(Untitled)

[sharpstone]

Who: Oerba Yun Fang (sharpstone) and Oerba Dia Vanille (lezcie) [CLOSED]
Where: The gardens/hedge maze
What: When Fang wakes up and realizes that their powers have returned, she goes in search of Vanille, fearing the worst.
Warnings: Angst and possible light swearing from Fang. Also extreme wordiness from yours truly.

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[lezcie]

She didn't know how far into the maze she was, but she figured she was far enough to consider herself completely lost, as she'd intended. Vanille sank to the ground, rod clattering next to her, clutching her skirt above her mark and clenching her teeth to keep from - screaming, crying, she wasn't even sure anymore what she wanted to do, except maybe disappear. She should have expected this, she should have known it wouldn't have been so simple, but she instead chose to believe. How foolish.

It was foolish even now, sitting by herself among the towering, shifting hedges, hoping she'd wake up and maybe treat Namine to breakfast, or creep out of her own bed and maybe slip into Fang's--

"Vanille!"

She blinked back the tears she didn't notice had gathered, rubbing at her eyes hastily, though no one could see her. There she was, the very woman who'd drag the Maker from the heavens to keep her safe. Should she reply, allow Fang to see her in her weakness, and bring her further down with her? Should she wait until the waves of shock and despair faded, then put on a smile for the first and last person she wanted to see? But no matter how many times Vanille weighed her options, turned them over and squeezed the juice out of them in her mind, she could only remember her promise.

"Fang!"

[sharpstone]

Relief gripped Fang's heart when she heard the reply, but it was only a temporary respite from the worry that settled back in almost immediately. "Hang on!" She strode into the maze, deciding it would be easier to find someone in the maze than for Vanille to find her way out. Still, Fang glanced skeptically at the thick hedges that surrounded her. "Don't you play any tricks on me," she threatened the vegetation. "You're lucky I'm not just going through you right now. But I will if I have to, and deal with Guy later."

Though it was impossible to tell if her words had any effect, Fang felt slightly better about her chances. She simply took every turn that seemed to lead her closer to where Vanille's voice had come from, and though she hit more than a few dead ends, she was moving steadily enough to keep her from becoming frustrated.

When she finally turned a corner and spotted Vanille, she paused. Even after hearing Vanille - knowing that she was alright - seeing her there, unharmed, unchanged was a powerful relief. She needed to check the mark, needed to see if it had advanced, but Vanille herself was the important thing. "Vanille!" She walked quickly towards her, unconsciously slipping back into the language of Deningrad. "Are you alright?" There was more to say, much more, but they couldn't do everything at once, as much as she wanted to.

[lezcie]

"It was pretty stupid, wasn't it?" Vanille couldn't bring herself to look at Fang, so filled with guilt and disappointment. All she could do was make sure her voice didn't crack and her eyes didn't water. "We should've at least made sure..." She rose to her feet, head downcast, still unable to meet her companion's eyes. "Really stupid." She lifted her skirt slightly, revealing the ever-progressing mark. Then, with a stronger voice (it took all her strength to keep from crying) and gaze finally meeting Fang's, she said somewhat helplessly, "Looks like we can't go home. Not yet."

Looks like I have to keep on lying to you, and everyone.

[sharpstone]

As Vanille revealed her brand, Fang dropped to one knee to look at it better. Her fingertips rested lightly on Vanille's leg just below it - maybe it was superstitious, but she would never touch the mark itself. And seeing the mark, seeing how it had advanced, confirming her worst fears just made Fang cold. There was no more panic or anxiety, just the grim, certain knowledge that she would stop the mark from advancing completely. She would tear the school apart stone by stone - hell, she'd smash the Floating Island back down to the ground if it would save Vanille. That was the burden Fang had put on herself, and if it ever sat uneasily, if she sometimes wondered what sort of person that made her... Well, she also knew that she could take no other way.

"Looks like we can't go home. Not yet," Vanille told her, and Fang rose to her feet to wrap her arms around Vanille.
"That's not important," she said softly. "We were going to stay here anyway, remember? Don't you worry about that." She was silent for a moment, just feeling Vanille against her, as if she could absorb that sadness and replace it with comfort just by proximity. "Maybe we were a little foolish," she admitted, placing a small emphasis on that "we". "But it doesn't change anything. We'll still figure this out, and nothing will happen. We have time," she said, knowing it was true even if every delay pricked at her, "so everything's alright." Her voice grew in strength and confidence as she spoke because she did believe in every word she was saying. "Just leave any worrying to me."