I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY VII or XIII OR ANY OF THEIR CHARACTERS…ALL OF THAT WOULD BELONG TO SQUARE-ENIX.
Lightning pumped her legs for all they were worth but still she moved at a horrible crawl. The whole time she ran she heard an eerie unison of strange voices ringing out repeatedly: 'Save us'.
Ignoring the steadily loudening chorus, Lightning stumbled across an even more terrifying sight: corpses were piled on the ground, mangled and bloody. Four of them she did not recognize when she noticed a fifth. A tall, blue-haired youth, disheveled and covered in blood was shaking, but a fear that rocked her to her very soul surged up her spine as she noticed the demented grin split across his face.
Turning to run away from them, Lightning found herself trapped by even more bodies. These were the pale-skinned corpses of a woman, dressed in white and spattered with blood, a well-dressed man with slicked back hair, and a spikey-haired man. Fighting every urge to vomit at the sight of her husband, she turned her gaze upward and saw it.
A shapeless mass towered over her, glittering with a light that felt as though she was staring at the sun from underwater. It froze her, kept her rooted to the spot in horror with the very air it was giving off. Lightning had only known this fear a few times before...
The fear of true evil…
~o-0-o~
She awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright with her hand over her mouth to stifle the gasp.
All was still and quiet in the house. The gentle moonlight descended peacefully through the window, illuminating the, otherwise, pitch-black room. Lightning gulped down several deep breaths, allowing the cool breeze to caress her sweaty skin and the gentle crashing of the midnight waves to sooth her jostled nerves.
Reaching for the solitary cellphone on the bedside table, she stared down at its clock.
2:32 AM.
She breathed a small sigh of relief. A nightmare, just a harmless nightmare; she repeated it to herself several more times but Lightning just couldn't shake the chills that left her breathless.
Lightning leaned back on her pillow, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark-coated surroundings.
How much had changed in the past two years, since Cocoon had fallen out of the sky?
Nearly fallen, she and her friends had seen to that; saved it from near destruction at the hands of a psychotic Fal'Cie with daddy issues, of all things.
The following months had been chaotic, to say the least. Much of Cocoon had become unsalvageable and many survivors had to migrate onto Gran Pulse, Barthandelus' stigma instilling fear and hysteria among the masses.
It had taken a full two months to convince enough of them that Pulse wasn't the hell they imagined, but all who had flat out refused to leave Cocoon fared little better than those who migrated. With riots and general chaos ensuing from the destruction of Eden and the Sanctum, it had been through the efforts of Hope, his father, and several Sanctum officers (establishing themselves as a new organization known as: The Academy) that the situation had come more under control; and that was largely due the efforts of Captain Matsuki and his wife.
Their courage that had been the biggest help in encouraging and stabilizing the people. Lightning blinked furiously as she tried to keep calm at the thought of her mentor.
Six months after the fact, Captain Ian Matsuki, the Behemoth of Bodhum, dropped dead of sudden tachycardia (rapid heart rate) brought on by ingesting a native plant. It was almost comic, to think that a tough SOB such as him could be brought down from a weed. But it went to show just how little they actually knew about Gran Pulse.
It made Fang and Vanille's disappearance all the more disheartening.
Lightning's gaze found its way out the open window, where dazzling blue stars reflected off the surface of the water. On a good clear night, the moon could refract light off the crystalline pillar for miles. She shook her head sadly, two years later and they still didn't have any idea how to get them out. Maybe if they had been here, then maybe Captain Matsuki wouldn't have…
Something moved in the corner of Light's eye. She turned her head slowly and couldn't help but smile.
Cloud, her husband, lay slack-jawed and breathing gently, fast asleep. Despite the fact that his toned body was riddled with a mix of aged and recent scars (the skin of his shoulder swollen in a fresh, puffy myriad of black, blue, and purple), Lightning couldn't help but marvel at how many years were lifted off him in peaceful slumber.
Their wedding had been very quiet. Only Sazh, Serah, and Snow had attended; Hope wanted to be there but a precarious situation back on Cocoon had prevented it. They had lived in a solitary cottage outside of New Bodhum, the nearby colony named and facilitated by NORA.
A gentle nudge brought her gaze downward, where pale aqua was met with fierce orange orbs. In spite of herself, Lightning smiled and stroked the gryphlet's pallid feathered head, whose eyes rolled upward in pleasure.
Cloud had found her one day while out the Archylte Steppe. They had only intended to care for her until she was big enough to fend for herself, but much like a stray cat she worked her way into their hearts. Those tough, penetrating eyes reminded Lightning of an old story from her childhood (a myth about a God bird) and she named her Ramias.
"I'm okay girl" said Lightning gently, stroking her earnestly. The little gryphon eyed her hard with those sharp orange eyes and then rubbed her sharp beak smoothly across her exposed midriff.
Lightning smiled calmly and stroked Ramias' head, absently reaching for her, still flat, belly.
"Yeah, it's okay too."
Ramias nudged the pink-haired woman affectionately. Lightning watched as the creature settled down beside her but remained awake. Her gaze fell towards her hands, the light shining off the pink gem and the silver of her two rings.
It had, without a doubt, been the biggest change, having happened while visiting Gaia for Tifa's wedding. Lightning could remember the numb disbelief that both she and Cloud endured when they found out; there as still a part of her that still felt that way. Neither one of them was much good around kids (although Cloud had some experience in the department)…
…and yet, she'd never been happier.
A wide yawn ripped across her face, the heaviness of her eyelids returning in fullest vigor. Lowering herself back down onto her pillow, Lightning curled comfortably into the warmth of Cloud's bare chest. She smiled as she drifted lazily back into unconsciousness, a strong comforting arm curling around her.
When she woke up in the morning, Lightning didn't remember the nightmare at all.
~o-0-o~
The morning came with almost indecent haste. Despite bleary eyes and large yawns, the Strife's dressed quickly and soon found themselves strolling down the beach towards the village, passing the slew of people moving towards a work day in the farming fields.
New Bodhum, as it was appropriately named, was settled on a beach similar to the one on Cocoon. It was nowhere near the magnificence of its Cocoonian counterpart but for what they had left over from the fall, it was, in itself, a seaside paradise. Named, largely, for its sense of safety and stability after everything that had happened, but Lightning knew the truth. Snow had been responsible for the choice of name and she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd named it that out of a large sense of nostalgia.
Lightning found the latest addition to the town and current source of their problems: the generator. Supplied by the Academy, it had made life on Pulse much easier by supplying the colony with power. The large machine coughed and sputtered, sounding dangerously close to cutting off, but nevertheless found its rhythm again and continued its halfhearted purr.
Beside it was easily the largest building in the tiny settlement; Lebreau's bar doubled as both restaurant and home to Snow's organization: NORA. Originally known as No Obligations, Rules, or Authority, the group had since dropped the usage of their original acronym, especially since they had taken over as the protectors of the town, worn and battered firearms and all.
The place had been closed down for the morning in order for the meeting but the emptiness was refreshing this early in the morning, along with the aroma of fresh coffee and hot bagels being carted in by Lebreau and Maqui. Yuj sat looking slightly affronted, having just been pushed away roughly by his fiery-haired friend.
Gadot looked awful, his face swollen and cut, his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit. He said nothing as he massaged his bandaged knee, which caused him a terrible limp the last few days.
The six of them took their seats around the avalanche of maps and reports, under which was a circular table.
Lightning poured herself and Cloud steaming mugs of the pungent black liquid, doing her best not to give him a pitiable look as he lowered himself, wincing in pain, into a wooden chair. He accepted the drink graciously with a hissing breath.
Helping herself to a bagel, piling liberal amounts of butter, jam, and relish onto it (one of the weirder parts of her current lifestyle), Lightning she took a moment to watch as her sister and brother-in-law walked into the room.
Serah could have been Lightning's twin, save for her rounder face and wider eyes, but the two of them shared the same pale-aqua eyes and light pink hair. Snow was as tall as ever, his shoulder-length blond hair still poking out of the, now worn and faded, black bandanna and he still wore the ever frayed trench coat. He was moving slowly and gingerly (Serah held a comforting hand around his waist) and sat very carefully, occasionally hugging his ribcage with a moan of pain.
"Okay, let's get this meeting started" said Snow cheerily as Serah took the seat beside him; Lightning could only marvel to herself the lengths it would take to bring down his optimism.
"Our latest mission at the excavation site may not have gone exactly as planned, but we did succeed in finding parts for the generator."
"Everything would have gone a lot smoother if that PSICorps unit hadn't shown up" said the olive-skinned Lebreau indignantly, folding her arms.
From the chaos of the fall, a radical young PSICOM officer consolidated the remaining factions of PSICOM and the Guardian Corps into a new organization named: PSICorps. Whatever intention they had started with, it was a well-known fact that they were little more than a crime syndicate hell-bent on taking the place of the Sanctum. Despite their leader's age (who had become a Colonel by the age of 18) he was as powerful and dangerous as he was sharp and cunning.
"Just wait 'til I get my hands on them, I'll get those PSICorps bums back!" Gadot growled furiously, smashing a fist on the table and fury; Serah quickly rescued the coffee pot from upsetting.
"Can the crap!" snapped Lightning helping herself to another bagel (this one smeared in peanut butter), "They may not be as liked as their predecessors but they're still a full military organization backed by the public, so I wouldn't recommend making them our enemies."
"I agree" concurred Cloud massaging his shoulder "They may be a nuisance to us but we still have to keep our distance."
Yuj laughed "Yeah, what was it that their message said: If we continue meddling in their affairs then they will have to take drastic measures"
Snow inhaled painfully as he laughed.
Maqui, however, looked around nervously "W-wait, what does that mean?"
"Don't worry, it's an empty threat" replied Serah pacifyingly, though Lightning disagreed wholeheartedly. The PSICorps leader was a bigger hard-ass than Jihl Nabaat and Yaag Rosch combined: definitely not someone they wanted to cross.
"Regardless" said Cloud in his steady voice "PSICorps is another issue. We need to focus on consolidating our own. Were we able to get in contact with Hope?"
"Yeah" nodded Snow "He and Lenora were a big help in piecing the generator back together with the parts we found at the excavation site. They reckon it'll last a little longer, but there's only so much time recycled parts can buy us."
"Yeah, you're right" said Maqui, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look important.
Everyone ignored him.
Suddenly, the lights flickered but then stabilized. Lightning shook her head; power fluctuations were becoming a regular occurrence, which was part of the problem. Not only were finding parts for the generator becoming increasingly scarce, the generator's internal power source was dying.
"We need to do something about that" said Yuj rather uselessly "what was that you were saying the other day, Serah? There's only a few weeks left before the generator dies completely?"
"Hope was telling us that" explained Serah patiently "The generators were never meant to be a permanent solution. Without an external power source, the best we can really do is start preserving what power we can get out of it, but I seriously doubt this won't cause some kind of panic."
"Can't the Academy do anything to help?" asked Lebreau.
"The Academy's resources are stretched thin enough as it is" grunted Cloud "It also doesn't help that PSICorps is trying to undermine everything they're trying to do."
"Yeah, they're getting more violent" said Yuj "I keep hearing rumors from various traders about how they harass and confiscate their merchandise."
"Sazh has been reporting something similar" said Lightning setting down her coffee mug "He and his guild have been having a hard time moving food and other supplies to the colonies because PSICorps has been trying to implement a tax on Airship trade."
"But, er…" said Snow "…they can't do that, can they?"
"Legally, I don't think they can" said Serah with a thoughtful finger to her lips "But there isn't much government left to stop them."
"Not necessarily" said Lightning, interlacing her fingers "The Academy may still be trying to establish themselves, but if their strength lies anywhere it's the fact that their councilors are high-ranking military officers, specifically General Matsuki."
"I've always liked Mrs. Matsuki" smiled Serah "If anyone can keep a leash on them for the time being, it'll be her."
"But she can't forever" came a strong, distinctly female voice.
Lightning stood quickly, taking hold of Blazefire's handle, watching as the restaurant was flooded with a myriad of blue, yellow, and black armored soldiers. They stood at attention as the speaker strode, straight-backed, into the room.
It startled Lightning how much the woman resembled her. Even their clothes were near mirror images. Copied down to the black cape hanging off of her left shoulder, the boots, skirt, pauldron (bearing the familiar yellow sergeant stripes) had also darkened significantly, and her coat is silver instead of the dingy white that Light's had earned. To complete her cloned image: a black gunblade case hung off her belt, with a familiar weapon sitting at the ready.
"Easy there Farron, no reason to be so jumpy"
Lightning released her weapon with a shout of mirthless laughter, "I see how it is, you become his little lap dog and as a reward you get a promotion. Isn't that right Private McGregor?"
The flaming-haired woman chuckled with a darkness that had not been present when they served together in the Bodhum Regiment.
"If that's how you want to look at it; but don't forget Farron: it's Sergeant now."
Lightning eyed her dangerously, "I see you've got a new look"
McGregor nodded with a maddening look of superiority "I always wondered why you were such a favorite of the Guardian Corps. Now I know how it feels to get all the special treatment: new, improved…better."
Lightning frowned, the memory of a similar woman back during the siege of Eden swimming before her eyes.
"You're not the first one he's tried to make into me, you know?"
McGregor said nothing, but her shoulders visibly stiffened, looking furious.
"Is there something we can help you with, Sergeant McGregor?"
"No" came a raspy voice that was as sharp as a knife "but there is something you can help me with."
A tall man strode in behind the soldiers, all of whom snapped into crisp salutes. In spite of his age, the PSICorps Colonel looked rather careworn: his pristine blond hair turning very silver and pointed face looking sunken and gaunt. However, his heavy, sweeping black coat, shoulders emblazoned with two azure, V-shaped lines, was looking as pristine and impressive as always. Despite their familial ties, grandson looked nothing like his grandfather…
"Colonel Eli Matsuki, we were just talking about you" said Serah darkly.
"Nothing good I expect" he replied indifferently but turned to Cloud with a startling courtesy "Captain Strife I hope you are well; Sergeant Farron-or is it Strife now? I recently heard your good news, congratulations."
Lightning did not respond but could see Cloud give a noncommittal jerk of his head.
"We heard about your grandmother's promotion" he said patiently "She's really amazing all things considered. How is she?"
"Grandmother has been keeping herself busy as of late" said Matsuki indifferently "Grandfather's death has been particularly difficult for her. But I will pass on your congratulations and condolences, she will appreciate it Captain."
Matsuki stepped forward and placed a hand on Sergeant McGregor's shoulder with a rather mechanical smile. Instead of saluting, McGregor smiled lustily back and actually placed a hand over her heart and bowed low to him.
Lightning turned away in absolute disgust. She didn't know which sickened her more: Matsuki's pretending to care about someone other than himself or McGregor's positively shameful pining for the Colonel. Her gaze fell upon Cloud who sat, arms crossed, glaring at McGregor with a look of cold disappointment.
"What can we do for you today, Colonel?"
Cloud and Lightning's heads turned simultaneously, shooting Snow the same look of warning.
Matsuki merely sneered at Snow's insubordination "Settle down Mr. Villiers, I am simply here to talk"
"Then talk"
Snow and Matsuki eyed each other hard, Matsuki's expression one of appraising. Whatever he appeared to be thinking did not seem important enough to pursue and he joined them at the table with a sweep of his long coat. He withdrew something from his pocket and tossed a small plastic bag containing a fine powder of indistinguishable color.
Pythium.
A new, but powerful, psychotropic drug that had gained a lot of attention since the colonization of Pulse; in its raw form, the Pythia plant caused highly aggressive panic attacks and often led to many becoming hospitalized. But the people who saw the plant as a profitable enterprise had added copious amounts of pharmaceutical depressants to alleviate anxiety levels. What they got was a highly addictive substance that dampened pain receptors rather than anxiety. Users would then become pain resistant hellions that would run rampant until stopped or the effects wore off…
…it was the plant in its infancy to the people of Cocoon that had caused the untimely demise of the Captain of the Bodhum Regiment.
"The flow of Pythium is getting stronger" said Matsuki, interlacing his fingers "This may seem unimportant to you, but it is as much your problem as it is PSICorps."
"We know that!" snapped Snow impatiently "It's not something we're ignoring! I just figured that PSICorps would do a better job of policing the whole thing."
"Rest assured" said Matsuki politely "We are doing everything in our power to bring this issue under control."
"Forgive me Colonel," said Cloud evenly "but I don't believe you came here just to reassure us on how well you're doing on the Pythium issue. So what exactly do you want?"
Lightning gripped Cloud's hand supportively, but did not take her eyes off Matsuki…or her other hand off Blazefire.
Matsuki looked like he was working very hard to keep himself restrained but, nonetheless, held his tongue. That, however, did not stop McGregor from shooting the two of them filthy looks behind her commanders back.
"I merely wanted to explain about what happened at the excavation site"
"Oh this ought to be good" snarled Gadot. Matsuki ignored him.
"We were investigating the site as a prospective hideout for Pythium manufacturers; I believe you all were there looking for parts to fix your power generator?"
Lightning scoffed, like he didn't know exactly what they were doing.
"We did not find Pythium manufacturers, but we did find a few members of the Aerowing guild with some…fascinating cargo. Illegal civilian Manadrives and this..."
He withdrew something else from his pocket, but Lightning stared, nonplussed. It was a tiny stone at least the size of a tennis ball, but a large crack in its face revealed an almost glassy substance underneath. Lightning watched as Matsuki offered it to Cloud, who took it with a look of fascination.
"Reminiscent of your Materia, correct Captain?"
Indeed, Cloud appeared to be thinking the same thing as he rolled up his sleeve and placed it to his skin. All eyes were watching in anticipation, but no matter how hard he pressed it against his arm, the stone sat placidly in place. Cloud shook his head with a mild look and held it back to the Colonel.
Matsuki waved his hand looking slightly disappointed "It is a trinket and does me little good. Anyway, the pilots in question have been taken into custody, but I am curious as to why a guild such as that would be transporting such compromising items."
"Why ask us?"
"Well, who better to ask these things than the scum who hire them?"
"WHAT?!" roared Gadot, getting to his feet and knocking over his chair.
"As I have said before, the actions of NORA are counterproductive to PSICorps and any act of insurrection will result in…unfortunate consequences."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Sit down Mr. Villiers or you'll damage those ribs further!" remarked Matsuki coldly.
"You should know: you broke a couple of them. Among other things"
Lightning followed his gaze to shoulder, the swelling of his bruised shoulder becoming pronounced. Her scathing look returned to the Colonel with a revived vigor.
"Man, you've got a lot of nerve coming here" shouted Gadot viciously "especially after what you pulled at the excavation site!"
The Colonel blinked "Really? The way I remember it: there was a team of attention-seeking vigilantes intruding on a military operation!"
"Military operation?" cried Serah incredulously "You were snooping around hoping to find Pulsian weaponry for private PSICorps usage!"
Matsuki neither confirmed nor denied the allegation, although his shoulders visibly stiffened. With an uncharacteristically harsh expression, Serah shot with disgust:
"Your grandfather would be ashamed!"
What followed next happened very fast; a look of fury broke out over Matsuki's face and he grabbed the table and overturned it, shaking the room with a thunderous crash. There was a flash of steel and the whoosh of rushing air; all of the soldiers primed their weapons, following the upward moving steel. Snow rocketed to his feet, stepping between Serah and Matsuki. Maqui fell out of his chair with a cry of surprise; Gadot rocketed forward but immediately collapsed, howling in pain and clutching his leg.
Cloud remained seated, reaching out his arm and catching his dagger-like sword as it fell back into his hand, his opposing arm holding the Ascalon directly over Matsuki's heart; many guns training on him.
"My late grandfather" hissed Matsuki speaking slowly and coldly "was, indeed, an honorable soldier who found the idea of Pulsian weaponry deplorable. However that was closed minded idealism and he squandered his talents with a Captaincy of some tourist attraction."
Every one of them made some violent move towards him, stopped only by the sudden movement of the guards by the door.
Moving like her namesake, Lightning shot over to the PSICorps Sergeant and she felt a great thrill of suspense as two quick whirs of machinery found the two women standing with blades to each-others' throats. Rather than the jagged blade that her own gunblade had, McGregor's looked like an overlarge straight-razor that shared the austere, silvery color-scheme of its wielder.
Lightning's however, showed its experience through the various scratches on its face; the blade itself had been snapped in half but still very dangerous merely inches from McGregor's throat.
"I would recommend that you lower your weapons" said Matsuki acidly; Lightning could hear the priming of guns all around her.
"Don't forget Captain, with a snap of my fingers: I could make you hole-ier than the Primarch."
"And with a flick of my wrist-" he raised the edge of the sword to Matsuki's chin (Lightning could feel the palpable tension as his soldiers guns trained on him) "-I could give you the closest shave of your life."
Lightning watched from the corner of her eye, as Matsuki and Cloud stared each other down hard; suddenly, Matsuki straightened himself up, chuckling amusedly, and brushing Ascalon's blade away from his body. Lightning could feel weapons across the room lower, very slowly.
"Impressive, as always, Captain" Matsuki's voice had taken up the simpering tone always reserved for Cloud. Lightning shot the pathetic sycophant filthy looks behind his back, ones that Cloud could not give lest he break his stony poker face.
"I sincerely wish that you would consider hearing me out; my grandmother thinks it foolhardy, but I think differently. What you have, what you are, is a gift. One not to be squandered or hidden. I can help you Captain, all you need do is ask."
Lightning's eye met Cloud's and they exchanged dark looks; Serah, Snow, and the NORA gang all watched on, with looks of confusion written across their faces.
"What are you-" began Snow, but Matsuki held up a hand.
"I will say no more on the matter" he said, turning to his soldiers and nodded; all of them filed out of the building. Only McGregor remained, her gunblade remained ready and at her side. Matsuki turned back to them:
"We will be in the vicinity for a few days longer. If you reconsider Captain, you know where to find us."
He turned with a sweep of his long coat and left without another word; McGregor cast them all one last smug look before turning on her heel and following suit (gunblade returning to its case with a graceful snap.
The room was filled with a stunned silence; the sound of the PSICorps regiment moving down the beach fading gently away. It wasn't until the shock of the abruptness of the coming and going storm had passed enough for Snow to recover first:
"God, what a, colossal, ass!"
"Jeez, did you hear him" asked Yuj, who had squatted down to begin cleaning up the mess of the overturned table "calling you guys Captain and Sergeant when you haven't been military after all this time? You'd think it was Matsuki's life's mission to suck Cloud's-OUCH, hey!"
Lebreau had punched him in the ribs to end his sentence; she picked up shards of broken plates, shaking her head towards the door.
"I remember her from Bodhum. What do you think she had to do to get where she is now?"
"I think the better question is who" replied Lightning sardonically.
"No, I think the better question" said Gadot loudly "Is what happened at the end. Gift?! Cloud, what the hell was he talking about?"
"Beats me," replied Cloud, but he spoke again at the attentive and, somewhat, disbelieving looks all around him. "You guys know Matsuki like I do: psychological torment is probably his second favorite hobby, behind physical bullying."
Snow scratched his head awkwardly "Yeah but…something that shouldn't be hidden? Are you sure…"
"Snow!" said Lightning sharply, causing Maqui and Serah to jump "It doesn't mean anything"
Snow threw up his hands in mock surrender, when his eyes fell on the clock.
"Nearly noon, already. Guess that means we call the meeting. Alright, Yuj and Maqui, you guys take the first watch. Light and I will relieve you in three hours; remember, Gorgonopsids like to use the rocks north of the fields as an ambush point."
He moved gingerly towards the door continuing his instructions as Maqui and Yuj followed suit hauling their battered weapons with them.
Bidding goodbye to Serah, Lebreau, and Gadot (all of whom were cleaning up from Matsuki's little scene), Lightning exited the bar followed closely by Cloud.
"Man, he's a piece of work" grunted Cloud, returning the main and the dagger blades to his harness.
"McGregor was right though" replied Lightning "there's only so much longer General Matsuki can keep a leash on the Colonel. We're running out time where he's concerned."
Cloud put an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder gently "And when the time comes to deal with it, we'll handle it."
Lightning grinned, squeezing his hand in return "When did you get to be so pragmatic?"
He shrugged but winced slightly; Lightning suddenly realized that the arm around her shoulders was Cloud's injured one.
"Are you alright? Do you think you should even go on your delivery?"
Cloud nodded, looking tired "Sazh has been having trouble with a stubborn merchant in a colony on the other side of the Steppe. I'm just going to see if I can't help repair that connection. I'll be alright Claire, I will."
He lowered his voice as he spoke her name; Lightning smiled appreciatively. He and Serah were the only ones in town that still knew her real name. Serah called her Light out of propriety and habit, but Cloud would only refer to her by her moniker when they were in public. When they were alone, he never called her Lightning.
"What about you?" he asked "Will you be alright on guard duty?"
Lightning chuckled "Of course. Besides, I'm gonna go see Lenora about this"
She held up Blazefire with a twinge of sadness to see her once mighty weapon in ruins. The two turned towards each other, foreheads nuzzled together lovingly.
"Be careful out there."
"I will, you too."
Their lips met gently, the waves lapping gently over their boots. They broke apart slowly, reluctant to surrender each other's warmth.
Someone wolf-whistled.
Both of them turned very quickly and became slightly red-faced at the sight of the whooping and teasing villagers, returning for their lunch break. Lightning rolled her eyes with a playfully rude hand gesture in response. Cloud and many of them laughed.
With a promise to see each other later, Cloud turned and disappeared down the beach. Lightning watched him go with an unashamed grin. Unlike Snow or Serah, who became unbearably embarrassing when it came to their lovey-dovey farewells, she and Cloud rarely ever, openly, declared their love for each other anymore.
It was something that neither of them felt was necessary to say.
Turning in the opposite direction, Lightning walked down the beach with a small sigh. This visit wasn't going to be a fun one.
One of the smaller buildings near the beach was alive with the sounds of hammers and other tools as she approached; a chimney was spewing thick, black smoke.
There was a loud clatter that sounded like someone dropped something; Lightning's suspicions were confirmed from the loud exclamative that followed shortly after.
"WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING YOU DAMN FOOL!"
Lenora was raging at one of the young assistants she'd taken on since setting up shop in New Bodhum, who was hurriedly picking up a pile of metal bars.
She was a stocky woman of middle age, her overalls tied around her waist. Despite getting up in years, her body was well built from years of working with heavy machinery, and her long blonde hair (tied in a ponytail) was only slightly streaked with silver.
Lenora had been the resident engineer for Bodhum while Lightning was in the academy. A friend of the family's, she had always kept an eye on her and Serah until she was called to Euride Gorge.
The engineer turned, dragging a gnarled hand over a sweaty, exasperated face, when she saw Lightning moving towards her. A smile broke across her face.
"Hey there kiddo, how's it going?"
"Same as usual" was Lightning's response, curling an arm around the woman's neck, getting a nostril full of the perfumed scent of grease and machine oil in the woman's hair.
"I saw that PSICorps squad leave the bar," she said with a serious look on her face "what's that all about?"
"Nothing" said Lightning truthfully "Just Matsuki trying to flex his muscles."
Lenora spat on the ground grumpily "Feh, I never liked that kid. He was a royal…"
She called Matsuki a rather vicious name that caused one of Lenora's assistants to gasp in surprise. Pulling a box of cigarettes out of her pocket, she promptly popped one into her mouth and lit it with a small welding torch from her belt.
"So what can I do for you today, girl?"
With a deep, steadying breath, Lightning drew Blazefire and held him up to his "mother". Lenora gagged on her cigarette smoke, glaring incredulously at the weapon.
"W-what the hell did you do?!" she coughed snatching the weapon, transforming the weapon for further inspection. She looked physically pained at the sight of the gunblade's broken blade "Jesus, what did you do: drop a Behemoth on it?"
"Megistotherian, actually" explained Lightning "From the ambush on the fields the other day"
"Good lord" said Lenora disparagingly; she held the weapon even in her hands, inspecting it from all different angles. "This blade is trashed, completely unsalvageable. You didn't try firing this thing, did you?"
She looked relieved when Lightning shook her head, "Good. It looks like the barrel sustained a little damage, firing this would have been a very bad idea."
"Can you fix him?"
Lenora laughed sardonically "Fix?! Jesus Light, you're not asking a whole lot, are you?"
"Is that a no?"
Lenora put a hand on her hip looking smug "C'mon Light, you know better than that. I can fix anything, provided I've got the parts…"
Suddenly the power flickered; Lightning turned towards the generator and then to Lenora with a cocked eyebrow.
"…That doesn't count" snapped Lenora, spraying Lightning with a cloud of terrible smelling smoke. "That is an overworked piece of crap. I can only do so much for that. The point is: I can fix Blazefire's gun, the problem is that I don't have the right metals to repair the face and the blade. I'll have to put in an order with the Aerowing guild, and they won't be back for a few days at least."
Lightning frowned at the information "Isn't there anything you can do?"
Lenora smiled mischievously and disappeared into the back of the shop. She was gone for several minutes before returning, carrying a heavy black case; Blazefire was not with her.
"You got lucky that I was able to save this from the fall. I lost a lot of good designs that day, but something just told me to grab this one."
Lenora opened the case with a snap and Lightning gasped in surprise.
Sitting in the foam casing was a sterling gunblade, identical Blazefire in every way. Lightning took it in her hand and transformed it with a flick of the wrist and a whir of machinery; even the jagged blade was identical, gleaming dangerously in the sunlight.
"How did you-?"
"It's traditional to forge a copy of a unique build" explained Lenora with a self-satisfied smile "Meet Blazefire Saber's twin: Blaze Edge."
Lightning stared down at the weapon, thinking just how fitting of a name it was.
"Now the thing you gotta know about him" continued Lenora in an excited tone "is that he's different from his brother in one way. Your Blazefire Saber was a semi-auto pistol fire gunblade; this puppy has two modes: burst fire & full auto. You can switch 'em on the face (she pointed to a single lever that flipped towards and away from her); be warned, you go full auto and this sucker will eat your ammo and I don't have enough bullets to spare, thanks to these idiots."
Lenora cast her assistants filthy looks as she pulled two fat, square drum magazines out of the case "You've only got two full clips, so use 'em wisely."
Lightning took the first and slapped it into place and pocketed the other. She smiled wide at the woman.
"Remember, I'm only loaning him to you. I'll get Blazefire fixed as soon as I'm able, but once I do: I want him back."
Lightning nodded "You got it. I owe you one."
"Damn right you do" chuckled Lenora, stomping her expended cigarette into the sand and promptly lighting another "You just be sure to bring the little one over to see me, ya hear?"
Lightning nodded again and the two women embraced in farewell. She was almost half way down the beach when one of the assistants dropped something else ("C'mon Eddie, what the hell are you doing to me?!").
She had passed Lebreau's bar, which was filling with the lunch rush, by the time she had taken Blaze Edge out of the case to inspect him closer.
He was heavier than Blazefire now that she thought of it; but it didn't feel like it would hamper her either. However, she gave the weapon a slight look of suspicion; it didn't have the history she had with its brother, but she gave herself a shake and she gripped the weapon tightly. It would take time but, undoubtedly, Lightning felt she would come to trust the weapon too.
Turning a corner, she collided with something very sturdy causing her to take several steps backward, Blaze Edge nearly tumbling from her grip. As Lightning prepared to lay into whoever ran into her, she was silenced by that person, who was picking himself up off the ground, brushing the sand off his white pants.
"I'm sorry" he said with an uncommon sincerity. He stood back up letting Lightning get a full blast look at him: he was a tall, wiry youth, underneath a mop of light blue hair and he looked at her with a pair of striking green eyes.
"Everything appears to be in order, no harm done."
"Sorry about that" she said quietly, placing her weapon into his holster; she didn't recognize the boy, even though he could have been one of the many refugees from Eden, Palumpolum or Nautilius that had fled Cocoon after the fall, the boy still didn't register in her memory.
"It's funny isn't it," he said appearing to read onto Lightning's thoughts "How one can think they recognize everyone when there's a lot more than that person realizes."
Lightning sighed at his logic, "I guess when there's much on your mind it's difficult for a lot to register properly."
"I know exactly how you feel" he nodded, gazing up towards the pillar, "And a lot has happened to put much on all of our minds."
Lightning stared at the boy curiously, he appeared no different from anyone else his age but (like Serah) he had wisdom well beyond his years.
"Did you have family that died in the fall?" she questioned curiously, intrigued by him.
"No," he said in a small voice "But I have known a lot of death in my time."
Lightning listened intently; he reminded her a lot of herself and just how sad and angry of a person she had been before her life changing experience as a l'Cie.
"I'm sorry," he chuckled "First I bump into you and then I waste your time with my senseless babbling."
Lightning shook her head, not at all considering his words babbling.
"Sometimes you just need an ear that will listen" she replied gently, earning her a humble smile from him.
"And it's much appreciated" he passed Lightning to continue on his way.
"Oh, by the way Lightning" he called turning back to her "My name's Sam: Sam Aker."
Lightning nodded, committing the boy's name to memory, and the boy continued down the street. As she turned to continue towards the pillar, Lightning froze as a realization crashed over her: she never told him her name, so how did he know? She turned back to look at him again only to discover that Sam was nowhere in sight. Her eyes scanned the beach: he could not have disappeared not in the time it took to turn around.
Startled and very much confused, Lightning could only stand and stare into the emptiness.
UPDATED! Well, here it is: the long awaited sequel to Heart of the Warrior/A Lightning Struck Heart. Thanks for being so patient, I hope this one brings as much pleasure that the other two did. Don't forget to review for me, Thanks.
