Chapter 15: 'Not Flirting'
Vanille, Lightning and I were eating a bland lunch of jerky when Snow finally gave us the announcement we'd been waiting for.
"So you know how I said we'd be there in an hour?" Snow chirped through my watch. "We'll actually be there in ten minutes. We managed to figure out what was going on with the nav system. What a disaster that was," Snow said.
"By find out, we mean we started kicking at it until the computer came back on. When in doubt, use brute force," Sazh interrupted.
"Now that we're close, we're receiving the signal from your comm device blinking on the screen. So get your asses out to where we can see you. From what we can tell via the cameras, there is a whole colony of behemoths resting on the plateau above you. We need to make this as fast and stealthy as possible."
"This better be the real deal Snow," Lightning growled into the receiver.
"You betcha, Sis. See you in ten," he said, cutting out.
With Lightning scrambling to pick up any straggling gear, I helped lift Vanille onto the chocobo. I walked beside the bird, making sure it moved slowly so that Lightning could catch up with us. As soon as she did, she called me a moron for not getting on with the other woman.
"Like I could ride with her and leave you on foot."
"I'm a soldier; get your ass up there."
She took Sazh's brute force advice and leapt on top of me. Once she'd pinned me to the ground, she scooped and shoved me at the bird. I wriggled and kicked trying to break free, but Vanille hooked her hand into my jacket and dragged me up. If Snow had been right about the behemoths, it wasn't safe for Lightning to remain solitary on the ground. However, even the strongest bird couldn't support three riders.
As we exited the ravine, we saw Sazh's craft drop into view. Wow. If they had spared all expenses on the ship that'd we'd fallen from, then what crap pile did they pull this out of? It was covered with dents, wobbled slightly in flight, and we already knew the computing system was jacked. Worst yet, it was loud.
Just as the craft touched down, we felt the ground rumble as the colony of behemoths jumped down the jutting rocks of the cliff edge behind us. They growled as they closed in on us.
Lightning was an unapologetic asshole. I loved that about her. Except right then, when she smacked the chocobo on its haunches, hurtling it toward the airship and leaving her behind to fight off the monsters.
I tucked and rolled off my feathered ride. It had been running faster than I'd thought, so I briefly bounced and tumbled out of control. Once I stood, still dizzy, I ran trying to close the distance between Lightning and me. She'd already staggered one behemoth, but another was ready to swipe her legs from beneath her.
When my spell hit him and crackled the area around her, she turned to notice me. Her look was full of surprise, and her mouth was full of expletives. I'd never heard half of the phrases she'd directed at me before. If we weren't about to be slaughtered, I would have been impressed.
She didn't wait for me to reach her, choosing to meet me halfway. She angrily clutched at my hand and started racing with me toward the ship. Though most of the creatures had gotten bored of the game and climbed back onto the plateau, the behemoth king I'd blasted chased after us. I launched spells, and Lightning shot her gunblade.
Snow had left the bay door open, and he and Vanille were trying to target long distance attacks. They were attempting to stagger it, but this beast wasn't taking no for an answer. No matter how much Lightning dragged me, I couldn't keep up. The behemoth king even managed to catch the dangling straps of my pants in his teeth. First my pack, now my pants; I really needed to rethink my fashion sense. How the hell did I survive in this outfit the first go around?
"Hurry up!" Snow shouted, extending his hands to us.
The behemoth king kept chasing us down despite Vanille's onslaught of spells. Lightning could have easily already been on board, but she'd insisted on pulling me. If she'd just let go of my damn hand, I was sure I'd find another way. She was completely focused on getting us to Snow that she didn't notice my motion. I dashed us to the side to gain momentum, and then spun her into my arms. In her surprise, I unsnapped my glove and slid out of it. Next I shoved her as hard as I could.
Still running, I blasted her with the strongest air spell I could manage. It propelled her far enough for Snow to grab ahold of her. I could faintly hear her screaming for me over the ambient roar. I wasn't fast or strong enough to keep up with the pace she'd set. I could see Snow restricting Lightning with both his arms, planting his feet firmly down so she wouldn't try to jump after me. He was also yelling something behind him to Sazh.
Suddenly the ship shuttered chaotically into reverse, weaving side to side in the process. Vanille, Lightning, and Snow all connected one hand with an article of my clothing and yanked me in. The hatch closed and the beast clipped the side of the ship. We all rocketed forward. The wind whistled in damaged seals when the ship lifted vertically. Finally safe, Snow and Vanille sat panting on the ground.
Lightning threw herself at me. Was that her new pastime?
"Why did you let go of me?" She clutched at the sides of my face. "You're the one who keeps saying crap like 'together.' How could you do that to me again?"
I was expecting anger, but her expression was riddled with fear. Her entire body was shaking. She hugged me closely and pressed her face into my chest. Defeated, I slunk down to the metallic flooring. I ran my fingers through her hair, not caring that we weren't alone.
"I needed you to be safe," I said.
Her head shifted beneath my fingertips. She stared into my eyes, sending an oddly warm shiver down my back.
"That's my job," she said, poking my forehead.
"You are my most important person. Job or not, I will always protect you. Whatever it takes," I said, rubbing my nose playfully against hers.
"What are they doing?" Snow whispered conspicuously to Vanille.
"Flirting. It's all they ever do these days. Still it's better than watching you whine about Serah all the time. At least I get a show," she said, standing up.
"We aren't flirting," Lightning said in Snow's direction.
"Whatever you say, boss. Once you guys are done 'not flirting,' come up to the front. Sahz probably has jobs for us before we reach the Lindblum." He rose, and then he and Vanille stepped through a doorway.
"There is nothing going on," Lightning called after him.
I guessed I had my answer. We were back at square one. With them gone, I leaned in closer to her.
"There isn't? Could've fooled me," I said, tapping my bite mark.
Before she could do or say anything else, I pulled away from her.
"You heard Snow. We should head out," she said.
She placed her hand on my chest, and shoved me back against the floor. Not answering my question, she stood up and left me behind.
Author's Note: We've finally reached the end of Part II.