Okay, obviously giving you guys expected chapter releases so is not working out, so I wouldn't be doing it anymore. The story will continue, but you'll just have to wait until I am able to get the next chapter out. Could be a month from now, could be five; I cannot give any definite time frames. It's not like this is a massively popular story anyway. Just keep an eye out for the next chapter because there will be more. Thanks again to everyone who reads and likes this story. Please enjoy this newest chapter.

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

Gran Pulse, Location: Oerba Village

Lightning awoke just as the morning light started creeping its way through the living room window of Fang and Vanille's home. The soldier had insisted that she would spend her remaining nights on the couch, not wishing to put out the home's generous occupants any more than she already had. As the PSICOM captain had surmised, the couch had made for an exceptionally comfortable slumber. In fact, it had provided one of the most restful night sleeps Lightning had had in a long time. Not even her worries of Serah had been enough to keep her awake the night before.

Of course, that didn't mean that she had forgotten about Serah; nothing could further from the truth. Thoughts of her scared little sister still weighed very heavily on the soldier's mind. But what could she do? With the looming threat of some strange poison from some damned Pulse creature possibly running through her system, and no way to communicate with her fellow soldiers, all Lightning could do was wait for some healer to show up from another village and, hopefully, tell her she had nothing to worry about. It didn't make any sense, Lightning felt completely fine. However, the people of Oerba believed that she had something to worry about. From what Lightning had seen during her tour of the village yesterday, these were good people. They were kind, friendly, some a little skeptically of the Cocoon woman, but that was their right; after all, there was a foreign soldier in their peaceful hometown. Lightning had no reason to believe Emmeryn, Fang, or any of the others were lying to her about this Gorgonopsid thing. Even if she did, the thought of dying while trying to get back home, and possibly no one even knowing she had died, made for a risk Lightning did not want to take.

Try as she might, Lightning just couldn't stop thinking about what Serah was going through right now. And what about her survey team? The ones that had insisted that Lightning not go off on her own, or at least allow one of them to accompany her. Were they unjustly blaming themselves for their captain's poor judgment? How much grief had Lightning's disappearance caused?

Alone with nothing but her thoughts, Lightning actually allowed herself to think of Jihl. Had news of her predicament even reached the PSICOM Lieutenant Colonel? And if it had, would Jihl even care? With the way the two had ended, Lightning wouldn't be surprised if Jihl didn't give her disappearance a second thought. A sad thought, but Lightning had no one to blame for it but herself.

Tired of dwelling on such things, Lightning sat herself up just in time to observe Vanille coming out of her bedroom. The red-haired girl had her back to the soldier as she ever so quietly made to closed her bedroom door. Clearly, she was trying her best not to disturb their current house guest.

An amused smirk crept over Lightning's face; half for how cute she found the girl's consideration, and half for the idea that just entered her head.

"Good morning!"

Vanille nearly jumped out of her skin at the rather abrupt greeting. Lightning couldn't help but chuckle at the poor girl's reaction. She would do the same thing to Serah on a regular basis; which irritated her little sister to no end.

"Good morning." The girl smiled softly after collecting herself. "Sorry, I'm not used to having someone else awake when I get up."

"It's a soldier thing." Lightning simply replied. "Up at 05:00 and all that."

"Did you sleep well?" Vanille asked as she passed by Lightning, and made her way into the kitchen of the small home.

"Very." Lightning then stood up from the couch, stretching out as she did so. "Best night I've had in a while actually."

"Glad to hear it."

Lightning then moved to join Vanille in the kitchen. "Does everyone in the village get up this early?" The soldier inquired as she watched Vanille gather food for their breakfast.

"Mainly the farmers. In about an hour you'll start hearing the rest of the village."

Lightning then looked to the door across the living room from Vanille's. "And what about that one?"

She questioned, nodding her head toward the room of the home's remaining occupant.

It took Vanille a brief moment to realize what the soldier meant. When it finally dawned on her, the redhead let out a light giggle and replied, "The only time Fang gets out of bed early is if she has a hunt planned for the day." Another wave of giggles then came over the girl. "Otherwise, it would probably take a rampaging adamantoise to wake her up."

Lightning just stared as the Pulsian laughed at what was apparently an inside joke. 'An adama-what?'

Once Vanille's bout of laughter subsided, she noticed the confused look on the Cocoon woman's face. "Trust me, it's something really big and really loud."

"Noted."

"I should try getting Fang up though. She's supposed to help out at the forge later today."

"I'll get her for you." Lightning offered, already moving to do so.

"Don't trouble yourself, Lightning." Vanille looked up from the food she had been preparing. "I mean it; Fang can be a real pain to wake up."

"I like a challenge." The soldier waved off. "You finish up breakfast, and I'll wake up the huntress." And without another word, Lightning had disappeared into Fang's room.

"Good luck." Vanille merely shrugged, returning to her cooking. "You'll need it."

XXX

Lightning stood at the door for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the near pitch-blackness of Fang's bedroom. The only light to be found in this immense darkness came from the morning sun trying to break through the almost hairline crack in the curtains of Fang's window.

"That's a good place to start." Lightning muttered to no one in particular.

Taking a moment to figure out the right way to open them, the pinkette unceremoniously threw open the curtains, flooding Fang's room with sunlight. "Rise and shine lady!"

Lightning looked behind her to Fang's bed expecting, and somewhat hoping, to see the Pulsian flop to the floor in shock; she was met with disappointment. The only movement Fang had made was to unconsciously cover her eyes from the offending light.

The soldier walked over to the side of Fang's bed, crossing her arms as she observed the woman sleeping. Fang laid sprawled out on her back across her full-sized bed, which was almost completely hidden under a massive mound of furs. Lightning might admit that Fang looked sort of cute, maybe even attractive, in this state, were it not for one thing: her snoring. Never a fan of snoring, the boisterous grumbling coming from Fang's gaping mouth started to grind on Lightning's nerves. She had to get the woman up if only to put an end to that annoying sound.

Now that she was closer, perhaps her words would be more effective. "Come on Fang! Time to get up!" The soldier called in a louder, more firm tone of voice.

Still nothing. The woman simply shifted to her side and continued her snoring.

This called for a more drastic approach. Taking a deep breathe, Lightning let loose the same tirade she had set aside for her most stubborn subordinates at the PSICOM base. She had yet to see anyone that could sleep through it.

"ARLIGHT MAGGOT! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF THAT BED RIGHT NOW AND GET MOVING, OR YOU'LL BE CLEANING THE MESS HALL EVERY NIGHT FOR THE NEXT MONTH!"

Not even a flinch.

Lightning couldn't believe her eyes. The whole village was probably gathered outside the house from how loud she yelled, and yet Fang still laid there sound asleep as if she were dead to the world. The only evidence that she wasn't dead came in the form of that damned snoring. Now quite irritated, Lightning began to think that the only way to get the Pulsian up would be to hit her with something; an idea that looked more and more attractive by the minute.

Finally deciding that physical violence probably wouldn't be the best course of action, Lightning began searching the room for something that could make a lot of noise; preferably something that could be placed over Fang's head when she struck it. That technically counted as not actually hitting her.

Lightning surveyed the small bedroom, not seeing anything particularly useful for what she had in mind. Her gaze then fell upon something that peaked her interest considerably. Setting aside her objective to rouse Fang in the most annoying way possible, Lightning moved to examine the beautifully crafted weapon delicately hanging on Fang's wall.

Anyone who knew the PSICOM captain knew of her fascination with unique and detailed weaponry, and the item in question was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was clearly a spear of some description, easily six feet in length with two sizable blades on each end. However, simply calling it a spear felt like an injustice. Its intricate designs and brilliant crimson coloring just seemed deserving a much more gallant name. What really caught Lightning's eye were the unusual crossed blades on either end the staff. The blades held an unmistakable sharpness to them, adding to the spear's already imposing image. Closer inspection revealed some kind of inscription on the blade, written in a language Lightning didn't recognize, as well as various miniscule scratches along the blade face, indicating a fair amount of use. The weapon was clearly well cared for, possessing no other signs of wear-and-tear whatsoever. Slowly, Lightning reached out to touch this master piece before her.

Not a second before Lightning's finger made contact with the spear. "Hands off!"

The soldier whipped around to find Fang sitting up on her bed, staring at her. It wasn't as much an angry stare as a threatening one, daring Lightning to continue her actions. The soldier remained calm and simply put up her hands to show she wouldn't go any further.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to-" Lightning paused, throwing her hands down in disbelief. "Wait! That's what woke you up!?"

"A warrior's weapon is her life." Fang then got up and stepped between Lightning and her weapon, eye seemingly fixed on the blade's inscription. "I protect what's precious to me."

Lightning merely stared at Fang from behind, crossed her arms and smirked. "So how fast do you move if someone touches Vanille?"

"Cut that out, will ya!?" Fang whirled around on her. This time, the look on her face was definitely anger; or at least immense irritation.

Lightning just chuckled at the woman before her. There was just something very enjoyable about teasing Fang. Fang obviously didn't see the same humor in it though.

"Is there a reason you're here; besides bugging the crap out of me, that is?"

"Vanille's busy with breakfast, so I volunteered to wake you up for her." Lightning explained. "She said something about you having to help out at the forge today."

"Dammit, I almost forgot." Fang muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I'll be out in a minute. Get out so I can get dressed."

"Fine." Lightning made to leave, then paused at the door. She turned around to see Fang with her back to her as she rummaged through her closet. "Look, I'm sorry about the teasing. Just let her know how you feel about her. Trust me, it's a lot easier than you probably think it is."

Fang merely turned her head and glared at the soldier. "And what the hell makes you such an expert?"

"The fact that I actually had the guts to tell the girl I liked how I felt." Lightning answered bluntly. "Turns out that she felt the same way."

Fang just sighed. "Yeah well, what if Vanille's different? What if she's not interested, and it just makes everything weird between us?" Fang's tone was completely serious. She had obviously given this a lot of thought; too much in Lightning's opinion.

"What if you miss your chance?" Lightning had her own group of scenarios for Fang to consider. "Better yet, what if she does feel the same and is just as worried as you are? What if she's waiting for you to make the first move?"

Fang completely stopped in her tracks at that last question. Lightning could tell that she was deep in thought. Apparently, the warrior had never even considered that possibility. After a few more seconds, Fang simply shook her head, as if trying to throw the ridiculous thought from her mind.

"What are the chances of that?" She finally spoke. She then turned back to Lightning, her glare having returned full force. "And why the hell I am telling you all of this anyway? I don't even know you, and in a few days you won't even be here."

Fang had a point. Lightning had actually been quite surprised that the huntress so openly admitted her fears to someone who was essentially a complete stranger in the first place. The woman clearly wanted help, but was just too proud to actually ask for it.

"Fair enough." What more could Lightning say? "It's your business. I just think you're overestimating things; that's all." And with that, Lightning left the room, allowing Fang to finish getting ready; and do some hard thinking.

XXX

The trio ate breakfast mostly in silence, save for some light conversation between Lightning and Vanille regarding Lightning's opinion of Oerba. The soldier had really enjoyed her tour of the quaint, little town. She viewed spread out streets and small houses as a nice contrast to the crowded roads and cluttered mass of tall buildings of Eden City; or anywhere on Cocoon for that matter. Lightning felt quite privileged to get to see this part of Gran Pulse, regardless of the circumstances that brought her here.

Every once in a while Lightning would glance over at Fang, who had remained quiet throughout the meal. The warrior still seemed to be in deep thought and would just stare at Vanille whenever the girl wasn't looking. Lightning could only wonder what was going through the woman's head.

"Ready for seconds Fang?"

Fang jumped a little at Vanille's question, then simply shook her head. "N-No. No thanks."

"But you always have seconds." Vanille seemed pretty concerned by Fang's refusal. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No-no-no!" Fang reassured. "Your food's amazing as always."

"Then, are you not feeling well?" The girl got up from her chair, walked over to where Fang was sitting, and gently placed the back of her hand against Fang's forehead.

Fang quickly pulled away at the contact. "I'm fine Van. Really. I … just don't … feel that hungry. That's all."

Vanille looked a little dejected by the comment, but didn't press it. "Okay. If you say so." Vanille then collected the plates, brought them to the sink, and began washing them.

The more Lightning observed the way Vanille acted around Fang, the more she began to suspect that her theory was right. Lightning had only said it to make Fang feel better, but now she had to wonder. Did Vanille feel the same way about Fang?

After a few minutes, Lightning noticed Vanille take in a deep breathe and let it out, her body visible moving up and then down as she did so. She was trying to compose herself. The girl then spun around on her heels, an almost overly chipper smile crossing her face.

"So, what were you two talking about?"

"Huh?" Once again, Vanille's question caught Fang off guard.

"I could hear you and Lightning talking when you were in your room." Vanille clarified. "What were you talking about?"

"Oh um." Fang looked almost terrified by the question. "W-We were … uh. We were just t-talking about …"

Lightning decided she should probably jump in and save the flailing huntress.

"Fang's spear."

"Huh?" Fang and Vanille both looked to Lightning; both clearly looking for some elaboration.

"I saw Fang's spear hanging on her wall," Light stated very matter-of-factually. "So I asked her some questions about it. I'm a bit of a weapon nut, to be honest."

Vanille smiled at Lightning, clearly accepting the answer. From the corner of her eye, the soldier could see Fang let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, you mean Gungnir? Maker, Fang must have talked your ear off about that thing."

"Not at all." Lightning brushed off. "I found it very interesting."

"I should hope so with all the work Fang's put into it." Vanille let out a light giggle as she sat down. "I still remember how excited Fang was the day she forged it."

"What?" Lightning wide eyes shot immediately to Fang. "You mean you made that yourself."

By this point Fang had fully managed to regain herself. "Well, I did have some help from the forge master, and Gungnir's had a few upgrades since then, but yeah, I made it. All true warriors on Gran Pulse craft their own weapons." Fang seemed much more relaxed and confident now. Clearly the warrior woman was back in her element.

"Don't people on Cocoon get to make their own weapons Lightning?" Vanille asked, sounding a bit surprised.

Lightning merely shook her head. "No. Our weapons are all mass produced in factories."

Vanille just stared at Lightning as though she were speaking some other language, and Fang's simply responded with a gruff, "That figures."

The pink-haired soldier nodded in agreement.

"Well, come with to the forge then." Fang stated as she rose from her seat. "You can see for yourself how a real weapon gets made. Maybe you can even try your hand at your own if there's not too much work to be done."

"Are you sure it's alright?" Lightning was actually a little taken aback by the sudden offer. She had actually been hoping she could tag along.

"Sure. Always good to have an extra pair of hands around."

"You two have fun." Vanille replied as she set about tidying up the rest of the kitchen. "I'll stop by later with lunch."

The two bid Vanille goodbye, and headed out.

XXX

The forge sat on the other side of the village from Fang and Vanille's home, so the two had a little bit of a walk ahead of them. Lightning didn't mind though. The soldier was happy for another chance to take in the village sights.

"Vanille didn't want to come?" Lightning wondered about the younger of the two Pulse women.

"Nah. Vanille's not very interested in metalwork." Fang answered. "She usually prefers helping bring in the crops. Though today I think she said she's gonna help Sully at the stables."

Lightning couldn't help but feel happy to see Fang acting like her usual self. She hadn't meant to put Fang in a funk with her comments about Vanille. She just felt that the warrior needed to consider what she had suggested.

"Hey Lightning." The soldier turned to look at traveling companion. "Do you really think Vanille feels the same way I do about her?"

So she had considered.

"I definitely think there's something there." Lightning stated truthfully.

"So what do I do now?"

"Suck it up and tell her."

"You don't think I've tired!?" Fang snapped. "It's not that easy!"

"Then you need to find your own way to get her to realize how you feel."

"And how the hell do I do that?"

Lightning just shrugged. "You have to figure that part out on your own. I don't know Vanille like you do."

"I guess you're right." Fang sighed in defeat. "Guess I got some more thinking to do."

Lightning didn't reply that time, and the two just continued walking in silence. That is, until Fang thought of something else she wanted to discuss.

"So you know all about my love interest." Fang started. "Now tell me about yours."

"What?" Lightning was actually afraid this might happen.

"C'mon spill it. This girl you liked that liked you back. Tell me about her."

"I don't really like to talk about." Lightning replied looking anywhere but at Fang.

"Hey now, none of that!" Fang asserted jumping in front of the soldier. "Out with it."

Lightning really didn't want to discuss the details of her past relationship. However, she knew she probably wouldn't hear the end of it if she didn't say something. That's how it always went when someone asked her about what happened with Jihl. Normally, Lightning would just deck the person pestering her and be done with it, but in this case, that probably wouldn't go over well with the rest of the village. Reluctantly, Lightning gave in; rapidly.

"Her name's Jihl. We knew each other since we were seven. I asked her out when we were in high school. We dated for about eight years. We joined PSICOM together and were two the academy's best students. Thenwegraduatedandeverythingwenttohellandwebrokeup . The end. Happy!?"

Lightning basically told the whole story in one breath, speeding up the ending to avoid any unwanted questions. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Hold up!" Fang barked, then paused as she tried to pluck out the detail Lightning had tried to rush through. "You broke up with her?"

"Yes." Lightning sighed. "Which is why I said I didn't want to talk about it." The soldier then continued walking right passed Fang.

Fang quickened her pace to catch up with the fleeing pinkette. "So, now why am I letting you give me advice about my relationship with Vanille?" The warrior posed, choosing not to pry further into Lightning's love life.

Lightning kept walking, not even turning to look at the warrior. "Because I still managed to get with the girl I liked. And we did still have eight very happy years together."

"So, what brought it to an end?" Fang pushed one more time.

"I did something very stupid, okay? Can we please just leave at that?"

"Fine, we will." Fang figured it best to give her that much. Though, there was one last thing she wanted to ask. "Any idea where she is now?"

"Not a clue." Lightning looked up at the sky. "Not anywhere nearby, that's for sure."