Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from any of the Final Fantasy games or characters.
"All right, looks like your leg is pretty much healed. You shouldn't do anything too strenuous for the next couple of days or you'll aggravate the wound and it won't heal perfectly," Rinoa was reciting as she took off Vanille's cast.
The red-head shifted her leg around to test it and it seemed strong enough. It certainly didn't hurt anymore.
"Um...Rinoa?" Vanille hesitantly tried to get the woman's attention. When she looked up, Vanille continued, "Do you have any clothes I can borrow?" She didn't want to wear her dirty ripped outfit she had been wearing in Galbadia, nor this hospital gown while at Balamb Garden.
"Oh, don't worry, I asked Selphie to bring some down for you, since you two are about the same size," Rinoa turned around and lifted said clothes off of the bedside table. They looked to be a simple pair of jean shorts and a light blue tank top.
"Could you tell her 'thank you' for me?" Vanille asked. The generosity of these people was something she was unaccustomed to. Living in Galbadia, a L'Cie was lucky to be ignored rather than threatened, but never in the few years she had lived there had she been shown kindness.
"You can do that yourself in a few minutes. She's going to be showing you around Garden," said Rinoa as she threw away the remains of the cast, "can you stand up?"
Vanille was fairly certain she could, so she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her bare feet touched the cold linoleum floor which caused her to shiver a bit. Slowly putting her weight on her legs she pushed herself off of the bed. She was a little wobbly at first but that was because she practically hadn't walked in a whole day unless you counted the hopping to the bathroom. Rinoa put a steadying arm on her elbow but after a few steps she was perfectly fine.
"Go ahead and get changed in the bathroom and Selphie should be here soon," Rinoa suggested, letting go of Vanille.
"Thanks, Rinoa," She was deeply grateful for all of the kindness Rinoa had shown her and she hoped it was apparent in her voice.
"Don't mention it and you can call me Rin," She responded giving her a warm smile.
Vanille came out of the bathroom after changing into the borrowed clothes in time to see a young woman with medium length, brown hair that was flipped out talking animatedly with Rinoa. Almost as soon as Vanille had stepped out of the bathroom Selphie turned to her and started talking a mile a minute.
"Hiya! You must be Vanille! I'm Selphie! Are you ready to go?" Selphie said quickly bouncing up and down in excitement. Not waiting for an answer she grabbed Vanille by the arm and led her, practically skipping, out of the Infirmary.
"No strenuous activity!" Rinoa yelled futilely after them
"They had to have been tipped off by one of our soldiers. How else would they have known exactly when we were coming? They obviously knew with enough time to execute their...plan," Tidus seethed to Squall. The idea that one of their own had betrayed them and as a result hundreds of people had died was infuriating to him.
"We are all in agreement with that, but that doesn't help us get any closer to discovering who it is," Cloud shot back impatiently. The whole mission had affected everyone negatively. Cloud had not been in the town square but what he had heard was enough to make his blood boil.
Just like yesterday they had discussed who or what had caused them to fail so miserably and, like yesterday, they were no closer to discovering who the double agent could be. It was difficult to admit there was a traitor in their midst because Squall himself had handpicked all of the cadets in Garden. If there truly was a betrayal, as there must have been, Squall felt responsible for allowing that kind of person into the ranks.
"How is the survivor...Vanille, I think her name is?" Squall directed at Lightning, trying to change the subject. He and Rinoa, being a couple, had discussed Vanille at length the previous night, among other things regarding the mission.
"As well as can be expected when you might be the sole survivor of genocide," Lightning answered bitterly. She was just as frustrated as they were, but they had not been to the town square. They had not seen what she and her unit had.
With that comment they all fell silent, not knowing how to respond. After a few moments Squall sighed and addressed them.
"Well, we're not going to be making any progress here today. Next week I will meet with the leaders of the other Gardens and hope that they are willing to help us. The Galbadian government has made it blatantly obvious they will not negotiate or even speak with me. There is talk that the entire L'Cie population in Galbadia has been wiped out, but I believe there may be some still deep in hiding. If that is the case then we cannot turn a blind eye like everyone else," Squall was thoroughly angry at his inability to accomplish anything today but for now, there was nothing they could do.
"You can go," Squall dismissed them with a frustrated sigh, "and have a good weekend."
Lightning was relatively surprised at how this mission had affected Squall. Usually he didn't show his emotions like this, but it was harder to do in such an extreme case like this. After heading down the elevator, the three generals went their separate ways. Lightning had no place to be or any significant other to be with, so she was unsure how to spend the rest of the day. They had all expected there would be so much to do since they had anticipated many L'Cie refugees to be staying at Garden. Galbadia had made sure there were no refugees save for one.
She had nothing better to do and she figured it was at least part of her duty, so she headed down to the Infirmary. I'm just checking on her as part of my job, Lightning thought to herself, but when she got to the Infirmary Rinoa and Vanille were not there. She knew Rinoa was probably already with Squall, but where would Vanille go? She did not know her way around. Would she be able to find her way back? What if the traitor discovered her?
It doesn't matter. She's safe in Garden, there is no need to be concerned, despite these thoughts Lightning walked quickly out of the Infirmary and headed to the cafeteria. There was an unfamiliar feeling in the General's chest; it felt tight as if she had to work twice as hard to breathe. What was the matter with her? Vanille was fine. She was probably just getting a hot dog or something. The feeling didn't go away. Why was she feeling like this? She was a general in the Guardian Corps; a stray woman walking around Balamb Garden was not something to get worked up about.
Just as she was beginning to get pissed off at her inability to control her thoughts or emotions, she saw the red-head across the room. She was indeed getting a hot dog with Selphie and Zell. They were seated at a far table and Zell and Selphie seemed to be having a conversation while downing half of the school's hot dogs by the looks of it. Vanille was facing away from Lightning so she hadn't yet noticed her presence. Finally, Lightning's lungs were able to expand properly and relief flooded through her. Anyone merely glancing at her would have had no idea the emotions that had been plaguing her, but to Lightning it felt as if her heart was betraying her weaknesses for all to see.
It no longer felt safe to approach the red-head. What other feelings would she have? What if she couldn't control them? Lightning mentally reprimanded herself; she was being ridiculous. Making her decision, Lightning strode purposefully toward the trio.
"I see you're feeling better," Lightning said to Vanille's back. Startled, the red-head jumped in her seat and turned around quickly. Once she saw who it was she visibly relaxed, placing a hand to her heart in an attempt to slow it down.
"Geez, you scared me!" Vanille exhaled, smilingly at the soldier, "Yea, Selphie and Zell are giving me a tour of Garden. We haven't made it past the cafeteria yet."
"And you never will with these two," Lightning retorted, looking disapprovingly at the pair who were oblivious to her presence since they were too busy stuffing their faces. It must be difficult to have a conversation around a mouthful of hot dog but they both seemed to be able to understand each other. Vanille giggled at her joke and once again an unfamiliar feeling took over Lightning. This one was more pleasant but also much more foreign to her. All Lightning knew was that making Vanille smile felt good. But why? I couldn't give a crap if anyone else smiles, being around this red-head was starting to become increasingly confusing.
"Then maybe you should show me around," Vanille suggested innocently. Selphie and Zell were really funny but they were preoccupied and Vanille couldn't deny that she wanted to spend more time with the mysterious General.
Lightning looked straight into Vanille's forest green eyes. Did she honestly want to spend time with her? Most people who met Lightning were either intimidated or were turned off by her frigid personality.
After such a long pause with no response, Vanille quickly backtracked.
"I'm sorry. You must be really busy...," She trailed off without looking up at Lightning.
"There's really not much to see, but I could show you the quad I guess," Lightning
replied thoughtfully. She didn't even have to look at Vanille to see the grin spreading across her face. There's that feeling again.
"Lead the way, General Farron," She mock saluted Lightning, which awarded her with a curt nod.
"So, who plans the Garden Festival every year?" Vanille was stretching out her legs and leaning back on her palms in the bright sun. Lightning had brought her to the quad which seemed to be a popular spot for the cadets. Upon seeing Lightning though, most had made themselves scarce.
"Usually Selphie, so watch out for her. She'll ask you to be part of the Festival Committee when you least expect it," Lightning explained, sitting with her elbow on one bent knee while her other leg dangled off the side of the stage for the Festival.
It felt a little strange to be talking like this to a complete stranger. For some odd reason it felt comfortable speaking freely with this woman. Lightning glanced sideways at her; she had apparently borrowed clothes from someone, probably Selphie judging by the amount of skin that was showing. Her hair was pulled into two wavy pigtails but her bangs still fell in her face. She looked peaceful; sitting there in the sun. How was that possible with all she had been through? Lightning had no idea.
This L'Cie woman was strange; she seemed so innocent but she had seen so many things. She still trusted people despite how she had been treated in the past. The same could not be said for Lightning.
Vanille's eyes slid closed and she just basked in the sunlight. It felt so good to be somewhere secure. She hadn't felt safe in a long time, but just being in the presence of this powerful woman made her feel as if nothing bad would ever happen again. A question came to her mind but she didn't know if it was too personal to ask. Deciding to risk it she looked at the pink-haired woman and asked,
"Is Lightning your real name?"
Lightning's eyes snapped onto Vanille's. Why is she asking me this question? Looking into her eyes, she could see that the woman meant no harm; she merely wanted to get to know her better. She liked this woman but she didn't know if she was ready to share all of her secrets with her just yet. Ignoring the question entirely, Lightning told her,
"I'll be right back," and strode back inside.
I am such an idiot! That was none of my business. Now I've offended her. Vanille was ashamed of herself. She shouldn't have pushed the woman to reveal so much about herself so fast. After all, if it wasn't her real name she probably had a good reason to change it.
About fifteen minutes later Lightning returned with a single silver key. Holding out her hand to Vanille, she helped her to her feet and gave it to her.
"To your dorm," was her short explanation and she led Vanille back inside the Garden and to the hall with all the dormitories.
Lightning was nervous for some reason. She felt compelled to trust Vanille completely and open up to her but years of military training and self-seclusion had made her weary of people. Stealing a glance at the red-head, she could tell the woman was upset. Whether it was because she was ashamed for asking her that question or Lightning's response to it, she didn't know. All Lightning knew was that a pain shot through her chest after seeing the woman's sadness. At that moment she made a decision to try and be friendlier to Vanille; she deserved that much after what she had been through.
They eventually stopped in front of a door with the words, 'General Farron' engraved on it in gold.
"This is my room. If you need anything, this is where I usually am," With a jerk of her head she motioned for Vanille to continue following her. The red head was deeply moved that Lightning was willing to show her where she lived and offer any assistance she may need. After another minute of walking, they stopped at a similar looking door but without writing on it.
"This one is yours," Lightning said looking down at her. Vanille was reluctant to go in and leave Lightning but she was sure the woman couldn't spend all day with her. It was starting to get dark anyway and part of Vanille was excited to see where she would be living.
"I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. I hope you know how much I truly appreciate it. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here, so... thanks," The words had spilled out of Vanille quickly in case Lightning wouldn't give her the chance to finish.
Lightning's heart beat a little harder in her chest as she searched the green eyes. All she could see was sincerity. After a moment's thought she had made up her mind. Leaning forward, she positioned her lips close to Vanille's ear. A little startled Vanille was going to question the pink haired woman but she was temporarily distracted by Lightning's warm breath on her ear.
"Claire," Lightning whispered quietly, "My real name is Claire Farron, but don't call me that in front of anyone," she half-heartedly threatened.
"Claire...," Vanille let them name roll off her tongue. It was such a pretty name, why would she change it? But she had pushed her luck far enough for one night.
"Good night," Lightning turned and walked back down the hall and disappeared into her room. Vanille was too lost in her own thoughts to respond until she was long gone,
"Good night,...Claire."
Alright, so it's getting a little fluffy. I couldn't help it. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! It makes me very happy! I guess there is no stopping me now. I have the whole story in my head and it's just bursting to come out!