16: Weather
The winter season was something that was as dangerous as many of of Gran Pulse denizen. The temperamental skies darkening quickly could leave hunters with our proper protection when the skies opened up to pour its death dealing hail stones. Fang stood peering out of the tiny shelter she was sharing with a usually quiet companion. A warm body stood close enough to feel against her back and side, a chin leaning over her shoulder as blue eyes sought a glimpse of the growing hail field around them.
"Will the smoke pits survive the hail?" Always so pragmatic… Fang thought smiling as she looked back over her shoulder, forcing Light to step back, something she regret as soon as Lightning's warmth was lost.
"They were constructed well, tha anchored Behemoth hide will protect it. from the watah, while the growing ground cover will defend it from behind beat to death." Curling fingers Fang rapped knuckles on their shelter made form the same hide.
"Besides Adamantoise scale armor, this is tha best stuff. Easieh to collect too." A pink brow twitched but she didn't debate that fact. Both monsters had their weaknesses, and if properly exploited both could be relatively managed. Then too on the down side of that, they could both be dangerous and hard as hell to hunt.
"What?" Fang asked her smile growing at the brow twitch.
"Nothing." Lightning said as she moved to the hammock they had been sharing and slumped into it. A soft inquisitive peep followed by an annoyed hard peck to the swinging fabric had the soldier popping out of the hammock again.
"OUCH!" The big black chocobo that they had caught only days ago had bit her, for what ever reason he felt like it…
"A little gratitude!" She groused rubbing the back side of her rump. Fang covered her mouth to stop the burst of laughter. The space really was too small for both hunters and chocobos, but neither of them were willing to leave the birds to these elements when they now felt compelled to remain close to their new human riders.
Lightning growled shaking a threatening fist at the big black who appeared not to mind at all.
"Come'eah." Fang said pulling her agitated girl friend into strong arms, soothing her as she tucked the stiff soldier under her chin against her chest.
"He's just protection 'is mate." She murmured rubbing hands up and down Lightnings back. Strong hands kneading down a strong spine and stopping at the flare of narrow hips. Already she had learned her lesson about Lightning not taking too well to her butt being grabbed so she steer clear of that spot as she tried to sooth a soldier who's pride was hurt for the birds continued obstinacy towards her.
"She can have a new one after we eat him." Lightning said in a voice that held a hint of amusement.
"Na'a, ya see, Chocobo's mate for life. Looks like we are stuck with 'em."
There was a noncommittal "Mmm." from her lover. Blue eyes closed, brows drawn gently together as Fang's hands worked absolute magic on tense muscles.
It suddenly didn't matter they were forced to share a cramped space with two over sized birds, or that the constant hail rained from a raging sky filling the small space with a deafening roar. Her mind was focused on the play of strong fingers on tired muscles.
They had been out hunting for a large haul for the oncoming winter before the path was impassable by snow and ice. The days had been filled with endless hard labor giving ample knots for her huntress to unkink.
"See?" Fang asked as she often did when something good came from what appeared to be a bad situation. Slowly blue eyes opened and turned up to her the question in them clear.
Fang leaned forward pressing her mouth to the perfect shell of her lovers ear whispering above the roar. "There are good things that come with bad weather."
17: Lesson
The sounds of boots tromping through the rain had a certain sound of hostility to them. They being preceded by the end of a fight and the slamming of a door.
Lightning tromped off through the rain soaked sands that covered all of Oerba wishing for the first time that they had some sort of gravel just so she could hear a good stop for her efforts. She was upset beyond measure and didn't know how to let it go. Her hands trembled with the urge to beat something… anything. Thankfully for her pig headed neanderthal of a fiance she had already learned to curb gut reactions that involved leaving Fang bloodied.
Moving off through the rain Lightning began looking for a fight, she honestly hoped the strange land sharks were swimming about looking for trouble, because she had the mind to deliver it. Her fantasy about pummeling something was interrupted by the sound of their door opening, and her name being called.
She snorted not heeding the summons, continuing on her path away from their home. She felt agitated, emotion boiling to a level she was not yet able to properly make heads or tails of. Fang was always pushing, always striving to help her grow... when all she wanted sometimes was just to be.
"Lightnin!" Fang called, and to her dismay quick steps were heard coming after her. The closer they got the faster Lightning felt her heart pound, the harder it beat the more she felt conflicted and this too angered her. There once was a time when she knew who she had to be… why she had to be her… now everything felt uncertain, like the sands of Oerba… ever changing.
Turning Lightning pointed the opposite direction Fang was headed.
"GO BACK!" She demanded causing her huntresses steps to falter.
"What?" Fang asked incredulous. "Why!?"
"Just go!" She said her voice cracking under the strained emotions.
Fang slowed but didn't stop her advance.
"Tha's not reason enough!" Fang responded with a soft growl. While she felt hurt this fight had ever happened, she was not conflicted about who she was, or what it was she wanted… no needed. Every one knew a Yun never backed down…
"I don't care if its not enough! I don't owe you anything!" Fang followed quicker as Lightning turned to walk down the ramp towards the stirred seas. The water angrily lashing up against the lower foundation wiping away the beach and the lower pier.
"Tha hell you don't!" Fang said lurching forward to catch her fiance by the elbow.
Lightning twisted sharply trying to jerk free. Fang turned with her ducking the swinging fist that came up, no doubt to ward her off.
"STOP!" Fang demanded of her torn lover, thrusting the blindly angry woman's back up against the east facing wall of the lower foundation, just above the foaming sea line. She caught the other swinging hand and pushed it down against the wall with the rest of Lightnings struggling body.
"Stop this!" Fang said above a crack of thunder.
"I'hm not leavin!" For a moment those powerful bands of iron holding Lightning seemed to break and she surged forward only to be thumped back into place once more against the wall.
"I'hm neva leaving you! Neava! Ya can be pissed, ya can be angry but ya can'na leave me behind… I will neva stay behind Lightnin. My place is hea!" She released her agitated lover when some form of sanity seemed to creep into blue eyes. But still she had to fight her lovers damnable need to run away. Reaching out a hand, fingers wrapped around a hastily retreating arm catching Lightning to once more bring her against the water soaked foundation.
"It's hea beside you, in front of ya. Don't you get it?"
Hurt blue eyes peered through pink rain soaked bangs up at the woman who frightened and overwhelmed her with the emotions that she couldn't handle. The ones she had spent a life time denying after the accident.
"I-I can't." She said choking on the tightening of her throat.
"Cant or won't?" Fang asked.
Light tried to swallow the lump that was her heart, which had crawled its way into a constricted throat and was unwilling to return to where it belonged… not unlike the willful stubborn woman who wouldn't leave her alone.
"Ya can't just give up Sunshine."
Lightning flinched at the pet name she had, had from day one. It too felt wrapped in emotions too difficult to be something she could hold onto. That choking lump in her throat grew harder to swallow as tears threatened to fall.
Fang's expression remained hard but it was a struggle as her partner's eyes welled with unshed tears.
"I need ya… and you may not like it, but ya need me too. We're already promised..." Her angry voice became more gentle and the huntress stepped closer, tempting fate and putting herself in the hands of her injured lover.
A calloused hand came against chilled flesh, and when Lightning didn't fight her, she gripped an elbow and pulled a lost pink haired lover into strong sure arms.
"I will neva leave you… not because ya struggle with emotion, not for a misundrstandin, not for anything. When ya get that through your head, you can trust I will always be hea… especially when ya need to cry." Fang held her trembling fiance in the rain praying that this time it would sink in.
18: Feline
A certain dark haired huntress lay across their bed wearing absolutely nothing... not even propriety had caused her to draw a sheet up over her exposed butt. Lightning stumbled to a stop as it sunk in that it was mid day and Fang was naked.
She was sprawled, a thigh hiding the yummy bits, but her chest was perfectly bare and proudly exposed. Dark hair foamed around her as she lay in their bed with out a care in the world. Arms lay raised on either side.
She looked very feline in her careless sprawl, even the way she stretched remind Lightning of a large beautiful sleek cat.
Fang shifted, her hips twisting and that covering thigh slowly was raised. Light blushed furiously and looked away hurrying to put her things away before trying to retreat towards the door.
Fang who had really been awake, pretending to be asleep chuckled and reached out as her aroused wife tried to escape.
"No ya don't!" She said drawing a girly eek from Lightning as strong arms caught her about the waist and hauled her onto the bed. It groaned dangerously, complaining about its rough treatment.
"Now I have ya." She said drawing herself over her squirming partner.
"I wanna know." Fang said as she straddled Lightnings hips and caught struggling arms.
"Tell me." She said wearing that pleased cheeky smile again.
"Tell you what?" Lightning asked as she settled under Fangs body, unable to fight her off with out causing harm to one or both of them.
"Tell me what ya were thinkin when your eyes got dark." Fang murmured dipping to bestow an open mouthed kiss to Lightnings neck. She drew lips up the fine line from there and pressed another kiss close to her mouth.
"Tell me." She whispered brushing lips over her wife's.
"You know." Lightning whispered back raising her mouth as their lips caressed, but no kiss was given.
"I wanna hea you say it." The low note that Fangs voice hit drew a soft noise of anticipation from Lightning.
"How beautiful you are, and that I wanted to run my hands over you." Her response drew a pleased smile from her naked partner.
Fang kissed her then, slowly, drawing hands down pale arms, finger tips brushing into curled hands, opening Lightnings palms, sliding under the backs of them, Fang drew Lightnings hands up over her sides to guide them down over the flare of her hips.
"Please, touch me." She said inviting Lightning to do just as she wished...
19: Blue (s)
A loud groan came from Fang as she slumped into a chair in front of the fire. It was winter in Oerba, monster numbers had dropped drastically it was a good thing too no one really felt like running around in the frigid freezing rain for even one hour let alone three. It had been raining now straight for eight days. Sporadically the rain would be intermixed with fist size hail stones, testing Oerbian building techniques and rattling the occupants with in.
The usually active huntress had nothing to do, and after five days of it, there was nothing she felt like doing. There was only so many home repairs they could do, and projects to get caught up on before those too were completed. Everything was quicker with the two of them working on things, and Lightning seemed to have a knack for fixing things around their home.
Lightning walked out of the bedroom a scrap of soft Ahriman leather tied about her head, holding pink locks back. Fang found a hint of a smile pulling at her lips despite the doldrums she had fallen into. Light was good for that, she wasn't called Sunshine for nothing. Blue eyes were intensely looking at the hinge mechanism from one of their cabinets.
"Fang? Did you see m-…" She paused in the hall way door to gaze at her partner who seemed some how draped in shadow. Suddenly finding a pin for their bed side table didn't seem so important. Hands holding bits and pieces of tools and broken parts lowered.
Moving into the living room Light set her things down on the fireplace mantle before stepping before Fang. Reaching down to raise a relaxed arm out of harms way as she settled into her lovers lap. Legs went over the side of the chair, as she settled in.
Strong arms extended around her, and pulled her closer, welcoming the snuggle as Lightning curled in under Fangs chin, a hand pressed against her chest, fingers curling into the tee she was wearing.
"Hmmn." Fang murmured that smile that had been a ghost of its usual self grew a bit more.
"I really like this."
While it seemed impractical on many occasions, Lightning had to agree she rather liked it as well, and it was perfect for today.
"So do I." She admitted in a small voice as if saying it too loud would render the moment unnecessary. Fang sighed feeling warmth infuse her body, and soul, driving away the winter blues.
20: Stars
It was easy to be taken with one another after good sex, even easier after great sex. The body was filled with all sorts of powerful hormones, and you felt amazing at the hands of your partner. It was easy to confuse things like bated breaths, and long gazes.
But when the long gaze came from across the yard because your partner happened to see you walk out of the house, and you saw that same adoration and love you knew it was something special.
Lightning found herself returning her partners look and even altering her course, despite the task she had set out to do.
Fangs soft expression grew into that silent yet sassy smile that caused the soldiers heart rate to elevate a bit. The dark haired huntress had already set the hammer down, and reached out for her partner when she came up to the house, that Fang was helping to rebuild.
"Hey." Fang said as she pulled Lightning in, their hips brushing, drawing a smile to pale lips.
"Hey." Lightning said grinning up at her beloved wife.
"Whatta ya doin later?" Fang ask reaching up a hand to brush bangs away from blue eyes.
"I have a secret date." Lightning said, feeling satisfied when surprise writ itself across Fangs features.
"Really? Who's tha lucky person?"
"A woman I pledged my everything to." Delight reshaped surprise on Fang's face.
"Ah, I heard she was a handful." Fang said with a chuckle and caressed Light's cheek, causing her soldier to curl into the caress.
"I love that about her." Lightning admitted before turning lips into her lovers hand.
"Well!" Fang said her cheeky grin returning.
"Then ya betta go, wouldn't want her seeing us like this. Ya know she is the jealous type."
Lightning slid arms around Fangs hips and held their bodies pressed together tighter, hands finding pockets, sliding into the britches her lover wore.
"Mmmh." To the huntresses delight warm soft lips pressed against hers, and small hands knead the flesh of her butt, through her pants. From the roof top a few whistles rained down around them.
Light pulled away, blushing heavy but finding it worth the heat when seeing the shocked look in the eyes of her wife.
"I like that about her too." She admitted before pulling away from her still gaping huntress.
…yeah, you knew you had it good when you could see the stars in their eyes from across the yard.
Lightning smiled as she headed home to prepare for the evening to come.