Fang stared at the piece of paper in her hands. It was the slip of paper that Lightning had slipped in her pocket two days before. On it was a hastily scribbled phone number.
"Give her a call already," Fang heard Vanille's say. She glanced at her adoptive sister, who was sitting at the other arm of the couch, books and papers spread out on the coffee table in front of her.
"Worry about your homework, not what I'm doing," Fang said.
"I'm taking a break," Vanille said blithely. "This is much more important."
"What is?"
"Getting you to actually do something with that paper instead of stare at it all day," Vanille said.
"I haven't stared at it all day," Fang said.
"Oh please, did you even make it to class?"
"'Course I did," Fang said.
"Did you bring that with you?" Vanille asked, indicating the paper.
Fang chose not to answer. Vanille giggled.
"So how hot is this girl that you're mooning over her this hard?" Vanille asked.
"You saw her," Fang said. Vanille blushed a little.
"I don't exactly remember," she said.
"Well she's gorgeous," Fang said. "Knows a bit about martial arts, doesn't take any crap from anyone."
"She sounds perfect," Vanille said.
"Did I mention she's straight?"
Vanille rolled her eyes. "She said she's straight. Besides, what's the harm? You call her up and get either someone to fight, or someone to fu-"
"Hey," Fang cut Vanille off. "It's a little different now. She didn't exactly seem like a people person. Maybe the whole club scene got to her, then I call her up and she wants to forget the whole thing."
"So you're scared?"
"Oi, I never said that."
"So then call her," Vanille said.
"It's not that easy," Fang said. Vanille let out a long-suffering sigh.
"Listen, if you don't do something, I'll have to take that paper and do it myself," she said.
"Listen, no you don't," Fang said.
"Then you do it. I'm not gonna stop hounding you until you do." Vanille crossed her arms and glared at Fang as harshly as she could. Fang got the urge to ruffle her hair, but figured losing a finger wouldn't be worth it.
"Fine," she said, and pulled out her phone. "Here I go."
She wrote a quick message, to say who she was and that she was interested in meeting up some time and sent it off. When she was done she leveled a look at Vanille.
"Happy?"
Vanille turned her nose up. "That will do," she said.
It took a few minutes for Fang to realize what she had done to herself. She had sent the message of course, but she had no idea how long the other woman would take to respond. Thoughts flitted through her head, of all the possible responses she could get.
Normally she wouldn't be so concerned with what some stranger thought, but something about Lightning had been a little different. She seemed to be a woman of intensity, a woman of action. That night she had been confident, commanding, and just a little mysterious, a combination that Fang was finding to be impossible to resist. Worse, a combination that had her anxious for a reply.
So she turned to her own homework to save her- truly, a desperate move, but she had nowhere else to turn. She was a student majoring in kinesiology at Eden University, the largest University in Cocoon. She and Vanille were part of an exchange program to encourage healthy relations between Cocoon, and their home country Gran Pulse.
The two countries shared a disputed border, though the last violent incident had happened when Fang had been too young to remember. One side or the other had gotten too close, and while it hadn't been an all-out war, it had been enough to scare each country into a strained, though lasting peace.
That conflict had left her an orphan, and it was at the orphanage that she met Vanille. That had been almost twenty years before, and they remained as close as sisters. Certainly close enough that Vanille didn't mind calling her out when she had to. Not that Fang minded- she preferred it, really.
It had been at the orphanage that she had taken up fighting- or rather, she'd needed to fight to protect herself and Vanille. Not that there were terrible kids, but two young girls vying for food and goods in an overcrowded house had to toughen up one way or another. Luckily for Fang, she had shot up early, and had only continued to grow, until she was bigger and stronger than most of the other kids. One of the matrons had seen potential in her, and suggested she take lessons at a local gym. Fang did, and was immediately taken with the art of fighting. Many years and competitions later found her with a scholarship, and eventually she was recommended for the new exchange program.
Her phone buzzed on the table in front of her. Fang looked at it blankly before pulling herself out of her reverie. She glanced at the books in front of her, and mostly blank pages looked back. She sighed, and checked her phone.
There was a message from Lightning, the gist of it being that she still wanted to spar, and asking if Sundays would work for Fang. It was weird, the way the other woman wrote in complete sentences even when texting. Weird, but fitting for someone as hard-assed as Lightning seemed to be. Fang answered back that Sunday would work, and hoped that she hadn't responded too quickly. Her fears were somewhat relieved when Lightning sent a message back quickly, even if it was a little terse. There was the name of a gym, and a time.
She huffed out a relieved breath and flopped back on the couch. Vanille giggled at her; she got the distinct impression that Vanille already knew what happened. Still, it was nice to have that settled. She glanced down at the table. Now about that homework...
Fang made her way down the sidewalk to the gym Lightning had suggested as their meeting place. It was in one of the worse parts of town, with dirty streets and check cashing stores on every third corner. People were out on their stoops, chatting or smoking or drinking. Sometimes she got a funny look, but mostly she was ignored. She knew that if she didn't exactly fit in, she could at least take care of herself, and everyone else could tell as well. Still, she had to wonder why Lightning had chosen a place in a neighborhood like this.
As she came up on the address Lightning had given her, she spotted the pink-haired woman standing outside one of the buildings. She called out and jogged the rest of the way to the gym.
"Fang," Lightning acknowledged when she finally stopped in front of the other woman.
"Lightning," Fang said. "Looking good." Lightning was wearing a tight-fitting compression shirt, one sleeve longer than the other, and loose shorts.
"Keep it in your pants," Lightning said.
Fang chuckled. "No promises. Shall we head in?"
Lightning gave her a look, but nodded and pushed into the gym. There was no one to greet them, but a tall man with dark skin and a big afro waved to Lightning from behind one of the rings. Two people were moving around, circling each other in what was clearly some light practice. When the man spotted Fang, he called out in a friendly voice.
"Hey there, need help with something?"
"She's with me," Lightning said before Fang could open her mouth.
"With you?" the man asked, surprised. He turned to the men in the ring. "Hold up, I gotta see what this is about."
He started to make his way over to the two women, but before he could Lightning waved him off.
"It's nothing Sazh. I mean it."
The man- Sazh- held his hands up in surrender. "If you say so," he said.
Lightning jerked her head towards the back corner of the gym, where some mats were laid out on the ground. Fang nodded and followed her.
"You good like that?" Lightning asked, indicating Fang's clothes. Fang was wearing a sari over a sports bra and compression shorts.
"Yeah, let me just take this off," she said as she shrugged out of the sari. She kept an eye on Lightning, hoping for a nice reaction. Unfortunately, the other woman was either completely unimpressed, or she had a hell of a poker face.
"What is that?" Lightning asked.
"A sari. Traditional wear in Gran Pulse." Lightning 'hmm'ed' in response. "So what were you thinking?" Fang asked after a few moments.
"We start with some light-contact striking, maybe move into heavier stuff depending on how we feel," Lightning said.
"Now you're speaking my language," Fang said. "Right here?" she asked, gesturing to the mats. Lightning nodded.
"There's not a lot of space, but we shouldn't need it for what we're doing today. Here," she said as she tossed Fang a pair of grappling gloves and headgear. Fang slipped them on, watching as Lightning did the same.
"Ready there Lightning?"
The other woman stepped onto the mat, gesturing for Fang to do the same. "Let's see what you've got."
As soon as Fang moved onto the mats, Lightning struck. True to her name, she hit quickly, darting in with a flurry of blows. Fang was fast, but even she could barely keep up. Still, she managed to dodge most of the blows, and smack aside the others. She noticed immediately that she had the edge in power, though that had been pretty obvious considering their difference in size.
She took in Lightning's form. It was pretty basic; her guard was close and tight, and she was crouched down to decrease her vulnerable areas and increase her power. Fang kept her own guard loose, away from her body. She stood more upright, to take advantage of her superior reach and power. Plus she found it easier to flow from move to move, from defense to attack.
They continued to test each other for a few minutes before Lightning stepped back. Round one was done, and Fang was excited. Lightning was clearly a fantastic fighter, and judging from the easy way she was breathing, there was a lot more to see. She took a gulp of water and stepped back into their makeshift ring.
Lightning rolled her shoulders and followed, and Fang returned her action from earlier and struck as soon as her foot touched the mat. Of course, she didn't connect, but that didn't stop her from continuing her attack with more combinations. Lightning dealt with them well, ducking and slipping away from Fang's heavier strikes. The smaller woman didn't have the power to parry strikes like Fang did, but she could move them enough that she was never directly hit. She showcased her elusiveness, never falling too far back, or dodging wildly. It was almost frustrating for Fang, to get so close only to swing at air, but it was a masterclass in efficient movement, and she couldn't help being impressed.
After a few minutes, Fang began to tire. She let fly with a final combination before stepping back, as Lightning had earlier. The other woman took the signal, and stepped back as well. She grabbed a water bottle and turned to Fang.
"Not bad," she said.
"Thanks. You're pretty good too," Fang said.
"Only pretty good?"
"We haven't gotten to the really good stuff yet," Fang said. Lightning stood still for a moment, considering.
"How about it? Think you're up for a little more?"
"Yeah," Fang said immediately. "I'm always up for a little more."
"Clinches, holds, grappling sound good?" Lightning asked. Fang waited a moment.
"Well, that's okay too," she said. Lightning rolled her eyes.
Together they stepped onto the mat. Neither jumped in, both of them content to wait for the moment and react. Fang, never very patient, gave in first. Her initial strikes were quick jabs; she didn't want to leave a lot of time for Lightning to grab her arm or slip closer into grappling range. Despite her caution, Lightning moved in anyway, too fast for Fang to hit. However, before the smaller woman could do anything, Fang pulled her guard back, and Lightning danced away again.
They continued probing each other's defenses. Fang realized quickly that they were getting nowhere. She took a deep breath, and swung again, but left her arm out for a few extra moments. Sure enough, Lightning took advantage of the situation and spun in under her guard. She grabbed Fang's arm and thrust her hips back, knocking Fang off balance and sending her over her shoulder. Before Fang could tell which way was up, Lightning had her in an arm-bar. She tapped the mat, and Lightning released her.
They stood up, Lightning nodding in acknowledgment. She settled into a defensive stance, and Fang mirrored her. This time Lightning moved first, extending her range and striking quickly. It was a test, Fang realized. Lightning would leave an opening, as she had done, and if she missed it, or was too slow, she'd be worthless to the other woman as a sparring partner. She grinned at that. She'd be happy to show what she was made of.
Fang soon saw it. A punch just a tad wide, feet a little too close together. Not enough for most people to see, but then, Fang wasn't most people. She leaned forward, Lightning's blow glanced off her shoulder, and brought her knee up into the other woman's stomach. She fell back, holding a hand to her stomach. Even though Fang had held back, she figured if Lightning could showcase her speed, then she could showcase her power.
Lightning nodded again. She stepped forward and dropped down, and Fang leapt forward. She had a taste of blood, and was moving in for the kill, unleashing a series of long jabs and short knee strikes. Lightning avoided most of it, but Fang kept pushing, eventually getting close enough to grab her. The two grappled, struggling against each other as they tried to find leverage. Fang's strength almost won out when she got a hold of Lightning's arm, but the other woman bucked and slipped away. The two stood across from each other on the mat, breathing heavily.
"Again," Lightning said.
Fang bared her teeth in a vicious grin and moved in.
"I've never fought anyone like you, sunshine," Fang said as she stretched one arm across her body.
"How do you mean," Lightning asked, sitting on the ground, legs spread in a 'v'.
"You're a slippery little bugger," Fang said.
Lightning snorted. "I can't exactly take on a brute like you head on."
"I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my style," Fang laughed.
"Somehow I'm not surprised." Lightning leaned forward, almost touching her nose to the floor. Fang raised her eyebrows. After a moment, she decided to change the subject.
"So, do I pass?" she asked.
Lightning finished her stretch and stood. She gave Fang a critical look, before slowly smirking. "You'll do," she said.
There it was again. That challenging, almost flirtatious tone of voice. And considering the physicality of what they had just finished doing, Fang couldn't help but feel a little bold. She knew Lightning had claimed to be straight, but her actions, the way they got along... well, there was one way to find out for certain.
The two walked through the gym together, Lightning nodding to Sazh while Fang waved. Once outside, they stopped. They decided to meet at the gym again the following week, same time, and Lightning indicated she was heading the opposite direction from Fang.
"Before you go," Fang said. "I'd kick myself if I didn't ask. I mean, I know you already said you were, but I just kinda got... or I guess, I just wanted to know, have you ever considered it? Going out with another woman?"
Lightning's face turned blank. Fang hurried her words.
"I'm not gonna pressure you or anything, it's just, you're kind of, uh," she searched for something that wasn't too strong. "I mean, we have the same interests. You can handle my jokes, and you fight almost as well as you dance."
Lightning turned her head to look away. Her face wasn't quite blank, but Fang couldn't make out what she was thinking.
"Hey, it's just an offer. An open offer, if you're ever interested in a date; dinner and a movie, or maybe a drink- coffee, tea, whatever."
"An open offer," Lightning repeated, still staring into the distance.
"Yeah," Fang said. "Listen, forget it, if you like. I want to keep doing this, if nothing else. You're a hell of a fighter. I didn't mean to make it quite so awkward."
"It's fine," Lightning said quickly. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and looked at Fang again. "Don't get your hopes up. Of course, I already told you I wasn't interested and that didn't seem to bother you."
Fang chuckled, a little relieved that Lightning seemed to be taking her offer in stride. Or at least, wasn't completely done with her.
"Yeah, well, it takes a lot to get to me. Vanille says I'm too bull-headed for my own good."
"She's right about that," Lightning said. "Same time next week?"
"See you then," Fang said. Lightning nodded, and started to walk away. Fang watched for a few moments, then turned and started home.