Eek. So, decided I'd do a bit of a longer chapter… also decided I probably -really- need a beta reader after having a brief gander through this. Bit more dialogue between characters (and a few more characters to boot), but I'm still trying to keep it plenty descriptive since there are lots of positive reviews coming in about that. Finding a healthy balance is a pain. :c
There was different musical inspiration dependant on the part of the story I was working with, and since it's like 3am, I'm unfortunately in no condition to remember them right now. :c I'll post them next chapter to make up for it.
My hopes for and the intention behind this chapter? Whet your appetite a little bit by tossing you some plot that really won't mean much of anything until several more chapters down the road. :D It's only a little bit sadistic of me.
Chapter Two: Destroyed
"Hey, Fang! Slow down!"
With a huff, a redheaded girl ran through the tiny village of Oerba, bare feet padding soundly across the dirt path beneath them as she stared ahead, perfectly focused. Or at least, trying to be. She had a tendency to let her mind wander, which usually didn't work too well in her favour. Aha, but not today! Today was about chasing down her elusive best friend, and not about distractions - hey, that was a really pretty flower!
Thud!
She hit the ground, feet tangled in a root she hadn't noticed from one of the nearby trees. Her eyes immediately welled up, lower lip coming forwards to create a tiny pout as she sniffled and moved to a sitting position, her left leg bent so the knee could be hugged close to her body. You might've thought, at nineteen, that she was beyond crying over scrapes and bruises. Then again, you also might've thought that she would've been prepared to walk like a normal human being, instead of trying to keep up with the superwoman that was Oerba Yun Fang. Said superwoman had turned around at the sound of her best friend falling, and was currently hanging upside-down from the tree in question, staring anxiously at the redhead.
"Are you alright there, love?" A shake of the head to indicate that no, she was not, in fact, alright. Green eyes peeked to the side, watching as the dark-haired woman strode over to her in a heartbeat. There was a brief hand motion made, indicating that she should let her friend take a look at the leg. "How bad is it? Let's take a look-see…"
"Owww… that really hurt, Fang," she muttered as the other poked her kneecap experimentally, standing and making a good show of hobbling. It was when the other went to support her that she slammed her weight onto both feet with no problem at all and, with a giggle, smacked the older woman's shoulder. "Tag!" And then she was off, leaving a stunned Fang in her wake as she headed through the foliage, giggling all the way.
Oerba Dia Vanille wins again, she mused, her sprint turning quickly to a happy skip and, eventually, a leisurely stroll as she soon realised that, if she was being pursued at all, it was rather quietly. Perhaps she was indeed alone out there… making her way through the dense foliage along the outskirts of Oerba. She could scarcely smell the smoke from her village anymore when turning back occurred to her, feet bringing her to an all-out halt.
A single, red flower lay before her, probably the exact size as her fist. It hung from thorns, a dangling beauty. Vanille struggled to recall its name, scratching the top of her head with a pout. What on Cocoon could it have been… there had been plenty as little as ten years ago. But as more and more of Oerba became the industrial part of Cocoon, they lost their wildlife, their heritage… themselves. Their colour. She allowed her fingers to touch and dance along the bright red petals, carefully avoiding the thorns as she felt a pair of arms snake around her from behind.
"You always were easily distracted…"
Vanille smiled, turning around in her best friend's arms to return the hug, letting it become almost bone-crushing as she flung her arms around Fang's neck and squeezed. "It's just… it's so beautiful here."
"Not as beautiful as it used to be," the other lamented, rubbing the redhead's back in lazy circles.
"There's… less colour," Vanille admitted, pulling away to stare at the lone flower as her shoulders sagged. Their beautiful world was turning into the tortured pit outsiders had always believed it to be. Was she stupid enough to think that they'd ever change their minds? No. Especially not now. But she would've loved to continue to live knowing that they were wrong. They were judging blindly, without knowing.
Fang's head dipped, and the younger of the pair caught her friend staring at her, immediately pasting a smile onto her features. "Come on, let's get back to the village!" The taller of the pair nodded with a slight shrug and grin of her own. The pair began their journey back, meandering about the foliage and taking their sweet time. Vanille was particularly careful around any upturned roots this time around, gingerly stepping over the one that had originally tripped her. As she was looking down to avoid this, she ran straight into the woman up front, pouting and rubbing the top of her head. "Why are we stopping?"
"Vanille… run."
"Huh?"
"I said run!"
No more time to talk or think, the redhead was hastily yanked in the opposite direction, moving her legs as fast as they would take her as she was pulled forwards by her arm, a panting Fang keeping the lead. "What - what is it!" she managed to get out, ducking to avoid a low-hanging branch as they finally parted, her keeping up along the ground as her friend took to the trees, climbing and leaping between them with speed and grace she only wished she possessed.
"Dark matter."
Two words was all it took to make her blood shoot cold as ice through her veins. She ran like a woman possessed, and didn't look back.
"Sergeant Farron, good to see you back," he stated idly, seemingly bored with the drama she'd brought into the office just by returning. Lightning hadn't bothered to listen to the whispers - they filtered through her as easily as water through spread fingers. The first sergeant seemed miffed, however. And that just might've been putting it mildly as he barked at a private they passed by who had stopped to stare. "Don't you have anything else to do, private?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" He hastily scampered away, knowing his place was more in the shadows when there were people of a higher rank wandering about. The first sergeant grumbled, rubbing his temples as he walked forwards. Lightning trailed wordlessly behind, drinking in the base.
Everything was crafted from chrome, and powered by concentrated matter. She knew the place like the back of her hand, gloved or otherwise. "As you know, there was a sighting in Oerba two days ago," he began at his leisure, waving a hand as if to dismiss the… happening. "The village was wiped out. No survivors. We'll be holding a mass for them on Friday, to honour their little backwater community. In time, people will forget about Oerba - what they won't forget about, Sergeant, is if you let it happen here. Or any of the other big cities, for that matter. Sensors are showing a higher concentration of dark matter in the area as of late. I'm sure you know what that means." Of course she did. Patrol duty. Hours upon gruelling hours of no sleep, no sitting down, no eating, no drinking. Just standing and walking the same square kilometre, protecting it from something that nobody had any clue how to stop, should it even come.
It could last for days before they sent relief. Oh, goodie glee.
The only bright side to the entire affair was that if she was focused on strange happenings and on edge, she could forget about Serah. Or at least, forget about what had potentially happened to Serah. And without sleep, you couldn't dream. No dreams, no nightmares. It'd probably be the best few days she'd get to suffer through all month. "I'm giving you the Square," he stated, stopping and lowering his voice. "That is, if you can pull yourself together enough to handle such an area. I'll give you a group of privates to command. I'll even put in a good word to have you promoted to staff sergeant. Just, for everything you're fucking worth, keep that Square safe. Understood, Sergeant?"
"Understood, sir."
"At ease. You'll be sent out at nineteen hundred hours, set to patrol for forty-six. Are you prepared?"
"Yes sir."
"Excellent. You're dismissed until duty, sergeant." Both spun on their heels and marched away, Lightning bowing her head as she thought to herself of the mission she'd just been handed. Protect the square. Right. He said it like it was going to be easy, something along the lines of 'here, watch this baby', or 'can you eat my ice cream scoop for me?'
Truth be told, she was hardly prepared. But she would be by the time nightfall came. Ready and waiting for any signs of trouble. Usually, having even one Guardian in an area would discourage any troublemakers from stirring the pot. Having a small platoon? You'd have to have a death wish. She scoffed at the thought, hand instinctively flying to her gunblade where it rested against her thighs in a tough leather scabbard. It felt nice to have some power behind her again. Something tangible that wasn't going to leave and never come back. Something she could hold onto. Something to rely on.
The strawberry blonde's eyes cut sideways to the private from earlier, spying him staring at her. Another gossip monger, waiting for a morsel to share with the other troops. She threw her head up, straightened her shoulders, and walked with the confidence anyone would have expected of her before Serah's… before there hadn't been a Serah in her life anymore. She took long, purposeful strides, and exited the room without so much as a backwards glance.
Let them gossip about that.
Nineteen hundred hours, the Square in the city of Eden was quiet. As expected, really, given the amount of Guardians wafting about. Various ranks represented, mostly privates, and then herself. The lone sergeant to oversee them all. Quaint, really. They were strategically positioned throughout the place. She had, of course, given herself enough room to operate in relative solitude. Every so often, one of her privates would stop by to report, but the square was as expected for the most part - silent. Lightning personally detested the quiet. It left her too much time to wallow in the would have been's and the could have been's.
Her mouth felt surprisingly dry without the liquor. She was still stunned that she'd managed to develop such a dependence on alcohol. Her mind roamed to Snow's lame hints that perhaps she'd enjoy an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, before he'd corrected himself. Remembering that nowadays, she didn't enjoy anything at all.
He'd been ever persistent though. Want to watch a movie, Lightning? Want to take a ride on my bike, Lightning? Want to spend time together watching clouds and picking daisies, Lightning?
It was as though he thought that her being eternally annoyed was better than a self-deprecating mess. He could've very well have been right, though she never would've admitted it. "Sergeant Farron - "
"Return to your post, private," she commanded, voice smooth and controlled. Like she used to be. How she wished she still was. The man before her shifted nervously from one foot to the other, biting his lip. Inwardly, she sighed. "What?"
"Someone said they saw dark matter," he whispered, shuddering so hard it was difficult to miss.
If you find the one person weaker than you currently are, try to stifle a groan. Or take two drinks, whatever's more convenient come that point in time.
"And I guess we're just expected to believe everything people say that they saw?" He trembled in response. "Nevermind. Just take me to it." He flitted off to the west, Lightning mentally marking her previous position. She was fairly certain she'd be returning to it once she debunked this theory. Honestly, one little backwater village gets wiped off the map, and the whole world is up in arms. Not that it had been the first - and if things continued, it certainly would not be the last. She frowned, slowing a touch. Serah had never trusted matter as a means of energy. She'd always said there was something about the way it was processed that made her uneasy.
It was times like these she wondered why she never listened. "Right here, Sergeant."
Blue-green eyes narrowing, she gave the area a fair scan, though with the setting sun it was made a touch difficult to look for their silent enemy. A solid minute passed, then another before she turned her gaze back to the shivering man. "Private, there's nothing here."
"B-but…"
"You're dismissed. Take a day off before your ranting scares the locals."
"Y-yes Sergeant." The metaphorical dog with a tail between his legs, his shoulders slumped as he walked away, muttering something or other about how he was so certain he'd seen something. The blonde sighed, casting one glance to each of the shadows in the area before turning on the heel of her boot and marching back the way she'd came.
There was nothing to worry about in Eden. At least, not that night.
Linowscar - Thanks! I'm glad that the prologue and first chapter went over as well as they did, honestly. I haven't, you know, gone back and read them or anything, but still am very glad. xD I'm going to definitely be working on character development, and I'm currently thinking about ways to tie it in with the plot, etc. Hopefully I can cultivate an environment where that sort of thing stays as easy as it has been thus far.
Tuume - Thank you! You're always one to catch onto what I was aiming for, so I never really feel the need to gently nudge in my review replies what you should be looking for in the mood of each chapter. :3 Hopefully I keep doing this justice.
YACCBS - Oh thank heavens for the name abbreviation! I mean, I totally copied and pasted before, but that's besides the point. A bit of something in this chapter to tide us over as we meander through the next few chapters, etc. I thought about breaking it up, but figured I'd best give you all a taste now of things that're coming before we maybe focus a bit more on something else come next chapter, etc. I have ideas. 8D Which is good for me, really. Kind of a new experience. xD Less angst here, but I won't say you should give up hope for more. It'll come. ;D
Haruka-Chan 212 - It could be, it could be! :D At least, it seems to be! Haha, thanks. Another update here. :3
SinisterPurr - Aww, thank you. :3 Like I've been saying in the other review replies, we're shaking it up a tiny bit here, trying to explore the world a bit, etc. Hopefully I'm not getting boring or anything. :3
SunflowerWielder - The magic of flashback, yarr! Ooh, Recessional is amazing, yes! :D I'm so glad someone commented on the music, because I'm kind of planning on doing that for each chapter. Except this one. Because I'm kind of really tired. I'm very excited that you said it was more realistic at a slower pace, because that's really what I'm going for.
metacog - Thank you! And yes, I definitely have plans! I'm glad the flashback served its purpose and didn't completely put people off! But sometimes, they just seem so… necessary to build upon a character. When you start with them destroyed, I feel it's maybe a touch more emphatic to show that they weren't always a hot mess. :D
Badboyzkg - Thank you! Here, have another. :3
alike - Thanks! :3 I'm hoping I'm pumping these out fast enough… I know the key is to get you all hooked, then slack off a bit. ;D It's kind of like cocaine. :D
AzureIfrit - Thanks so much. :3 I'm really trying to pace myself. I get excited every now and again, and it's like… no, Provocative, rein it in. We'll do that in a few more chapters. xD But yay, plot sampler in chapter two!
I just want to once again thank everybody for reviewing. :3 I totally monitor hits to the story, how many people are subbing for alerts and (making me blush) adding as a favourite story. It's completely flattering to know that anybody's reading, let alone the amount of people that are. So a quick shout-out to you all - I'll write as long as you enjoy it. :3
