Hello everybody! It's been quite a while since the first chapter and I'm pleased to know that you are enjoying my story so far! Thinking about a plot line on your own for a fanfiction is harder than I thought it would be but I'm doing my best to give you something that you will like!
And now, let us go to the second chapter of "Unknown Shores"
-Lightning's POV-
Wiping the sweat off her face with a wet towel, Lightning took a deep breath to calm herself. It had been quite a while since she had done any physical exercise, let alone fight.
But still, it felt damn good.
She had managed to let off quite a huge amount of stress and frustration in her spar with Fang and this made her feel quite refreshed despite her physical tireness.
"Well,*cough cough*, I'll be damned but you putted in some extra energy today, sunshine." Her sparring partner said, lying against a wall as she breathed heavily. "What did I do to deserve that?"
Lightning looked down on the dark-haired woman, who still had her ever-present grin despite her best efforts to erase it.
"THAT was for making me late." She scowled back. "Did you really have to use a street sign and destroy the whole god-damn fence with it?!"
"'Guy had an iron pipe. It was only fair that I use a weapon too. As for the fence… well, collateral damage, y' know."
"More like 'natural disaster' to me…" Lightning muttered before pausing looking at her friend once more. "And wipe that grin off your face! I have about one hour to get home and change so that Serah doesn't realize I got into a fight… again, and I don't want to beat to you to a pulp one more time!" She exclaimed, her anger rising once again.
Fang only smiled wider. "No can do. Fightin' with ya is just too fun." She said before giving her pink-haired friend a teasing look. "And don't tell me you didn't enjoy it. It's all written on your face."
Lightning huffed in disdain at Fang's comment before throwing her towel to Fang, who received it in said face with a groan and started to wipe the sweat and dirt.
"So… How was the new guy? Girls are sayin' he's hot." The dark-haired started to talk again, much to Lightning's displeasure, as she pressed the towel on her left cheek, where one of the pinkette's blows had managed to catch her off guard.
Lightning sighed in annoyance. "Again with the gossip?" she said, shaking her head. "I mean, sure he's quite young to be a teacher at the Academy but still… he's not that special." She answered as she leaned against the wall and crosses her arms.
"You didn't answer the question, Farron. Is. He. Hot?" Fang replied with a grin, knowing her friend was trying to dodge the subject.
Gah! How can she be so annoying?! But two can play at that game.
"Why does it matter to you? Last time I checked, you weren't into guys." Lightning countered.
"It matters to me, sunshine, because I want to know if my best friend is finally considering getting laid." The dark-haired answered with a straight face.
If she had been drinking, Lightning would have spit or choked her drink in shock. In fact, she choked.
What the hell?! You've got to be kidding me!
"Fang! He's a TEACHER, for God's sake!" she exclaimed in indignation. "Even if I was interested in him, there's no way it would work!"
"Ah… But ARE you interested, or not?" Fang continued to pry with a teasing grin.
"Ugh… This is going nowhere! And I don't have time to loose with things like this."
"If you don't answer the question, sunshine, then I'll have to take it as a yes."
HELL NO!
"Damnit, FINE!" the pinkette said reluctantly. "Yes, he's 'hot', as you said, but I'm NOT interested nor do I have the time to BE interested!" she shouted.
"Finally some honesty!" Fang exclaimed, making a 'hurray' motion with her arms. "Was it so hard?"
"It would be easier if you weren't so annoying!"
"You're forcing me to annoy you with your turtle syndrome!"
"Is that supposed to be an insult?!"
"No! That's a statement!"
As they continued to bicker, Lightning didn't notice the familiar figure that was making its way toward them, wondering who could be so noisy. It was only when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat that she stopped talking to look at the intruder. Instantly recognizing the platinum hair and the green eyes that were looking at them, Lightning palmed her face with a groan as Fang's jaw dropped.
Talk about bad timing… 'Speak of the devil' as they say.
"May I ask… what you ladies are talking about so loudly?" the teacher asked as he looked around. "And why does it look like a hurricane stormed the very place itself?" he added after a pause.
Lightning just groaned louder as Fang bursted in laugher.
"Nothing, sir! Just girl stuff, y' know." the dark-haired said as she stood up. "As for the room... well, my friend and I were just having our usual sparring session, that's all."
"What Fang is trying to say, Mr Estheim, is that it was nothing serious." Lightning tried to explain.
The said philosophy teacher raised an eyebrow at her. "If by 'sparring session" and 'nothing serious' you are talking about those bruises that I'm seeing over your arms, legs, and faces, then I'm sorry to say that I disgree." he replied before narrowing his eyes. "This is NOT nothing. That, or the meaning of the word 'sparring' has changed since the last time I checked."
Fang only laughed louder at that. "Believe me, mister, that was just a spar. If it had been a real fight, the whole room would've been reduced to the ground by now!"
"Is that so?" Mr Estheim said, looking at the bronze-skinned woman. "I guess I should be grateful that I've come in time to stop this 'spar' from turning into a 'fight'." the man sighed slightly before he looked at them and crossed his arms. "But now, you are going to put this room back to how it was before and then you will both come with me to the sick bay in order to treat those bruises."
Lightning just stood there, speechless at what was happening before her. Any other teacher would've scolded them harshly or punished them by now!
Fang managed to calm herself from her laugher and smiled brightly at the platinum-haired man. "Oh? And how d'ya intend to make me listen to ya if I don't want to?" she said as she stepped toward him.
Estheim only raised a curious eyebrow as he brought his hand to his chin. "I did not think about something like that. I just assumed you would do it since it was you who wrecked the place. But if you don't want to, I'm not going to force you. I'm not the type to force people into doing something they don't wish to do." he replied with a shrug.
For a moment the whole room felt silent.
Is he serious?
Lightning couldn't help but think again that indeed, for once, the gossip was true about him being way different than the other teachers she was used to.
Fang started to laugh again. "Well! Ain't ya an interesting one! I think I like you already Mr... Estheim, right?" she said between her laughs before turning to Lightning. "Alright, let's clean this up, Farron."
Lightning's jaw dropped at that.
Fang, listening to a teacher?! This must be a dream. Yep, I'm dreaming and I'm going to wake up.
"Well, miss Farron? You're not going to let your friend do all the work by herself, are you?" said teacher's voice snapped her back to reality.
"N-no, sir. I was just lost in my thoughts." Lightning replied before she hurried to move the crates in their original place and pick up the boxing gloves that had fallen from it.
"If either of you needs help, don't hesitate to ask." she heard Estheim say.
As they were returning the room back to it's state before their spar, Lightning could feel the gaze of the teacher on them. Occasionally, he would come to fix something that didn't seem right to him or make a remark on the dents their spar had left on some objects. All in all, it took them a good ten minutes to put everything back into place.
"Now that this has been taken care of, let us treat those bruises." Estheim said, apparently satisfied of their work. "If you'll follow me to the sick bay." he added but Fang raised a hand to stop him.
"I'll pass. There's some stuff I have to take care of. And 'sides, I'm used to getting bruises like these." she said.
Not wasting the opportunity, Lightning quickly added her own part. "Sorry, Mr Estheim, but I'll pass as well. I still have work to do and I don't wish to worry my sister."
The silver haired teacher looked at both of them for a moment before sighing. "Very well. I'll let you off this time." Lightning let out a sigh of relief but he raised one finger at them. "But! If I find you in a similar state, or worse, you WILL come to the sick bay, period. Am I clear?" he said and Lightning had to repress the urge to salute.
"Yes, sir." both she and Fang replied.
Estheim nodded. "Well then, I wish you a good evening, miss Farron, miss Oerba Yun." he said before going for the teachers' parking, leaving the two of them in the gymnasium.
As soon as he was gone, they went straight for the exit of the complex. As they were walking, Fang elbowed her.
"Damn! How can you NOT be interested, sunshine?! Guy's hot! Even by my standards! And that's sayin' something." the dark-haired told her friend.
Lightning just huffed. "I told you: I don't have the time to be interested and it wouldn't work out anyway."
Fang sighed. "All this seriousness, professional and no-nonsense attitude are going to kill you, Farron. You should relax a bit."
"Again, Fang, I just don't have the time for it. And I can't believe I'm saying this but without the money Snow was sparing from his part time job to help Serra and I, I would have quit my studies and been gone to the army by now."
"Ha! I can already see it: 'Sergent Lightning Farron, pride of our country's army'." her friend replied in a dreamy voice before laughing. "From a cop to a soldier, talk about a change! But don't you worry, sunshine. If you or Serah ever have some problems, you can always come to me an' Vanille and you can be sure that we'll help ya! There's now way we'd let our friends down. 'Sides, I don't think the old man would let you quit your studies anyway."
"Sometimes, I wonder if you and Mr Katzroy aren't relatives..." Lightning muttered under her breath.
"Who knows? Maybe the old man and I have common roots that go way back in time" Fang joked
But Lightning had to admit that her friend was right.
Sazh Katzroy, the headmaster of the academy, was like a second father to a lot of students. The 'old man', as Fang called him, was always spending a lot of time and effort in helping and talking to the students. Some even said that he knew the names of every single person in the academy.
When her and Serah's parents had passed away in a traffic accident, Mr Katzroy had come personally to the their home after the funerals to talk to them. It had been quite a shock for Lightning to see the forty years old man with his afro standing at her door. After quite a long discussion about the Farron sisters' future, the headmaster had left them with those words: "If you need help, just ask me and I'll do everything I can."
Considering the man's personality, Fang was probably saying the truth about him never letting her drop her studies. He might even pay them himself rather than watch her go to the army.
"Well then, I'm off! Take care sunshine!" Fang said as she jogged away.
"Right. Don't force too much, Fang!" Lightning said as she watched her friend leave.
"Yeah yeah!" the dark-haired waved her off without looking back.
"That girl... seriously..." Lightning muttered as she shook her head.
But I have no right to judge her. I was the same, not that long ago.
Looking at her bruised hand, she sighed.
How am I gonna find a good excuse for that? Serah is gonna be pissed...
-Hope's POV-
Hope sighed as he laid the files on his desk. All in all, a bit less than three hundred students had written their names on the lists in the hope of attending his classes. Some had even send notes to him in his personal locker. He knew in advance that he was most likely to choose students from the last tier of the lists since they were those who still had written their names after all the others and therefore the ones that were the most likely to take his classes seriously.
But he knew that he was still in for a restless evening spent in checking every student's file thoroughly. Fortunately enough, the headmaster had given him the files that he himself had made so Hope wouldn't have to check the students on the academy's network. And, truth to be told, the personal impression the headmaster had of every student was intriguing him.
Taking a deep breath and passing a hand into his silver hair, he opened the first file.
"Rachel Wilder. 2nd year in sciences, doesn't seem to have interest in anything in particular, marks are below average... expert in seduction? Had six official boyfriends last year along with three 'unofficial' ones? Comes from a rich family. Spoiled and egocentric brat?!"
Hope blinked, making sure his eyes hadn't imagined things. Nope, this was indeed what the headmaster himself had wrote about the student. If that was how the old man was doing things, Hope wasn't sure what he was going to see in those files.
"Oh well... No use dwelling over it. That's one out, let's check the next one. Hum... Alexandra Race. 3rd year in physics, average marks, aims to become a... dancer and... marry a celebrity? Dancing club... has received two warnings for bullying in and outside the school. Probably rackets younger students?!"
This time, Hope pinched the bridge of his nose. Was this a big joke or was the headmaster serious in his judgment?
"Another one out, I guess. Next is... Leia Rolland. 2nd year in communication, marks slightly below average, aims to become a journalist. Captain of the volleyball club? Master of the broom?! 'One cute little ball of energy, always cheerful and ready to help. A bit of a klutz though'?!"
Joined to the file were actual photos of the girl and Hope couldn't help but laugh slightly at the situation the gril was into when they had been taken. She had short light brown hair and always had a broom near her, which apparently she didn't have any hesitation in swinging.
With a shake of his head, Hope closed the file and laid it on the small table beside him. He already had one possible student on the third file. He chuckled again as he took the next file.
"At least, I'm not gonna get bored anytime soon."
And so, four a few hours, the silver haired teacher continued to go through the files of his potential students. After he had done the first hundred, he had quickly understood he would have to reduce the list once again later. At the rate the files were piling up on the table, he would reach fifty in no time.
"I guess it was too early to judge. There are some promising students indeed. I may end up with having two classes if this goes on. Now, let's see..." His eyes widened at the name of the next file. "Claire 'Lightning' Farron. 2nd year in sciences. Good marks, has no clear goal at the moment. Known as the 'Ice Queen' by many people. Was a street fighter until recently along with Fang Oerba Yun and now have a part-time job inside the police. The girl's attitude changed drastically after she and her sister's parents passed away. She was more lively being a troublemaker. I considered getting an acquittance of mine for a psychological examination but decided to wait and see how things would turn out. I hope that their situation will become better in time."
Hope lowered the file. He had known at first glance that there was something different about this girl compared to the other students but that wasn't what he had expected. He thought that, if anything, she was just more realistic than most of them but it wasn't the case.
"She has learned that the world isn't full of rainbows and smiles the hard way. Just like I did..."
In his mind, the image of a silver haired woman smiling at him was replaced by another scenery. A train crash, with a bloodied fourteen years old Hope clutching the lifeless body of Nora Estheim, his mother.
"Maybe we're more similar than I thought."
Placing the file apart from the others on the table, Hope released a breath he didn't know he was holding and took the next file. The night had only just began and he still had work to do.
There you go folks! Chapter two is here after quite a long time. Once again, I apologize for the delay and feel free to review to express your thoughts and opinions!
This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Unknown Shores", signing out.