A gentle breeze shook the ferns beside the river, while the water rippled quietly beneath the dappled shadow of the canopy. A pair of footsteps padded softly over the sandy hill, and a figure soon knelt down beside the stream, dipping a clay pitcher beneath the surface.

The undergrowth rustled, and a bright pair of eyes soon peered out from the forest, before a second set of footsteps began to make their way down to the shore.

Pulling back the water-filled pottery, a young woman glanced over her shoulder, but she could see nothing amiss. "Hello?"

She received no reply but the whistling breeze. After a moment, the woman turned back to the river, but she tensed when something sharp prodded at her shoulder, and she jerked away, failing, only to grimace after a moment of panic. "That is not funny!"

A young man grinned, leaning on his spear. "It's pretty hilarious from where I'm standing..!"

The woman hissed as she tossed a handful of water at him, but he only laughed, hoisting his spear from the sand.

"Hey, everyone's already on edge, and you're only making it worse!" The woman scowled as she began to pick up the clay pot from the sand. "I still think that we should've set up further north; this area is far too unpredictable." She glared at the man while adjusting the bowl in her arms. "The elders said to stay alert, you know."

The man shrugged, raising his spear to lay it over his shoulders. "They're just a bit spooked; you don't honestly think that there's anything supernatural out there?" He smiled and shook his head. "Someone probably just got drunk, or made it up..."

The woman rolled her eyes as she began to haul the pitcher up from the shore. "Well, I'm not taking any chances." She paused after a moment, turning around to stare at her companion. "Aren't you-"

The man stood stark still, his spear raised. "Look."

The woman squinted, before her eyes went wide with a gasp.

A pair of vibrant, orange eyes stared out at them from the undergrowth, while a set of clawed hand-prints rested upon the sand beside them. Water dripped down from an unmoving mouth as twin nostrils flared above.

The woman blinked, and the creature was gone.

Fang stretched out her legs, flexing her claws back and forth. She let out a long yawn, before she moved to shake out her hair, simultaneously running her hands between each dark lock with a sigh.

Her ears twitched after a moment, and Fang opened her eyes. "Back so soon?"

Lightning sat beside her, gazing over at the forest below. "They saw me... Again."

Fang's shoulders stiffened, before she shrugged with anther yawn. "So? It's not like they can do much about it." She stood up, walking over to balance beside the edge of the cliff. "I doubt even another Yun could take on one of us..."

Lightning tilted her head slightly. "You were going to explain that, the other day..."

Fang sat down beside the edge, dangling her legs over the mossy stone. "It was my title. Still is, in a way."

Lightning sat down as well, with her ears pricked.

Fang took a deep breath, gazing down at the tiny settlement that lay off in the distance. "The Yun are warriors... Were warriors, long ago." While she could barely make out the village buildings, a thin plume of smoke rose high above the canopy. "Some of us were trained since we were young, but it was really just for tradition." Fang laughed, shaking her head. "Imagine that... A bunch of Yun going up against something like Cocoon." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "They'd be gunned down in seconds."

Lightning nodded, but her gaze was distant. "You still learned how to fight."

Fang nodded as well. "Good thing, too..." She leaned back, staring at the sky. "We were mostly hunters, providing for the rest of the group."

Lightning followed her gaze. "Was Vanille..?"

Fang took a deep breath. "Vanille was-" She paused, tilting her back back down. "Alone. Last of her village, living with an adoptive tribe."

Lightning kept silent for a while, before she closed her eyes. "And you stayed together?"

Fang fought the urge to grit her teeth. "Yeah." She rose to her feet, attempting to steady her voice. "I'm gonna take a nap."

Lightning watched as Fang turned, walking over to a small cavern that lay within the rock.

Fang looked back after a moment, and she let out a long sigh. "Sorry, it's just hard to talk about, now..." She made a short effort to relax, before her shoulders drooped slightly. "Come with me?"

Lightning nodded, rising to her feet. "I need to add to the count, anyway."

Fang rolled her eyes as they entered the cave. "What're we up to?"

Lightning walked over to one of the walls, and she held up her hand to scrape at the rock. "Two years, six months..." She pulled her fingers back, wrinkling her nose at the sediment upon her claw. "Three days."

Fang's eyes widened. "Two years..." She flopped back against a pile of leaves and moss, curling up against the soft material. "Feels like it was just yesterday."

Lightning looked up at the impressive collection of tally marks, which nearly covered the wall. "I know." She glanced over at the mouth of the cave. "I'm just surprised that we've gone this long without anyone finding us."

Fang shrugged, closing her eyes. "We're pretty high up."

Lightning nodded, and she moved to sit down upon the floor of the cave. "So... If Yun means warrior, what does Oerba stand for?"

Fang tensed, her eyes squeezed shut. "Can we talk about this later?"

Lightning kept silent, gazing out at the forest below.

Fang took a deep breath. "It was a village."

Lightning looked over her shoulder. "You don't have to-"

Fang shook her head. "It's alright... You're just curious." She glanced at the cave wall. "I mean, two years..." Fang swallowed, closing her eyes again. "It was my home, for a while."

Lightning turned, and she rose to her feet. She walked over to the bed of leaves, before she knelt down to nuzzle against Fang's neck. Fang wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist, pulling her close.

Lightning closed her eyes as she relaxed into the embrace. "You're my home."

Fang froze for a moment, and her eyes watered a bit, while her arms tightened around Lightning's midsection. "Same." She began to burn her face into Lightning's hair, slowly inhaling her scent.

Lightning simply listened to Fang's breathing pattern for a while, and her own lungs eventually slowed to match the gentle rhythm. "Do you think-" She couldn't help but quietly laugh when Fang's stomach let out audible growl. "I'll be back in a bit."

Fang shook her head as she held Lightning tight. "No, I'm okay."

Lightning rolled her eyes, squirming slightly. "I'm hungry, too; It'll only take a minute."

Fang groaned, but she released her hold after a moment, muttering under her breath. "Don't go after anything too nasty."

Lightning stood, shaking out her spikes. "I can handle myself."

Fang slid open a single eye. "I know."

Lightning nodded, and she walked over to the cliffside, gazing down at the forest. "I'll be quick."

Fang nodded as well, before she drifted off into a nap.

"I'm telling you, we saw something out there!" A young man followed behind a taller, older man, while the both of them carried spears as they navigated the forest floor.

The older man shook his head. "Enough... Jaguars are nothing out of the ordinary."

The young man sighed, shaking his head as well. "It wasn't a jaguar!"

The older man stopped in his tracks, before he lowered to a crouch. "Do you want to scare away our quarry?" He kept his voice to a whisper as he pointed at a small, quadrupedal form off in the distance. "Go."

The younger man bit back a sigh, but he began to creep forward with his spear at the ready. He watched as the dainty, spotted antelope balanced itself along a fallen tree, nibbling at a bit of foliage that dangled just above. The man paused, and he took a deep breath.

A white blur suddenly toppled down from the trees, and a strangled, gurgling cry echoed out into the towering forest as the antelope's throat was torn in mere seconds.

The young man froze. "I knew it!" His muscles jerked when a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder from behind, dragging him off into the forest.

The older man hissed, but he kept his voice to a whisper. "Quiet!" He dragged them both behind a tree, wide-eyed and barely containing his shaking arms. "What is that..?!"

They stood in silence for a while, before the younger man inched over to peek at the clearing. "It's not there anymore." He glanced down at the log, examining the blood that trickled off into the forest floor, as well as the dead antelope that lay upon the bark. "It didn't take the kill..."

The older man shook his head as he made his way out from the area. "We need to get back... Warn the others."

The younger man frowned, and he turned to glace at his elder, before he darted over to grab the antelope by the horns, dragging it off with him.

A pair of orange eyes blinked down from the canopy, carefully watching the humans as they walked away from the clearing below.

Fang opens her eyes with a sharp, tight breath, her pupils dilating at the wide, empty sky. She rests atop a massive tree, while the branches twist in and over themselves, winding about an endless white.

"It's been a long time."

Fang turns, gazing out at her duplicate from the corner of her eye. "Five..."

Five sits beside her, claws sinking into the bark. "It's not often that you talk about the past."

Fang holds back a snarl, and her eyes narrow. "Let's keep it that way."

Five flicks her tail. "Fine."

Fang finally relaxes, leaning back on the branch. "It has been a while."

Five nods. "I like it here." She flexes her claws, stretching out her arms. "Please say that we're not going back."

Fang snorts, a quiet laugh to her voice. "I am going back to check up on Vanille, eventually."

Five lets out a sigh, shaking her head. "The little one will be fine; we don't have to go back..."

Fang's eyes droop shut. "You'd better believe it."

Five snarls under her breath, stalking along the branch. "I want to stay here." She glances back at Fang from the corner of her eye. "With the other."

"Lightning, you mean?"

Five nods, gazing out at the abyss. "She's... A worthy companion."

"Well..." Fang rolls over to rest on her side, draping an arm over the edge of the branch. "We're sticking together."

"She'll want to go back, too." Five tips her head back, closing her eyes. "For the human."

Fang slides open a single eye. "Hey... Why don't you call people by name?"

Five shrugs. "Names don't matter."

"I'd beg to differ..." Fang sighs, relaxing against the branch once more. "Let me go back to sleep, okay?"

Five's nostrils flare. "She's back, already."

Fang sits up, her eyes wide. "How do you-"

Five turns to meet Fang's gaze. "I'm always awake, at least... Partway." She leans back, casually falling from the branch, while her voice echos out from the abyss. "Wake up."

Lightning tore away a bit of bristle from the carcass before her, attempting to reach the softer flesh of the wild pig that she had carried up into the cave.

Fang began to mumble in her sleep, before she twitched upon the bed of moss. "Light?"

Lightning glanced over at Fang as she yanked back on a leg of the boar. "I'm here."

Fang opened her eyes after a moment, blinking away the sleep. "What... A peccary?"

Lightning tilted her head slightly while she bit down on the severed leg, and blood trickled out from where her teeth sank into the muscle. "Peccary?"

Fang rose, pointing at the carcass. "Smelly bastards..." She sat still for a moment to orient herself, before she shook out her hair. "I was just talking to Five."

Lightning pulled back a strip of flesh. "In a dream?"

Fang nodded as she reached over to tear off a leg from the peccary. "Yeah... She wants to stay here." Her nostrils twitched, and she glanced over at Lightning after a moment. "You've got another scent on you, there..."

Lightning shrugged. "Made a few acquaintances, tracked them for a bit."

Fang rolled her eyes as she bit down. "Did they piss their pants?"

Lightning nearly laughed under her breath. "I didn't stick around long enough to find out..." She cracked open the bone of the leg she had already stripped, maneuvering her claws within. "I don't think we'll have much trouble with them."

Fang paused with a bit of meat held halfway into her mouth. "Friendly?"

Lightning nodded. "I 'gave' them an antelope."

Fang's eyes widened slightly, and she finished chewing before speaking again. "You killed it, first?"

Lightning nodded again.

Fang kept silent for a moment, before she shook her head, chuckling quietly. "They probably realize that you didn't know it... But that's a display of kinship on Gran Pulse."

Lightning paused. "What?"

Fang chuckled again. "Normally, a hunter will only personally give a kill to those that they consider family, unless it's during a time of hardship or famine."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, before she began to eat once more. "Well, that's not so bad."

Fang nodded. "Not bad at all... They might try to gift you back, though." She shrugged. "Depends on the individual."

After a while, Lightning leaned back against the cave wall, slowly wiping the blood from her mouth. "There's a difference between villages and titles... But they all live together, right?"

Fang nodded again. "Can't have a group of only warriors... Well, you can, but it makes things a bit harder." Fang soon leaned back as well, picking at her teeth. "At one point, my tribe was primarily Yun."

Lightning sat in quiet thought, her eyes half-lidded. "You said that Vanille was alone... Was she a Yun, too?"

Fang shook her head. "Dia... Either a gatherer, or a jack of all trades."

Lightning blinked at that, and she met Fang's gaze. "She's a good hunter, though."

"Yeah." Fang glanced over at the mouth of the cave. "Because I taught her."

Lightning closed her eyes after a moment, breathing in a soft rhythm. "I hope she's happy, now."

Fang nodded with a quiet laugh. "Definitely... She really found her calling, there." Shaking her head, Fang leaned forward from the cave wall. "Vanille... I don't think I've ever seen her happier than when we first arrived in your neck of the woods."

Lightning opened her eyes. "How so?"

Fang shifted her mouth back to smile. "Well, we had a little money at that point..."

Vanille stood wide-eyed with her nose pressed up against the glass. "What is that?"

Fang tilted her head, glancing along the shopfront. "I have no clue." She poked at the window with her fingers, examining the glass. "They had this stuff on the 'plane', too... It's gotta some sort of masonry."

Vanille nodded, but her gaze was locked upon the arrangement that lay before her; thousands of objects sat aligned in rows within the shop, and she could scarcely name the various colors and textures that the goods themselves displayed.

With a smirk, Fang nudged at Vanille's shoulder. "Look, there's people going in." She pointed at the doorway. "I think it's a trading post, or something..."

Vanille slowly leaned back from the window. "We don't have anything to trade, though."

Fang reached for her pocket, removing a small stack of bills. "What's-his-name gave me this after we landed." She flipped through the money, idly poking at the edges of the papers. "Said it would help us start out."

Lightning tilted her head to the side, fighting back a laugh. "What's-his-name?"

Fang couldn't help but chuckle. "It's been years, Light... I can't even remember what he looked like." She exhaled, gazing over at the sky, as well as the thick layer of clouds that made their approach from the horizon. "Basically, he found us out in the woods, and he told us that we could find a new start in Cocoon."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Just like that?"

"He claimed to be some sort of ambassador." Fang shrugged. "I didn't know it at the time, but thinking back..." She laughed under her breath. "Private jet, stack of money... Must have been a rich old bastard who had nothing better to do than dump us in Cocoon."

"Probably thought he was helping." Lightning shook her head. "What happened next?"

Fang bit back a chuckle.

Vanille's eyes went wide, and she stopped in her tracks. "They said that this was food, right?"

Fang bit at a sandwich, turning to face Vanille. "Yeah."

Vanille gestured for her to taste the object in her hands, giggling when Fang's eyes widened as well. "It's weird, isn't it?"

Fang closed her eyes in concentration. "It's certainly... Cold?" She moved her tongue around her mouth, examining the texture upon it. "What did they say that stuff was?"

Vanille took another bite. "Ice, or something?" She smiled. "It's pretty good, actually."

Fang nodded. "Try this." She tore off a section of her sandwich, before she handed it off to Vanille. "It's pretty good, too."

Vanille smiled after a moment. "Oh, what is that?"

Fang picked at the bread, examining the layers of condiments within. "It's got a bunch of stuff, I dunno." She looked up at the sidewalk. "This place is weird..." After a moment, Fang smiled to herself. "But I have a feeling it's a lot safer, here."

Vanille frowned, until she began to follow Fang's gaze. "Wow." She watched as a group of children ran about the sidewalk; the group was mostly unattended, except for a single adult.

Fang chuckled as they ran closer, and she stepped aside to let the children pass. "Reminds me of when we found you, kiddo."

Vanille scowled, elbowing Fang in the ribs. "I'm not that much younger than you!"

Fang raised an eyebrow. "You're what, twelve?"

Vanille rolled her eyes. "And you're nineteen."

Fang poked at Vanille's forehead with a grin. "Seven years, Van." She smiled down at her. "How about we take another look around?"

Vanille looked up at the road, gazing at the passing cars with a tiny frown. "Just don't run into the path, again."

Fang laughed under her breath. "Don't you worry; I've learned my lesson." She pointed out at the opposite sidewalk. "Hey, that looks interesting..."

Lightning covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You got hit by a car?"

Fang was suddenly extremely grateful that her carapace couldn't blush. "Hey, hey! You try getting dumped into another civilization without any prior knowledge of how things work..." She rolled her eyes, but she began to laugh under her breath. "I was quick enough to dodge it, though."

Lightning closed her eyes, but the laughter threatened to escape her throat, while a sense of mirth bubbled up in her chest, barely contained within.

Fang rolled her eyes, and she leaned back against the cave wall once more. "Yeah, yeah..." She couldn't help but chuckle again, shaking her head back and forth. "The first few weeks were good, though." She waited until Lightning had quieted as well, meeting her gaze. "She'd always been real cheerful, but there was something about Cocoon... Vanille just took to it, almost immediately."

Lightning nodded, but her eyelids began to droop a bit.

Fang tilted her head to the side. "I told you, didn't I?" She stood up, walking forward to kneel beside Lightning. "Running around all night without napping in between... C'mere."

Lightning snorted under her breath, but she soon allowed Fang to hoist her up, carrying her over to sit beside the pile of leaves.

"So stubborn." Fang began to trace her fingertips over Lightning's forehead, using her thumb to tap at the carapace beneath her hairline. "You'd think that resting was capital punishment or something..."

Lightning shook her head. "It's not what you think." She lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Fang's neck. "It's just..." Lightning paused for a moment, and she closed her eyes. "One... She hasn't spoken with me very much since we came here."

Fang slowly wrapped her arms around Lightning's chest, pulling her close. "Have you tried talking to her?"

Lightning opened her eyes. "Not exactly... She usually initiates conversation."

Fang's chest rumbled with a quiet laugh. "Try it, then?"

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she began to concentrate, focusing within. "Alright." She blinked as a hazy figure slowly materialized beside them, staring out at the mouth of the cave.

"Yeah?" One faced the forest below, while her tail curled up behind her. "What do you need?"

Lightning's eyes widened a bit. "Nothing, I just..." She looked up at Fang, before gesturing at the cave floor. "She's here."

Fang shrugged, closing her eyes. "Tell her I said hello."

One snorted. "Tell her I use your ears."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, slowly examining her duplicate. "We haven't talked in a while."

One glanced back at Lightning, and she flicked her tail to the side. "We don't really need to; I'm in your head."

Lightning fell back into silence, her eyes drifting shut. "Alright."

Fang began to yawn, before she leaned forward to nuzzle at Lightning's hair. "What's up?"

Lightning shrugged. "Nothing much."

One disappeared after a moment, but Lightning could still sense her presence as a voice echoed throughout her mind. "You don't really need me, anymore."

Lightning closed her eyes, shaking her head. "That's not true."

"It's not a bad thing."

Slowly, Lightning opens her eyes, only to find herself standing somewhat shorter upon a plane of white, and she can't help but smile at One, who stands in human form as well. "Did you..?"

One shakes her head. "You were already falling asleep." She reaches up to poke at her own face, examining the soft, pale skin beneath her fingers. "You're so damn squishy..." One shakes her head with a grimace, quickly adopting a body of carapace and spikes, before she moves to circle around Lightning's flank. "You've been thinking about going back."

Lightning nods, but she can only attempt to ignore the way One stares at her human form. "I want to see Serah, again."

One grumbles under her breath, but she quickly sits down behind Lightning, nearly dwarfing her in size. "I like being here."

Lightning tips her head back to meet One's gaze. "I know."

One closes her eyes, and the dream begins to shift. "I... I think I missed you." She stands up, stepping further into the mist. "Is that weird? I'm still not even sure if what I think is my own..." One glances back at Lightning, slowly rising up to stand on her hind legs. "I'm... I'm just a number, right?"

Lightning narrows her eyes. "You're more than that."

One's shoulders sag, and her ears lay flat upon her head. "I'm a parasite."

Lightning stands up, walking over to stand directly in front of One. "No." She suddenly takes hold of One's hand, and her grip is firm. "You protect me."

One's eyes widen as she sifts throughout Lightning's mind. "You really believe that..." She suddenly pulls Lightning into a tight hug, and her arms tremble.

Lightning smiles a bit. "And that's how I know we're still separate entities." She glances up at One. "You have your own personality, you know."

One pulls back from the embrace, but her eyes are still wide. "I... I want to do something." She paces for a moment, staring out at the mist. "I just can't think of the right words."

Lightning sits down, merely watching as One wanders about the dream. "Try to describe it?"

One rakes a clawed hand through her hair. "I... I remember being born." She turns, swatting at the mist until a figure appears before her. "The woman you bit, she was there."

Lightning narrows her eyes, but she keeps silent.

One watches the memory unfold, before she reaches out to trace around a vial of liquid. "That's me." A quiet laugh escapes her throat. "I was just... A floating bit of matter."

Lightning stands up, quietly walking forward to stand beside One. "But you grew." She suddenly shifts, standing identical to her counterpart. "Gotta say, it wasn't a very pleasant experience..."

One winces, and her ears flick back and forth. "Hey, I wasn't so aware, yet!" She looks away when the quivering liquid is drawn out into several needles, carried off into the mist. "I didn't know that it would hurt you..."

Lightning shakes her head. "I know."

One lowers her head with a long, shivery sigh. "I still can't think of it."

Lightning shrugs. "Give it time."

One only blinks, slowly fading into the dream.