Notes: Sorry for the delay guys... I just wasn't feeling it for a bit there... But a week of vacation and some time away from the stress of work got me back into the spirit... So without further ado...
Chapter Nine
Lightning woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. She lay in bed, breathing in the scent of Fang, still lingering on the pillow next to hers. They had come home and sat on the couch, talking idly and just enjoying each other's company until Lightning started to yawn. Fang had gotten up with a small chuckle and cleared away their mugs before returning to the living room, telling Lightning that she had to go to bed because she was working the next day. The lights were turned out and the two women went upstairs and shared a soft kiss outside Lightning's room. As she was about to head down the hall to her own room, Fang was slowed as Lightning caught the bottom of her shirt.
"Where are you going? I thought you said we were going to bed," Lightning grinned a little and led the other woman into her room.
"Okay… But no funny business, yeah? You have to work tomorrow," Fang followed her inside, stripping off her top and her jeans before pulling Lightning into the bed with her and wrapping her strong body around Lightning's shorter body. The two were out in no time and Lightning had woken only once in the night and as if sensing the soldier's stirring the warrior snuggled in closer.
Lightning smiled to herself and opened her eyes fully. She could get used to sharing her bed with the huntress. Another thing she could get used to was the smell of coffee and breakfast first thing in the morning. She had missed it after her sister and Snow moved out and had since amassed quite a selection of dry cereal and frozen pastries that had become her morning meal. She rolled out of bed and made her way downstairs in her loose boxers and soft t-shirt, hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She smiled as she stepped into the kitchen greeted by the sight of Fang. The woman was reading the paper and sipping a coffee as breakfast sizzled on the stove beside her, she was leaning with one hand on the counter and her hip jutted out slightly as she read, not noticing the other woman. Fang was clad only in a tank top and her panties, hair loose and wild around her shoulders, the red highlights in her hair catching the light coming in from the sliding glass doors.
"You look incredible this morning," Lightning mumbled into Fang's shoulder as she came up behind her, putting her hands on the warrior's hips.
"I think maybe you are just crazy from hunger Sunshine," Fang smiled and slid her hands over Lightning's. "You sleep well?"
"I haven't slept that well since Gran Pulse," Lightning pulled away to get a coffee. Fang raised a brow and gave her a questioning look.
Lightning had stalked off, Fang and her flippant flirting and endless teasing had finally hit their mark and the younger woman was annoyed. She hacked and slashed her way through a tree and was finally starting to cool off but every time she thought about that cocky smile and those amazing green eyes she just got angry again.
"Infuriating, egotistical, Gran Pulse savage… I should have hit her instead of the tree," Lightning grumbled to herself and leaned on another tree. What she needed was something to hurt, something she could kill. Lightning made her way through the brush to find something to sink her blade into.
"You know Fang… Making her angry like that just slows us down," Vanille crossed her arms over her chest. "She wanders off and she's gone for like an hour before she comes back."
Snow let out a hearty chuckle. "It's good for sis Vanille. She clams up all the time it's nice to actually see her let loose,"
"I ain't changing the way I am Vanille… If Sunshine can't handle it then it is her own problem," Fang called down from her spot, perched up on a rock above their heads. She leaned over the edge to look down at her sister, who was giving a rather venomous look back up at her. Fang sighed loudly and slid down off the rock.
"I'll go find her and bring her back. I just don't see why we're throwin' ourselves at her boots every time she acts like a kid," Fang took her lance from where it lay resting against the rock she had been sitting on. She put it on her back and made her way off to where she had watched Lighting stalk off to earlier.
"Sunshine! Ya ready to come back yet? I think everyone else wants to move on, yeah?" Fang looked around as she walked. She slowed as she reached the tree Lightning hacked up on her walk and paused, putting her hand on it. She looked at the ground around it, seeing the way chunks of tree still balanced on the leaves, untouched by the wind. The younger woman had been here recently judging by the way the mulched wood still balanced on the leaves of the shrubbery lower. Fang closed her eyes a moment to just listen to the sounds of Gran Pulse around her, the occasional clicking of goblins or the sloshing of flans and the growl of a behemoth. It was the smell that hit her next, not a smell you caught a whiff of on Gran Pulse. It was the smell of gun powder and then the roar of the behemoth and the accompanying sound of Lightning's gun blade. Fang took off in a sprint towards the foreign sound and smell.
Lightning had been holding her own against the goblin she had found on her walk, unfortunately the ruckus caused by that fight alerted a nearby Behemoth. She was currently trying to deal with that problem and not having a great time with it. She'd barely had any time to heal herself before the creature attacked. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the last person she wanted help from approaching.
"Go away Fang… I don't need you," She called out, narrowly dodging a swipe from the behemoth.
"Ya sure look like ya need some help Sunshine," Fang started on provoking the behemoth so Lighting could get her bearings. She took a nasty hit and countered it instantly, barely faltering in her string of attacks.
"You don't know what I need. You will never know what I need," Lightning finished curing herself before starting to take advantage of the distraction Fang had caused.
"Give me a chance and I bet ya I can figure it out," Fang smirked at her. That was it… Now Lighting was furious. She launched a string of magic assisted attacks on the creature. Fang charged in to try and finish the job while the behemoth was still focused on her, unfortunately the magic was enough to draw the behemoth towards Lightning again and the shorter woman took a nasty slap from the beast and then another and another.
"Oh no you don't!" Fang felt the grip of panic in her chest as she looked to see Lightning still on the ground. She was instantly provoking the animal and as soon as it got close she launched him in the air, attacking him before landing softly and sprinting to Lighting, the behemoth hit the ground hard and was done, having given up the fight.
"Light… Come on Sunshine, wake up… Please," Fang felt the guilt, hard in her stomach. She had sent the woman off, she had distracted her while she was fighting and she hadn't kept the behemoth focused on her. She turned Lighting over carefully and leaned to put her ear to Lighting's chest to listen.
"Thank Etro she's alive!" Fang looked up finally, mostly to ensure that the enemy was dead. She was quick to scoop the shorter woman up into her arms, wanting to get her the hell out of dodge and back to Vanille and Hope so she could be healed. The walk back to camp was a long one but the second she was in sight Snow was rushing to take the pinkette from the huntress' arms to get her to Hope.
"Are you okay Fang?" Vanille rushed to her to make sure her sister was unharmed, curing the fair amount of damage the behemoth had done on her. Fang nodded, impatiently trying to free herself to get to Lightning, clearly worried sick about her. Vanille shook her head and forced Fang to sit down.
"Let Hope have some room Fang. You sit here and I will go and help him," Vanille motioned for Sazh to come and sit to try and keep Fang calm while she went over to assist Hope.
"Hey warrior woman," Sazh gave her a smile and sat with her. "You okay?"
"No… I am not… I did this old man. I sent her out and I couldn't keep her safe," Fang rubbed at her face with both hands.
"You didn't do this kid. Her hot head and her foolish pride did this," Sazh put a reassuring hand on Fang's shoulder only to have her shrug it off and sigh.
"I could have kept her safe and I didn't. I am so bloody stupid," Fang watched Hope and Vanille like a hawk. When the two of them separated and Snow moved in to lift Lightning and get her settled on her sleeping area Fang was on her feet and next to him.
"She will be okay Fang," Hope walked to her "But she is going to need her rest,"
Fang gave a firm nod. "I am not gonna leave her side though," She sat with Lightning. Vanille gave a nod and started to move Fang's gear to the isolated spot Lightning had set herself up in.
"I will take your watch tonight Fang, you just stay here and keep an eye on Light," Vanille rubbed her back, she hadn't seen a reaction like this out of Fang since Luna and she wasn't about to press the issue. She walked from the other two women, drawing Hope and Snow with her.
Lightning had been out for hours except for a period of about ten minutes where she was restless and mumbling. Fang had been true to her word and not left her side, her lance within reach and ever alert in case something made it past the others. She watched Lightning sleep soundly on the mat next to her and touched her hair lightly. It seemed her half-hearted teasing and flirting definitely was not welcome and probably not being taken seriously. She sighed and let her fingers trail down Lightning's jawline. The woman was gorgeous; there was no denying that, even in her battered and bruised state. Fang pulled her hand away as she heard someone approaching them. She glanced up to see Vanille and smiled weakly.
"Hey Vanille. You off to keep watch with Sazh?" Fang enquired.
"You bet! I just wanted to bring you some food and make sure you didn't need anything before I go," Vanille handed her over a bowl. Fang took it with thanks and put it aside.
"I should be fine. I just want Sunshine here to wake up from her beauty sleep is all," Fang said, her eyes moving back to Lightning's sleeping form.
"Don't worry too much Fang. I think Hope and I got to her in time. You won't lose her like you lost Luna," Vanille leaned to softly hug her sister. "Try to eat and get some sleep huh?" and that was it, Vanille had flitted off into the night.
"Come on Sunshine, wake up soon yeah? We need you… Hell, I need you," Fang picked up her dinner and poked at it, not overly hungry but Vanille was right, she should eat something and try and get some sleep herself, she would be useless to keep Lightning safe otherwise.
Fang finished her dinner and stretched out on her side next to Lightning, watching the other woman stir next to her. Lightning let out a soft groan and shivered slightly, it was getting cold and dark fast. Fang sat up a little to pull the blanket up over Lightning a little more and pulled her own blanket off, putting it over her as well. She sighed and lay back down and it wasn't long before sleep over took her.
Lightning started to stir, pain radiating down her whole side and she opened her sticky eyes carefully. She remembered a little of what had happened but not how she got back to camp.
"Damn you Fang," She mumbled to herself and suddenly was very aware that someone was in her space. She sat up slowly and looked to the woman next to her. Fang was uncovered, her blanket one of the two on Lightning. She blinked at the sacrifice and lay back down, pulling the blanket up over them both and wrapping Fang's arms around her as tight as she could handle. She was out again in no time, warm and safe with the other woman spooning her.
Fang woke up the next in the early morning, still wrapped around Lightning and froze. Okay. How was she going to dislodge herself from this without waking the other woman up and thus incurring her wrath and who knows what sort of accusations. She started to sit up carefully and paused again when Lighting gripped onto her arms, voice quiet and commanding.
"Stay. I want you here Fang," She shifted a little. "We should keep warm."
"Sure Light. Whatever ya want. I owe it to ya," Fang buried her face into soft pink hair, feeling like she had just survived a dance with death here.
"I don't want anything from you Fang. Go back to sleep." Lightning said softly and that was the end of the conversation.
Lightning dished up her breakfast. "And that was it. You were well behaved from then on." Lightning shrugged. "I mean you still came on to me, but not as strongly." Lighting had given the other woman the story from her perspective, so a much shorter version but Fang felt the lingering feeling of remembering what had happened.
"I think I remember some of it Sunshine, that feelin' of waking up and bein' scared that you were gonna kill me." Fang leaned in to kiss her lightly. "Had that same feelin' this morning and wasn't sure why." She grinned and went to sit at the table.
"I am not afraid of my feelings for you anymore. I told myself if you woke up I wouldn't deny myself this chance to be happy." Lightning shrugged and sat across from her with a smile.
"So far I think I am doing pretty well. What do you think Fang?"