As Fang stepped into the vast upper office once more, a small, tingling chill ran up her spine, prompting Fang to twitch for her sheathed spear.
"Yun Fang," a silky voice purred from the back of the room. Fang could tell even before she saw her that it was the woman boss she'd met the day before. Coming out of a small, off-jetted side room near the back, Jihl Nabaat spicily joined the main room with a strut that would shame the most perfect runway model. "We've been waiting for you," Jihl met her eyes from across the room and beckoned Fang over with a wave of the paper. "Your new contract."
Fang crossed the room. Jihl's lips remains slightly parted as her eyes turned back downward towards the desk. She reached for a pen at the end of the desk, causing a slight dip of her person that had Fang's eyes redirected in a snap. The short tie from her high collar hung down loosely over upper crevasse of those full breasts. It was a momentary, accidental peek that disappeared immediately with Jihl's pull back to sign the paper. Fang idly wondered how such a fitted, open-necked uniform could have been chosen for this commander.
Fang could admit the woman had an allure about her. Fine figured with a mind to show it, Fang could even appreciate the Cocoon-born kinks about her, which seemed to suit the woman like a glove. Borderline picturesque royalty, Fang believed she could undoubtedly have whomever or whatever she desired. Hell, even Fang's fellow, Cocoon-arrogant Yuns could stop to take a look at her. The commander was that stunning. "You have a job for me?"
"I do," Jihl's words slid from her lips, more of a purr than actually spoken. Penning the top little i of her smooth lettering, she slid a contract across the desk and lifted her eyes to Fang once more, who stood almost exactly to her height, which surprised Fang until she glanced down under the desk and noticed the woman's heels. Fang scoffed, sweeping up the paper to her grasp.
She scanned the first few lines, then glanced up at Jihl, who was sliding the pen into a holding-shuffler Cocoon invention. "This is my assignment?"
"The company feels you capable, Yun Fang." Jihl idly scratched at a little dent in the glass surface of the desk. Her eyes lifted to Fang then, one long, slender brow raising. "Is it too much to handle?"
"Of course not." Fang dismissed. No Cocoon-granted job would ever prove too difficult.
"Good." Jihl's eyes dropped back to the splint in the desk. She sat, body easing effortlessly into the tall-backed, black leather behind the desk. "Sign the contract, then. Your transport is waiting outside."
Fang did so, scrawling out a signature before she thumbed the ink pad and imprinted it onto the paper. When she looked back up at Jihl, the woman was already poking something on her desktop datapad. Without another word, Fang left.
XXX
"How's this?" Lightning asked, coming up to a halt alongside a vast, quiet patch of Lake Bresha. She turned to Fang expectantly. "The lake's usually quiet because it's so close the Waterscape reservation. Cocoon's civilians tend to shy away from it because of the infrequent fiend escapes from Sunleth that usually roam about this area."
"Cowards," Fang gazed out at the long stretch of lake, which dotted over with patches of forestry every here and there around its great circumference between the open stretches of grass and field. "It's perfect for what we need, though." Fang tossed aside her spear and turned to Lightning. "Attack me."
Lightning wasn't precisely sure how she meant, but obeyed the commandment and rushed Fang. Before she knew it, Fang had seized her about the waist and gave Lightning a flipping, dazzling view of the sky. Lightning grunted as her back hit the ground hard.
After several more attempts to subdue her, Fang showed her some basics Lightning vaguely remembered having done and forgotten from time with her father. Fang taught her the correct way to strike for maximum efficiency in hand-to-hand combat and demonstrated forms along with situational circumstance. Fang had her try a few more attacks before they both began to curtail Lightning's advantages to her speed, as Fang was vastly stronger in every onslaught set against her.
By the end of the session, Lightning was sweating, bruised, and far worse for the wear than a barely frazzled Fang, who smiled at her, proud, and rubbed her sore shoulder once as they made their way back to Lightning's car. Fang glanced at the flying cars around them as Lightning cleanly maneuvered other air traffic. Fang sat back in the seat lowly. "I hate flying vehicles."
"I prefer them. Easier than ground-based." Lightning arched her neck where a sore kink had started to ache.
Fang saw her twitch. "You sore, Light?" Fang started to reach for her, but Lightning jolted so bad, the car swerved over to projected the red divider line.
"Not while I'm driving!" Lightning barked angrily, catching herself to steer back from the edge of the double red laser divider cut through the air. Fang withdrew on Lightning's exhale, to the Cocoon girl's sideways glance at Fang. Fang detected an edge of panic in those eyes, though her tone came more evenly then. "Sorry," Lightning breathed. "I don't like being touched while driving."
"Me too. Sorry, I mean," Fang apologized, though a little curious where the sudden, quick onslaught of fear had appeared from. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay," Lightning forgave, all panic dropping from her eyes, or perhaps hidden. A moment of silence passed in which Lightning shifted in her seat.
"You think Serah's at the apartment with dinner?" Fang asked, disrupting the silence.
Lightning smiled a bit.
XXX
They developed into a pattern like so, starting days at work with their bosses to turn in for evenings of training that ended late. Halfway through the week, Fang had a day off and spent the time with an affectionate Serah, who then insisted on coming to the next evening practice, missing her sister and her girlfriend too much. They walked late after, first around the lake before touring through Eden at night to Serah's excited jabbering.
Fang called Vanille every day to talk to her or Sky, and sometimes Vanille called in anyway to check with her twice or multiple times beyond that a day. She whined about being abused like a kink toy, but Fang could tell from her tone alone that Vanille was enjoying her private time with Sky, even if she missed Fang as well.
By the time the weekend arrived, Serah had fully adapted and liked the living situation with Fang there. It was a little different for Lightning, who wasn't used to someone sharing her private space at night and in early mornings, but Fang was polite and did her best to leave Lightning some time to herself, even if it meant watching that dread television with Serah on the couch. Fang spent those free weekend hours between Lightning, who'd picked up the desire and art of fighting at a remarkable rate, exploring and testing the gym Serah showed her at the complex, and shopping with Serah, who often went alone about groceries, claiming she picked better food for them to cook. Fang suspected Serah was giving Lightning her own time as well, for the girl waved off Lightning's offer to join them, seeming ritual, but not menacing about it.
It was next Tuesday night when Fang's cell rang again, vibrating on the kitchen table. Serah glanced upstairs where Fang was probably macking on her sister. She rather not interrupt, since Fang was so polite as to not touch Lightning in front of her, who was too prude to initiate with Serah around. Leaving the meaty stew to cook itself on the stove, Serah crossed to the kitchen table and picked up the ringing phone.
"Help, Fang! She won't stop licking me! Her tongue's an evil little, wet, suctioning kink! It won't leave my vag alone!"
Serah nearly dropped the phone. She cleared her throat and glanced up again, wondering if she should get Fang. Having apparently taken too long to respond, the pause on the other end was evident. "Fang?" Serah bit her lip. "Oh, shit." Vanille cursed, "Is this Lightning? If it is, I'm an ex! I'm a weird, Gran Pulse custom, tourette-addled ex. And I'm drunk! I'm oversexed and— "
"Is this Vanille?" Serah interrupted what she assumed would be a babble, if she proved to be right.
Vanille paused again. "You sound too soft-spoken to be Lightning… who is this?"
"This is Serah."
"Lightning's sister!" Vanille squealed, "I've heard a lot about you! Fang likes to talk. She says you're like me! But much more little sister-y than sex-spankingly-doable! Not that she hasn't told me about your interest in Yuns— and believe me, you definitely want a Yun to— aghh!" Vanille's scream followed a loud slap. "Sky!" there was a tumble, then the faint pattering of feet before a door slammed shut, echoing through the phone. "Serah? Still there?"
"I'm still here." Serah confirmed. "What's going on over there?"
"Vanille!" Sky's shout blasted through the closed door.
"Oh, nothing. My girlfriend just overreacts when I talk to other girls."
"Vanille, you're not supposed to be talking to her!" Sky shouted, holler echoing. "Fang wouldn't like that either!
Serah's eyebrows went up.
"Good thing we installed techy locks on the bathroom doors, huh?" Vanille chuckled, "Sometimes it's fun when they can't figure out your world's technology."
"Vanille!"
"She sounds pretty angry…" Serah cautioned.
"Oh, I'm already in for it." Vanille waved off, "A couple more rounds won't break me. I just have to call Fang again if I lose feeling in my legs. I seriously think she'll break my vag one of these times," Vanille raised her voice a little more to be heard, "then who'll be the sorry one?"
"I'm serious, Vanille!" Sky hissed through the doorway, "Pink is Fang's issue, not yours. Don't get involved!"
Vanille shook her head. "Anyway, how're you?" A thundering pound shook the door in its frame behind her. "Shit," Vanille cursed again, "Sky, stop it! You're overreacting again! I'm right behind the door! You wanna crush me?"
Another pound didn't come. Instead, the familiar sound of Sky's head thunking against the wood came through. "Vanille… "
"Don't 'Vanille' me when you're acting like the lunatic!" Vanille reprimanded sharply.
"I don't want you involved." Sky mumbled, voice quieter.
"I'm not getting involved, I'm just being nice to what may be our future sister-in-law! Now go wait on the bed for me before I send you to the couch for the rest of the day for misbehaving." There was a long pause outside before the familiar soft padding of footsteps backed away again. Vanille smiled, self-satisfied.
"Wow," Serah echoed softly through the phone, "Is Sky a Yun? Is that how you handle her?"
Vanille grinned. "Sure is. I'll get it bad for that later, but you've gotta have some measure of discipline on them, otherwise they run rampant like arrogant, unholy sex goddesses come to plague the women of Gran Pulse. And your sister."
Serah lowered her voice in awe. "Is she equipped too?"
"Oh yes, fully cocked."
"Vanille!"
"She's a Pratyr!" Vanille called back, "It's safe!" Vanille chuckled. "Sorry about that, they have like super-sonic hearing. It's nuts. You really wonder how we don't blow their ears out during sex… "
"Pratyr?"
"It's sorta what you call a historian, except more on the discovery side. Like scribes; they go out to search Gran Pulse for pieces of our history and record and honor what they find. They're a real respected group among the tribes."
"Wow," Serah repeated, awed, "Fang has been telling you about me."
"All good things so far!" Vanille assured, "If you've done anything bad, she hasn't said so yet!"
Serah smiled softly. "Fang's a sweetheart."
"She's just a big softie, once you get to know her."
"Fang says good things about you, too. It sounds like she adores you," Serah conversed, "She says you're Physislingual too, able to talk to nature and animals."
"Not professionally, like the oldest elders," Vanille blushed, both surprised and quickly gaining appreciation for this learned girl. "It's just something I've a knack for sometimes…"
Fang found Serah in the kitchen forty minutes later happily talkative on an almost-dead battery phonecall with Vanille. The girls both apologized to a chuckling Fang and exchanged numbers, where Fang spent the last seven minutes of her battery time bidding Vanille good night. She offered Serah a kind smile to let the girl know she wasn't in trouble and Serah hugged her, arms folding tight around Fang's middle. "I'm really glad you're part of our family now, Fang."
Fang ached, but just held her, only able to hope and pray that Lightning would be happy to say those words too, some day. Serah scuttled off to her bedroom then, to let her 'get back to helping Claire' and music soon blasted, muffled by her closed door. Fang made her way upstairs and found Lightning combing her dried hair before the mirror. Fang stopped in the doorway to watch, finding Lightning gorgeous, bathed in the soft glow emitted by dresser lamp. Perhaps feeling her returned presence, Lightning turned her head then, finding Fang back there. "Need something, Fang?" Her lips curled at the right corner, dazzling Fang with the hint of a smile. "Did you want another midnight snack?"
Fang's stomach churned. Vanille used to do that for her, back when they were together. She'd offer Fang midnight snacks, not always meaning food, but sincere and angelic enough to understand and care about both Fang's appetites and take care of either one, (sometimes both), just by feeling Fang's eyes turned on her. It took her off guard to see Lightning offering it, made her warm in inappropriate ways of friendship. "I'm okay." Fang assured, turning her eyes away to cope. She sat on the bed edge, facing away from Lightning to count to fifty and back down again, clearing her mind off the pink-haired beauty.
Already having asked Lightning's forgiveness if she were to accidentally stiffen in the bedroom, for Fang had wisely muttered a half-fib about Vanille that first night she'd slept there, Lightning didn't say anything at her momentary quiet. Fang had initially asked of such until she'd come out of a spell herself. The bed depressed on Lightning's side with her added weight. Fang took an extra twenty seconds to come out of it before she relaxed back to the bed.
Lightning tossed her over half the blanket. "You all okay?"
Fang gazed up at the ceiling determinedly. "Yeah, sorry about that."
Lightning shrugged. "It happens." She glanced at Fang. "How long's it been since you and Vanille... "
"Awhile." Fang breathed truthfully, "Vanille and I have settled our time. We're best friends now and she's with Sky."
"The other Yun who lives with you?" Lightning's eyebrows went up. "Ouch."
"It's not bad like that," Fang shook her head. "Sky's my best of the clan. We consider everyone family among the tribes, but she's probably the closest thing to what I'd consider my sister."
"That makes it hurt less?"
"It's kind of comforting," Fang echoed, softer. "Vanille's happy with her, and Sky's… more stable than I was. It's calming to know Vanille could find that when I couldn't be her rock. I'm happy for them, that Vanille's found that and that Sky understands and cherishes what I couldn't hold."
The covers shifted as Lightning turned on her side. Fang could see from her peripherals that she was facing her way now. Her jaw clicked in concentration not to look back at her, Lightning in all her strong loveliness. "You sound pretty at peace with it. You were happy to move on, let Vanille go to Sky?"
Fang's laugh came half-snorted, and this time she did turn to Lightning. "Are you kidding? I might think it better for them now and not mind them together, but I'm not a saint, Light. The first time Sky confessed to me that she'd fucked Vanille? I nearly castrated her right there. Both eyes were swollen shut before Vanille got me off'a her by crying." Fang let out a humorless laugh then, eyes turning back to the ceiling. "Which really had been my problem in the first place… so, yeah, I think Vanille's better with her. I haven't made her cry like that since."
"Would you take her back? If Sky wasn't in the picture, I mean."
"If I did, it'd be self-indulgent. I'm not what's best for Vanille." Fang offered a sad, genuine smile. "The girl I need has to be a little tougher, I think. Able to knock me back if I ever go too far again." That 'again' intrigued her, but Lightning didn't push it. Fang asked her instead. "What about you? Any regretful lovers gone awry?"
"Ahh," Lightning turned on her back then, the one to turn away this time. "Love's not for me. I gave up the knight in shining armor thing a long time ago."
"Really?" Fang prodded, "No one?"
"The few guys I've fucked were never meant to be more than what they were," Lightning shook her head. "I don't wanna mess around in love anyway. I've got Serah to care for and her school to work towards. Doesn't really leave time for flights of smitten fancy anyway."
Fang pushed gently. "You give up a lot for Serah, Light."
"I owe her that," Seeming too tender a spot, Lightning rolled onto her side again then, this time facing away from Fang. She left no room to push further, though Fang had a feeling that she shouldn't anyway. "It's late. I'm going to sleep. Night, Fang."
Fang stayed as she was, eyes on Lightning's back, creased with both due concern and tender affection. "Goodnight, Lightning."
Lightning snapped her fingers then and the room went dark, leaving her but a faint, illumined outline to Fang's enhanced eyes.
