And here I am, posting Chapter 2 of this fic even as the real SOSS comes to an end. I wish I'd managed to finish this chapter earlier. I had the intro written up, but I only managed to complete and proof the rest of it a few days ago. I want to establish a semblance of character growth within this story, and that makes it a little hard to write without first creating a decent foundation...to be honest, I don't even know whether I'm doing a decent job of it yet. But I guess that remains to be seen.

With those rambly thoughts out of the way, here's Chapter 2! Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIII or its characters.

Balance: Chapter 2

"Who was your best friend back in middle school, and why?"

Lightning sighed, resting her head upon her folded hands. "Serah, do we have to do this?"

The woman in question brandished a spoon in Lightning's direction. "Yes we do. Now answer the question!"

Another sigh. "Teresa. She lent me her Carbuncle eraser and talked my ear off about Nautilus. It was nice."

Serah observed her older sister with a frown. "And what were you secretly obsessed with as a kid?"

"Moogles. Are we done yet?"

"Did you or did you not have a crush on Lieutenant Amodar?"

"I didn't. I looked up to him as my mentor, and that was about it."

The sound of a pot boiling over made Serah run back towards the stove. Lightning took the opportunity to stuff another spoonful of cereal in her mouth, hoping to prevent her sister from asking her any more questions. Breakfast in the Farron-Villiers household was usually a quiet affair on weekends, mostly because Snow generally left home early to help Sazh with construction on his farm. Today, however, Lightning had made the mistake of mentioning her dream to her sister, who had then immediately decided to test her with questions about their younger days.

"I'm doing this for your own good, sis," Serah insisted as she turned the stove off, giving the contents of the pot a quick stir before returning to the dining table. "For all you know, it could've been real."

Lightning huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes in the process. "Even if it was real, I don't think losing my emotions would affect me much. I've always chosen to keep my feelings to myself."

"Really? I don't believe that."

She looked up at Serah, eyes narrowing slightly. "But I never told you anything about my training, or my work. And you were always off with Snow anyway, so it didn't matter much…"

"See? That's it right there." She giggled. "You never liked me hanging out with Snow, and you always made that clear. I know you punched him at least twice when you were both l'Cie."

Then, she smiled sincerely. "And you were worried, back when I showed you my brand. You said you believed it was a lie, but there was concern in your eyes. Fear, too, but you were afraid for me and not of me.

"The Lightning I know might've tried to hide her emotions because she thought they made her weak. But I could always see right through you."

Lightning opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest. "We're sisters," she said simply. "We grew up together. I'd call that cheating."

At this, Serah let out a laugh. "Call it what you want, sis. But I always know what you're feeling…even when you don't." And with those words, she stepped out of the room to answer a knock at the door, leaving behind a very confused Lightning.

A few moments later, it was as though the noise level in the house had increased twofold. Laughter was heard as two sets of footsteps approached the kitchen, and then Snow popped his head into the room.

"Hey Sis! Up bright and early for once?"

She shot him a glare, which he brushed off easily. "Seems like you're losing your touch," he said offhandedly as he headed towards the fridge to put a bag of vegetables away. "That one didn't scare me at all. Or maybe I'm just getting used to it."

"About time, Snow. You'll be living with this glare all your life now that the two of you are married."

He laughed as he shut the fridge door. "I guess it's a small price to pay."

Lightning finished eating her cereal and stepped over to the sink. As she grabbed the dishcloth, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Snow inch closer to Serah while whispering something in her ear. The younger woman glanced up at him and said something in response. Lightning tried to ignore their almost-silent conversation while she washed her bowl and dried it off, placing it in the dish rack.

When she finally turned around, it seemed as though they had come to an agreement, because Snow had his arm around Serah's shoulders, and Serah's fists were clenched tightly in her apron as she looked down at her feet.

Unable to gauge the reason for her family's strange, stiff behaviour, Lighting simply raised an eyebrow. "Something you two want to tell me?" she asked bluntly.

The way Snow stood up straighter made it evident that she was right. The younger girl continued to fidget with her apron, wringing the cloth between her fingers, before finally letting go and raising her head to meet her older sister's gaze.

"Lightning, we – uh, Snow and I…"

"We-we're having a baby!"

Snow's sudden outburst took them all by surprise; even Snow himself, who immediately clapped both his hands over his mouth. Serah looked equally shocked, but said nothing, instead waiting for her sister's reaction.

In that single instant, a slew of emotions flowed through Lightning's mind. Shock, worry, anger; even happiness, which was surprisingly the most overwhelming of them all. And yet, she found herself unable to respond. It was not as though she had been rendered speechless; rather, she felt as though every emotional response had been sucked out of her soul, leaving behind nothing but a distinct hollowness. She stood there, unmoving, until the burly man standing across from her cleared his throat awkwardly, and she snapped back to reality.

"…congratulations," was all she found herself capable of saying. Serah was still watching her expectantly, and so with some hesitation, she added, "I'm happy for you."

Even as she spoke the words, Lightning did not find herself feeling any happier. In fact, if anything, she felt even hollower inside. Snow didn't seem to notice this as he let out a shout of happiness and pulled both women closer, wrapping them in a tight hug. Serah smiled, but Lightning distinctly noted that it did not reach her eyes, and it filled her with a strange sense of guilt. She remembered the conversation they had been having mere minutes ago.

'I always know what you're feeling…even when you don't.'

The words resonated through her mind, and she froze as the pieces began to fall into place one by one.

'…Serah was right. I…I can't feel anymore.'

"It's only been a day, and you're already starting to crack. How long do you think you can keep this up?"

Lightning gritted her teeth as Lumina materialised from within the void yet again. "I don't know what you're talking about," she spat in response. "I won't believe a single thing you say, Lumina."

"It really doesn't matter what I say, though," the girl sang in response, skipping in a circle around Lightning. "You're already at war with yourself." She wagged a finger in Lightning's face. "Just give it up, and let those emotions run free."

"No way in hell."

Lumina's carefree expression suddenly morphed into a serious one. "I'm doing this for your own good," she said, a strange sadness in her tone. Her words were familiar, Lightning realised. They were Serah's words.

"Now that you and I are one, the old you is gone," Lumina whispered. "You are Claire Farron. You are the old, and the new…and the undiscovered."

She grinned as she began to fade away once again. "And it's about time you started to show it."

So I hope that by this point it's clear that the real Lightning isn't consciously aware of the fact that she is resisting her emotions. I had a lot of fun writing Lumina, as always, and I hope I managed to keep her in character. I know that this fandom is pretty dead by this point, but please do read and review if you can!

P.S. Did anyone catch the little anime reference I threw into this chapter? :D