~Fang's POV~

"Please tell me you didn't just do that," I groan as Alec scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, uh, sorry?"

"Kid," I roll my eyes. "That ain't gonna cut it if we get attacked by another wave of Taxims. You're on duty tonight, and don't fall asleep this time or I'll beat you with my spear."

"Yes ma'am," the poor guy answers with a salute before leaving. I roll my eyes and look out at the town before me. I found a dozen or so citizens from Oerba hiding out in the woods, terrified of the Cei'th that had invaded the land. Those were the few that had completed their focuses and survived. They'd managed well enough in a small camp for around three hundred and forty years. Good think we ex-l'cei live forever, huh?

Alec was one of the younger people I found, physically only twenty. His focus was to kill his family, and seeing as he's not a Cei'th at the moment, I think you can guess what he did. I had the honor of knowing him when he was a very little child, which means he became a l'cei not long after Vanille and I were locked away in crystal. He had two older brothers and a younger sister with autism. His parents were really nice people... But they unfortunately were not too liked by the Fal'cei apparently. A normal society would have at least kicked him out for something like that, but on Pulse, if you get a focus, anything is bearable so long as people like you enough to forgive you.

With a sigh, I go back inside the house that once belonged to me and Vanille, now belonging to me and those that the town looked up to, and slam a fist down on the old table in frustration. Frill, an old woman that is sweet as can be and helps wherever she can, jumps in her seat and stops her sewing to raise a white eyebrow at me. Her granddaughter, Ayana, looks up too, but then goes back to playing with her chocobo dolls. Her parents were l'cei, but she wasn't, thank goodness. At least she'll get an escape from life one day.

"What is it this time, dear?" Frill asks gently, standing and walking over. Despite being old, she's a fighter. Plus, she goes running every morning along the beach. There's a healthy old woman if I ever saw one.

"Alec. He blew into that stupid horn again just for kicks and now we've got a whole army of Vampires and Taxims heading in from the east."

"I see. From the direction of the tower then?"

"Yeah," I sigh. "There must be hundreds of them just in that one place. Let's just hope they didn't all wanna come or and play."

"I wouldn't worry," she smiles, laying a hand on my shoulder. "You've got loads of strong men and women to help you out if you need it."

"I honestly don't doubt they're capable," I shake my head. "I just don't like putting these people in danger."

An electronic beep reaches my ears as Bhakti bumps against my leg. I scowl at the robot Sazh just had to fix a while back and kick it gently out of the way. Vanille would throw a fit if she saw him in bits again because I kicked him up. Not that I'll see her anytime soon. Alec, Frill, Ayana, and a couple other regulars have pretty much been how I've filled the empty space caused by missing my older friends. That, and that cursed Vampy Boy, but I'd rather not ponder on him any more than my dreams force me to.

I haven't even bothered thinking about dates or anything since Vince, and it felt like I was cheating on him somehow when Alec kissed me a couple months back. It was a friendly little kiss on the cheek, but it felt so wrong the instant I compared it to the feel of Vincent's natural pout. Honestly, sometimes his blank expression looks like a toddler throwing a tantrum because of this pouty lip thing he had goin on. No Fang. Don't think about it. There's no way for you to teleport back and Reeve put the portal off limits for sure. Seriously, if there's a spell to slow time, stop it, and speed it up, why can't we turn it back?

"Such a thoughtful young woman," Frill chuckles. "But don't worry about them. You know they'd all give their lives for you."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I sigh, sitting in the chair right beside me and messaging my temples with two fingers on either side. We could try to arrange a preemptive attack. It'd be hard, but not impossible. And by hard, I mean if we mess up and don't get the first strike on our watch, we're all done for. Not that I haven't been in this situation before, it's just that they're pretty stressful and anything could go wrong.

"You're afraid of death," she raises an eyebrow. I scoff.

"You know very well I ain't. It's just that I don't want them to hold my life higher than theirs. Everyone here's equal."

"Dear," Frill gives me a gently smile. "They look up to you. You saved us from a certain death and brought back the lives we knew and loved so long ago. This was their life. And they were and still are more than willing to give their lives for you."

"Gramma?" Ayana says softly, rubbing her eye. Her outfit more or less is a Gran Pulse version of Yuffie's, a dark blue, silk shirt that hangs halfway down instead of cottony with what flowers. Instead of khaki, her small shorts are black, and made out of something I don't know that name of. On her belt is strapped a small, wickedly crooked dagger. Even the young need to know how to protect themselves here. The world is a sick place.

"Yes Aya?"

"Is it nap yet?"

"It was an hour ago, darling, when I told you to lay down." Ayana sighs and sulks to the back room where three triple bunk beds are.

In this one house there are five of us: me, Alec, Frill, Ayana, and Sonyeh, a mute teenager whose parents were turned Cei'th when they refused to kill she and her brother. Only weeks after her parents left, a Zirnitra appeared, no doubt sent by the same Fal'cei that wanted her dead, and killed her older brother. Due to an injury to her throat while she ran, she can no longer speak, but she's still one of the nicest people I know. And she's a great listener for when I want to rant about Vincent and everything else I hate in the universe.

"Guess I gotta call in Lokir then," I sigh, reaching for the intercom system attached to all the buildings in the town. It's the easiest way to chat without good phone connections. You just punch in a three number code, or in our case, your building number, and it calls the people in that room. "This is Fang. Is Lokir in there with you?"

"Ooo, man you're in trouble," a man's voice taunts in the background. I can almost see the retired general rolling those green eyes of his, a trademark of those from Oerba.

"This is he," he says, the clicking sound on the line indicating that he picked up the phone so that the whole house wasn't eavesdropping.

"So formal," I mutter. "I need you at my place. ASAP."

"No problem. Am I allowed to know why?"

"When you get here, yes. I don't feel like talking to a plastic box all day."

"I'll be there in a few."

"Thanks."

Flopping back into my chair with a sigh, in push my hair away from my face, shut my eyes, and try to relax. Lokir will have an idea. He always does, whether or not they suck. Frill, now satisfied that I asked for help, goes back to her sewing in the corner. Somebody's gonna do it, and we youngins don't have the time nor the patience to patch the holes in everything. She's not the only one, of course. The Fal'cei don't care who does their work, just that it gets done. I've seen old men on their deathbeds gasping for breath as they were made l'cei in their last moments, only to entertain the wretched gods... If they could even be called that.

Really, I have to do is sit and wait. Ayana is asleep, Frill is concentrating on her work, Alec is on guard duty even though it's not night time yet, and Sonyeh is probably out watching the waves lap at the shore, thinking like she always does. If Vincent were to have a twin, it would be her. She's very... Different, to put it simply. Let me explain.

Sure the girl is kind, quiet, and helpful, but we all have our... Problems. Her eyes are a cold, almost clear blue, making it obvious she was probably from Haerii, and her hair is as black as ink, sticking up in strangely natural spikes on the top. Her skin is as white and smooth as ivory, and there's just a certain weight around her that makes you pity and feel fear at the same time. She's tall and too thin to seem healthy, and lives off practically no food, claiming she doesn't like to eat when she's not hungry. But there's one other strange little quirk about her...

A freaky fascination with blood.

I didn't really notice it at first. Then she used to comment on my veins all the time... One time I pushed into the bathroom because I was sick and was about to lose my lunch, when I saw her standing in front of the mirror, staring at her palm. I stared in horror as she studied the deep gash in her hand, her other holding a jagged piece of old metal. She watches it pool up in her hand before dipping her finger into the puddle and writing "Thou shall not murder" on the mirror. She didn't even seem to notice that the blood was leaning over and dripping onto the counter. Then she looked at me with some creepy smile before grabbing a roll of gauze nearby and leaving. Ever since then I've noticed her watching with curiosity with every creature brought back from the hunts as the men and women that took it down cut the meat off.

"Sorry," Lokir apologizes when he steps through the doorway. "Caleb forced me to finish our card game."

"It's fine," I shake my head.

"So what did you need?"

"Alec blew the horn and now we've got a whole army of Cei'th coming for us."

"Straight to the point, eh?" He gives me a cheeky smile. Then he forces it away and looks down at the map on the table. "Where're they coming from?"

"The Tower," I scowl. "Vampires, Taxims, and maybe some of those stupid Chonchons."

"So get some men together and take em down," he shrugs. I shake my head and point to the old telescope outside the front door on the porch. He sighs and looks through. Then he gives a low whistle as I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow expectantly. "There's gotta be at least seven hundred. That's ten times the people in Oerba including elders, children, babies... That's a toughie. You are going to punish Alec for this, right?"

"Obviously," I scoff. "If we survive."

"Don't be such a pessimist," he gives me a smile. "Cmon, I need a better look at that map. If they'll hold off long enough, there could be a way to get into the midst of things in a round a bout way."

While Lokir studies the map, occasionally sweeping his light hair out of his eyes, I stare out the window at the crystal waters along the shores of Oerba, lost in thought. What would I do to Alec? Is it so wrong to wring his neck? He's an adult, he should have known better.

"Dang it!" I burst out randomly, banging my fist on the window sill. Lokir and Frill, used to my random outbursts of anger, pay it no mind. Still, I feel like punching something right now... Maybe I should go find a punching bag or someone to practice traditional martial arts with. A knock can be heard on the doorway and I groan, turning to see Sonyeh standing there. She looks at something to her right I can't see right before looking back at me.

"What is it, Sonyeh?" Frill asks. Sonyeh makes a few quick motions with her hands that make Frill nod. I immediately expect the worst.

"The Cei'th are coming?!" The girl shakes her head furiously and looks at Frill for help.

"An old friend," Frill looks at me with faded green eyes. "Has come to apologize."

"Who?" I frown. Sonyeh shakes her head and steps into the house, looking past her shoulder with a nod. A tall, bulky person steps in, a cocky half smile on his lips. A smirk breaks out across my face and I cross my arms. "Long time, no see, big oaf."

"Hey Fang!" He says cheerfully. Opening his arms, he raises an eyebrow, asking for a hug. I roll my eyes and hug him tightly and quickly, pulling away before I glance back at a very alert looking Lokir, his gloved hand behind him as it rests on the end of his gun.

"Relax, Lokir. This is Snow, one of the guys that helped save this dump."

"This dump is your home," he rolls his eyes, accepting the hand Snow holds out for him to shake.

"Lighten up," I chuckle. He raises a blonde eyebrow.

"Says the one who was yelling punching windows not even minutes ago."

"I was considering your face," I shoot back. Snow laughs and shakes his head.

"Still the same old Fang."

"I ain't old. Sort of." Shaking my thoughts away, I get down to the real reason of his visit. "Sonyeh said you were here to apologize?"

"Not me," Snow says slowly, his suddenly nervous attitude making me curious. No, more like suspicious. "But at least promise me you'll listen to them, alright?"

"I should be fine unless Hope went out and murdered Vanille. Then we'd have a real problem."

"Yeah, well," he chuckles nervously. "Promise?"

"Whatever. I promise," I brush him off, looking back through the window.

"Come on in, buddy!"

I frown once I hear the footsteps on the rough carpet of my home. Why is my heart racing? There's only one person that can do that to me...

"Am I allowed to take my promise back?" I ask Snow sharply. He sighs deeply.

"No."

"Fine."

I turn around and stare at the man in front of me. No, that was a lie. I punch him in his really painfully bony face before staring at him hatefully. He hardly reacted, but I can clearly see the dark mark along his pale jaw. He seems frighteningly thinner than before, and I can practically see the bones his skin clings to. What happened... Why do I even care?! His hair hasn't even grown... Just changed into a more messy and knotted mess. Same old Vincent... Only different. I feel like I never knew him, and I hate him for it. Lokir, always trying to be a bodyguard, holds out an arm before stepping in front of me protectively.

"Move," I grit, shoving him out of the way roughly. Frill watches with a blank expression, Sonyeh curious to see what happened. Snow shrugs bit off as if he expected the move. He probably did. "What the heck are you doing here?" Vincent shifts uncomfortably.

"Is there a chance we could speak outside?" He mumbles past his collar. I glare at him, wanting so badly to say no and hit him again, but a part of me won't let me. So instead I reach up and roughly pull him outside by the ear. He subconsciously rubs it when I release him, blinking off at the view behind me.

"You better start talking, Vampy, or you ain't gonna see tomorrow."

"If only."