When You and I Collide

2) The New People

~Fang's POV~

My eyes fly open with a surprised gasp, my body instantly moving into a sitting position from where I was snuggling the dirt. Where are we? The bodies of my past allies lie around me, thankfully all breathing, but I don't recognize this place one bit. There's one thing I do know: this is neither Pulse nor Cocoon. We're in a forest it seems, tall trees waving above us.

"Fang?"

"Vanille," I acknowledge my small companion.

"Have any idea where we are?"

"Not unless we fell to the center of the planet, Missy," I tease with an easy grin, ruffling her bright orange hair.

"Hey!"

"Serah," Snow mutters in his unconscious state. I sigh and look around again.

"At least where ever we are we have our weapons."

"True," she nods, bright and upbeat as usual. Too happy sometimes, but the kid's been through a lot. She's gotta put a good perspective on everything to keep going.

I pull my staff off my back and twirl it aimlessly between my fingers. How long has it been since everyone else awoke from their crystal sleep? I know for sure that we were last, as if that's going to help. Eventually everyone wakes up, Hope last. Snow just sots at the base of a tree moping.

"Hey Light," I call toward the other woman in our group. "What's blonde boy's deal?" She looks up with an expression of raw emotion that makes me internally groan. I hate it when people look ready to cry. "Okay, fine, I'll..."

"Serah died in a car accident," Snow grits quietly. I stop mid sentence, turning to look at him. His fists are clenched and laying on the forest floor on either side of him. Poof oaf looks so dejected.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I mutter. Vanille sniffs and runs to comfort him. She was always better at that kind of thing.

"We have to move or something," Hope says finally after an awkward silence. "If we just sit around, we'll never know where we are."

"What if the monsters are harder and way scarier," Vanille whimpers.

"That's never stopped us before," he shoots back, standing. "Cmon, it's better than just sitting around."

"The kid's right," Sazh sighs, watching Dajh running around in circles. "We're not gonna get anything done just sittin around."

"Let's go then," I nod, lifting myself onto a tree branch.

"Which way?" Vanille calls up as I climb the tree.

"I'm lookin, just give me a moment!"

I make it to the top and look around in bewilderment. This is definitely not even the right planet. Unknown wolf like creatures run across the plains like the Gorgonopsids back at home. Only these are purple, and tiny, clear winged dragons roam the skies. I can see a behemoth or two, but they're all red, not dark colored at all. I'm missing me some adamantoise by now.

"Just a mile north," I say proudly, dropping down.

"What's that way?" Lighting forces her mask on.