Hi there. *waves friendly*

I'm not dead! *dance around and grins stupidly*

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I proudly present a brand-new chapter of "The Truth Beneath The Rose".

It's a little bit shorter than the last ones, but I thought it is better than not to upload a new chapter!

Please enjoy reading it and leave a message or two or more. Whatever you like.

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The rest of the week was uneventful. Lightning and Fang enjoyed their time together and the incident regarding Ballad was long forgotten.

Ballad on the other hand used this time to research what this creature, he had seen in Light's office, might be. By coincidence he found some ancient articles about guardians and the humans wielding their powers. They were rare and everyone thought that the last human sharing their fate with the guardian died long ago. Obviously, they have all been wrong.

He grinned evilly. I would have never thought to be that lucky.

He knew, that he now possessed a trump card against Lightning Farron. The problem was how to use it. Of course, he could easily blackmail her or threaten her, but then he would lose the surprise effect. His plan was easy. He wanted the power, but without having to deal with the person itself. Therefore, maybe it was possible to separate them and then use the guardian as some kind of puppet.

Fortunately, Ballad knew just the right person to ask. This person was a little bit crazy, but he liked everything regarding magic and possessed a lot of wisdom to maybe find a way in helping Ballad.

He prepared his laptop and then walked out of the office to visit his old friend: Sephiroth.

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"I really hate this." Ballad said to no one in particular.

Sephiroth lived very far outside of town, somewhere in the woods and the way was not very pleasant to drive. After four hours Ballad finally reached the small house, which was hidden behind huge trees deep in the woods.

"Finally." He breathed out.

Carefully stepping out of the car he knocked at the front gate and waited. A beeping sound caught his attention and he looked to the right. A camera rotated in his direction and he waved his hand as a greeting.

A loud crackling sound was heard afterwards and the gate in front of Ballad opened automatically. A computer voice said: "Please take the elevator to level A."

He knew that the house was fake and all the laboratories and equipment were safely placed underground. The place hadn't changed a lot after his last visit.

It was still a dark place, even if the walls were painted white and the whole corridor was decorated with some nature paintings. There was no door, only the elevator at the end. Every meter was a camera who observed his steps carefully.

Ballad knew, that one wrong move would cost his life. This corridor meant death to every unwelcomed intruder.

Carefully he walked to the elevator and did what he was told.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the elevator and the metal doors closed silently in front of him.

Only a few seconds later the elevator stopped and the metal doors opened silently again.

He was greeted by his old friend. Maybe friend was not the right word, but they had almost the same future plans. Ballad wanted to have the most powerful weapon building company in the world and Sephiroth just wanted the world. There would be a place for both of them. Maybe. . .

To tell the truth Ballad was a little bit afraid of his old friend. He had this frightening appearance. His hair was knee long and white, he always wore these black outfits like someone of these vampire movies. But the most frightening thing were his dark green eyes. They held a cold that just by looking at him you started trembling with fear.

"Sephiroth." He bowed down slightly.

"Ballad, why the sudden visit?" He sounded suspicious.

"I have found something that will probably be of interest for you, too." He smiled maliciously.

"Let's see." He turned around and walked deeper into the dark corridor. Ballad just followed him.

Sephiroth entered an office on the right side and sat down behind a huge black wooden table, gesturing for Ballad to do the same.

"So, then show me your findings."

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Meanwhile Fang and Light didn't suspect any upcoming danger and enjoyed their time together in the park. They both took a day off and sat now together on a blanket in a secluded area of the park to enjoy their picnic.

Fang had found this place not long ago and wanted to take Lightning here to show her, that her life didn't consist only of work. It was also a late birthday gift.

The place was surrounded by huge trees and some rock formations. In the middle was a small lake and an even smaller waterfall. It was quiet and peaceful. Fang was sure that nobody would find them because it was pure coincidence that she had found it herself. A small path that looked like a dead end was a road to this beautiful scenery.

"It's really nice here. Thanks for showing me, Fang." Light smiled peacefully.

"You are very welcome, sunshine." Fang grinned.

She also enjoyed these rare moments between them, when everything felt like they were the only two people on the planet.

Fang brought some sandwiches and orange juice to enjoy their picnic. But before she presented the delicious food, of course prepared by herself, she suggested something more relaxing.

"How about we go swimming? The weather is nice and it would be a shame to just sit here."

Lightning didn't think that it would be good idea and she voiced her thoughts out loud. She was not very comfortable to bath without the proper clothing.

"But, what about people coming here? I don't want them to see me half naked and. . ."

"Don't worry, Light. Not many people know this area. The only one seeing you naked will be me." Fang smiled and watched Lightning blush deeply red.

"Okay. . ." Light mumbled.

"Okay to what?" Fang questioned surprised. "To go swimming or for me to see you naked?" She teased.

Lightning faced her, ignoring her blush and replied: "For both." The blush intensified again.

Fang didn't expect such a bold response and blushed in return.

"I will get you back for that." She said smiling sweetly.

"We will see." Lightning laughed. A happy smile adorning her face.

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"So, what do you think? Is it possible to get the powers and use them myself?" Ballad asked.

"Of course it is. Unfortunately the human will not survive the procedure, but I don't think, that this matters to you. Am I right?"

"Yes, she is dispensable."

"Good, I will give you a weapon to capture the subject and you have to bring her here. We will then start the extraction process."

"Okay, good and what is this weapon? Is it powerful enough?" Ballad didn't look convinced.

"Yes, it is, don't worry. The weapon I will give you is the guardian of the last human wielding such a power. It is a giant dragon, personally I think, that it is the most powerful amongst all of them."

"And how do you think it is possible to hide this creature? I mean, people will see it, when I walk along the streets, don't you think?" He almost rolled his eyes to emphasize his words.

"Don't worry, here, take this." Sephiroth handed Ballad a small black stone. "You can summon him with this and give your orders."

Ballad took the object.

"Do I have to say something special? I mean like a code word?"

"No, just think about what you want to do and the dragon will follow your every order."

"Thanks." He bowed respectfully and left the office. Don't worry Lightning Farron, I will get you soon. He smiles darkly.

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Even if Fang couldn't wait to see her beloved Lightning half naked she fulfilled her wish and they ate the sandwiches first. Fang knew, that it was just a tactic to postpone the swimming part, but she was also stubborn and would get what she wanted. Inwardly she was smiling.

After their meal, Fang began to strip down to just her underwear.

"Fang, what are you doing?" Light asked and tried to avoid checking out Fang's body.

"I will go swimming as I said earlier. Feel free to join me." She smiled and walked up to Light, whispering hotly in her ear: "Personally I would really like to see you all wet, too."

She backed away, leaving a madly blushing and flustered Light behind. She went into the refreshing water, waiting for Lightning to take her turn.

Slowly recovering from Fang's teasing Lightning sat still on the blanket and did everything to avoid staring at the goddess in the lake.

"Hey Light. . . Liiggght. . ." Fang called her, but Light choose to ignore it.

"Claire. . ." This got a reaction out of Light and she faced Fang who smirked back at her. "I knew you would look at me when I call you that. Why won't you join me? The water is really nice."

"No, thanks, I don't have my swimsuit. I told you before." She averted her gaze again. So she didn't notice that Fang got out of the water until she kneeled in front of her.

"Claire. . ." Her head shot around, her eyes sending daggers at Fang. "You don't leave me a choice."

"Wh . . . aaaaahhhh." Light was scooped up bridal-style and Fang carried her to the lake.

"Put me down! Right now!" Light demanded.

"Nope."

Then without warning Fang threw Lightning into the lake. The pink haired woman screamed as she crashed into the water. Seconds later her head shot up again and she glared daggers at Fang who was still standing on the edge of the lake. Upon seeing Lightning's face, she started laughing uncontrollably.

Fang also got into the water and walked up to Light, who still glared at her.

"Come on, sunshine. It was a joke. Don't be mad. Please?"

But Lightning just walked past her, wanting nothing more than to get out of the water, get her clothes dry somehow and ignore Fang for the rest of the day.

A hand on her wrist stopped her, before she could get away.

"Look at me . . . please." Fang silently pleaded. "Please. . ." Fang repeated softly.

With a heavy sigh Lightning turned around, but didn't face Fang immediately, so the brown-haired woman placed her thumb and index finger on Light's chin to gently lift it up.

The sight before Fang was so breathtaking that she couldn't form a coherent sentence.

Light's hair was wet, a few shades darker than normally and it clung to her face just beautifully. She looked like a sea goddess. Even her eyes looked more vulnerable and somewhat anxious than ever before.

Losing control Fang leaned in and captured the shorter woman's slightly trembling lips with her own. The kiss was soft and tender and within seconds Lightning returned the kiss and placed her arms around Fang's neck. Fang moaned into the kiss and placed her right hand on Lightning's cheek, meanwhile the other hand encircled her waist and pulled her even closer to her own body.

Fang dominated the kiss and pushed Light slowly up against the edge of the lake. As her back hit the edge, she broke the kiss and took a deep breath. Fang wanted to dive in and capture those sweet lips again, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Light. . .? You okay?" Fang asked concerned.

Light only shook her head and avoided facing Fang again.

"You can talk to me, you know that. Please. . . don't shut me out. . ." Fang bowed her head slightly to get a glimpse at Lightning's eyes.

Without answering Lightning took Fang's right hand in her own and placed it above her own breast, right where her heart was beating like crazy. Then she looked up, tears shining in her eyes.

"I . . .it's just. . .I've never felt so much for anyone. I. . .every time we are together my heart beats like this and I can't stop thinking about you. I. . . I am afraid, afraid that I'm not good enough or that you. . ." Fang stopped Lightning's rambling by placing her index finger softly on her lips.

"You definitely think too much, sunshine." Fang smiled, glad that the pink haired woman shared her emotions now so freely.

"Do you know how much I want to touch and to feel you right now? It is really hard to stop myself sometimes because I love you so much. I would never ever look at another woman like I look at you." She kissed Lightning softly on the lips to emphasize her words.

"Then don't stop." Lightning whispered.

"What. . . what do you mean?" Fang asked unsure.

Light faced her and said once again: "Don't stop yourself. . ." She gulped nervously. "Take me here. . .right now."

Fang was left speechless. After this bold statement, she could do nothing but capture those sweet lips again in a kiss full of love and uncontrolled passion.

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Aaaaaannnndd . . . . . . . . cliffhanger!

I'm just sooooo bad! ^^ Did you really think I would give you the whole story? Smut and everything?

No, but I promise the next chapter won't be a progress of the story. It will be smut, the whole chapter! Yeah, something to look forward to ^^

So, see ya around.

Have a great day and don't forget to leave a review!

P.S.:

It will take a little bit time to write the next chapter. . . SORRY!