A/N: I've been Been playing Final Fantasy Record Keeper to keep my interest here. Squeenix, throw me some coal to keep this ship alive!

~to be loved is to love~

First Half

"A mother understands what a child does not say."

Lightning was not a forgetful woman. She knew very well what the next day would bring.

It was going to be Mother's Day, and it made Lightning fearful.

Already, she had an entire itinerary for the coming day: attend Raine's recitation, then Averia's activity, and then lastly a social with Squall before the family would reconvene at the end of the day. Any other mother would treat this occasion with excitement, the former brigadier general supposed, but all she could think of were all the horrible ways her family would embarrass her.

Her family was eccentric that way.

She glared at whom she believed to be the source of the eccentricity—the lightly snoring form of her husband beside her.

"This is all on you." Lightning whispered her accusation. "If tomorrow proves just as bad—or worse—than last year, then I'm confiscating my sleeping bag and sending you to the couch." She threatened. "You'll also be pulling all the chores for a month! You'll scrub every square inch of the kitchen with a toothbrush! You'll sweep every surface with a feather! By the time I'm through with you, you'll wish that our daughters inherited more from me than you!"

Squall's brows creased in his sleep and grumbled something incoherent. Overcome with curiosity, Lightning leaned closer to her husband's lips.

And then, just like what the angler fish does to its prey, Squall's arm encircled his wife and pulled her body flush against his, her head buried against his shoulder. Apparently satisfied, Squall's snoring resumed.

Lightning frowned as she felt herself trapped in his embrace.

"Mark my words, husband," She began, yawning slightly as she began to feel drowsy against his comforting heat. Her eyes were heavy—a cursory glance at the clock telling her it was hours after her bedtime already—and Lightning finally closed her eyes, but not before mumbling one last threat, "I will bite you…"

She had a big day ahead of her.

-0-0-0-

The morning was remarkably uneventful.

Squall prepared breakfast as usual, with Lightning being drawn to the table by the aroma of her favorite food. Averia and Raine appeared not much later with mother's day greetings, the former giving her mother a quick peck on the cheek while the younger gave her mother an embarrassed hug.

After breakfast, the two children scurried back to their rooms to prepare for school, leaving the two parents to a leisurely conversation while they washed the dishes together. It ended with Squall reminding Lightning over her schedule for the day, and that she, too, had to get dressed.

They embraced, with Squall's arms lingering just a few seconds longer than her own as he whispered his own greeting, leaving his wife's cheeks as pink as her hair and with a taunt at how soft-hearted he had become, before she made her way to the shower.

Squall had then driven his family to their children's school, making sure to leave the keys with his wife when they all went down. With one final reminder of Lightning's schedule, much to her slight irritation, and two hugs from his daughters, Squall left Lightning in their daughter's care as he commuted out.

After entering the school premises, Lightning parted with Averia with the promise that she would be with her on time before, finally, accompanying Raine to her classroom.

Lightning scanned the inside and made note of all the different decorations the kindergarteners prepared for their mothers, most of whom were already seated at the back of the classroom.

"Raine, Mrs. Leonhart!" Raine's teacher greeted upon spotting the pair. "How wonderful it is that you two made it in time."

Lightning tilted her head. "Hello. We're in time for... what, exactly?"

The teacher stared at Lightning before the light of realization lit up her features. "Oh! Did Raine not tell you?"

Raine glanced up at her teacher and shrugged. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Lightning shot a sharp look at her daughter—and inwardly cursed Squall that the day finally started.

"What has Raine done now?" Lightning turned back to the teacher and asked, much to her daughter's indignation.

"I didn't do anything yesterday, mom!" Raine declared with folded arms.

"Indeed." The teacher reaffirmed. "And it's not so much a question of what Raine has done, but one of what Raine is about to do."

"Oh." Lightning felt embarrassed jumping into conclusions. She gave her daughter an apologetic smile. "Sorry, dear. Mind telling me what's up?"

Accepting her mother's apology, Raine unfolded her arms and puffed out her chest proudly. "I'm reci- re-re… umm…" The little girl looked up towards her teacher.

"Raine is reciting her mother's day letter." The teacher supplied.

"I'm reciting." Raine parroted.

Lightning glanced at her daughter once more. "Wait, so this wasn't a group-thing?"

The teacher laughed and patted Raine's brown head affectionately, making the little girl scamper out of her grasp after a few seconds. The little girl quickly left the two adults to join her friends before her hair could be murdered further.

"No. As I've told you and your husband in the last parent-teacher meeting, Raine has displayed a remarkable reading ability. I felt it would be wonderful to open this event with your daughter reciting her homework that I issued the class last week."

"And this homework is…?" Lightning prompted.

"I asked my students to write what they thought of their mothers so that they can give it today." She glanced around the room before she clapped her hands together in delight. "And look! We're all here. It's time to start the event! If you would excuse me, Mrs. Leonhart~"

'Oh joy.' Lightning thought, feeling lightheaded while the teacher gave her opening remarks. 'There's no backing out now, I suppose…'

Steeling herself, Lightning made her way to the back, past the seated children minus Raine who was standing next to her teacher, so she could join the other mothers.

"…and to start off this wonderful day, a piece from one of our children, Raine Farron-Leonhart!"

A round of applause met the smallest Leonhart, who suddenly became the center of attention now that her teacher seated herself beside the window.

It was then that Lightning spotted the piece of paper her daughter was holding—a paper Lightning assumed was her daughter's homework and speech. From the looks of it, her speech was handwritten which, in hindsight, was probably how her daughter was able to hide it from her.

Raine glanced at her mother beyond the edge of the paper she held and, at Lightning's reassuring nod, she cleared her throat and began to recite.

"My mom has super powers." She declared with certainty. Lightning's gaze softened at the chuckles the other mothers made at her daughter's opening line. "She can do amazing things. She can cut things faster than anyone!"

Her daughter's cheerful words suddenly pierced through Lightning's good mood; she had a bad feeling about where Raine, bless her innocence, was heading…

"She also makes the best toast, ever!" Raine continued, earning snickers from the rest of her classmates. "When I feel sick, she makes me porridge when my dad isn't home."

Lightning sank in her seat, inwardly cursing fate for this building mortification.

"We always play the quiet game—even if I'm bad at it." At this, Raine's tiny shoulders sagged with her sadness. "Sometimes, I wish mom would just let me shoot something instead…"

Lightning could feel the prickling sharpness of the gazes all the other adults in the room stabbed her with. It was a miracle she hadn't exploded yet!

"My mom likes to bully dad." Raine suddenly said, and Lightning could feel all the staring intensify. "She shouts his name a lot at night when she thinks we're asleep. Sometimes, the thumping happens and I feel bad for dad. I think it's mean but dad seems happy in the morning. I don't really get it so I think they're just weird."

It took all of Lightning's willpower to remain poised. She would pat herself on the back later for maintaining grace despite her skin claiming the color of her hair—after throttling her little hellion, anyway.

"Oh my…" Lightning heard one of the other mothers, a woman in her mid-forties by her estimate, whisper to her companion, "Young couples these days!"

The Farron-Leonhart matriarch felt her pride recoil at the accusation, but humiliating it may be, it was still the truth. She couldn't deny the claim—and she wouldn't if she could, either: her youngest was still speaking.

Still, it didn't stop her from feeling like a flanbanero on her seat.

Oblivious to her mother's humiliation—and entirely too-focused on her speech, the littlest Leonhart continued.

"Her favorite thing to do is scold me." Lightning's eyes bugged out at her daughter's sagely nod. "Whenever I'm with my mom, she always seems to say I'm not doing something right."

"Kill me now." Lightning muttered, nearly in tears. She desperately wished smoke would arise from her burning ears just so it would trigger the sprinklers.

"She cooks the yummiest… umm…" Raine fidgeted from where she stood. Lightning immediately straightened when her daughter's eyes roamed towards her and, despite all the embarrassment she felt, Lightning still gave her little girl her reassurance. Raine nodded, a tiny smile curling on her lips now that she knew her mother was still with her, "Hot choco!"

The embarrassed mother palmed her face hard as the entire room broke out in laughter.

'Raine hates me.' Lightning thought in dismay. 'Raine hates me and she's doing this to get back at me, I'm sure!'

"My mom makes me happy when…" Raine trailed once more. Unlike the previous times, however, Raine wouldn't seek support from her mother; a fact Lightning noticed.

More than that, Lightning realized that throughout her entire speech, Raine's skin, too, was painted with an embarrassed red…and at once, all feelings of humiliation evaporated.

Realization struck the pink-haired mother: none of what Raine said was a lie meant to torment her. All of what Raine confessed were what she honestly felt…

And so, once more, Lightning sat in attention. Whatever humiliating comment her daughter would next speak, whatever mortification she would feel, Lightning resolved to pin her daughter's heartfelt words onto her breast and wear them with pride.

"…She makes so happy when she showers with me. I like looking at my mom." Raine said with no small amount of pink on her cheeks. "When I grow up, I want a body like my mom's—not like all the other moms with their flabby bellies and saggy boobs."

More than one mother gasped at the uncouth comment that left Raine's mouth. Her teacher, who was smiling proudly at her star-pupil's recitation, visibly grimaced while inwardly wishing she had read over Raine's speech before she allowed her to speak. The children's reactions were mixed—most of the boys snickered, some dared to glance at the mother-in-question, while the girls beheld Lightning with admiration.

On her seat, Lightning could only smile.

"My mom can fix a flat tire faster than my dad." Raine recounted, garnering more laughter from her classmates. "My dad's better at fixing up our mess, sure, but my mom has him beat when it comes to assembling a blazefire saber!"

'You just got schooled, you silly schoolboy.' Lightning smugly thought about her meticulous husband.

"And lastly…" Raine paused. She looked up from the sheet and met her mother's warm blue eyes. "I love it when my mom makes time for me." She said, and it was clear that no more words were needed to explain how much Raine loved her mother.

Raine folded the piece of paper. In typical Farron flair, Raine smirked at her entire class and issued her challenge.

"My mom is the best mom ever!"

And to make sure her point came across amidst all the applause, Lightning being the loudest of them all as she approached her daughter to smother her with a hug, Raine stuck her tongue out at her class.

A/N: Late mother's day piece, part 1. More to come soon when I get inspired; the flow is already set but I just need time and motivation to write. For those wondering, Raine's letter is inspired by a worksheet from the "Mother's Day Gift Book! SUPER MOM! SUPERHERO THEME! Mother's Day, Birthdays" I found over at teacherspayteachers ( d o t ) com.