AN - I'm dumping a mid-week update in here and then I'm RUNNING AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

It had been a few days since the... Explosive rescue mission, and there were two things that weighed heavily on Lightning's mind. One, that she noticed how withdrawn Fang had become, how much more the shifter seemed to flinch around the others, including herself. It was as if the brief reunion with Fang's former friends made her backslide, and Lightning was at a loss of how to get through to her.

The other thing that concerned her was that she hadn't heard from Raines, at all. Not even his off-sider, Rygdea has made an appearance. It worried Lightning, if she was being honest with herself. She hoped nothing had gone wrong. Trying to distract herself in the training room for the last several hours had not worked, instead leaving her idly picking at the threads in the carpet as she leant against the wall behind the workout equipment.

"That's a pretty big frown on your face there, sis. Want to talk about it?"

Tilting her head up, she saw her sister sitting down next to her with a sympathetic smile. Serah handed over a tea and rest her head against Lightning's shoulder. "The others are looking for you, you know. Fang included. What's got you destroying the flooring in here?"

"How did you even know I'd be here?" Lightning asked, taking a grateful sip of the tea. The peach mixed with herbs always soothed her frayed nerves, and would be one of the first things her mother would bring her whenever she was upset or stressed.

Serah smiled and reached over, giving her sister's knee a squeeze. "Because I know you, and I know when something's bothering you. It's about Fang, isn't it?"

"You could tell that one too, huh?"

"Not exactly, but its bothering me as well. She hasn't been... alright since she got back."

It was true, Lightning noted with a sigh. The nightmares had been acting up again, and there were several times that she'd seen Fang get startled by her own transformations. Before, when she had first arrived she spent most of her time mid-shift and the claws were almost always present. Now however it was the opposite, where Fang almost seemed to fear her shifted forms, to the point of outright refusing to change altogether.

"I'm worried that something's happened, Claire. On the mission. That she is going to leave us."

The concept made Lightning's stomach lurch at the possibility. Neither of them wanted Fang to vanish or thought that she would, but the lost look on her face leaving the facility haunted Lightning in her sleep.

"I'll... I'll go talk to her. Maybe the others said something, maybe they..." The elder Farron and stood, handing the mug to Serah. "I've gotta go."

The speed of which she left had Serah spilling her tea on her with a hiss. "A little warning, next time please? God. Ow."

Lightning ignored her, racing through the mansion looking for the elusive shifter. She found her out by the garage, working on a truck while muttering to herself.

"Don't leave."

Fang turned at the sound of the breathless voice, and found Lightning hanging onto the door. She put the wrench down and grabbed a nearby towel to clean her hands, raising her eyebrow at the elemental.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't. Don't pretend like you haven't been distant, and weird, and... and... looking like you're going to bolt at the first sign of trouble since getting back from the Sanctum base."

While not a blinding revelation by any means for the shifter, it was now obvious that her distance was very much noticed. Fang threw the towel down and walked over to the elemental, dragging her away from the door and further into the garage. "Light... I'm not goin' anywhere, sweetheart. Why would... Is this because we had to split up back at the base?"

"You've been weird, Fang." Lightning replied, wrenching her wrist free. "Ever since the mission to rescue your friend Gadot. We are... We're worried."

Fang sighed and hung her head. She didn't know how to tell her friend that she has a huge chunk missing of that night. How she had flashes of nightmares that she was terrified of the thought that they were more than just bad dreams. So, she deflected and ran a hand along Lightning's arm. She pushed it down, opting to face it later and forced a smile onto her face.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. I don't mean to worry you. And I'm sorry I've had my head up my arse for the last few days. It's just... Seeing Gadot and Noel just reminded me of... How close they are to this place, and just... Maybe I am on a time limit here after all. I don't want your sister to get caught in the crossfire of all this mess. Any further than she already has."

"Caius isn't coming near her, nor is he coming anywhere near you." Lightning replied bluntly, folding her arms defensively. "I won't let him. None of us will."

The shifter smiled and took Lightning by the hand, leading her out to the yard. She looked up at the sky and saw the edges of clouds off in the far distance. "I just don't know how to fix it."

"Whatever there is to fix, we'll fix it together." Lightning replied sternly, frowning at her friend. Fang couldn't help but find the expression adorable, and wrapped her arms around the pinkette.

"I still think this place reeks of naivety but... You're right. The likes of us would be fine in the war Caius wants, it's everyone else that would get caught in the crossfire. I don't want innocent lives lost when we can find a better way. I'm not plannin' on runnin' off now that I got Vanille back, you back, your sister too."

With a happy sigh, Lightning snuggled into Fang's shoulder, circling the brunette's waist from beneath the leather jacket she wore. Fang had forgotten how handsy her friend was in her presence, a fact that always amused her, considering Claire was always so stand-offish to anyone else beyond her and Serah. She swallowed hard as she considered what that would possibly mean, and licked her dry lips from the windy weather. Catching the not so subtle darting of cerulean eyes at the action only serving to make her heart rate increase. Thinking to herself with a low hum, Fang caught a familiar scent on the air and smiled as she slung her arm around the pinkette's shoulder.

"Come on, Sunshine. Let's go for a ride. There's something I wanna do for you."

Curious, Lightning allowed herself to be led back into the garage and over to the bike Fang had been working on. After being handed a helmet she got on the back behind the shifter, wrapping her arms around the tanned waist tightly. There was an obvious full-body shiver that ran through Fang as she kicked over the engine, roaring out of the garage and off the grounds.

They rode for a while, the overcast skies giving way to something a little darker, a little more looming as Fang guided the motorcycle towards the coast. Lightning felt her pulse quicken as she began to suspect what their destination was. Her grip tightened on the brunette and Lightning could feel a laugh as she was pressed close against Fang.

It was about an hour before they reached a decommissioned lighthouse overlooking the bay. Fang killed the engine and swung over the seat, hanging her helmet off the handle bar. "Come on, it's almost going to start!" She exclaimed, dragging Lightning up to the building. With a delicate claw, the shifter carved through the padlock on the door and opened it to step inside.

"Cool, so Sazh is now going to kill us for breaking and entering as well." Lightning drawled, earning herself a shush in response.

Fang pulled her by the wrist up the spiral staircase, the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end. They came to the top of the lighthouse and cracked the door to the balcony outside. With ease, Fang pulled herself up onto the roof, and helped Lightning up with one arm.

"You're such a show off."

"Only for you, gorgeous." Fang replied with a wink, pointing out to sea. "Check it. Storm's blowin' in off the coast. You've been practicing with that hovering stuff, right?"

Lightning nodded slowly, feeling fluttering in her stomach. She couldn't figure out if the feeling was from the approaching storm behind her or the building one in front of her with Fang.

"Good. I want some distance between us when that thing hits. You might be immune to a lightning strike but I sure as shit ain't."

"Wha-Fang. I can't. It's..." The elemental trailed off, unable to come up with any protest when the electricity was already building in her veins. She turned to watch the lightning hit off the coast as the storm got closer. Lightning gasped as she felt Fang wrap her arms around her chest and pull her back against the Pulsian's body.

"There isn't a soul around for miles, sweetheart. If you ground yourself before we get back to the bike you won't have any dramas. Sazh and his overzealous caution with elementals and their elements can go to hell. Come on," Fang purred against Lightning's ear, "I wanna see you light up the world. Go enjoy yourself."

Swallowing a few times to stop the dryness in her throat, Lightning nodded and waited while Fang untangled herself and stepped back to give her space. With a long exhale, the elemental leapt from the top of the lighthouse, skirting down to the beach on electric arcs. The storm seemed to shift, drawn to her like a magnet. When the first bolt struck towards her, she caught it in her hand and gasped at the intensity of sensation rushing through her. It charged through her body and sent her high into the air when she pushed her hands down by her sides. Another strike crackled towards her and sent her even higher still.

The rain saturated her and the wind whipped at her face, but she couldn't feel it. She was too busy riding the currents, vaulting herself higher and higher, faster and faster through the air. This was something so different to when she stood in the open fields as a teenager. This was experiencing the raw element after years of honed control of her abilities, further utilising her training to literally ride the storm.

Her laughter was rich and elated, realising that she was able to touch the very clouds herself. She felt electric, in both metaphorical and literal senses. It took a good half hour, following the storm along the coast before the wind shifted and began to move it back out to sea. Lightning could see Fang standing on the roof of the lighthouse in the distance, and drifted towards her on arcs of energy. Dropping lower each time, she practically glided her way to the beach front.

From her training she knew she had to ground herself before coming into contact with anything or anyone else, which would also stop her from attracting any further lightning in her direction. Pushing her arms against her chest, there was a small shockwave as the excess energy was shunted out of her and she closed her eyes with an exhale.

Using her own element, Lightning sent arcs from her hand, allowing her to hover up to the lighthouse roof, landing gracefully on her feet. Fang ran up to her, looking soaked from the downpour but wore the biggest grin on her face. "Gods, Light. That was incredible! You went so high! How do you feel?"

There was no possible way Lightning was going to be able to wipe the smile from her face. "Alive." She replied simply, the rain still drenching them both as they stood close on the roof.

"See? That's what happens when you don't hold yourself back and take the things you want." Fang replied, running a hand along Lightning's arm.

The words echoed and grew louder in the elemental's mind, but she couldn't bring herself to take what she really wanted. Her phone rang before she could dwell any further on the thought and she rolled her eyes as she answered. "What's up? Oh hello, Sazh. I... yes. Right. Understood." With a sigh she stepped away from Fang and ended the call. "Raines is at the house, we better see what he wants."

The two L'cie were greeted with a tense scene as they walked through the door, with Rygdea immediately reaching for his gun on the sight of Fang.

"Woah woah woah, what's going on here?" Lightning demanded, putting her hands up defensively and stepping in front of Fang. Raines put a hand on Rygdea's shoulder to steady him.

"We were hoping you could tell us, Miss Farron." Raines replied, his tone as dark as his expression. "That mission was a disaster. You were meant to get the captured L'cie out of the facility with minimal collateral damage and no casualties. Instead, we have a massive problem on our hands. Why did the L'cie from Valhalla get involved?"

Fang growled and pressed forward, Lightning putting a hand behind her to steady the growing tension she could feel with the shifter up against her back. "Because one of them followed us. It was only Noel, who created a distraction for us to get out. That place was crawling with way more guards than you had warned us about." Lightning replied defensively. With her hand still behind her she reached for Fang's hand and held it, feeling the fingers shift slowly into claws. Clearly the topic was still a source of agitation.

"Because Yaag Rosch was on the premises, having received a tip of his own that there was going to be a rescue attempt." Raines snapped, looking exhausted and fed up. It had been a rough few days with the inquest and the cleanup.

Fang scoffed and bared her teeth at the Sanctum Director. "I'm supposed to feel sympathy for that arsehole, considerin' his track record? Whatever punishment he cops for that night he deserves."

Raines grew quiet, his back straightening. "So you truly believe that. Considering he is dead and was murdered that night, it is little surprise you feel that way."

Lightning paled and turned to face the shifter, whose face had become a dark mask of fury. She prayed that her friend hadn't slipped up. After they'd come so far together, It threatened to break her heart. "Fang... Did you..."

"Come off it, I think I'd remember killing someone. 'Specially someone as venomous as Rosch." Fang bit back, her lips curling in a dangerous snarl. held a stoic demeanour, but internally she was panicking. The huge gap in her memory from the night... It was entirely plausible that she could have killed him. She searched Lightning's eyes for support but instead found doubt. "Right, so that's how its gonna be then. Good to know that you all thought the best of me then."

Lightning looked away, feeling hurt and confused by what was unfolding before her. She wanted to believe Fang, desperately so. But facts were facts and her track record wasn't exactly... Clean. "Was it all to save face?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even. "What's the point of finding a better way if you're going to just run with the status quo at the first opportunity?"

The question cut through Fang like a knife and she felt betrayed. Of course she would always be seen as a mindless beast. She had hoped that Lightning would be the first to see through that but... Apparently not. Why would Caius ever have been wrong? Her gaze dropped and she turned her head to stop the others from seeing the tears.

"Screw you. Screw all of you."

Fang turned and stormed from the building, leaving the others behind. "Let her go. She won't get far. We'll need to bring her in for questioning at this point. If she's responsible, we'll have no choice." Raines said quietly, but Fang caught his words on the edges of her hearing. She snarled as the rest of her arms shifted, Fang ripping off the jacket to give them room.

Stalking through the woods to try to calm down, she whirled with her claws outstretched at the sound of a snapping branch. Noel stepped out of the shadows, his expression grim.

"What the hell happened at the Sanctum facility, Noel?"

"Fang... I..."

"Answer me!" She roared, surging forward and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Did I kill Rosch?"

Noel looked everywhere but her eyes, trying to keep his face away from her sharp fangs. "Did. I kill him. Or not." Fang spoke again, her anger making her shift more rapidly the blue skin creeping up her neck.

"Yes."

She dropped him on the ground and began to pace, running practiced claws through her hair without cutting herself. "Shit. Noel, fucking hell that makes them right about me. Why can't I remember? Am I starting to not remember my shifts? Did Caius do this to me?"

The shadow L'cie grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around. "You have to leave. Now. Caius knows you're here and he is coming for you."

Fang paled and her breath caught in her throat. She knew it would eventually come, and to think otherwise was sheer naive fantasy. But in light of recent revelations, would the others have her back after all? Would they still protect her, knowing they were right about their assumptions and she was a killer after all? Could she leave her sister behind again? Could she walk away from Lightning once more, knowing... "I can't just vanish again, Noel. My family is here. Vanille. And Lightning... I..."

"She will turn on you the moment she finds out you killed the commander, Fang."

"I don't care. I'll... I'll accept my fate. I can't just disappear from the woman I love."

Noel turned away with a downcast expression. "God, Fang. I wish you hadn't said that... I'm out of time and they're watching. If you won't run, I've gotta bring you in. I'm... Sorry, Fang. We need your help to finish what we started. Caius wants you home." Noel said quietly, his eyes looking haunted. Fang brushed his hand off his shoulder and stepped away from him.

"What are you talking about? I've already told you I'm not willing to participate in this madness anymore. Surely you see that this won't end well for any of us?"

Caius stepped out of the shadows and surged forward, gripping Fang by the throat and lifting her off the ground. "You betray your family with your absence, Fang. You will heed your calling and come home."

Struggling in his grip, Fang roared at her mentor and tried to pry his hands from her neck. She hoped there was some proximity alarm, something to warn the others that Caius was here, but no sirens blared, nobody came for her.

"Sweetie, we don't have a choice. It's either them or us." A sultry voice whispered in her ear, Siren stepping out from the shadows Noel had created behind her. "You remember that, don't you, Fang? Don't you want to come home?"

"Lebreau... Don't..." Fang said weakly, the voice making her thoughts feel like slow dripping tar. "Don't do this..."

Even the basilisk looked conflicted, her eyes darting towards Noel. With a sad shake of his head Lebreau continued with a heavy sigh. "Come on, Fang. These Haven traitors are working with the humans. With Sanctum. We're your only real family. How could you side away from your own brothers and sisters? The humans condemn us, torture us, put us to death. Don't you want vengeance? Didn't putting an end to Rosch feel good? You know he deserved it. They all deserve it. You know this."

The voice was like silk. It wrapped around Fang's mind and sunk in deep. She was right. The humans needed to pay, and she growled low in her throat while Lebreau whispered into her ear, conditioning her mind. Noel watched as his friend's eyes glazed over and he looked away. It wasn't fair, it didn't feel right. But with what Caius was planning, to not have Fang with them would mean certain doom for all of them. Whether that doom was at the hands of the Sanctum or their increasingly manic leader, he couldn't tell.

"These people here? They're just traitors. You don't know them, they aren't your family, they're your enemies. So are you coming home with us, Fang? To fight with your family? Your real family?" Lebreau pressed, watching the Pulsian's eyes roll back in her head.

"Yes." The drone of Fang's voice was blank and devoid of any emotion, relaxing her grip on the wrist around her throat. When Caius put her down and released her, she showed no signs of rebelling or running, just staring blankly into the distance while unmoving.

"Good girl," Siren purred, nodding towards Caius. "She's behaving herself now. Let's go." A dark shadow opened up and consumed the four L'cie, leaving an empty space where they had stood.