THE LEADERS.
Lightning is resting over a rock, thinking of the past events. They´ve just found out about Shinryu, and the truth about their common enemy still shakes her. Uniting blades with Materia have always been a challenge to her. But joining forces with Sephirot and Spiritu´s champions? Well…
Pensive and silent is the way the Warrior of Light finds her, and although hesitantly at first, knowing of the woman´s infamous temper, he finally decides to approach her, worried about one of his comrades being on the down.
"Would you mind if I were to accompany you?"
"Mh?" She breaks her concentration, but just barely.
"Is it alright with you if I remain by your side? I promise I will try not to be a nuisance."
She smiles softly while she looks up at him, a feature that surprises him by its scarcity.
"Yes, of course you can stay, I wouldn´t mind." She pats the space next to her, and returns her eyes towards the dry lands in front of her. Confortable silence falls upon them, as the day dies out, the sun setting on the horizon, and Lightning shiver´s at feeling how the temperature drops by the minute.
After a while, the Warrior of Light finally speaks his mind.
"Would you mind if I asked you something? You are not compromised to answer me if you do not want to."
She closes her eyes and smiles. "Fire away. What is it that our fearless leader wants to know about me?"
He disregards the mock behind her voice. The Warrior knows it holds no ill. "Did something happen to you, after you returned to your home world?"
A delicate eyebrow rises, not understanding his inquiry. "What do you mean? We all came to solve our respective problems at home. Or didn´t you?"
"I am sorry if I wasn´t clear enough, I´ll try to elaborate." His aquamarine eyes search the horizon too, trying his best to find the right words to say. "You came back to us, just like the rest came. It was a real pleasure to see you all again, and especially meeting some new faces. But while everybody is the same as always, kindhearted, determined, forming easy camaraderie, as if we never left the place in the first place, I find that meeting you again is different in this time."
"Yeah? How so?" She raises a delicate eyebrow.
"Well, back then you were…"
"An ass?"
The man grunts at her choice of words, and looks at her azure orbs. "I would never say such thing of a lady, especially not about you."
There´s mirth in her eyes, but she understands his response.
"I know. You really haven´t changed at all. Never stopped being the gentleman. But it´s okay to think like that, I don´t mind. I must accept I was indeed an ass. Difficult to get along with, difficult to talk to, difficult to guide." She breaks eye contact with him, lowers her head and allows her locks to hide her eyes from him, a gesture of shame that is so uncharacteristic of her it surprises him.
She sighs. Lightning knew she had to apologize to her friends, but had hopped the time wouldn´t come that soon. She´s not like that, not the talkative type, choosing to show her contrition with actions, rather than saying it out loud. But has also learned that some people actually need to hear her saying it.
"I´m really sorry. I was angry and scared, but most of all, I was in mourn. I thought I had lost my sister, and that made my heart ache every second of the day. In here, I didn´t remember her, but the feeling remained, the sense of loss and mourning stuck with me, and the only thing I knew I could do to prevent it from consuming me was to be angry all the time, and use that fury to push myself forward." She looks at him again, this time determined to say it out loud.
"I´m sorry. It wasn´t right for me to make you, nor anyone, to have to put up with me."
The man nods, accepting her apology in everyone´s behalf and smiles a tad, something that impresses Lightning too, being this the first time she gets to see their stoic leader smile.
"Did you get to save your sister, then?"
Her eyes are darkened in sadness at his words. "Yes, I did. But I found her only to lose her again. And this time for good."
His eyes open wide in astonishment. "I´m really sorry to hear that."
"Thank you, but it´s okay. It would seem I have another chance to save her, so not everything is lost."
An eyebrow rises. "Is it now? How so?" How can someone be dead and still have hope?
"There is… this other god. He promised me he would make her live again, if I were to do his bidding."
A moment of silence, where the Warrior of Light can feel the unfinished sentence, but as she doesn´t elaborate further, he guesses what she´s leaving unspoken.
"But you do not trust his words."
"No." Her azure, beautiful eyes, are lost once again in the distance, in the bloodied hue that has become of the dawn. "My instincts tell me he is hiding something from me, that his true intentions are still to be revealed. I get the feeling he´s not going to keep his part of the agreement, or that he will, but he´ll ask more of me than we had agreed."
"Do you have anything to go by? Any proof of his treachery?"
"No. Only my instincts." She lowers her head, only to raise her eyes to meet with the aquamarine of her comrade, determination embedded in them. "But they have never failed me. I don´t have a reason to doubt them now."
He nods at her words, but doesn´t push any more. He knows she´ll reveal what needs to be said. The rest, is only for her.
"You´ve changed, Lightning." The words surprise her still, and she raises her eyebrow, asking him silently to explain. "You look more mature, stronger, but more at ease too. More worried about other people´s well being than your own pain, more… queen-like, if you allow me. I admire the woman you´ve become."
She smiles sweetly at him and breaks eye contact.
"You should stop, or you´ll make me blush. And I can´t have that stain in my reputation, can I?"
He chuckles lightly at her words. "You are right. My apologies. I am really happy to meet you now, I was just wondering what could have made you grow this much."
She sighs, pensive. After a few seconds, she shares her own theory. "I guess it has a lot to do with my current mission."
"Which is?"
"I don´t have partners to aid me, at least not directly in battle." She says, thankful this time they got to keep their memories intact, in Dissidia. "My new mission doesn´t relate to destroying a monster, or becoming one, not quite related to creating mayhem. This time my mission is to save as many people as I can. I had never done that in my whole life. I´ve always had to destroy something, or kill someone, or even to protect, at the beginning of my career… and during my time as a Champion of Etro. My goal had never been to actually do something for the people. I´ve actively had to change tactics, to do things I´ve never done before, in order to help them. And I guess that has changed me, as a consequence."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Well…" She thinks it through, and as an idea hits her, her smile becomes sweeter as she shares her introspection. "I´ve been forced to actually try and listen to people, to avoid judgment and try to understand their worries, in order for me to aid them. It´s impressive how much you can help someone by just listening to them. But I´ve also had to be patient, sweet, generous, and caring, and sometimes an artist… I´ve even had to play pretty and sexy, in order to be of service for a few men." The last words make the strong woman blush, but knowing his comrade´s personality, the Warrior decides not to mention it, in order to save her from embarrassment. She continues her discernment. "Receiving firsthand, the gratitude from the people I help, is really a first for me, and I guess it´s sticking on me." She smiles again, obviously remembering those people and their words.
His eyes are glued at her expressions, both disbelief and happiness for her in his usually stoic features. "I can see it. How much your mission has helped you. I have seen it in the way you stay close to the younger ones, the weakest, or even the ones who seem to be suffering."
"What do you mean?"
"I´ve seen the way you´ve been reprimanding, scolding and taking care of Zidane, Tidus and Vaan, especially the last one, as well as being close to Terra, who would strike anyone as weak."
"But she´s not weak at all. Her appearance fools you." Lightning tries to defend her comrade, but lacks animosity, clearly knowing where he´s heading.
"But you were concerned about her well being when she faced Sephirot, and actually I could see how vicious you have become against the man, every time we have to face him."
She scoffs. "Well he is an ass. Doesn´t deserve anything else."
He chuckles and goes on. "I was told you followed Squall when he decided to separate from the group, instead of sticking with the other two, the ones anyone could think would need the aid of someone like you. Did you sense something in him?"
She nods. "I felt him lost, angry. I could relate to that. So I thought he would need someone to even him out, to put his feet on the ground. Terra and Zidane might´ve need my aid, but they´re strong enough, and had each other. Instead, I felt Squall would need a hand with his struggling emotions. Sometimes, though strong, those who are close to lose themselves are the people who require the most aid. I was like that before. And there was someone who did it for me, who was there for me, the first time I came here."
"You mean Kain?"
She chuckles.
"You noticed, then?"
"Everybody noticed, Lightning." Her eyes grow wide at his words, but he isn´t finished. "But they all assumed the wrong motives. I´m sure he stood close to you because of the same reasons you just gave me. He told me once, he had been trapped in similar struggles before, and thus could recognize someone traveling that downhill path. He chose to be a guiding light for you, the one he said he would´ve wanted to have. Just as you chose to be for Squall now."
She sighs and nods. "And here I thought he just liked to be a nuisance."
They share a comfortable silence for a moment longer, until he sighs too, and stands up, offering his hand to the woman.
"Well then, will you stand by my side, be my right hand, in this new battle to come?"
She blinks at her offering.
"I would believe there are more suitable warriors for that honor. Like for example Cecil, who worships you. You don´t need to offer that position in order for me to follow you. I might not agree with your methods, but I´ll do anything to help you."
His smile, this time grows wider. "Thank you, but I believe you got it all wrong. I would never offer this position to someone who would not deserve it. It is true there are people who would like the place. But I do not thing there would be a better suitor for the position, than someone who has grown so much over a small span of time, someone who would sacrifice her life for the protection of our friends, as well as for the mission. As I understand, that´s what a true leader would do."
She smiles, and though refuses to take his hand, stands in front of him, determination embedded in her eyes.
"I hope you wouldn´t expect me to say 'it´s an honor', I´m past all that. But you can be sure I´ll give the best I have in order to protect everyone, and to aid you."
"Your word is the best answer I can ever expect."
And with no more words shared, they both return to their comrades, who are already preparing themselves to face Materia, and for the next battle to come.
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A/N:
I don´t own Final Fantasy nor any of its characters.
My contribution to this fantastic world of Dissidia NT. I really hate it they don´t give us much story to work with, but they have given us all these characters to create fantastic stories and to imagine, so I intend to do just that.
This couple are weird indeed, and though Lightning in NT is not a leader anymore (not like she was in Duodecim, at least), she had been, thus the Warrior of Light and her must have a history of closeness, even when it meant disagreements. Lightning this time does seem changed, just like in the games, and I loved they respected that.
Well, hope you like it!