Fang and Lightning: Introduction
The sun sunk low on the horizon illuminating the world with a dull orange glow. Leaning comfortably against the railing of the roof, Lightning gazed up as the canvas of the sky shifted from orange to purple. The young woman took a deep breath and watched everything darken. The lights of the surrounding city dulled the stars, eliciting a sigh from the girl. She had spent her whole life in the city– but she had heard the stories. There was a sky so filled with stars that one could scarcely believe the sun was gone; a sky she would never see because she lived in the country of Cocoon, where cities were only interrupted by equally bright and lit suburbs– a sky that would be forever obscured from her view.
Looking out of the window of her new room, Fang released a sigh. She gazed up at the empty purple sky, which was reflecting the glow of the city where she unwillingly found herself. It was a disappointing change from her native country. In Gran Pulse, on a clear night like this, the sky would be filled with the twinkling of stars. One could see the cosmos; observe the mysteries of the universe unfolding; feel the dreams and expectations of all that could be out in that wide sky. It stretched endlessly with the natural lights spanning beautifully from horizon to horizon. She missed lying on her back in an open field with Vanille, staring up at a beautiful sky and dreaming of a future she would never have.
Fang was new to the massive, sprawling metropolis of Eden, the capital of Cocoon. As she finally broke her eyes away from the slightly depressing sky, she remembered her transit to this new place. Planes could fly from Pulse, but there was no way for an orphan from the village of Oerba to afford the cost of a seat on the small charter planes. Fang and Vanille bought a ticket and took the day long bus ride from their village to a small coastal village. Then they took the train line over the ocean and into the seaside city.
As the skyline came into sight, Fang remembered the literal dropping of Vanille's jaw.
"It's so amazing! Just like I dreamed!"
The older girl just nodded as she watched the city on the horizon grow and grow. She had never been so far from her home; a home she loved.
"I can't wait!" Vanille quickly exclaimed.
Fang felt like she could.
She continued to unpack her things and reminisce about the day. The dark-haired girl rummaged through the leather rucksack on her bed that held the entirety of her earthly possessions. The simple, brown sack looked rough, rugged, and worn; it was handmade from the skin of a Gorgonopsid she had killed herself. At the bus station it had felt so out of place amongst the bustling crowd with factory made rolling suitcases. They were different colors, but really the same.
Each time she pulled something out and crossed to her dresser, she couldn't but let her eyes be drawn to the uniform that was laid out on the bed. A thin, white short-sleeved blouse; a pleated skirt in light blue and white plaid; and a long, light blue ribbon to tie through the collar. Fang stared at it apprehensively. She was allowed to wear whatever she wanted to at their school in Gran Pulse. It sank in as she pulled out her favorite dark blue Sari from her bag: she wasn't free anymore. The girl took a deep breath and leaned back against the door to her new dorm room.
At the same time, Lightning stared at the door to her room. On the other side waited a new roommate. She had run her last one out with her cranky, cold attitude. They told her she needed to be more empathetic; she found no need for it. Inevitably everyone that really had to interact with her found the need to run the other way. They told her she needed to have more friends; she found no need for it.
She could hear the whispering of the other girls as they passed by.
"Oh, I wonder what Lightning is doing."
"She's so cold and cool!"
"I heard she didn't speak one word to her last roommate and the other girl couldn't take it anymore."
"I heard she doesn't even acknowledge people she doesn't think are worthy."
She let out a quiet sigh, so slight that it was imperceptible to the gossiping girls that inhabited the dormitory. She had gotten a reputation as an ice queen, which she understood. But somehow people thought she was some sort of snob too. Why can't a person just be quiet? Quiet people are either antisocial or they're snobs. Maybe they have more to worry about and needed to just stay in their own heads sometimes; maybe they get to easily frustrated with people who refuse to really think and just misunderstand and judge; and maybe they just didn't want to pretend to like people. She was antisocial, but it wasn't because she thought she was better than anyone.
Lightning raised a hand to the knob, hesitating a moment. She hoped this one would last longer. Perhaps this one wouldn't be so annoying and loud; not another one of those girls who spend all of their time worrying how to get into the popular group or fawning over some worthless guy. She quietly prayed to Etro that she could get along with this one.
The door swung open at the slightest turn of the knob, causing Fang to spill into the hallway. As the tall girl stumbled back, she thought about how silly it was for the door to open outwards. The rooms used to have one way locks, so the doors were inverted. The students used to be locked in as punishment, but they couldn't keep anyone out. Freedom was a fleeting thing in Cocoon, as was privacy.
Fang expected the hard wooden floor of the hallway but found herself land back into soft cushioning. A pair of strong arms had wrapped around her bare stomach. The contact was brief but foreign, a completely new experience to her. Lightning quickly moved her arms off and then shoved the girl forward lightly.
"Sorry 'bout that, forgot the doors are backwards here– strange place." Fang said quickly and confidently.
"Alright," was the short clipped response she received.
Fang tilted her head and scanned over the stoic girl. She knew her roommate's name was Claire Farron, but knew nothing about her. She couldn't tell if the hair was light pink or strawberry blonde, but looked surprisingly natural. Fang couldn't help but think that the pale blue eyes were very beautiful, and that the girl had attractive features. Fang let her eyes trail over the strands of hair that fell over her shoulder to rest gently over her heart.
The girl's uniform was pristine and crisp; militaristic in its perfection. The ribbon was tied into a symmetric and tight knot. She was thin and feminine, yet athletic and lithe. Fang spotted a band of cloth around Lightning's left arm with the words disciplinary committee printed on it. This concerned her, she would have to be on her best behavior even in her own home.
Oerba Yun Fang, from Gran Pulse. That was what Lightning knew from what the dorm's matron had told her. She quickly observed the girl. Her hair was dark brown and wild, probably just how it looked when the girl rolled out of bed. But despite her disheveled look, Lightning thought she looked very natural and had a primal beauty. Her face was pretty and alluring, with deep green eyes that drew her in, and full lips.
Fang was wearing a black sports bra that left her athletic, toned torso exposed. Lightning scanned over her roommates tanned skin. She only had a pair of matching boy-short style underwear on her equally toned and fit bottom half. Yet she stood confidently with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips. As if she wasn't meeting a person for the first time while wearing only her underwear.
Both quickly thought to themselves that this wasn't the sort of roommate that they wanted. Fang smiled anyway and realized she hadn't introduced herself.
"Unless you go barging into other people's rooms, you must be Claire. I'm Fang."
Lightning didn't respond for a moment. The awkward silence was suddenly pierced by her equally awkward response.
"My name is Lightning," she responded in a serious tone.
The brunette nodded, then the two just stood awkwardly. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Fang removed her hands from her hips and rubbed at the back of head.
"I'm going to finish unpacking."
She only received a curt nod in response. Fang grimaced a little before continuing to put away her possessions. Earlier, she was staring at her new uniform. Now she was staring at the same uniform, but not the one that belonged to her. Lightning walked over to her closet and started to undo her neck tie. She promptly hung it off a small hook attached the back of her closet door.
"So, why is your nickname Lightning?"
"I run track."
"Eh? Impressive. I'm here on a volleyball scholarship."
Another nod was the only response, eliciting a sigh from Fang. There was yet another long and awkward silence. It was broken as the door to their bathroom shut. Closing her eyes, Fang took a deep breath while thinking about how much life was going to suck here.
Lightning calmly stripped out of the rest of her uniform and let out a sigh. She glanced around the private bathroom, her favorite part about this school. Perhaps even the only thing she liked. Turning on the shower, Lightning closed her eyes let hot water flow over her. The girl from Gran Pulse preoccupied her thoughts. On her first impression, she was confident, but maybe a little too open and wild.
She didn't like her last roommate and it was obvious. The girl had one of those annoying high pitch voices, which she only ever heard complaining and whining. At some point, Lightning just ignored it altogether and the girl eventually requested a room transfer. But this girl didn't have an annoying voice– actually the opposite. Lightning had never heard a real pulsian accent, only the caricature actors used. The real thing was more subtle, but interesting and smooth. Regardless of how much Fang talked, it wouldn't be nearly as bad.
Raising her head, Lightning ran her hands through her hair and let the water run down her back. She knew better than to trust first impressions. People know that it's important, so some people behave differently when they meet new people. Lightning knew Fang could be a complex and smart person beneath her exterior, carefully managing the way people perceived her. That, or she could just be a simple, nice, attractive girl.
Lightning shook her head quickly, turning the water's heat down. She grit her teeth and let the cold water keep her from that line of thought. They were thoughts she knew that she had, but couldn't let herself explore. She had a plan. She had a duty. Lightning had things important enough to deny who she was.
Feeling in control again, she turned the water back up, and let out a sigh. Serah had scolded Lightning when she learned another roommate had transferred rooms. "Be friendlier! Try to get to know them!" she said. Lightning thought she knew her former roommate well enough; at least as much as she wanted to.
As she stepped out of the shower, she resolved herself to at least be friendly. Fang seemed nice enough, and Lightning was sort of curious about Gran Pulse. Cocoon was just a small island, connected to the mainland by a long bridge. The mainland, Gran Pulse, was a massive continent covered in varying and different climates. Wild untamed jungles, massive grassy plains, beautiful natural waterscapes, dark mysterious caves. Things she would love to see. Traveling was yet another thing she had to sacrifice, but she would do that too.
Lightning dried herself off and then put on her simple, white underwear and then her light-pink robe. She knew it was a little hypocritical that she judged Fang for being nearly naked, but she didn't like to sleeping in clothes. It was a luxury she wouldn't always have, so she would enjoy it while she could.
She stepped into the main room. It was spacious and large, and the room was a little luxurious for a high school. Fang was surprised when she had first seen the massive room; it was bigger than the one that Vanille, her, and six other girls had shared in their orphanage.
Fang was lounging on her back and staring at the ceiling. She smirked as she watched the girl walk in before letting her eyes drift back onto the ceiling. Lightning sat on the edge of her bed and pulled a brush from her nightstand. As she started brushing her hair she glanced over at the lackadaisical girl.
"So– why are you here?"
A pair of green eyes shifted and stared at the other girl. "Well, this is my room," she responded with a chuckle.
"I meant why are you in Cocoon," Lightning quickly corrected. She glared lightly at the lounging girl. She was already trying hard to be friendly; the situation was awkward enough without this girl making jokes at her expense.
"Well, my best friend wanted to live in the city. Sick of life in Gran Pulse and all that. She couldn't get into any schools on her own but this school was already scouting me for volleyball. It's a little shady, but they agreed we could both come."
Simple. Frank. Honest. Lightning smiled slightly, maybe they could at least get along. She knew that the headmaster made a lot of shady deals to get talent for their school's athletic program. Lightning knew all too well, she had made one too. She tried to keep people from knowing but Fang obviously didn't.
"The headmaster really focuses on making sure our school wins in national athletics. I only agreed to run because they let my sister attend."
Fang nodded on the bed and smiled a little. "You close with your sister?" she asked, turning onto her side and watching her roommate brush her hair.
"I used to be."
There was a long pause, which quickly developed into a long awkward silence. Lightning just hoped the girl wouldn't pry. She knew she didn't want a loud and annoying roommate, but an overly invasive and pushy one would be just as bad.
Fang finally broke the silence. "Well that's too bad. I guess that happens sometimes." The girl turned over onto her back again. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Fang knew that everyone had some things they didn't like to talk about. She certainly did.
Lightning let out a relieved sigh. Then, her shoulders drooped down. So much for friendly. She smiled anyway, this still went better than she thought it would. Fang seemed honest and nice, not nosy or annoying. Checking her hair, she found it was smooth and tangle-free, so she stood and walked over to her closet. Fang opened her eyes again and watched her confidently saunter away then quickly remove her robe, revealing her body. Her initial assessment was right: Lightning's body was lithe and athletic but still looked feminine and soft. A quick smirk popped onto her lips.
"Looking good, babe."
The smile dropped off Lightning's face immediately. She fought the urge to pull her robe back on immediately. The tone was sly and teasing, Lightning knew that the girl was just joking. She silently walked over to her bed and slid under the covers.
"You don't take compliments well, do you?"
There was no response.
Author's Note: I've wanted to write a flight fic for awhile, and decided to finally get it started. Honesty, in game I totally believe that Fanille is canon, but I like Fang and Lightning together too, for reasons that will be explored in the story. This is an alternate universe; Cocoon and Gran Pulse are two countries, but they still strongly resemble their canon counterparts. Geographic locations from the game will still exist in the story, but it will be awhile before they're really mentioned. I've also put the main characters into a school setting, mostly because it was something I've wanted to do, and it helps explain some of the characters actions, but in actuality it doesn't delve a lot into a 'high school drama.'
I guess that this story will be light plot-wise, just like my last story, but the main focus is really the romance and Lightning's growth as a person. Anyway, expect more updates soon, and I hope you enjoy it. I'm still pretty new at writing fan-fictions, so I would appreciate any input, even if it's negative.