The Other Battlefield
Chapter 10: Part A
"So you're not regretting what you said then?"
Fang was questioning Lightning down the phone whilst stalking around the house, opening every door she could find, including cupboards. She heard Lightning sigh down the earpiece, but to be fair she had already asked the question two or three times already.
"I'm not trying to mess you about - of course I'm being serious."
"Uh-huh, that's good to hear," Fang knocked on the bathroom door before entering, only to find it was vacant. "Now if only I could find Vanille to tell her. Bloody girl has vanished."
"Have you checked the fridge?" Lightning quipped, and Fang could almost hear the smirk pour through the phone, if it were possible.
It was a relief to hear some sort of cheerfulness come from the soldier, especially after the week she'd had secluding herself from her family and friends. Fang had managed to haul Lightning out of her office, but she had doubts that the soldier was simply relaxing as she spoke to her. Fang could practically hear the scratching of her pen.
"Very funny, Light. But seriously did Serah mention anything about going out with her?"
Fang even double checked Vanille's bedroom, patting down the thick covers piled messily on her bed just in case she was hiding.
"Serah's out with the idiot looking for furniture," Lightning replied resentfully.
"Perfect," Fang cracked a smile. "You're bored, I'm bored. I'll pay you a visit."
"Fang," Lightning said with a hint of dread, drawing out the huntress's name. "I'm busy."
Before she could hear anymore however, Fang hung up the phone. As if she was going to take a no for an answer.
Within twenty minutes Fang was already at Lightning's door, the snow having barely touched her in her haste to get there. The Pulsian rattled the door handle impatiently, and the door clicked open, much to her satisfaction, and she let herself in. The heat of Lightning's home hit her first, all toasty and warm, followed by the comforting clean smell of the soldier herself.
She shut the door quietly behind her, wondering whether or not the door was open because Lightning did want her in, or because Serah and Snow were out. She stalked across the hall and peeked into the living room – nothing. The kitchen was the same.
What is it with people hiding from me today? Fang wondered and she quietly stalked her way upstairs, fingers tracing the bannister ever so gently as she ascended.
The top step wailed when she stood on it, and Fang held her breath long enough to hear the continuous scratching of a pen. It wasn't hard to tell which room Lightning was in, as it was the only one with light flooding underneath the door. She quickened her pace to the door, keeping her steps light as a feather.
"Surprise! You should really lock your damn door," Fang said, suddenly bursting into the room.
It was as if Lightning had cast 'Haste' upon herself; the second Fang shot through the door, whatever had been on the desk was now swept carelessly into a top drawer.
"Was that you 'not working', was it?" Fang wasn't angry, but she was determined to change Lightning's working habits for the better.
Lightning was looking around her desk for a distraction, but when it was evident that there wasn't one, she smiled bashfully in a way that reminded Fang of Vanille whenever she got herself into a sticky situation.
"Correct," Lightning sighed, letting her head drop in defeat. "However, it was the last thing I had left to do, and it was bugging me. I do however, have one or two more sentences to writes and we can do whatever you want."
She watched Lightning with her eyebrows high and mouth open in feigned shock as she pulled the file back out of the top drawer. "Put it back."
"Two more sentences, I promise." Lightning held her hands up, her right hand still holding the pen.
Fang took a few steps forward, stopping only when she came into contact with the desk. "Nope."
"One sentence then." Lightning spun her chair around and scribbled quickly. By the time Fang got round the other end of the desk, Lightning had spun the chair back around and had finished. "Happy now?"
Whatever that report was filled Fang with intrigue, especially since Lightning was so intent on hiding it. Draping herself across the chair and onto to Lightning's lap, she tried to catch a glimpse of the title.
The other woman must've anticipated this, as she threw the report back onto the table, and the words were nothing but a blur as they shot past her.
"You and this damn homework of yours," Fang huffed. "Give me a look, will you?"
A hand crept into her hair, playing thoughtfully at Fang's braids. "Why? It's all just boring Corps stuff from Amodar."
Still, boring or not, she wanted to have a peek. She reached for the file, and at the same time the soldier kicked them away from the desk. Fang clutched onto Light for dear life as she sent the two wheeling back into a wall.
The desk was far out of her reach now, but not if she moved quickly. "Okay, what're you hiding?"
"Nothing," Lightning insisted, burying he face into Fang's neck.
Had it not felt so pleasant, the huntress would have ignored this and grabbed the secretive document. Lightning's left hand wandered up and down Fang's back, using her other to direct Fang's line of sight to face her.
"Then let me see," Fang said, innocently smiling.
Lightning couldn't tell if Fang was just being playful, because Fang could certainly break out of her current hold if she wanted to.
Oerba was going to be repopulated by her suggestion, and she wanted the document submitted before telling Fang, ideally.
What a great way to start our lives together, with one great secret.
Distract her. "I've been doing some thinking about the new living arrangements. Any idea how Vanille will take it?"
"Not a clue. A part of her will be pleased and yet, she'll be left alone. Ever since I've known her, we've been inseparable though. I know she'll be upset."
Fang rolled from her lap and found a distraction in a bookcase which was full of trinkets, than actual novels or study books. Lightning let her meddle; it was only some possessions from her old home. One of which was a marble jewellery box, and it was only when Fang lifted the lid she remembered they had spare handcuffs in.
"Wear these often, do you?" Fang asked, dangling a cuff from her finger.
Lightning crossed her arms and legs simultaneously. "Given my job, you're the one more likely to wear them. Back on topic however, it might be best to discuss things together. Dinner tonight perhaps?"
"Sounds good to me. If anyone has any questions, it means everyone is here to answer them. Now if only I could find Vanille and tell her."
Lightning wondered how Serah and Snow were getting on with their furniture shopping, hoping their tastes weren't bigger than their budget. Bills were probably her main worry when it came to Serah's survival without her.
Out of everyone Lightning was friends with, only she had what she would call a stable job. Not that she doubted anyone's ability to get one, but Snow and Fang had both taken up the opportunity to work for Lebreau at times, and that was only on a temporary basis.
Lightning leaned against her desk, looking over at Fang who was still busy with all her ornaments, although this time she flicked through an old family photo album.
"If it's alright with you I wanted to drop by Amodar's office and get this report handed in once and for all, and on the way back I'll pick up some things for the five of us." She managed to continue speaking before Fang interrupted. "I know you've only been here twenty minutes, but you should really find out where Vanille is."
Lightning could see that Fang wasn't ready to leave, but the Oerban shrugged her shoulders, replacing the album. "Fine you win."
With a quick peck, Fang left. This time Lightning made sure she was alone, watching the retreating woman trudge through snow from behind the blinds.
After checking over her report, and cringing especially at the last few messy lines she scribbled while Fang was present, Lightning headed to work.
There were no surprised faces when she entered the building, as the offices were like her second home. In fact, there weren't many faces present to be surprised.
This quiet theme continued when she knocked upon Amodar's office door, and she was surprised to find no one inside. The door wasn't open either, so she had to find someone she trusted who would pass on her work.
Just as Lightning was about to head in the opposite direction, a bright, girly giggling caught her attention, and she recognised it immediately.
"She never said you were a funny man- oh speak of the devil... Lightning."
Lightning blinked twice to make sure it was Vanille she was seeing, bobbing along with Amodar as he presumably returned to his office.
"Farron! What part of being off work don't you understand?" When he was close enough, Amodar patted her firmly on the arm, before standing down at her hands. "Eager to please as always… that's the report I've been waiting for, is it?"
"Yes sir." Lightning saluted anyway, ignoring how awkward it felt doing it around Vanille.
"Hey Lightning, I didn't expect you here either. I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here, huh?" Vanille smiled quickly, biting her thumbnail.
"Just a bit," Lightning admitted. She thought Amodar would wait until she'd reported in before enlisting the help of a Gran Pulse native.
"I got Amodar's letter early this morning and thought I'd call in, since Fang was fast asleep. You've been working on relocating people, I hear."
Lightning watched the smaller girl carefully, noting her discomfort. Was Vanille hoping that Lightning wouldn't be around?
"Fang was wondering where you were actually," Lightning said, trying to sound unsuspecting.
Vanille had been gone a long time if she really had dashed off to visit Amodar once she got the letter. No wonder Fang couldn't find her. She found it strange that Vanille hadn't left a note, especially as the letter would've been addressed to both of them.
"I'll let the two of you get on." Lightning handed the file to Amodar, ducking her head respectfully as he took it. "And before I forget Vanille, I'm making dinner for the five of us later, so come round anytime."
The redhead's expression faltered slightly. "Oh! Sounds lovely."
It took a split second for Lightning to realise that Serah must've painted a terrible picture of how her cooking tasted. "I know what you're thinking. Just because Serah says she's the better cook, doesn't mean I can't cook at all."
Vanille scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sure. I might have a big lunch just in case… I'm kidding!"
Lightning's mock glare quickly shifted to a genuine smile, and she gave a small laugh. "You better be. See you soon."
She jangled her keys as she walked; occasionally throwing them in the air with a small flick of her wrist as she thought about how strange Vanille was acting. Maybe it was the likeness to her sister; the two seemed to share a certain look, one that she always associated with guilt when Serah did it. Dinner would be interesting.
Confident neither Farron would tell her off; Fang tossed a piece of raw carrot into her mouth, followed by a handful of onion, turnip, and peppers.
She was starving, and both Lightning and Serah had just had a 'mild' disagreement on who should cook, despite it being Lightning's idea in the first place.
"You'd think she'd want Lightning to cook, surely?" Vanille sighed, collapsing against the kitchen table dramatically.
Snow was perhaps the least bothered about all this, dipping his hand into a box of cornflakes and munching on it as if it were popcorn. "No way. Serah hates it when Lightning tries to cook, because she does it differently." His grave tone lightened slightly, "when we move out, I might never have to cook my own food ever again."
"And then you might forget how," Vanille chimed in. "And resort to snacking when Serah's not around and get really fat when you're older."
Fang almost choked on her mouthful at the thought of Snow being fat. It just didn't seem possible, not after seeing how well built he was when they all took refuge at Hope's house.
"I do both now anyway," Snow shrugged. "Besides, no one's getting fat anytime soon if they don't come back and cook it."
Overhead they heard shrieking laughter followed by a catastrophic crash. The trio exchanged confused looks.
"We could just do it for them?" Vanille suggested, but as Fang reached out towards the chopping board she grasped nothing.
"Oh shit, guys. I've eaten it all."
Snow laughed, looking relieved to be grabbing his phone from his pocket. "Pizza it is then."
A/N: It's alllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiive.