Fang: Natural
It was the weekend after her fight; Fang had finished the week of her suspension uneventfully. She had spent most of her time wandering the city, working to finish more clothing, and resting in her room.
She had spent a lot of time with Lightning and noticed that the girl's demeanor continued to change. She continued to become softer and more gentle. The side of Lightning that Fang worked hard to find was finally showing itself.
Fang still still couldn't learn more personal information from the girl though, and Serah refused to talk about their past too. Yet another layer had been peeled, a personal and emotional one. But the truth of who Lightning was still evaded her. But Fang would keep trying to find out.
"So, why are we doing this again?"
Everyone in the car of the train turned to face Fang. Vanille responded with a cheery smile. "We're celebrating the end of your suspension."
"But it was just a week long vacation."
Vanille giggled. "I guess; I wanted to see Nautilus anyway."
Fang let out a sigh. "Fine, fine."
They had managed to fill up a car of the train. Evidently, Serah had brought all of Snow's friends. The car was loud and rowdy; so much so that the other passengers had chosen to avoid it. Fang glanced at Lightning, who was sitting beside her. The pink brow was furled, her eyes were shut tight, and her legs were tightly crossed. Lightning was impatiently tapping her foot against the ground.
Fang laughed because she knew that it wouldn't make the ride any less painful.
"You've got a nice laugh, Fang."
The pulsian glared up at the teenage boys who surrounded the two of them, using the hanging handles to stay stable. The most feminine was the one who spoke, a boy named Yuj; his blue hair reminded Fang of a peacock. He was suddenly bumped out of the way.
"Did you hear? We won our last game," Gadot commented as he pushed forward, attempting to brag.
"Eh, what is that, one out of ten?" Maqui, the shortest, commented from the side.
Gadot pushed him too.
Fang just sighed and turned to look at her roommate. Lightning just barely opened her eyes and glanced over, before they snapped shut again.
Lebreau laughed and leaned forward, making eye contact with Fang. She just gave an apologetic shrug. The third girl was seated on the other side of Lightning. Fang thought that Lebreau had been acting oddly too; they hadn't spoken much, and the girl seemed to avoid long conversations with her. They had been getting closer as friends, so the sudden change seemed odd.
The train began to grow closer and closer to Nautilus. Fang had heard of it; it was an amusement park bigger than a town in Gran Pulse. When the train pulled in, she could start to see some of the large city. From what she could tell, it covered a huge amount of ground– mostly for decoration's sake. There were massive water fountains the size of full lakes on both sides of the train. Once the water ended, there were rows of large statues on both sides. The station they approached was a massive, ornate building.
The train ride had been long, it took about an hour to reach Nautilus from Eden. The train let out at the edge of the city. Once it came to halt, everyone disembarked and paid for their admission to enter Nautilus.
It was designed to be grand and there were huge, open spaces that were never necessary. Fang was at least thankful that it caused the crowd to spread out; the streets weren't nearly as bad as Eden. They followed marked signs directing them out of the central train station and up onto the roof of the building.
From there, hanging monorails distributed outwards, taking guests further in. Fang could see out into the entire city. There were roller coasters, ferris wheels, and lots of large, decorative buildings dotting the landscape. Fang could make out a flat and clear path through the center of the city– the parade route. Regular buildings were sparsely placed throughout; it was housing for the huge staff that the tourist trap required.
Fang stared out over the horizon while the group examined a large map. It detailed the monorail system that could take them to the various attractions and thematic areas.
"Hope, let's go to the chocobo ranch! It's been so long since I've seen one," Vanille called out, grabbing the youth's arm. He shyly nodded.
"Hey Fang, want to check out the sports area with me?" Gadot quickly asked.
"How 'bout the thrill rides?" Maqui interjected.
"I hear the mall here is to die for," Yuj added.
Fang shook her head and began to formulate a lie. "Sorry, I'm not feeling well from the train ride, I'm not used to it yet. Go on ahead."
The three guys looked at each other.
"No, I'll stay with you!"
"No, you go on ahead, I'll stay with her!"
"Hey, I got this."
The pulsian slapped her forehead when they started to push and shove each other again. Vanille quickly intervened with an annoyed expression. "Guys, she just needs to rest, let's all go see the chocobos together," she commanded. "I don't think Lightning really wants to walk around to much too, so she can stay with Fang," she added with a bubbly smile.
Serah nodded and pulled down Snow. She whispered something into his ear; Snow grabbed all three of the rowdy teenage boys. "Let's go."
He pulled them all, kicking and struggling, into the nearest monorail cart. Hope, Vanille, and Serah soon followed. Lebreau turned, waved at Fang without saying anything, and left too. Fang released a relieved sigh as the monorail pulled away. She turned and smiled at Lightning, who was glaring at the car as it glided along the railing.
"So, Light, what's the plan?"
Her roommate turned to her with a serious expression. "Get on the train back to Eden?" Lightning recommended, pulling into a smirk.
With a chuckle, Fang shook her head. Spotting some benches, Fang gestured over to them. Lightning smiled and started walking over to them. Fang carefully examined the girl.
Autumn was deepening, and the cold was worse because they were further inland. Lightning had a tight, white, wool sweater on; the neck was cut low, revealing a pink shirt beneath it. Her neck was wrapped in the red scarf. Over her left shoulder was a cute, pink purse. Fang smiled as the scarf swept side to side with each step.
She let her eyes drop to the tight pair of brown pants. Fang smiled a little wider; they accentuated Lightning's thin, athletic lower body. The pulsian couldn't help but notice how cute her roommate's butt looked.
"You look great."
She saw Lightning take her hands and lift the scarf above her mouth and hold it there. Fang didn't think the air was very cold. She had noticed that Lightning occasionally did that, and was curious as to why.
"Thanks, so do you," Lightning responded quietly.
Fang herself was wearing a black turtleneck and a pair of dark blue jeans. The cold still occasionally bothered her; Oerba was a warm village, nestled where a small jungle began to turn to a savanna.
Lightning turned and sat on the bench; Fang sat beside her, placing her hands on the bench between her legs. She glanced out and watched the people passing by. To them, this was a vacation– an escape from their life. Fang thought it was just an extension of what Cocoon was: a waste of space and land. Nautilus probably destroyed a huge amount of nature just for the sake of its artificial aesthetics. The pulsian couldn't help but wonder what was there before.
The two sat quietly, taking the occasional deep breath and enjoying the peace. After a long while, Lightning turned and looked at Fang. "There was somewhere I really wanted to go," she commented gently.
"Well, let's go," Fang responded with a smile, enjoying the new Lightning. It made Fang even happier that she had been added to the exclusive list; Lightning would only behave this way in front of her and Serah.
The pink-haired girl nodded. She stood up and started towards the stairs that led back down into the train station. Fang followed behind curiously.
"We're not really going back to Eden are we?"
Lightning shook her head ahead of her. Fang tilted her head again as they walked down off of the station. Fang smiled as they continued to walk away, past the statues and past the large artificial pools. Before long, Fang found they were on a dirt path which veered away from the train-tracks before they ran into the tunnel. The path began to wind along the cliff face of the plateaus that surrounded the city of Nautilus.
Fang noted that she hadn't seen civilization end on the way in; they went from the city into suburbs, from the suburbs into factories, from the factories into hydroponic vats, then ran straight into a tunnel beneath a mountain. On the other side she had only seen Nautilus. The city was in the center of a gorge, so there were stone walls on all sides.
Eventually they came to a gap in the granite wall. There was a small monorail line that ran only a hundred meters over a small pond of water that filled the little valley. "Here it is, let's go."
Fang nodded and followed Lightning in. She saw her roommate put in some change, and the cart jerked and slowly pulled across the little body of water. It creaked as it moved along; it clearly wasn't used very often. Looking down Fang saw that the water was murky, but shallow.
They stepped off of the cart and continued down another dirt road surrounded by natural cliff face. Fang's smile nearly reached her ears when she turned the next corner.
The plateaus on the sides dropped away; stretched before her was a green, peaceful valley. It was dotted with low plateaus and there was a continued path weaving its way around clean pools of water. Occasional roots of the large trees jutted in and out of the water; the trees themselves dotted the water's edge and on the banks were reeds and wild flowers.
"This is the Sunleth Waterscape."
Fang turned and looked at her roommate. The girl's scarf had come down, exposing her full face and a wide smile as she gazed out onto the landscape.
The pulsian tilted her head. "It's really beautiful."
"I've never seen it before; it really is," Lightning responded, dreamily gazing at the beautiful view.
The pulsian responded without letting her eyes return to the view– "Yeah, beautiful." Eventually, Fang turned back to look at the natural landscape. She lifted both her arms into the air and took a huge stretch. Relaxing, Fang took in a deep breath of the fresh air. "Let's go further."
"Of course," Lightning responded with a smile, full of energy.
There had been gentle moments of joy that Fang had seen. She had seen Lightning's gentle smile when Serah had given her a gift. She had seen Lightning happily reminisce about her hike though the Gapra Whitewood. Now, Fang was seeing Lightning joyously smile as they strode beside the crystal clear water.
Fang took another deep breath. The air was clear and pristine for the first time since Fang had arrived in Cocoon. It felt good; her soul felt a little rejuvenated as she strode over the natural earth.
Lightning suddenly sat down on the edge of the plateau, letting the bottoms of her boots just barely skim the surface. She moved her feet, sending little ripples across the water. Fang looked at the girl as she smiled and enjoyed the natural landscape; the change was beyond anything she had seen so far. Fang sat beside her, but let her feet stay on the ground; they would dip too far into the water.
With a wide smile, Fang turned towards Lightning. Her roommate met her eyes for a moment, before pulling two brown paper bags from her bag. "I thought we might need some food."
Fang nodded. "Sounds good."
The two ate quietly by the waterside. It was a simple lunch, but Fang enjoyed it anyway. It sort of felt like she was back on great savanna near her hometown, taking a break from the hunt.
Fang hadn't realized exactly how much she had missed home until she found herself back in nature. She smiled down at the pocket of her jeans. The pulsian was happy with the results of her week of sewing work; she had made a good amount of money, and put it to what she hoped was good use.
She glanced over at Lightning. It was the first time she had seen the girl filled with such joy and happiness. She felt even better about what she had accomplished.
Once they finished eating, Lightning suddenly pulled out a compass from her bag and started to glance around the valley. Fang tilted her head curiously as the pink-haired girl stood up, taking a deep stretch.
"Come on, I want to get up to that ridge," she said, pointing, "before the sun goes down."
Fang glanced over to it and nodded; it was doable.
The two made their way across the waterscape. They occasionally climbed up rock faces, and when there were gaps, Fang would jump first and then catch Lightning on the other side; she was more used to traversing rough terrain. Eventually, they managed to get to the high plateau.
Lightning put her bag down by a tree and went to hang her legs off of the edge. The water was a good distance down this time, so Fang joined her in the same position. No words were spoken as they sat and enjoyed the view; they could see clearly down the valley. The horizon ended with a river that flowed down to the ocean, with mountains framing both sides.
Fang started to rub at her arms from the slight chill that started to fill the air, and then something shocking happened. Silky fabric suddenly slid around Fang's neck. She glanced over and saw that Lightning had partially unwrapped her scarf, and it was now wrapped around both of their necks. Fang shifted over a little, letting their shoulders touch.
Lightning didn't speak a word. The pulsian shook her head in amazement and returned her view out towards the gap in the mountains as the sun slowly approached. Her smile grew wide as it began to dip down perfectly between the mountains. Starting from the horizon, the water began to turn orange. The vibrant color ran from the end of the stream and flowed into the pools of the waterscape. The gentle sunset glow filled the valley for a few minutes before it withdrew back to the horizon as the sun made its final descent.
Smiling, Fang looked up at the sky hoping to see stars. The sky was still mostly a deep, dull purple; light from Nautilus and Eden was still polluting it. Faint stars sparsely dotted the night sky. She released a disappointed sigh and turned to Lightning, who was staring at the sky with a gentle smile.
"That was a gorgeous sunset. It's a shame there aren't more stars."
Lightning turned to face her, dropping her eyes down as her expression became more forlorn. "It's the most I've ever seen."
Eventually the two quietly stood up, knowing that they had to return. They descended back down the cliff face, this time able to enjoy the fluorescent mosses beneath the water and the glowing flowers that lined the river bed. Lightning commented that there are supposed to be fireflies in the summer.
The two continued to descend along the rocky pathways. Fang strode slowly, happily admiring the plants of Cocoon. After awhile, they reached the bottom of the valley; it was just a short walk along the dirt path to get back to Nautilus. They had to get back and meet everyone for the train ride back.
As they walked along the path, there was a sudden, loud croaking behind them. Fang paused and leaned over to Lightning. "Did you bring that knife?" she whispered into her ear.
Lightning slowly looked over and nodded.
"Good, get it ready."
Glancing out the corner of her eyes to see what was behind them, Lightning reached down and swiftly pulled the knife from her bag. She tossed her bag aside the second she clicked it open.
Fang turned and darted forward. She caught one of the bounding amphibians by its arms as it gnashed its teeth aggressively. She kept her momentum and pinned down the monster. Another tried to jump onto her back, but Lightning swiftly knocked it away. She dove down as it was trying to recover and quickly jammed the knife into it.
Fang punched down at the one she had pinned, crushing its windpipe and causing it to just squirm in place violently. A sudden weight pushed and flipped her over. The huntress quickly grasped at the attacking creature's neck and one of its arms, pushing it just far enough so that its teeth snapped a hairsbreadth from her nose. She struggled to keep the thrashing maw away from her neck– then, it suddenly stopped.
"Thanks Light."
Lightning pulled out her knife from the creature's back as Fang tossed it aside. Fang held out an open hand; Lightning flipped the knife and placed the handle in it. The huntress rose off the ground, swiftly strode to the last croaking and writhing monster, then stabbed it in the heart.
"Hedge Frogs," Fang quickly called out with a smile, covered in blood. Lightning walked over curiously and watched Fang get to work. She took the knife and skillfully began to cut through the creature. She made an incision right below the creatures belly. Fang reached a hand into the cut and pulled out an odd looking organ, dripping with a green ooze. "This fluid can strengthen organic fibers like cloth and thread. Got the plastic bags from our lunch?"
Raising an eyebrow, Lightning nodded and then dug one of the plastic bags out of her purse. Fang dropped the organ into it and stood up off the ground. "I can make some really durable clothes with this," Fang explained as she smiled at her roommate. "You're a natural by the way. You'd make a great huntress."
The pink-haired girl laughed, a little out of breath and still pumped with adrenaline. "Thanks. Good to know."
The two continued their walk back silently, taking the tram and dirt path back. Fang could feel the adrenaline start to relax out of her system as they once again to approach society.
"I can't wait to see their faces," Fang called out.
"I think you're finally going to succeed at scaring those boys away," Lightning responded back with a chuckle.
The pulsian looked at the monster corpse she had slung over her shoulder. "The legs are delicious, but will they really let me bring this on the train?"
"We can find a plastic bag or something to put it in once we get back to town," Lightning quickly commented with a smile. When they finally started to reach the city lights, Fang realized they were both splattered with blood.
Fang smiled widely at Lightning; Lightning smiled back. Fang finally felt whole again. Life in Cocoon had slowly chipped away at her spirit, but it was finally feeling repaired. The nature, the fight, the adrenaline. She felt better, but at the same time missed home even more. Fang's expression went serious and she stared at the other girl.
"Do you want to come with me to Gran Pulse?"