AN- Oooh a semi-regular update appears what is this, it's like I'm actually getting some productive work done or something.

Chaos lined the streets as Lightning raced towards the Sanctum headquarters that was currently enveloped in flames. The city was choking on smoke and ash, debris littering the path. Sirens wailed around her, GC and Sanctum personnel alike staggering through the burning arches of the building. The elemental balled her fists as she surveyed the screaming civilians attempting to escape the area.

"This time I'm not running away."

"Lightning!"

The pinkette turned to find a familiar jeep racing towards her, Vanille raising several arms out the window to wave her down. "What are you doing here, Van? This is too dangerous!" Lightning snapped as the vehicle screeched to a halt and a handful of her fellow Haven L'cie jumped out of the car.

"We aren't going to let you go it alone, Light." Snow said quietly but resolutely, clutching his fist against his chest in a show of solidarity. Lightning sighed but gave him a nod of acknowledgement, inwardly relieved that she at least wasn't going into the madness alone.

"Where's Serah?"

Vanille clenched her jaw and looked away. "Said there was somewhere important she needed to be to… and I quote… stop everyone from being a bunch of idiots."

"Right." Lightning clipped, feeling a little betrayed by her sister's absence. Still, better for her to be far from here and not in the thick of things just in case Caius still had something planned. "So what are your thoughts, guys?"

"Bust in through the front door and make a mess of whoever is trying to harm the innocents?" Snow suggested, waiting for the inevitable punch. Instead, he was met with a determined smile and a thumbs up from the elemental.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Stay sharp, everyone. Watch your back."

The group raced into the compound through a hole blasted in the wall, meeting a scene of fire and death. In the centre of it all was Fang, who was tearing the armour of a Sanctum guard to shreds with her savage claws. A snarl of rage tore from her lips so loud it brought the group to a halt. Lightning's breath caught in her throat from the sight of so much violence, she could scarcely believe it had all come from her friend who once spent three hours chasing a spider around the house to capture it and release it on a tree outside.

"Fang…" She whispered, her hand ducking to her mouth in horror. The shifter turned with a growl, her lips curling in hatred.

"I thought I warned you lot to stay the fuck out of this." Fang bellowed, turning fully to face them. Snow shed his jacket and turned to ice; long, sharp spikes jutting from his hands. Yuj and Vanille hung back, the redhead pulling out a small tablet and trying to connect to the internal systems to assess the damage and get in contact with Raines.

Lightning stepped forward, letting electricity crackle from her fists as she stared the shifter down. "Please Fang. Don't do this."

Fang's eyes turned white as she gave a low guttural growl. "It's them or us, viper. And if you won't stand with us, to protect your brothers and sisters, you're no better than them."

Snow suddenly slid forward on a sheet of ice, barrelling towards Fang with the intent to knock her out. He threw out a wall of his element in the hopes it would take her off her feet, but with a roar she burst through the ice with a smash of her claws, digging them into his chest with the momentum. She gripped down hard and threw him clear, Snow crashing against a wall and out cold.

"Snow!" Lightning cried out, watching as Vanille scrambled over to him along with Yuj, the blue-haired L'cie using his element to patch up the holes until they froze in Snow's chest. The pinkette turned back towards Fang and bared her teeth in anger. "If this is how it's gonna be, then come on!"

Fang darted forward with murderous intent, Lightning sending out arcs of electricity in her direction. With quick feet and reflexes Fang managed to avoid them, closing the gap with a swipe at the pinkette's chest. Lightning wasn't prepared for how fast the shifter moved, leaping back and narrowly avoiding the brunt of the attack. She hissed as the tips of the claws slit across her skin, leaving shallow cuts.

"Dammit, Fang… How can you do this?" Lightning yelled in anger and grief, zapping forward to feign to the right as she always did. She twisted at the last second and lands a few hard strikes to the shifter's ribs, feeling a couple of them crack. She couldn't hold back, she couldn't afford to falter with her former friend. Fang grunted from the impact and leapt back, clutching at her side with an enraged expression.

"How can you do this, L'cie? You and the goddamn Haven only seeking to side with those that want us in chains, or dissected on a table. I can't believe you would stoop to act as their servants when you should be a god."

"Shut. Up!" Lightning snapped, throwing a few more arcs of her element at the Fang. One finally struck, sending her flying across the courtyard and slamming into the dirt. The Pulsian staggered to her feet and let the shift overcome her, the skin turning blue and her hair growing out into the fiery mane.

"Fuck you and your blindness, viper. L'cie were meant to rule, not serve." Fang snarled, her voice low and gravelly with her shifted vocal cords. Lightning shot forward to throw an arc of electricity at her like a whip but the shifter ducked underneath it and twisted around, grabbing her arm and grappling her.

"You sound… Just like Caius…" Lighting grunted, trying to swing with her other arm to break free of Fang's grip. She let out a cry of pain as the shifter twisted her arm and kneed her in the gut. Feeling the crunch of her own ribs as Fang returned her earlier favour, Lightning groaned and clenched her eyes shut, feeling the electricity build in her veins. Releasing a massive discharge, the outburst of her element threw Fang backwards, smashing through the window of the building behind her.

There was something unsettling about Fang's words. She was right. Fang did sound just like Caius. The rhetoric wasn't anything like what her friend had said on their many afternoons alone together, trying to solve the problems of the world. But she couldn't focus on that now. Anything that took Lightning's concentration could kill her. She raced over to Vanille and Yuj, eyeing off the injuries Snow had sustained. "You need to get him out of here. Fang isn't…. She isn't holding back."

Vanille looked at her in outrage, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving. "We're not leaving you, Light. Just let us stabilize Snow and we'll-"

"No. It's not safe. I already lost Fang. I don't want to lose you as well."

A roar drew their attention as the shifter stood in the opening she had been thrown through, glass shards leaving her skin a mottling of lacerations and blood. Lightning threw a bolt of her namesake at Fang, drawing her away from the others as she sprinted past. "Come on you useless chocobo, come and get me!"

Fang faltered at the insult, finding it strange and yet familiar, the word itching at her mind. It distracted her long enough for Lightning to shunt forward and kick her in the face, snapping her head back. She gripped the sides of the window frames, glass cutting into her palms as she snarled, launching forward to tackle the elemental.

Attempting to dodge out of the way, Lightning found herself staring at a flash of green in the irises and tripped, temporarily caught in the snare of her own memories. She was thrown to the ground and pinned with the shifter on top of her, bearing her sharp canines just before her face.

"Please, don't do this Yu-" Lightning's words were choked with a clawed hand around her throat, pressing down on her windpipe. She tried to let off another discharge of electricity but the pain and her fading vision cut off her concentration.

"I warned you to stay away, L'cie." Fang growled, her attention stolen from the tears in the elemental's eyes. The shifter's vision hazed red, and she roared in her face, moving her claws down to her abdomen and prepared to eviscerate the pinkette. Lightning was pinned under her best friend who was now anything but, a clawed hand digging into her throat.

As her vision began to darken, she tried a last ditch effort to break free with a weak electrical burst from her chest. Unfortunately, all it achieved was an angry roar as Fang dug in and raked sharp claws across her stomach. The scream of pain caught in her throat and she saw double as the vivid white irises of the shifter faded back into a familiar sea of green, looking momentarily distracted and lost.

A sudden blast of energy caught the shifter off guard and she was shot across the compound like a bullet, crashing into the cement wall on the other side. The smoke from the blast cleared and Serah was standing over her sister, protective and defiant.

"Nobody. Touches. My sister."

Serah threw a cavalcade of energy blasts straight at the shifter, funnelling her into a specific path that then threw her into the air with a well-timed burst. Lightning watched the blurry figure above her and reached a shaking hand out to her. "S-…Serah…" She rasped, weakly clutching at her leg. The younger Farron knelt down and held her sister, brushing the matted hair from her face.

"It's alright, I'm here. I'm sorry I'm late."

"Y…You came for… Me…"

Giving her sister a soft smile, Serah stroked her cheek with her thumb and held her close. "I came for both of you."

"Step back, little one. This isn't your fight." Fang warned, her monstrous form limping over while holding her side. Serah glared at her and reached into her jacket pocket.

"Caius made this my fight when he took you from us." She bit back firmly, glancing down at her sister who was fading in and out of consciousness. "Come on, Claire. Stay with us, please."

Fang's head tilted in confusion, staring at the glazed cerulean eyes looking sadly up at her. "Claire…? Her name is Claire?" She asked, her voice a little quieter as she shifted slowly back to a human form. Lightning's eyes widened at the question, the sudden spike in adrenaline bringing her into more awareness. Her instincts were right. Serah was right. It wasn't Fang. Not completely. She shouldn't have doubted for a second.

The younger Farron reached out to the shifter, holding a very familiar polaroid in her hand. Fang took it with a trembling hand and stared at the image. Lightning coughed to clear her throat, Serah helping prop her up a little as the others slowly approached with extreme caution. "I... Promised you, even if you… Turned into a fluffy chocobo, I… I would always be there… To protect you. I'm sorry I… Doubted. I'm sorry I… Failed you, Yun."

Fang suddenly clutched at her head, falling to her knees as a searing pain burnt through her head at the mentioning of her name. Thoughts assaulted her mind, erased memories suddenly exploding to the surface of her consciousness, and she screamed in agony. Lebreau's control slid away, releasing her venomous grip on her psyche. She fell forward on her hands, panting heavily as the full weight of everything that had happened since she stormed from the Haven settled in. But worst of all…

"Oh gods. Light!" Fang cried out, crawling over with the polaroid still in her hand. The blood and claw marks marring the pale skin were reminiscent of the first time she'd lost control, and she began to cry as she picked up Lightning and cradled her in her arms, rocking her gently as she sobbed apologies over and over again.

Serah stood back and gave them some space, Vanille moving to her side and taking her hand. "How… How did you know?" The redhead asked, watching as Lightning lifted a weak arm and clutched at Fang's shirt. The shifter leant back as the elemental lost consciousness, looking lost and scared. Serah gave a shrug and knelt down, giving Fang a gentle pat on the shoulder as she pulled out a medkit and started to patch her sister up.

"I paid our friends a visit, and Lebreau fessed up." Serah explained with a shrug, focusing solely on applying the various medical gels to stop the bleeding and wrap the wounds.

"You went to Valhalla alone? What the hell, Serah?" Vanille exclaimed, horrified at the level of danger Serah had willingly put herself in.

"No. It's a long story but I'll explain later. I knew before that anyway, Lebreau confessing was just confirming my suspicions. She never called you kiddo. That was something Lebreau used to call everyone back at Valhalla. But not Fang. You were always her little songbird. But for now we need to leave. All of us."

Vanille looked away, tears stinging her eyes as she reached for her communicator. "Diabolo? We need an extraction, immediately. Medical required….. Yeah. Everyone. Including Fang." She sighed, watching her sister racked with sobs as she held Lightning's unconscious body. "She won't be a threat to anyone anymore."

The group vanished in a puff of black mist, leaving the compound still burning in their wake.

A pounding head greeted Lightning as she regained consciousness in the med bay at the Haven. The sunlight creeping through the window was offensive and bright, and she groaned as she rubbed her face. Hissing at the pain, Lightning could only imagine how battered she would have looked from how tender she felt.

"Claire!"

Blinding pain shot through her ribs as she was enveloped in a crushing hug, groaning at her sister's concern. "Ow, Serah. Seriously." Lightning complained, though inwardly grateful for the attention. At least it let her know she was alive.

"S-sorry... we weren't really sure when you were going to... Wake up."

Lightning sat up slowly as her sister backed off with a sniff. She pulled the sheets back and checked the bandages around her arms and legs, her bruised knuckles and tentatively felt her throat. She winced at the tender skin and sighed. "So Fang really did a number on me, huh?"

Serah's eyes shot towards her own before darting away. "Yeah. She did. I got to you before she..." The younger elemental cut herself off, not wanting to think about what could have happened if she was even a few seconds late. "But, Claire... Light... It wasn't Fang."

"I know. I heard. I… Feel like an idiot."

A look of surprise shot across Serah's face at the response. "Claire, you were only looking out for all of us. Considering the sheer amount of violence and destruction we were seeing on the news, you can't beat yourself up over this."

"Well, yeah. Fang's beaten me up enough as it is."

"Claire, that's not funny."

Lightning gave a slow shrug and swung her legs over the bed, making a move to stand up. "Oh no you don't. You're meant to be resting. Back into bed." Serah chided, holding her sister gently by the shoulders. "Let me look after you, for once."

Lightning gave a small sigh and reluctantly moved back into bed. "At least tell me what happened with Fang, and where she is." She asked, giving a gentle but pointed squeeze of Serah's hand.

"... She's in the holding cells beneath the mansion."

"What." Lightning snapped, sitting back upright, her glare palpable. Serah held her by the shoulders to keep her in bed, not wanting her sister to overexert herself… Or start throwing electricity around in anger.

"She put herself there, before you freak out. Fang doesn't exactly trust herself at the moment, after what Lebreau did to her." Serah quickly explained at the rapidly growing dark expression on her sister's face. "It was what I was trying to tell you before the bombs went off at the Sanctum headquarters. Caius has a basilisk with him by the l'Cie name of Siren. She did this to Fang. Lebreau told me."

In an instant the anger was fixated on her, electricity sparking across Lightning's skin. "That's where you went that was so important? Straight to the lion's den? Are you mad?"

"Not entirely," Serah sighed, wondering if she had taken leave of her senses to even think her sister would react… Well. "I know a way to contact Noel, and got him to bring her to me. I wasn't going to let Fang fall because of what Caius put in her head, brainwashing anyone that didn't fit his mould. Fang warned me, back when I was still with them... To just play pretend. It looked like if I showed any sign of dissent they were going to use her to force me to do their bidding, regardless of my feelings on the matter."

Lightning's face softened, cupping her sister's face and bringing it forward to kiss her on the top of the head. This was the first she had truly heard of just how close she came to losing Serah to the same fate her friend had. For everything that she had worried about over the years while absent from her sister's life, Lightning realised she didn't have to hover, or go out of her way to protect. Serah was more than capable of looking after herself, and showed a strength and resilience that she was proud of. "Fang did a good job of looking out for you. And now she needs us to look out for her. So it was this Lebreau woman that had made Fang like... That?"

Serah nodded, letting go of her sister due to the energy sparking off her hands in anger at what had happened to her friend. Lightning had enough injuries, she didn't need to add to them. "From what I could get out of her, she doesn't remember anything after storming off after the argument with Raines. She flinched as her sister narrowed her eyes and leant forward.

"What do you mean from what you could get out of her?"

"I... She's near catatonic, Light. She killed a lot of people."

Lightning's heart ached for Fang, despite the injuries she had sustained from the shifter. She cursed herself for engaging the way she did. Knowing that she should have trusted her gut instincts, listened to her sister. She leant forward and took Serah's hand, giving it a squeeze. "We shouldn't leave her alone down there. She needs us."

Serah worried her lip with her teeth before glancing nervously to the door. "It was always you that conned me into trouble, you know." She drawled, helping her sister out of bed. "Sanctum are here, on guard, by orders of Cid."

Lightning smiled and gestured to a wall, allowing herself to lean on Serah as she limped over. She pressed a small imperceptible panel behind a large wall-hanging plant and watched the wall slide into the floor. "Good thing Sazh is a paranoid old man who likes to build escape tunnels throughout the house. Come on."

They crept slowly through the tunnel, Lightning limping carefully while Serah used a dull emission of energy from her hand to light the path. "This is amazing. But also… concerning. Why did Sazh build this network?"

"Escape if the place was... ow.. Ever compromised." Lightning explained, wincing at a throbbing sting in her ribs. She figured Fang's shots would have her bed ridden for a while, but this was more important than the pain. She clutched at her side and took as deep a breath as she could before continuing. "The tunnels lead to the forest beyond, with enough distance between the exit and the mansion to make an escape without detection. Here. Stop." Lightning paused, running her fingers along the wall until she found the release she was looking for. The panel fell away to reveal a darkened hallway lined with glass cells. Serah looked around while trying to keep an even expression.

"Gods, Claire. What exactly was Sazh preparing for?" She whispered, pausing as Lightning held up a hand to silence her. They could hear mutterings coming from one of the cells, and crept slowly towards it.

"War, whether he wanted to admit it or not." Lightning hissed, moving up against the empty cell next to where they figured Fang was being kept. The manic mumblings grew louder, and now within earshot, she could make out the words.

"Caius was right. After all I tried, I'm really just an animal. Why should I bother being anything different? He was right. I'm just a horrible, mindless beast. I need... I need Sanctum to put me down. I can't... I can't be what they want me to be... What Light wanted me to be... god... Light.. I... How could I have..." Fang trailed off with a sob and buried her head in her clawed hands, still bloodied and dirtied from the fight. Lightning turned to Serah with a firm but questioning look, touching her on the shoulder.

"She does know I'm not dead, right?"

"I told her you were alive but... I don't know if she heard. Or believed me for that matter." Serah answered, looking away and wiping a tear from her cheek. Lightning frowned and turned back to the cell, stepping into view while Fang continued to ramble to herself.

Vanille snuck up alongside them and tried not to startle Serah as she touched her on the arm. "Sorry... I didn't see you in the medbay and I figured you guys were going to try to come down here. Light, it's good to see you up and about."

Lightning could only hum in response, her focus entirely on the Pulsian behind the glass. She wondered how dangerous it would be to go into the cell when Fang was like this.

"Why can't I get rid of these claws... I need to... I need to get rid of these claws... they're weapons. I don't want to kill anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone. Why can't I stop hurting people? I took Van's sight, I gutted Lightning... I'm just a stupid, mindless killer. Just like Caius said."

Fang's grieving words were tearing Lightning up inside. She stepped to the glass and pressed the palm of her hand against it, keeping her sister and friend in her peripherals. "Fang, you're not a killer.

"Of course you'd say that. You were always the voice of reason, Light. I'm... Sorry I never got a chance to tell you..." Fang sobbed, hearing the words but not registering their source.

"Tell me what? I'm right here." Lightning pressed, tapping on the glass to get Fang's attention, feeling like an observer at an aquarium. Fang still hid her face in her hands, and Lightning noted how filthy and ragged she looked. She turned back to the others, and got their attention. "Serah, there's a first aid kit at the end of the hall next to the bathroom, please bring it along with a wash cloth from storage. Vanille, can you sneak back to my room and grab my hoodie?"

The two nodded and moved off, Lightning satisfied they were now out of reach to try and stop her from doing anything stupid.

"No you're not. I... I killed you. Back at the sanctum base." Fang whimpered, leaning back to stare at her shaking claws. Lightning moved over to the control panel and sparked her fingertips, shorting it out and letting the lock disable.

"No, you didn't, Fang. I'm right here, sweetie." She said quietly, standing in the doorway. The Pulsian looked up and her eyes slowly focused through the tears, paling at the sight of the bruised and battered elemental.

"What... Light... You're... You're alive? But I... How?"

Lightning gave a soft smile and a shrug, running her fingers through her own hair to get it out of her face. It revealed the heavy bruising and scrapes along the side of her face, which had Fang scrambling back against the wall. "Serah kicked your ass, actually." Lightning offered, careful not to make sudden movements. "Fang, it wasn't you. Serah told me what happened. About what Caius and Lebreau did to you."

Fang looked stricken with grief, her cheeks gaunt and eyes sunken. Lightning frowned at the sight of her. When was the last time she had eaten? The shifter curled in on herself, pressing herself into the corner as if that would hide her from whatever judgement awaited her for her actions. "Th-that doesn't change anything though. I still killed all those people. Raines was right. I killed Rosch too."

Stepping slowly into the cell and kneeling down before her, Lightning gently reached for Fang while trying to still her shaking hand. In the end, what had happened didn't change her feelings towards the shifter, but the wounds were still all too fresh. She was still nervous, but she didn't want to leave. "It wasn't you, it was Caius using you for his own mad ends."

"How do you know that, Light? Look at you... Look at what I... What I did to you..." Fang stammered, staring at the horrific marks around Lightning's throat.

"Focus on me, Fang. Not the bruises around my neck." Lightning chided, her hand moving up to wipe the tears away with her thumb. "And I know, because I meant what I said when we were kids. Even if you turned into a chocobo. Even if you fell to your instincts, Yun. You will always find a way back to me, understand?"

"I can't trust myself, Light. How am I supposed to feel normal again when I can't even trust myself?" Fang replied with a strained voice, her throat raw from crying alone in the cell. Nobody came to see her, not even to interrogate her for three days following the attack, and it allowed her to fall quickly into despair. She figured the likes of her sister wouldn't want to after what she had done, and yet... Lightning was still alive, and here, and next to her.

"Trust me, then Fang. I'll protect you. I'll keep you here. I'll keep you safe."

Lightning heard the small gasp from behind her as Serah and Vanille entered the cell, Fang turning away and retreating further into herself. The redhead rolled her eyes and shook her head at Lightning, though feeling her heart swell at her friend's persistent defiance. "Couldn't stay put, could you?" Vanille's chastised, smiling as Lightning leant back against the wall next to Fang and pulled the shifter close.

Lightning gave a shrug and allowed Fang to carefully rest her head against her shoulder and ran her fingers through the dark and dusty hair. "Nope. Fang needed me. Sanctum wasn't going to keep me, keep any of us, from her."

Fang took a ragged breath and nuzzled into Lightning's neck with a soft whine. "Why are... Why are you being so nice to me, after everything I did?"

Serah knelt beside her and began to slowly run the wash cloth over her face, cleaning off the dirt and blood. "Because we care about you, Fang. And Lebreau is an ass for what she did." She growled, focusing on cleaning the grime from her friend. "You're safe with us, Fang. I promise."

Vanille sat on the other side of her sister, remaining close while draping Lightning's hoodie around her. "Sanctum isn't taking you, and neither is Caius. You're family, Fang. We don't leave our family alone."

Lightning smiled and kissed the top of Fang's head gently, holding her protectively around the waist. She slipped her fingers beneath the torn hem of her shirt and stroked Fang's skin with her thumb. The gesture seemed to slowly calm the shifter, her tense limbs relaxing a little at the touch.

They stayed that way until Serah had finished carefully cleaning the filth from Fang's skin, and Vanille had fallen asleep against her shoulder. It was a strange, bittersweet comfort that she would have her family still together, and still with her, after they experienced such pain at her expense. Fang sat in silence for a while, and the others were just content to sit with her and say nothing.

"I'm... Sorry. For everything." Fang whispered quietly, careful not to wake the younger l'Cie now asleep next to her, Serah curled up with her head in Vanille's lap. Lightning looked down and gave her a sad smile.

"It should be me apologising to you, Fang. I'm sorry I left you to go it alone. But I'm not letting you out of my sight again. Caius will answer to me."

Everything was still overwhelming, and hurt, but Fang felt warmed by Lightning's overprotective words. She snuggled further into the pinkette's side, pausing as she felt the full body flinch. "Sorry, Fang. Probably need to wait a while before I'm up for any sparring again." Lightning drawled, realising instantly that her choice of words may not have been well thought out, given the soft whimper and mild withdrawal of Fang's body. "Oh no you don't. Back over here." She sighed, pulling the shifter close and tried to ignore her protesting ribs.

"I'm so scared, Light." Fang whispered, her voice barely audible from how raw her throat was. Lightning's jaw tightened at the pain coming from the shifter's voice, a far greater hurt than her own sustained injuries. "I'm scared that I'll fall again, that I'll lose control. Maybe I need to disappear. Maybe I-"

Fang's words were cut off by a soft kiss against her lips, Lightning gently cupping her face. She melted against the touch, her claws finally fading to more human looking fingers as she clutched at the pinkette's shirt. "No." Lightning said firmly, forcing her gaze once she'd broken away. "I just got you back, Yun. I'm not letting you go again. I love you too much to lose you."

"Light..." Fang breathed, staring at her wide-eyed and in awe. That she had nearly taken the elemental to the edges of death and to still be loved by her was... a greater power than all of Valhalla's abilities combined. Lightning's love was her greatest ability, and the one that would pull Fang from the edge of madness.

"Rest for now, Fang. We're not going anywhere." Lightning gently urged, toying with the brunette's hair until she settled back against her shoulder. She ignored the sly and knowing looks she was getting from Vanille and Serah, leaning her head on the top of Fang's to drift off to sleep, comforted by her family, complete once more.

Extra AN- I have to give a special shout out to my gorgeous and talented friend and beta-reader, who helps me with these fics and keeps me going when I feel like I'm losing my mind. The fight scene was one I was struggling with a lot, and she sat down and shopped it with me by turning it into a D&D session which was fun as flip. So as always, frand, thank you- I wouldn't have half the writing done (or have so many other fucking concept AU's to play with in the list after this is done...) if it weren't for you and your excellence! Xx