The darkness tenderly caresses the tired sight of the warrior. She can feel that along her skin, a pleasant and familiar sensation returns to her to soften the battered anatomy of the warrior. Lightning is in a place full of warmth.

"Am I dead?" Lightning says softly into the vast dark space.

"No, you're not. But you were very close" A gentle and feminine voice surprises the warrior

"So... How is that I can't wake up ...?" Lightning looks around trying to locate the face that gives rise to that voice.

"Maybe it's because you're dreaming" The omnipresent voice responds with gentle laughs

"I don´t want to dream" the pinkette protests "I want to wake up ... I must save her"

"Save Whom?"

"My sist... Wait a second. Who are you!?"

The illusory space where that voice governs is full of silence before the indifferent response of Lightning

"Hey!" the pinkette demanded

"I'll let you rest You'll need it".

"Wait! Who are you!?" Lightning reaffirms with greater frenzy before the certain sensation of remoteness that marks that mysterious and invisible presence. After several attempts to call that presence, she only receives silence, while the illusionary world around her becomes dim and silent.

It's been a while. Lightning cannot tell if it's been hours or minutes. She is still dreaming; the darkness now departs from her dreams to be replaced with a familiar scenario for her. She can see herself as if it were the blue reflection of a mirror. The rocky, burning surface that lay beneath her feet, which was set before her eyes; the air filled with a harsh, boiling scent, pronounced sensations that made her heart beat in an irregular and accelerated way.

It was anguish, it was rage… It was fear. All those feelings were mingling inside Lightning's soul as she saw Nabaat suffocating her sister Serah. The face of her defenseless sister, trapped by the desire to escape was what triggered the fear of the pinkette. Her screams try to move her frozen muscles but she can only exhale silence. Her voice can't be heard by Serah or hurt the perverse Nabaat, the pinkette only has to fight to escape the tortuous slowness of that scene and do something to protect her dear sister with delicate pink hair and blue eyes.

Lightning could see the face of Nabaat, filled with serene and perverse pleasure to snatch life. Witnessing this wickedness gives her even more strength to break the bonds that bind her muscles. With the moorings destroyed, she rushes furiously towards Nabaat to stop her, to finish her, to take her away from her sister. But as she approaches, she contemplates that something strange happens. Nabaat's right hand is sunk in Serah's heart, piercing the feeble defense of the wedding dress she wore.

Nabaat dismisses her hand from the pierced chest of Serah, who falls solidly to the burning floor. After a few freezing seconds something dark, sinister emanates from the agonizing chest of Serah. A tiny, putrid creature crawls around Serah's chest, neck, and face. Lightning hurries her heavy footsteps even further, while she tries to scream harder, waiting for Serah to hear her.

However, the villain disables Lightning's vain attempt to rescue her sister by shooting out her left hand. The pinkette feels no pain as the strike pierces her heart. She can see a grim, golden liquid emanating from her wound while Nabaat's sharp claws paralyze the warrior's movement.

"I told you Lightning" Nabaat whispers, before pulling her arm from Lightning's chest. "All I want is you! No matter how much time I spend, I will destroy your soul".

The impact of that slow torture opens up the terrified eyes of the pinkette as she struggles to catch her breath on awakening. She holds a hand to her breast and could feel that her heart is still beating beneath her fingers. She breathes with pause and realizes that it was only a horrendous nightmare.

"What is this place?" Lightning's vision is recovered. She can see that she is surrounded by the starry night. Her body is lying on a rocky, old surface that encompasses all the space she can perceive. She can feel on her skin that the cool breeze of the place spares no effort in embracing her. At the same time, a campfire that was placed close to her offers a warm welcome after that previous hallucination.

Lightning approaches a little closer to the fire to take what she could from the warmth of it with her hands. Immediately, she checks her surroundings; there is no indication of who could have made the fire, and more importantly, who rescued her.

"I must hurry" Lightning says to herself "If she is near, I can finish this"

The warrior rose to her feet but immediately her legs fall, unable to support her weight

"What the hell!?" Lightning insists on getting up once more. She does it slowly. First a foot then the knees, and the rest of her body. She succeeds in getting her body upright.

"Okay. Now let's see how it goes if we walk" Lightning, confident in the strength of her presses the fate of her tired body that had not yet fully recovered. A strong pull of gravity causes Lightning's body to rush to the ground. But the fall of the warrior is stopped. Two arms hold Lightning's chest and stomach tightly.

"Hey!" Says a female voice "It's too early for you to walk"

Carefully, Lightning's body is gently slid to the ground. She turns her gaze to face the voice. Is a young woman who has an oval face, caucasian skin, hazel eyes that express determination and at the same time innocence, rather small lips. The mysterious woman wears a black leather vest, a white cotton shirt under the waistcoat. Lightning noticed something odd as she stared at the woman's cleavage. But after a second and subtle revision, she realizes the large size that outlines the neckline of that woman in jet clothes. The pinkette, looking down discreetly on the anatomy of this young woman, notes that part of the naked chest of that girl reveals part of a large scar, healed years ago. This is followed by a black leather short that wore her pelvis, the tight garment was partially covered by a black skirt, open at the front, which displayed the toned and sinuous legs of that woman who wore dark shoes made to measure.

"I do not know what you are trying to do, but your wounds will open quickly if you try to walk in your current state" The hazel-eyed woman said, revealing her interest in Lightning's well-being. The wounded warrior only takes her eyes away from the hazel-eyed girl. Lightning then tries to sit up again, ignoring the previous warning.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" The girl's gaze widens as Lightning's stubbornness once again presses her body's faulty façade

"I must-find her. She's-dangerous. Ungh! I don't have time to-lose" The pinkette answers, doing her best to ignore the stinging pain in her ribs.

Lightning reviews with her hands the resources that she has available to resume her hunt. A dry, rough, clean texture that was curled in her left hand caught her attention as she checked the location of her partially broken pink handbag. A bandage carefully placed around Lightning's palm hints that the damage currently around her body is even greater than she thinks. Invaded by curiosity, the pinkette checks the parts of her body that are covered by these healing strokes. Her neck, chest, left arm, belly, both thighs, and right ankle are carefully covered by brands of soft, clean cotton.

"When I checked you, you were bleeding everywhere" The young girl says "Fortunately, I brought enough bandages for a situation like this."

"Bleeding out!?" Lightning then takes a look at her chest, her white vest is gone. Her brown top is the only recognizable of her clothes covering part of her chest. After a quick search, Lightning spots her vest, it is covered by vast vines of dry blood.

"If I hadn't attended you, you would have died" The fragile voice of the hazel-eyed woman confesses to Lightning that her condition was very grave by the time she met the girl.

"Ummm- Thank you for helping me" Lightning says in a soft and calm tone to the girl.

"Don't worry" The girl answers with a smile. "The important thing now is that you rest and recover"

"I have to go" Lightning picks up her white waistcoat and checks her damaged pink bag. Almost all of her things are inside except for her cell phone

"Don't you ever listen?" The hazel-eyed woman raised her voice demanding Lightning to stop her obsession with leaving.

"I'm grateful that you saved me, but I must find her before she hurts someone else" Lightning says dryly without looking at her former rescuer.

"Who are you talking about?" The hazel-eyed girl inquires in her haughty voice but still showing her uneasiness.

"You wouldn't understand" Lightning adjusts her uniform to accommodate the main cause of her pain: her chest.

"Well, apparently you do not want to hear reasons" answers the girl dryly "I'll tell you what: If you can get this pretty strange sword out of my hands, I'll let you go and I won't even bother to follow you or try to help you again" The woman holds in her right hand a sharp, metallic and curious weapon.

"Sword!?" Lightning makes a swift approach of her right hand towards the Blazefire cover to make sure that her mechanical friend was present. A light breeze caresses the base of Lightning's heart while her breathing becomes intermittent upon discovering the absence of her mate. Her gaze returns to the voluptuous hazel-eyed woman who holds the handle of her mechanical accomplice.

"That's mine!". Lightning spoke menacingly.

"If you want to leave, you'll have to take this sword from my hands. Although I warn you: you won't make it" The hazel-eyed ignores the stoic voice of Lightning and expresses seriousness in her gaze as she prepares her serene combat pose and fixes her gaze on Lightning's eyes.

Lightning throws herself at the young woman and reaches for Blazefire. However the young woman only moves to one side to let pass the breeze that generated the sudden action of the warrior.

"What the hell!?" Lightning says in her mind with astonishment after failing to catch her opponent and being surprised by the graciousness of the last.

The young and agile woman challenges the warrior with a presumptuous smile. Lightning retakes her offensive and applies the same catch tactic, but without success. Several missed opportunities run for several minutes. The fatigue becomes heavy inside the lungs of Lightning, who can't follow the way to the vivacious and agile young. The breathing in the pinkette becomes slow. Each piece of fresh air is consumed ruthlessly as she exhaled and inhaled the precious gas. The figure of her opponent blurred for a few seconds. She shakes her head to remove that annoying sensation. She needed her sword, she must find Nabaat, she wanted to go back to her sister

"Hey, are you ok?" The tense body of the young, agile woman is appeased as she notices with some alarm, as the bandages that cover Lightning's delicate body begin to be invaded by small, warm scarlet marks.

Once again, Lightning projects, with as great speed as her body allowed to the silhouette that challenged her. The sudden concern of her opponent became a lucky advantage for Lightning, who takes the girl off guard. But an untimely and familiar sensation is embedded in the gaze of the warrior and runs around her chest and exhausted legs. That fleeting disorienting flash preceded by a strong decline of her strength. The dark fading has returned to the view of the pinkette and this time the darkness forms rapidly within Lightning's gaze, blurring the outline of her opponent, the warm light of the campfire, and the silver tones of the rocks. Her body chooses once more to rest, to disobeys Lightning's will to recover her sword.

"Geez!" The girl sighs "You are more stubborn than him!" The agile woman graciously admits and ends the fight by preventing Lightning's tired, sleeping body from crashing into the dust and cold rocks of the floor.

Lightning has returned to the world of dreams. Only darkness reigns around her. There are no frightening images to witness, no beautiful memories to watch ... Only a lukewarm darkness. For a moment, she can feel the lukewarm darkness completely sheltering her as it gently caresses her face.

As time goes on, the warmth slowly dissipates around Lightning. Instead, a cold and hard presence begins to press every corner of her body. A dry, cottony feeling surrounds her arms and chest. Those lines of cotton slowly begin to emit a cold breath to every pore of Lightning, making her stay in the world of dreams come to an abrupt and uncomfortable end.

The pinkette opens her eyes. Her bluish pupils defend against the intense brilliance that assails her. The clear blue sky that captures the look of Lightning comments that the sun rose some time ago. How long has it been since she closed her eyes? She turns her head to check her surroundings. To the right, she manages to locate the definite silhouette of the young girl who uses the fire and a small cooking pot. Lightning takes her right hand to her face, sliding it gently from her eyes to her lips as she takes in a great but quiet puff of air.

At that moment, Lightning feels that strokes of harsh cotton tightly embrace her breast. Lightning slowly stands up to sit on the now dry floor. She tries to locate where her brown top is. Fortunately, she managed to find her tidy garment next to her pink purse, her bloody vest, Blazefire's holster and, concealed inside, her sharp instrument.

"You're awake" Greets the hazel-eyed woman with a smile "I thought you would still be asleep".

The warrior avoids making eye contact with the hazel-eyed girl. She only gives small glances to the place where her things are arranged.

"Are you hungry? I'm preparing breakfast before we leave".

"Leave…?" Lightning is caught by the surprising comment and responds silly and abruptly with a question as she raises her eyebrow in disbelief. Suddenly she changes to a serene and distant look while maintaining, with tenacity, her "no eye contact".

"Yeah" explained the hazel-eyed woman "These mountains are dangerous because all of the ferocious beasts are hidden within these mountains. But they seem 'delicate' after the spectacle you gave last night".

"Me?" Once again, disbelief mixed with sarcasm awakens in Lightning's face.

"That's right. After that big explosion that made that comet, you were the only thing I found in that hole".

"Comet?" Lightning takes a quick glance in her mind about what happened after being covered by the warm shadow, to the abrupt blow she suffered on her head and neck. A suspicion grows inside of her chest.

"What is this place?" Lightning bursts her question to the young woman.

"We are far away from home" The pinkette wants to hear from the young woman something other than what her mind is whispering every second.

"This?, This is Nibelheim".

"Nibelheim?" It's a name Lightning doesn't know, her suspicions grow bigger and colder inside her chest.

"This is not Cocoon?" Lightning asks disguising despair in her question, with a stoic tone and full of composure.

"Cocoon? No. What are you talking about?" The hazel-eyed girl expresses her confusion

"My planet" Lightning responds quickly. The fear spreads threateningly along her chest without wasting any space.

"Well, This planet is called Gaia" The girl exclaims with some regret and understanding that it was not the answer the stranger sought.

A cool, gentle breeze hits the side of Lightning's heart. What she feared so much came true ... she is far from home, stucked on another planet. She's an alien. Lightning's gaze sinks to the floor after hearing the delicate response of who only has taken care of the now unknown alien.

Fear, abandonment, isolation are emotions that mix with a lot of speed in Lightning's chest. But the anger, the rage, and impotence are spread throughout the overwhelmed and trembling fists of the pinkette who repeats in her mind, the image of Nabaat's arrogant smile.

"Naabat" Lightning murmurs with a silent irritability mixed with frightening bitterness as her teeth creak against each other trying to contain her newly formed rage.

"You should eat something" said the woman in jet-black clothes as she walked over to look at Lightning, directly in her eyes.

Lightning awakens from her sudden, private and silent rage, to look into the tender glance of the young, nimble girl who holds out a small vessel containing warm food and a fork.

"Thanks but…" Lightning's wrath dissipates little by little and in great quantities, after finding the young cook's gaze. In addition, the smoke, full of flavors, coming from the vessel does not waste any second to enter brazenly in the nose of the warrior.

The smell of food softens Lighting's attitude a little. She extends her hand with some reluctance to take the warm food bowl. Carefully, she brings close to her face the pleasant essence of that appetizing food. Known scents assault and intrude around her senses. Flooded by that pleasant smell, she feels a sudden, gigantic roar in her stomach. Little laughs exhale the lips of the hazel-eyed woman, who sees as the blushing pinkette carefully tasting the food. The pink-haired alien chooses as the first bite a piece of meat that was bathed in a dark thick sauce of smoky and brown colors. After delicately depositing that morsel beside her tongue and pressing it with her teeth, a thunderous mixture of sublime tastes fills the captive and unprepared palate of Lightning.

The splendid sensation of that morsel destroys in an inclement way the serene gaze of Lightning, who devours without effort and without contemplation, all the food that the small vessel contained. For the heazel-eyed girl, it was clear that the hunger of the alien warrior was astronomical.

After that show, the young cook can't help but laugh when she sees the face of Lightning tinted with sauce and some pieces of food. The pinkette seeing the accidental laughter, suspects that her face is stained. She tries with her hands to remove any shade of food that might be embracing her skin, and perhaps, to remove any warm and scarlet tint that might be tied to the rest of her face

"Thanks for the food" Lightning says timidly after placing the dish near the fire, avoiding to look at the face of her unexpected companion.

"Still hungry?" The young cook asked, looking for the warrior to say a sentence that had more than 3 words. But her eagerness to know the pinkette is frustrated, as Lightning's palm rises in obvious sign of not insisting on the subject.

Lightning lies on the ground and tries not to focus her sight on the young woman with hazel eyes as she arranges the place. She alternates her sight from time to time to her things. For her, it is a throbbing feeling to be only covered with dry bandages. She feels vulnerable, naked. This has been the only cause to be cautious about her new company.

Lightning clears her throat purposefully to catch the voluptuous woman's attention.

"Something wrong?" The woman in jet suit turns her gaze and her interest in the hesitant face of the warrior.

"Ummm ... I wondered if..."

" What's wrong with you Claire? Why can't you just talk like a normal person? It is not very difficult; try to ask her something that she would answer without problems. Her name maybe!" Lightning's gaze did not want to meet the woman's eyes. It was already too much for her to ask a complete stranger, to answer a simple question. The lessons about "human contact" that Serah was trying to convey to the pinkette would be of great help to Lightning, if she had only listened.

"What's up?" The girl in jet suit tilts her head to the side as her interest increases.

"How long have I been asleep?" Lightning asked after failing to elaborate a question that would allow her to find out more about her accidental mate.

"Well, it's going to be two and a half days" The hazel-eyed woman answers while checking in her mind how much time had passed since she found Lightning.

"What!?" Lightning's expression fills with surprise.

"I started worrying after the first day" says the hazel-eyed girl "But after using Materia on you, you showed improvement. It was only a matter of time before you woke up. I hope you had a good dream".

"Not exactly" Lightning murmurs believing that her new companion would not listen to her.

"Sorry?" The look of the hazel-eyed woman returns to the alien warrior.

"No, nothing".

The hazel-eyed girl sighs "Go ahead, ask me" Says the woman tired of the roundabouts expressed by Lightning

"Sorry!?" The alien shows genuine but reserved bewilderment.

"Did you really just want to know how many days you were asleep?" The hazel-eyed woman exposes her disbelief by locking her hands on her waist and looking closely at the warrior.

"Wow, she's smarter than she looks!" Lightning projects with sarcasm inside of her mind, admitting her inexperience about having a conversation with a person other than her sister.

"Ask me anything."

Lightning shrugs, calmly uttering "Well, what's your name?".

"Tifa Lockhart. Yours?" The response of the hazel-eyed young woman, with long black hair, jet-black dress and hazel eyes is exposed with a smile, and with honesty in her eyes. Giving the excuse to Tifa to inquire about the alien.

"Lightning".

For her part, Tifa expresses in her face slight disbelief as she tilts her head. It is the second time, in her life, that she hears something similar. The memory of a boy with blonde hair assaults Tifa's mind. But she succeeds in fading that memory by shaking her head

"So... You said that we should leave, right?" Lightning makes a reserved effort to change the topic of conversation to one of greater importance for her.

"Right. Fortunately no one knows this place in Nibelheim better than me. But I don't want to push my luck!" Tifa warns with a small laugh

"Why?" Lightning formulates her question and tilts her head to a side, leaving in evidence her interest as she rises to her feet.

"So far the only person who knows that you fell from the sky is me. I guess you do not want other people sniffing about you. I mean: Your hair is too flashy, and you're not very talkative" Tifa answers as she picks up the rest of her things and puts them in order in her purse.

"Tch! I'm just passing by. As soon as I find a person, I'll more than glad to leave this planet."

"Well, do you have any idea where this person might be?"

"I can have an idea" Lightning says crossing her arms, avoiding to look at Tifa.

"Let's do something, come with me" Tifa says prudently, once again manifesting her interest to help "I'll help you find that person. I know people who are good at finding things"

"Forget it! I'd rather go alone" Lightning embarks on her way with an insipidity, wishing to depart from Tifa.

"Hmph! Let me remind you a few things:" said Tifa grinding her teeth in frustration "You are in a strange planet for you, you have no idea where to go, and even if you had it, you have no money to get there. Am I wrong!?

The exhibition of facts that surrounded the pinkette stops her tempestive march and makes her realize her bad situation

"What's your plan then, girlscout?" Lightning asks as she turns her sarcastic gaze to Tifa's serious gaze.

"Simple. We'll go to Edge. Once there, I'll talk to my friends and see what they can do for you"

"Wait, can't you just call them from here?" Lightning crosses her arms and exposes with annoyance a valid doubt to Tifa's plan.

"I could, but then I would have to explain everything that happened so far" Tifa responds by shrugging her shoulders and brushing her black hair, at the base of her neck, with her right hand. The truth was none of Tifa's friends was aware of her unforeseen journey. And Tifa was not in the mood to explain why she did what she did, in the style of a certain person she knows.

"All right" said Lightning "I'll go with you. I guess I don't have another choice!".

"Okay. Let's get going. We have to walk a little before getting to our transport" Tifa comments before extending to Lightning her battered pink handbag, her spotted white waistcoat, her tight brown top and her always capable mechanical companion: Blazefire.

Author's note: And so it begins... Lightning's new adventure. Well, what do you think?. It is good?. It is bad?. Please leave a comment so I can know your thoughts. For those who might be wondering... This is post Advent Children. Thank you so much for your thoughts and for faving this story LadyA. I've already made some changes and I hope this chapter looks better than the previous. AS for the rest of you, I hope this chapter was worth of your time.

See you next time.