Hey everyone! Here's the next installment, finally! Again sorry for the delay I've been preoccupied with other things as of late. Sorry I will do my best to update sooner since (sadly) this story, will only have a few more chapters. I've probably stated this before but still,just wanted to be clear on that matter.
This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones, they will gradually get longer as time goes by. Hopefully you all don't feel its drawn out or too long, I did however try to put in more depth and detail into the story. But then again there are questions that need answering. XDD
Anyway without further delay please, as always, read, review, and enjoy! Take care. Cya later!
Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OF THE FINAL FANTASY FRANCHISE
Claimer: I DO OWN THIS STORY HOWEVER
Copyright: ICEDRAGONMIST 2011-2014
It was chaotic, stressful, and I worried I would go insane. I don't know what to think anymore, the only thing that's kept me going… all this time… is her. She means everything to me she means the world to me. I would gladly give my life for her if I must, in a way I already have. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for that woman. She made me feel like no one else ever had, she made me feel invincible, even though in my egotistical ways I already felt that. She's strong and steadfast and I would have followed her into the depths of Hell.
Only knowing what was on the surface and not underneath, made it that much harder for her to break down those walls. I had to be the one to do it, I wanted to do it. It wasn't easy I had to gain her trust, her respect; I had to make her see me as an equal. It was because of her that I fought that much harder… there was something about her… something that instantaneously attracted me to her. Maybe it was on the surface at first, but who wouldn't be attracted to her? She's beautiful, cunning, intelligent, a natural-born leader, and the greatest fighter I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Hmm, but what more can I say about Lightning?
(What do I do now? I know I said I'd bring her to the tower to talk, but what do I say actually? I should've been more ready for this moment. Then again I never thought it would come… not in all this time…)
"Fang…? Is everything alright?" I was rubbing my head and smiling like an idiot. Oh no, I guess it's catching on. Even I'm calling myself an idiot now. The sound of her footsteps resonated throughout the hollow chamber as she walked over to me.
I was still planning on what to do, when I heard her stop and softly she put her hand on my bare left shoulder. Her hands were always so warm and soft, I could even feel it through her glove now. The warmth of her hand felt very comforting on my skin.
"Fang, what's the matter? Don't tell me you've changed your mind again." I turned around slowly to face her, still I was planning on what to say. Searching for the right words to say to Lightning was always a challenge. She had a disconcerting look on her face. She probably thought I was going to bail on her again.
"No Light. Everything's fine, really. I was just taking a moment—to take it all in! I haven't been here in a very long time… so I was reminiscing." I'm such a pathetic lair. Even I didn't believe a word of that nonsense I spouted. I must have lied to Light a thousand times by now… so maybe I was the only one who could tell.
I put on a fragile smile and laugh to follow. She raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms. Taking that normal stance of hers, like she always did when she felt that something wasn't quite right. There was no reason to lie about it though, I wasn't actually lying I was reminiscing about the last time I were here. Damn, it feels like a lifetime ago… so much time has passed. Honestly I wanted to take her to the top of the tower, I was still feeling nervous and working up the courage to say what I had too.
Plus all the things that I wanted to say to her were jumbled around in my mind. I still don't know where to start… I thought this would be easier. What was I thinking? It would be easier if she would just—I don't know. That dream she talked about should've been enough to shake something. But I guess it will take a little more shoving to get anything going in her yet.
On the inside I was shouting, ranting and raving on what an idiot I am. Ah, she was right, Lighting always did call me out on it. I'm now proving it to myself on how stupid I can be… this shouldn't be so difficult. I should cut to the chase and tell her exactly how I feel! No that wouldn't do anything, I tried that before… telling her again won't make a bit of difference.
It was only when I looked up at her again that I realized I had been lost in my thoughts. I didn't even notice I had, had my hand at my chin, which was something I always did when I was deep in thought. Luckily I didn't think out loud, it would've only created more problems.
"What's with you? I called out your name a bunch of times."
"You did?"
"Yeah." She nodded. She still had her eyebrows raised at me, I bet she's thinking I lost it or something.
"Sorry…"
"Where were you?"
"Hm? I was here. I'm still standing here." She let the air out from her nostrils as she smirked. She uncrossed her arms as well and with her arm searched out, she placed her index finger to my forehead.
"No, in here. You seem lost in there." Tapping her slender finger against my forehead as she spoke knowingly. A smile tugged at my lips, not because of what she was doing or saying, but because it reminded me of how instinctive she could be.
"I was-um-I—
"Still reminiscing?"
The smile on my lips grew wider as I nodded in agreement. I lifted my hand to hers, holding her hand in mine, taking her along with me to the elevator. There was no reason to stay on the ground floor all day. Besides I said that I would give her a nice view as well.
"Hey! Fang stop pulling on my arm like that! You're going to pull it off!"
"Sorry Light! I got a little excited that's all." She huffed as she jerked her arm away. Yeah… I didn't need to drag her to the elevator with me, it wasn't as if she were coming with me unwillingly to being with.
"Well take it easy. Or give me some fair warning next time."
"But it's not like I can pull it off, yeah?"
"Hmph! Even so…"
She was ticked off, I can't win. We got on the elevator and I set the lever to go to the roof. She stood on the opposite end, with her back against the wall, with both her arms and legs crossed. Her eyes were closed and her head was turned, so I thought to lighten the mood.
"You know I thought you liked it rough."
"Excuse me?" She slowly turned her head, she stared at me annoyingly. I walked over to her knowing that would grab her attention.
"Light… we could skip all this and get to the main event." I moved in closer to her and placed my hands on either side of her, pressing my hands firmly on the cool metal wall. She didn't even flinch.
"Come on Light. I know you like me… so why don't we just—oof!"
(DAMMIT! Dammit… she punched me right in the gut! I didn't even see her making a fist)
"Ugh… dammit… Light…"
"Cut it out! So help me Fang if you keep it up I'll—!" She raised her fist at me. I stood back with my hands up defensively.
"Okay! Okay! Relax I was only messing around. Geez Sunshine, you really need to lighten up. That right hook of yours isn't a joke, it should be declared a deadly weapon. I always get the brute force of it too, you never did pull your punches…"
"What do you mean by that?" I groaned trying to stand up straight from being doubled over in pain from being punch in the stomach. That really hurt… she has no idea.
"Well, you did punch me before… when we sparred. Don't you remember? You weren't gentle at all." She shook her head.
"I didn't punch you when we sparred. I forced my knee in your stomach. I only punched you once before in the face. Now that I'm thinking about it I actually forgotten why I punched you."
"Yeah right. You always looked for an excuse to punch, kick, or slap me across the face. Light just admit you love to abuse me!"
Her mouth hung slack. I guess she felt that I insulted her, but there was some truth behind it all. I know for a fact she took some enjoyment from beating me up.
"FANG! THAT IS SO NOT TRUE! The only reason I ever did that to you is because you'd piss me off! If anything it's your own fault for getting me mad! You're the one who takes pleasure in it, if I didn't know any better; I'd say you like getting pushed around. Maybe you're a masochist."
"You're joking right?"
Light shook her head again and crossed her arms. I had nothing to say back in retaliation. I couldn't come up with anything to defend myself, which made it seem as if that were true. I'm not that type of person, honestly. Why would she even think that?
That was the longest and most humiliating elevator ride of my life. Light was right about one thing though, I did sort of set myself up for that one. It's my fault… I'll take blame for that one. I got out of the elevator first and she followed behind me, I got up to the ledge placing my hands over it. I looked out staring in awe of Grand Pulse stretched out in front of me. The view was just as spectacular and breath-taking as it had always been.
I was trying to remember the last time I was here… I wasn't alone either. The more I found myself trying to remember that time, years ago, the more I felt myself fighting back the tears. I was never one to fully let out my emotions, especially in front of Lightning. It was painful to think about… knowing that the one thing closest to me is the one thing I cannot reach. This is why it is so painful to me, being here again, as a flash-flood of sensations and memories wash over me.
"Wow… Fang is this what you wanted to show me? This is an incredible view. You can practically see everything from this point, it's really amazing." I was so focused on how and what I was feeling; I didn't notice that she was standing next to me.
"Yeah this is my favorite spot. I used to come up here all time! Mainly to think or get away from everything, sometimes I just wanted to be alone. Also… this place is special to me." As I spoke those last words I began tightening my fists. I wasn't fully aware I was doing so until I looked down, and saw how white my knuckles had become.
"So why did you stop coming here?" I turned to her but she was still looking out at the view. I couldn't take my eyes off her. The sunlight shining on her pale skin, made her look even more beautiful than she already was. I guess I stayed silent for too long… admiring her and not giving her an answer. Because of that, it gave purpose for her to finally look over at me.
"What is it? Why… are you staring at me like that?" I smirked and shook my head.
"It's nothing. You look very beautiful in this light.
"You mean in the sunlight?"
"Yeah." I chuckled as she cracked a smile.
"So… are you trying to say I was ugly before or something?"
"WHAT?! NO! No of course not! I never thought that at all! Not ever!" As I was poorly defending myself this time around; Lightning had burst out into laughter.
"You were joking?!" She nodded her head as she continued to laugh. Well this is awkward… now she's the one making jokes? Then what am I supposed to do? I should've seen that coming.
"Alright, alright so you got me."
"Don't be a brat about it."
"I'm not!" I was being whiny. So maybe I was being a brat… slightly. I had enough humiliation for one day. I had to move forward on what I wanted to do, so I placed my hands flat on the brick ledge, and hopped up on it. The ledge was pretty narrow my feet were nearly hanging over it.
"Here take my hand!" I swung my arm back, reaching my hand out to her. Light looked at me like I was a crazy person and she wasn't really far off.
"Are you nuts?! What do you think you're doing? Get down from there now!" She yelled out in a panicked voice, she looked terrified as well.
"No! Just take my hand!"
"Fang! Listen to me! Please get—
"No! Light just take my hand! Please… trust me."
"…I do trust you Fang. But this is crazy!" I nodded in agreement.
"I know! But I have my reasons… so please take my hand."
I could see in her eyes and face how reluctant she was. It wasn't like her to be so hesitant about anything, the Light I knew was fearless. I understood though… I understand why she would act so cautiously. It wasn't her fault… it was mine.
I could tell she still had her doubts about it, her hand was shaking as she reached out to grab my mine. I held her hand tightly in mine and pulled her up on the ledge with me. Light seemed a bit unsteady on her feet she was still trembling. Besides who wouldn't be so fearful to be standing out on the edge at this astounding height?
"Okay! Are you ready?!" I was super hyped up. Something about standing on the edge of a very tall structure was invigorating. Heh, maybe I was a bit of a thrill seeker.
"Ready for what?!" Light yelled out at me. She grew very pale at the moment and I could only laugh. Maybe I was getting some sort of twisted pleasure out of this.
"On the count of three!"
Her eyes darted back and forth between me and the very steep drop below. To a ground you couldn't even see any more from this height. She realized what I was about to do. Light was doing her best to talk me out of it, I ignored her and counted.
"THREE!" Skipping one and two I yelled out at the top of my lungs! Without any various warning I jumped; taking Light with me.
As we were descending she shouted her head off at me. I know she cursed at me and probably wanted nothing more than to beat me to a bloody pulp. I could only make out every other word she roared at me, we were falling way too fast, and the wind was whistling passed my ears. I wasn't planning on dying by any means, I figured this would be a new and exciting way to start the conversation.
Actually I was hoping by doing this she would forget… not completely but I still wanted to hold off on revealing the intimate details of the past. This was a delicate topic to discuss I wanted to buy some more time because I still didn't know how to explain it all. I didn't want to just rattle off any meaningless information either, but I didn't want to keep pushing it off.
I noticed that we were getting a little too close to the ground, the beautiful scenery that I saw stretched out before me moments ago, was making itself clearer the closer we neared the ground. I called out to my partner to come for us, I was cutting it close. The last thing I remembered; Lightning screaming her head off about how she was going to kill me, if we ended up dying.
Which in a way is kind of ironic. How could she kill me if we're dead? I don't know but I would find it difficult to do, but for someone of Lightning's status; they'd find a way to undertake an impossible task such as that one.
In one fell swoop, as quickly as the gravity was pulling us down, my partner came to get us that much faster. It wasn't a graceful landing, on its back. It was a pretty rough one even Light made a grunting noise from the harsh impact. She still had a tight hold on my hand, she had her eyes closed as she was panting heavily. No doubt from all the shouting she was doing as we were falling. She opened her eyes and slowly turned to look at me, I know I had a grin on my face… which in hindsight wasn't the best time to have one.
She was trembling and trying to catch her breath. Her voice was horsed and shaken as she tried to talk and tell me something. I was bracing myself, I felt her hand loosen from mine, and swiftly she grabbed my wrist practically crushing it with all her might. I yelped in pain but that was my fault. I shouldn't have smiled like that, I know I probably frightened her too.
"Take it easy!"
"You… you tried to… kill me…!"
"No I wasn't! See, look! We're safe—we're fine now!"
"Just because… you have suicidal tendencies… doesn't mean you should drag other people with you!"
"Light it wasn't like that! It was… a joke. Hahaha… see it was funny…" Light was so enthralled with wanting to hurt me that she was oblivious to the fact that we were flying around on the back of a Behemoth.
"Light! Listen I was only trying to—
"Wait—wait a minute. What is this thing?" So she finally noticed. She took the time to lower her fist and actually take a moment to view her surroundings. Plus we were flying around in the sky now.
"This is my partner!"
"This thing is your partner?" I smiled widely and shook my head. I think Light was in a bit of shock, she didn't seem to fully comprehend what was going on. Well… I did in a way make her jump off the roof with me and nearly crush her to death.
"This is Bahamut; he's been my partner for years."
"I see… this makes sense since he flies. This is probably how you'd get around so quickly, how you would show up out of nowhere and then disappear the next."
"Yeah probably."
She still looked confused, but it was true, this was how I got around. That was most likely one of the things that weighed on her mind, now she doesn't have to wonder anymore. I should've done this ages ago… I don't why I held back all this time. We flew around; circling the tower mostly as Lightning was still taking everything in.
She looked happy though, after a while she didn't seem fearful as she was before. Maybe she found her bearings or maybe she… well I don't want to get to ahead of myself. I'll keep taking it slowly… then again almost falling to our deaths wasn't taking it slow.
"So what do you and your partner do?" She smiled as she asked and patted Bahamut's back.
"I'll show you…" I gave the command for Bahamut to take us to the Hunting grounds. It was nothing more than miles of plains. A gigantic opened field with all manners of monsters roaming around, surrounded by massive canyons as far as the eye can see. From a birds-eye view it resembled a massive scar, a scar that's been here for thousands of years. To me it was simply another, most beautiful place here on Gran Pulse.
"Fang, what is this place?!" Lightning asked shouting as we flew overhead. Her eyes widened in wonder as she took in the magnificent sight of land. Part of me felt ashamed… the other part felt that I had another chance to do this correctly.
"It's beautiful, yeah? I came her a lot too! Very long ago… Bahamut! Take us down!"
He dove straight down toward the ground before pulling up and landing in a spot wide enough, for him to spread out his massive wings and body. I still can't get that image out of my head, Light gritted her teeth and hung on tightly to Bahamut's back when we flew down.
Then all at once she put her arms around my torso. Once again, it felt very welcoming and refreshing for a change. She was the one holding onto me this time… even when we landed she still held me tightly. Light had her body pressed up against mine, her chest pressing into my back, but I didn't dare complain about it. Nor did I want too.
"Light…"
"Yes?"
"You… can let go now. We've landed."
"Oh, right! Of course—ahem! I'll just get down now…" It was really cute how embarrassed she got. She let go of me, sadly enough, and hop down from Bahamut's back. She was straightening out her vest and skirt, as well as combing her finger through her pink locks. Her hair did get a little wind-blown so it was only natural for her to fix it.
"You know I did tell you to give me a warning next time!" Light suddenly blurted out.
"You're still alive aren't ya?" I asked and chuckled as I got down from Bahamut. She crossed her arms and huffed.
"Even so! That wasn't funny. I swear you live to torment me."
"But you didn't seem to mind it."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well you did have your arms wrapped around me pretty tightly." I was teasing her, I even held myself as a way to imitate her. Her face grew red. I wasn't sure if that was from anger, or her feeling very mortified again.
"I thought you were going to cut off my air supply."
"I told you," She spoke through gritted teeth and tightened her fists. Yeah she was plenty mad. "I was taken aback. That was all! So don't read anymore into it!"
"Are you sure?" I smirked as I began walking over to her.
"If you wanted to hold me, lovingly in your arms, all you had to do was ask." The very moment I got close enough to her she reached behind her back and pulled out her Gun blade. She extended the blade; outstretched before me. The tip of it nearly nicked my nose.
"What did I say about doing that? Or do you need a refresher course like in the elevator formerly?"
"Whoa! Take it easy Sunshine. I wasn't being serious… much. Now put that thing away before either of us gets hurt."
"Hmph! You wouldn't be able to beat me now anyway. I've practiced a lot lately."
"Yeah I know but I'm not in the mood to fight right this second."
She folded up her weapon placing it in its sheath again and I was finally able to relax. Maybe she couldn't tell but I was so tense when she pulled her blade out on me, I was also sweating on the inside. I honestly don't know why I felt or reacted that way, maybe because I was still gearing myself for what was going to happen.
I don't really know what will happen, I've never made it this far with her before. Something's change and I can put my finger on what it is. I'm probably over thinking this at the same time I know it's true… something I did or said changed things. Maybe she changed something without knowing it.
As I was deliberating on what was going on, Bahamut took his stance, he spread his wings, and in a flash he flew off. Some wind and dust got blown in our faces but it was normal for that to happen. Light on the other hand sounded irritated by it.
"Ack! I think I got some (cough, cough) dirt in my mouth!"
"HA! Well next time keep it closed, yeah?"
"Where is he going anyway?" I placed my hands on my waist and shrugged my shoulder. I was staring up toward the sky, getting lost in my head again… when I felt Lightning touching my forearm. So I turned to face her.
"Hey… you never did tell me what this place is or why you brought me here. And why did Bahamut leave us here? You command him don't you, so why did he take off?"
"He's not a pet Lightning! He goes when he's not needed anymore. He did his job, he brought us to where I told him to take us! Don't worry about it, when I need him I'll call out for him, and he'll show up. Okay?" I know I sounded like I bit her head off. I did get a little upset about what she said… I guess it was old memories stirring up inside me again.
"I'm sorry I didn't know…" That docile look on her face got to me, I felt bad about sort of yelling at her. The thing I hated most was the feeling of her hand slipping off my arm.
"No… I'm sorry Light. I didn't mean to yell." I sighed feeling disappointed in myself.
"Well this place is called Hunting grounds and with good reason. You see, this is my job. I hunt all these monster out here with the help of my partner. Way back when, when I assumed the role of responsibility for another, I had to take on various jobs to make some money. This was one of those ways… after a while I got used to it and kept doing.
Mostly I do it to keep in shape; to do something productive and to keep my fighting skills up. I… didn't want to feel like I was doing nothing or being useless, you know? A few years ago there was a huge increase of all these monsters and creatures I've never seen before. So I was hired to take care of it… the problem since then had fixed itself. With some help from me of course. But I still do it for the money as well."
I didn't even realize what I had done. I was very lax in telling her some more of my past, about my job so to speak. Perhaps I was easily swayed by Light's upsetting face and soft-spoken voice at the time or maybe I was feeling shameful about my behavior. Guilty… maybe and uneasy about the situation I had put into play.
"You… did all that by yourself?"
"I wasn't alone, Light."
"I know, I know. Regardless, still in a way you were alone. This is dangerous, I can't believe this is what you do with your time. I shouldn't be surprised though… I still can't forget the way you showed up at my door. You were battered and bleeding I didn't know what to think, now of course it all makes sense. This job of yours, you're putting your life on the line practically every day."
I was lying to her, the way I showed up that night wasn't because I had a run-in with a few monsters. I couldn't very well tell her I fought with another person. Strange how she didn't bring up the blood she found on me… the blood that wasn't mine. Maybe she's forgotten or could be now she's thinking that it came from a monster. At least for now it would be believable enough for her to be able to put it behind her.
I hope… in any case I noticed that Light was still brushing off some dirt. I chuckled thinking about how she yelled at me for dripping water on her floor. It wasn't that she was a neat freak or anything, but it was a habit of hers to have things in order. I put my hand on her shoulder to get her attention, when she looked at me I saw that she had some dirt on her face. Funny enough… it kind of brought out the color of her eyes.
"You have some dirt on your face."
"I do? Where?" She began brushing her fingers around her face in a fast-pace motion. I shook my head at how silly she was being. I took her hand in mine again.
"Come with me. There's a pond behind that ridge." I pointed out to the area with my finger.
"Okay. Let's go."
I didn't have to drag her with me. Honestly she was the one walking ahead, pulling me along. Light was walking in the exact direction I had pointed in, I didn't think I pointed that far ahead. It seemed as if she knew where she were going already. Besides that the area was hidden from view, you literally couldn't see it from where we were standing. So how did she know where to go?
Part of me was happy about it, that she instinctively knew where to go. It amazed me really since she seem as if she'd never been here in the first place. I knew I had a wide smile plastered on my face… due to the fact that my cheeks were hurting. As we neared the entrance way to the hidden pond, we were able to see a few beams of sunlight coming through the opening. The sunlight was so bright; blinding us as we passed through the narrow cavern. The blinding light soon dulled away as we came to the clearing.
And here it was still all these years. Untouched, unchanged, a small piece of paradise that I used to frequent. That shallow pond with the waterfall flowing in it, coming from the cliff above. Strong; sturdy trees that stood tall and beautiful green grass that sparkled in the sunlight. It was a fantastic sight to see, it was enough to make me cry… being with Lightning like this… tends to bring out my more feminine side. Then again all of this… this whole place… was nothing more than a memory.
"Whoa! This place is gorgeous! And are those Chocobo's?"
"Yep, sure are."
"I thought they had all gone. I haven't seen any in ages."
"They're resilient and very smart creatures. They know when to flee when it's dangerous and where to go where it's safe. They usually keep to this area, I don't blame them—I would live here too! That's probably why it's rare to see them nowadays."
Light slowly walked up to one, putting her hand out. The Chocobo neared her and gently nuzzled its beak against her hand. She giggled, it was really sweet seeing her like this again. Although it was slightly out-of-character for a person such as herself, this all reminded me of when I first met her. We used to race Chocobo's for fun back then… but then everything changed.
"Light." I faintly said her name as I walked over to her.
"Hmm?"
"You wanted to wash your face, right?"
"Right. I almost forgot." She ran over to the pond, stepping in it and got closer to the waterfall. I noticed that she had unbuckled the straps on her vest and then unzipped the inner one. Light leaned forward some, putting her arms out, cupping her hands together and caught some of the water in them.
Light, holding the water firmly in her hands, splashed it over her face. The water ran down her face and neck from what I could see. I understood now, why she opened up her vest. Most likely she didn't want to get her clothes wet or at least try not to. She shook her hands dry, shaking her head from side to side as well. Lightning came back over to me although she had just tried to dry herself off, a few droplets of water remained. They ran down her cheeks to her chin and jawline, even down her neck, running down her chest and gathering in her cleavage.
I couldn't help but stare. My eyes stuck, to a part of her body that I haven't seen in… forever. To me it was erotic and I felt nothing more than lust in that moment. To Lighting, I may as well have been a perverted stranger, who was ogling her. I knew she was staring at me; I felt her gaze on me but I still couldn't look away. But I forced myself to shift my eyesight to hers… now instead my eyes were glued to hers. I felt myself being deeply drawn into her azure-colored eyes.
I lifted my hand placing it on the side of her face. I couldn't hear it but I saw it, she mouthed my name as she pursed her lips. I wasn't sure if she wanted me to kiss her, if she thought I was going to kiss her, or if she wanted to kiss me on her own. Nothing came of it though… since I once again ruined the moment in my momentary lapse of judgment.
"Lightning… did I ever tell you about the woman I was in love with?" All at once she pulled away from me and I felt beside myself. Her facial expressions where hard to decipher, her lips parted to some extent like she was shocked and her eyebrows narrowed as if she were angry.
Yeah… she was showing signs of very mixed emotions and I couldn't do a thing about. Probably because of the way I phrased it, "the woman I was in love with," and not say the woman I' am in love with. Even so, it was clear to me she wouldn't have figured it out. That the woman whom I was speaking of… was Lightning herself.
"Lightning let me explain."
"Is it… that Lebreau girl?"
"What? No! Light—
"Is it Vanille then? Because she and my sister, they're a couple."
"Light I know that and it isn't either of them. Lebreau is friend and Vanille is my family."
"How do you know that? Has Vanille said something to you? And then what am I to you Fang?" (Ah, geez! What do I say now? I figure I should tread lightly here. I should tell her the truth… honestly there's no point in hiding it)
"Look, I knew about Serah and Vanille for a long time now. I knew before she ever did… it's hard to explain. Light, you know how I feel about you already. If the kissing wasn't enough to prove it then I don't know what is. Unless you want me to say I love you outright."
"…Then who is this other woman you said you loved?"
"…It's complicated… and it's also a long story." Light crossed her arms and huffed. I knew she was losing her patients with me.
"You promised you would tell me everything. You already explained about your daredevil job, so start telling me about this woman." I shook my head and sighed with frustration.
"Why do you even care? Are you that jealous?"
"It's not the jealousy that should concern you." She seemed to stifle her voice a bit. Light clenched her jaw and looked tense so suddenly.
"Then?"
I was beginning to feel tense myself. I had this spine-tingling feeling that everything was coming to a head. That Lightning's temper was going to explode all over the place, and my poor beautiful face was going to take the brunt of it.
"It's that I feel this woman has something to do with me. That this woman, in question, is part of the reason you're holding back." Well… I certainly wasn't expecting that.
To be continued...