Title: Riot Machine
Rating: MA for violence, drugs, sex and death.
Pairings: Lightning/Hope
Summary: A/U. Lightning's an ex-soldier reaping the consequences of her dishonorable discharge. Will Hope, her social worker, be able to help her reconcile with her past and move forward? Eventual Lightning/Hope. Rated for violence/drugs/sex/death.
Notes: This is my first FFXIII fanfic (and the first fanfic I've written in about 7 years, actually). Whew. I took some liberty in regards to government assistance/benefits and such in this story, since it's A/U, so it's not going to be exactly as you guys might know it. It's roughly based on typical USA policies - very roughly. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
About the setting: The setting of this A/U is similar to modern day USA. It takes place in Eden, capital city of the country of Cocoon, and it is very similar to NYC. Also like NYC, Eden has various boroughs, though on a much smaller scale. Those boroughs are Bodhum, Palumpolum, and Nautilus.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII and its characters are property of Square Enix and their respective owners. They do not belong to me.
Chapter One
Lightning lay in bed, staring at her alarm clock as it buzzed repetitively. It had been going off for twenty minutes now, and she still had not moved. She was supposed to be meeting her caseworker for her food stamp recertification in ten minutes, and now there was absolutely no way she would make it on time.
She had just found out yesterday that she was being evicted from her apartment in downtown Nautilus for missing the rent payment for the last month. She had two weeks to leave.
Even living frugally, her menial savings had dried up over the last year since she had been discharged from PSICOM. She had tried to find a job within that time span, but no one would hire someone with a dishonorable discharge - it was the equivalent of a felony. She couldn't even find work with a fast food restaurant. And having been stripped of her veteran benefits, she had no military assistance whatsoever for housing or healthcare.
The realization that she was going to be homeless was finally setting in.
Finally, she reached over and turned the alarm off, then slid out of bed and went to the bathroom. Her stomach was clenching painfully in hunger, but she ignored it, and instead stood over the sink, staring at her reflection in the dingy mirror. Tired blue eyes stared back, half-hidden beneath her tousled pink locks.
"What the hell am I going to do?" Lightning murmured.
She splashed water on her face, brushed her teeth, and untangled her hair until the curls hung semi-neatly on the left side of her neck. She threw on an old pair of jeans, sneakers, and a worn sweater, then exited her building.
The fiercely cold wind bit through her thin sweater immediately, carrying stray snowflakes with it. The sidewalks were damp, but luckily, it wasn't cold enough for the snow or ice to stick. Lightning lit up a cigarette as she walked uptown, trying her best to ignore the frigid air blasting between the tall buildings. She hunched over and folded her arms as she walked past the rows idling cars in the road. The Friday afternoon traffic was moving even slower than usual.
She almost wished that frostbite would somehow manage to kill her before she reached the Sanctum Assistance building. Almost.
Thirty minutes later, she arrived, grateful for the warmth that washed over her as she walked inside. She pulled the door closed behind her with numb fingers. As she turned around, she ran smack into someone who had been standing behind her.
"Ah!" the man exclaimed as he dropped his briefcase, which sprung open. The contents spilled to the floor. He bent over to gather them up. "I'm so sorry," he said, scrambling to pick the folders.
Lightning watched him for a moment, then knelt down to help. She handed him a stack of files, and he smiled at her as he accepted them. He had shaggy blonde hair so white it appeared silver, and deep sea-green eyes ringed with dark lashes - a startling contrast to his otherwise fair features. He had a generous curve of lips, and she could see the diamond studs in his ears sparkling from underneath his hair.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Sorry about that." He straightened, then offered his hand to help pull her up. Lightning considered for a moment, then brushed his hand off, standing on her own.
"Don't worry about it," she said gruffly, shoving her hands in pockets and walking quickly down the hall. "Just watch where you're going next time." If he responded, she did not hear it.
She stopped in front of the door with the name "Sazh Katzroy" labeled next to it, and knocked.
"Come in!" came the muffled reply.
Lightning opened the door and peered in. Sazh was holding a phone receiver, the other hand poised to dial. As his dark gaze met hers, he hung up and crossed his arms across his chest.
"Have a seat," he said, looking bemused, and she complied. "I was just about to call you. Do you know how late you are? I'm supposed to be leaving in five."
Lightning crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap, watching him silently.
"Well?" he asked expectantly, then caught sight of her clothes. "Jeez, you walked all the way here in that, didn't you? For shit's sake," he said exasperatedly, getting up and going to the coffee maker on the counter, "are you trying to catch your death? Surely you have something heavier than that to wear in this god-forsaken weather." He poured her a cup and handed it to her.
She clasped her hands around the mug. The warmth seeped into her still-frigid fingers. "Not really," she replied. "I pawned off a lot of clothes a couple of weeks ago."
Sazh sighed as he sat back in his chair, shaking his head. "You sold your winter clothes? Even though it's…you know…winter?" He ran a hand through his afro, then said, "Listen. I have some news."
"Bad, I'm sure," Lightning muttered, taking a sip of the coffee.
"I'm retiring," he said.
She stared at him, her stomach twisting. She placed the mug down, then hunched over, resting her elbows on the edge of the desk and balling her hands into fists in her hair.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
Even though she had only known Sazh for a year, he had basically been her guardian angel. Since he had become her social worker, he had fought his hardest to get her government benefits, though he had only succeeded in acquiring food stamps for her. He had been the only one who hadn't seemed reluctant to take her case.
He had been the only one who seemed to truly care.
"Shit," Lightning whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was kind of a sudden thing," Sazh answered. "Dajh's health has been declining since that big asthma attack last month, and, well, the time seemed right to get out of the city. We're moving to Lake Bresha."
Lightning lifted her head. She tried to find it in her to congratulate him, to wish his son well. "Sazh…"
Sazh reached out and covered her hand with his. His dark skin contrasted sharply against her own, making it seem even whiter than it was. She stared down at their hands. Her throat felt tight.
She forced herself to look at him, sliding her hand out from under his. "Good for you," she said honestly. "It'll be good. For both of you."
"Thank you." Sazh smiled wryly and stood. "So…we already got your new caseworker squared away. I don't have time to get your recertification done today, but we could arrange for you guys to meet up next Tuesday. Will you be good till then?"
Lightning pictured her fridge, nearly empty except for some canned orange juice. "Yeah."
"How about ten o'clock? You can't be late, okay? I let you get away with murder when it came to being timely, but that doesn't mean everyone else will."
"Yep." She watched him pull on his coat. "This is the last time I'll see you, isn't it?"
He nodded.
She pushed herself out of the chair. "Well, Sazh…" She hesitated, then continued. "Thank you. For everything. Really. I'm sorry if I've-" She was cut off as he embraced her.
"Listen kiddo," he said. "You'll be okay. I know you will." He held her for half a minute, then released her with a smile. "Do you need a ride to your place?"
She decided she wasn't going to tell him that her place wasn't going to be her place anymore in two weeks' time. "No," Lightning said. "I'm good."
"Alright. Remember, ten on Tuesday. Hope Estheim's office."
"Okay."
Sazh gave her a sad smile. "Good luck, Lightning."
She followed him out of the office. "My luck ran out a long time ago, Sazh."
He didn't turn around. "I know."