Okay, the first chapter and probably the second, are going to be cut a little short as I get things going. I have a really great idea for this - just hoping it comes across the same way I see it in my head. :) Soo, here is chapter one. There will be Zatning action later on, I promise, but I want to 1)build on the story first, 2) take it slooow. I don't see Lightning jumping into a relationship at all, so I don't want to do that.
Credit for the Lyrics go to Superchick. Credit for Final Fantasy goes to Square.
Chapter 1: Stand in the Rain
So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found
You stand in the rain
It's been nine months since Cocoon fell from the sky. Nine months of trying to figure out how much of Cocoon was still inhabitable, and how much of Gran Pulse could be turned into a new home. The group of six had reluctantly gone their separate ways to help where they best could.
The older Farron sat on the edge of her bed, pulling on her boots as she prepared for the day. It was an early start the sun hadn't even begun to peak over the horizon but today's mission would require much of her time. She stood and smoothed the front of her uniform, barely pausing to check herself in the mirror beside her door. Her pauldron's stripes glowing faintly in the dark room. While many of the citizens had their objections to trusting the l'cie they had hunted only hours prior, the Corps. needed every soldier they could have to help in the expansion of Cocoon in to Gran Pulse. Lightning had been reinstated with her previous rank, but was constantly under close supervision from her comrades.
She made her way down the stairs of their small home a work in progress in the town of Oerba. The first reaches of light were just beginning to leak through the windows, and she was surprised to see her sister, Serah, and her fiance, Snow, sitting at the table. Lightning paused as the two looked up from their conversation, and cleared her throat. Serah rose and motioned to a plate on the counter, "I made breakfast. I knew you were leaving early, and you need your strength."
So, Serah had noticed that Lightning had not been eating well. It wasn't on purpose, of course, but she had noticed that she was simply forgetting to eat lately. The stress from the constant attacks was eating away at all of the corpsmen, especially the new recruits. Lightning took the offered plate and quickly picked around the plate before eating. Pulse was rich in natural resources, but the civilians were having a difficult time harvesting them with the monsters.
"Thank you, Serah." Lightning said, softly, as she rinsed her plate and sat it in the sink. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She pulled her sister into a short hug, then turned to adjust Blazefire in its holster before leaving. Serah watched her leave solemnly, shutting the door after the older Farron disappeared around the block corner. She returned to her seat at the table, and poked at her food unceremoniously.
"Oh, Snow, I just wish there was someone for her. Someone to be what you are to me." Serah sighed and rested her chin on her arms as she watched her sister through the window. Lightning had always been a loner, but she was becoming even more introverted since they had lost Fang and Vanille.
"Yeah, well, Light's, well, Light." Snow rubbed the back of his head and took the seat next to his fiance, then draped his arm across her small shoulders. "Don't worry about it too much. She's too stubborn to open up like that."
Serah snorted out a small giggle, and looked up at the man next to her. "You know, that sounds like something she'd say about you."