The Stranger

Fang had been one of the first to hear the stories, wild tales of a mysterious stranger found badly wounded, but alive, in the wilds near Oerba. In these troubled times, strangers were far from uncommon, but few of them were welcome. The War of Transgression had changed everything, and the clans had grown ever warier of the unfamiliar.

She had half-expected the elders to order the stranger executed on the spot. At the very least, the stranger should have been imprisoned. But instead, the elders had sent for the great seer of Paddra. The seer, a young woman with the saddest eyes that Fang had ever seen, had arrived within days. It was almost as though she had expected the elders' summons.

The seer had met with the stranger in private as they healed, kept under armed guard in a hidden location. The seer had left that same day, and the elders had announced their decision, one that astonished everyone. The stranger, a woman, was to be made welcome amongst the clans and afforded all the respect and honour given to the most esteemed of warriors.

But there was more.

In her training sessions with the more experienced warriors, Fang heard whispers of the stranger's purpose. They called her the saviour, and they spoke of her as a gift from Etro and the Maker, a sign of divine favour. She was proof, the warriors claimed, that the gods had not forsaken them. She would lead them to victory over the Vipers.

Fang wasn't sure what to believe. The warriors were not given to idle gossip, but it all sounded so… impossible. Why should Etro and the Maker hear their prayers now after so many years of battle? Why not earlier?

But she what did she know? She was no seer or elder. She was only fourteen, a fledgling warrior who wanted nothing more than to get through her rites of passage so that she could go and fight alongside the other veterans. Still, there was no denying the change this woman had brought to Oerba. The whole city had come to learn of the rumours, and all the warriors who had sparred against the saviour spoke of her unmatched skill.

There was faith in the eyes of those warriors, a faith that had been dwindling for years. It was only after Fang saw the saviour with her own eyes that she understood why they believed in this stranger.

X X X

"You need to get out of here, Vanille." Fang grabbed Vanille's arm. "Go!"

The redhead shook her head. "I'm staying here with you. I can help."

Help? Fang wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, and she had to fight the urge to pick Vanille up and throw her into one of the nearby houses. Her little sister was brave, but she hadn't had nearly as much training as Fang. She was also a great deal smaller and younger.

The air was filled with the clanging of warning bells and the smells of smoke and ash. Cocoon had launched another raid, and their ships filled the skies over Oerba as they opened fire and dropped soldiers onto the ground. The city's defences had already sprung into action, warriors gathering in the streets as their anti-aircraft weaponry returned fire.

"Vanille." Fang tried to push Vanille toward one of the houses. "I'm not asking you – I'm telling you. You have to get out of here now!"

But Vanille wouldn't budge. Fang's jaw clenched. She was talented for a fourteen-year-old. All of the warriors she had trained with said that she was one of the best they'd ever seen for her age. But she was still a long, long way from attaining her full height and strength, and her experience was confined mostly to hunting and scouting. She had never actually fought against the Vipers.

In another few years, perhaps, she might be skilled enough to fight and protect Vanille at the same time, but not yet. The spear she had wasn't even hers – it was an old hand-me-down from one of the veterans. She wouldn't receive her own spear until she'd gotten through her rites of passage.

"Vanille, please. Go."

The please seemed to do it. Vanille bit her lip and then nodded. "Fine, but you have to be careful –"

BOOM.

The building opposite them exploded in a spray of fire and wood. Fang shoved Vanille back and covered her with her own body. Bits of burning timber raining down around them, and Fang hissed as a burning plank clattered off her shoulder. When it had finally stopped, she turned, eyes widening as she realised what had happened.

One of the Cocoon ships had crashed into the building. But somehow, most of the soldiers inside were still alive. Two dozen of them stumbled out of the wreckage, readying a variety of different weapons. They looked up and down the street, and a shiver ran down Fang's spine. It was only a matter of time before some warriors came, but right now, she and Vanille were completely alone.

"Vanille." Fang's hands tightened on her spear. "Stay behind me."

Vanille swallowed thickly and nodded. "Okay."

The soldiers attacked – the Vipers didn't care if they were killing warriors or children. Fang lunged forward to meet them. She parried the first strike and cursed at the sheer force behind the blow. Her opponent's sword skittered off her spear, and she twisted away, driving the point of her weapon into his thigh. The spear shuddered as it scraped against bone, and he went down with a scream. Vanille brought her binding rod down on his head as hard as she could.

Fang's gut clenched. Vanille was twelve – she shouldn't have to be doing this. But now was not the time to be worrying about things like that. Fang ducked another attacked and drove her spear up into her opponent's gut. It was a perfect thrust, one she'd practiced a thousand times, but she'd never killed anyone before. Time seemed to freeze, and the expression on her opponent's face as he realised what had happened was burned into her mind – it was a mixture of shock, horror, and stunned disbelief.

He slumped to the ground, and bile burned at the back of Fang's throat. She found herself staring, unable to look away as he clutched at the wound in a hopeless attempt to stem the bleeding. Then something caught her hard across the side of the head. She tumbled to the ground, vaguely aware of the taste of blood in her mouth. She grabbed for her spear only to find one of the soldier's glaring down at her, his rifle aimed at her head.

"Coward." She spat. "Viper."

But he never got the chance to fire. There was a flash of impossibly swift movement, and he flew back, blood spurting from what seemed like a dozen wounds. He crashed to the ground twenty feet away, already dead.

And that was when Fang saw the saviour for the first time.

The saviour was a tall woman with pink hair. Blood dripped off her sword, which was still held out in the last motion of the strike that had killed her opponent. Her back was turned, so Fang couldn't see her eyes, but the warriors had told her that they were a fierce, unyielding blue. She wore the traditional garments of the Yun, but no Yun had ever had pink hair. The soldiers from Cocoon backed away, unsure of what to make of this new threat.

"Get up." The saviour's voice was barely audible over the sounds of battle that filtered through the city. "The fight isn't over yet."

Fang shivered. That voice was cold and deadly, and there was no shortage of menace in it. Yet she was somehow certain that none of that menace was directed at her. She stood and took a moment to urge Vanille into one of the nearby buildings. Finally, the redhead did as she was told. Fang's mouth was dry, but her hands were sweaty. With each moment, the tension built. She stopped just behind the saviour, her spear at the ready.

"Follow my lead." The saviour's stance shifted. "I will clear a path. Deal with the ones I leave behind."

It was a common tactic – the strongest warrior would forge ahead, scattering the enemy while the less experienced warriors took advantage of the chaos. Fang nodded.

"Right."

"Good." The saviour paused, glancing over her shoulder. "You can do this, Fang."

What? Fang gasped. How did the saviour even know her name?

But then the saviour was moving, and it was all Fang could do not to stare. The saviour was beautiful to watch. She was like a bolt of lightning, seemingly nowhere but everywhere at once. She blurred from one opponent to another, lashing out with blade and fist, scattering the soldiers in her wake. Fang shook herself and joined the fray. The saviour had broken apart the soldiers' formation and split their attention. Fang would never get a better chance to strike.

It was over in moments. Fang had killed a few more of the soldiers, but the saviour had done the rest. It still hadn't quite sunk in – she was blooded now, she had killed. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her, and she fought the urge to scrub at the blood covering her hands. There was a rustle behind her, and she turned. One of the soldiers was still alive –

Thud.

The saviour was suddenly there, her blade imbedded in his chest. She pulled the weapon out, and the soldier flopped back into the dirt.

"Always watch your back." The saviour flicked the blood off her sword. "It is the strike you don't expect that kills you."

Those blue eyes – they were stern yet kind at the same time. Fang couldn't look away.

"Um…"

"You've done enough for today." The saviour leapt up onto a nearby roof. "Go to one of the shelters with your sister." Then she was moving, leaping easily across the rooftops to find another battle.

Vanille ran out of the building and threw her arms around Fang. "Fang!" Vanille sniffled and clutched at Fang's waist. "I'm sorry I didn't listen. I – I…"

"It's okay." Fang stroked Vanille's hair, her gaze turned to the rooftops. "But we should go to one of the shelters now."

X X X

Despite her brush with death, Fang was pleased to learn that the attack had been soundly repelled. They had taken losses, but the warriors of Oerba had inflicted far greater casualties in return. They had also been able to salvage valuable equipment and weaponry from several captured ships along with valuable information from dozens of prisoners.

It was a great victory, and many attributed it to the saviour. She had predicted the enemy's movements almost perfectly and fought with unmatched strength and ferocity. Already, the warriors had begun to refer to her as an army of one.

It had been difficult coming to terms with her first kill, but Fang was proud to have fought at the saviour's side. However, there were other things to worry about as well. Warriors took their rites of passage at the age of sixteen. In the two years prior, it was customary for them to be chosen by one of the veterans who would train them personally.

Fang had trained with many of the veterans, and she was certain that she proven her worth to them. The elders had even spoken well of her in the aftermath of the raid. But although many of her peers had now been chosen, she was still without a tutor.

The snub drove her to the training yards where she practiced with greater and greater intensity. The veterans met her with knowing smiles and amused looks, but still, none of them would choose her. It was like they were keeping some kind of secret from her. Had all their words of praise been nothing but a lie? Was she somehow lacking?

Vanille told her not to worry about it, but Fang couldn't stop herself. Vanille was her little sister, but she was not a warrior. She didn't – couldn't – understand. Not being chosen would be a mark of unbearable shame. It would follow Fang throughout her entire life and render all the training she had done so far utterly meaningless.

Like Vanille, the matron at the orphanage also advised her to remain hopeful. The old woman was the closest thing that Fang had to a mother, and she was wise in her own way. It was said that the matron knew many of the elders personally, so perhaps she knew something that Fang did not.

One morning, the matron called Fang and Vanille to her. There were tears in her eyes, and Fang felt the first stirrings of unease. Had something bad happened?

"Fang, Vanille – you two will no longer be living here."

Fang stared. Vanille slumped back into a chair. This was… this couldn't be happening. The orphanage was the only home they'd ever known! "Matron –"

The matron smiled, and Fang realised that her tears were happy tears. She wrapped her arms around them and pulled them to her so tightly that Fang could barely breathe.

"I am sad to see you go, but I am not throwing you out. Not even the elders could order me to do that. But you have been given a great honour. You are always welcome to visit, but I think you will like your new home better."

"New home?" Vanille whispered.

"It is an old custom, and I have not seen it used for many years." The matron pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "But in the old days, it was not uncommon for a fledgling warrior to live with their tutor. Since you have no family, Fang, the elders agreed that this custom would suit you better. I begged them to let Vanille go with you, but your tutor had already asked for her as well. She wanted both of you – demanded both of you."

Fang and Vanille had exchanged looks. That had always been a sticking point. Over the years, there had been some people willing to adopt one of them, but never both of them, and they refused to leave each other behind.

"Who wanted both of us?" Fang asked.

The matron looked behind them. "She did."

And there, behind them, was the saviour. She met Fang's gaze evenly, and there was a warmth and fondness there that it made seem as though they'd known each other for many years. Fang found herself smiling.

"There was a lot of competition amongst the veterans to be your tutor. I had to fight most of them to earn the right to train you." The saviour's lips curled. "But I know that you will be worth it."

Fang's heart raced. "Then you remembered…"

"Of course I did. It isn't everyday that I meet a fourteen-year-old girl who can keep up with me. You have a lot of potential. I would see you reach it." The saviour's gaze drifted to Vanille, softening slightly as she took in the younger girl's nervousness. "You fought at your sister's side despite your fear. I respect that."

"She has kindly offered to train both of you," the matron said. "You will be living with her from now on."

"Wait," Fang said. "You haven't even told us your name yet."

The saviour smiled. "They call me Lightning."

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

Well, well, well, what's going on here? Is it time-travel? Is it an alternate universe? Is it a bit of dimension hopping? I think I'll let you guys puzzle that one out on your own since there's definitely a few ways that you could interpret this story. I've been asked a number of times for a story like this, so I thought I'd use my period of convalescence (see my profile for details), to get it done. And now I have the urge to cackle – there's so many possibilities.

If you enjoy my writing, please give my original fiction a try. You can find links to it in my profile.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.