Separated
After leaving Snow (that dumbass) behind, Lightning has been more… well, happy. That strange and gloomy aura has disappeared completely, and everyone could talk more pleasantly. As the group settled down to rest, the leader wandered off somewhere without telling anyone. Sazh sat down tiredly, Hope found himself a nice secluded spot, and Vanille climbed up high on a boulder to try to look on to the vast land ahead of them.
"Man, this place is completely crystallized…" Sazh said as he rubbed the back of his head, "Can't believe this used to be Lake Bresha. I can't even tell which way we're going… everything looks the same!"
The Oerba girl jumped down the large rock, "Now that you mention it… is it really okay for us to wander so aimlessly around this place? What are we looking for anyway?"
The man shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just following nee-chan… wherever she went… hey, where is she anyway!?"
"She couldn't possibly have left us… could she?" The boy asked anxiously. The two eyed the boy weirdly; this is the first time he's spoken aloud since taking blame on everyone earlier… Hope realized that he's caught too much attention. He moved nervously back to his spot and looked down at his toes, hoping the others would just ignore what he just said.
Vanille smiled and walked towards the boy. "Don't worry, Hope! I'll go look for her!"
"Oi… kid—"
"It's okay! Sazh, stay here with Hope, I'll be right back with onee-san!"
Sazh shrugged his shoulders and looked at the boy. "Man, this is going to take long…"
The Oerba girl kept her pace quick; she wants to find the leader so that the others do not have to worry… but now, she's getting worried herself because she has no idea where she is going. Everything looks the same—blue, clear, bright… blue. "Onee-san! Onee-san, where are you?" She called. Her voice echoed with the crystals around her, and she knows that she is quite loud. She quickly covered her mouth; lord knows the last thing she wants is to attract the PSICOM soldiers' attention. Just earlier they had to fight them off, and Lightning was the one to do everything. Vanille found the highest hill in the area and climbed it. The slippery crystal doesn't have much grip; the girl kept slipping, but she continued to move up. She needs to find Lightning… she needs to find her quickly. But then, the little bit that her foot is stepping on began to crack, "Oh… crap…"
"What are you doing?" Vanille gasped. She looked down and saw her leader, standing there with her arms crossed. Lightning was looking up at the girl as if she had mental problems.
"I…" Nothing came out of the girl's mouth. She must be too surprised or embarrassed to see the woman right below her. She shook her head to bring herself back, "I… onee-san, I was looking for you!"
Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be up there?"
Vanille rolled her eyes, "No, silly. I wanted to climb up to get a better view…"
The woman sighed, "Well, I'm right here. Come down now."
Vanille giggled. She tightened her grasp on the blue crystal hill-thing. "Onee-san… I actually need some help…"
The strawberry-blonde shook her head in pity, "Just jump."
"Jump!?" The girl cried, "Jump!? It's so freaking high! I'm going to die if I jump!"
Lightning dropped her arms to her sides. "Just do it, you're not going to die."
"Okay, I might not die," Vanille agreed, "But I might lose a leg or something!"
"Damn it," the woman opened her arms, "I'll catch you, just jump."
Vanille widened her eyes. She would what!? Looking down, she could see the woman looking away nervously, with her arms opened; she is prepared to catch her. She doesn't even know this woman, she doesn't even know if she's telling the truth, but being as naive as she is, she decided to believe her."Alright… here goes nothing!" She released her grip on the crystals, and she started to fall backwards.
Of course, even for the ex-soldier, catching a falling girl isn't something easy to do. More like, it isn't something natural for anyone in general to do. The moment Vanille let go, she could feel her heart pound. She could feel fear. Thoughts like "what if I don't catch her?" kept surfacing in her mind, and she couldn't shake them off. Soon enough, before she could even think of anymore dangerous thoughts, the girl fell into her arms, and she has successfully caught her… bridal style.
"Oh, that wasn't so bad!" Vanille exclaimed happily. Indeed, the impact did not hurt at all; it was almost like she fell onto a trampoline or something. "Thank you! Onee-san!" She smiled brightly and jumped off. She fixed her outfit a bit, adjusting her… bra-like… tank top thing, and then brushing her pigtails, flinging them to the front of her shoulders. "By the way… I don't know how to get back, so uh, I'm just going to follow you."
Lightning glanced at the girl. "…"
"Alright! Let's go!" She clasped her hands together behind her and waited for the woman to move.
The strawberry-blonde looked away.
Silence.
"Um… onee-san?"
Lightning looked down at her feet, "I… don't know which way to go…"
It was almost a whisper—almost. Vanille took a deep breath as she pulled back, sniffing the unnatural glassy-scent in the air. "Well then…" she crossed her arms, and then rubbed her chin with a finger, "What should we do?"
"Perhaps climbing up this thing was a good idea after all. Do you want to do it again?"
The girl gasped, "Are you joking me?"
"Yeah, I was." The woman said simply, "I don't want to catch you again. You're heavier than you think."
"Wha—hey, that's mean!"
Lightning shrugged her shoulders coldly. "Wait here." She walked passed the girl, brushing against her arm lightly, and headed towards the crystal-hill she jumped off earlier. The woman observed the tall object a bit, and in a flash, she jumped up with ease, arriving at the summit within a few steps.
"Wow! How does she do that?" Vanille said to herself in admiration. She continued to stare at the woman, who is standing so far above her. The crystal blue hill blended in with the blue sky—it almost seemed as if the woman was soaring; it looked like she was hovering in the air, not standing on anything at all. The girl squinted her eyes; she wanted a better look at the strong fighter. Looking closely, she could see the sun shining onto Lightning's unique hair colour, the wind blew against her direction, making her crimson cape fly with the breeze.
Crimson… crimson… crimson…
Vanille blinked. She just saw somebody within Lightning's figure. It was somebody with a crimson weapon.
Black… dark… wavy…
She shook her head. The person she's seeing has wavy raven hair… Lightning has natural straight strawberry-blonde hair… they're completely different.
Masculinity… masculinity… masculinity…
Vanille looked down and moved a hand up to cover her eyes. She's hallucinating… definitely. The aura Lightning carries is elegancy. Yes, she is a bit masculine, but… she isn't…
"I can't see anything but a crystal sea up there." The girl snapped her head back up. Her leader has already jumped down from that high crystal hill; how did she do it anyway? "Do you at least remember the path you took?"
The Oerba girl wasn't listening. She was only looking… looking at this woman's azure eyes.
It's different. She's different. They're different.
Lightning lifted an eyebrow. Is the girl in shock or what? She moved closer, waving her hand in front of the girl's face, trying to catch her attention. "Hello? Are you there? Did you die or something?"
Vanille is seeing images. She is seeing images of a woman… a childhood friend… somebody close to her—somebody she loves dearly.
"Fang…" And the word just slipped out of her mouth.
"Huh?"
She gasped and covered her mouth, "S-sorry! Y-yes! I know! I agree! Let's… uh… head t-that way!" Vanille was clearly blushing—deeply.
"What…?" The girl turned away from her, and walked aimlessly forward. She fell into a ditch right after she took a few steps. Lightning actually wanted to warn her, but right now, all she can do is help this silly girl out of the hole. "What were you thinking?" She crouched down and reached a hand down to the girl, "How could you not see that?"
Vanille sat up and rubbed her bottom. The glassy ground below them doesn't feel as soft as it looks. "Owie…" She whimpered.
"Give me your hand,"
She opened her eyes and reached up for the woman's hand. Hands clasped together, Lightning wanted to pull the girl up, but the slippery glass below her did not have much grip; she fell forward as Vanille pulled, and she ended up being on top of the girl.
"Can you, like, not be such a burden sometimes?" Lightning grunted under her breath as she tried to get up. The ditch is much smaller than it seemed. The woman is on top of her, the two's limbs are locked together thanks to the tiny hole, and they can hardly move themselves.
"S-sorry! I was just… just…" Vanille's voice gradually got quieter, "I was just… thinking about something…"
Lightning could care less, but she did not say it out. She sighed, "It doesn't matter," pushing herself up, she sat on the edge of the ditch and reached out a hand for the girl once again, "Here, get up."
Vanille forced a smile on her face. "Sorry…" and she took the woman's hand. She got pulled up easily this time, but she remained standing in the small hole, waiting for Lightning to say something.
Feeling the awkwardness in the air, the woman decided to break the silence. "So, can you at least remember the path you took?"
But the girl did not answer. She didn't even look up. She is simply playing with her fingertips… like a child.
The woman isn't annoyed… yet, but they still have to find a way to get out of here and meet up with Sazh and Hope. To get the girl's attention, she lifted her chin up—something even she isn't so sure why she did. "Are you okay?" She asked coldly.
Vanille blinked. Did her lone-wolf leader just ask her something? Something out of concern? It's something that she—no… she would ask it completely differently. She would ask in a gentle and kind voice. But the girl smiled, despite feeling so troubled. "Yep, I'm alright!"
Lightning isn't stupid. In fact, she's more understanding than she looks. Right now, she can definitely tell that something's bothering the girl, but really, she can care less for such a stranger. "Okay… if you're fine, then we should get going—wherever we're going." She walked off.
As the woman turned around, Vanille could see an image of a tall woman in blue, walking away from her… just like that time—long, long ago when she decided to become a l'Cie just so she could save the village… just so she could save her. "Wait!" Vanille grabbed onto Lightning's hand, hard.
Surprised, the woman turned around. "What?"
The Oerba girl had her head down; her bangs covering her eyes, Lightning had no idea what she is thinking. "Don't… don't walk away…"
"Huh?"
Vanille released Lightning's hand slowly, but she did not stop there; she then walked in to embrace the woman.
"What… what are you…?" Lightning could feel blood rushing up her head. She has never been this close to anyone… well, maybe Serah, but other than that, she's never been this close to anyone before.
"Don't walk away…" Vanille whispered weakly.
She wanted to push her away. Oh, yes she does.
"Please don't…"
But seeing this girl… all helpless and weak…
"Don't leave me…" Vanille tightened her grasp around Lightning's waist, burying her face in the woman's neck.
… She can't do it. Lightning Farron cannot help it but to show a compassionate side whenever it comes to people who need others to depend on. She doesn't even know this girl. She doesn't even care about her, but… "Are you missing someone?" She could hear her own voice soften—it's a weakness she has that she hates so much.
Vanille nodded her head.
Lightning took a deep breath. A strange scent of sweetness—a scent of vanilla filled her nostrils, how ironic. "Do I remind you of that person?"
She nodded her head again.
The woman's arms moved automatically. She doesn't even know what she is doing, but she found herself embracing the petite figure… the small, dependent, cute little— wait. What the fuck? No, no. Lightning screamed to herself in her mind: "You are only doing this because she's so damn helpless."
"I want to see her…" Vanille said, her voice muffled due to the fact that she is still resting in the woman's neck. "I've told so many lies… I wanted to protect her, but I ended up… I…"
"… Face it later if it is too much for you to handle," Lightning interrupted. It was a natural reflex when those words came out of her mouth.
"Onee-san…" Vanille moved her head up, revealing her teary emerald eyes, "You…"
"But don't run away," She continued, "You are… you are running away, right? Otherwise you wouldn't be so cheery one minute and so torn up the next."
"I…" The tears in her eyes streamed down her flushed cheeks.
"Running away from the ones you care about… is not love."
Vanille moved a hand to cover her mouth to prevent herself from sobbing too loudly.
"Do you understand?"
But she couldn't hold on much longer; she ended up burying her face back into the woman's neck, crying as loudly as she can. To hell with the PSICOM soldiers; this woman can easily beat them up if they show up. "I'm so sorry…" She choked.
"Why are you apologizing?" Lightning asked as she stroked the back of Vanille's head, feeling her silky orange hair, and at the same time, calming the crying child down.
The girl did not answer, but her sobs have significantly gotten quieter.
"I'd prefer a thank you." The woman suddenly said.
Vanille pulled away slowly. She let go of the woman and started to wipe her eyes with the back of her hands. "T-thank you…" The girl said quietly. She looked up; Lightning feels much better, now that the girl is smiling again. Her face is still flushed and her eyes are still red and puffy, but she's evidently happier than a few minutes ago. "I feel much better now!"
The woman gave her a subtle smile.
"Hey! Nee-chan, kid!"
The girls turned to the sound, it's none other than Sazh and Hope who is following closely behind. "Damn, we've finally found you!"
Lightning quickly stepped away to get some distance from the girl; she doesn't want others to know what she just did.
"Well, then, should we get going?" Sazh asked.
Vanille turned to look at the woman, who has her back against everyone. "Yep, I guess we should! C'mon, let's go, let's go!" She gestured at the men, urging them to walk first.
Sazh started walking ahead, "Alright, let's move, kid!" Hina squeaked with joy in his afro.
Hope nodded his head shyly and followed the man.
After a few seconds, Lightning finally turned around. She brushed her arm lightly against Vanille's as she walked pass. "What are you standing there for? Let's get going."
"Onee-san!" Vanille said happily, stopping the woman's footsteps.
"What?" She said without turning back.
The girl giggled, "Despite the big personality difference…" she paused and rubbed her chin with her index finger, "… you two really are sisters,"
"Huh?" The woman turned around, and before she could react, the girl ran towards her, throwing her arms around her neck, and pecked the side of her lips lightly.
"Whoops!" She backed off. Her cheeks instantly turned bright red, "I wanted to kiss your cheek, but I guess I missed!" Vanille smiled innocently. "But… it doesn't really matter!" She ran ahead, leaving Lightning standing there, confused.
Actually, not only is the woman confused, she felt dizzy as well. Her heart is pounding heavily against her chest; she could almost hear her crazy heartbeat. Her hands are getting all sweaty and so is her forehead— no, her whole body is sweating. It's almost as if she could feel steam coming out of the top of her head—that's how hot she is feeling right now. This is a feeling… this is a sensation that she has never… never, ever in her life felt.
"Onee-sa—n!" The strawberry-blonde looked up. Vanille is already quite far away, "Come on!" She waved at her.
Lightning brought a hand up to the area where the girl kissed her. Touching her soft skin lightly, she sent shivers down her own spine. She doesn't know whether she should be angry or unsatisfied… wait, what!? She shook her head roughly, trying hard to get rid of that hint of absurdity. But knowing herself, she should definitely feel angry, she would definitely throw something… punch, kick, hurt that girl who dared to come so close to her.
Yet she can't help it. She can't help it but to keep that smile on her face. Though, she knows that the rest of the trip is going to be extremely awkward. Perhaps it's best to ignore the girl… for as long as she can.
And this explains why Lightning and Vanille have like ZERO interactions in the game (IMHO at least).
I was tempted to make this one EXTREME yuri, but… I chickened out in the end… otherwise it'd be much longer. Come to think of it, I've never written something less than ten pages long XD! Anyway, I think I will try again. So the next LightningxVanille one-shot fic should probably be in the M section.
Btw, it would be better if you have played the game; since the part where Lightning tells Vanille "not to run away" is exactly the same as what Serah told Vanille on the beach at Bodhum. Thought it'd help.
Review please! :D