do to help. The best thing was helping her calm down so she could get the words out of her mouth when the time came to tell her parents about the marriage proposal.

"Eat up, might help. Everyone always says it helps calm the nerves but I myself ain't too sure of it. But right now you might want to take anything as long as it helps." He shrugged making another attempt at a smile.

Fang nodded and took a sip of the juice; it was warm and had a meaty taste. They were right about it being tasty, it was one of the best things she had had in ages, just goes to show it doesn't have to be expensive to be good.

"Goddess be glad you aren't in my situation, my parents are hell. It's damn confusing most people don't know better." She said after chewing and swallowing a piece of meat.

"Most people only believe in what they want, and your parents are the rich social kind. They'll do anything to look good on the outside; we'll be the only ones who know of what bad they have committed. It's a shame what they did to Vanille." He finished and poured two more bowls, one for him one for Dajh.

"Screw the differences, she was my best friend and her parents are nothing but monsters for what they did. For the sake of Etro I care more than they do about her safety." He turned to Fang with an apologetic look, "No offence, I know you're different, sometimes I have to remind myself that you're related and all."

"It's fine none taken, I agree with you and hate them all the more." She took some more of the soup. For a minute they were lost in silence, there was a feeling of uncomfortableness but it was ignored as Fang finished the stew. Despite their choice in conversation she did happen to feel more settled, maybe the food did help. So it was as they said.

"I know where it is, you know." She stated suddenly cutting through the almost silence.

"Know where what is?" Sazh questioned as he put down the bowl he was about to eat from.

"The mental hospital that they put Vanille in. I snuck into father's office and looked through his papers; I found a pile from that disgusting place. Apparently it is an expensive place to be sending 'ill' relatives and he has been forgetting previous payments. If they don't get the money he owes them they are going to send her to another place, one certainly not as 'safe' as the one she currently is at."

"Safe? How could she ever be safe in a place like that? They are all the same no matter where she ends up. They treat their patients like dirt, if a sane person ends up there like Vanille has they will still be treated the same way because everyone will forever think they are no different from those who have lost their minds. They are horrible places and no one deserves to suffer in such a place, it doesn't matter if they have lost their minds or not." He sighed outwardly in frustration; Fang had sat there listening quietly throughout.

"Where is it if you do happen to know?" He asked.

"On the outskirts of Nautilus, far away from the glitz and glamour of the big city." She spat, no need to ask why. Nautilus was a fantastic place, shining lights and endless supplies of parties. It was the city of entertainment, but beyond hid shadows darker than most of its inhabitants would ever realise were there. It was a dark place full of the bad kind of people, a place that would only exist in an area like Cocoon. Pulse didn't have such places, Oerba was bad in comparison to most of the state, and all it had was rich Cocoon-heritage idiots that strongly believed them to be better than others.

"Oh dear goddess I fear for that girl's safety. The Nautilus outskirts are not a good place to be for someone like her. I fear what the staff could be doing behind the scenes." Both winced at that comment, they knew what he meant sure enough; people from Cocoon were capable of doing what many considered to be very, very twisted.

Fang stood up from the seat and pulled the old man into a hug, he had found it unexpected from what showed clear from his face, but he relaxed after a second. He knew what this conversation was doing to the young woman; he shouldn't have been surprised at all from what she was doing. He raised a hand to pat down her tangled raven strands, feeling tears fall down her cheeks and land on his chest.

"I'm going to get her out of that place. I'll do it somehow. She shouldn't be there! She didn't do anything wrong!" A strangled sob caught in her throat. "I'll save her! I have to!" Her arms clung weakly to him. He gave a sad smile to her. She was acting so unlike herself; he knew what Vanille meant to her. To her no one in the world was more important than her darling little sister.

She pulled back and wiped at the remaining tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Ah…I'm sorry I should go now. I should be telling my parents about the proposal, it is important after all." Her voice sounded shaky but she was doing great at returning her composure so rapidly.

She let go of Sazh and moved out the door but was halted by the sound of his voice.

"Look girl, you don't have to worry about anything. Cid's a good guy from a good family; they won't have anything to be angry about. And as for Vanille, I'm sure she'll be fine; but keep in mind not to break that promise; I'm holding you to it. Make sure you save that girl."

She nodded in his direction before turning, giving Dajh, who was eyeing her curiously, a smile, and then running off in the direction of the main house.

Fang walked in the doors in dead silence, hands held close to her chest, trying to stop the trembling. She knew it wasn't like her to feel so scared but her father could be scarier than a King Behemoth when he wanted to be. A part of her wanted to keep quiet because she didn't want to tell the couple who she secretly despised so much news that for them would qualify as happy. She didn't want them to be happy, whether if it was for her or for themselves. It was a feeling they didn't deserve for all who they had hurt and for all they had done.

They would be furious, she was sure, if they knew the true reason for the proposal. That their 'darling' raven haired daughter was no more than trying to escape a part of the fate set up for her. If she, down the line, was forced to marry, it may well be someone that wouldn't force her to do something she would, or could, never get herself to do. Neither she nor Cid had an attraction to each other; he already had feelings for someone else to add to it. This was an escape attempt, in the hopes if she dodged this part she could be able to find someone she truly could love. For the love of Etro that would be hard to accomplish, even if she found one like her would they have to courage to admit to it? When everyone they knew would look down upon them for it?

Fang let out a frustrated sigh; this was not a topic for today. If love found her it would find her of its own free will; if it never did then love wasn't something meant for her and that was that. She brushed away a stray lock and observed her surroundings; she had sat down on the bottom of the staircase while losing herself in thought. She feared that if she had allowed that trance-like state to continue while she moved she was more than likely to run into something, or someone. Around her she could make out the sounds of slaves running away cleaning the many large rooms that the house consisted of. No sound pointed to anyone else but them from what she could hear, she doubted her parents were near. Why did her father have to have such a large house? His family consisted of three people (previously four). Sazh's family had the same amount and his house was smaller than her bedroom (sadly not a joke), all it had was a table with four chairs, a minuscule kitchen and one bed. His son actually slept on the floor. She couldn't even begin to guess how many rooms were here, sure other houses had more (she knew for a fact that the Farron's plantation had more) but each room was large and decorated with expensive items. One day she had played hide and go seek with Vanille and a couple of the slaves young children too small to do work (they had actually gotten yelled at for it) and it took forever to find even simply one person. It goes without saying they gave up.

Fang stood up abruptly, well sitting here was doing nothing; she might as well make the attempt to find them. She turned deciding to check upstairs first but the suddenness of her movement had been too fast for the slave behind her to react and they slammed right into each other and the boy dropped the cleaning supplies he had been holding.

"Whoa, sorry there didn't see you." She apologised with a laugh taking in his red face as he knelt down to pick up what he had formerly been holding.

"It's fine Miss, not your fault. I shouldn't have been walking behind you like that." He replied monotonously and continued with what he was doing. Fang knelt down beside him ignoring what he'd said and helped him pick up the items. He was taking aback by her readiness to help but nothing more was said between them as they finished up.

"I've seen you before, not from any time I would consider 'normal'" She stated with a grin as she stood back up; she adjusting the grey dress.

He noticeably tensed up from her words, and she knew she had hit the nail head on target.

"Is that so?" He tried acting oblivious to what she was meaning but his plan was failing from the clear red of a blush hitting his cheeks.

"You know just because your skin is darker it doesn't mean you can hide when you are blushing." He tensed more. "You were the boy I saw with Cid before Madam Farron's party." She exclaimed just a bit too loud.

If it was possible his face just became redder.

She chuckled as he tried to hide his face behind all that he was holding, his soft chocolate eyes watching his feet in a downwards gaze. She hadn't gotten a good look of him before as he had dashed out of the room an embarrassed mess. His hair was short, too short for it to be classified as curly, but too long for it to give him a bold look. It had a slight wave at the ends where possible curls were beginning, it was placed neatly above his ears but a random assortment of locks cascaded down his brow, one reaching his eye lashes. It touched the bottom of his neck in thin strands, all black as night; for as well as most darker skinned people his hair was even darker than her own raven. For his face, she considered him as more pretty than handsome, but not so enough that she would call him a pretty boy. His lips and nose were small; above his eyes were a wonderful chocolate, ears partly hidden behind his black hair. His was around her height, not as tall as boys could be but tall enough; after all it wasn't like she was short.

"I'm sorry for intruding, I found it far too tempting not to."

He looked back to her face shocked, "You mean…you're not bothered by what we did?" He said it out loud, half to her, half simply testing how the insane thought sounded on his tongue.

"Hm." She answered fast, and added, "Do you know about our plan?" She tilted her head in question.

The boy looked unsteadily for a second and avoided the contact of their eyes; he didn't voice his response and instead gave a short nod of his head, black hair flicking with the movement.

"I was angry when they told me, but I was too scared to say anything about it." He shifted the position of the items in his arms. An unsettled feeling had decided to rest in his stomach.

"Don't worry." She put a hand on his shoulder to which his gaze switched to the moment she felt her hand on him. "With our circumstances we'd both have some problems down the road that is life, so the proposal is so we don't have to have all those problems. In other words we are keeping a big secret that may possibly make our parents' heads explode if they ever were to find out. So we are going to hide it in one big lie." She gave him her usual Fang grin and watched his reaction as his head put it all together.

"So you…as well…" He mumbled; she nodded already getting the message.

"I get how you guys feel about each other, and if I can stop you from being separated than I will do anything that I can to stop it. Look I can see you're a good guy and he's my friend, I don't want you to get hurt. If anything this is also a plus to me since ain't no way no how I'm letting my mother force me to marry some arse of a guy that's gonna want me to do his every bidding because she thought he looked nice and would so give her nice looking grandchildren and such dribble." She removed her hand from his shoulder and took a step back but her expression changed like she had just remembered something,

"Hey what is your name? Keep forgetting to ask."

He blinked at her stupidity, for she had basically had a serious conversation with a stranger. "Ben."

She nodded twice and said quickly, "Nice name, actually I think it's boring, but well I guess my opinion doesn't matter." She pointed up to the top of the stairs and tilted her head.

"Well see you later then, I have to go and actually tell my parents about the proposal, I seriously haven't said a word yet. Sad thing is I don't have the idea where they are and strongly believe I'm about to get lost looking for them…in my own house." She flapped her arm and made for the stairs, tripping after one step. She got up muttering under her breath how bad dresses were for running in before picking up the many folds so it no longer reached her ankles and continued her way up.

Ben stared blankly at the place she had disappeared from. Thinking about how dresses were never made to run in in the first place.

Fang searched upstairs, paying attention to every little sound that could alert her of one of her parents' presence. Her feet creaked on the wooden floor boards with each step and the constant sound was turning into a great annoyance. She walked past a slave or two heading in whatever direction she had decided to take. It had been a long time since she had come through her house like this, mostly she hung out outside with any slave having a break before going on with their work. She wasn't likely to admit this to many but from this habit she could quite easily become lost in this house; whether it be hers she truly barely knew it. She was starting to have the thoughts that her oddity of a fear was coming into fruition, she passed one door too many that her eyes did not register from memories. She cursed her habits for a moment; being lost in such a large, intimidating house was one thing to unsettle a being to great lengths. She felt fear creep its dark ways inside her head once again as previous feelings slowly rose to the surface as time went on. For what she wanted to say had her truly terrified.

Her hands turned into fists and she cursed her own stupidity at not even making the attempt to map out this house despite living here for so long. She found her way to a large room at the end of a hallway, from inside was deep sounding snores. She sighed as she her mind figured this was her parent's room, and her father was not awake to hear what she had finally gathered up the courage for. She bit her lip and decided to find her mother while the courage still existed, at least if she was to lose it the moment she saw him she had her mother to scream out (yes scream out) the wonderful news.

She hoped she had gone through what their was of the room's on the second floor, because as she made her way down the grand stair case she was quite against going back up and looking again when so much time had already been wasted for an obvious result.

The surroundings that came about in this part of the house were far better known, and didn't hold eerie uneasy silences that were all that welcomed the ears in the rooms above. She searched the hallways and found nothing there, the grandness of the marvellous library resulted in one all so similar. She was at her limit when she finally caught a sight of the older woman.

Oerba Dia Awana sat reading a book covered in red leather with gold writing stating its name and who had once wrote it. She was seated on a lounge in the front parlour, looking content as the sun's bright rays shone against pale red hair shining a gold colour at the hand of the orange orb. A smile greeted her lips and she was in complete silence. With a face so much like her dear sister, Fang felt bad disrupting such a calming moment. She had to remind herself that, mother or not, Awana was a very different person.

"Ahem." She coughed into her hand, alerting the ageing woman of her presence in the room.

"Oh Fang, it's lovely to see you dove." She shut the book and rested it on the table to her side. "What is it? Is there something you wish to discuss?" She beamed a smile very much like how her younger daughter always would, but dark shadows hid behind her eyes; proving the startling difference between the two.

She opened her mouth to talk finding nothing was coming out, she cursed in her head and pondered on how to say what she needed to. She hadn't thought that part out, only that she had to say it and that was all. She had spent too much time in a panic mode over it all.

She bit her lip softly and thought it out, surely if she said that she proposed to Cid she'd get a weird look, but she didn't feel like lying and say he did. How was she meant to say it without lying or weirding her out by being dead truthful over how it happened? And how exactly was the woman going to react? Fang didn't wish to be hugged even though her best guesses had all signs pointing to yes. 'Goddess help me this is annoying,' she thought, the curious look her mother was giving her was actually getting annoying and she was still on the thinking part of this. Maybe she should wait a bit more before saying it? Yeah that might work….'Oh damn it!' she yelled inside her head. It was trying to make her wiggle out of this again.

"Um..I..." She turned her gaze away from the waiting expression on the older one's face. It was irritating her she did admit, nothing wrong with not looking the bitch in the eye.

"Fang is something up?" The redhead walked closer, she missed how her daughter tensed up as her hand touched her cheek. She missed a lot of things concerning her eldest, she had either turned a blind eye to it or her mind simply ignored it without her control. She wasn't a bright woman in Fang's mind.

"I guess," She mumbled, fiddling with the waist of her dress, still keeping up avoiding any eye contact whatsoever.

"You can tell me you know, I'm your mother. Is there a problem?" Her eyes looked so sincere, for truthfully they were but Fang had more than one reason not to fall for the kind look. This woman could be evil when she wanted to.

'You really think I want to tell you all my problems even though I know what you did to your own daughter?' She thought but her mind told her it would never be a bright idea to say a word about her true ideas on that matter out loud.

"It's not what I'd consider a problem really." She kept her voice low, the uncomfortable feeling she had felt before was coming back to her full throttle. She felt sick in her stomach, her hands moved to rest on her abdomen as if having them there would force it away.

"I know I should have told you earlier..." She bit her tongue as her mother's expression became considerably more occupied with curiosity.

"Come on my little dove, you can say it," She mother beamed radiantly. To be honest Fang had always hated being called dove, but that was something for another time.

"Ahh, Cid and I..." Her mouth stopped her half way. Yes this was frustrating; she needed to tell her now she'd waited long enough.

'Okay, breathe in and out, in and out. Okay so we're calmer now right?' Her mind resorted to talking to itself. 'Now close your eyes so you don't have to look at her, and say it all in one go. You ready now? let's go!'

"Me and Cid want to get married!" She breathed out in one quick rushed breath.

Her mother's reaction was priceless, or it would have to anyone that didn't hate her to death. Her eyes looked like they were about to jump far out of their sockets and run away somewhere she would never find them. Well, that was going overboard, but still. She quite literally jumped for joy from hearing those words, red curls bounced up and down with the movement. If Fang could she would have punched her for having such a Vanille-like reaction from hearing about the proposal, but she knew she had to restrain from allowing herself such. She was an actor in a play and she wasn't going to let her true emotions break free so close to the finale.

"Oh I'm so happy for you; Cid's a brilliant young man! Oh I just know you'll be really happy together." She giggled joyfully and gave her a big hug.

"It's about time too, you're almost nineteen. That pretty face wasn't going to last forever; gee I didn't even know you'd been looking for a man! Oh I'm so proud! Looks like I didn't have to do anything in the end." Her hands held her daughter's close. The younger one was rather ticked off but her mother in glee she missed it all.

Awana continued with her ecstatic mood, she spun around her hands held in front of a face crying happy tears.

"I always thought you were just friends! Oh goddess now I'm glad I didn't act earlier, would've ruined it!" She turned back to a blank faced Fang, who hastily switched so she instead showed a fake happiness.

Her mother grabbed her hands beaming, "I have to tell your father!" She made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cry and made a run for the stairs in the direction of her husband.

Fang watched her, her feelings were placed in a queer place that was neither happy nor sad. She wasn't sure if what she was doing was right, if she should be lying about a thing like love. It was a cowardly escape on her side; but she didn't want her friend to be forced away from the one he loved just because they were both men, it was unjust. She was doing this for him, if this escape ever brought her to love than she would have to wait and find out. And if anything what her parents didn't know wasn't going to hurt them, they deserved to hurt anyhow.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, an expression showing a silent pain.

'We are just friends.'

Her mother succeeded in rousing her father not so long afterwards, he was a deep sleeper it was a miracle she managed with such speed. Well she gave her credit for what she had to tell him, it was damn joyful news for a parent to get.

He had rushed downstairs and pulled her into a hug, exclaiming just how happy he was for his daughter to be getting married. Right now, despite it all, she felt like they were acting like they only ever had one daughter. As much as it made her sick for their usual habit to be showing its head oh so clearly, she had the restraint to hold any anger back. She'd learnt to, she had to, for the sake of looking good in society.

It was her only 'sheep' habit, lying in order to make oneself look good among the rest of the crowd. She had grown up fearing how her parents would react to her true self; she was open to everyone but them. Her father was a terrifying man, and as much has she hated to admit he got to her too; the only one not to act how he wanted them to was Vanille, and now she was now locked up in an asylum.

Of course in this moment she faked her emotions and went along with them in a supposedly happy time for them all. She felt sick smiling next to such hated people, parents or not nothing would stop her secret hatred.

"You can wear my dress; we'll just need to adjust the hem." Her mother was exclaiming happily as both husband and wife piped up with ideas for the day. She didn't say a word, she didn't want to; and after all, all they were planning was for a lie. One big lie.

She didn't even feel sorry for them being so easily deceived.

Done, now you don't have to maul me in my sleep. Maybe …

I'm glad for all the reviews I got for the last chapter, five I think it was, I'll be glad to have at least a similar number this time round; maybe even more hopefully. Though I'd be more happy to have a proper review rather than someone saying 'omg I love Fang she is cool' because that is a comment. Sorry if I sound like a bitch but I actually want some concrit for once. The little paranoid voice in my head (which I called Arianna) is begging for it and she won't shut up.

Oh and because I'm going to be a good friend and sister, I'm going to promote Claire's (seeker of the skies) and Fang's (0erbayunfang) stories because they are doing it for mine. Fang only has two, the school fic is better because the other one is very rushed. But she has a very good writing style. Claire has better plotlines but has a problem with grammatical errors, but hopefully her new beta reader is going to fix that. She has three stories and her favourite is sadly the most unpopular, kinda same situation as me there LOL.

And sorry for this long authors note I have one least thing to say, and don't expect me to stop this anytime soon, I recommend you my darling fans to read my precious story Wings of Regret. As sadly it is very unpopular and Arianna is having fun making me suffer for it. I love it so much it pains me to see it with less than 100 hundred hits. If my mind is on the chapter than it will be written great, unless it's not because otherwise it's a pile of crap, like the fifth chapter was.

Thanks for reading, Jya ne.