AN - Oh look, it's another chapter- and yes, I promise you this isn't a typo, it is a FLight story, and Lightning is going to make her first appearance in this chapter... (see end of chapter for the rest of the AN)
Fang came and went over the following months, simply stating that she needed to hunt and not willing to elaborate. She's looking for something, or maybe someone, Serah figures, she isn't certain. What she is certain about is that when the Pulsian is gone, she feels more anxious, like there is a blade swinging over her head. A blade that is held by Caius, who watches her training with growing interest, but never speaks on her progress.
Working with the other elementals proves to be a good distraction while Fang is away. She is only gone for a week or so at a time, but always checks in when she can, and always makes a beeline for Serah when she returns, sweeping her off her feet in a crushing hug. The two seemed to have formed an attachment to one another, a sisterly bond that Fang didn't seem to share with anyone else. It made it harder every time the Pulsian had to leave.
"Fang? Can I... Can I come with you?" Serah asked one day, wrapping her arms around Fang's elbow in the way she used to do to her own sister when she wanted something. She hoped the manoeuvre was universal. "I've been practicing a lot, and I've been cooped up here for ages. I miss civilisation."
With a hum and a purse of her lips, Fang sighed. It was getting harder to say no to this eerily reminiscent girl who had taken the place of a surrogate sister in her life. "I dunno. Caius? Would it be alright if I took her with me?"
The tall man had been carving a block of wood with his claws and shrugged. "Do what you will, Serah. This is not a prison. Take the dog and leave."
"... Thank you, Caius." Serah offered with a smile, in the hopes that she could unlock the mystery of his stoic, hard demeanour. Her efforts would be fruitless, with the man continuing his carving without a second glance. Fang narrowed her eyes at the comment and suppressed a growl. She nudged her and wrapped an arm around Serah's shoulder.
"Come on then, little one. Let's make tracks and cause some mayhem." Fang cheered, leading her from the hall. They passed Ifrit and Siren, the dark-haired woman giving them a sultry smirk.
"Try not to wind up on the evening news, darlings." She purred, her voice causing shivers down both Fang and Serah's spines.
"Alright alright, enough of that 'Breau." Fang warned as she shook the L'cie's voice from her mind. Siren, or Lebreau as she preferred to be called whenever Caius was out of earshot, was a Basilisk. The type of L'cie that had the ability to mesmerise, entrance and ultimately control. Coupled with the fact that Lebreau was a shameless flirt, a dangerous combination by far. Siren just grinned and waved, dancing her fingers in the air with as much cheek as she could muster.
"What was with the dog comment, earlier?" Serah asked once they were alone in the corridor. Fang sighed and kept walking, her jaw tightening in annoyance.
"It's nothing. Caius just... Likes to be a dick and make a few passin' comments about my abilities. Reminds me that it's hard to control them at times."
"That's not very nice of him."
Fang shrugged and waved dismissively. "Eh, I'm used to it so don't you worry your pretty little head about it."
Telling Serah not to worry and her actually following through on that request were two different things. It wasn't the first time she had heard Caius make remarks like that, often referring to Fang as a dog or a beast. The Pulsian would often shrug it off as just "shifters being shifters" and that it was harmless, but Serah wouldn't be dissuaded. She saw the visible flinch, the slump of shoulders or the downcast expression every time he reminded Fang of her abilities in such a cruel manner. She pushed it from her mind for the time being, wanting to focus on her friend in the present.
When Fang and Serah reached the docks, the pinkette started to get giddy. She missed the city, and the bustle and oh gods, the coffee. Fang smiled and pulled Serah close, chuckling at her antics.
"Bit excited are we?" she joked, helping her into the boat and not wasting any time to speed off to the mainland. Fang sighed with relief at the sight of her beloved truck, jumping in and kicking over the engine. It was the first thing she'd managed to fix up from a scrap heap to a... Well, a moving scrap heap anyway. It was a beat up, run down looking thing, but she loved it regardless.
"So what are you headed into the city for? What have you been doing when you leave Valhalla anyway?"
Fang looked a little uneasy and shifted around in her seat as she drove. "This and that. Just putting a few feelers out, errands for Caius, that kinda thing. Boring stuff. Gotta meet one of our brothers today, then maybe we can go grab a coffee, yeah? Anything you want to do?"
There was so much. Serah thought back to every other trip to the city, shopping, movies with friends, all the things she did when she had an after school job and money. And a life. And friends. She sighed and slumped in her seat. "I dunno, Fang. Whatever works for you."
A frown crossed Fang's face as she studied the young pinkette out of the corner of her eye. "Hm. Guess I'll just have to treat you to a day out then. Tell me, what did you want to do after you finish school?"
A simple question at heart but one that carried the weight of so many broken dreams given what Serah had become. She sniffed and looked out the window, feeling despondent. "A teacher. I wanted to educate."
"More school?" Fang teased, determined to crack the sadness that had descended upon the young girl she had become so protective of. "Alright then. So let me sort out my business, then I'm gonna take you to the library, then the museum, maybe an art gallery if we got the time. Any movies you wanna see?"
Serah blushed, not used to being so fawned over. "You don't have to do that, Fang."
"Pfft, I'm hardly putting myself out if it means I get to see that adorable smile, little Sunshine. Look, Caius makes a lot of points about us being the superior species but... I really like the trash TV the humans make. And burgers. Oh and coffee. That's pretty great too. It's important that we don't get all caught up in the great struggle bullshit. If all we do if hide in the bunker planning for the end of the world, it'll arrive and we'll have done fuck all with our lives. So yeah, I'm gonna take you out today and you're gonna bloody enjoy it, got it?"
A smile warmed Serah's face and she looked away, cheeks still red. Fang nudged her gently on the shoulder with her fist and made an approving noise in her throat. "That's much better. Now lemme park this rust bucket and we'll have the day to ourselves shortly."
Fang pulled into the city transport station and escorted Serah over to the ticket station. Once they were safely on the transport, they both relaxed into easy conversation talking about books, life, amusing stories, whatever they could. At the back of Fang's mind she was reminded of her sister, just as much as Serah was reminded of her own. They got off their stop in the city and headed to the rendezvous point to find it empty. Fang frowned and looked around, sniffing at the air.
"Hmmm. Guess we've had a relocation. Wonder why. Come on, little one. Let's see what we can suss out."
Following the trail down the path, she caught another scent on the wind and growled. Serah heard the sound and instantly pressed closer, letting Fang wrap an arm around her. "We're alright. Just think our friend was spooked by the Haven. Here we are."
There was a patch of darkness against the building that seemed far deeper than it should have been, and it unsettled the pinkette. Serah fidgeted nervously and Fang gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Come on, mate. You're scarin' the kid."
The shadows morphed and obtained human shape, stepping away from the wall and dropping away to reveal a dark-haired young man, no older than Serah. He looked like he had a permanently fixed smug grin on his face and seemed like the type that wouldn't shy away from a fight. "Fang, good to see you, who's your friend?"
"This is Serah. Serah, this is Shadow."
"Serah isn't a very god-like name, is It?" he quipped, shaking her hand in greeting. The pinkette wouldn't falter and grinned back, keeping her grip on his wrist strong.
"Shadow isn't a very original name, is it?" She retorted, not giving any ground. The man laughed and let go of her arm, turning to clap Fang on the back.
"Ouch. I like her, but she's obviously been hanging around you too much. Serah, you can call me Noel if you prefer. Caius and Fang are the only ones that go by that whole formality bullshit."
"Up yours, Kriess." Fang sighed, reaching into her jacket and pulling out an envelope to hand to him. "Payment, along with your marching orders, kiddo. Boss wants everyone back to base for some big meeting. Two days from now."
Noel rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. "I was enjoying my time in the sun. Back to the burrows with me then! Catch ya back home, Fang- and watch out, Haven have been about in the city today. Nice to meet you, Serah." With his farewell he stepped into the shadows of the wall and vanished. Fang smiled and linked arms with the young pinkette, leading her down the path to the museum. All the while the hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she tensed, catching the vaguest of scents on the wind that kept her hackles up throughout the day.
The feeling dogged her all afternoon, while she had lunch with Serah, watched her talk enthusiastically about art and history at the museum, and as they lazed about in the early evening at a cafe. Serah noticed the tense mood and tilted her head in curiousity. "What's wrong, Fang? You seem a little... distracted."
"Hm? Oh. Sorry, little one. Just a naggin' feeling that we have company. Probably just me being a paranoid idiot. Should be enjoying your delightful company instead of worryin' about all this L'cie business." Fang said with a smile. She was suddenly knocked forward by a business man pushing past the table with a takeaway coffee in hand.
"The only good L'cie is a dead L'cie, they should just crawl into a hole and be buried for good." He snapped, barging past with a sneer. He assumed that he was talking with like-minded people. He assumed wrong.
Serah suddenly realised how sheltered she had been with the others in Valhalla. Aside from the altercation that introduced her to Fang, she had yet to really come across such aggression from a human. His words made her sick to her stomach and suddenly fearful of her surroundings. An involuntary growl escaped Fang's throat and her eyes narrowed at the rude businessman. Her gaze travelled to Serah, who was shaking with anger and hurt.
Serah felt Fang's strong arms wrap protectively over her shoulders and she felt immediately safer with the tall Pulsian, pushing back into the embrace. "Easy, little Sunshine. The humans are quick to fear, quicker to anger. I won't be the first one to strike and give them more reason to hate us. But..." Fang paused, a mischievous grin appearing across her face as she nodded towards the man who had been so rude towards them earlier. "Nothin' wrong with teaching this uppity prick a lesson, right? Come on. Show me what you've been working on."
A sharp inhale caught in Serah's throat and she pressed back into Fang's arms nervously. "I... I don't know, Fang. I'm worried I might... you know."
"You won't blow his head off, sweetheart. You elementals are all the same. Gotta be visual. Just focus on something small. In your mind, nothing bigger than say... a golf ball. So visualise that tiny golf ball dropping into that arsehole's coffee cup and... let go."
Serah concentrated, safe in the knowledge that Fang would protect her if anything went wrong. The brunette had faith in her abilities and wouldn't lead her astray. She focused and felt that push and pull in her mind as the energy built and honed it on the man's coffee cup. It suddenly exploded in his hand, sending coffee everywhere and drenching his immaculate business suit.
Fang barked out rich laughter, and leant back with a squeeze of Serah's shoulders. "Very good, little one! You're a quick study." She said, ruffling the pink hair. Serah beamed under the praise and giggled as she felt herself dragged out of her seat by Fang and they both took off from the cafe before they could attract any attention.
It was freeing, Serah found. She didn't fear her abilities as much when Fang was around. She was like the big protective sister that Claire should have been, instead of disappearing. Serah's mood dropped as she was tugged along, and Fang felt the shift in demeanour.
"What's wrong, little one?" Fang asked, pulling her around a corner and bundling her up in her arms. Serah sniffed and looked away, refusing to lose any further grip on her emotions.
"S-sorry. I don't mean to get all sad and ruin the mood. I just... You've been really kind, and nice to me and... It just reminds me of how I used to be with my sister. I feel selfish and terrible that I hate her for disappearing."
A long sigh exited Fang's lips and she squeezed Serah tightly. "I... Would be a hypocrite if I ever faulted your sister for running. If you're a L'cie, I'd hazard a guess that genetically speaking there's a good chance she ran because of the same thing. It's what I did. I left my little sister behind too."
With a stifled gasp Serah stood back and held onto Fang's hands, careful to avoid cutting herself on the claws that were poking out from the tips of her fingers. "First time my powers awakened I... Lost control. Hurt her real bad. I was so scared that I couldn't stop the rage, not stop the change. That I could kill her. So I ran. It was safer that way. You look at me like I'm the big sister that took off, in a way I guess she and I have a lot more in common than you'd think. You might hate her for leavin' but... If she cared about you at all that may be why she ran, to protect you. I don't know where my sister is these days, my family moved out of town with no forwarding address. I don't even know if she... Survived..."
Fang's voice wavered on the last word and Serah pressed back in, offering what comfort she could. She understood now why the Pulsian was so protective of her. Making up for her past transgressions. Serah suddenly felt Fang stiffen in her arms and looked up at her with a puzzled expression. "Fang? Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. But we gotta go." Fang said firmly, moving down the path again, towards the central transport station with a fast pace. Serah struggled to keep up and saw Fang flinch at the flash of lightning across the sky.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of storms?" Serah teased lightly, getting a stern glare in response.
"Lightning makes me edgy after a bad run in with one of those Haven arseholes a while back. I thought I caught the scent of one of them earlier. I think we're bein' followed."
Serah suddenly didn't feel like joking around anymore. Her own pace quickened and she allowed Fang to lead her through the city crowds to the transport hub. When they were safely on the bus, Fang pulled Serah into a seat beside her, pulling the hoodie over the young girl's head to hide her hair. She threw a protective arm around the pinkette, daring anyone to try to come near with a low growl in her throat.
"Fang, what is the Haven? I've heard Caius speak on it before but... I'd rather hear it from you." Serah probed gently once the transport was in motion and out of the terminal. Fang glanced down at her and made a sour face.
"They're..." She struggled to find the words and huffed in annoyance. "They're the poster children of the peaceful L'cie movement, essentially. Their leader, Sazh, believes that we're all capable of living together and that humans and us freaks can all get along in harmony. His lot go out and spread the good word of how we aren't dangerous, we're just misunderstood. And with the correct training and support we can ensure that L'cie of all creeds can integrate with society at large."
It didn't sound so bad, on a surface level. As far as Serah was concerned, it sounded all pretty good. "I sense you're not exactly on board with that line of thinking."
Another pronounced huff sounded from next to her, and Serah caught the edges of a low rumble in the base of Fang's throat. She settled in closer, resting her head on the brunettes shoulder. Fang seemingly calmed under the attention and shrugged. "I mean I don't see anything wrong with their philosophy, in a perfect world it would be great if we all could live side by side without killing and torturing each other."
"But we don't live in a perfect world, do we?" Serah concluded.
"Exactly. Its naivety at best, dangerous thinking that'll get us killed at worst. I've already seen what human fear does to people like us. A showy educational program from a bunch of good looking, wholesome L'cie isn't going to stop the purists from hanging us from tree branches because we're different."
Fang squeezed Serah around the shoulders and hummed in thought. The pinkette frowned and fidgeted with the zipper on her jumper. "But Caius isn't exactly holding the better answer either," Serah countered gently, bringing Fang's gaze down to meet her own. "His ideology is just as purist as the humans that want us dead. He just wants L'cie to be the only ones standing when the smoke clears."
In reality, Fang had to concede the point. Caius was fiercely protective of his brothers and sisters, his kind. But it was often a protection that came at the cost of human lives. She remembers back to their first encounter, him brutally severing the homeless attackers' throats in retaliation for what they were doing to her. She didn't feel pity for their deaths, but it always left the idle thought in her mind that maybe Caius was more severe in his ideologies than she wanted to admit.
"Still, it's hard to pick who is right at the end of the day. Sazh has his points about us needing to find ground to co-exist, but the Haven are sheltered away in a fancy arse mansion while the rest of our kind bleeds on the streets. Caius on the other hand, wants justice for our kind but it will be at the expense of lives on both sides. Escalation and retaliation never lead to good outcomes."
Serah huddled closer and took a shaky breath. "Caius scares me. He looks at me like I'm a weapon he can use. I know you owe him your life, Fang. But I worry that he sees my abilities and wants to unleash them on the populous, like I'm the answer to his problems."
As much as she didn't want to believe it, to dismiss it as the paranoia of a scared young girl, Fang couldn't. She'd seen the way he looked at her too. Like Serah was another piece of the puzzle, another tool in his war against the humans. Like they all were. She held onto Serah tightly, kissing the top of her head gently. "Don't worry little one. I won't let anything bad happen to ya. If Caius turns out to be a raucous genocidal maniac, we'll jump in my truck and drive. Ok? Listen, it'll be about an hour or so before we hit up the docks. May as well get a bit of shut eye. I'll keep watch."
With a nod and a yawn Serah settled in and fell asleep against Fang's shoulder. The brunette felt a pang of longing in her chest as the young girl's breathing settled, and she sighed. She missed her sister terribly, and Serah being a constant reminder didn't help matters. Fang found she wouldn't even know where to begin looking for her, and settled for staring at the passing highway from the transport window.
Back at the terminal, a lean figure with a hoodie drawn up over her head seethed as she watched the transport depart. A warning hand was placed on her shoulder from a tall blonde man who moved up beside her.
"Easy there. You're gonna shatter the windows of this building from the storm you're calling in."
The woman he held onto whirled and pushed him back, the hoodie falling back from her head and revealing pale pink hair framing a stern face with furious electric blue eyes. "That's my sister, Snow. Currently in the arms of those terrorists. Don't tell me to take it easy." She snapped, electricity starting to spark at her fingertips.
Snow sighed and stared at the retreating transport, tapping a small device on his wrist. "Hex? We're gonna need an extraction before Lightning blows the roof off the station here."
"Got it, Diabolos is on his way. Stand still and don't move."
The duo disappeared from the terminal in a puff of smoke, leaving a few startled passengers in their wake.
End AN - ... But you're probably not going to like me any better for it.