Chapter 38 Secret Knowledge

The drive to Eden was stressful. Lightning kept her hand in Fang's on the middle console and sighed. Her heart felt shallow and part of her just wanted to curl up and give up.

Without the Guardian Corps, Lightning didn't know what she was doing with her life. Maybe Serah could help her look into colleges or something.

Even if Hope told her that Amodar wanted her back, she really didn't know if that proved right. If she returned, the same things would happen with Jihl once more. The two would clash, and Lightning would just annoy Amodar once more. Maybe this was her epiphany that she needed to wake up from.

Lightning and Fang stopped to eat at Moogle-Works, a sandwich store on their way there. The couple split a sandwich together. Though Lightning felt she was swallowing rocks, she eventually gave Fang the rest of her sandwich.

"You're eating like a bird, Sunshine. I think if you ate a few more bites, I'd feel a lot better with you giving me your sandwich."

"I'm really not hungry, Fang."

"Well, clearly you are; I can hear your stomach growling away. So please, Sunshine, eat a little more."

"Alright, fine," Lightning took a few more bites, "Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right, Sunshine. Plus, when Serah told me to look after you, I made a promise that you'd eat, and we'd get to Zelda and Rowan's place in one piece."

"I'm going to give her a stern talking-to later."

"No, you aren't. Serah's just worried about you like I'm worried about you. I don't like when you're stressed, Sunshine."

"Well, I'm doing my best to keep from stressing out too much, Fang."

"I love you, Sunshine. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't; I love you too, Fang."

As Fang focused on the drive once more once the two threw their garbage out of the car, the ride to Zelda and Rowan's was smooth.

Lightning and Fang paged up to Zelda and Rowan's apartment.

Hitting the button, Rowan's voice was heard. "Hello? Password?"

"Rowan, it's Fang and Lightning. Oerba didn't fall."

"Hitting the button to let you guys in."

As the door clicked open, Lightning and Fang entered, taking the elevator up to Rowan and Zelda's floor. Once there, the door opened, as Lightning and Fang entered.

Zelda looked up from her book, placing her glasses on the coffee table in front of her, "Welcome, ladies. Make yourself at home. There's something we have to share with you."

"Good or bad?"

"I think it's rather helpful. We were cleaning out our storage unit and came across the box of things your father left us."

"What'd you find?"

"A floorplan of your house."

"Interesting. Surprised Dad kept that or put it in a box for you."

"Well, if I remember correctly, your parents had a room that was hidden from everyone except us, Cid Highwind, Caius, and them."

"I remember there was a crawlspace that was sealed off. Neither me nor Serah could enter."

"Caspian had it sealed off to prevent you two from finding their secrets. It was our secret meeting spot."

"Secret meeting spot?"

"We used it as a place for meetings. You girls would often be elsewhere. Serah would be off with her friends like Vanille, and you sneaking out and causing trouble with Squall."

Lightning looked down shyly.

"You used to be a troublemaker, but now you're a Guardian Corps soldier."

"No, I'm not. Amodar fired me."

"Why'd he do that?"

"I accidentally punched your sister, and my eidolon came to protect me…"

"You summoned Odin at work?"

"Unfortunately."

"Well, that's extremely unfortunate. Did Amodar consider letting you join the Summoner's Guild?"

"No, I didn't really get a chance to ask or even argue my case.

"Last I checked, one of my trainees from my troop is trying to get my job back, but I actually don't know if I want to go back to the Guardian Corps or not. I think being fired, I can finish solving that case and do something meaningful with my life."

"While this conversation is full of feels, I need to talk to Rowan, one on one." Fang lazily yawned, "Rowan could I borrow you and talk to you outside?"

"Yeah, Zelds, you going to be fine talking to Light if I take Fang out?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Light's easy to talk to. Plus, she's going to want to hear this next bit because it's time we told her about, you know what."

"If you're absolutely certain."

"I am; you two have fun."

Fang leaned over and gave Lightning a soft kiss, "I'll be back, Sunshine." Eventually, she left with Rowan.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about Zelda?" Lightning looked into the violet eyes.

"You're cousin Yeul. She's alive and well. However, we want you two to come out to meet her. We have her staying at our safe house in Pulse."

"My cousin Yeul is alive… in a safe house?"

"Yes, she's not alone, because several members of the Yun and Dia clans, The Clan of Etro, is with her too. Your father did everything in his power to have her rescued from Bodhum Institute. Thanks to his bravery, Yeul is safe with our guards."

"I'd love to meet her. I never did," Lightning admits.

"Well, next time you two come over, we're taking a road trip. It'll do you good, then you can maybe meet the Yuns and Dias. I could see you going through the Trial of Hunters. You'd make a pretty great tribemate."

"Thank you, Zelda, but I couldn't leave Fang behind."

"She'd be there too to cheer you on. As for your sisters and their lovers, they could come too."

"Well, I still don't know. That's a long way from home."

"Well, it's just something to consider. Either we'll bring Yeul here, with the rest of the Oerbans. They deserve a nice life here."

"They will have a nice life here. They are welcome, just like Fang was. PSICOM might treat them like common crooks, but they're living breathing people just like you and me."

"Well, Jihl doesn't seem to understand that; she wouldn't unless you paid her in shiny gil."

"Your sister is a vile woman."

"I don't care; she might be my blood sister; her leadership needs to end. PSICOM needs a better leader."

As Lightning and Zelda talked for quite some time, it started to get late. Fang eventually returned with Rowan as she took a seat, resting her head against Lightning's shoulder.

"I'm ready to go home, Sunshine."

"Hold on a second, Fang," Lightning muttered slightly.

"Alright, Sunshine, I'm getting slightly tired."

As Zelda looked at Lightning, the ex-soldier flinched. "Find the secret room. It'll be extremely beneficial you find it."

"Alright, I'll try finding this secret room."

"Should you need anything else, don't hesitate to call," Rowan said, running a hand through her short hair.

"Lightning, one final word of advice. Be careful! Jihl's always on the move, and I worry something bad is about to happen."

"I'll stay safe. Might need to stay on my toes for this one."

"Jihl wouldn't be stupid enough to attack my family or me. She knows that could spell trouble for the Guardian Corps or PSICOM even."

"Yes, but something seems fishy. If I were you, I'd keep on my toes. I just worry if Jihl wants you both for your powers, that could mean trouble for both of you."

"We'll be safe, Zelda. It's a long trip to and from Eden and Bodhum; we're going to go so we can get home and go to bed; think Fang looks like she's about to fall asleep."

"I'm not tired," Fang muttered mid-yawn.

"Mhm, let's get you home and to bed, love."

"Did you learn anything useful tonight, Sunshine?"

"Not really. Except for next time we go, we're going to meet Yeul."

"She's alive?"

"Yeah, Rowan and Zelda are keeping her safe in their safehouse. We'll have to ride with them the next time we go over, though."

"We can do that. Just let me know because I'll need to get off work."

"We'll figure that out, and then we'll get back to Zelda. She just wanted an estimate of when we could go."

When the two finally left, they made their way towards the car. Fang carried the box of items that Caspian had given Rowan and Zelda, setting it in the backseat of the vehicle.

Lightning got in the driver's seat, as she could only let Zelda's words play in her mind. 'Yeul is safe. You can meet her next time you come over; we'll take a trip to the safe house.'

She smiled, noticing as Fang had slowly but surely fell asleep.

By the time Lightning and Fang went home, the two fell asleep on the couch.

When they awoke, they realized Serah and Snow were sitting in the living room in pajamas watching the morning news.

A pair of blue eyes lazily peered around the room, noticing the two, as Lightning yawned. "Serah, what are you doing here?"

Serah chuckled lightly, "I'm surprised you and Fang fell asleep on the couch. Couldn't even go upstairs to your bedroom last night, Claire?'

"Shut up, Serah. I'm too tired to argue," Lightning grumbled, resting her head against Fang's shoulder.

Lazy viridian's slowly opened when Lightning had shifted, "Good morning, Sunshine."

"You two always find the weirdest places to sleep."

"Up yours, Snow," Fang muttered, "Too tired to care right now."

Serah chuckled, "Well, we're going to Bodhum Pearl tonight for dinner. So, when you two are fully awake, I want you both up and showered and ready to go tonight. Dress business casually."

Lightning lifted her head to look at Serah once more, "Tonight?"

"Yes. We're going to go pick up Hope and Vanille. I think the six of us could all deal with a nice little dinner. Plus, then we could all relax at the park for a while."

"Plus, I think after you getting fi—you know… I think you'd enjoy a nice dinner at a fine restaurant in Bodhum, especially since we're all here for you, Claire. Hope is actually amazing. He's been talking to Amodar, though, and. I'm surprised he's considering giving you your job back. Especially after what happened. If it just requires paperwork from the Summoner's Guild, knowing you, it shouldn't be too hard to acquire."

Serah dialed Vanille and Hope, who answered after two rings. Both seemed to be out on the run.

"Serah! Nice of you to call," Vanille panted, "We're on the run."

"Just working on some stamina training," Hope panted, keeping up with the energetic redhead.

"We're still on for tonight. Snow got the reservation for a party of six. Lightning and Fang were found on the couch this morning snoozing the day away."

"Of course they were."

"Shut up 'Nille too early!" Fang grumbled.

"FANG! Get up! Stop being lazy!"

"Shut up…"

Lightning chuckled before Fang squeezed her tightly, "And you're just asking for it, Light,"

"Aren't you working on getting Light's job back, Hope?"

"Yeah, Jihl was just surprised that Lightning punched her a good one, but it was a friendly spar after all. It was pretty impressive, though."

"Wait… Let me get this straight. Lightning punched Jihl?"

"Yeah, it was pretty epic," Hope said over the phone.

Serah and Snow could hear Vanille giggling in the background.

"Wow, I remember meeting that woman. I'm more surprised Lightning punched her, and she was okay with it."

"Jihl's a commanding officer; she's okay with a lot of things. Jihl and Lightning will probably laugh about it later, plus that gets you respect points from PSICOM or the Guardian Corps." Hope panted once more. "I'd be more surprised if she didn't because most spars end up with me either hit or slightly injured, except the few times Light actually did beat me."

"We'll be there to pick you two up. I'm looking forward to hearing about Palumpolum, Vanille. I didn't think you'd like it so much, and the pictures you took were gorgeous."

"I had a lot of fun with Hope. Just we get along so well, and I'm grateful he's such a great friend."

Serah chuckled, "Well, I think you two would be a cute couple."

"Serah!" Vanille yelled over the phone as everyone laughed.

Lightning looked at Fang, who shook her head, "Don't embarrass Hope too much; he gets all red."

"Light, thank you for defending me! I'm trying to get your job back! You could come back as my Sergeant! The whole team misses you!"

Lightning sat up, careful not to bump into Fang, "How'd you manage that, Hope?"

"Well, everyone needed to cool down for a while. Amodar recognized that he yelled at you for a stupid reason. Though he just wants the paperwork, you have an eidolon. He recognizes it is part of you, and if you can train and keep it under control, it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, with the summoner's guild, you'll probably end up in an even better place with the Guardian Corps because they love the summoner's guild."

"Thanks, Hope. I'll consider the notion. And how is Jihl not angry? Either way, we'll talk to you once Serah and Snow bring you over here. Think you guys are coming to chill until dinner time."

"We're going to pick them up soon as we get ready. We'll be home in a few hours."

"Yeah, Fang and I will get showered and ready. If we're going to the Pearl for dinner tonight, we'll get there early to put our reservation in. Either way, Fang's riding with me."

Fang used her elbows to prop herself up and waved at Serah lazily, "And 'Nille, if you need a pointer from Lady Luck, I'm your gal, you see when a man and a woman love each other very much they-..."

Lightning elbowed Fang in the ribs as the Oerban yelped slightly. "That hurt!"

"FANG!" Vanille was embarrassed, "Please stop… I don't need the talk!"

Fang grinned, "I'm only kidding 'Nille. I had to tease you somehow. And mean Light! Elbowing me in the ribcage like that!"

"Well, be nice to Vanille! She doesn't need that talk."

"Fang, you're mean to me!" Vanille shouted. "You're treating me like a teenager!"

"Vanille, you know I love teasing you."

Lightning pressed a hand over Fang's mouth, "Shut up and leave her alone. It's too early Love. Now go to the kitchen, make me some coffee, and be nice to Vanille. Do I make myself clear?"

Fang nodded her head slowly.

"At least Light is being nice to me. Unlike my rude sister!"

Snow chuckled, "Well, you did walk into that one, and Fang was going to school you."

"We'll see you two later. I'm taking Lightning to the kitchen for coffee," Fang said over her shoulder.

After coffee, Lightning and Fang walked into the garage.

Lightning settled at her workbench.

Fang looked at the floorplan once more.

"So, there's a crawlspace here that leads into your father's study. And the one in your father's study goes into the secret room?"

"Apparently," Lightning said as she heard something fall off her desk. Going towards the desk, she noticed the framed picture of her father and his friends had fallen, like the glass from the frame shattered.

Fang went into the hallway and grabbed the vacuum cleaner; once Lightning grabbed the more significant pieces off the ground, she turned the vacuum on and cleaned the remaining glass.

Lightning kept the frame in her hands and turned it over to remove the picture from the frame. Careful of the broken glass along the edges, she pulled the image. Something fell out of the frame as well; within the frame was a silver key held in her hand.

"What'd you find, Sunshine?"

"A key. I'm surprised there was a key in the frame. Frankly, at this point, I feel this was put in here intentionally. The frame was sort of hollow, but I didn't know Dad hid stuff in it."

On the ground was a single note, 'Use this key well. ~CAF.'

"Well, do you have any ideas what the key unlocks?"

"Yes. I think I do."

Lightning grabbed her phone as it had started ringing. Quickly answering it, she was surprised to hear Alyssa.

"Hey, Alyssa. What's up?"

"Lightning, listen to me well because this is my only chance to say it… Be extremely careful; I think someone is ordering an assault on you and your family. I don't know if they are Guardian Corps or PSICOM, but I want you to be extremely careful. I want you to stop what you're doing, pack up, and leave. This may be my final time talking to you, and I just have to say it has been an honor."

The line went dead before she could say another word.

"Alyssa?!"

Static, and then the phone line went dead.

Lightning looked at her phone. "Odd."

"Who was it?"

"I was informed that someone wants me dead. Then the line dropped in static."

"Probably a problem with your phone connection. It happens to my phone sometimes too. It's called interference Sunshine."

"I know what interference is, Fang," Lightning sighed. "Let's go to the study. If this key was in my father's frame, then it must be for my father's study."

As Lightning and Fang went down the stairs into her father's study, the two looked around. "If you were hiding something, where would you hide it? There's bookcases, a desk, filing cabinets, and stuff on shelves."

"Knowing Dad, he probably hid it somewhere right under my nose."

"Maybe there's a button on his desk?" Fang started inspecting the desk.

Lightning placed her hand on the wall feeling around for any hidden levers or buttons.

She stopped at a family portrait hanging on the wall, taking a step back to look at it. "This portrait was always my least favorite one."

The image had her parents standing with a young Serah and younger Claire. The four were at the fireworks festival, as Serah was clutching the stuffed Moogle, she had won her.

Seeing that portrait always made Lightning feel uneasy. Her father was dressed in his GC uniform, with his piercing blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair; he looked so handsome, and yet in some ways, Lightning felt like she was in his shadow.

"No."

"Did you say something, Sunshine?" Fang looked at Lightning before ducking underneath the desk.

"Sorry, Fang, just got a little lost in thought."

"It's alright, but I didn't find anything."