Snow looked up, hearing some light footsteps. Varic entered the shop Snow was in, a bulging fur sack slung over his shoulder. Varic heaved the sac to a recently cleared table, now devoid of its previous stock of potions and elixers.

"Supplies all accounted for?" Snow asked.

Varic nodded. "Yes. And you?"

Snow shrugged. "We've got more than enough potions, elixers, and enough phoenix downs to create a new phoenix. We've also found plenty of Aegisols and Fortisols. But the Deceptisols are pretty hard to find. Hope's trying to find some now…" Snow gestured to a transparent bottle on another table to Varic's right. "That one was the only one we found. Pretty hard to see and find, eh?"

"Well here's another one." Hope said as he tossed a bottle for Snow to catch. "That was the only I could find in the back." Hope scowled. "It's dark, and a complete mess back there."

"Oh, hey Varic," Hope said when he noticed the Pulsian sitting by his massive bag of supplies. "Is that all your supplies?" Varic nodded, and opened his mouth to speak. "Wait, I've got to show you something outside!" Hope said, tugging at Varic. Varic just got up and walked outside through the back door.

Snow, however, couldn't bear to not see what Hope had to show Varic. He exited the shop's backdoor, and turned around a corner. He expected to see something unusual, perhaps a large gemstone on the ground. He was, however, surprised by the image of them simply talking to each other.

Immediately ducking behind a wall, Snow slowly inched towards a corner. Snow was not very stealthy, but apparently the words drowned his rustlings out as he moved upwards. Ever so slowly inching towards them, Snow could slowly make out a few words.

"… you know I… Fang's 'consort', responsibility… love her."

With that, Snow took a large step backwards. What was happening here? What did Hope say?

Crack.

"Oh shi-"

Hope's and Varic's heads whipped to face the intruding sound of the cracking branch.

"-it"

Hope started channeling a large wateraga. Varic just sat back, and watched as Snow promptly got a dousing. However, this did nothing to stop Snow's smirk, which was steadily growing even though Hope was yelling at Snow rather loudly.

"Did I hear something about... love?" asked Snow. A beet red Hope just stammered, but now threatened Snow with a large Thundaga.

Funnily enough to Varic, Snow managed to look cocky and his smile grew even larger, despite the fact that he was soaking wet, and was being threatened with a rather large ball of crackling electricity in Hope's hand. Snow seemed quite sure that Hope wouldn't do anything to him.

He got a rather shocking surprise when Hope's now watered down but still potent Thunder hit him in the leg. However, Snow being Snow, he shrugged it off after about two seconds, raising his head just in time to see Hope start stomping towards the town square.

"Don't worry Hope, I'll be sure to give you plenty of tips!" shouted Snow as Hope stomped off to the rest of the stores.

"Bit harsh there," Varic said to Snow.

"He'll learn," said Snow with a wink.

Varic smirked to himself. "Well, all younger siblings have to learn, eh?" Varic chuckled to himself. "I remember doing the exact same thing to Vanille when she had her first crush."

Snow smiled. "I'm surprised you're still living."

Varic laughed out loud. "She nearly burned my hair off with one of her firagas."

The two men shared a few laughs, before Snow turned back to the shop. "Time to find some more of those damned Deceptisols then."

"Why not, I'll help," said Varic.

The two walked into the shop, trading battle strategies and stories all the while.

A dark shop, filled with weapons and ammunition. Two silhouettes working silently to find what they needed. A silence that was soon broken.

"Lightning... ," Sazh started.

Lightning looked up and raised an eyebrow, a small bullet in her hand. "What is it?"

"Listen, I know how you feel about Fang and Vanille." Lightning stiffened involuntarily, as Sazh continued. "You feel guilty about them."

Lightning looked down. Her expression was unreadable.

"It's not your fault Lightning," Sazh said, facial figures twisted into a grim set of remembrance.

"You don't understand," Lightning suddenly said. "I could've stopped them, I could've-

"Listen, if keep feeling this way..." Sazh paused. "It'll tear you apart. You'll never forgive yourself, if you don't now..." Sazh stopped.

Lightning blinked in surprise- she had never seen this side of Sazh before- someone who had lost someone, and was still trying to cope with the loss.

"Dajh and my wife were in a car. I was driving. A truck sideswiped us, on the right side, where my wife was sitting- in the passenger seat. And-and... she..." Sazh stopped, as a small tear dropped from his right eye.

Lightning moved forwards, put her hand on his shoulder. "Sazh... I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

Sazh wiped his tears away with his sleave. "I watched the traffic vids. I always sat in bed- never sleeping, always thinking of what I could've done different. I visited her in the hospital so many times I spent more time there than I did at my home. Until she was not the great woman I loved before, but the comatose victim, the car crash patient. And I never forgave myself." Sazh looked down. "I can't remember her scent, hear her voice. All I-I can see now is the video- her being crushed by that massive Eclipse truck..."

"Lightning, I can't have that happen to you," Sazh said. "Please... don't blame yourself- it's not your fault. I can't let what happened to me happen to you too." Suddenly Sazh's eyes hardened, and he said with conviction, "I won't let it happen."

Sazh turned to face Lightning. "Don't remember them how they are now. Refuse to see the blank crystal. Remember them instead- embrace their memory, remember who they are. Because we're going to see them soon again, right?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah" she said to herself.

"And don't forget," said Sazh on his way out, a tear-stained sleeve and a bundle of ammunition later. "I'm here for you." He gestured to Hope, walking towards them, and widened his arc to include Varic and Snow, emerging from the sundries store with a small belt of deceptisols. "We're all here for you.

"You will never have to carry that burden alone."

A/N

Sorry for not updating in a while! Don't worry, I'm not dead =D

I hope the slightly longer chapter makes up for the long lost updating time.

Also- one word- Review!