Fang felt like punching Snow. She was tired of listening to his naïve bullshit.
'What this tear's been telling me, is to not let our Focus win. It's not the fal'Cie we should listen to,' Snow said, seemingly caught up in his own fantasy, 'It's Serah and Raines. Do you know why? Because our focus doesn't matter! What matters to me, is that we protect Cocoon, whatever it takes!'
Vanille had agreed with the idiot.
'Well, count me out,' she said, walking away from the group, 'If you want to go it on your own, then so will I!' she turned around, brandishing her lance, 'Let Cocoon get what's comin'. They hate us for being l'Cie, what's it to me if they die? Better that than watch a friend go Cie'th! If you don't have the nerve for it, I'll do it myself,' she growled.
Fang was shaking, with fury or pain, only she knew. Her brand burned her, shining a brilliant white. She cried out against her will, unable to keep the torrent of pain at bay.
Lightning had stood in front of her, ready to fight against Bahamut to protect Fang.
'We don't need a fal'Cie's orders, Fang,' the soldier said, 'I'm fighting this Focus to the end. We all are. So please,' she stretched her hand out and her devastatingly blue eyes gazed at Fang, 'Fight with us.'
From that moment on, Fang was helplessly, hopelessly, passionately, in love with Lightning.
Chapter Two : Terra Incognita
When Fang opened her eyes, she awakened from a dreamless sleep. She had felt Lightning shift and leave her side. She instantly missed the warmth that the soldier brought. Fang had not known that she could get used to such a comfortable presence. Granted, Lightning wasn't exactly always 'comfortable', but she was less tense than when the burden of the world rested upon her shoulders. Fang liked to think that it was because Lightning trusted her, and so allowed her to see a small bit of her weaker side. But of course, that may very well just be Fang's imagination.
'What's up?' the Oerban huntress asked, trying to shake the lingering vestiges of sleep.
'Nothing,' Lightning replied harshly, 'I just thought I felt something change.' Lightning's eyes were darting around, her hand subtly hovering behind her, close to the hilt of her gunblade. That alone told Fang much more than Lightning's words had. The stoic woman was nervous, in a scary kind of way. She looked ready to lash out.
Fang got to her feet in one smooth motion, quietly making her way to Lightning's side. She kept her lance in her hand, gripping it indolently, but her eyes were alert. Although she had not felt anything out of place, she trusted the Cocoon native's judgement. Plus, she was unfamiliar with the dangers of this place – if it had any dangers. The fact that they were not on Cocoon anymore – without soldiers or monsters on their tail, had made her let her guard down. Still, that was no excuse.
The Pulsian cursed herself for letting herself slip into a false sense of security. She nodded to Lightning, and they carefully made their way through the forest. Fang followed the gunblade-wielder's lead, for she could not feel the... whatever that Lightning felt.
It was five minutes of nerve-racking silence for the both of them. Fang felt like she was walking blind, just stumbling in enemy territory without having the slightest clue about the enemy, even whether they existed. Lightning could feel something, it was like a ripple that travelled through everything. She was unsure if it was a threat, but she still felt something watching her every move.
Although it was just five minutes, it felt like much more than that to them.
The soldier and the huntress finally saw a break in the greenery. Piercing blue eyes met bright emerald ones as they gave each other a startled glance, did the forest end here? Both hurried towards the bright light. As they neared the change of scenery, they hastened their paces until they were almost running.
What awaited them was beyond anything they had ever expected.
'Holy Maker...' Fang exhaled as she beheld the sight before her, lifting her hand to shield herself from the sudden glare of the sunlight.
Lightning silently mouthed the words, 'Etro,' when she saw what lay beyond.
They were standing atop a cliff. What lay below them were impossibly wide plains. The vista stretched out as far as their eye could see. From their viewpoint, they could survey everything. There was wildlife dotting the vast expanse of land. They saw figures resembling Behemoth Kings, Megistotherians, and even Adamantoises moving along the plains. There were many more smaller dots, too far to be recognised even by Fang's critical hunter's eye.
As Lightning's eyes swept to the left of the vista before her, she saw the plains slowly progressing in to a wild, untamed jungle. A river was flowing from the jungle and then across the seemingly boundless plains. She glanced around her, and realised they were not on a cliff, but an escarpment. For what stretched out on both sides of them were also elevated lands continuous of what they were standing on, signalling the end of the artificial-real forest.
'Is this home?' the Pulsian asked, referring to Gran Pulse, taking a deep breath.
'Maybe,' Lightning replied, 'But look up,' she said, eyes staring at the sky above them.
Cocoon hung near the horizon. Even from this distance, it was clear as day that it was Cocoon, for it could be none other. However, there was something different about it. Something very different.
The surface of the floating sphere was completely unblemished. Where both of them expected to see a giant gash on Cocoon's outer rim, there was no sign of any breach, much less a rift or even a crack. It was a strange sight to behold, and it unsettled Lightning. Even Fang, who has seen Cocoon's perfect form, was shaken.
'Where the hell are we?' Fang asked, knowing she was not going to get any answer. At least, not from the pink-haired woman beside her.
'That's what I would like to know,' Lightning said softly, eyes still roaming across the majestic, yet wild scenery laid out before her, her heart echoing the huntress' words.
Unlike in the unreal forest, a strong wind was blowing here, carrying the musky scent of wild animals and the slightly less noticeable hint of fresh grass after a summer rain. Looking down, they saw the grass swaying with the passage of the wind, creating ripples that radiated throughout the plains. A breeze wandered by, ruffling Fang's hair and leaving it even more disordered than before.
'Did we somehow travel back time?' Fang wondered with a frown on her face, 'Or have we been in crystal stasis for so long that Cocoon has healed itself?'
'Perhaps,' Lightning paused, 'We're in crystal stasis, and none of this is real.'
The lance-wielder nodded, accepting that they would be getting nowhere by just asking questions. The questions wouldn't answer themselves anyway. She crept closer to the scarp's edge, bending down on one knee. Fang glanced down and surveyed the rocky surface of the wall of the escarpment. She glanced around, there was no other way down except by climbing.
'C'mere, Light.'
When Lightning moved silently to her side, she glanced down, then sideways too. 'Odin and Bahamut?' she asked, her glacial blue eyes seeking Fang's jade ones for confirmation. Fang nodded. They reached for their power and summoned their loyal servants.
Nothing happened.
Their Eidolons did not come to their aid,
'Apparently, we have lost our l'Cie powers,' Fang stated the obvious.
Lightning glanced down again and said, 'I guess Eidolons are out then.'
'There's another way down,' the huntress grinned, 'An' it's better than Eidolons.'
Fang pointed down below and explained how they were going to reach the bottom, to the plains. Fortunately, the scarp face was rocky and jagged, providing numerous handholds. The way down was littered with a few ledges, and Fang explained to Lightning the easiest path down, pointing and tracing a route with her fingers.
It was not a complicated or dangerous path, to be honest. An Oerban child could have made it down easily in a matter of minutes.
'Ready?' Fang grinned at the soldier, excited to be finally getting a little workout.
'You bet,' the stoic soldier met Fang's gaze evenly and nodded for the Pulsian to begin their descent.
Fang had wanted to go first so she could guide Lightning down if the Cocoon native encountered difficulties during the climb down. However, Lightning too made her way down with ease, following the route the Oerban had previously highlighted to her. The huntress was enjoying the descent immediately. She did not even try to avert her eyes from Lightning's unquestionably sexy ass. Fang grinned up at Lightning when she reached one of the ledges jutting out from the rocky surface.
'Do they even teach this at Cocoon military?' Fang smirked, teasing her friend lightly, slightly taken aback at Lightning's steady progress downwards. But once she thought about it, she really shouldn't be surprised. After all, the soldier was Lightning.
'What do you think?' Lightning tried to suppress the smile.
'I think you're one amazing, badass woman,' the compliment came from nowhere, and it was what Fang sincerely thought.
Unfortunately, she received no answer. The climb down was completed quite uneventfully, except for that one alarming moment when Lightning grabbed on to a loose rock. She almost lost her balance, swearing loudly and vehemently, but quickly regained it. 'Don't scare me like that...' Fang had muttered under her breath, heart thudding quickly and body full of adrenaline.
When their feet finally met solid ground, Lightning let out a puff of breath. Fang smirked, sadistically glad that the soldier had been at least a little disconcerted during the climb down, but wisely decided against teasing Lightning.
'So, what's the plan now?' the Pulsian looked expectantly at Lightning.
The woman who normally took the lead shrugged, 'You decide,' she said.
'Light sure is full of surprises today,' Fang thought to herself, surprised at how easily the Cocoon native gave up leadership. 'You hungry?' she asked, ''Cause I am.'
Lightning nodded emotionlessly, she understood what Fang was implying, 'Hunting it is, then.'
Fang turned her sight to the monsters on the plain, 'Let's get closer, then we go with the flow,' the huntress grinned, unable to wait to hit some baddies.
'No plan as always,' Lightning arched an eyebrow, but said no further.
They ran from the scarp, shoes thudding on the soft grass that wavered ever so slightly. As they neared a Adamantoise, their steps slowed until they were standing side by side, staring up at the great monster.
'Fuck!' Lightning cursed viciously as the Adamantoise spotted them and let loose an earth-shaking roar. She grabbed Fang and they ran toward a large boulder, hoping the creature would not continue to chase them. Unfortunately, when they peered out from behind the boulder, the Adamantoise was still lumbering towards them. It moved faster than any Adamantoise they had fought before. It looked different, too.
'What the hell is that fucking beast?' Fang swore. Adamantoises did not roar at tiny little people. The tiny little people have not even harmed it, much less touched it. The monsters did not chase tiny little people who just happened to walk a little too near to it. It should not chase those tiny people that were evidently running from it and posed no more threat.
'Run!' the soldier pushed Fang roughly and they continued running, this time with Lightning leading them back toward the escarpment. She hoped her instincts was not wrong, and she was not dooming the both of them by trapping themselves against the wall of solid rock.
'We should fight it!' the Oerban shouted, following Lightning's lead reluctantly.
'Don't be an idiot! It's only the two of us, and we have no l'Cie powers!' the soldier lashed out, 'Or haven't you noticed that this isn't your normal Adamantoise?' she snapped.
Fang glanced back, and glimpsed the enormous creature hot on their tail. It had huge tusks that gleamed in the sunlight, and eyes that stared viciously back at their prey. There were spikes running down its spine, and hard scales lining its body, especially the legs. Its feet were slightly smaller and more flexible, allowing faster movement, but Fang had no doubt that the monster could smash them into tiny little bits just as easily.
As they neared the escarpment, the Adamantoise seemed to be slowing down and losing interest. At last, it stopped chasing them completely and turned around, resuming whatever it was that these type of Adamantoises did, when not chasing tiny little people.
The two women only stopped running when the thundering steps of the huge beast faded away.
'That,' Fang said, 'Was kinda fun.'
Lightning shook her head irritably, 'The wildlife here don't seem to like this place,' she said, referring to the wall of rock that they had climbed down on. 'They don't come near here.'
The Pulsian looked at the land along the escarpment, and found that Lightning was right. 'Well I for one am glad it's you that's with me.'
'The question still remains, where in Maker's name are we?' Lightning glared out to the plains, as if demanding and answer from it.
'Light, does it really matter?' the huntress said impatiently.
'No, I suppose not,' the soldier appeared unconvinced.
'As long as we survive, it don't matter if this is Gran Pulse or crystal stasis. We just survive.'
A/N :
Looking back at some cutscenes, Lightning really is not the super pissed off, stoic soldier most of the time, as opposed to how most fanfic authors write her. Plus, she always seemed to be more open and relaxed when alone with Fang. That is why, in Crystal Eternity, Lightning does not appear to be tensed up all the time.
Thank you for reading and I hope everything was alright with this chapter. And please leave a review!
