Etro's Keepers: A Day in the Life
A/N: And the next chapter is here!
For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
sage – Thanks for the review. ^^ I agree with you. Lol. I think the chibi form brings out Lightning's inner rebel child. XD
Guest – Thanks for the comment. ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. I think by the end of it, I was grinning like an idiot. Lol. The chibis are so mischievous, and add Chibi Lightning to the mix, they're terrible. Hehe.
Riku91 – Thanks for the review. ^^ Don't feel bad about not reviewing. I know how busy real life stuff can get. I too am struggling with that right now, on top of keeping up regular posts for all of my stories. The last chapter was definitely one of the more fun chapters to write for me, myself really liking the scheme involving Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Alexander. As for when TF2 will be posting, there's still plenty of things to happen in The Kingdom of Etro, so not for a while yet. Thanks for your patience. :)
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
*** ~ Stuck on You ~ ***
(featuring the Farron family chibis and Mog)
Mog was a curious creature.
"Claire?"
He was so curious in fact, Lightning couldn't but watch the little critter from time to time, ever since she agreed to take him in.
"Claire, are you listening to me?"
It had been a month since that happened. Mog adjusted well to his new, temporary home, the little one coming to understand and trust that Lightning and Chibi Odin meant him no harm. Soon normalcy fell upon Lightning's humble abode once again, the only change being this new addition to the pair of battle partners residing on the top level of the Farron residence. Mog wasn't one for too many words thankfully, not yet at least, only speaking up when he was hungry or some other basic need required attention. Lightning attributed that to him still adjusting, yet-
SNAP!
Fingers snapped in front of Lightning's face.
Lightning flinched at the disturbance, jerking backwards a bit as she was startled out of her thoughts. Narrowed blue eyes glared at the offender.
"Looks like I finally got your attention," Serah said, with a chuckle. The smallest pinkette currently sat next to the soldier at the dinner table.
Lightning scowled, slumping forward slightly to get comfortable in her chair again. "Was that really necessary?"
Serah was unfazed by her sister's look, also known as the Glare, and merely raised an eyebrow at the disgruntled sergeant. "Something on your mind, Sis?"
"No," came a quick and flat reply. Lightning's chin rested against her upturned palm, her right elbow propped up on the dinner table. She was staring at Mog again.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Serah pursed her lips together, turning her head to follow Lightning's gaze. Chibi Odin and Chibi Siren were playing on Lightning's couch nearby, along with Mog, all of them having finished breakfast ahead of the adults just moments ago. As for the adults, today was one of the few days Serah spent time with her sister during breakfast, as Snow and the twins were out on their daily patrol around town. That being said, it certainly hadn't feel like much of a family breakfast to Serah, not in the usual sense. Lightning had been staring at Mog for the entire time since Serah came up this morning, and hadn't heard a single word she said aside from her regular good morning greeting.
"Alright," Serah said, leaning closer to Lightning to get her attention. They were almost cheek to cheek with each other now. "What gives? What's wrong with Mog?"
At the sudden proximity of her sister, Lightning snapped out of her thoughts again with a single utterance. "Huh?"
Serah gave her sister a look. "What do you mean, huh?" What was going on with Lightning today? The soldier was being unusually spacey for some reason.
"Did you say something, Serah?"
Serah frowned. "You sick or something?" She reached out to put her hand on Lightning's forehead only for the other pinkette to push it away.
"I'm fine," Lightning replied, one of the soldier's many automatic responses. "Just... thinking about... stuff."
"Uh huh."
When she got no response from the sergeant after that comment, Serah sighed again. Time to try a new tactic.
"Mog."
The said furry one paused in his current motion to look up at the dinner table. He was playing Patty Cakes with Chibi Siren. Chibi Odin was watching them. "Kupo?"
Serah couldn't but smile at the white one's response. Mog was most comfortable with Serah, only second to Lightning. The little one still wasn't all too at ease around Snow yet, or Fang for that matter, but he seemed to be warming up to the others a bit faster.
"Can you come here for a moment?"
"What are you doing, Serah?"
Mog looked at Chibi Odin and Chibi Siren. Chibi Odin shrugged while Chibi Siren babbled something unintelligible. Seeing and sensing no immediate danger, Mog crawled to the edge of the couch, sliding down the side to the floor. He then crawled his way over to Serah just feet away.
"I just want to see how Mog is doing," Serah replied, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Is there something wrong with that?"
Lightning's eyes narrowed a fraction. "No," she said in a gruff voice. The eldest pinkette looked away.
Serah made a mental note about how suddenly protective Lightning had become about Mog. It reminded Serah of the time after Lightning accepted Chibi Odin. Interesting...
"Kupo?"
Mog looked up at Serah from all fours, next to the foot of her chair. He hadn't learned how to walk yet, but got around well enough crawling. The youngest Farron beamed as she reached over and picked him up. Resting Mog on the table in front of her, she softly stroked him on the head, earning her a pleased purr. Serah quickly noticed how rigid her sister became from the corner of her eye.
"How are you doing, Mog?"
"Kupo!" came a happy reply.
Serah laughed at the moogle's enthusiasm. "I'm glad to hear that." It pleased the youngest pinkette to see Mog in such fine health. Any scratches he had when they first met him had long healed up, his once dirty grey coat of fur now a brilliant pearl white color. Even the gem shaped bobble on his antenna looked much brighter too.
"Has Claire be treating you well?"
"Kupo! Kupo!" came another joyous cry. Mog patted his tiny hands together excitedly. Lightning had treated him very well. He liked Lightning.
A small, almost unnoticeable smile crept across Lightning's face. While the little furball was nervous around her at first, both of them soon got accustomed to each other and had been best friends ever since. There was something very special about Mog, something Lightning couldn't quite put a finger on. It was a different kind of special than Chibi Odin, her battle partner always having a specific place in her heart. It was the type of thing one couldn't put into words, yet felt it deeply within their soul.
Serah dared a glance at her older sibling, a smile of her own stretching across her lips. It was nice to see Lightning happy.
"Kupo! Kupo! Kupopopopopo!" Mog exclaimed, drawing Serah's attention back to him.
"She did, did she?" Serah looked at Lightning in surprise.
Mog nodded happily. "Kupo kupo!"
"Okay." Serah set Mog back down on the floor again. The little one scurried across the hardwood panels to find his prize to show to her.
Serah turned back to her sister. "You bought him a present?" Mog had apparently learned the word from the chibis.
"What?" Lightning said, crossing her arms across her chest. Her brow furled. "He wanted it."
Serah's surprise soon turned to joy. "He asked for it?" The sudden urge to hug Lightning was very strong.
Lightning nodded.
"And you bought it for him?"
Lightning scowled again. "I just said that, didn't I?" she said with a huff. Serah's questions were starting to get annoying. What was the big deal anyhow? It wasn't like Mog asked for something big.
Maker, Serah wanted to squeal! As much as Lightning prided herself on being a calm, rational, and level headed leader, she also had a softer side not many people got to see. Serah always loved that side of her sister. Usually it was only reserved for her, but had since expanded to their extended family and now Mog. Lightning was really changing. Serah couldn't be more proud.
"Wow."
"Wow, what?"
Serah didn't know what to say. "That's just... You're certainly taking the role of temporary guardian quite seriously, Sis."
Lightning opened her mouth to say something but closed it as Mog came back, pulling Serah's attention away again.
"Kupo!"
Temporary guardian, huh?
Lightning made a fist under the table. Suddenly, she didn't feel so annoyed anymore. Now she felt... just... The sergeant gritted her teeth. It didn't matter how she felt in the end. All she was doing was what was best for Mog. And if it was in his best interests to be taken care of by someone else, she'd just have to accept that. Even if she didn't want to. But in all honesty, was there really someone else out there more qualified than her to do so? If there was, Lightning was sure as hell not going to give up Mog without a fight!
"You bought him a rattle, Claire!?"
Serah's squeal immediately drew Lightning out of her thoughts, the soldier jumping slightly at her now gushing sister.
"It's so cute!"
Lightning honestly didn't know what the big deal was. Mog's rattle was a tiny blue staff of sorts, at the top of it, a miniature clock with a white face. There was also a pinkish gem at the top of the clock which looked identical to the bobble hanging off of his own antenna. While it was true it wasn't a life necessity, as Lightning figured, Mog should have gotten it anyhow. All of the chibis had their own unique toys, or rather, weapons, which were solely part of them. So to speak. Mog seemed to be lacking such a thing, so Lightning took it upon herself to procure that missing item. But Serah didn't need to know that. She would make a bigger deal out if it than she was right now if she found out.
Mog happily shook the rattle, the toy making a very pleasing whooshing sound in the process. Apparently, it was one of the newest gadgets created by one of Cocoon's surviving toy makers. New Age was what the package had said. Serah recalled seeing it in the stores, for the past few months now, at one point Serah considering to get it for Chibi Siren.
"It's not a rattle, Serah," Lightning said, glad for the distraction from her thoughts. "A rattle would suggest he's a child. Mog is not. It's an educational device which will teach him how to read the time. That's all there is to it."
Yes. That should be sufficient enough to quiet her currently hyperactive sister. Lightning mentally patted herself on the back for that subterfuge.
Serah couldn't but laugh at that description. Lightning was just too cute at times. But Serah knew better than to tease her about these things. If she did, Lightning would no doubt get her back tenfold. Through things like tickle fights. Maker! Serah wouldn't last one minute against her sister in a tickle fight.
"Even so, it's adorable," Serah ended up saying.
"Kupo!" Mog said in agreement. He shook the rattle again, beaming at Lightning.
Lightning reached over to stroke Mog on the head. The little moogle accepted the affection with another pleased purr, smiling even more. That soft smile of Lightning's, the one only reserved for very special people to her, stretched across her face again. Serah's eyes snapped to it, the tiny pinkette starting to wonder if she should be jealous. Mog and Lightning just fit so well together, which is why she wasn't going to tell them that someone had asked about the moogle.
As promised when they first discovered Mog, the others were hard at work on finding Mog a permanent home, while Lightning took care of him in the mean time. Many people offered to take him in, but out of all of them, there were only a handful who seemed suitable and well equipped to do so. One such person was Mr. Miller, one of the local shop keepers in the market. He was a nice, older man, having survived his wife in death, living now on his own. That was actually the reason for this particular breakfast meeting, Serah having been voted the one to discuss this with her sister. But after seeing everything this morning, Serah couldn't bring herself to do it.
Serah wasn't blind. Nor was she deaf. She noticed how quiet her sister went after being reminded that the situation with Mog was temporary. Serah didn't miss the frown Lightning sported, nor the look her in older sibling's eyes when she thought Serah wasn't looking. As much as Lightning was against the idea originally, there was no denying how right that decision had been. Lightning needed Mog. And Mog needed Lightning.
"Kupo!"
Lightning chuckled. "Very good, Mog," she said, turning the dials on his clock rattle again. "And what does this time read?"
"Kupo...?"
"No. Try again."
It was settled.
Watching Lightning and Mog here, Serah made up her mind. Mog would stay with Lightning. That was all there was to it. Lightning was one of the most self sacrificing people Serah knew. If it came down to it, Serah knew her sister would give up Mog, pretending it not to be a big deal. She would give up everything if it meant those she cared about were safe, and happy. Just like how she became a soldier to make sure Serah was safe and got what she needed. Serah hadn't seen that at first, but the whole incident with the fal'Cies had opened her eyes. She wasn't about to let that same thing happen all over again to Lightning.
Not again.
A/N: I have to say, something about this chapter felt a bit off, and no matter how many times I redid it, that feeling didn't go away. Oh well.
I always found it a bit creepy for Mog to talk in FFXIII-2. So I just had him repeating his famed 'Kupo!', similar to that of the chibis making sounds.
I honestly don't know much about Moogles aside from what I know from FFXIII-2, so expect Mog to be a bit more human like in his actions and movements rather than like a feral animal.