AN - yeeeah here's another update and YOU'RE WELCOME.
It was about the six month mark when Fang burst into Serah's room in a panic, sighing with relief when she saw the pinkette propped up on her bed, reading a book.
"Hey Fang, what's up?" Serah asked warmly, placing a bookmark on her page and sitting up. Fang paced around the room for a few moments before huffing and flopping down on the bed next to her, hugging her tightly. "Woah hey, it's good to see you too but what's with the death grip?"
"Sorry I... I just...Serah, you do any drama club in school? Acting and the like?" Fang asked, the nervousness in her voice obvious. Serah shrugged and wavered her hand in the air.
"A little, I mean we had to at least try it out for the curriculum at least. Why?"
Fang took a deep breath and held it, then exhaled. She gripped Serah by the shoulders firmly and squeezed. "Because I need you to agree with what Caius and I are about to ask of you, no matter how much you think we've lost the plot. Then I'm going to get you out of here the first opportunity I get. I don't have time to explain but I need you to go along with it and you need to trust me."
It felt like someone had dropped a lead weight into Serah's stomach and she swallowed hard. She didn't like where this was going. All she could do was nod and allow herself to be led to the hall. Her steps echoed roughly in her ears, and she found herself pressing close to Fang once more for comfort. The tension she could feel beneath Fang's jacket was noticeable, the corded muscle feeling closer to concrete.
"I won't let anything bad happen to you, Serah. You have my word on that. I will protect you." Fang whispered as she opened the door and walked her over to the others. She had adapted a more casual saunter from the moment she opened the door and gave the others a lazy salute. Caius ushered them over and they stood before him as he straightened his spine and placed his hands behind him.
"Serah, I have watched your progress with interest, and pride. You have certainly come a long way from the timid, frightened child that entered through these very doors to Valhalla almost a year ago. But you have yet to take a name for yourself. Why?"
There were plenty of reasons, most of which consisted of her disagreeing with him to an atomic level over his ideologies, his coldness, his brutal nature that lurked skin deep. She remembered Fang's earlier warnings and smiled shyly. "I guess I haven't been ready to… Let go of my humanity just yet. But… I think that I am. You've all been showing me the way to my true self and I feel stronger, like I can take on the world and win."
Caius smiled, seemingly pleased with the answer. "So have you found a name for yourself yet?" Serah held her palm out and allowed a small flare to form in her hand, toying with the energy between her fingers.
"Blazefire."
"Awww yeah. I'm down with that." Came a holler from the fire elemental behind them, and Serah couldn't help but give a genuine laugh. Lebreau nudged him in the ribs and hissed at him to shut up.
"Indeed, we shall invoke your name, for you are the spark that will ignite our vengeance upon the world. Blazefire, a title fitting for a warrior goddess." The others cheered and applauded and rushed over to pat her on the back. Caius waited patiently until the others had stepped back before continuing.
"Do you commit yourself to Valhalla, and your kin, to fight for L'cie and end the tyranny of human filth, no matter the cost?"
Serah glanced over his shoulder at Fang who nodded slowly, not drawing attention to anyone around her. "I do. I commit myself to my brothers and sisters, to fight for what's right. To fight for them."
The smile was broad yet sinister, and she saw him twitch his fingers at Lebreau, who bowed her head and stood away, sitting back down on a nearby couch. Serah's breath caught in her throat at the realisation that whatever she was about to be asked to do, if Fang hadn't have warned her prior she doubted she would have had a choice in the matter. Not if the Basilisk was on beck and call from Caius.
"We are going to use your powers to show the world who rules. Who is the superior race. And we're going to start with destroying the Sanctum."
Calling forth any semblance of measure and control she could find from within her, Serah bowed slightly and raised with a menacing smile. "As you wish, Caius. Whatever is needed to free our brothers and sisters from the tyranny of humans."
With a satisfied nod, Caius turned and left, leaving the others chattering around Serah as she locked eyes with Fang. The voices of the other L'cie died away as she took a deep breath and fought down the urge to explode.
Fang would find Serah again much later in the evening, hiding in her own quarters. As soon as Fang had closed the door to her room the pinkette was on her, shoving her up against the wall. "What the hell was that, Fang? He wants me to blow up the Sanctum?" She practically shrieked.
"Hey, keep your voice down, dammit!" Fang hissed, clamping her hand over Serah's mouth in a panic. "I know. Alright? I know. You were right, he is looking to use you as a weapon. But I need you to keep your head about you because the last thing we need is either this place blowing up because you couldn't keep your lid on, OR Lebreau sucking any free will from your mind and you following through with the plan whether you like it or not."
The very idea caused Serah to pale, and she clutched at Fang's jacket with a choked sob. "I'm scared." She whispered, feeling Fang bundle her up in her strong arms.
"Hey, it's alright, little one. I just need you to be brave, and be strong, and just play out this little theatrical number a little longer. If you're compliant and look like you're into the plan, he won't bat an eyelid the next time we go to the city. Then once we're there we will vanish and get as far away from this place and its madness as possible. Alright? Can you do that for me, Serah?"
Serah nodded with a sniff, buried against the Pulsian's chest. The guilt climbed higher when Fang realised it was her fault that the girl was even here in the first place, and she vowed to make sure she got away. Even if it cost Fang her life.
Over the next few weeks, Serah knew she was being watched closely for any signs of deception. She played her best role, shelving the insanity to the back of her mind when talking with the others, able to detach enough to treat it like any other conversation with her peers. Fang had practically attached herself to her hip, refusing to leave her side. Gadot had brought it up once, speculating that they were an item. The punch he received in the jaw from Fang in response was so hard it nearly shattered the bone.
A month later they finally got their opportunity. Caius growled and threw a rusted pipe at Fang to get her attention. "You. Take Serah and go to the city for the day. She's going to blow this place half to hell if she's underground any longer."
"Thanks Caius! Do you want me to bring you back any ice cream?" Serah joked, hugging him from behind. He swatted her away with a growl and turned to walk out of the hall.
"Away with you child, before your pent up boredom kills us all."
Serah giggled and dragged Fang from her seat on the couch, pulling her excitedly towards the surface. "Can we hit up the museum again? Or the art gallery? Do we have time for both?" She chattered at a thousand paces, even managing to overwhelm Fang.
"Alright alright calm down, jeez. No ice cream or anything with sugar in it, you're hyper enough."
They made their way to the docks and jumped in the boat, Serah still talking incessantly away. When they were to the other side they continued the casual banter, even all the way into the city. Fang guided her into a clothing store and told her to pick out something fun, as she made a gesture that suggested Serah find something with a hood. She found a nice green fur-lined canvas jacket, while Fang picked out a black leather jacket over a light grey hoodie. They shopped for a while, replacing everything from their boots to their underwear. The only things they didn't throw out was their individual necklaces, the jewellery never having left their bodies long enough for them to be swapped out for a bug.
They didn't finally start to let their guard down until they were at the station and on board a transport that would take them in the opposite direction from any of it. Away from Nautilus, far from the island. They would travel north, until they reached the sea and then find transport across, far from Noel's range of shadow portals.
Serah suddenly slumped forward and let out a choked sob, her hands shaking and sparking with energy. Fang's eyebrows raised and she took the pinkette into her arms, rocking her slowly and holding her close. "Shhhhhh, shhhh. Come on, we're ok. We're going to be ok. You did good, Serah. I'm proud of you. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."
"Fang, I'm so scared…"
"Ssh, it's alright. You got your big, bad Fang to look after you, ok? We'll stick together, and we'll be fine."
There was barely a moment to feel self-conscious or guilty about the car that Fang broke into and hot-wired when they'd reached the next station near Luxerion. It was just a matter of survival, and to keep ahead of anyone determined to pursue them. They'd drive to another town, take a train, steal another car and then onto another station in another town and onto a bus. Always changing their mode of transport, taking longer trips out of their way so as not to travel in a linear fashion. Paying cash and using aliases to stay in dive motels, sharing the bed because Serah was too scared to sleep alone.
By now, Fang assumed that Caius would have realised they had vanished and would be looking for them, but at least they managed to get a few days head start in the hopes that they could outrun them before he caught up, or worse, sent the basilisk after them.
"Fang, I'm hungry. Do you think we could stop for dinner?" Serah asked quietly, the question stirring the Pulsian from her thoughts.
"Of course, little Sunshine, let's pull in here and we'll get a bite to eat." Fang replied, pulling the car off the highway and into a small off-road diner. Her hackles raised the moment they got out of the car, the bitter wind sending a chill down her spine. It had been getting progressively colder the further north they travelled, and she had a growing feeling that someone had picked up on their trail.
Quickly ushering the small pinkette into the diner, they took a booth near the exit and Fang put her back to the wall, observing everyone and anything that could be deemed a threat. A waitress approached them with a smile that didn't reflect in her eyes, nodding in greeting.
"Evening ladies, what can I get you?" She asked jovially, but Fang caught the nervous twinge in her voice.
"Coffee thanks. To go."
Serah glanced up at Fang and pouted. "But what about dinner?" She complained, her stomach grumbling in protest as well. The brunette smiled at her curtly before turning her gaze back to the waitress. "We just need a few more minutes to look at the menu, thanks."
The waitress nodded and walked away quickly, retreating to the back of the kitchen. Fang leant forward and grabbed a couple of steak knives from the cutlery holder, shoving them into her jacket pocket. Serah saw the theft of utensils and her eyebrows raised.
"Um. Fang, what are you doing?"
The Pulsian saw movement outside in the carpark, as several shadowed individuals moved in between the cars and bushes. They didn't look like L'cie, and she cursed under her breath. Must have stolen the wrong car. "Sorry sweetheart, we might have to get dinner elsewhere tonight." She said quietly, Serah's face dropping with a nervous glance around her.
At that point, the lights went out and the other patrons scrambled from the diner in a panic. Fang spared a glance towards the waitress and growled. "If there's a back entrance to this place I suggest you take it, love." She grabbed Serah and pulled her underneath the table, crouching down with her. "I will protect you, no matter what. But please, little one. Don't watch."
Fang straightened up at the sound of the first of the figures rushing through the door, stretching the claws from her fingertips with a snarl. She let out a bellowing roar as the rest of her shifted, her skin hardening into orange plates over blue skin. Her teeth lengthened, her hair grew out in a fiery mane and the sight of her was enough to pause the pursuers in their tracks as they sized up what had been a vastly underestimated combatant.
The first of them rushed her and she flashed her teeth in rage, cutting through his Kevlar like paper with her sharp claws. He dropped with a scream of pain, his insides lain bare. Fang had a moment to see the patch on the side of the uniform before the others advanced, and hissed.
"Fucking Sanctum. Serah get down!" Fang leapt back, pulling her over the countertop with her as one of the other operatives threw a frag grenade over to the table. She rolled over the top of the pinkette, shielding her from the blast. Serah balled her fists, calling forth energy to fight back when Fang gripped her hands and shook her head. "No. If this makes the news because the diner exploded, Caius will know what direction we're going in. I'll keep them busy, you make for the back entrance but don't go outside until I'm there. Stay hidden."
Fang leapt back over the counter, plunging her claws into the chest of another Sanctum trooper with a savage snarl. Another put a few bullets into her, the pain only serving to further her anger. She lashed out and caught him in the throat with one of the knives pulled from her jacket pocket, and another thrown into the eye of the last man standing in the diner.
Taking a few moments to catch her breath, Fang limped over to the window and carefully parted the curtains. There were at least a dozen Sanctum specialists out there, armed to the teeth and preparing a second wave. She weighed up her options and none of them were good. They would have to take the risk after all.
Finding Serah crouched behind a kitchen counter at the back of the diner, she knelt down to check over the pinkette for injury. "Fang! You're bleeding!" She exclaimed, hands pressing over the wounds on the Pulsian's form. Fang bit her lip in pain and winced at the pressure.
"Fuck. Ok I know what I said about you not using your powers but… I don't think we're left with much of a choice. I won't ask you to take a life, Serah. Know that I would never ask that of you. But we gotta find a way to clear out whatever is undoubtedly a half dozen Sanctum agents behind this door. Can you do that for me sweetie?"
Serah nodded, leaning in close and giving Fang a hug despite the fact that it left blood all over her jacket. They crept back through to the main part of the diner, parting the curtains by a crack just to see the car park outside. There were a lot of agents running around everywhere, coordinating for the next phase of their assault. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to pull off a new trick Gadot had shown her back at Valhalla.
It was simple enough, but instead of calling the energy from within, he showed her how to call it externally, utilising nearby elemental sources to fuel what Gadot called "the build". She found what she was looking for and spared a moment for a quick prayer to Etro that she wasn't about to seriously injure or kill anyone and let off a few explosions in the gas tanks of the cars in the lot. They all started exploding, sending people scattering everywhere in a panic.
Fang pulled Serah up by the arm and dashed through the back door, the other agents scrambling around the front from the successful diversion. "Sorry hun, this'll be quicker if you hang on." She said, picking the pinkette up in her arms and tearing off into the forest.
For half the night and well into the morning, Fang ran, climbing higher up the mountain with Serah clutched to her chest. The young girl had long since fallen asleep from exhaustion and if she wasn't careful, so would Fang if her legs gave out on her.
It was hard to say how much ground they'd covered, even if Sanctum had figured out what direction they'd ran off in, it'd be some time before they could catch up. Fang didn't dare stop though, because if she did, she was going to fall over and not get up. Besides, she knew the moment she stopped would be when the moment the gods would decide to mess with her in some constant cruel twist of fate.
Serah stirred against her, and Fang slowed to a walk so as not to jar the girl too much. "What… Where are we?" The pinkette asked, Fang unable to really give an accurate answer. Her appearance startled Serah, rarely having seen Fang fully transformed.
"Not sure, little one. High in the mountains at this point. Was hoping to not have to do this trek on foot but Sanctum were an… Added complication to our escape."
"You can… Put me down, you know. Surely you're exhausted, not to mention still injured… Weren't you shot last night?"
Fang complied with the request, gently lowering Serah with a subtle wince from her wounds. "Nothing that won't sort itself out over the next few days. Don't worry, Sunshine. They can't put me down that easily."
A sudden burst of ice slammed into her, sending her and Serah forward into a nearby tree. The impact knocked Serah unconscious and Fang turned with a snarl. She couldn't see the attacker but knew they were there, and picked Serah up with a grunt of pain before running off again. A slithering sound chased her as she ran up the slopes, and she turned her head to find an ice-covered man sliding on the very element covering him, carving his own frozen path in pursuit.
"Fuck's sake, can't I catch a break for at least five minutes?"
The ice-man slid around in front of her with a cheeky grin, and Fang knocked it from his face with a brutal roar. It sent him flying back and into the snow, half buried under the white powder. Fang was beginning to succumb to her injuries, and she panicked, lowering Serah to the ground so as not to cause her any further harm. She didn't recognise this L'cie as one from Valhalla or the other cells, but it didn't mean he wasn't one of Caius' followers. The frozen man pulled himself from the snow, advancing towards Serah.
Fang roared and protected the unconscious pinkette from the enormous ice-man. She cut her claws across his chest, flaking off ice shards from his body that merely froze over like she'd done nothing at all. She punched his jaw in frustration, and that at least seemed to do the trick. Maybe this time she'd go for the jugular. Fang flexed her claws and stalked towards him with a growl.
Electricity suddenly crackled through the air. Before she could blink, a blur of green and white lightning shot in and got a few sharp jabs to her ribs and jaw before vanishing out of range again. Fang fell to her knees, air knocked from her lungs. She could smell burnt hair and skin, realising it was coming from her.
Fang snarled at the advancing blur of lightning and grunted as she was blown from the ground, smashing into a tree. Her vision swam and her limbs felt weak from the onslaught. The green lightning advanced, preparing for a final strike. Fang spared a panicked glance at Serah as she saw the electricity arc to the ground around her.
The green and white lightning zapped forward and stood before the Pulsian kneeling in the snow. The lightning was a person, not an element. Or, Fang surmised, when it came to a L'cie, the woman could well have been both. The hood blew back from the woman's head and she ripped the mask from her face. The familial resemblance was obvious, and Fang cursed under her breath when she realised she was face to face with Serah's older sister. Only then did she realise how much trouble she was in. Fang glanced up as she saw electricity bow from the woman's hand like a blade. She held her breath as it was held against her throat, burning her skin as it crackled. "Your days as a terrorist are done, you son of a-"
"Stop!" a new voice cried out, causing the electricity to slow down and come to a halt. "Stop! Don't you dare hurt her, Lightning!"
Fang's vision was blurred, and she took short, sharp breaths as she struggled to climb to her feet. She fell forward into the snow and felt a pair of arms, followed by another, and another helping her up.
"Hex, what the hell are you doing? That's one of Caius' L'cie!" The electric woman snapped, and Fang's sight began to clear a little, realising that the many hands helping her all belonged to the same person. Fang made a strangled cry in her throat as her eyes met the girl's face, the savage scars across the left side unmistakable to her. Three pairs of arms helped her upright as the redhead glared behind her.
"It's my sister, for Etro's sake!"
The woman called Lightning shot forward and picked up the unconscious form in the snow. She growled, cradling Serah in her arms. "You've gotta be kidding me..."
Fang's face fell as she looked back at the scarred face of her estranged sister and fought back tears. She bit her lip and looked away, overwhelmed with grief. "You… You're all grown up, little songbird." She whispered, her voice barely audible.
Hex surged forward and wrapped all six of her arms around her sister, resting her head against the brunette's shoulder. At first, Fang didn't know what to do and froze. "I don't fear you, or your claws. So just hurry up and hug me will you?" She heard her sibling whisper through tears. Fang delicately returned the embrace, hyper-aware of her claws around the redhead's body. She tried to revert them but was too high-strung and too wounded to concentrate long enough. A tear slipped down her cheek as she held onto her sister for dear life.
"Gods, I've missed you 'Nille." She whispered quietly. A bit of emotional laughter bubbled up from the redhead in response.
"Please come back with us, I… I don't want to lose you again now that I've found you after all this time."
"Are you kidding me? She's with Caius and his terrorists and you want to bring her back with us?" Lightning snapped from behind them, still cradling her own sister in her arms. "Especially after kidnapping Serah?"
"I didn't do shit… You bloody overgrown taser…" Fang growled, her voice weak from exhaustion and injury.
Lightning shot forward and got in Fang's face with a menacing growl. "Why you-"
"Enough!" Hex yelled, smacking both of them in the stomach with a pair of her many hands. "Both our sisters need medical attention, Light. I don't care who my sister is travelling with. I haven't seen her for nearly a decade and we. Are. Helping. Her. You got your sister back after all this time, Lightning. Don't ask me to forgo mine."
The two had a tense stand-off for a few silent moments before Lightning relented, turning away. "Fine. But anything that happens because of her is on you, Hex." She vanished in a spark of electricity, leaving the Pulsian siblings alone.
Fang stood on shaky legs, helped by Vanille's many arms around her for support. "The hell is she calling you Hex for?"
"I didn't want people tracking you down if they knew who I was. Besides, I bet you have just a cool nickname instead of running around calling yourself Yun with Caius and his names befitting the gods crap."
"It's... Fang now, that name died a long time ago. I'm gonna… Just rest for a minute, ok?" The Pulsian said with a slurred voice, before crashing into the ground, unconscious.
"Oh for the love of," Hex rolled her eyes and waved at the ice man standing nervously nearby. "Snow? A little help please?"