Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter Three
Two days before her birthday, Lightning rose with the sun. The action was completely unnecessary because she did not have to work that day. Nor any of the days before her birthday, because of Serah's insistence. The soldier probably indulged her little sister too often but she couldn't help it. Her twenty-first continued to haunt her and it would likely continue to haunt her for the rest of her life.
Light retrieved a cup of coffee in the kitchen, a necessity, before wandering through her home. It was a huge building and without Serah living there, a mostly empty one. The pink-haired woman hadn't visited several rooms for months, if not years with a purpose other than to clean. Her work with the Corps was more important, along with keeping up with the friends she loved like family.
The fact that the single occupant was rarely there showed through, with consistently unlighted rooms and a clean, sterile normal found in houses about to be sold. Despite the rarity of extended stays, Lightning always set aside time each week to dust. She could never stand a dirty house.
She was not paying attention as she wandered through the ornate hallways, the lights flashing on automatically as she passed. Her footsteps echoed slightly despite their bareness on the stone floors. Light blinked in surprise when she realized what room her wandering feet had brought her to. She felt that it was the most important room in the house – despite long periods no visits from the lone wolf-soldier. In fact she hadn't visited it for approximately four months.
It was a cozy place, with a few overstuffed love seats and a couch surrounding a small glass table. The deep green of the carpet contrasted nicely with the blue walls. Several bookshelves were pushed up against two of those walls filled to overflowing with reading materials, datalogs, pictures, and reports. It was organized chaos on those shelves – of the type that no one would expect to find in Captain Farron's home. A window faced the east, and so the room was bathed in the morning light.
The two most important features of this room were the grand piano and a full-size portrait. Lightning stayed near the door, drinking in the sight. Four people were featured in the picture, a couple and two young girls that looked like miniatures of the woman. The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties, the dark hair just beginning to be sprinkled with gray, with mischievous blue eyes. He wore the uniform of a Lieutenant in the Guardian Corps.
The woman's hair was a light pink, enough so that when the light hit it, sections appeared to be blonde. Her eyes were almost exactly the same as the man whose arm was wrapped around her shoulder, only they sparkled with happiness. She wore a white tank-top and jeans.
The two girls were twelve and nine, and almost identical save for a few differences. Both had their mother's hair, and their delicate features were a mixture of both of their parents but there were slight differences. The elder took more after their father with sharper, more angular features, while the nine year-old's features were a little softer, rounder, taking more after their mother. The younger girl had inherited her mother's kind eyes, and the twelve year-old was gifted with the father's impish eyes. The final dissimilarity was that the elder was a few inches taller than the younger. Without these minuscule discrepancies the two could have been identical twins. They wore the same clothes as their mother, with tank-tops – white for the younger and black for the twelve year-old – and jeans.
Light continued to look at the portrait for a few seconds before walking up to it, reaching up with her free hand to hover over the mother's face. Her mother's face. Who would have guessed that three years after this picture was taken this happy family would be torn apart when first the mother died and then the father a few months later. Mom, Dad, Serah…We all looked so happy.
Aaron and Averia Farron were good people, always ready to help those in need. Their deaths had been the beginning of the schism between the two – up to that point – inseparable sisters.
The soldier was did not regret giving up on her education for Serah. Nor did she feel that joining the Corps was the wrong thing to do. She did, however, feel guilty about letting their relationship deteriorate to the point that it took Serah turning into a l'cie and getting engaged for Lightning to realize exactly how much distance there was between the two sisters.
The pink-haired woman shook herself out of her memories and walked to the piano. It was the only instrument in the entire house and the people who did know about it assumed that it was strictly for decoration. Neither of the Farrons had told their adopted family that the piano was their mother's. And that their mother had been a world famous singer for several years.
Setting her now empty cup on the table, Light sat down at the bench, staring at the keys. Black and white. Ebony and ivory. The contrast was stark, making her think about how different she was from her sister. Once there was time where the two were closer than twins, when they had shared everything. That time was gone now, had been gone for years. Ever since Claire had died and been replaced by the aloof Lightning.
She squeezed her eyes shut, as if the simple action would push these thoughts from her mind. But they stayed. After all there was no denying the truth. I'm sorry, Serah.
Light was opened her eyes and placed her fingers on the keys, hoping to lose herself, her thoughts, her feelings, her very essence in music. No one who looked at the stoic soldier would even think of her being a talented musician. Serah had once said that she was the best pianist in the family because she seemed pour her soul into what she played. It had been Claire's dream to become a professional musician but that hope had shattered after the deaths of her parents. Now Lightning only allowed Claire out when she sat in front of a piano.
As involved as she was with her music, Light didn't notice when the front door opened, the footsteps that became louder with each passing second, or the shadow that darkened the doorway to her sanctuary. Only when she had finished the song did the woman look up to see the onlooker. It wasn't easy to startle the soldier but having her little sister just appear there made her jump.
"Serah, I didn't hear you come in…Serah?"
Lightning's voice trailed off after realizing that her sister had tears streaming down her face. The protective instincts that had been present ever since the other girl was born kicked in and Light was by Serah's side in an instant.
"Serah, are you alright? What's wrong? If it was Snow I swear I'll castrate him before feeding him to-"
Her voice was cut off when Serah had thrown her arms around Light. The soldier was surprised but accepted the contact, trying to calm her sister down. It had been years since she was this hysterical. Lightning looked at Serah with concern after she pulled away.
"I'm fine Claire. Just surprised." The twenty-three year-old's voice was astonishingly strong. Light rose an eyebrow both questioning her statement and in disbelief of it.
The woman laughed at the disbelief of her sister before replying to the unasked question. "Really, I am. It's just…" Serah's voice faded as she visibly struggled to find words before saying, "It's been so long since I've heard you play. I'd forgotten just how beautiful it was, your music. You were – are – even better than Mom was."
The captain allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she glanced back over at the instrument. "Thanks," was the only answer she could think of for a complement of that magnitude. Averia had been a well-known musician before she had died.
The two Farrons stood in a comfortable silence before Serah tentatively asked, "Claire? Do you think…Could you play that song? You know the one that Mom wrote about her and Dad? I mean, you don't have to. I just wanted to hear it again..."
Lightning thought for a moment before nodding slowly and retaking her seat in front of the piano. What harm could it do? Her fingers hesitantly found the keys that started the song. After a few bars, Light inhaled deeply and began to sing.
"I know there's something in the wake of your smile.
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yea.
You've built a love but that love falls apart.
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark."
Serah watched as her sister began to truly feel the song. They had grown up listening to their mother's songs and this one had been her favorite. She smiled as she remembered the day that Claire and she had actually found enough courage to ask Averia why she sang it so much.
The pink haired woman smiled at her two children. For a ten and seven year-old they were pretty insightful. "I play that song the most, Serah, Claire, because it is the one that is closest to my heart…You see, I wrote that after I agreed to marry your father."
The two sisters looked at each other and then at their mother. Claire was the clearly selected to be one to ask why but Averia continued before she had to summon up her courage to actually pose the question. "When I first met your father, it wasn't by chance. He was assigned by the Guardian Corps to protect me. I figured that there wouldn't be any problems. But than I fell for him…I ran away, intending to never see him again. I ignored my heart. But when he found me and proposed, I couldn't say no, and I wrote this song."
Both of the girls smiled before Serah asked, "But Mommy? Haven't you always loved Daddy?"
Averia laughed at the innocence that her children displayed. "No, but it seems that way. Now come here so I can teach you how to play this song."
"Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye."
Serah smiled at the memory as she continued to watch Claire play. Lightning had her place, and this was not it. The woman sitting at that piano was Claire there was no doubt about that. Only she could play with such pure emotion.
"Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea.
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems,
the feeling of belonging to your dreams.
Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye."
Lightning allowed all of her barriers to fade away. The emotions that she usually kept under lock and key were allowed out and every little feeling could be heard in the music. It had been years since she had played this song and it surprised her that she could remember it so perfectly.
"And there are voices
that want to be heard.
So much to mention
but you can't find the words.
The scent of magic,
the beauty that's been
when love was wilder than the wind.
Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye.
Listen to your heart, mm-mmmmmm
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye."
Throughout the entire time she was singing, Light did not hesitate. Not until the very end did she allow herself to break. When she did, Serah was there. The hardened soldier allowed her sister to hold her while she regained her composure.
"Thank you, Claire." Serah's whisper could barely be heard but it was enough for Lightning to pull herself back together. She didn't even reprimand Serah for using her real name.
"Since you made me take today off, I assume that you have something you want to do?" Lightning asked her emotional barriers back in place.
"Yes!" Serah's voice was filled with excitement as she chattered about what they were going to be doing together. Light allowed herself a small chuckle at her sister's child-like exuberance as they walked out of her home, stopping to allow the soldier to done her combat boots. She smirked when she saw Serah's look of disgust about her choice of footwear. Serah gave her a playful shove to get Lightning to stop with the satisfied smirking. The two sisters had grown apart, but somehow they still managed to remain close.
Sorry about not having this chapter up. Thanks to anyone still willing to put up with me and is still reading this story.