Family Dynamics

Mama and Papa were the smartest people in the world when Serah was growing up, then her older sister Claire ("But don't let it go to your head, dummy!"). This was a constant in her life and she stuck by it firmly. If she had a problem, Mama or Papa could fix it. If she had a problem and Mama and Papa weren't around, then Claire could fix it, maybe. Sometimes she couldn't, and that was why Claire wasn't on the same level as Mama and Papa.

But she loved Claire just as much as she loved Mama and Papa. Serah loved it when they could all laugh together, swamped in hugs that felt like being smashed between two pillows. Mama and Papa had swamping hugs, but Claire had loose hugs, though they were just as warm and comforting.

And they were happy. So indisputably happy that Serah couldn't even begin to imagine anything that could tear that happiness away.

People tried. Big, mean, fatheads tried, Serah remembered. There was a boy on their block, older than herself but a little younger than Claire, with dark hair on his head and a beanie always on top of it. He always said mean things to her and Claire. Serah remembered crying sometimes, and on rare occasions she saw Claire cry, too. The boy was a nameless, faceless bully in a stupid hat and Serah hated him.

Mama and Papa always made it better, though. She and Claire would recover from the boy's silly words like magic. Perhaps it was a kind of magic that parents had, an ability to heal even the worst of wounds, kissing better scrapes and talking sense into their boggled minds.

One day, though, something changed. Mama and Papa said good-bye. Serah hadn't thought anything of it; Mama and Papa worked and shopped and when they came back everything was always great. Claire hadn't either, because she was just as normal as she was when they'd hugged them good-bye before.

Serah didn't hate them for not coming back, in retrospect. After all, she doubted even Mama and Papa knew they were going to die that day.

But she remembers when Claire told her the news. It had been late that evening and Serah's stomach had growled ferociously and when she went out to the front room to tell Claire her sister was shutting the door on two men dressed in fine suits with bowed heads.

"Claire, who were those men?" Serah had asked.

Claire shook a little, but when she finally turned to look at her sister, her face was stony. "Serah, Mama and Papa...aren't coming home. They can't."

Serah had been surprised by both the news and the strangle wobble in her sister's voice. "But they always come back. They have to!"

And Claire had just bit her lip and mentioned something about the neighbors, but she hadn't said a word about it afterwards.

Serah was still foggy on the details.

What she can remember quite clearly was the boy in the beanie hat who had come up to Claire a few days after they had been taken under the neighbor lady's care and called her something Serah didn't quite catch, but Claire had been absolutely furious. Serah was a little frightened by how loud her sister could screech and how angry she could get, turning her blue eyes into fiery torrents and contorting her face into something dark and unfamiliar. The boy stopped bothering them after she sent him to the hospital. Serah was sure that those scratches across his eye would scar forever.

That was the first time Claire realized she could fight. That was when Claire realized that protecting Serah was the most important thing in her life. If she could fight, she could protect Serah.

Gaining strength had become her goal.

Growing up, they eventually got their own home. Claire had grown into a taller figure with her powerful muscles hidden deceptively under smooth skin. Serah had grown into something of a housewide, doing most of the housework as her sister worked and she could see that Claire looked guilty about leaving her to menial labor, but Serah would never have the heart to tell her that she herself felt guilty that Claire felt obligated to spend so much of her life running through painful, institutionalized memories.

Eventually, Claire made it into the Guardian Corps. Eventually, Claire changed her name to Lightning.

And Serah? She met Snow.

The man was tall and overconfident, and Serah was repelled at first. He was so bold, a trait Serah was only used to seeing whenever a poor soul managed to irritate Lightning enough and fell victim to her sharp tongue and vicious thoughts. But he was a different kind of bold, a gregarious kind of bold.

He made her laugh. He made her feel good.

And when he hugged her? It didn't feel like swamping pillows or a comforting, loose hold. She fit against him like she meant to, enveloped in his big arms and drowning in his smile. This was a different kind of hug than a Mama and Papa hug, than a Claire hug. This was a hug of something everlasting.

Love was a powerful thing.

However, so was Lightning's rage.

Introducing Snow to her had taken planning of something the likes of which could only be compared to an Olympic event. Things had to go down without a hitch or Snow wouldn't stand a chance. Everything had been going so well. That is, until Snow had walked into the room.

He hadn't done anything primarily offensive, but Serah saw the shutters close in her sister's eyes. Following Lightning's line of sight, Serah winced.

That damnable beanie hat...! Had her sister really gained such a grudge against a foolish object?

Serah watched her preparations crumble as Lightning did as she did best: ruthlessly and tenaciously destroy the things in front of her. Serah could just see Snow abandon all hopes, abandon what could have been, but the most shocking thing had yet to happen. When Lightning's onslaught had come to a striking end, Snow had bowed his head and begged for forgiveness ("I won't disappoint you again, I promise. I will try harder to gain your approval. It would be an honor to have you as a sister."). Lightning had flushed heavily and swiftly removed him from the premise.

But Serah smiled widely. Her smile was reinforced the next day when Snow showed up for their date, just as cheery and bold as though he hadn't been verbally lashed to ribbons by her thunderous force of a sister.

Lightning and Snow would continue to bash heads over her well being and Serah would watch from the sidelines as each time they tried to get along (rather, Snow tried) fell short of the mark. And even though they fought, Serah already knew it as time went on.

They were a family. Snow didn't know, oblivious goof that he was, and Lightning didn't know, would never allow it if she had a choice, but Serah could see it. And she dared any force out there to deny it.