I'll Protect You
Sorry it's taken so long to update. Had a case of writer's block, plus my work had me tired out. But, I've got this chapter together, though it's not quite what I hoped for. It's a little too long, but I can't take much out. It's all so important. So bear with me here, please.
Also, I kinda lied. I said I was going to write this from Hope and Sazh's perspective, but I couldn't get it to sound right, so I tried to focus more on them where I could. Don't worry, though. I will have a part where everyone has their time in the limelight somewhere in the chapters ahead.
Now for the story.
Edit: See past 3 Chapters.
Word Count: 4497
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Final Fantasy series. Just a couple of game discs and a game guide or two.
Chapter 4: Feelings
Walking to the elevator that went to the apex of Taejin's Tower was very slow going for the L'Cie. It may have been because of the increase in the number of Cie'th along the path. Or it may have been caused by Fang and Vanille, who were holding on to hope that Oerba wasn't actually gone, that this was a twisted dream or some kind of Fal'Cie trick. Either way, they reluctantly got aboard the unusual lift and were spirited away to the top of the largest tower still on Pulse.
When at the top, the group split into two main groups, though still staying together. Sazh, Fang, Vanille and Gamenern all took point, leading on the others as they came down the central elevator. At the bottom, the few Cie'th they had to kill stood no chance, falling swiftly to the combined power of eight L'Cie. Serah seemed to have a knack for Water, while also having some capacity for Thunder, and was equipped with the same dagger she gave Lightning only two weeks ago, on Lightning's two1st birthday. She almost refused, but Lightning insisted, stating that she needed the protection more than Light did.
Sazh, despite being the odd one out around the Oerbans, was still involved in the conversation about the Sulyya Springs. Sazh liked the reservoirs, and the crisp, clean smell of the water in the air. Gamenern had said that was because of Bismark, the Fal'Cie that lived there. Sazh wasn't shocked that a Fal'Cie could do that; the ones on Cocoon could produce sunlight, electricity, and even the weather patterns on Cocoon. He smiled as the always happy and jumpy Vanille strode alongside Fang, her eyes wandering around, taking in the natural beauty that were the Palisades. He didn't see what she did, but he enjoyed it all the same. He had been with Vanille through the entire L'Cie business. He knew what she held in her heart.
xXxXx
Hope was caught between a conversation with Snow and Serah, mainly about the wedding they were planning on having after they stopped Barthandelus. Snow tried to get Lightning involved, but the soldier seemed focused on something. Hope looked at Lightning with worry in his eyes. She was never like this; her eyes fixated forward, her mouth slightly agape, a look of wonder and awe on her face. She barely kept up with the 3 other L'Cie, prompting Hope to give her a nudge to bring her back into reality. "Light, you okay?" he asked, shifting his hands so they were flat at his sides and not twiddling in front of him. The pink-haired woman gave a slight "huh?", but composed herself, smiling at the boy. "I'm fine, Hope." her voice was calm, but Hope could tell it was faked.
He looked at what Lightning may have been so enticed by. He saw Fang straight in front of her, about two5 feet ahead. He felt a slight tinge of discomfort as he put the pieces together. 'Oh, man…' he thought, looking back into his mind. He had seen same sex relationships all the time- they weren't frowned upon, like he heard it was in Oerba (and for good reason- everything in Oerba was to survive, not enjoy life), and there were even clinics that allowed for same gender couples to have children, though a female had to be involved to bear the child to birth. He clinched his fists; he knew why the government never said no to same gender couples. Make the people happy, and they'll eat whatever you put on their plates without question. Just another Fal'Cie lie.
Still, he never saw Lightning as one to fancy another woman. Sure, he didn't know too much about the soldier, except that she was very secretive and very protective, but was never emotional. She never actually opened up to Hope, but she did soften up around him. He was glad that Light had taken him under her wing; he owed her for everything he learned. His control on magic, his supportive buffs, and, his most powerful tool of all, his unparalleled healing spells. Even Vanille, who had more experience with healing spells, was nowhere near as able as Hope was with healing. She was able to match him in doing damage to an enemy, and she had a strength about her that was more than Hope had, but Hope seemed to have a natural understanding of healing magic. It suited him.
xXxXx
Sazh looked back at the young man, pointed in that direction by the chocobo in his hair. It flew out, landing on Vanille's head, putting a smile on the girl's face once more. He let another smile grace his face, looking around him. He sympathized with Fang and Lightning. He, too, had someone to fight for. His son, Dajh, who was branded at Euride when Fang and Vanille, unaware of their focus and trying to jumpstart their memories, attacked the Fal'Cie there. He felt like he should hold it against the older Pulsian, but he could see Vanille cared for her, and she didn't seem hostile towards the group. Gamenern intrigued him, mainly because he knew so little about him, except what he had heard from random conversations he wasn't a part of.
He cast a look back to the other L'Cie. Snow had his large right arm slung over Serah's shoulders, while his left hand held what Sazh thought to be Serah's teardrop crystal. It wasn't to hard to like the man. Despite his brashness and his booming voice, he was always jovial. He had a smile on his face most of the time, always looking at the best case scenario and not wavering from making it happen. His optimism had seen him reunited with his love, Serah, who Sazh could tell loved Snow and Lightning. Sazh's eyes traced over the youngest member of the group. Hope had been thrown into this by the Sanctum, just like everyone else. Everything rooted back to the Sanctum, and then further to the Fal'Cie, headed by Barthandelus.
His eyes finally found Lightning's form. The enigma of the group. It was clear that, unless you won the honor, you weren't getting to see inside of the soldier's mind. He followed her into this mess, and tried to help her protect the younger members of the group (which sometimes included Snow). Even though he saw to the younger two more and more, he did try to protect everyone where they let him. Lightning and Fang rarely needed protection, but they had sometimes let their guard down in combat. He would take care of the creature before anything bad would happen, though he knew that the two fighters would most likely kill anything before it became a problem.
When he looked back forward, he saw the pools of Sulyya Springs. A grin had formed on Vanille's face as she ran to the nearest pool. Fang and Gamenern watched her carefully, as there was a group of Cetoraptors nearby. They saw Vanille and hungrily charged for the girl. They never got close. Sazh, Fang and Gamenern blitzed them before anyone even noticed the pack. The few who survived retreated into the pools, leaving their fallen comrades behind. Vanille looked back and smiled, as if she planned for the creatures to charge her. "Lunchtime!" she said cheerfully, grabbing 3 of the dead frogs and setting up a small pit to cook them. Sazh hung his head as the other two Pulsians chuckled, Fang ruffling Vanille's hair slightly.
xXxXx
The rear group caught up with the front group, settling in around the newly formed fire as they relaxed. It had only been about two hours, yet the heat of Palisades had made the trip feel like a day long venture. Lightning didn't stop, and kept walking, only stopping when Serah grabbed her left ankle. "Where are you going, Light?" she asked, looking up at her older sister. Lightning never faced Serah, only speaking when Serah kept her from continuing. "I'm going to scout ahead. I won't be long." Serah wasn't convinced, standing up and turning Lightning to face her. "Serah…" Lightning half-pleaded, though Serah didn't back down. "Tell me now." Serah demanded, though not raising her voice or changing her tone. Lightning gave a heavy sigh, then said. "I need to clear my mind. Alone." She subconsciously looked at Fang, who was talking happily with Gamenern, Vanille and Sazh. Lightning's eyes looked soft, almost hurt. Serah loosened her grip on Lightning, catching where she was looking. "Oh." Serah said, turning back to sit down. "Don't be too long, kay?" Lightning gave a thankful smile at Serah before disappearing.
Snow leaned over to Serah, confusion in his voice. "What was that about?" Serah smiled, not going to divulge anything about Lightning. "Nothing." she said, looking over at what the 3 Pulsians were making. She gulped slightly, her eyes wide. "We're gonna eat, that?" she asked, pointing at the meat that Gamenern skewered. Snow laughed. "Don't worry about it, baby." he put his arm around Serah in a comforting way. "It's not too bad." Serah relaxed in Snow's arms, giving a comforted smile. "Yeah, of course."
Hope had taken notice of Lightning's leave, looking at her as she disappeared behind a cave wall. "Where's Light going?" he asked Vanille as he sat down next to her. The red-head hummed in response, gazing in the general direction Hope was looking at. "Oh, probably to enjoy the springs. They're really nice in some of the caves." she spoke matter-of-factly. Hope was not sure, but didn't seem to press the issue. Fang had glanced up, noticing the look of concern on Hope's face. She sighed, standing up. "I'll find out." she said, grabbing her staff as she faced the cave Light disappeared behind. Vanille had also stood up, blocking the way. Fang looked slightly irritated. "What?" she asked, not amused with her friend's antics.
Vanille looked worried. "You sure she won't, you know…try to kill you if you interrupt her?" Fang laughed slightly, putting her staff on her back. "Don't worry. I can take car of myself." Fang gave a smile to Vanille, patted her head, and took off towards the cave. Gamenern had yet to look up, giving a sigh when Fang was gone. "You sure it was a good idea to let her go like that?" he asked, almost jokingly. Hope crunched his face slightly, looking at the older boy there. "You think Lightning would try to hurt Fang?" he asked, a little annoyed. Gamenern chuckled slightly. "No. I'm worried as to what Fang might do to Lightning." Vanille also gave a chuckle, giving a playful hug to Hope. "They'll be fine, Hope." she said, her calming voice working on the young man, who sat down to help finish cooking.
xXxXx
Fang saw that the cave wasn't actually a cave, but just another part of the springs. It had a large opening about two00 feet up, and, though Fang couldn't see what was up there, she could tell that it had a really good view of Cocoon in the sky. She figured that it would give her a great vantage point of the rest of the area, so she climbed to the top. It took her no time at all to reach the top, looking back to see the rest of the enclave. She could see several large pools and waterfalls, shining the light from the sun in an array of colors, making them look more like crystal than water. Fang couldn't help but give an awed gasp at the magnificence of it all.
The next sound that pierced the silence was a slicing of a blade behind Fang. She instinctively grabbed her lance, turning on the spot to hold the blade on the bottom against her attacker. There, at the other end, was Lightning, holding her gun blade gingerly in her right hand, pointing it at Fang's heart. Fang let a smile grace her face, lowering her lance. "Etro, you scared me, Light." she joked, though Lightning didn't lower her weapon. "I'm not going to fight you, kay?" Fang said, putting her lance on the ground at her side, sitting as she looked up. As she expected, there was the hanging sphere of Cocoon. The sun was reflecting off of it's form, casting an array of colors just like the pools below. Fang let another awed gasp out, looking back at Lightning.
The soldier had yet to put away her blade, but had lowered it, and pointed it away from Fang. "Sorry." Lightning mumbled, sitting down about two feet away from Fang. She had let to loosen up, still fairly rigid as she began (or continued) to polish her blade. Fang could make out some words written in the Cocoon alphabet, but she couldn't decipher them. Curiosity getting hold of her, she asked, "What's that say?" pointing at the writing. Lightning looked at the same writing, and back at Fang. She said, "It's my name. Had it inscribed when I got it, so everyone knows whose it is." Lightning reminisced on it, leaning back and giving a sigh. Her eyes had found there way to Cocoon's floating sphere, causing a slight anger to build inside her. She would make Barthandelus pay for everything he's done.
Fang watched the soldier with curiosity. She couldn't read her face like normal. She saw that she had stopped polishing the blade, and that her hands were on her stomach. From what she could tell, Lightning was worried, or mad. Either way, she had to know. So, Fang bit her lower lip and asked, "So, why did ya walk off like that?" she pointed her thumb back towards the camp as Lightning turned to face her, blue eyes meeting emerald ones. Lightning let another sigh out, not breaking eye contact. "Had to clear my mind. Wanted to be alone." She added, her voice slightly annoyed, yet also reserved. Fang gave a soft chuckle, breaking eye contact to look up at Cocoon. "No need to be so uptight, Light." she looked back, nodding towards Lightning's brand. "You have Serah back. That's one down." Fang saw Lightning look at the ground, her eyes not focused, but confused. "You just need to keep fighting now. What would Serah do without you?" Lightning closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I, I don't know." The soldier let out slowly.
Fang placed a hand on Lightning's shoulder, turning those blue eyes back towards her. "You can't give up. If you do, then you'll become a Cie'th." Fang smiled. "And I'm not letting that happen while I'm still breathin." The soldier let a rare smile grace her lips, nodding slightly. "Thanks, Fang." she spoke, turning back towards Cocoon again. "But, if we don't find anything in the Faultwarrens, then we'll be out of time." her voice became grim, sad. Fang scooted closer, her arm gripping Lightning's faraway shoulder. "We'll find a way back to Cocoon. And we'll destroy Barthandelus." Her voice was still calm, but she had doubt inside her as well. Sure, she wasn't going to become a Cie'th. But, if they failed, that meant that Vanille would. And she vowed, back when they became L'Cie, that Vanille would become crystal and not Cie'th.
Lightning leaned her head on Fang's shoulder, breaking the hunter's thoughts. "Light?" she asked, looking down at the soldier. Lightning's eyes were closed, her breathing steady, but she was not asleep; she was much to tense for sleep right now. Another smile appeared. "Don't." she spoke, not opening her eyes. Fang smiled as well, her head resting on Light's. The two looked at Cocoon, their ultimate goal. Destroy it or save it, their fate was inside. Because there, deep inside Edenhall, waiting for them to meet him, was Barthandelus. Everything that had happened, from the branding of Serah, Light, Hope, Snow, and Sazh, to the Purge, and their arrival on Gran Pulse, was all of his own doing. He had killed countless lives, both Cocoon and Pulse. He was the mastermind behind their seemingly hopeless plight. Either way, destroying it or saving it, Cocoon would never be the same.
xXxXx
Back at camp, Snow and Serah had joined the others as food was being served. A stick with a small chunk of meat was handed to each person there, cooked to perfection. Serah gingerly took a bite, not knowing what to expect. At first it was jerky, like biting into steak. However, after chewing it for about 3 seconds, it tenderized, flavors of all sorts exploding into her mouth. She smiled as she gulped down. It was good. Snow also smiled. "Told ya." He said to her, while Vanille bit off the last bit of meat on her skewer.
After finishing their food, the group relaxed. Sazh, who had noticed that Lightning and Fang were not here, asked "Where'd soldier girl and the huntress go off to?" he asked, a bit confused. Snow rubbed the back of his head through his du rag. "Um…good question." he shared the confusion of the older man. Hope spoke up, his voice a little shaken. "They…went into a cave. That one." He pointed at the cave where the two in question disappeared behind. Gamenern gave a chuckle. "They'll be fine. Not much here to worry about. Most of the wildlife are scared of people." He seemed convincing, but Snow still stood up. "We need to leave soon. I'm gonna let them know."
He would've kept going, had Serah not grabbed his arm. "Don't. Please." she begged, her voice barely a whisper. "Serah, what is going on?" Snow asked, kneeling to look Serah in the eyes. Gamenern was the first to speak. "You really think that Lightning likes Fang?" he seemed a little shocked, but not as much as the rest of the group. Snow looked at the man like you'd expect someone to look at a person in a bad moogle outfit. Sazh looked similarly at him, the chocobo in his hair popping out, it's little face sharing that expression (if it were possible for it to). Serah sighed, shaking her head. "Just, let Light have some time alone." Her voice seemed sincerely worried, bringing Snow to look at her again. "Light's had so many emotions thrown at her recently. She needs time to readjust to it all." Snow gave an understanding huff, then turned to Sazh. The man's face returned to normal, though he could still see some shock in it. "Not a word to Light, clear?" Serah asked the group. Snow nodded. "None."
xXxXx
Lightning felt the sun on her face, burning at her eyes through their lids. She looked down, though the movement startled Fang. They had sat there, Light's head resting on Fang's shoulder, whose head was resting on Light's, for nearly 10 minutes, in silence. Lightning was thinking, about everything that had happened, from the time they arrived on Gran Pulse, to the group arriving in Oerba, to Serah being brought back. It was a lot of stuff to take in. Gran Pulse was nothing like the propaganda of the Sanctum. It wasn't a hell covered in machine's hell bent on destroying Cocoon (though the Subterra seemed so), and the people who had lived here weren't savages. They were just like she was; humans, living life as they could, trying to survive. Fang had told her that they were told similar things about Cocoon, all of them lies.
When Lightning finally got her eyes to adjust to the sun, peeking out from an outcropping of rock, she felt Fang's posture shift. She glanced up at the huntress, who seemed to be trying to get comfortable. Her features were strong, but still soft. She was obviously female, yet her muscles were more well defined than any woman Lightning's ever saw. They held an incredible amount of power, yet she was not heavier than Lightning. It was intriguing to Lightning, who strived to be like Fang, in a sense. She wanted to be strong, for Serah, to keep what she had promised her mom true. Yet, in her fervor to become the best, she had slowly pushed her sister away, right into Snow's arms. She had never thought about it until recently. What if Snow was what Serah needed, and not Lightning? It pained her to think that everything she had done was in vain.
She didn't notice a stray tear falling down her cheek, landing on Fang's arm. The warrior looked over, seeing several of them forming in Lightning's eyes. "Hey, you alright?" she asked, shifting her body to be in front of Light's. The soldier shook her head, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "It's nothing." her voice was unusually hoarse, like she had been crying the whole time Fang was here. Lightning knew that Fang would see through that lie. She could see right through the soldier. She didn't try to stop the embrace that Fang pulled her into, bringing her head into Fang's chest. "It's alright. Let it out." Fang spoke softly, her hand petting Lightning's hair slowly. Lightning sighed, a small lump forming inside her throat. "It's nothing Fang, really." her voice was still hoarse. Fang wasn't buying it, but she did push the soldier back. "What's going on in there? It must have you worked up." Fang asked, looking into the sparkling blue orbs of Lightning's eyes, as if trying to dissect her thoughts. Lightning turned away, not responding.
Fang looked puzzled, then finally said, "It's about Serah, right?" Lightning closed her eyes, keeping them shut longer than to just blink. Bingo. Fang grabbed Light's chin, forcing her to make eye contact. "Listen to me. I know what it's like to think you can't protect the ones you love." Fang's voice was soothing, soft. Lighting rubbed away the tears on her face as Fang continued. "But give up now, and you'll never forgive yourself. Serah has Snow, yeah. But she still needs you." Lightning let her lips curl into a smile. "Yeah right." her voice had regained some of it's usual tone again. Fang shook her head. "She does. If you leave her now, she'll be devastated. She'll never forgive you." Fang let Lightning go, standing up and turning towards the edge of the ridge. "Let's get back before they think something happened." Fang extended her hand to Lightning, who took it shakily.
As she stood up, the Pulsian gave her a smile. "You sure you're okay?" she asked, walking to just a few steps away from the edge of this small landing. Lightning nodded. "I'm fine, really." her voice was now completely back. She leapt of the edge, snapping her fingers to activate her AMP device. It sent a surge of purple energy through her, then created a small bubble on the ground, where she landed with no injury. Fang had followed, landing in the same spot just before the bubble faded. She smiled weakly, following the soldier as they rounded the corner.
xXxXx
Serah saw them reappear from behind the wall, waving at them. Everyone looked over to see the two, about four feet from each other. Snow had a goofy smile on his face as he greeted Lightning. "Lets see here. Fang's not rubbing her jaw. You're not covered in sweat. Did Lightning actual behave around Fang?" he feigned surprise as Lightning gave him a soft punch to the stomach, though it still hurt the man. "Don't even go there, Snow." Lightning hissed through her teeth, and Snow nodded. "Of course." he wheezed, clutching where he was hit. Fang gave him a sly smile as she sat down next to Vanille.
Gamenern had stood up, grabbing his axe from the ground. "Lets move. We gotta get to the river by nightfall if we want to be in the Steppes tomorrow." Fang gave a slight groan, picking herself back up. "Okay, guardian." she said sarcastically. Vanille held back a giggle as she pushed Fang forward, stopping when they were next to Gamenern. Lightning had decided to take up the rear, as the rest filed in behind the Pulsians. Hope was the only one to not do so, instead standing, his head looking at his feet, just behind Lightning.
"Light?" he asked, his voice small. Lighting turned around. "Hope?" she asked, moving to look at him, face to face. "I, I wanna ask you something. Something that's been bothering me." he said sheepishly, not moving his head up. Lightning grabbed his chin to make him, her face confused. "What?" she asked, her voice sharing that confusion. "Are you…Do you…I…" he stuttered, unable to make eye contanct with the soldier. Lightning smiled. "Yes…?" she asked, her voice taking on an unusually playful tone. Hope let out a sigh, gathering himself. "Are you attracted to Fang?" he blurted out, his breathing fast and heavy.
Lightning's insides twisted as if they were being turned upside-down. Her throat closed up from a lump, not disappearing when she swallowed. Her eyes went wide, her mouth hanging open. Hope shook his head. "I knew it…" he whispered, breaking the trance Lightning was in. She looked at him curiously. "Where'd you get that idea?" her voice was calm, but she was a wreck inside. Hope's face went red. "I, I saw the way you were looking at her today. You looked like you were in awe." Hope was trying not to stutter, though he had only succeeded in making his voice much shakier. Lightning gave a shaky smile. "Are you sure you saw that?" she asked, this time in a joking fashion.
Hope was about to answer when Lightning heard someone approach. She turned around, seeing Snow behind her. "Everything alright?" he asked, looking at the red-faced Hope. Lightning stood up. "Fine." she said, tugging at Hope to make his start moving. Her slowly followed. Snow gave a sigh. "Okay then." he said, running back to Serah, who was a good 100 feet ahead. Lightning turned to Hope, who still seemed flustered. "I'll talk to you about this later." she said, speeding up to join her sister.
They had not gone more than a few feet when they noticed a presence in front of them. Standing in the road, blocking their passage, was a man, about Fang's height, in a black uniform of sorts. It had a cape that came around his shoulders and down to the ground. His hair was blond, with multiple spikes. His eyes were behind his sunglasses, but his face was soft, gentle. He had a large, wide broadsword in his left had, slung over his shoulder. It was bound with some tape, hanging off of it, like it was injured by something. Fang had already drawn her lance, holding it in her right hand, while everyone else went into a defensive stance. The man spoke, his words sounding inhuman.
"Veni L'Cie. Perferte laborem. Ragnarok fieri."
Then, in a flash, he lunged at the nearest L'Cie, his blade ready to draw blood.
Okay, there. It's finished. Not my best work, I think, but I hope I made it work. This writer's block is killing me.
Okay, I based this new enemy off of a character from a previous Final Fantasy. Not too hard to figure out who, though. I'm gonna have him speak Latin for any parts he says, so to add an air of mystery to him.
Next chapter, hopefully it will be interesting. It will involve Eidolons, so stay tuned.