AN - We are gearing up for the end of another fic, squirrel friends. Thanks for sticking with me this far.
Waking warm and cosy, though with a very stiff neck, Lightning slowly opened her eyes to find her buried into Fang's shoulder, still on the floor in the cell. She nuzzled the Pulsian, happy that she had her back. The happiness was short lived, however, as the sound of several guns cocking had her sitting bolt upright to find a handful of Sanctum guards levelling guns at them.
Fang's eyes snapped open and she immediately put an arm around Lightning, wanting to shield her from whatever the intrusion to her sleep was. "Don't hurt them. I know it's me you want." She said quietly, nudging Serah and Vanille with her foot to wake them up. Raines stepped into the cell behind the armed guards with Sazh in tow, his expression grave.
"Oerba Yun. Codename Fang. Do I even need to read the charges?" He snapped, glaring at the others in the cell. Pointing at Lightning with a scowl, he was not subtle about his disgust. "And you would still choose to associate with this murderer after the lives she's taken?"
Lightning snarled at him and pressed into Fang, keeping an arm around her waist. "She's family, Raines. And it wasn't her. She's not responsible."
"Oh? So it must have been some other shifter L'cie that looks exactly like her, that slaughtered dozens of my people at the headquarters." Raines growled, stepping forward as his subordinates raised their weapons. "I thought you taught them better than this, Katzroy."
Lightning shot to her feet, standing between Fang and the trained guns, keeping the others behind her. "We're your people too, last I checked. And Sazh taught us to look after our own, and protect the greater good. I won't let you harm Fang, not when she wasn't the one behind this."
Cid got in Lightning's face, absolutely seething. "Do you expect me to believe this? I saw her with my own eyes, Farron. Tearing apart my soldiers. Destroying my facility. If it wasn't her, then who was it?"
"Me."
All heads turned to find the far wall of the cell shifting and twisting into shadow, Noel stepping out of the darkness with Lebreau in tow. The soldiers whirled, aiming their weapons at the newcomers as they slowly raised their hands in surrender. Lebreau slowly stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Now, there's no need to get viol-"
Lightning surged forward and punched the basilisk square in the throat, dropping her to the ground. Lebreau heaved and coughed, holding up her hand to stop Noel from intervening. "Don't… I… Deserved that." She rasped, clutching at her neck while she regained her breath. Thoroughly winded, she kept her hands palm up while Serah stepped in and gently pried her sister from the immediate space.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Lightning hissed, enraged that her sibling was coming to the aid of someone who had hurt Fang, infiltrated her mind and changed her. Serah shook her head and got in between the two L'cie, holding up a small ball of energy in her hands to keep them apart.
"I asked her to come here. To make things right. It's where I was before I got to the Sanctum headquarters. Caius has everyone under threat of death from a telepath he keeps hidden from them. Forces everyone to do their bidding, forces Lebreau to manipulate those in Valhalla."
The basilisk bowed her head and lowered her hands. "I have been torn up inside from the very moment Caius had me do the things I've done to my friends. I am here to make amends. In lieu of taking Caius, take me. I am the one behind the attacks. I controlled Fang. I made her kill those people."
Fang watched the confession with tears in her eyes. It wasn't a surprise to her, given the rapid and painful return of her memories back at the Sanctum facility, but hearing it in person still hurt immeasurably. "How could you, 'Breau? We were family." Lebreau gave her a sad smile and looked away.
"We still are, sweetie. It's why I'm here, to pay for what I've done. Raines, Fang wasn't at fault for any of this. My abilities allow me to control people to do my bidding. I was the one who made her attack the facility. She is an innocent party in this."
Raines narrowed his eyes, disbelieving. "How do I know we're not being manipulated right now?"
Giving a half-hearted shrug, Lebreau cast her eyes to the soldiers behind him. "If I really wanted to, I could tell your men to lower their weapons to the ground and take their pants off. And they'd do it without hesitation." The guards looked at each other nervously and subtly took a few paces back, as if that would be enough to protect them from her abilities.
"Lebreau's right. It's why she goes by Siren. Her voice it... Does something to your mind. Makes you feel whatever she wants you to feel. Think what she wants you to think. Do... What she wants you to do..." Fang croaked from the corner, the sound of her strained voice breaking Lightning's heart. The elemental stepped close, putting an arm around her to offer support. Pressing into her, Fang pressed her lips to Lightning's temple and breathed in the scent of her hair. It helped calm her slightly, knowing that her real family was with her. "But I don't understand, if helping us risks Yeul shutting down your mind, why take the risk?"
The tears that lined Lebreau's eyes spoke more volumes than any words that couldn't be trusted. "Because it's a price I'm willing to pay to see you happy, darling."
Cid sighed and slowly gestured for his men to lower their weapons. "So you'll come with us, willingly?" He asked, receiving a resolute nod in response.
"When I'm done here, put one of those godforsaken Sanctum mouth bracers to silence me, for your own peace of mind. Do with me what you will. I'm a dead woman walking now anyway."
Lightning frowned, looking at the others in the room. It wasn't enough. No matter what happened from here, while Caius was still out there, nobody was safe. She wanted her family whole, she wanted Fang whole and unbroken, not afraid of her own shadow. Glancing up at the other L'cie in tow, she nodded towards Noel with a hum of discontent. "What about you? Aren't you just as much at risk?"
Noel nodded, and held up his wrists. "I'm complicit in all this as well, Lightning. I'm here to make things right too. No matter the cost."
Sazh sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know what to make of all this, Raines. It still doesn't change the fact that Caius has implanted a bunch of crazy in Fang's head. I'm sorry to say, but Yun is a ticking time bomb while Caius is on the loose still."
Lightning growled at her mentor while Fang pressed her face into the back of her neck with a soft whimper. She turned and put her arms around the shifter, stroking her hair softly. Moving her palpable glare to the basilisk, Lightning curled her lip in disgust. "You. Fix this."
The weapons raised again when Lebreau shook her head. "It's not that simple, Lightning. We're talking years of embedded psychological reprogramming. It's more than just a single whisper in her ear."
"Are you saying she can't be healed? That she's… Stuck?" Lightning asked with a snarl, her grip on the Pulsian tightening. She could feel how Fang trembled with fear and wished she knew a way to take the hurt away.
"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. With time, absolutely. But it's time that you don't have. But…" Lebreau paused, her eyes widening in realisation. "I may be able to circumvent it. If you'll allow it of course."
Raines hummed in thought, eyeing off the others in the room. "So you manipulated Oerba Yun Fang into the attack on Sanctum, for what gain?"
Lebreau gave him a sardonic glare, folding her arms defensively. "You of all people should know why people wish to start wars, Cid." She drawled, his eye twitching at the personal name. "He wants to force a conflict, to draw the line in the sand. Oppressed L'cie would flock to his cause with which to raise an army of chaos to bring about humanity's ruin. At least, that's what all the brochures say."
Fang stepped out from behind Lightning, acknowledging the guns trained on her. Knowing what had to be done, she gave an apologetic glance to the elemental and walked over to Lebreau. It was this, or they'd have to put a bullet in her. She took Lebreau by the hands and bowed her head. "If she does anything stupid, shoot us both."
"Fang!" Lightning snapped, the shifter growling for quiet in response.
"Please, Light. I can't… I can't live like this, knowing that a single word from Caius would have me slaughtering you all without a second thought."
Lebreau reached out and stroked the side of Fang's face, the action eliciting a jealous growl from the elemental. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. For everything." She sighed, her irises glowing a soft yellow beneath the copper hue. "Don't take the guilt of the deaths of so many on board. It wasn't you. Alright? You deserve happiness, and with your family here at the Haven, you'll have it. It is worth fighting for." Lebreau said quietly, watching Fang's expression slacken and her eyes flutter closed.
Lightning arced electricity across her body as a visible threat, as the soldiers tightened the grip on their guns. Lebreau took a breath and tried to block them out of her mind, focusing on the shifter before her. "Caius is still capable of controlling you."
"Lebreau…"
The Basilisk held up a hand and her eyes flared brighter as she flicked her gaze over Fang's shoulder. She cupped the brunette's face with her hands and kissed her forehead. "But no matter what Caius says, no matter what he triggers. No matter what anyone triggers. You'll obey Lightning. Claire Farron, your true love. You will listen to her, over Caius. Over all else. Obey your heart. Do you understand?"
Fang inhaled sharply at the words, her eyes opening and staring at Lebreau in shock. "I… I understand." She said quietly, feeling a weight lifted from her shoulders. Any time she tried to focus on the crushing guilt from her actions in the city, the thoughts slipped through her fingers, dissolving into dust. All she was left with was a sense of peace as she was surrounded by her family, old and new. Fang turned to look at Lightning, and smiled softly.
"Fang, are you alright?" Lightning asked hesitantly, squeaking as the shifter swept her up in her arms and held on tight. She pressed into the Pulsian's strong arms and forgot about the world for a moment, lost in the feeling of Fang. Lightning nuzzled against the shifter's neck, revelling in the warmth. "How will we know it's worked?" She asked when she remembered they were surrounded by a myriad of people attempting to avert their gaze. Lebreau shrugged with a smile and sat down on the cell bed, leaning against Noel.
"It's kind of a blanket rule at this point, until we can get something more sustainable. So ask her to do the dishes, and she'll do it without question."
"Hey!"
Raines folded his arms and watched the scene, trying to figure out exactly how he was going to spin this mess. He glanced up at Lebreau before looking back over to Lightning and Fang. "Help us find Caius and take him out once and for all, end this madness. I will find a way to clear Yun's name, and help you two Valhalla defectors as well."
Lebreau and Noel spared a nervous look with each other before nodding. "If Yeul finds us we're screwed anyway. What else have we got to lose at this point?"
Sazh cleared his throat to get their attention. "Everyone will be safer here for the time being. Shielding is built into the lower levels of the mansion to stop telepaths from sneaking a peak into my work. It's how I've managed to keep most of these more… In depth operations intact for years. If you'll allow it, Raines, stay here with your squad and we will find a way to take Caius out. For good."
"I've worked with you for years, Katzroy. Yet this is the first time I've seen the underground of your facility, let alone any evidence you were preparing for war given your pacifist nature." Cid remarked, suspicious of his intentions. Sazh sighed and his wings twitched in irritation.
"Yeul and Caius started out here, with me. It was one of Yeul's visions that caused the rift between us. She saw a war coming. I wanted to do what I could to protect our own, Caius wanted to what he could to bring about her vision. This place was meant to serve as sanctuary for the coming war, that the longer time goes on the less I feel like we can avoid it."
The Sanctum director narrowed his eyes, still glaring at the shifter who was still physically responsible for the deaths of so many of his colleagues. Everything that the Sanctum stood for meant the deaths of so many of his fellow L'cie. He was torn between his duty and desire for vengeance, with the need to forgive and do what was right for his own kind.
"Until we find the telepath, we will remain here. Katzroy, show the Valhalla members to a cell, and show my men to whatever constitutes a barracks down here. We will begin to gather intel and formulate a plan to stop Caius and his madness. Together."
The others slowly filed out of the cell until Lightning and Fang were left alone. The elemental took Fang by the hand and led her out and down the hall, into a closed room with a small bed. Fang stared at the militant surroundings with a slow sigh as Lightning closed and locked the door behind her. "Sazh really was preparing for the worst of us, wasn't he?" She asked sadly, Lightning taking her by the hands and tugging her over to the bed.
"He is paranoid but at least prepared. Come here. We can get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep before they drag us into strategy meetings."
Fang gave the pinkette a once over, biting her lip nervously. "What if what Lebreau said… What if what she did hasn't worked? I'm scared that it was all for nothing." Lightning tilted her head curiously, narrowing her eyes.
"Kiss me, Fang."
On impulse and not of her own volition, Fang surged forward and kissed Lightning deeply, the elemental smiling against her lips. Breaking away from the kiss, Fang stared wide-eyed while catching her breath.
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Lightning agreed, biting her lower lip with a smile. "Come to bed with me, Fang. We'll rest a while, together." She whispered against Fang's ear, kissing the lobe gently. Fang nodded slowly and sunk into the bed, her back against the wall as Lightning climbed under the sheets with her. She snuggled in against the shifter's chest, finally feeling like she was where she belonged. Home.
Fang reached for Lightning's hand under the table, looking for comfort and support. Despite Lebreau volunteering her own head for the chopping block, Director Raines and the rest of his surviving squad from Sanctum still looked at her like they were going to line her up against a wall and put a bullet in her.
She couldn't blame them. Regardless of what she was forced to do, there were plenty of times in the past where she had gone up against Sanctum and willingly killed them. Fang couldn't even honestly say she felt remorse for Yaag's death, considering everything the man had done to her kind.
"We have to face the facts that regardless of the outcome of incapacitating Caius once and for all, the actions at the Santcum headquarters may well have put into motion things we can't stop. Caius could still get his war, whether he's around to see it or not."
Cid's solemn voice brought Fang out of her musings, a distant pang of guilt gripping at her chest. Her grip tightened on Lightning's hand, the elemental keeping close to her for comfort. Sazh watched the display with a loud sigh, folding his wings closer to his body.
"Unfortunately, you might be right. They'll be howling for blood in the government houses. They'll want sanctions, registrations. Restrictions. The humans already treat us like loaded guns, and unfortunately for us, Caius' plans have effectively proven their point."
Fang's jaw tightened, her eyes darting to Lebreau across the table, who had wisely said nothing since entering the room. She understood with the threat of the seer looming over their heads, the basilisk was left with little choice in the matter, but it still hurt to have been so violently betrayed. "What do we need to do to fix this? What do I need to do?" Fang asked quietly, all heads turning towards her.
"Fang, this is hardly the time to be throwing yourself back into the fire." Sazh warned, the shifter shaking her head and leaning forward at the table.
"No, it's exactly the time. I still feel responsible regardless of what I was forced to do, and I will find a way to make it right." The room fell quiet, accepting Fang wanting to take responsibility yet feeling no better about it. Lightning rest her head against the Pulsian's shoulder and sighed.
"We still don't know if Lebreau's failsafe will work, Fang. It's too dangerous." The elemental answered, watching as the basilisk's honey-coloured eyes fixed on her. Lebreau gave a sneer and leant forward, moving her gaze to Fang.
"Sure we can. Sweetie, winter is setting in."
Fang suddenly tensed and a guttural growl crept from her throat. Lightning quickly moved back from her as the Sanctum squad started reaching for their weapons. As the Pulsian kicked the chair back with a snarl and slowly began to shift, Lightning stepped in front of her and held her hands up defensively. She kept enough distance between them as the shifter raised her claws up, preparing to strike.
"Fang, stand down." She said firmly, watching as Fang suddenly stilled and her arms lowered to her sides. The room was deathly silent as all eyes and weapons were trained on them both. "Fang, come back to me. Please."
Everyone held their breath as Fang's eyes fluttered and she blinked slowly, frowning as she looked nervously around the room. Shifting quickly back to her human form, she sat down quietly, and folded her hands on the table. Her eyes snapped to Lebreau and she let out a low growl.
"That was fucking stupid, 'Breau."
"True enough," The basilisk agreed, "but I had to make a point- and better to know that it works now than out on the field and finding it's failed."
Lightning stalked around the table and lifted Lebreau up from her chair by the throat, slamming her against the wall in a surprising display of strength. Electricity crackled around them as the elemental held a ferocious expression that was just as savage as the shifter's. "Do that again and I will fry your vocal cords and render you a useless L'cie. Do you understand?"
Lebreau nodded quickly, fearing her wrath more than having her mind melted by the Seer. Lightning curled her lip in disgust and dropped her to the ground. She gasped for breath as Lightning walked back around the table and took her place by Fang's side. A smile crept along the Basilisk's features and she nodded towards her friend.
"Hold onto that one, Fang. I like her." She rasped, carefully getting to her feet and sitting back in the chair. "But the matter still stands, you need to give Caius something he wants in order to get him to come to you. Something he has spent years cultivating."
Fang's eyes widened, the realisation striking her heart like ice. "His plans need someone explosive to work. He couldn't get it with Serah because I got her out of Valhalla and… Etro. I was his plan B all along." Lebreau shook with a sigh, looking away from the look of betrayal from her friend.
"No. Unfortunately, Serah was his plan B. You and Gadot were always going to be the weapons. Just when the kid came along it… Gave him other options."
Fang fell quiet, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Her entire life with Valhalla had been a lie. She thought she was doing something good, something righteous. Saving L'cie, standing up for them, empowering them... But all she ever was to Caius was a gun to be fired, a tool to be used. She glanced up at Lebreau, the hurt obvious in her eyes. "Was I even a friend to you? Was I ever family to anyone?"
Lebreau bit her lip and wore a distraught expression. "You were to me, Fang. And I know you will never forgive me, but I am sorry."
Needing the grounding, Fang leant into Lightning and buried her head in the crook of the elemental's neck. Soft, probing fingers ran across her scalp, soothing her. She knew Lightning didn't care for public displays of affection, even tensing whenever she would hug her when they were teens. But Fang smiled softly at the realisation that she was putting all that aside for her. This was what she wanted to fight for. For her real family.
Sitting up slowly, Fang made a decision with herself and straightened up in her seat, placing her hands flat against the table. "Use me as bait, to lure him out into the open. Then we can strike. Finish this. Hopefully serving up his head on a platter can calm some of the unrest amongst the populous." She explained, trying to ignore the look of outrage from the elemental.
Lightning stood up, balling her fists. Electricity arced frantically along her body to mirror her panic. Fang took her by the hands and smoothed out the tension with her thumb stroking along the back of her knuckles. The motion was little comfort to the sheer insane risk that Fang was contemplating.
"Fang, what you're suggesting, it..."
"It's the only way to get him out in the open." Lebreau interjected, receiving an electrified glare in response. "With Noel and I in hiding, Fang and Serah out of reach, his empire in Valhalla is crumbling. He will take whatever he can get his hands on. If Fang wants to be the lure, he'll come for her."
Lightning felt backed into a corner, offering up Fang in a dangerous play… It was madness. "Cid? What's your take on this?"
Raines watched Fang for a moment, looking for any wavering of her resolve. When he found only earnest determination, he hummed and leant forward in his seat. "For this to truly work, we would need to ensure that you can be with her in this, Lightning. If you can't bring her back from Caius' feral programming, it will be all for nothing. If anything happens to you and he triggers her, we're done for."
With a snarl, Lightning got out of her seat and walked over to the window, not impressed with so much riding on a victory against a madman. However, in her heart she knew it would have to come down to them. With Sanctum's forces in disarray, the handful of men Cid had with him wouldn't be enough to stop a powerhouse feral l'Cie like Caius.
It was a stupid and risky play, but if Caius went underground they'd never find him until it was too late. Until he resurfaced with another honed weapon to unleash on the world. He wouldn't come for anyone else. It had to be Fang. "This is ridiculous." Lightning muttered, hearing the shifter approach.
"Regardless of what Caius did to me at the Sanctum headquarters, Light. I've still made bad choices." Fang said quietly, a grave expression on her face. She knew that she had killed of her own free will, of her own control. It started with her, and Fang knew it needed to end with her. "I need to make this right. Help me make this right. Please."
A silence fell in the room while Lightning turned to face Fang, squaring off her stare with one of her own. There was so much behind the shifter's eyes. Anger, hurt, grief… But also hope, determination, and love. Lightning pressed her forehead against Fang's and sighed. "All right. But I'm going to be with you, every step of the way. We'll do this together. As a family. But… We need to wait."
Fang frowned. She could practically see the cogs turning in the elemental's mind as Lightning turned to face the window. Moving up alongside Lightning, Fang gave her a curious look and gently touched her wrist.
"Wait? Light, sweetheart. If we're gonna do this, we need to do this now."
"No," Lightning said, staring out the window into the distance, looking contemplative and deep in thought. Turning with a resolute expression, Lightning clasped her hand on the shifter's shoulder.
"No? What exactly do we need to wait for, gorgeous?" Fang asked, looking curious at the set jaw and resolute determination that steeled the pinkette's gaze. Lightning broke away and glanced around the room, before turning her attentions back outside.
"A storm."