Hello everybody.
Any Lightning and Sazh fans here?^^ I search through this site but didn't find many stories with the two of them. It's a bit sad because I like Lightning and Sazh and think they have a good friendship. So I wrote my own little story which takes place during their first night in Oerba. Just a little and friendly interaction between those with a little bit humor here and there. It's a story I came up with after having finished Chapter 11. I took the liberty to change some minor things but they shouldn't disturb anyone. There are also some spoilers for Chapter 11.
Enjoy.
Darkness had brought the landscape under its control with the result that only the spangled sky together with the floating and luminous continent Cocoon were in a position to defy it. A calm and gently wind blew over the village and proximity, thus providing a relaxing background noise. Relaxation and quiet also were privileges the entire group had obtained as they all had scattered across Fang's respectively Vanille's former dwelling and slept deeply.
Almost all of them…
Lightning, who had chosen the couch as her resting place, close to the entrance so that she could react quickly to a possible contact with the enemy, lay with her left leg tucked up and her right leg outstretched, which rested on the armrest, on her roost and looked at the ceiling. Slightly nervous and irritated she wagged her right foot back and forth, it seemed impossible to think about sleep at this moment – no, the process of sleeping with its associated recovery was as far away as the glowing orb from their current location.
The former soldier rubbed her forehead slowly. She felt a small pain in her chest – rather a tickle in her lungs whereupon she began to cough. Accompanied by this short fit she led her legs sidewards, anxious not to wake up her friends ( and especially not to step on snoring Snow by accident who lay on the floor next to the couch ), and remained stiff and cross-legged for the moment.
A soft, though consistent, pain travelled through her upper body and it was all too noticeable she would have to put up some strength and negotiation with herself to get up. She turned her head carefully to her left and right, resulting in two nasty cracking sounds, before she began to touch her neck. She felt somewhat hot, sweat bewetted her rubbing hand and led her to the assumption that the fever had grasped her. A rescanning of her forehead though refuted this quickly. At worst, she could take some potions or ask Vanille or Hope to cast a healing spell on her – she could also try to take care of the matter herself, because she had learned the basics of the medic after several talks and lessons with the woman.
Nevertheless, the heat was still there – was tangible and began to penetrate her head gradually. Great, she rubbed her eyes before looking at her sleeping companions.
Fang and Vanille had claimed the large bed ( the only bed ), which they had prepared at nightfall, and slept close together in a lateral position – Fang, caring and protective, with her arm around her friend. Hope, who had also found a place on the bed, huddled with tucked up arms up against Fang's back, his face buried in her long, black hair. Sazh had made himself comfortable on an armchair and napped with his mouth semi-lacerated while one of his hands rested on his pistols which lay handy on a small nightstand next to him.
Lightning envied her friends in this moment because of their found serenity. She thought about the possibility of asking Vanille for a sleeping spell, though this undertaking would be accompanied by disturbing the woman in her sleep and she had earned a calm night after all the tough battles they had encountered since their arrival on Gran Pulse in which the pulsian ( though everybody else too ) had been stretched to her limits. Lightning admired for the most part but also somewhat feared Vanille's powers which one might not really trust somebody of her diminutive build to possess. The same applied to Hope, too, though Vanille was already so powerful, that the former soldier had to think for a moment about the kind of vigors she still could acquire.
Killing enemies with a fingers snap would help, she thought with a slight chuckle. Oh well…
Lightning led her legs carefully to the ground and landed with them between Snow's head and slightly tucked up arm. Accompanied by a faintly wicked glance to the man who had pulled his hat over his eyes, the former soldier stood up and made her way to the kitchen. She noticed once more how good it felt to walk without her slowly oppressive boots which she had taken off only at rare intervals since the beginning of their adventure – the constant thread they had had to endure during the days and nights and the perpetual probability of a sudden escape or an unforeseen battle had always clasped them.
Having arrived in the kitchen, Lightning took one of their remaining potions and glanced outside through the balcony door. Heaven, she shivered as she rose on her toes in irregular intervals, enjoying them clunking every time.
Outdoors, everything in the scenery was characterized by complete silence and utter absence of fiends – at least, Lightning could say that about the area she could oversee from her position. Due to the dominating darkness, only the closer part of Oerba and its adjacent lake were mostly to be seen. Everything that dwelled behind that visible area could only be guessed – the gigantic, half-destroyed drawbridge displayed itself only through almost invisible outlines. Lightning though knew that Fang, Snow and herself had done a good and thorough job in sweeping any form of enemies out of the way so that the companions' sleepover in the village wouldn't be disturbed.
However, this thought only occurred to the pink-haired L'Cie's subconscious for the fraction of a second as the detection of the still existing tension and heat inside her thrusted itself forward. Her slight phase of weakness was joined by additional headaches which were accompanied by a muffled throb in her ears – as if she heard someone climbing stairs in an endless circular staircase.
She opened the can and took a sip, immediately feeling the cooling energy floating through her body. With her next gulp she emptied half the bin and deposited it next to the sink before leaning herself with crossed over arms against the pleasantly cool balcony door. Stroking alongside her arm, Lightning eyed her clothes and saw all the impurities in the form of dirt and blood which were spread in irregular ratio across her outfit and equipment. She reminisced about a time this gear was characterized by cleanliness and vibrancy – thought about her wardrobe at home and how nice it would be to wear other clothes from time to time again.
Suddenly, she felt a slight tingling at her ear which transferred itself readily onto some of her hairs. Still slightly lost in thoughts, she reached for the itchy spot, nearly squishing Sazh's Chocobo Chick. Quickly putting her hand aside, she apologized in thoughts to the tiny animal before whispering a "Hey, you." The Chocobo Chick squeaked while beating its wings rapidly and then flew onto Lightning's palm which she held out to her small companion. "Can't sleep, too, huh?" She asked, petting the little bird gently.
As the former soldier looked at the young Chocobo, she thought about her own young body which was already covered with a number of wounds and scars. With the L'Cie's magic, it had been possible to heal almost all of their wounds in a short timeframe so far. However, this process had always come in combination with a slow recuperation phase of their minds and bodies, leaving behind all the bruises and wounds – Memorials for all their negligences, Sazh would always say. Lightning though knew most of them would eventually heal as she felt around a scar near her belly button.
She was wrested out of her world of thought as additional sweat evolved around her forehead. She glanced at her hand, saw that the Chocobo Chick had fallen asleep. Lucky you. She walked quietly to one of the shelves and carefully put the bird in front of a Cocobo plushie. With a brief smile, Lightning returned to the kitchen where she opened the balcony door and headed outside.
She approached the partly destroyed railing and leaned onto it with both her arms, surveying the landscape, whose non-illuminated parts she conceptually imagined thereto. Despite the disastrous situation in which they all were, especially Fang and Vanille who had to discover their home nearly completely destroyed, this view ( particularly during the sunset ) had given them quiet, catharsis and inner contentment – even though it had been just for a short moment.
Lightning closed her eyes, tilted her head slightly backwards and devoured the smooth feeling of the wind tearing through her hair. She took a deep breath, enjoyed herself as the air flowed through her body – purifying it from the inside. How great it would be to get the same treatment on its surface, to feel refreshing moisture bathing it again.
She thought about the use of a water spell as she had done a few times when she had given herself a lick and a promise. But Lightning wasn't in the mood for the element in artificially created form, she wanted natural water, wanted to sink with her entire body in it – wanted to tame the heat inside her which was nothing other than the desire of mind and body for a thorough purification.
Her gaze wandered into the distance, strolled around the partly destroyed bridge's shape before it came to an end at the glittering play on the surface of the part of the lake she could see.
Lightning began to smile while a thrill of anticipation aroused in her.
Looking out a last time for possible figures in her field of vision, Lightning slowly removed her final garment from her body and now stood completely stripped on the enormous staircase leading into the lake. She glanced at Cocoon's leisurely moving reflection caused by the slight swell before she focused on the white, sandy ground beneath the water surface. She thought about a time in which she had gone for several walks with her sister at the beach in Bodhum, only to have them enjoy a beautiful sunset at the end during which Serah mostly had her head laid down on Lightning's shoulder.
Sunset, the former soldier smiled on the inside. No real sunset – just a Fal'Cie who dimmed the light for a couple of hours.
A small tickle made itself felt in her breast region whereupon Lightning began to rub the itching spot – the spot which represented the scaffold of her misery, the effigy of her coming damnation, her L'Cie brand. She lowered her head to survey her brand. In the last few days the symbol hadn't changed much and its condition still persisted. She cursed the shape once more before pressing it into the deepest chamber of her consciousness. There were far more important matters at the moment and the most important was just one meter in front of her.
She slowly led her foot forward and dove with it into the partly illuminated water. Pins and needles immediately unleashed themselves in her foot, fired through her rear towards her upper body where they spread subsequently over its entire region. Soft emotional explosions smashed over her, making her flesh crawl so that she began to shiver. Feelings of happiness streamed through her body whereupon the relaxation process instantly kicked in.
She let her other foot follow and gradually headed deeper into the lake until the water reached up to her knees. The element was at a pleasant temperature – not to cold and not too warm. Just perfect.
With outstretched arms, so that she could graze the surface with her respective hand, she marched deeper into the giant water basin until the water now reached up to her belly button.
At this moment, she thought once more about the possibility of encountering enemies in this body of water since they had only cleaned the area onshore and hadn't paid attention to the water. Lightning thought about Bismarck who they had encountered in the Sulyya Springs a few days ago before they reached the Taejin Tower.
"Yes, a powerful Fal'Cie." Vanille had said during their short meeting.
"But it is just found in these waters, it doesn't have anything to do with Oerba." Fang had confirmed her friend's statement.
Lightning, however, couldn't care less about that right now. She enjoyed that moment too much – her moment here all for herself. She took a deep breath before she lunged forward and dove completely into the water – forgot everything around her and let herself be consumed by the element.
A while later, Lightning swam slowly on her back and watched Cocoon, having lost herself in thought about the past, present and future when a large shadow suddenly whooshed past the luminous orb which made her startle for a brief moment. She quickly followed the silhouette which readily disappeared into the darkness.
Dahaka. A Fal'Cie she hadn't thought about in a while. Dahaka, the Fal'Cie reigning in the Taejin Tower, a place the L'Cie had circumflied with Fang's Eidolon after their stressful transition through the Sulyya Springs.
Lightning abandoned her swimming for a brief moment, only floating on the water now, and gazed after the giant being and how it followed its course in the sky. As sudden as the flying Fal'Cie had appeared though, as fast did it vanish into the dark after having showed remarkable skills in flying loopings.
Show off, Lightning smiled, planning to focus on her swimming again. Dahaka and the tower could wait another day.
Out of nowhere, a sound resonated from her right, not very far from her position – a sound which immediately drew her attention. She quickly tightened her eyes, spotting the contours of a figure which stood at the end of the stairs, the place where she had placed her clothes and weapon. Hostiles! The former soldier cursed internally and reproached herself heavily. How could she be so careless and unreasonable?
Thinking about her further approach, she let herself sink a little bit into the water until only her upper side of the face was visible. With the utmost care, she swam towards the figure, never letting it out of her side even for the fraction of a second. The physical body in the distance didn't seem to move greatly and just made the impression to waver back and forth on the spot. Furthermore, Lightning saw a big, white garment which the shape seemed to carry with it.
No doubt it was an enemy.
She remembered the birdlike creatures they had encountered in the Fifth Ark as well as in the Mah'habara subterra, always attacking as a pack. But they had only been found in these areas, so how and why showing up here now? Lightning and her friends had been so careful after all. She gasped out of sheer anger, of course it had to end like this.
No! She wouldn't let those creatures screw up her pleasure. She would dispose of them quickly and then go back to swimming as if nothing ever happened. Or should she cry for help and alarm her friends with it at the same time? Definitely not, Lightning never screams for help.
The former soldier's heartbeat intensified while scouting the proximity for the monster's allies. It was hopeless though – in this darkness, nothing seemed to exist beyond a short radius. She had to prepare for the worst.
Lightning stalked up further to the threat with the utmost caution. The monster didn't seem to see her as she would have already been attacked with a spell in all likelihood. She appeared to be in safety provided she would stay in the water, though she knew that her friends didn't have the same luxury should the enemy decide to head in their direction. She had to act fast.
But how to accomplish this?
To get to her weapon, she knew she had to get pass at least one adversary and furthermore, would be an easy target without her clothing and its associated boosting and protecting items, having to fight the possible mob of monsters completely naked. Feeling slightly ashamed, it was clear though she didn't have many different possibilities.
Even with employing her magic skills, she didn't really see many advantages. Although she could attack via preemptive strike and probably stagger the enemy, she would make way more damage with her sword. And besides, the lack of knowledge concerning the whereabouts and the amount of the other foes still posed the most danger. The moment of surprise would be forfeited pretty quickly in addition to a fight in the water with limited movement.
Odin…
Her crystal lay next to her weapon and if reached it in time, he could take care of them. Hmm... At the end, this idea seemed as good as the other ones.
Lightning took a deep breath, aiming to cover the maximal remaining distance to her saving eidolon via dive. After a short moment though, she returned to the surface as the water wasn't as deep and reached up to her waist – she could sneak the last 10+ meters in her attack position.
A couple of steps later, something began to appear odd about the contours of the figure – it became more and more familiar, though not because the former soldier knew the appearance of the fiend. She slowed down as she heard a sound from the direction of the threat which had great similarities with someone clearing his throat. She increased her focus on the shape and abruptly stopped as she recognized who had been in front of her all this time.
Accompanied by a short, squeaking cry, she tumbled backwards and got a torrent of water in her throat whereupon she tried to cough and spill out the water reflexively. The attempt though was crowned with failure so that Lightning choked on the water and inhaled the fluid element reluctantly. With a clogged windpipe, she wrestled for air while gagging the liquid out of her throat as best as possible.
After a few moments, which appeared to her as an eternity, she came to a rest on her knees and disposed the last remains of the water holdings in her throat. Pumped out and with a pulsation way above average, she stared at the identified person.
"H…Hey, Soldier." Sazh coughed once more, rubbing his hackles – a trademark he almost always did.
"Sazh!?" Lightning gasped with a hand on her throat.
"Y…Yeah!" He responded and seemed to wave with his arm.
"Good god, Sazh!" She panted in a reproachful tone.
"I…I'm sorry, Light." He stuttered. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"Scare me?" The shock slowly faded away and was suppressed by burgeoning anger. "I was seconds away from chopping you into pieces!"
"Yeah…well, I wanted to draw your attention, but…" The pilot began, though Lightning had already decided for it to be a lie. "…but you seemed so relaxed and happy and so I didn't want to…"
"Relaxed and happy?" Aggression forced its way into the former soldier, seducing her to go up to her companion and bringing him to justice. She remembered though, that she was still completely undressed and therefore stayed under the cover of water, grinding her teeth. "Tell…Tell me what the hell you are doing out here before I sic Odin on you!" No, anything that was as rewarding as beating up a voyeur, she rather did herself.
"Well, I…" Sazh began his explanation, descending one step. "Just like you I couldn't really sleep and then, I guess, I had the same idea as you." He confessed. "Soo…I hope you don't mind a little bit company here in the water."
With this declaration, which made Lightning tear up her eyes, the man touched his trousers and got ready to get rid of them.
"Sazh!" She cried out. „Come…come in and you die!"
"Hey, Hey…" He retreated a step before he took a seat. "Why not, Light? What is your problem? I mean…since I have seen most of you now." He smirked.
Lightning couldn't offer any resistance to her jaw dropping slightly open. Instantly, she felt a mixture of shame and even bigger aggression ascending in her. She clenched her fists and felt the water surrounding her hands slowly cooking because of the growing magic.
Sazh who witnessed the spectacle, regained his feet straightaway and yanked his arms upwards. "Light, no wait, please! It was just a joke!" He assured, nearly stumbling over a step. "I didn't see anything, I swear! I didn't even look in your direction!"
Lightning was about to cast a fire spell onto her companion and give him a good whipping ( being naked or not, not really important since he wouldn't be able to tell anyone anything after that ) when she remembered the moment she had recognized Sazh's contours and the logo which adorned the back of his jacket. "What the hell are you doing here, then?" A part of her still didn't really believe his words whereupon her magic continued to rise.
"Well, I…I cought you leaving the house and so I wanted to look after you, you know? You were all alone without actual protection and…"
"I can take care of myself!" She interrupted him with a raised voice.
Sazh remained silent for a brief moment, breathing deeply. "…and on the other hand…" He continued. "…on the other hand, I brought you a blanket, so that you could dry yourself up." He grabbed the white garment which he had carried over his shoulder all the time. "Here, you see? That…That's all…really, Light."
"A blanket?" At the first moment, this sounded like the biggest mischief.
"Y…Yeah, a blanket, you see?" He spinned the piece of textile in front of him. "Actually, I just wanted to place it down here and then leave you alone to keep watch in an appropriate distance."
Inside the former soldier, the burgeoning power began to cease slowly though she still couldn't really process what she heard a few seconds ago. "Sazh…that's…" Unsure of her wording, she bit on her underlip.
"I mean…" Sazh continued with a more stable, serious voice, though still accompanied by a brief, reluctant laugh. "…would you have taken your clothes?"
"I…" Indeed, Lightning had been lost so severely in her thoughts that she hadn't bothered about such a trivial matter. She searched for an answer which didn't want to be found at this point though.
"Well…" Sazh broke the silence after a brief moment and folded the blanket carefully together before laying it on her clothes. "Well, in any case, you are prepared now." He then turned his back on her friend and took a few steps, tilting his head to the side. "Light, I just wanted you to be safe. That's all, really!" With a quietly attached "Sorry.", he left the former soldier alone.
Lightning didn't say anything, she still thought about the entire situation and gradually grasped into what kind of danger she had put herself and her friends. Startled, she rubbed her eyes and looked at her wet body. All the risk just to go for a swim, as great as it had been. And then she had snarled at her friend and nearly barbecued him, although he had been right in all areas. And the longer she thought about the gesture with the blanket, the worse she felt. Everything aligns perfectly...as always.
„Sazh!" She called her friend who had already disappeared into the darkness.
"Yeah, yeah…I'm already gone." His voice resonated from a distance.
"No…wait." She shouted once more. "Sazh, I…" She hushed and preferred to wait until her ally would have come back – should he actually consider to do that.
"What?" He asked, the volume in his voice clarifying that the distance between them hadn't shortened.
"Could…Could you come back, please?" She solicited.
She didn't get an answer, she heard merely the water and the once more slightly itinerant wind. She starred at the stairs, searched for the contours of her companion and thought about pleading for his return once more. Her intention though vanished into thin air when she saw Sazh heading down the stairs slowly.
"Yes, Light?" He asked with a surprised voice. "Did…did you change your mind concerning swimming together?" He provoked her, before sliding in a "Just kidding".
"Sazh…" Lightning didn't pay attention to his words. "You...You really meant that with being safe and keeping watch and all that?"
"For sure. Can't anything happen to our leader, right?"
Great leader...right...
"I'm sorry, Sazh." She apologized, clearing her throat. "It was…it is very…kind...of you...to look after me. I thank you for that." She slowly lowered her head.
"Nah, don't mention it." He said and hit himself with his fist against his chest. "That's what good ol' Sazh is here for."
"But more importantly…thanks for the blanket." Lightning grinned.
"Oh you!" Sazh began to laugh. "So you see once more that you would be smitten without me."
"Yeah, yeah, old man."
"Ey, who do you call old here?" He demanded an answer with a playful and high voice which he didn't receive as Lightning proceeded towards him.
"I'd like to come out now, Sazh."
"Oh, yeah? But you haven't been in there that long, Light."
"It's okay, I wouldn't want you to wait and get bored anyway." She smirked.
"Oh, Light...looking at you, how could I ever get bored."
"Uhu..."
"No, I mean...that came out wrong..." He quickly rubbed his neck. "I meant that you can take your time, I won't mind since I'm not really tired anyway."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, of course." Sazh reassured his friend. "I'll go to the roof of the schoolhouse." He added, slowly heading up the stairs.
"Sazh, it's okay. If you like...if you like, you can take a seat here." Lightning said with a brief smile.
"Really? But didn't you want…?"
"It's fine, Sazh." She told him, already proceeding back into the lake. "Ey…" The pilot slightly began to yawn. "...but…but you won't actually stay in here for too long, right?" He asked as he took a seat on a step.
"Maybe." The strawberry blonde spelled out with a slightly lecherous undertone. "The night is still young."
"Oh, god." Sazh grabbed his forehead before waggling his forefinger subsequently. "Yo, but…but at the latest, when your fingers are wrinkled, you have to get out, you hear me, girl?"
About 30 minutes later, they both sat up high on one of the partly destroyed windmills which was located next to their house.
"I told you…" Sazh chided her friend while they both stared at her wrinkled fingers.
"Sorry..." She responded with a childish and playful smirk.
"Tz, tz, tz" The pilot shook his head. "But I' ve been thinking, Light."
"Oh oh..." The former soldier said while drying her long hair with the blanket.
"Yeah, very funny." Sazh grimaced before rubbing his chin. „Why didn't you actually summon your loyal horse to keep watch?"
"Well I...had thought about that." Lightning remarked as she hung the blanket over the railing. "But I…didn't really want to wake you all up. Our guardians don't use the most subtle arrival after all." She concealed that she felt a bit embarrassed and awkward about getting undressed in front of Odin.
"Wow, Light…how...how thoughtful of you." He patted her shoulder. "But I guess you're right." He acknowleged his friend. "Especially those of Hope and Fang. Man, I tell you, Light, there are just showoffs." Sazh began to laugh while Lightning cracked a smile.
They didn't speak for the next few moments and just overviewed the scenery, enjoying the wonderful and relaxing silence.
„Oh, boy…this place must have been really beautiful back in the day." Sazh said, leaning himself backwards.
Thoughtful, Lightning lay her crossed-over arms onto the railing and let her head rest on her left upper arm. "Yeah..." She whispered while she began to dangle her legs in the air.
"A really beautiful place…" Sazh continued. „A beautiful place for a family...to have a picnic, to go for a swim, to go for a walk with the wife. A beautiful place for one's kids to…" He paused and tilted his head to the side, watching the ground.
Lightning, who had her gaze on her companion, caught the change in her friend's frame of mind as his voice became clipped and was joined by a sob. "Sazh."
"I…I'm sorry, Light." He cleared his throat while tapping against his chest. "I just had to think about…" He looked at the leader of their group. Lightning saw Sazh's watery eyes, a sight that shocked her slightly as she had never seen him before like that.
Sazh was always the one with the humor, always tried, maybe because of his age, to keep the group together as best as possible, mentally and physically. He was the first address to ask advice from and Lightning herself always approached him when they planned their next steps. He had rarely shown moments of weakness, mostly because of physical exhaustion or missing out one of his average one-liners.
"Hey." She put her hand on his arm.
"Woah, where…where does that come from now all of a sudden? I'm sorry…" Sazh wiped his eyes with his free hand before looking into the sky.
"Sazh." Lightning softly pressed his arm. "Tell me about him."
Heavy reproaches belabored her conscience. Her comrade here had been fighting alongside her since the very first hour – had gone with her and all the other members through thick and thin and had also saved everyone's life at least once. And during all that time the former soldier never had really asked about his son or wife. Serah, her own family, had always been the top priority.
Family… she thought as a picture of her sister manifested in her mind.
No, this family didn't consist of just her sister for a long time now.
"Dajh…" The family man began quietly. "He was…is…our pride and joy." He glanced into the distance. "Always laughing, always having fun and always trying to stay positive...whatever happened." He snivelled. "Even after the death…after the death of…" He grabbed the railing. "It was my duty, my mission to take care of him...to protect him. More than ever. On her deathbed…she made swear to…" He wiped his eyes once more.
Lightning considered to shift a bit towards her suffering friend, though shaped by insecurity, she decided against it and instead moved her hand onto his shoulder. She deeply wished Vanille to be here who could have given him a proper solace without a doubt.
"You know, Light." Sazh stuttered, briefly casting a glance at the woman. "In Nautilus…when I could...when I was allowed...to see him one more time…then…that was the moment where it was finally over for me. My mission was accomplished. I had made my peace."
"Sazh…"
"Sometimes…sometimes I ask myself what I'm actually doing here...and why the hell I didn't keep my gun at my head when I pulled…"
"Hey!" Lightning pulled at his sleeve, locking her sight on his reddish eyes. "Never ever again will you even think about that, you got that? You will see your son again…we will get him back as we will get Serah back."
"How can you be so sure? What if we can't…"
"That's why." She grabbed her friend and pressed her forefinger against his heart. "Faith...Hope...Certitude, call it whatever you want, but these are the virtues which are still in there. Virtues that also drive every single one of us."
Sazh slowly lowered his head and looked at her hand.
"There is a big part in there that believes...that knows you will see him again."
No answer.
"And besides…you are not alone in this fight." She removed her hand from his chest. "You got a team…got friends here….got family here! And every one of them wants to…and will…get to know your son!" Lightning grasped Sazh's shoulder. "Sazh! As long as you don't forget that, you…we...will make it." With these words she let up on him and looked at the glowing orb in the sky. "And besides...it's not about can or can't…" She didn't say anything more herself, let her companion take in her spoken words, waiting for him to complete her started sentence.
Moments of silence passed in which the former soldier didn't get her desired answer, though could clearly notice that her friend got more and more quiet.
"Light?" She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "May I get the permission to hug you?"
Lightning faced her friend, still slightly panting but accompanied by a calm impression. She didn't say anything, just granting him his wish with a brief smile whereupon he slid to her and wrapped his arms around her.
For the next few moments, they remained in this position while the Chocobo Chick peeked out from Sazh's hair, squeaking.
"Thanks, Light."
"Don't mention it."
"I really needed that." He smiled, pressing his head against her shoulder. "Although your trademark line slowly gets old."
"Anytime." She couldn't resist a quick laugh. "But maybe the next time you decide to have your 5 minutes again…you might want to talk to Vanille or your Eidolon then." She added before breaking off their hug softly.
"Don't…Don't worry, Light…there won't be a…" He said before realising Lightning's grin. "Oh, I'm very sorry miss if I have annoyed and bored you."
"Hey…I'm just joking, old man."
"Joke, huh? Well, I guess we have to work on that." He grinned too, patting her back.
"H…Hey…" She stuttered. „I can…I can do…fun." She assured her friend before adding a whispered "I guess" mostly to herself.
"Yeah…" Sazh didn't really believe her. „Maybe one day. No one is born a master eventually." He knew while reaching for his breast pocket to fish out a short package. He opened the small clasp afterwards and pulled out a short, white stick which he readily lit.
"You…you smoke?" Lightning asked visibly surprised and toggled her view between her friend and the cigarette.
"Yes, I do." The pilot blew a billow of smoke into the darkness. "Well, I mean…not really often, you know. Just from time to time."
"I never saw you smoke. Where did you get these?"
"The Palamecia! When I broke out with Vanille, one of the overwhelmed guards had a package with him and I just couldn't resist." He grinned.
"Uhu…" She replied dryly.
"Yeah…and I had always smoked away from you all, so that I wouldn't bother anyone. I also will leave you for a short moment, so that you won't get disturbed by the smoke."
"It's all right." She said with a slight chuckle before looking into the distance.
"You sure?"
"I would have already snipped it out of your mouth otherwise."
"Okaay." Delighted, Sazh leaned back until he lay on his back and rubbed his chest, enjoying every single drag in the meantime.
"You don't offer me one?"
Totally surprised Sazh had to cough immediately and had particular trouble on not swallowing his cigarette. He quickly turned to the side so that the small cylinder could fall to the ground, giving him the chance to provide a clear path for his windpipe. "You…Light…You want to have one?" He asked virtually appalled while he bobbed up and wiped away the smoke from their faces.
"Mhm..."
"Did…Did you ever try one?"
"Sure…yeah…"
"Uhu…" Sazh looked at his friend with pinched eyes and full of disbelief. "So never, right?" Lightning didn't respond. "Well, I mean…" He chuckled. "You really want one? I mean…yeah you could have one but aren't you still young for something like that?" He eyed her with a grin. "I mean…what are you? 17 or something?"
"Will you give me one or not?"
"Okay, okay." Still a bit reluctant, he held the package in front of her. "Last chance to bail out."
"Tch…"
"All right, you got it." He let her take a cigarette and lit it up for her afterwards. "Okay, now, the most important thing to begin with is…" Sazh could only witness as Lightning already took a pull, instantly receiving a cough attack which led to a smoke symphony.
"There you have it soldier." He softly hit her back while smiling. "Always playing the badass isn't always working out, eh?" He then took away the cigarette to put it next to him.
"I had…had just choked on something." She gasped.
"Certainly…" Sazh didn't believe a single word and continued to grin.
"Having…having fun, eh?" Lightning asked who noticed the gaze from her friend.
"What, no, of course not…" He flinched. "Well, I mean…yeah…maybe a little bit." He smiled. „Feeling better?"
A few coughing attemps later, the former soldier had returned to old strength.
"Well, I guess you better leave that to the grown ups." Sazh then took Lightning's former cigarette and continued to smoke it.
"Disgusting stuff..." She said while rubbing her throat.
"Yeah…" Sazh took a deep draw. „You're right." He stubbed the cigarette out on the ground before he looked at his pink-haired friend. "But you know what, Light. I didn't know one could have that much fun with you. This is one of this moments where I'm glad that I know you." He patted her back.
"Friendly as always, eh Sazh?"
"Oh, c'mon, Light. Just a little joke."
"Jup…very funny."
"Hey, but really, Light." He pressed her shoulder. "I enjoyed the little conversation we had." She didn't say anything, just smiled and looked at the distance.
The next moments they sat in complete silence next to each other, enjoyed the quiet and the soft wind which massaged their hair.
"But still..." Sazh broke the silence. "I really ask myself how many of these moments we might still have. If we even might have one more of these moments."
"At the very latest when all of this is over." Lightning nodded. "And when this moment comes, I'd like to know about your wife, if you won't mind."
„It's a deal, Light." He joined her view of Cocoon.
"And Sazh."
"Yeah?"
"Call me Claire."
There you go^^ Sazh gets to be the first from the group to know Light's real name^^.
Yeah, in this story Dahaka still lives when they reached Oerba as they bypassed the tower. Something they could have actually done in the game and something that was always funny to me. Then again, they could have used Bahamut from the beginning...oh well^^
Since I had no clue about the title for my story, I picked one from Supternatural, a series I like very much.