Alright, I know that I promised one chapter a month and that this chapter is overdue. What can I say? I've been busy. However, I do apologize, and to make up for this chapter being late, I WILL have the next chapter up before this month is over; I have already started writing it. In other words, this is still technically the September chapter, and the October chapter will be up soon. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters, locations, or ideas associated with it.

Gran Pulse, Location: ?

"Colonel Nabaat, if I may make a suggestion?"

"Yes, Miss Sumia." Jihl addressed their Pulsian guide, eyes desperately scanning the surrounding area for anything that could possibly lead them to Lightning.

It had been several hours since Jihl and company had left the development site, and the group currently had nothing to show for their efforts. Of course, Jihl held no delusions of picking up the young captain's trail right out of the gate, but she had hoped she would at least have a proper direction by this point. To have gone this far and searched this long without even the most miniscule clue as to Lightning's whereabouts was something that vexed the Lieutenant Colonel to no end.

"I understand that this is an important search ma'am, but may I suggest that we being looking for a place to camp?" Sumia asked quite timidly. "It will be night soon, and not even the strongest of hunters would brave these woods in the dark. It would be best to continue in the morning."

Jihl could sense the slight nervous tone in the girl's voice. In their short time together, Sumia had already proven herself a valuable asset to Jihl's search, steering the group clear of suspected feral territories and keeping them on the most unobstructed paths. If the young Pulsian believed there was something to be feared at night, Jihl felt inclined to trust the girl's judgment. However, she also felt hesitant about the idea of postponing the search, especially with the thought of what might befall Lightning the longer they took to find her.

"We haven't seen a damned thing since we got here." Rygdea cut in, looking rather bored at the moment. "Are there even beasts to worry about?"

"Far more at night than during the day." Was Sumia's only reply.

"I ain't never seen any beasties myself." All eyes turned to Private Donnel. "But them noises we hear patrolling Union City at night sure don't sound too friendly."

"Probably nothing a few bullets can't handle." Rygdea brushed off as he started checking the sights on his rifle.

"Sumia and Private Donnel have a better grasp of the area than any of us." Jihl reasoned. "If they believe we should camp for the night, then that's what we'll do."

Jihl still disagreed with prolonging their search any more than necessary, but being attacked by some feral beast in the dead of night certain wouldn't help Lightning. Besides, if the group were unable to find anything during the daylight, then what chance did they have in the dark? A night's rest and a fresh start the next morning clearly made more sense. Jihl just hoped she wouldn't end up regretting that decision.

XXX

Finding a suitable place to rest for the night went smoothly enough. The group happened upon a small alcove within a rock wall that Sumia assured would provide adequate protection from the elements. The recess also provided a clear view of the area, so they would not be caught off guard by anything that might approach the camp. It hardly made for the most ideal camping spot, but it would do for a single night's rest.

Rest happened to be the last thing on Jihl's mind however.

Currently, the PSICOM Lieutenant remained more or less glued to the digital map Major Cluny had given her, which provided a somewhat rough lay out of the Pulse wilderness. Jihl methodically perused the map's touch screen, marking off the locations that the group had already searched so she could better plan their next move. Sadly, the map only served to remind Jihl of just how massive their search area was. Over the course of seven days, Lightning could have ended up anywhere; assuming she was even still alive.

Jihl had so engrossed herself in her research, that she hadn't even noticed Sazh approach her with some food from the group's ration pack.

"Take a break college girl."

At that, Jihl looked up from her device, only to see a blurry figure standing before her. A moment later, her eyes adjusted enough for the figure to take shape. Jihl had clearly stared at her computer screen for too long.

"C'mon," Sazh replied, handing Jihl her share of food. "Gotta keep your strength up. You'll have an even tougher time trying to find soldier girl on an empty stomach."

Sazh always acted like this: the caring father looking out for those around him. As a matter of fact, with all that had happened in recent years, Sazh was probably the closest thing Jihl or Lightning had to a father now. Jihl saw it as a great comfort to have him here, especially should Jihl's worst case scenario come to pass.

Knowing that Sazh was right, Jihl put her map away and moved to join the others. Apparently, the Lieutenant Colonel had so buried herself in her work that she never noticed that her group had already dug a fire pit, set out their sleeping area within the alcove, and rationed the food out properly. It certainly reassured Jihl to know that she had a very competent team to work with.

Jihl took a seat next to Sumia, who sat situated across the fire from Sazh and Rygdea. Donnel had seated himself between the two pairs watching the alcove's opening from across their camp fire. The sun had almost completely set, and except for their fire, the woods where completely cloaked in darkness. The group ate in silence, all a little leery of the constant sounds coming from the jungle. Even Rygdea seemed a tad nervous with his trusty rifle held in his lap the entire time. Thankfully, Sumia decide to speak, and ease the tension somewhat.

"Colonel Nabaat?"

"You're not one of my subordinates Miss Sumia," Jihl smiled at the girl warmly. "You are more than welcome to call me Jihl."

"Thank you ma'am. Jihl, if I may ask," the Pulse girl seemed a little hesitant. "Why are you so intent on finding Captain Farron?"

Jihl simply stared, slightly taken aback by the sudden question. "Pardon?"

"I do understand that she is a valuable soldier; having actually met her, I can see why." Sumia continued. "However, by your behavior, your motives seem more personal than professional."

Jihl continued to stare at the girl for a moment, with a blank yet still unnerving expression on her face.

"I was being presumptuous, my apologies!" Sumia quickly dropped her gaze to the ground, fearing how the Colonel might response.

Jihl collected herself, let out a sigh, and simply answered. "Not at all, Miss Sumia. You do have a right to now why I enlisted your help." Jihl straightened her glasses. "The truth is that Lightning Farron is a dear friend of mine, and her younger sister asked me to personally conduct the search for her. So, as you say, this is in fact slightly more personal than professional."

Sumia seemed to accept that answer, out of either belief or nervousness, but Rygdea apparently had his own opinion on the matter.

"Just friends, Colonel?" A sickening grin formed across the sergeant's face. "Because I seem to remember some gossip about how you two were always attached the h-" A dull blow to the back of the head promptly interrupted Rygdea's inquiry. He turned, glaring daggers at Sazh who nonchalantly drank from his canteen.

Jihl didn't care that her past relationship with Lightning had hardly been a secret. The way it ended however would always come as a sore spot for her. Serah and Sazh where the only ones that knew the true circumstances behind their break up. Sazh also knew full well how Jihl felt about having their relationship thrown back at her. It would probably be best to set the record straight right now, especially with someone like Charles Rygdea.

"Yes, Captain Farron and I did date for a time, but that's in the past. Now we are just friends; nothing more." Jihl then stood up and headed toward the sleeping area. "Now get some rest. I want to continue the search as soon as the sun comes up."

"I can take first watch, sirs." Donnel spoke up, addressing both Sazh and Rygdea.

Sazh nudged the boy toward the alcove. "Nah, better give it to Hotshot. He's got more than hungry animals to worry about right now."

"What the hell did I do!" Rygdea simply grumbled, grabbed his rifle, and set down to take watch.

Sumia said nothing and simply joined the others. As she readied herself to go to sleep, Sumia glanced over in Jihl's direction. The woman lay curled up against the cave wall with her eyes tightly closed, though Sumia could tell that she would not have anything close to a good night's rest.

XXX

Just as Jihl ordered, everyone had gotten up fairly early and had the camp fully dismantled within minutes. Rygdea, Sazh and Donnel had divided the night watch up effectively so that all three were well rested. Despite her words, Jihl did allow the group few extra minutes to eat and prepare for the day's search. Jihl also took a moment to check in with the development site to report their progress and to ensure that her communicator still received a signal; which it did. With all of the preparations finished, Jihl pointed out the first area she wanted to check, and the group set off to resume their search for Lightning Farron.

With the men leading the way, Sumia took this opportunity to get Jihl's attention. "Excuse me, Jihl?"

Jihl said nothing, but stopped momentarily to face the girl.

"I just wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to upset you."

Jihl softened a little at this. "You didn't do anything wrong Sumia. You just caught me a little off guard is all."

"Either way, I wanted to give this. I found it this morning." And from behind her back, Sumia produced a small flower that she promptly handed to Jihl.

Jihl just stared at the tiny blossom then back at Sumia, not quite understanding the gesture.

"It's for flower fortunes." Sumia smiled. Jihl could only muster a quirked eyebrow in response to the explanation.

"I know it sounds childish, but I can see how worried you are. I find such things to be quite helpful when I am upset or uncertain, especially when a loved one is involved."

"Miss Sumia," Jihl examined the flower once more. "Lightning is just a-"

"J-Just a friend!" Sumia nervously filled. "I understand. It works for those as well." And without another word, Sumia moved to catch up with the others.

Jihl looked at the little bloom one last time. She felt foolish even considering such an infantile foolishness. Jihl Nabaat firmly believed in facts and logic when it came to problem solving, not superstitions and wishful thinking. However, Sumia had made the gesture to help her; it would be rude not to accept it. And truthfully, with the very real possibility of Lightning being lost forever looming over her, Jihl needed all the reassurance she could get.

Holding the flower steady, Jihl delicately plucked a single petal. 'I will find her!'

XXX

So far, today's hunt showed no more promise than yesterday's. With all of Jihl's planned search destinations leaving them still without a trail to follow, the Lieutenant Colonel had all but given up. Now she just blindly guessing. The little flower Sumia had given her now lacked the majority of its precious petals. Jihl felt no reassurance at all by this point.

"I hate to say it Colonel," Even Rygdea looked defeated at this point. "But I think it's time to call it quits. For all we know, Farron's been dead this whole time."

"Don't say that!" Everyone looked to Donnel. "It'd take a lot more than this place to do Captain Farron in. Right Colonel?" All eyes now looked to Jihl for confirmation.

As much as Jihl wanted to agree with Private Donnel, she just didn't know what to think. From the beginning, she had considered the possibility that Lightning may have died long before they even arrived on Pulse. She didn't want to believe such a thing, but now she just didn't know. Without saying a word, Jihl wearily took in their current surroundings, then quietly spoke.

"Let's check over in this direction." Colonel Nabaat indicated a ledge overlooking a small open area. "If we don't find anything there, then we'll call off the search."

Neither Rygdea nor Donnel chose to press the issue. The two simply nodded and headed in the designated direction along with Sumia. Jihl sighed and made to follow just before a hand landed softly on her shoulder.

"You can't lose hope." Sazh stated firmly. "We could still find her."

"We've found absolutely nothing Sazh." Jihl tried to keep her voice as even as possible. "In all this time, Lightning never once tried to contact somebody, or find her own way back, or leave a trail, or anything! That idiot!" The more she spoke, the harder Jihl found it to keep her emotion in check.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm worried about her Sazh! I still love her! Even if she's the one who flew off the handle and called everything off I still … I still care about her."At that point, Jihl's whole body just slumped downward. "I don't want to find her dead, Sazh. I just couldn't handle that."

Not for the first time since she'd heard about Lightning's disappearance, Jihl felt the sting of tears in her eyes. At first, Jihl had played a particular scenario over and over in her head to keep her spirits up. She would find Lightning safe and sound, bring her back to the development site, and everything would be back to normal. Lightning might not speak to her, or even acknowledge her, but at least she would be alive and well. Now however, a different scenario played in her head. She would return home empty handed, break the news to Serah, who would cry hysterically as she called her a failure, and then Jihl would spend the rest of her life knowing that Lightning Farron no longer existed.

Without even looking, Jihl pulled one more petal from her little flower. 'I will never find her.'

Sazh didn't know what else to say that could comfort Jihl, so he simply stood there and allowed her some silence. That silence didn't last however, as Private Donnel called out to the two.

"Colonel! Mr. Sazh! I think we found something!"

XXX

Jihl didn't waste a second in joining the others, and Sazh wasn't too far behind her. At the ledge, Rygdea crouched on the ground with Sumia looking over his shoulder as he examined a small object between his fingers. As soon as Nabaat approached him, he handed her the object. "Get a load of this Colonel."

"A bullet shell?" Sazh questioned as he looked at the object laying flat on Jihl's palm. Jihl all the while stared wide eyed at the small piece of metal.

"Not just any bullet shell." Rygdea smirked.

Sazh and Sumia had no idea what this meant, but Rygdea and Donnel both shared a knowing look.

"It's a shell from a gunblade." Jihl let out in a sort of awe-filled whisper. The Lieutenant Colonel by no means considered herself a munitions expert, but she'd recognize a bullet from her ex's weapon of choice any day. After all this time, they had finally found something. It was a small clue, but for Jihl, it was more than enough.

"Search the surrounding area." Jihl ordered. "Maybe we'll find something else nearby."

"We may not have to look too far." Before anyone had a chance to ask what Sumia meant, the Pulse native had jumped from the ledge to the small field below. "This area has clearly been disturbed. Someone's been here!"

The group made their way down the ledge to join Sumia. The girl was right, something had clearly taken place here.

The group first noticed the one thing they had all hoped not to see on their search for Lightning: a body.

Under the trunk of a nearby tree lay a decaying body that had been mostly picked clean, to the point where bones were visible in a pile of rotting flesh. Jihl's face drained as they neared the gory mess. Thankfully, closer inspection reveal the that body was clearly that of some animal. Jihl had no idea what kind of animal it had once been, but it certainly wasn't that of a human.

"What in tarnation is that thing?" Donnel voiced the question on everyone's mind.

"It's a gorgonospid." Sumia answered. "Or what's left of one." She then took another close look at it. "I'd say it's been here for a few days."

"Do you think Lightning had a run in with this thing?" Came Sazh's question.

"I would certainly hope not." Sumia visibly grimaced at the idea.

"Let's keep looking." Perhaps this did indicated that Lightning had been here, but Jihl wanted something a little more solid.

Jihl turned around and headed toward the rock wall under the ledge where they found the bullet shell. About half way there, a crunch at Jihl's feet drew her attention to a small pile of branches on the ground. Hardy something out of place in a jungle setting, however, a closer looked revealed a dried stain on the rocks under the brush.

"Blood." Jihl reasoned.

Then out of the corner of her eye, Jihl caught a glimpse of something not a foot away from where she stood. Jihl knelt and pick up a small swatch of torn white fabric. Jihl had a fairly good inkling of what it was, but she needed a second opinion.

"Sazh!" The old man came at Jihl's called. "What do you make of this?"

A smiled formed on Sazh's face with only a glance of the small fabric. He immediately recognized the material of the very custom-made jacket he had gifted to Lightning upon her graduation from PSICOM Academy. "No question about it, this is soldier girl's."

At this point, Jihl found it harder and harder to keep from smiling. This proved it, Lightning had been here. Now if only they could find something to tell them where she went.

"Colonel!" Jihl looked to Private Donnel over by the rock wall. "Do you reckon this means anything?"

On the ground at Donnel's feet, they saw what appeared to a beaded necklace that had broken and spilled across the ground. Donnel picked up as many beads as he could and presented them to Jihl.

"It's colorful." Jihl quickly noticed. "And somewhat primitive looking. Not something Lightning would ever wear."

"May I see them?" Donnel held the beads in clear view of Sumia.

"These are tribal beads. Just about every woman on Gran Pulse wears them." Sumia then emphasized her point by revealing the beaded bracelet adorning her left wrist. Jihl felt a little embarrassed by her "primitive" comment, but thankfully Sumia didn't seem at all fazed.

"So the captain met up with some native?" Donnel looked a little shaken by the idea.

"That is a possibility." Jihl shrugged. 'What in Etro's name happened here?'

"I'd say it's more than a possibility, Chief!" Everyone now looked to Rygdea, who was once again crouched a good ten feet away examining something on the ground.

There in front of Rygdea, two sets of footprints were visible in the dirt. They went a few feet into the woods, and then vanished where the ground became more solid.

"Neither of these are Lightning's." Jihl pointed out. "This set is far too small." Jihl indicate the footprints to the right, then pointed to the others. "These are big enough, but the imprint is all wrong. These weren't made by combat boots."

"No," Rygdea confirmed. "But get a look at the larger ones. See how they're more sunken in? Almost like-"

"Somebody was carrying something?" Donnel attempted to fill in.

"Or someone." Jihl corrected flatly.

"You think Lightning got carried off by some natives?" Sazh posed, finding that a little hard to swallow.

"That's about all we can conclude at the moment." Jihl answered as she pulled out her digital map.

"The development site is a good three to four miles from here. That explains why nobody found any of this." Jihl then turned to their native guide. "Miss Sumia, do you perhaps know of any villages in this direction?"

Sumia glanced at the direction of the footprints, then looked to the map in Jihl's hands. "The village of Oerba is about two miles from here. No other villages come to mind."

"Do you think Captain Farron is in any danger?" Sumia could sense the concern in Jihl's voice.

The girl simply shook her head. "The village of Oerba has always been neutral in the conflicts against Cocoon. Their chief certainly wouldn't allow anyone to harm her."

"Assuming that's even where she was taken." Rygdea presented a valid point.

"It's all we have to go on right now." Jihl reasoned. "Let's go."

Sazh and Sumia both held a warm smile on their faces as they followed Jihl. They watched as their leader walked ahead them with renewed purpose. Her drive had clearly been restored.

Jihl still had no idea what they would find in this Oerba village. Were they holding Lightning prisoner? Had they done something to her? Would she even be there? The Lieutenant Colonel still had more questions than answers, but at least now she had some clue of where Lightning could be. Jihl now had more determination than ever to figure out what happened Lightning.

As Jihl walked, she once again pulled out the little flower; which could hardly be called a flower by now. Jihl looked at the small plant, and noticed only a single petal left. Jihl plucked that last petal, the one that determined the wishers fortune. Childish superstition or not, Jihl couldn't help the comfort that small petal offered her.

'I will find her!'