Chapter 10 - Lightning

She thought it left her. Vanille thought that those voices, hallucinations, and all those memories have gone, and would never, ever come back. Frankly, that wasn't the case. She didn't want to admit it, but they were getting clearer and louder… much more detailed – so detailed, she could feel herself being—

The sound of the door opening – Lightning was home.

Vanille shook away the thoughts and dashed towards the entrance where she found the pink-haired soldier in her casual outfit, leaning on the door very, very tiredly. Her head was down, her shoulders drooped, and it just seemed like she was going to collapse if any more weight was put onto her.

Maybe… the conversation with Serah didn't go so well?

It was depressing to think that way. After all, she did have a ton of confidence that it was going to go well. Why else would she have left the two alone? "Onee-san…?" She called softly as she approached the woman.

Lightning didn't reply, but she brought her head up slowly.

The soldier looked so tired; perhaps even more so than the times after work. A foot apart, Vanille tried again, in a much softer voice, as she didn't want her high-pitched, squeaky one to bother her, "Are you okay?"

"…" She stared blankly at the girl.

Did she go out of control again? Did she yell at her sister again? What exactly happened? Countless questions and assumptions rose in her mind, but Vanille fought the urge to ask. Instead, her hand moved up to Lightning's cheek, somewhat regretting that she wasn't there with her.

Lightning turned her head away before the girl's hand could come any closer.

But Vanille ignored her action; she wanted to reach her – desperately. "Onee-san…" She whispered as her fingers brushed lightly against the woman's smooth cheek.

The strawberry-blonde remained still.

"What's wrong?"

The gentleness in Vanille's voice could drive her insane. So deep has she buried her emotions, and yet, such simple words from the redhead could dig them out so completely. The sore feeling in her chest from earlier intensified; it was giving her a heartburn, making her throat dry, getting her breath all uneven and shaky, and… and she… "I've never realized…"

Slightly surprised when she spoke, the girl started to stroke at her skin with her thumb.

Hesitantly, she turned back to the redhead. "… I've never realized that she's grown so much."

Vanille's hand finally moved close enough to cup the woman's smooth cheek.

Lightning inhaled deeply, and as she exhaled, her breath shook with discomfort. No matter how hard it was, no matter how much it hurt her pride, the soldier felt that it was necessary to tell someone – no, she just wanted to tell Vanille, and only Vanille. She felt as if something inside would tear her apart otherwise – a thorn-like irritation. It was so, so annoying. Lightning bit onto her lower lip briefly and went on, "I let her go, she's no longer trapped by me. Everything's fine – I could even talk to her casually like we used to. But…" she swallowed hard, "… but when I watched her walk away from me earlier, I just felt like…" Lightning clenched her fists. The same frustration from the night before burned within, "… I don't know – it pisses me off to just think about it…"

The girl moved in closer.

Seeing this, her hand unexpectedly, yet almost naturally, moved up to hold onto Vanille's that was still cupping her cheek. "Can you tell me?" She asked desperately as her azure eyes gleamed with anticipation, hope, and everything else that Vanille has never seen until now.

"Onee-san," she gave Lightning her trademark smile before answer, "It's because you've accepted the fact that she's grown up."

She flinched. Within a few seconds, the confusion on her face turned into a frown. "I don't get it."

Vanille's smile widened, "Mmm… well…" She tapped her lips with her index finger, "To put it simply… you're proud that she's big now, but you're also… mad? No – upset? No, no… you're, uh…"

"…"

She finally found the suitable word, "Okay, you're saddened that she's no longer with you."

Poker face.

Vanille chuckled. "It's easy to understand! As a sister, your job was to watch her grow, mature, and become an adult. But like any other guardian, you just can't believe that the day has come so quickly."

… Man, she had to give it to this girl sometimes. As contradicting as it sounded, why was it that someone as innocent and childish as her could be so mature? The redhead looked no older than twenty, yet she knew so much, and could see through so much. Lightning didn't want to think it that way, but Vanille was a very dangerous person. Maybe she was majoring in psychology or something?

It was no longer necessary for her to keep her hand on Lightning's cheek. She drew her hand away, subsequently making the woman pull hers away as well. The two then stood there in silence, unsure of what to do next.

"Um…" Of course, it was always Vanille who would know how to break the tension. "Onee-san, are you hungry?"

"A bit." She answered simply.

"Do you… want me to make you something?"

Lightning looked into the lit kitchen, and then back at the shorter girl. "Not today," her sandals still on, she turned to reach for the doorknob. "Let's go out."

Vanille's eyelids fluttered. "O-out…? At this time…?" She looked out to the darkened sky as no clock was visible from where she was standing. The girl wasn't an expert, but judging from the colour of the sky, it was probably near midnight already. Then, it hit her.

Out… with onee-san? A date?

Seeing her reluctance, Lightning turned back around to face the girl. "Didn't you know? Bodhum's more fun at night."

Vanille blinked again. Did the strict, cold, unemotional soldier just mention the word 'fun'? "S-sorry, what did you just…?"

She rested a hand at her hip, "More fun and more food at night is what I'm trying to say." Lightning said bluntly, "So, you coming or not?"

Gradually, her muddled expression turned into a cheerful one, and finally, a grin appeared. She nodded enthusiastically, "Un!" Vanille squeaked with joy and jumped into her sandals—

"Make her watch me— … them—"

— her legs gave out—

That voice again.

She started to fall forward, her body was lazy to react—

"Holy—" But Lightning spread her arms and caught the redhead in time. Holding onto her shoulders, she began, as casually as possible, "What's wrong?"

Vanille took a couple of breaths before looking up, while feigning a look of clumsiness, and started, "Hehe, guess I'm so hungry that I almost passed out…"

She narrowed her eyebrows. "Are you kidding me?"

The girl chuckled nervously. "Well, I can't help it if I'm hungry!"

Lightning shook her head as she helped her regain balance. She reached for the doorknob once again, this time without breaking eye contact with Vanille, and pushed the door open. "Then let's head out now, shall we?"

This, certainly, was amazing. No, it wasn't because of the increased amount of bright lanterns and decorative lights put up around then, but why were there more people out here than usual? To be more specific, why was this place more crowded at night? Don't people have to sleep?

"You look shocked."

Vanille turned to the strawberry-blonde soldier. "W-well, of course I am! Look, there are even children out at this time!" She looked forward again. The two were standing at the entrance to what appeared to be a "festival" more so than an ordinary night-market. Food, games, all sorts of stalls were put up. The said children Vanille was referring to all had funny-shaped balloons, ice-cream, or just some sort of delicious-looking food in their hands. Actually, never mind the children; even the grown-ups had their hands full with souvenirs and stuffed toys. Vanille tiptoed to look across the sea of heads and asked with excitement, "How can there be so many people?"

Lightning was quite entertained by the girl's amusement. It was kind of fun to think of herself as a tour guide. "Bodhum is one of Cocoon's few attraction points. Plus, it's close to Eden; people from there come here all the time." Following her green eyes, she also looked across the sea of people, "Surely, you would know that, since you are here for a vacation."

She stiffened for a brief moment, and then smiled at her escort. "I mean… I certainly did not expect this. How big is this place anyway?"

"Not really that big… just five streets of this."

"Five?" She exclaimed and looked down the street that appeared to be as long as a block. "Five of this! I've only walked through one, and I wasn't even paying attention when I did it!"

Lightning shrugged her shoulders. "There isn't much to do in the morning anyway. Tourists tend to use all the time they can, which explains why there's still so many people right now. Also, fresh arrivals for food and such come at midnight, sharp. So by morning, many would consider the stuff as 'leftovers'."

"Hehhh…" Her eyes continued to follow the people who were holding all sorts of food in their hands. "Onee-san, they don't have this stuff on – erm – Eden, so I want to try them all!"

She raised a brow. And here she was, thinking that Eden had everything. Well, perhaps this was one of the reasons why Bodhum was so popular; Eden citizens might have a very strict way of living, hence the lack of night-markets like this one. Maybe they had very scheduled lifestyle – work in the morning, go home at night, and party on weekends… something typical like that, and totally not laidback like Bodhum. "Go ahead," she remembered that the girl was still talking to her, "It's my treat."

"What…?" Vanille's pigtails swayed as she spun her head at the woman.

"I said…" Lightning's eyes hid in the corners, "… it's my treat."

"Yeah… I heard you the first time… but… why?"

Unable to withstand the awkwardness that she, and only she, could feel, the soldier crossed her arms before mumbling, "Just because."

"Hmm?" Vanille was puzzled by her sudden kindness, until she realized that this might be her way of showing her gratitude. The girl decided to tease her a little, "Onee-san, are you…" she jumped in front of the soldier by surprise, immediately catching her attention once more, "… by any chance, treating me because you… think a glutton like me won't have enough to buy everything?"

"No…" She dragged her answer, "… I'm doing it because I want to."

"… You're sure?"

"Uh huh,"

"Really?"

"Really."

"Why?"

The soldier grunted, "I just want to say thank y—" she coughed, "Just… because."

Vanille covered her mouth with a fist as she giggled. "Well then, if it's that simple," skipping away cheerfully, she stopped to finish, "Then you're welcome!" and reached a certain food stall.

Before she could realize that she was blushing, the girl has already made her way to a takoyaki stand. Why, of course, she was hungry after all. What was better to expect than a food stall? Sighing, the pink-haired soldier walked towards the redhead, who appeared to be intrigued by the oddly-shaped snack.

"Onee-san, what's this?" Vanille asked curiously and pointed at the white-yellowish batter that was being poured into the half-spherical moulds of an iron pan by a man, who most likely was the stall owner.

"Eden doesn't even have this?" Lightning huffed. She was starting to feel proud of being a citizen of Bodhum. Perhaps this place wasn't so bad after all, as its strange and unique stuff could be so fascinating to the girl… then again, this redhead could get fascinated by plainly anything. "This is takoyaki, or literally, grilled octopus in a ball-shaped dumpling… sort of."

"Is it good?" The girl chirped.

"Only if you don't eat it excessively." When she said that, she noticed the cook was eyeing her suspiciously – she probably offended him or something. Lightning ignored it, however; it wasn't like she would get beaten up or anything. "So, do you want some?"

She nodded, "I'd like to try!"

Lightning nodded and reached into her hoodie's pocket, "One small, please."

"Aye, that'll be five gils." The store owner said as he scooped up six, readied, steaming pieces into a small paper-boat. He aligned them in two rows, and then squirted mayonnaise onto the snack in a swift, zigzagging motion.

She handed him the exact amount and took the takoyaki.

Vanille could only stare in awe at the food as Lightning handed it to her. "Why is it in a shape of a boat?" She pointed at the holder curiously.

A completely off-topic question, "Err… I guess it's tradition they make it like this? I don't know." She answered honestly, because she really did not know. "So are you going to try it or not?"

"Yep!" The girl pinched at the toothpick that was stabbed into a takoyaki. Lifting it up lightly, she took a good while to observe the ball-shaped snack before finally popping the whole thing in her mouth.

"It's… quite hot…" Lightning mumbled as she watched her chew. For some reason, somewhere deep down inside, she anticipated for Vanille's reaction. Did she like it? Was it overcooked? Did the taste disappoint her…? … Just something along those terms.

Suddenly, Vanille snapped her head up. "Onee-san!" Her mouth still stuffed with the takoyaki, she quickly pushed it down her throat and continued, "Why is this so good!"

"Uh…?"

Her bright green eyes gleamed with delight, almost as if she were a kid who just had her first bite of candy. "Have some too!" Vanille poked the toothpick into another one, and then shoved it in front of the soldier's deep pink lips. "You're hungry too, aren't you?"

"Um… uh…" She stammered and tried to pull back, but accidentally caught a glimpse of those eager emerald eyes…

"Say aah!"

Déjà vu!

She could swear that something like this has happened before. But before she could recall the flashback, her lips already parted by themselves, which allowed the redhead to push the snack into her mouth. Lightning couldn't believe that she gave into something as trivial as food – no, was it really the food? It could be temptation… or maybe…?

"How is it?" Vanille asked happily.

Lightning chewed slowly as she searched for the right word. Vanille's eagerness for her to answer pressured her to talk. "It's alright," she said, "Nothing special." It was a blatant lie, but she was confident that it sounded convincing. Having neglected these night-market foods in Bodhum since her parents' death, Lightning has long forgotten the taste of this particular snack. Now that she was eating it, it actually tasted way better than she could remember. Though, it wasn't like she was going to say it out loud. Seeing how the girl was already done with her share, Lightning figured that she might as well complete her job as a tour guide for the night. "Takoyaki isn't the only type of food around here, you know?" She said as she finished the final two pieces.

"R-really? More good stuff like this?" The girl asked with glee and excitement.

She smirked. Looking around, she searched for the nearest food stall. "More like, takoyaki isn't going to be enough to make us full."

"Then… what do you suggest we eat next? I don't know anything around here, so…"

"Come here," Being the kind tour guide she was, Lightning gestured at Vanille with a finger, then pointed at a stall right across the street. "Follow closely. There are a lot of people here, and it's easy to get lost."

Vanille giggled, "Oh, onee-san, how old do you think I am? Worrying for me like this…" She followed the woman as she was told.

Rolling her eyes, Lightning talked back. "You look sixteen, and you behave like you're ten."

"Wha—hey! I'm nineteen, and I think I'm pretty mature for my age!"

The soldier suddenly stopped and turned around. She stared at Vanille, at first, sternly, but she soon softened up and a small smirk appeared. "Not all the time," She replied, almost teasingly. And before the redhead could give her a frown, a pout, or any sort of unsatisfied response, Lightning pointed at the stall's sign behind her. "Okonomiyaki, literally meaning whatever-you-like grilled pancake. Want some of this?"

She immediately forgot what she was about to say. Vanille tiptoed and glanced at the cook, who was pouring a familiar-looking batter onto a steaming-hot black pan. It looked like… he was indeed making some sort of pancake. It looked good, and definitely smelled delicious. "Un! I want this, onee-san!"

The two probably tried pretty much everything in the night-market afterwards. They couldn't help it, really; they haven't had a thing for the day, and most importantly, who could resist such cheap and delicious food? Vanille somehow convinced Lightning to stay a bit longer, despite it being nearly three in the morning now. Though, it wasn't like the soldier wanted to leave either; this crowd and noise weren't getting to her right now, as she was paying more attention to a certain tourist, who kept her upbeat and cheerfulness alive throughout all this time.

"Ah!" The girl gasped. Something caught her attention, and she skipped towards a stall that appeared to be hosting a game. Vanille was intrigued by the group of children that was gathering around it. "Onee-san, come here!"

She made her way towards the redhead. Apparently, everyone was watching a boy hit something that was a good five metres away with a toy pistol.

"Do you think he's going to hit it? Just one more can and he could get the first prize!" Vanille whispered to the soldier.

Lightning didn't care. But seeing how all the kids here were cheering him on, subconsciously, she, too, hoped for the boy to hit. Even so, it didn't seem as easy as it looked. The game was obviously rigged, as the distance was too great and the target was far too small. That toy gun looked historic as well – meaning it wouldn't hit accurately. For the boy to take down four cans already, Lightning didn't know whether she should be pleased or call him lucky.

Holding the gun with two hands, the boy squinted an eye for better aim, pulled the trigger, and—

"Too bad!" The stall owner called out right after a plastic clicking sound came from the gun, "You've run out of ammo, and there's still one can left!" To the children, he sounded friendly and enthusiastic, but to Vanille and Lightning, he sounded like he was in a hurry to move onto the next customer. "Here's a little Chocobo keychain for you though, you did hit four and deserve a second prize!"

"Wow…" Vanille suddenly appeared saddened, "The difference between the first prize and the second is so big…"

She wondered what the girl was upset about, and looked at the sign that had a list of the prizes. Raising a brow at the first prize, she pointed at it, "You want that?"

"Hm?" The redhead turned to Lightning, "Oh, yeah, who wouldn't!"

"Try it out then,"

"Eh – no way!" She laughed and waved her hands, "If that boy couldn't do it, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to either… Plus, I just want the prize, I don't really want to play."

The soldier took her words in without much reaction. She walked towards the man and handed him the right amount to play one game.

As he took the money and handed her the toy gun, he gave a quick glance at his customer, and immediately dropped his jaw. "W-whoa – Sergeant Farron?" He spat.

"Onee-san…?" Vanille blinked.

"I want to play," Lightning said coldly at the man.

"Y-yes…" Coughing, "Er, five cans, seven shots. Go ahead, please," The man kind of expected that this would turn out badly for him, as this woman was Lightning Farron, the soldier who jumped to the rank of a sergeant within four years. Everybody of Bodhum knew that if those in charge weren't so lazy with promoting people, the strawberry-blonde would already be a captain… or maybe even a colonel.

She was surprised that he didn't even try to slip in a handicap for her even though he knew who she was. Of course, the woman easily adapted to the horrible toy gun's aiming after testing out the first shot, which miraculously hit the can beside the one she was aiming for. With ease, she hit all five targets without missing once. Putting down the gun, she turned around and prepared to take a glimpse at the redhead's reaction, but before she could move, the biggest sigh in the world caught her attention.

It was the stall manager, obviously. Where he thought he could gain profit off children for the entire night, the last thing he had expected was to have Bodhum's finest soldier beat him to his own game. He took out a huge yellow Chocobo doll – which was about the size of three of an average person's head – and handed it reluctantly to the woman while maintaining a forced smile. "C-congratulations! Come again!"

"Uh huh," She nodded – like hell she was going to – and walked towards the girl. "Here,"

"R-really…?" Vanille lifted her arms.

"I just wanted to play, I didn't want the prize." Lightning said as she handed her the stuffed toy.

She was far too distracted by the cuteness of the bird-doll… thing. While normal Chocobos had long necks, sharp orange beaks, large wings, and strong legs with talons, this cartoon version of the animal looked completely different – its face stretched, and its eyes enlarged, the wings and the legs were completely shrunken, and the designer of this doll neglected the Chocobos' signature long necks. Basically, this doll was nothing but a yellow oval-shaped stuffed toy. Even Vanille found it hard to really call it a Chocobo. Regardless, she still liked it. She hugged it tightly and grinned, burying her face into its softness. "It's so cute! Thank you so much, onee-san! Love you!"

Lightning nearly choked on her own tongue.

Realizing what she just said, "… Eh?" Vanille instantly snapped up. "Eh? I-I mean—! Um… no, I—!"

She turned away. Lightning knew the girl didn't mean it that way, but seeing her denying so desperately like this, she couldn't help but to think that Vanille actually did really… probably…? — No, no. She was just looking elsewhere to hide her flushed cheeks… Yes, this was all done out of convenience.

Still stuttering, Vanille shook her head rapidly and tried to search for the right word, "I-I meant…!" but her shyness was getting to her, and it was so hard to think – she shoved the Chocobo doll into the strawberry-blonde's hands, "I-I need to go to the washroom! Excuse me!" She blurted in one breath and sped away before Lightning could say anything.

Any other day, the woman would gladly escort her to one, but she could hardly contain herself. So how would she be able to converse normally? Lightning took a deep breath and hugged onto the stuffed toy. Usually, it would hurt her pride to have people see her holding onto a doll, but she didn't even have the will to worry about this stuff anymore. Vanille's sudden… surprise… confession, if you will, was still echoing in her ears. She sighed and looked down at the first prize; she didn't intend to do it, but something about this toy's expression brought a smile to her face.

Vanille, meanwhile, was still trying to catch her breath. She actually wasn't planning to go to the washroom, she just didn't know what to say to cover up for her sudden indirect confession. The girl only said it to thank her, because… that was what people usually do, right? They'd say 'love you' out of gratitude— "Oh man… but I…" — but she knew very well that when she said it moments ago, it wasn't said out of gratitude, but rather—

"Enjoying life?"

That voice again. The girl looked around her in panic, because she could swear that somebody just whispered it to her—

"Have you forgotten about them?"

"No, I haven't…" She said weakly to herself as she continued to search. Unfamiliar yet friendly and innocent faces were all that surrounded her. There was no sign of that person… none at all.

"Selfish slut."

"I'm not…!" Vanille continued to speak, still searching for that person. She spun around, thinking that she might be able to catch him by surprise—

"Ow! Hey, watch it!"

She has bumped into a passerby rather roughly, though she was only pushed back a little. "S-sorry…" Vanille apologized immediately.

The man gave her a look before walking off.

The girl sighed and shook her head – at least, thanks to that stranger, that annoying voice no longer came back to haunt her. At the same time, she decided that it was best she returned to Lightning. Knowing her, the soldier was most likely getting worried by now. Taking the same route from where she came from, she came across many interesting stalls. From toys to jewellery, the fascinating items reminded her that she has yet to get her host a birthday present.

By now, Vanille wasn't just worried, but scared that she might get scolded for running off. With all her stamina, she sprinted her way back to her tour guide. She took longer than she thought she would to go through all the displayed items – they were all so entertaining to look at after all, so she couldn't really blame herself, Vanille argued in her head. At the same shooting game stall where they separated, the redhead glanced around for a certain tall, strawberry-blonde woman in the crowd. Sure enough, the said woman was standing beside a sign that labelled 'balloons', where many children were gathering around. The girl giggled; it didn't seem like Lightning realized where she was standing, rather, she looked like a child herself with that lost face and a stuffed toy in her arms.

Maybe she was just spacing out, but seeing her gave Vanille a sense of warmth in her heart. "Oneeeeee-san!" She purposely stretched the word as she walked towards her.

Lightning turned to the girl. Her look still lost at first, it quickly turned back to her usual strict one when she remembered what just happened. Turning away nervously, "W-where'd you go?" the woman asked as if it didn't concern her.

"Hehe, sorry, I got lost."

She stayed quiet.

"But… coming back here, I think we've pretty much covered all five streets, right?"

"Pretty much, I guess."

"Should we head home?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever you want."

Vanille nodded with a smile. "Okay, then let's go!" Before they moved, she remembered the yellow stuffed toy that was still in Lightning's arms, and started to chuckle. "Um, onee-san, do you… want to hold it, or…?"

"Huh?" The soldier looked down and instantly gasped. She shoved it into the redhead's hands and crossed her arms. Almost in a forced-casual way, Lightning started to walk off.

Giggling, Vanille followed the taller woman closely as the skies above turned from navy to deep blue.

"Oh man, I'm so tired…" She yawned, the large Chocobo doll still in hand. Taking off her sandals, she made her way to the living room and was about to collapse onto the sofa, until she noticed a streak of brightness peering out from the horizon line.

Vanille's sudden gasp caught the woman's attention, and her eyes automatically followed the redhead who was running towards the huge window.

A pleasant sunrise – just the way she liked it. Lately, she has been waking up far too early for her own good, and every time she turned to look at the sun on the bed, she couldn't help it but to detest its gloomy light. Right now, while she still had the energy, Vanille decided that it wouldn't hurt to watch the rare beauty in front of her.

It wasn't because she was entranced by the same, usual sunrise she saw every day, but rather… it was because of a certain girl who stood there, whose figure glowed with the warm sunlight that brought her feet to the window as well. "Didn't you say that you were tired?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but… I don't get to see pretty sunrises all the time…" Vanille answered, never taking her eyes off the horizon.

"Pretty?" Her azure eyes still on the redhead, "It's always the same," She finished, never even using a moment to blink.

The girl smiled before turning to the soldier, "Onee-san, you think everything is the same."

Unintentionally, her tired eyes began to follow the shadows that the sunlight created on Vanille's face. "That's what you get for living here all your life."

She giggled. "I don't think this place is bad at all. At least, it's nowhere close to the war, and it's so peaceful too…"

"Too peaceful," Lightning interrupted, "Sometimes, I just…" She clenched her fists, her eyes sharpened as they glued themselves onto the girl's bright green ones, "… just want to step into battle and do something."

Her smile weakened. "Onee-san, so you don't mind… killing people?"

Curious as to why the girl would suddenly ask such a serious question, the soldier crossed her arms. "If the people you are referring to are my enemy, then I don't."

Vanille continued to ask, "You mean the people of Pulse?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Who else do you think I'm talking about? I wouldn't want to kill Cocoon citizens, would I?"

The smile on the girl's face disappeared. She fiddled with the fluffy material on the Chocobo doll still in hand with her fingers. "Onee-san…" She whispered, unwilling to bring her head up, "… do you hate the people of Pulse?"

Confused, Lightning tilted her head. "Is this supposed to be a trick question?"

"No, I'm just wondering."

She blinked at the girl. "It's… obvious, isn't it?"

Vanille sighed and shook her head, "Never mind," she smiled and dropped the subject. Walking over to the sofa, she placed the stuffed toy down gently and made her way back to the woman, "Onee-san, this isn't much but, I got you something."

"… Why?" Lightning asked as she watched the redhead reached into her pocket, taking out a small piece of silver… black… or whatever-coloured… thing. She couldn't really tell what it was, as it was wrapped tightly in a small plastic bag.

Carefully, the girl took the said thing out with her nimble fingers, "When I asked you what you wanted for your birthday, you said anything is fine, right?" Stuffing the plastic bag back into her pocket, she held onto the 'present' with both hands. "So I got this!"

Vanille held it up for the soldier to see. It was a necklace with a black lightning bolt-shaped pendant with silver outlines and three small gems aligning on top of one another from the bottom. "A… necklace?"

"Mhmm!" She unhooked it, "It doesn't seem like you have your ears pierced, and I couldn't find any nice-looking bellybutton ring, so…" Holding onto the ends of the thin silver chain, "I'll help you put it on!"

"Uh—" Before she could stop her, the girl already moved in, tiptoed, and tried to hook the necklace together from behind her neck. This was more than awkward for her, as she was technically getting hugged. "Vanille…"

The girl chuckled. "Sorry, I can't really see… can you lean down a bit, please?"

Why don't you just let me turn around?

"O-okay…" She did as she was told and bent down' her face got that much closer to the girl's.

"Thanks," yet Vanille still struggled to hook the necklace back together.

Lightning could feel that she was having difficulty, so she bent down even more, until her chin was literally leaning on the redhead's shoulder. She thought for sure that the girl would pull back once she did that, but that wasn't the case; Vanille was far too occupied with that troublesome hook, and Lightning figured that if she pulled back now, it would only hurt the girl's feelings. About to give in and wait until Vanille was done, the soldier took a deep breath, and the smell of barbeque and such reached her nose. The scent obviously came from the girl's orange hair and clothes – they were wandering around a smoked and crowded area where air was dense. Not that the smell was unpleasant or anything, but Lightning was hoping for a more refreshing… bathing-gel-like smell. "Vanille…" She started.

"I'm so sorry," The girl chuckled again, this time in an apologetic way, "But I should've gotten you something more expensive. This cheap hook is ticking me off too…"

"No," Lightning said. As she breathed, the smell from the girl's hair became heavier.

"It's so cute! Thank you so much, onee-san! Love you!"

She swallowed. Was this smell drugging her or something? Out of everything, she was reminded of this particular scene.

"… Love you!"

… It wasn't even for real, intentional, or, more like, she didn't even mean it that way!

"… Love you!"

Lightning closed her eyes. She had to stop thinking about this…

"… onee-san… Love you!"

Seriously, stop. She could feel her cheeks getting warmer. Please don't let me be blushing, was what she was thinking. Well, how could she possibly not? With the girl this close, even a soldier as tough as she wouldn't be able to hold back her human emotions… this was never part of any of the training…

"… onee-san, I love you!"

Oh god, now she was filling in random words! Lightning bit hard onto her lower lip as her body tensed up. She was probably sweating as well, but she could care less; right now, she had to stay calm and slow down that racing heart. She might die from a stroke otherwise.

Anyone but Vanille.

Yes, even in her hangover state, she reminded herself of that; she was able to resist, so why couldn't she do it now? This was just a hug – no, this wasn't even a hug… it wasn't supposed to mean anything at all! The girl was just helping her put on the necklace!

"I don't… dislike this."

But she was speaking the truth two nights ago. Lightning didn't just didn't dislike this, she really, really, really liked this.

"Okay, done!" Vanille pulled back, "Finally! That was—"

Before she could move away any further, Lightning pressed her lips against the girl's soft ones. She didn't want to see her disgusted, repulsed, or horrified reaction, so the woman closed her eyes, and could only hope that nothing bad would come out of this.

Vanille parted her lips to gasp, but when she did that, the strawberry-blonde misinterpreted it, and kissed deeper. A moan escaped her, and it was like a wake-up call to the woman, who pulled away quickly in fear.

Lightning couldn't control it, but the moment they pulled away from each other, she naturally sucked onto her lips, savouring the taste that remained.

The girl, who by the way, still had her arms looped around Lightning's neck, slowly drew a shaking hand towards herself and pressed onto her red lips. "W-what… onee-san, what was that…?"

The colour on her cheeks could only be defined as crimson. The soldier looked away and swallowed hard. "I don't… really know…" She answered with utmost honesty.

"…"

… Crap.

Lightning could swear that she would throw herself out of the window right now if the redhead wasn't still holding onto her. She sure messed up badly – this was one hell of an awkward, uncomfortable, horrible situation, all mixed together in the worst way. Truly, she had no idea how to fix this. "Vanille, I… I'm sorry…" was the best she could do.

And out of nowhere, the girl started to giggle softly.

Bemused, she raised a brow.

"Onee-san, you…" Vanille whispered nervously, "… did you just… kiss me?"

At room temperature, Lightning was shivering as if she were standing in a winter wasteland, but at the same time, beads of sweat were rolling down her forehead – or that was what her imagination was telling her how she looked right now. She nodded lightly. "I… I'm sorry…" Lightning tried to step back—

But Vanille held on tightly. "No, don't go…"

Usually, in these situations, the woman's dominance would take over; there would be no hesitance or any sort of conversation. Everything would take place on the bed – nothing more and nothing less. But when she touched the girl's lips just now, it wasn't the same. She didn't want to describe it as special, but in a sense, it was, because it almost felt like it was her first kiss…

"Stay…" The girl whispered.

She was so cute – her flushed cheeks and gleaming eyes, her moist and parted lips – Lightning wanted her, and she couldn't help it anymore. Her arms circled around the girl's tiny waist, pulling her close by surprise. Their foreheads touched and the woman could feel the girl breathing on her. "Vanille…" Slowly and carefully, Lightning pushed her towards the window, trapping her against it with her body. Like that night on her birthday, when she moved a hand to brush away those orange bangs that always seemed to cover those brilliant eyes, Lightning did the same thing here. Only this time, when she leaned in to kiss her, she was sure that she wouldn't get disturbed.

Their lips met and Vanille's heart started to skip beats. She closed her eyes and parted her lips once again, this time purposely, to grant the beautiful strawberry-blonde access. Never had she kissed properly before, so this was all very new to her. Of course, she was in no doubt nervous about this – were their teeth supposed to clash this occasionally? Was her tongue thrusting too deeply? Was she breathing too… sexually?

Lightning pulled away from the kiss and moved down to the girl's exposed neck. Those deep, red marks still present, she sucked onto them, this time consciously.

Vanille arched her body to get more of the woman's touch, moaning words that didn't make sense at the same time. Lightning's hands were roaming all over her, feeling every inch and curve of perfect alignment of her petite body figure. "Onee-san…" Her sharp gasp sent chills down her own body as the woman's gentle hands traced her waist, feeling her baby-soft skin. Vanille herself dug her fingers into the pink-haired soldier's head, combing through that silky hair.

Encouraged by her touch and those sensual gasps and moans, Lightning no longer felt the need to restraint herself; she moved back up to capture Vanille's lips, this time hard enough to bruise them. The girl winced at first, but soon adapted to her aggressiveness and kissed back. Smirking into the kiss, she moved down to her shorts, ready to remove them so that she could explore even more of Vanille—

And the girl froze. Once those shorts were loosened, she couldn't move. Lightning was still kissing her, but she couldn't kiss back; she couldn't freaking move.

The body she was trapping against the window wasn't reacting to anything. Curious, Lightning pulled back. "What's wrong?" She breathed upon seeing a frightened redhead.

She turned away. Closing her eyes, "Nothing," Vanille answered in the softest voice ever.

Then it hit her. The last thing she wanted to do was to bring up those horrible memories, and there was no way that she would hurt her. "Vanille, those men… on that night, did they…?"

The girl twitched.

That must have been it. Lightning sighed; she helped buttoned and zipped her shorts back. "Sorry," She whispered into her ear and pecked her lightly on the cheek. Her arms wrapped themselves around Vanille again, she held onto her ever-so tightly, as if afraid that she would slip away. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

She rested her head on the woman's shoulder and hugged back. How could anyone be so kind to her? The girl thought. No way in hell did she deserve this – no, after all that she has done, this was the last thing she'd expect to get. "Onee-san, I… ran away from them…"

Them? The thugs?

"But sometimes I still feel that I'm with them, and it really makes me wonder – is this world where I am right now – is this all… just a dream?"

Her choice of wording things was really odd, but she chose to think of an answer. Looking up, the white-yellow radiance of the sunrise behind Vanille shone directly into her pupils, making her close her eyes immediately out of reflex. Would it be like this in a dream? Would light hurt her eyes, would everything be so surreal, would the sun, the air, the room, the girl, herself, and these feelings… would they be so overwhelming and heavy in a dream? Frankly, Lightning had no idea. She didn't know, but decided to answer anyway, whispering, "What if it is?"

Still buried in her shoulder, the girl replied, "I… my answer is going to be really clichéd…"

Lightning drew back, enough so that the redhead's arms were still around her and she could see her face. "I want to hear it."

She swallowed and took a moment to gather her thoughts. What the soldier just said wasn't an order; it was more like a wish. Throwing away her strict, tough, and proud front, it probably took all of Lightning to say that. The girl sighed; tipping her toes, she came close to the strawberry-blonde's ear and answered, "If this is just a dream, then I'd rather die."

Die?

Lightning was expecting something like 'then I would never want to wake up' or something cheesy like that, but… this girl would rather die? She didn't like her answer. "Vanille,"

The redhead gasped at the sound of her name. "Onee-san, I don't want you to be a dream…" her arms around Lightning tightened. "Why do the best things happen in dreams and not in reality?"

Such a sad question… the soldier couldn't stand the insecurity in her voice. Whatever she was afraid of, Lightning was going to protect her from it. "Vanille," She repeated, returning the embrace completely, "But I'm real."

No response. The girl simply kept still.

The woman sighed. She wanted Vanille to go back to her cheerful self, and didn't know any other way to revert her. "Would the Lightning in your dream tell you her real name?"

Vanille looked up, eyes widened in surprise.

Her expression softened. "Éclair Farron,"

The girl's lips parted and she started to mouth something – most likely, she was trying to repeat the word. She did it again, this time properly, "Éclair…"

The sound of her tongue rolling as she called her by name was… as stupid as it sounded, electrifying. Probably, it was because nobody has called her that for the longest time, and to be called again like that, in such a gentle voice, it was just a bit too much for the soldier to handle.

"As in…" Vanille suddenly started, "… the dessert, éclair?"

"What – no!" She blurted, backing off quickly, "As in lightning, not the god damn dessert!"

The girl giggled.

"Ugh," She knew nothing good would come out of this. Lightning crossed her arms, "That's one of the reasons why I changed it…" She mumbled to herself.

"I think it's cute though," Vanille said, her fingers clenched together behind her.

The soldier turned away, still somewhat annoyed by her joke. Though, she was definitely glad that Vanille was smiling again.

She kept her eyes on the woman's warm, glowing figure. Of course, the source of the golden light came from none other than the rising sun. But to see the tall, kind, beautiful goddess literally shining so angelically in front of her eyes, she could be sure that Lightning was real. This wasn't a dream. "I love éclair."

"Eh?" Lightning jolted her head back at the redhead, blushing at her sudden… confession.

Vanille took her hand, "Do you love vanilla?"

The redness on her cheeks spread and deepened. Perhaps it was nervousness that made her grip onto the girl's hand, but she had an answer in mind, nodding, "… Yes, and nothing else."

She smiled. "Not even chocolate?"

"No."

"What about banana?"

"No."

"Lemon?"

"… Maybe."

"Erm… how about… Neapolitan?"

"Oh god, please no." She answered with a look of disgust.

"But it has vanilla in it!" The girl laughed.

Lightning rolled her eyes. "I want vanilla, and only vanilla."

"Then… then what about—aah!"

The woman interrupted her by pulling her close; she wasn't planning to let go this time. "Only Vanille."

She chuckled softly, "Isn't that a bit too sweet? I mean, even for you…" The girl asked, her whispery voice tickling Lightning's skin.

Her lips hovered beside Vanille's ear, "And if it is?" she challenged.

"Then…" She couldn't speak any louder. This closeness was getting to her, "… then I… onee-san…" Vanille turned to peck the woman lightly on the cheek. She could hear Lightning snicker, and hearing that, the girl could swear that she was going to crumble right then and there. But she remembered— "AAH!"

"What the f—!" The soldier jumped away in an instant. "What!" She demanded from the girl. It was like Vanille's scream still echoed in her ears.

"Oh my gosh!"

Lightning sulked. "What is it already?"

The girl grabbed her by the wrist and literally dragged her towards the kitchen. "Onee-san, I'm so sorry!"

She grunted. "Like I said, what is it!"

Vanille released her wrist and walked over to the refrigerator. "The… the cake…"

"Huh?" Lightning made her way towards the fridge as well and stopped right beside the girl. She watched the redhead take the perfectly flat-cylinder-shaped, pure-white vanilla cake out. The soldier had to admit, even after eating so much food at the night-market, seeing such a sweet, delicious, and tempting-looking… pretty cake, she couldn't stop her mouth from watering. She did, after all, have a weak side for sweet things; to make things worse, it was vanilla-flavoured too.

"Hmm… it doesn't look like it's edible anymore…" The redhead sighed.

The strawberry-blonde widened her eyes and stared at Vanille, hard. "Not… edible?" She questioned.

"Yeah… I made it specifically so that it would taste the best when eaten fresh. I didn't expect… such surprises, so…" The girl placed the cake lightly down onto the counter. "Sorry, I'll just make you another one—"

She dipped her finger into the white cream and brought it back to her mouth.

"O-onee-san!"

Lightning nibbled onto her finger like a rabbit eating its carrot.

"Don't… it's probably gone bad by now…" Vanille said as she held onto the soldier's hand, trying to pull her finger away from her mouth. "I'll make you another one, okay?"

She shook her head. "It's fine, really." Reaching for the cake, Lightning dipped her finger into the cream again, this time bringing it to the girl's mouth. "Here, try."

Though unwilling, Vanille realized that this was the first time ever for someone to feed her food, and for that someone to be none other than the most beautiful woman she has ever met in her life, what more could she ask for? Why would she decline? "… Alright, then…" Vanille, likewise, nibbled onto the tip of Lightning's finger with her lips. But right when the taste reached her tongue, her face turned blue— "W-what is this! Metal? Plastic? N-no… rubber tire?" —and she was about to hurl. "O-onee-san… this… is…" She choked as she tried to talk, and her voice sounded like it was clogged in her throat.

"What's with that face?" Lightning teased with a straight face.

This woman really was incredible. Vanille snapped back to her senses and recovered from that horrid taste. "Y-you were lying about it tasting okay!"

Lightning huffed, her expression completely bored, "I just thought that it'd be a waste if I didn't eat at least a little of the cake that you've baked for me."

"… What…" Little air went into her lungs when she tried to catch her breath. Perhaps she did it a bit too suddenly? She couldn't help it though; who could expect, out of all people, that Lightning would be able to say such kind words? Vanille was swept away instantly, and she didn't know how to respond. Her shaky hands reached up to feel her flaming cheeks, "O-onee-san, were you always this good with words…?"

She smirked. Pulling the girl's hands away from her cheeks, she held onto them with her own. "And were you always this shy?"

Vanille pouted to hide her girlish smile. "Rarely, and only around you,"

A breath of amusement escaped her mouth. Lightning moved closer, "I know," their lips brushed against each other's when she spoke. "And anything rare attracts me,"

"So… you mean I'm rare?"

Lightning shrugged her shoulders, "At least you're the first person ever to have bought me a present and baked me a cake."

Giggling at the soldier's awkward honesty, the girl wrapped her arms around her. "I'm quite special then, aren't I?" Her smile widened when Lightning returned the embrace. "Happy birthday, onee-san!"

Hearing that, the woman couldn't hide the grin. She was glad that Vanille chose to call her onee-san instead of her real name – she didn't want people to know after all, and plus, onee-san sounded way cuter than Éclair when the girl says it. It wasn't a sister-complex, Lightning just liked the way it sounded.

What's that I hear? "Not enough fluff"? Oh, don't worry, more to come next chapter :D

Thanks for the reviews so far. Keep them coming! They get me motivated ;)

PS: I totally Japanese-ized Bodhum hahaha…

PPS: I hope at least some of you would get the meaning behind that "flavour" part -_-