Oh my God. OH. MY. GOD! 2 years, 2 months, and a week, roughly, since i posted the last chapter. Can you believe it? Well, here's a chapter I knew was needed, but i had trouble with. Dialogue is my weakness as a writer (okay, my biggest weakness and one of many), and this chap has lots of it. Between that, two computer crashes, and a failed keyboard (still not working properly) even my tech was fighting this. Though i'm to blame for most of it. I'm posting this literally minutes after completing, so not sure on quality, but its done so yay. This has rambled on now, so without further wait, have chapter 12!
Chapter 12
Fang sat quietly on a log that had been pulled around the fire. She was supposed to be on watch, keeping guard for anything that may attack. However, the only thing she ended up watching was Lightning. It was something she had found herself doing often lately. Ever since she had gotten hurt, Lightning spent most of her time asleep, recovering, so Fang had a lot of time to do so. The wound may not have been fatal, thanks to her l'cie power, but it was serious. She still couldn't walk, though she had managed to sit up. Vanille said it shouldn't be too much longer before Lightning recovered, but that didn't stop everyone from still being on edge.
Just as she was considering getting some sleep of her own, Lightning began to stir. Fang knelt down beside her as she opened her eyes. "Hey there sleepy head, have a nice nap?"
Lightning responded with a low groan as she adjusted. Using her arms she managed to slowly push herself into a sitting position. Rubbing her eyes she asked, "What time is it?"
"Oh, sometime between pitch black and horribly dark."
Lightning scoffed, though Fang caught the small twitch at the corner of her lips. Putting her hand to her neck she popped it, and then leaned back on her hands, looking up at the sky. "No stars tonight."
"Nope." Fang said, adjusting to sit down beside her, looking up as well. "Got plenty of clouds though, if you like those."
"I don't suppose the people of Gran Pulse had any stories written in the clouds, now did they?"
"No, " Fang said, shaking her head, "sorry, won't be getting story time tonight."
"I'm still gonna hold you to it though. One of these nights, you're gonna tell me what every single one of those means."
"Every single one? Damn, don't think I can remember them all."
"Guess you better start studying then."
Fang laughed, before saying "I'll get right on that. You got to promise to do something for me though."
"What's that?"
"Get your ass out of this bed. I figured a powerful l'cie and skilled Cocoon soldier would be able to shake off something as simple as a behemoth."
"Well then, if I'm that strong, why am I just sitting here all the time?" Lightning asked, a bit of playfulness in her tone. Fang wasn't used to that, but was glad to hear it, especially at a time like this.
"I've been trying to figure that out myself. I figure there's only one thing that could be keeping you in this bed."
"And what might that be?"
"You like having me carry you everywhere." Fang answered, leaning in with a grin.
"Right, because having to get some Gran Pulsian barbarian to carry me every time I have to use the bathroom is my idea of a dream vacation." Lightning shot back, unperturbed.
"Hey, there are people who would pay to lie in the grass all day and be carried around by a beautiful woman."
"And there are people who would pay for the honor of carrying around a beautiful woman."
"Guess we'll just have to call it a wash then, yeah?"
"I guess so." Lightning answered, smiling back at Fang. The moment was broken, however, when they heard something nearby. Both of them looked, just to see Sazh roll onto his back and groan.
Fang leaned in close to Lightning, "Go back to sleep. You need it for now." She said, and then stole a quick peck on the cheek before walking over to where Sazh was laying. Lightning lay back down and closed her eyes just as Fang reached him. "You're making a lot of noise there old man."
"Old things do that." He said, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"
"I'd say it's about time for your lazy butt to take over. Give to take twenty three minutes."
"Twenty three?" He asked while sitting up.
"Just felt like a good number." She said with a shrug.
"Alright, could you give an old man a hand?" He held out a hand as he asked.
"Just one." She said as she grabbed his wrist, pulling him up onto his feet.
"Wow. That'll wake you up." He rolled his shoulder on the same arm Fang had pulled, then walked past her towards the edge of the camp. He patted her on the shoulder, "Thanks for the wakeup call. Try and get some rest of your own."
"I'll do that. Just don't let anything sneak up on me while I'm sleeping. I know some people get hard of hearing when they age."
"Well then I guess you'd be deaf, since you're about a dozen times older than I am."
"Oh, ouch." Fang said, clutching her heart in mock pain. "Don't work that way though. I'm from Gran Pulse. We stay young and beautiful till the day we die."
"Is that so?" He asked, taking the same seat Fang had before.
"You know anybody from Gran Pulse who's old and wrinkly?" Fang lay down on her own rudimentary sleeping bag, which was really just more of a mat with a blanket.
"Not wrinkly, just old."
"My point exactly."
"Alright then, if you say so. Good night."
"Right back at you." She said, lying down next to Vanille. She was only there a few moments when the sleeping woman rolled over and cuddled up to her. She gave a small chuckle; Vanille always had been one for sharing a bed. Wrapping her arm protectively around her, she fell asleep within minutes.
"Alright, up you go." Fang said, holding out a hand. Lightning took it in her own, accepting the aid and Fang helped pull her to her feet.
Lightning held her stomach, her torso sore as she stood. While the injury wasn't going to reopen anymore, it still had a way to go, and Lightning had to get back to being able to stand, walk, or even cough without buckling over. Her goal at the moment was simple though, make it to a nearby tree and back. A short walk, but given that it was the first few steps she'd taken, or been allowed to take, in a while, it would have to suffice.
"You ready?" Fang asked, supporting Lightning as she stood there.
"Yeah." She said, and began her slow march forward. Her steps weren't smooth, but they were solid, holding her well enough. Just getting to the tree left her taking deep breaths though, putting her hand on it for support. She took a minute to rest, letting her breathing level out again, and turned around. She walked back, her steps just a bit shakier than last time, the healing muscles protesting the strain. Nevertheless she made it back without falling or even stumbling once. She shot a look as she reached the group and Fang's hands came up to offer support, a signal to back off for the moment.
"I told you I can walk." She said, shooting a glare at her "doctor", the little redhead let it roll off of her though.
"Yeah, but not easily. You're definitely not ready to keep moving." She countered.
"I at least don't have to be carried."
"Alright, I'll give you that. If something happens though, you better ask for help! Deal?"
"Fine." Lightning consented. Then, with more effort than should be required, she sat back down on the god-forsaken bedroll she'd been on since her injury.
"Good to have you back on your feet Soldier Girl." Sazh said, "Even if just for a moment."
"Yeah, you'll be back up and kicking behemoth butt again in no time." Snow added.
"Oh no she won't." Vanille said, "Walking or not, she still needs to rest. Even more now that she's pushing herself."
"She's right." Fang agreed, "A bit bossy about it, but she's right."
"Exactly. Thank you, Fang." Then she changed her tone, "Alright now, Hope, get over here. Everyone else, shoo. I'm gonna see if we can work some magic."
"Alright I'll go." Fang said. "Hey old man, you wanna go see if we can scrounge up some lunch?"
"Sounds like a plan to me. I could use a meal." Sazh said.
"Let's you and me head out then." Then she turned to Snow, "You can check and make sure nothing is getting too close, yeah?"
"I'm on it." He said with a thumb up. At that all three of them went on their way, Sazh and Fang headed off to search for food, while Snow took a different path to check the area. They all knew Lightning hated being fussed over, especially while being "treated", opting to give her some space.
"Alright, let's get this over with." Lightning said, laying back.
"Don't worry, this won't take long." Vanille said, her and Hope kneeling on either side of her, their hands glowing green. "Just relax. At least as much as you can." She added, and with that they started healing.
Shots rang out across the field as Sazh fired into the side of a gorgonopsid. It turned toward him, growling, but was cut short as Fang's lance was stuck into its neck, killing it. A second one jumped at her, but before it could reach she pulled out her blade and swung it in an upward arc, sending the beast higher. More shots pelted into it, the force of the gunfire sending it even higher as Fang leapt into the air and brought her weapon down on the monster, sending it into the ground, dead.
Coming down beside the dead beasts she put her lance away, strapped to her back. Pulling out a knife she got to her knees and began the process of gutting one. "Well, it may not be slow roasted adamantoise, but these should do for a good meal." She said.
"I ain't heard any complaints yet." Sazh said, standing nearby with his guns holstered. He still kept his hands near them though, on lookout in case the smell of blood drew any more monsters in. There was a lull in conversation for a while then, neither saying anything. Eventually though, Sazh broke the silence. "So," He started, his tone flat, "You and soldier girl, huh?"
Fang stopped what she was doing for a moment. "What do you mean?" She asked, keeping her voice steady as she went back to work.
"Come on now, give me some credit. I was in love once too, you know. I can see the signs."
"That obvious?" She asked.
"I don't know about obvious, but I recognized it. I can see it in your eyes, in how you act."
"Guess I'm not as good an actress as I thought." She said with a chuckle.
"Does she know?" He asked, surprising her.
She paused again, realizing he'd only seen one side. "Sort of." She answered.
"Wanna give a few more details there?"
"She knows there's something. Haven't told her just how much though."
"Ahh, I see." He said, "You should."
"Oh really? That advice from the wise old man?"
"Yep. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you never know what'll happen tomorrow. Someone can be here one day and gone the next. You don't want to regret not telling them how you felt. You might not get another chance." His voice was solemn and sad. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going through his head.
"Dajh's mom?" She asked.
"Yeah. Car accident, of all things. Can't even blame the other driver that hit her, he swerved to keep from hitting a kid that was crossing the street. Right into the side of her car. Dajh was in it too, but in the back seat, all strapped in. Didn't even get a scratch on him." He looked down at the ground now, shoulders slumped as if the memory held a physical weight.
"Damn." Was all Fang could respond with.
"I know. Don't get me wrong, this ain't some 'we had a fight just before' or 'I was too busy to tell her I loved her' thing. I told her just earlier that day, before she left. Gave her a hug and a kiss. Now though, I'll never get that chance again. Dajh won't see her smile, won't grow up with a mom. I won't get to see the look on her face as he goes to school or makes friends. You never know when the last chance will be." He turned around now, finally looking at her. He tapped his chest, right where his l'cie brand was etched into his skin. "Especially us, with these things. We could be cie'th in the next hour, crystal tomorrow, or dead by tonight. If you care even half as much as it looks like you do, you should tell her before you miss your chance, because it doesn't matter if it's the first time or the thousandth, when the last time comes you're gonna miss being able to say it."
Fang hung her head, her hair obscuring her face. She gave a small short laugh, shaking her head before looking up at him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Pointing at his hair with her knife, she said "Guess you got more up there than just a chocobo's nest."
"Yeah." He said, returning her smile, "Got a bit of wisdom with these wrinkles."
"That you do." She said, standing up with the carcass over her shoulder and pocketing her knife. "Now let's get back. The mighty hunters need to return with their kill."
"Lead the way." He said, gesturing with one arm before following her on the way back to camp.
Lightning rolled onto her back and stared up at the night sky, letting out a long sigh. She knew she needed rest, sleep, to conserve her energy for healing, but by Lindzei's ass was it getting annoying. She'd always hated being sedentary, if she couldn't get up and moving she felt useless. The only silver lining she could find was that she'd had plenty of time to study the stars at night. She still had no idea about most of the constellations, but at least now she could recognize a few patterns here and there. If necessary she could use them to find directions. Her eyes drifted shut as she let out another sigh and tried to go back to sleep.
"You're making a lot of noise for someone who should be sleeping." Snow said.
"You're making a lot of noise for someone who should know everyone else is sleeping." She shot back.
"You got me there." He said, "Never had to worry about that though. People tend to tune me out since I make so much noise anyway."
"I can believe you making noise, have trouble with the tuning out part. Maybe I should ask for lessons."
"That'll be the day. Lightning 'threw a fork at a fly' Farron trying not to get annoyed."
"Serah tell you about that I guess."
"Yep. She thought it was pretty funny."
"I hit it though."
"I heard that too. Impressive. Doesn't stop it from being funny." He said with chuckle, and walked over to take a seat near her so she could see him.
"She always did have an odd sense of humor."
"You just don't know what a sense of humor is. When was the last time you actually laughed at something?" He asked.
She paused for a moment. Thinking back on it, she couldn't actually remember the last time. Finally it came to her. "Serah's seventeenth birthday, at least I don't remember since then. We had a small party for her, just the two of us. It was nice."
"See, that's what I mean, two years is too long to go without laughing."
Lightning scowled and gritted her teeth. "I don't have time for jokes. I had things to take care of."
"Sis," he started, and then kept going before she could correct him, "Light. I know I'm not the smartest guy there is. Not the wisest sage or whatever. I do know though, that there is always, always time to laugh. I always wanted to be strong, to be a hero and protect people. You can't just fight things off though. I learned that working with the NORA crew. Sometimes people need a laugh, or a smile, or a shoulder to cry on just as much as they need a gorgonopsid stabbed or a flan flattened. Besides, nothing says you can't protect people and be happy about it too. You shouldn't hide from things that make you happy. It doesn't make you weak; it just gives you something to fight for."
Lightning blinked in surprise. Of all the people to give her a lecture, she hadn't expected it to be Snow. She knew he was right, she'd realized something along the same lines ever since she'd found out Serah was a l'cie, but to hear him put it into words really drove it home.
"Besides," he added, "What's there to be grumpy about? Hero's always win after all!"
At that she couldn't help a small smirk. That was the Snow they were all used to. "What, a lug like you came up with all that on your own?" she asked.
"Mostly, may have had a bit of help from your sister." He said.
"I can believe that." She said, "And thanks. I know what you're trying to say. It's just hard to get my head around sometimes. Not a habit I'm used to."
"No problem." He said, "Just make sure when Serah gets back, she gets to see you laugh sometime soon."
"I'll do my best." She said.
"Alright, I'll let the patient get some sleep then, or the doctor might kill me."
"Get used to it. Serah's the same way."
"I'll keep that in mind. Good night, Sis." He said, standing up.
"Good night, and I'm not your sister… yet."
"You hanging in there?" Fang asked, looking behind her. Lightning walked up the hill, following Fang's path, with Hope following a bit behind her.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Lightning said, breathing a bit heavily. It was her first time out of the camp since her injury, and she wasn't going to head back just because she was a little out of breath.
"If you say so, but if you get to hurting you just tell us and we'll head back, yeah?"
"Right, I'll do that." She agreed, though Fang shot her a skeptical look. "I'm serious. If I overwork my injury I'll just be stuck back on my ass again, I'm not risking that."
"Now that I believe." Fang said with a smirk as the two finally made it to the top of the hill. It offered a fairly good view of the steppe, the grasses flowing over and the creatures running around. "Looks like there are a few goblins and some gorgonopsids running around. Feel like some fun?"
"Vanille said no fighting." Hope interjected.
"Oh come on, you're not gonna rat us out are you?"
"I won't have to, she'll just know."
"He's right." Lightning agreed, "You couldn't keep something from her if you wanted to. You know that."
"Damn. I hate it when you make sense."
"Actually, I think she just meant Lightning though." Hope said, "You know, so she doesn't hurt herself. She didn't say anything about us fighting though."
Fang raised an eyebrow at that. "I take it back, making sense is good." She said, "You're a sneaky little one kiddo, didn't think you had it in you."
"Oh thanks." He said, "Well, which do you want to fight?"
"I'll take the gorgonopsids, you take the goblins. First to beat theirs wins, loser has to take care of dinner."
"You're on." He agreed, "You might want to borrow Light's knife, you'll need it to clean the beasts when you're done."
Fang put her hands on her hips and shot a look at Lightning, who had a small smile. "Can you believe this kid?"
"I think you might have overstepped yourself." She said.
"Alright you little punk, if you're so cocky how about we up the stakes?"
"Name your price." He shot back.
"Gonna regret that."
"What am I supposed to do while you two are being idiots?" Lightning asked.
"Enjoy the show." Fang said, "and you can be ref, make sure no one cheats."
"Fine." She said, "go and play."
"Alright small fry, show me what you got."
Vanille, Sazh, and Snow looked up as Fang walked into camp, a goblin thrown over her shoulder which she let drop to the ground. She let out a long sigh and then spoke. "And now I present to you, the greatest hunter on Gran Pulse, slayer of beasts great and small, master of magic, and an Etro damned hustler, the amazing Hope Estheim." As she finished she threw her arms out in a grand gesture as Hope and Lightning walked around a tree, Lightning suppressing a smile and Hope practically falling down laughing.
"Ok… what was that?" Vanille asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." Fang asked, picking up the goblin and tossing it to Snow before taking a seat.
"Oh come on, you gotta tell us." Sazh prodded.
"Fang made a bet with Hope." Lightning answered, "She lost, badly."
"Let me guess, some sort of fighting. Who could beat the most?" He asked.
"Fastest to beat a group, actually."
"HA." Vanille let out, "Oh wow, that wasn't smart."
"How bad was it?" Snow asked.
"He had them all beat before she even reached her group." Lightning said, "One spell wiped them out. That one there was the only one even left intact." She gestured at the goblin Snow was taking apart.
"Alright alright," Fang said, "You've all had a laugh. I lost, fair and square."
"Come on, Fang, don't be a sore loser." Vanille said.
"It's alright guys, I might have overdone it on the bet." Hope said, "I mean, announcing it like that wasn't exactly nice."
"Nah, they're right. I'm the one who made the bet." Fang said, "I built that sword, I gotta swing it. You did good."
"Thanks."
"Built that sword?" Snow asked, "I haven't heard that one before."
"I think its like, 'You made your bed so you have to lie in it'." Sazh said.
"Wow, just when I thought you Cocoonians could be tough. Even your phrases are weak." Fang joked.
"Says the woman who just lost a bet to a fourteen year old Cocoonian." Lightning countered.
"Yeah, but he's a Gran Pulse l'cie, so he's got Gran Pulse power."
"Alright you guys, suppers on the way, you can stop bickering." Snow said, holding up skewers of cooked goblin, apparently done while they'd been talking.
"I suppose I can do that for food." Fang said, "Let's eat."
Fang stared up at the stars, picking out constellations. She was supposed to be sleeping, but just wasn't feeling it right now. She was thinking about what Sazh had said to her a few days ago. It was important to make sure people knew how you felt. He was right, and she knew it. It just hadn't felt like the time.
At first she wasn't sure how deep her feelings ran. She wasn't sure how she felt. Then she wasn't sure if they were real. She recognized how she felt, what it meant, but she just wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline and stress of the situation. Now though, she knew exactly how she felt. It wasn't small, it wasn't situational, and it wasn't going away. Lightning was even getting better. Just another day or two and they'd be moving out again.
She let out a deep breath and smiled softly. After that, then she'd do it. When Lightning was better, when she could tell her it wasn't just an emotional moment. She had something to say, three words in particular, and she wanted to be sure that they were clear. Turning on her side she started to drift off. She'd say them, soon.
Alrighty, so that's it for chap 12. Please do review, after 2 years i'll need the feedback, lol. I do have a bit of a plan for this, a bit, so hopefully the next chap won't take two freaking years to complete. Wow so much has changed. Not my fav chap to write, since i'm more action and less dialogue. How do people speak? What is banter? Oh well. Hope the Fangrai fandom isn't too dead to read this. I'll let you go now, thanks for reading, and have a nice FLight filled day.