Recessional
Part II
It had been quite a series of mishaps and adventures since reuniting the entire group. Recalling the rather interesting reunion between the two Gran Pulse women, it had made most of the group feel embarrassment.
Everyone had looked away, but for some reason Lightning found herself staring over at the scene. It was one of complete concern, but that didn't stop her from feeling a bit flushed just from seeing the woman clad in blue lean down to peer at the upper thigh of a bright-eyed Vanille.
The motion was swift, her dark eyes glancing over the mark and instantly feeling a great amount of relief pass through her. The idea of losing her the only person she still considered family, it had caused her a great amount of stress that had only continued to build over every hour that passed with her absence.
Time fast forward. Great escapes were made to have them now trekking across the vast plains of Gran Pulse. Monsters and creatures of great magnificence and fearsome strength were both in the open and hiding in the shadows. The day was shifting gradually to the confines of an evening sky, and the group was still hard at work in training.
The former PSICOM soldier sighed as she swiftly stabbed yet another creature that had crossed her path. It was becoming far too easy, clearly she was reaching that magnitude of strength that overrode the monsters in their current area. As she looked over at the others who were either fighting as well or merely standing and waiting, she saw the one who had been almost like a permanent resident in her thoughts as of late.
It was starting to annoy her. Overthinking had always been a weakness of hers, but the heat of battle usually was enough to distract her from thinking of anything but survival. Lately that was not the case. Even with her sword in hand, blood covering over the entire length of the vast weapon, she still could now shake the way that those green eyes had begun to pierce her recently.
Ever since they had met, it felt as if they had already been on the same wavelength. Able to understand one another as both fighters and human beings, that was not something Lightning was able to do very easily. It was true she had always been closed off, not usually one to welcome another person in with open arms. She was always doubting, always questioning and waiting for someone to cross her in the wrong manner. Defenses were always up, and she was never one to show too many emotions other than that of stoicness.
But, it seemed like every normal mannerism had been torn down in such a short amount of time. It was true, that spending time with this team that was up for saving the world, they had all affected her in some way. But no one but the woman in satin, the one with that accent that lingered on every word she spoke, she was the only one who made her heart beat in an unusual way. When her eyes stared over at her, she could feel it almost like fire on her skin.
She felt that burning right then.
Her blaze saber was coated in the redness from the creature that laid lifeless on the ground before her now. As she breathed out slowly, her blue irises shifted over to meet the gaze of the tan woman standing some feet away. She too had just slain her own opponent and was now smirking just slightly.
That smirk caused her to let a low chuckle pass her lips. She didn't even know why she even responded, it was almost like she had been set to always show some sort of reaction to the woman. Getting attention from her was something she couldn't deny enjoying.
She just hated actually finding herself admitting to that fact.
"I think it's about time we finish up for the day." Snow punched his hands together in a usual fashion for him just as Sazh nodded.
"We'll head back to camp. This catch should be good for dinner tonight." Sazh began to gather up some of the portions of the creatures that would be suited for food just as Hope started helping him.
The sky was holding a slight shade of blue but it was slowly starting to form into that orange contrast. Camp was only about a mile off. That didn't make the trip seem any shorter though, especially with the more powerful monsters starting to roam about.
The group had managed to make half the journey across the plains with no issue. It was as they began to ascend the mountain path that led them to their campsite that they hit a snag.
"I think I had the best session today. I mean, did you see the size of that.."
Snow was arguing with Vanille and Lightning about some monster or another that had apparently been the 'best kill'; it was obvious that Lightning didn't agree. That was a daily ritual for them though, to never agree on anything.
With her tan arms crossing over one another, she could only listen to the subtle bickering while trying not to laugh at how silly it was getting. It was cute to see how flustered the pink-haired woman would become in some instances. The fact that she would argue her point until she won, that was always a trait she liked about her. And it was also cute, as stated before.
The arguing was cut off just as the ground began to shake. Trampling along the path in front of them was the largest Behemoth that the group had seen yet. It looked to be of a different species, and the power it held was practically seeping off almost like an aura.
"So Snow, would you agree that that would be the biggest kill of the day?"
Before Snow could even respond in that voice full of confidence, Lightning intervened.
"You can't be serious? That thing is obviously way too strong for any of us to take on yet."
"Won't know till we find out."
Fang pulled out her spear with a bit of a twirl, just as she began to approach the large beast. It had already heard the commotion and was starting to turn to face the challenger.
"Fang, you're out of your fucking mind!"
Lightning was torn between being annoyed, angry, and uneasy. She wasn't sure what to feel or how to react, and as she witnessed that first swing taken by the creature and then by the woman in question-she already had a very bad feeling in her gut.
The group had made no move from their standing position. Everyone could tell that this creature was far too intense to even think of taking on, but even still a blaze saber joined the fray of battle.
The two worked in a traditional Commando and Ravager scenario. Even just a few minutes in, it felt as if they had been battling forever. Almost drained of their energy, it was evident they were no match. And just as the green-eyed woman was about to order a retreat, the huge beast began to make a swing.
In that moment, a decision was made without rationalization. All green eyes saw was an imminent death heading towards her partner in battle. Moving quicker than she ever thought possible, Fang skidded over to her just in time to receive most of the impact of the blow on her spear. The fierceness of the strike was still too great, and both were sent tumbling back in the midst of breaking portions of rock.
The air whipped around them just as their bodies made a noisy collision with the ground. Muffled screams were heard from what seemed like miles away now. The impact had left them disoriented for a short while, and when blue irises finally opened once more, all that was seen was rock.
Rocks blocked the area from where they had once been. It looked as if they were still in the mountains but in an unknown area to either of them. As Lightning lifted herself up slowly, she couldn't detect any permanent damage but she just felt immensely sore.
Glancing around, she didn't sense the presence of the huge creature. As she finished her full once-over of the area, that was when she saw the other woman lying on the ground beneath a few rocks.
Panic instantly rocked her core as she slowly managed to get up in order to make her way over to her. Throwing the few rocks aside, she knelt down over woman clad in blue.
"Fang..! Goddammit say something!"
It was unlike her to feel so worried. To have her hands actually shaking at the thought of this person not opening her eyes, to not feel her take another breath from those lips. As she gripped onto those tan arms, it made her gasp loudly at feeling a hand grab her wrist.
"You're gripping me back to life. Geez Farron…"
Lightning sighed in relief. As she shrunk back slightly from holding the woman, she realized how much she had been panicking in just those few minutes.
"I'm not gonna die that easily."
Fang slowly began to work to a sitting up position. As she finally reached that point, she let her right arm rest on her propped up leg just as she began to examine the damage that had been done. Nothing was broken, she just needed a healing spell or two.
"We've been separated from the others. I'm not sure where this path leads, but I suppose we should find out."
It was almost like she had reverted back to that auto-pilot mode of survival. Being stuck with the one who was carelessly floating around in your thoughts was not something that she had been betting on doing. Lightning slowly stood up, before hearing a soft laugh from the woman on the ground.
"You know, we could always just take a breather. I imagine you would even agree to it after that finale to today."
"Hey, this is your fault. Considering we don't know where we are, I don't think it's wise to be lingering around here too long."
"Relaaax, we're just gonna stay for a short bit to rest."
"Tch."
Lightning had her hands on her hips, glancing at her surroundings once again while not saying another word. She was a bit fatigued from training today, and taking a hit from a behemoth is not something you take easily. Not saying anything else in terms of conversation, she began to gather up a few pieces of wood nearby to begin a fire. It was a shame they would be missing a great dinner.
The evening sky started to make it descent completely as the makings of a fire was completed. Fang sat on the other side of the flames but that didn't stop her from staring over at the woman who had shed her outer jacket. She was clad in her black undershirt as she seemed to be preoccupied with staring at the sky.
The idea of taking on the behemoth had been a dare devil thing to do yes, but it had confirmed the one thing that she had been curious to know. It seemed as if that enough time had passed for the usually closed-off woman to become attached enough to care for her well-being.
Fang leaned back against the boulder that had settled into the ground. With a small smirk working its way over her lips, all she could think was one thing.
It's going to be a long night.
