A/N: Oh my god I finally finished this! Thanks for being patient! I really appreciate it. I'm so glad it's finally done! I can finally mark this story as complete! Yeeee! Enjoy ^^
The fire burned ruthlessly in the small house as Lightning dragged the unconscious beast through the debris. She had dodged a few falling pieces of wood as well as several flames burning all around her. But soon, she came to the same obstacle that had stopped her before. The fallen beam. It was lying right in the middle of the stairway and there was no way around it. The air was getting thinner by the minute and it was becoming harder to breathe. Lightning squinted through the smoke to see the burning beam. She had to get it out of the way. The only way to do that was forcefully. She couldn't stand on her injured leg alone without losing her balance, so she lifted the injured leg and kicked the beam with all her might.
It wouldn't budge. She pulled her leg back and kicked harder. Harder and harder each time, it seemed as if the beam would never move. Lightning felt tears welling up in her eyes. They would be stuck in this burning building. Death by arson. But she still didn't give up on the kicking. Finally, the beam began to break apart. Lightning smiled at her success but it quickly faded. She repositioned Fang on her shoulder and began to move again.
The house was full of smoke and fire. Lightning could feel her lungs trying their hardest to find clean air to no avail. She felt frail. She felt tired. Her arms and legs were growing weak like they couldn't take the weight of the large beast she was carrying. But the window was right there. She could see the light. She could feel the fresh air right in front of her. She could already touch the cold snow on her hot skin.
Finally, she reached the window. She was greeted by a blast of cold air as she gripped the windowsill. Unfortunately, she forgot about the broken glass on the window. The glass dug into her palm and she quickly drew her hand away.
"Claire!" She heard a familiar cry. Aqua hues darted upward and found the younger Farron in tears.
"Serah," she replied. She hated seeing her like that. Her little sister was probably afraid that something horrible would happen again. She was probably scared that this time, her older sister wouldn't make it alive.
Gadot and Snow rushed up to Lightning and tried to assist her but she drew back and glared at them. "Take Fang first," she hissed.
The men exchanged confused looks then glanced back at the pinkette. Gadot shook his head with a sigh and gripped onto the unconscious beast. With Snow's help, they were able to get the monster out of the house and into the snow. Lightning carefully pulled herself over the shattered glass and onto the snow. She was so glad to be breathing fresh, clean air again. She took deep, heavy breaths as she fell to her hands and knees. The snow stung her leg. It stung badly. But it was a relieving kind of pain. The cold snow numbed the burning sensation and made it feel like the whole leg itself was gone.
Lightning turned over in the snow and lay on her back letting the white, cold powder cool her down. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind that was swimming in so many thoughts. She didn't even notice when Serah kneeled beside her and began calling her name. Finally, Lightning opened her eyes and glanced up at her.
"Claire, you can't do something like that!" She scolded. As the younger pinkette continued to reprimand her sister, Lightning could only stare at the sky. Her attention was elsewhere. Where was Fang? Where had they placed her? She glanced around in search for the beast but was only greeted with the bright reflection of the sun off of the snow. She sat up, wincing slightly at the small stinging sensation in her leg. Her eyes slowly began to adjust to the light. Then she spotted her, laying there motionless in the snow with Vanille kneeling beside her. Lightning pushed herself to her feet with a grunt and started limping towards the fallen woman.
"Claire?" Serah asked as she stood as well.
Lightning dropped to her knees beside Fang and pressed her hands into the snow. "Fang," she muttered in an attempt to wake the other.
"Light," Snow said as he walked over to her. "That's not Fang. That's a horrible beast and it needs to be disposed of!"
Lightning shot him a glare. "You didn't spend four weeks with her, Snow!" She called. "You didn't experience the way she acted! You didn't see the way she looked at me. This is Fang and I know that for a fact. Go ahead and think I'm crazy, but I know who this woman is!" Lightning then turned her head back to face Ragnarok. "None of you knew where Fang ran off to. No one knew what happened or why she disappeared. But now that I'm saying I've found her, you all just deny every bit of it. You wanted an explanation, a reason for all of this. Here's your explanation, your reason. Fang was transformed into Ragnarok. I don't know why and I don't know how, but she was. And we need to help her." As Lightning spoke, she began pressing rapidly on the breasts chest in an attempt to resuscitate her. Her body was cold, but it shouldn't have been. She was just in a fire. Something wasn't right. Lightning pressed an ear to Ragnarok's chest and listened for a heartbeat. There was none.
Silence fell over the group as Lightning sat up. Vanille rose and backed up a few steps, her breath hitching in her throat. She knew from the first time she laid eyes on the beast that there was something familiar about her. The look in Ragnarok's eyes when they saw each other was just pure sadness and loneliness. She didn't want to believe it at first, but now she was certain. She wasn't the only one who thought the beast was their lost friend. But she realized too late, because now Fang was. . .
Lightning's shoulders trembled. She was so close. She had finally figured out the last piece of her memories. And then it all just slipped away. Lightning lifted the limp body into her arms as the tears streamed down her face. "How long was that fire burning before I got here. . .?" She asked in a low, cracked voice.
The others remained silent. They were afraid to answer. The fire had been burning for a long time, but no one was keeping track. When no one responded, Lightning just pressed her forehead to Fang's and bit her lip. "Fang," she whimpered. A few of her tears dripped onto the lifeless face. She'd never see her smile again; never see her laugh; she would never see those luminescent green eyes. As Lightning began to realize all of this, she began to cry harder. She hated crying in front of all of these people. It showed weakness. As a soldier, she was never supposed to show weakness, but she couldn't help it now. She pressed her lips gently to the other's knowing they wouldn't return it.
Serah began shooing everyone away. She knew her sister wanted to be alone, especially since she believed her lost girlfriend had died. Serah still didn't believe it, but she knew Lightning was grieving anyway. She turned and watched as Lightning stood, her shoulders still trembling. The younger girl frowned as the other began walking towards her. When she passed her, Serah just stared at the ground. Lightning had been upset before, but it was never this bad. Serah was concerned that her older sister might go into a state of depression.
She turned on her heal and began to walk away, but something caught her eye. She turned back towards the beast to find her surrounded in a luminescent blue light. Lightning noticed this too as the light reflected off of the snow and caused a shadow. She spun around as Ragnarok was lifted from the snow. The light grew blindingly bright, but Lightning began to run forward towards it until it became too bright and she had to stop to shield her eyes.
It was at this time that Lightning realized why Ragnarok was so intrigued with Beauty and the Beast. It was a portrayal of her life, her story put into words. She was the beast and Lightning was the one who was supposed to turn the beast back into a human being. And that was what she had just done.
Fang sat in the snow, her hands and knees buried in the powder. She held one of her hands to her head, her fingers tangled in her brunette mane. Emerald hues were focused on the ground beneath her, but they weren't actually looking. She was confused at first. She didn't know where she was or how she got there. A sudden force snapped her back into reality, a rush of pink knocking her onto her back, arms coiled tightly around her.
She was crying again. Lightning Farron was crying. Fang didn't think she would see this day. But why was she holding onto her so tight? The last thing Fang remembered was the smaller woman leaving with her friends. She began noticing how everyone was crowded around her, some of their faces were confused, others were glad, and then there was Vanille who was smiling but crying at the same time. Fang glanced around at everyone with a confused expression. Then she noticed how Lightning's skin was soft against her own whereas before she had barely felt the touch at all. She looked down to find her own skin, not Ragnarok's, but hers. She reached up and grabbed a handful of her own actual hair. Green irises found aqua ones as she sat up.
"Lightning," she said her Pulsian accent thick as ever. A wide smile grew onto her face. She wrapped her arms around the pinkette in a tight embrace.
"It's so good to see you again," Lightning whispered with a smile. She glared up at Snow as if to say I told you so.
The man crossed his arms and sighed. "Good to have you back, Fang." He muttered.
The huntress rose to her feet and shot him a glare. "Don't you 'good to have you back, Fang' me!" She said as she pointed a finger at him. "Who the hell gave ya the right to come and burn down my place, huh? I've got half a mind to take my lance and shove it up your-!" She was interrupted by another hug this time from her younger sibling. Fang gave the sobbing girl a soft smile as she returned the embrace.
They had spent hours out there talking and catching up. Fang had explained to them that She had been the reason Lightning had amnesia due to Etro giving her a second chance at winning Lightning's affection. She explained the conditions of the deal. She explained how she needed to get Lightning to fall in love with her again before the last sunset of winter dwindled beneath the horizon to regain her human body. The others were shocked at this. They were more shocked about Fang practically tearing Lightning to shreds before, but none of them were angry. Fang had obviously redeemed herself of that night by showing she can control the beast in its most lethal form.
As they walked home, Lightning kept glancing up at Fang. She couldn't believe she was actually there. Even as they held one another's hand she still couldn't believe it. She had just remembered the woman merely hours before, but it felt like an eternity was spent without her and all she wanted to do was climb into her arms and just hold her, never letting go. Holding her like if she did let go, she would just vanish again. Lightning couldn't believe how much she needed this woman, how much she depended on her presence, how much she needed to be with her. She had never needed someone so much in her life and she was astonished to find herself feeling so lonely without her. She had been alone all her life and she never felt a single pang of loneliness, but a few months without the woman she loved was like torture.
Upon arrival at the house, everyone turned in early. They were all exhausted from the events of the day. The crickets were chirping loudly as the couple got ready for bed. Fang was in the bathroom staring into the mirror as Lightning stood beside her brushing her teeth. The pinkette looked at the seemingly distressed woman. "Everything okay?" She asked after she spit into the sink.
The tan woman nodded. "Yeah," she said. "It's just been so long since I've actually seen my own face." She ran a calloused hand over her smooth face, the rough skin slightly pulling on the soft skin. "I forgot how sexy I was." She laughed.
Lightning smiled as she wiped her mouth with the rag beside her. Fang was back. That was for sure. The pinkette turned towards Fang and wrapped her arms around her neck. "I missed you," she said, her smile soft.
Fang wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist in return and chuckled. "Ya didn't even remember me until earlier today, love." She said.
Lightning frowned. "I know . . . but it still feels like so long since I've seen you . . ."
Fang leaned over and pressed a kiss to Lightning's lips, a kiss that was long overdue. The kiss was gentle and yet so full of passion. It had been so long since they shared a kiss like this. When the kiss was over, it left them both breathless and panting for air. They stared at each other for a few seconds before pressing their lips together for another kiss. This time it was heated, a bit rougher as tongues collided and fought for dominance until the taller woman won. She pressed the pinkette against the wall and trailed a kiss up to her ear. She lingered there for a second. "Do ya really wanna do this the first night I'm back? And in your sister's house?" asked Fang in a low voice.
Lightning, already turned on and in the mood, didn't care where they were as long as Fang was okay with it. Fang smirked at her response and replied with a kiss to her neck. The rest of the night was a heated reunion filled with passion as the two collided in body and in soul. They were together again, their relationship picking up right where it had left off. This was how it was supposed to be. They acted as though there wasn't such a large gap of time missing from their lives. Everything was normal. And they were happy.
A/N: This chapter is the longest one. It's 2,500 words! phew! Not sure if the end is satisfying enough. I mean yeah they have sex but idk if i ended it how i wanted to. I might change it. Probably not. xD