The Best of Enemies

It wasn't everyday that Diana didn't greet Fang by cannonballing into her, so the huntress was rightfully concerned when her younger daughter trudged over to the couch one afternoon and then slouched down beside her. The little girl said nothing for a long time, seemingly content to kick her legs back and forth.

After a few minutes of this, Fang realised that it was up to her to get the ball rolling.

"What's wrong?"

Diana sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "It's about school."

School? Fang's brows furrowed faintly. "Is something wrong at school? Did you get into trouble again? Are people picking on you?"

"No." Diana pouted and glared at the ground. "It's about the squirrel at school."

"Ah." Well, that was interesting. The squirrel that lived in the tree outside Diana's classroom was one of her fifteen mortal enemies. The crafty little critter had, on more than one occasion, stolen sandwiches, hats, and even one of Diana's shoes. That last offence had led to Diana taking a solemn oath of vengeance against the squirrel, although she had yet to actually do anything. "Did it steal something from you again, or did it throw a nut at you?"

"No." Diana's lips trembled, and she wrung her hands. "I think he's sick."

Fang studied Diana more closely. Her daughter wasn't someone to deliberately wish harm on somebody else. Sure, she might threaten people when she was angry – she'd threatened to drop a boulder on Vanille once – but she didn't actually mean the words. On the few occasions that she'd truly lost her temper and done something bad, she'd regretted it.

So even if the hamster was one of her mortal enemies, Diana was still worried sick about him.

"What do you want to do?" Fang asked.

"Can we bring him to a doctor or something?" Diana bit her lip. "I don't want him to… to die or something, and maybe a doctor could make him better again."

Fang looked down at Diana and thought the matter through. It was only a squirrel. There had to be dozens more like it near the school. In a few weeks, whatever happened, Diana would probably find something else and move on. But what if she didn't? What if this was one of those moments that Diana would remember forever?

She wanted Diana to grow up to be strong and independent, but she also wanted Diana to understand the meaning of mercy and compassion. Lightning would probably think she was crazy, but Fang knew what she wanted to do. "I guess we could try taking him to the vet."

That seemed to be the right thing to say because Diana brightened up and started chatting about all the others things she'd done at school. Fang listened patiently before doing a quick double take when Diana mentioned a bird flying into their classroom and going after Mr Cuddles. However the bird hadn't counted on Ms Gainsborough, who used a broom to shoo it away.

When Fang went to pick Diana up from school the next day, she was forced to explain her plan to Aerith. The teacher took everything in her stride, although she couldn't quite keep the smile off her lips. She'd always thought Fang had a soft spot when it came to her kids, and this was yet another example of it.

Between Fang and Aerith, it took ten minutes to get the squirrel out of its tree and into the dishcloth-lined shoebox Fang had brought along. Fang wasn't sure what was wrong with the little thing, but it definitely wasn't feeling well. After its initial resistance, it had settled into the shoebox, shivering and whimpering.

The vet lived a few minutes from their house. Fang knew because she'd taken Mr Cuddles there a few times to save Aerith the trouble. Despite their awkward first meeting, she and the hamster were definitely friends now. Diana had come along each time, peppering the vet with countless questions. The kind, old man had answered each question patiently and even recommended a few books about hamsters for Diana to read through.

The vet listened as Diana described the past several days in minute detail. The squirrel had been fine until Monday. He had been chasing after another squirrel when he'd fallen out of the tree. He'd climbed back up, but he'd been a lot slower since then, and he wasn't eating very much anymore.

The vet asked Diana and Fang to wait outside while he examined the squirrel. He wasn't used to dealing with squirrels – he usually dealt with domesticated animals and livestock – but he promised to do his best.

He emerged from his examination room half an hour later. The squirrel had a little cast and sling around of his legs. Apparently, he had broken his leg during his fall. It would need a few weeks to heal properly, and someone would have to take care of him.

"I'll do it!" Diana shot an anxious glance at the squirrel. "I'll look after him."

The vet gave her a serious look. "It's a big responsibility, Diana. If you say you'll look after him, you have to. He can't look after himself right now. If you don't take good care of him, he won't get better."

"I can do it. I promise I'll do it."

Fang and the vet shared a look.

"All right," he said. "I'll write down what you need to do, and then I'll go through it with you. If you have any problems, you can always call me."

Diana listened closely as the vet explained everything that she needed to do. When he was done, she accepted his business card with all the seriousness she normally only afforded a new episode of Gary. Then she and Fang took the squirrel and headed home.

Lightning was the first person to see them. She took one look at the squirrel and then turned her gaze to Fang and Diana. Whatever she saw in the little girl's eyes must have satisfied her.

"Look after him," Lightning said softly but firmly to Diana. "He's your responsibility now. He's relying on you to take care of him."

"I will, mom." Diana stared down at the squirrel in the shoebox. He'd always looked so tough at school, but right now he just looked scared and lonely. "I'll make sure he gets better."

Much to Averia's displeasure, the squirrel's new home was in the shoebox near Diana's bed. The little thing had regained most of his fighting spirit, and he put up a ferocious struggle the first few days, hissing and clawing at anyone who came near him. The first time he scratched Diana, Fang had to pull Averia away before she could throttle him.

But Diana kept her promise. At first Fang had been worried. Diana had many good qualities, but she was easily distracted. That was one of the main reasons Fang and Lightning had held off on getting a pet. But Diana surprised them all, proving, once again, that she could do almost anything if she set her mind to it.

Despite the scowls and scratches, Diana did her best to follow the vet's orders. She made sure that the squirrel got the food and water that he needed, and she made sure his shoebox was warm and comfortable. After several rough days, she won the squirrel over. Soon, he was eating out of her hand and settling down on her lap while she watched television.

The weeks passed one after the other, and before they knew it, the cast was ready to come off. A quick visit to the vet confirmed it – the squirrel's leg was healed. But as good as that news was, Fang didn't miss the tears gathering at the corners of Diana's eyes. The squirrel was okay now, which meant she had to set him free.

They brought the squirrel to school in his shoebox and let him go on a Friday afternoon. Diana managed to hold back her tears, but she refused to look back, and she was quiet the whole way home. She didn't even hear the small thump on the roof of the car just before they left. Fang had a sneaking suspicion about the sound, but she decided not to mention it until she could be sure. Even so, she made sure to drive home more slowly than usual.

The next morning, Diana woke up to hear something scratching at her bedroom window. She looked over toward the window. She'd put the squirrel's shoebox on a table near the window. It might have been better to throw it away – she didn't need it anymore – but she wanted to keep it for at least a little while.

Then she saw what was scratching at the window. It was the squirrel! She rushed over to the window, straining to slide it open just enough for the squirrel to slip inside. He gave her a few quiet squeaks and then settled into his familiar shoebox.

"Mommy!" Diana shouted. "Mommy, come quick! The squirrel came back!"

Fang came into the room and smiled. She'd been right. The little critter had gotten attached to them too.

From that day onward the squirrel split his time between the big tree in their front yard and his shoebox on the table. Whenever there was a storm, or it rained very heavily, Diana was always careful to leave the window open just a crack. Within a few minutes, the squirrel was always there, snuggling into his shoebox. Once he was safely inside, Diana would shut the window. When the weather was better again, she'd let him outside.

The only time there was trouble was when Mr Cuddles came over. Apparently, the hamster didn't like the added competition. He already had one obnoxious popular chocobo to worry about.

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

So, this is a much more light-hearted and whimsical piece than some of the others I've done recently. I've been very fortunate this past week – my surgery went pretty well and other aspects of my personal life have gone well too – so I'm in a pretty good mood, and this chapter reflects that.

Diana does have a knack for picking up strays, and I thought it would be nice to have her make friends with the squirrel that's always picking a fight with her. It's also nice to give Mr Cuddles something to worry about instead of just having Chirpy worry all the time. This chapter also gave me the chance to write about Fang's softer side, which I think is something worth doing.

If you like my writing, you should check out my original fiction. You can find links to it in my profile. If you like fantasy, you'll love The Last Huntress.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.