Hello, new chapter. Enjoy and review

Chapter Thirteen

The Whitewoods Prt 2

Vaan was thrown back by the explosion that had occurred through the woods. Coughing slightly, the young man looked up at the smoke that was covering the area where he had seen both Éclair and Paine…

No, she thought, they couldn't have die…

But he couldn't help feel that icy feeling that was clawing at his heart at the possibilities of what he could discover when the smoke dissipated…but he was refusing the give in to it. He couldn't believe that something like that could have taken Éclair and Paine down.

I know Paine too long to know that something like that won't keep her down, he thought.

"ÉCLAIR, PAINE," he called.

As the smoke dissipated, Vaan feel his eyes widen slightly.

Éclair was standing straight up with a pinkish light all around herself and Paine who was down on her butt looking up at what look like a large shield above the two of them.

They're alive, he thought, Thank you Maker.

"Paine," he yelled.

The steel haired girl turned toward him, her eyes wide seeing him running at her.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Vaan asked in quick succession.

"I'm…I'm fine," Paine answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You two take cover," Éclair said as the pinkish light became more pronounced, "I'll take care of it."

With that, she launched a crystal into the air, Vaan recognized it as the crystal from the Eidolon and had a pretty good idea of what Éclair was planning. He took Paine's shoulder and said.

"C'mon, let's get out of the way."

Éclair can feel the full power of her magic rushing through her veins like an adrenaline boost. She jumped in the air, higher than any normal human being could jump and slashed at the crystal, splitting it into two pieces.

Then a large symbol appeared in the air as the air started to rush around her and her mechanical giant, Odin materialized with both of his hands crossed upon his chest and then with a burst of magic, his sword materialized also and the giant caught it easily and then when she came down, Odin easily caught the extended hand she threw out at him and with a spinning round she did a back flip and landed on her feet on the ground.

"Let's go, Odin," she yelled.

The Eidolon complied launching himself forward his blade slashing at the creature earning screams of pains as Éclair herself, launched Thundara spells one after the other at the large creature which she can tell was weakening.

Éclair then ran forward passing Odin and jumped forward toward it. From behind her, The Eidolon launched his blade toward her, and Éclair took hold of it. Then, her magic started to charge through them as they crackled with power.

"Iyahh,"

She then spun around in a complete 180 tornado spin as the lightning from her spell crashed all around the large creature earning screams of pain. Then when she landed down on the ground, the creature falls down unmoving from the spell that she had just used.

Breathing heavily, Éclair watched her handiwork with a satisfied look upon her face before turning toward her Eidolon.

"Thank you Odin," she said, handing him back the large sword.

The Eidolon took it from her and disappeared into a wisp of pink crystals. She turned her attention toward her companions and walked back to them.

"Are you okay?" she asked them.

"Sorry, I'm still seeing my life flashing before my eyes," Paine said to her, "I have no idea how you got that shield up in time."

"We best keep moving," Éclair told her, "We wouldn't want any more nasty surprises while we are in here."

"Good idea," Vaan said.

Then the trio set off once more.

They continued to walk through the Whitewoods and Éclair noticed that Paine had been sending her death glares ever since before the large creature had attacked them. She couldn't understand why the girl would be doing this to her unless…

Éclair blinked.

It couldn't be that is it?

The pinkette glanced back toward the two, her brow furred in concentration. Before she could say anything however, the sound of engine drew her attention.

Confused she looked back toward where she heard the noise.

"What is that?"

"Sound like some S.A. machinery," Paine answered her, "A.I. machines."

"Oh," Éclair said, simply.

"But what are they doing in the forest?" Vaan asked.

"You said that they are afraid of the Forest didn't you Vaan?" Éclair told him, "So they send their machines after us."

"Bunch of pussy cats," Vaan smirked, "They have bunch of weapons and flying craft and yet, they can't get inside a forest to take us out."

Paine gives him a glare.

"I'd rather they stay out of the woods so far," Paine said, "We can't take on the entire Sanctum soldiers and live to tell the tale."

Éclair simply smirked.

"So what do we do from now on?"

Paine frowned.

"Might be a good idea to avoid them," Paine said, "Those things are metal so bullets won't be as efficient on them as you think."

"If you say so," Éclair said softly.

They continued to move, hearing the machines whizzing around the trees but they were careful as to not encounter one.

"Hey, guys," Vaan called, "H…How about we take a break? We've been walking for at least a few hours for now."

Éclair glanced back at him from where she was standing and saw that the two were getting tired, thought Vaan was more winded than Paine was.

"Okay, we'll take a break."

She saw the relief upon Vaan's features as he seated down at the base of a large tree. Paine took a seat beside him sighing also and Éclair sheath her sword upon her belt as she took a seat across them.

The two were speaking to each other in soft voices and Éclair for some odd reason felt as if a needle was piercing her heart. It took her a few seconds to realize the feeling she was feeling was loneliness. In that moment, it made her think about her loss memories.

About the people she had forgotten about?

Here just touch it.

Why do I have to?

Stop being a spoilsport and touch the damn thing.

Voices were whispering within her mind, and Éclair could hear joyful talking around her and the sound of animals…it was almost like she was in a festival of some sort.

"They're not going to bite you know," the mysterious accented voice spoke again.

"I'm not taking any chances," Éclair heard her own voice replies.

The girl can almost see her surroundings now. She was in large hold filled and the shapes were blurred around her and then, she felt someone take hold of her hand. The hand was as much feminine as hers but it brought her warmth unlike she never felt before…

"Don't be scared, trust me."

Éclair gasped looking up at the voice…

But everything was gone from around her…it was like her entire world was plunged into darkness…almost suffocating…

"Let go of her,"

"Ragnarok…."

"Fal'Cie…"

An echoing scream piercing through the air…

"ECLAIR,"

"Destruction of Zanarkand…"

"SIN,"

That was when she snapped awake, startling Paine who had her hand extended toward her elbow. Éclair quickly seated from her position against the tree, rubbing her eyes.

"What is it?"

"We've been here for a good thirty minutes," she said, "and we've got to move."

Éclair nodded at her, her mind still reeling from what she had just experienced.

"What is it? You're okay crazy girl?"

Éclair nodded at her.

"I'm fine."

She didn't believe her one bit.

Paine saw that the girl's face was as white as sheet. She knew that crazy girl was hiding something. She had just decided for a change, that she will be the one to wake the Pulsian up, instead of Vaan. When she had reached the woman, however, the girl was surely having a nightmare seeing how her eyes were moving from underneath her eyelids and the light whispers that had escaped the girl's lips. Watching the Pulsian in front of her, she had deduced that the girl might have experienced some memories or something that was tied to her memories.

She had heard that some memories can get twisted up with nightmares and since crazy girl couldn't remember much of her past, this was probably what caused her to be so…strange earlier.

Paine shook her head.

She best put the idea of crazy girl and all of her craziness out of her head for now. She had something else in mind at the moment. She turned her attention back to Vaan who was now furrowing his brows in attention.

They both had seen the Velocycles that had landed somewhere at the end of the Whitewoods, meaning they would be S.A. soldiers waiting for them when they excited the Forest. Those bio weapons had to be send by someone from somewhere.

"Paine, we're almost there," Vaan said to her.

"Where?" Éclair asked, confused.

"A few minutes ago we heard some Velocycles before," she said, "Those things can fly us out of the Whitewoods and straight into Palumpolum…but the only problem is that they might have a large number of soldiers with them."

"I can use my spells to take them down," Éclair told her.

"We might want to keep your magic on low profile," Paine told her.

Éclair snorted.

"Why kept it hidden? They've already hate me just because I'm not of the same world as they are," she said, "No…let's give 'em something to fear also."

She moved forward causing Paine to sigh.

"Might as well keep up with her," Vaan said.

"I was trying to avoid a firefight but…it would seem that it is impossible now," Paine murmured following them.

They had stumbled forward through the trees and Paine can hear the sound of the ocean from where she was causing her to smirk a little. They were almost out of the Forest by now and could know that it was almost strange that they cut through the Forest so quickly.

Paine was glad that the things that they had said about Whitewoods is just a bunch of myths and legends after all, if they walked through the trees and make it out alive…who say other's wont?

"Patrol 5 relay your position?"

"This is Patrol 5," a voice answered, "We are currently at the Whitewoods. We've receive intels that the enemy had crashed there, we are sent to retrieve them."

"Copy Patrol 5, proceed and maintain radio contact."

"Understood."

"You aren't serious about going in there are you?" another soldier said, "Haven't you heard the stories?"

The first voice snorted.

"They're just stories, Lieutenant," he said, "children ghost stories and me, I don't believe in ghosts."

Paine saw a smirk cross Éclair's face at that and noticed the woman's hand was crackling with magic.

"C'mon let's move it people," the first voice, probably the leader said, "These woods aren't going to scan themselves."

Two other voices answered him and Paine did the head count to four soldiers. She readied her weapon as she heard the soldiers move closer to them and pressed her fingers on the trigger. Exchanging looks with crazy girl who give her an almost non noticeable nod.

Then the woman started to count down on her fingers.

3…2…1…

When the last finger was brought down, Paine leapt into action unloading bullets upon the squad of soldiers who were taken aback by the sudden attacks unto which two of them falls down hit by Paine's bullets.

Then crazy girl used her magic and she took down another with a well placed lightning blast. One of the men fired back, the bullets grazing the side of Paine's face leaving a thin red line there and crazy girl slammed her shield upon him, effectively knocking the man out.

Wait that's three…where is the last one? She thought.

"All right you two put down your weapons…now," a voice said.

The two turned toward him, finding the man holding Vaan with a gun at the boy's face. Paine blinked, recognizing the man as one who she shot point blank…

How is he still alive? She thought.

"The weapons…one the ground now," he said.

Paine threw her machine gun down and Éclair put her blade down…when then she moved so fast that the next time Paine blinked, the woman was already in front of Vaan. Her hand shoot out toward the gun by Vaan's face pushing it sideway the same time the bullet left the barrel. Then a lightning current ran across the man's body causing him to yell out in pain before falling down on the ground his body twitching every now and then.

All the while, Paine was open-mouthed.

She is a ninja, she thought.

"Are you alright Vaan?"

The boy nodded.

"Yeah…that was a close one," he said, breathing heavily.

"C'mon, let's get moving," Paine said, picking back up her weapon.

After they raided the soldiers, Vaan now carrying a weapon himself, they follow Paine down toward the sandy beach which the girl quickly noticed the Velocycles that she had heard a few minutes ago.

"So it was them after all," she said.

Separated by the sea in the distance, a city stood against the sun, a familiar one to both Paine and Vaan but to Éclair it was a new sight.

"This is Palumpolum," she said.

"That's right," Vaan said, "This is home."

Paine approached them, now standing right beside the other two looking out at the city in the distance.

"Are you sure about this?" Éclair asked.

"It's the only way we might understand why you're here and what exactly l'Cie are suppose to do," Vaan told her.

"I hope you're right," Éclair whispered so low that Paine almost didn't hear her.

"When we get to your house Vaan, we might have to chance crazy girl's outfit," Paine said, "No offense but, your armor is not exactly helping since it's too easily recognizable. S.A. might be able to identify you using it."

The woman gives her a nod, her blue eyes never leaving the city.

Hey guys, the end of the chapter here.

Next time: Palumpolum

We arrives upon the large city. What awaits them there?

Jacques0 out.

R&R.