AN- Giiiiaaaaaant update! You'll be happy to know that as of the weekend, this fic has officially been written in full! WE ARE SO CLOSE. No more waiting around for months for this one to update! Xmas gifts for all in the form of a shitload of updates!
The van walls rattled around them as Lightning quietly unlocked the shackles they had put on Fang for show. While they didn't think that Caius was stupid enough to attack while on Haven grounds, it didn't mean that he wasn't watching them. It didn't mean he wasn't observing and biding his time.
It needed to be realistic.
Fang had left the compound surrounded by Sanctum weapons, struggling in restraints in a partial shift. She had snapped her teeth at them, snarled obscenities about L'cie being the superior race, humanity were all cattle for the slaughter, the act quite convincing. Lightning followed with a solemn expression with a role to play as she followed them to the van, overwhelmed with anger and grief. Drowning in the hurt of the betrayal and subsequent words spilling from the shifter's mouth.
Lightning didn't have to act very hard.
Now, here in the solid steel armoured prison transport, traversing the back roads to get to their check point that they believed Caius would strike, the weight of their decision to fight was practically crushing. Lightning could scarcely breathe, her leg bouncing restlessly as she tried her best to remain calm. There was so much at stake.
"Hey, you alright?" Fang asked quietly, shifting her hands back to normal and cupping the elemental's face. The tension was obvious, and she knew she was the cause. Her and this ridiculous, risky, insane plan. "You know I didn't mean any of that back there, right?"
Lightning sighed and leant into Fang's touch, taking a moment for themselves in the relative quiet. The sound of the diesel engine rattled around them, and Lightning could only hope they made it to the rendezvous point before Caius inevitably struck.
"There was once a time when you would have, though." She answered quietly, still not feeling ready for what was to come. Fang ducked her head and gave her a reassuring kiss that helped to steel her resolve.
"You taught me a better way, Light. You and my family. Even before I… gave my heart to you I knew. I've got a lot of ground to make up from my past mistakes, but I will start with you, and finish this so we can make a life for ourselves, free of this useless conflict."
Tears lined Lightning's eyes as she leant in and kissed Fang again and again, needing that comfort, that assurance to settle in her very soul. "Promise me, Fang. Promise me you'll come back to me, no matter what."
"I promise, Light. You're my home. I'll always come back."
A lurch threw them from the bench, crashing into the floor. Fang's head snapped up and she gave a frantic glance around. "You alright, Light?" She asked, slowly getting to her feet as the van sped up. The elemental groaned and stood up, bashing on the panel dividing them from the driver. A panel slid open and Rygdea appeared in the small window, looking nervous.
"Looks like Caius isn't waiting. Can you guys hold onto something back there? We need to hustle."
"It's a steel cube with moulded benches, Rygdea, what the fuck do you think?" Fang snapped angrily, sparing an exasperated look around the mobile cell they were in. There was nothing to hold onto, and the Sanctum soldier gave them an apologetic nod before turning back and closing the panel. "Fuck's sake… Hang on sweetheart." Fang muttered, grabbing onto Lightning and wrapping her arms around her.
"Fang, what are you-"
"Covering that gorgeous arse. You need to stay conscious for this plan to work so… Consider me your personal seatbelt." Fang drawled, holding on tight and bracing herself in the corner of the van. It was nerve-wracking, to hear the roar of her old mentor outside, the swerve of the vehicle, the scrape of claws on metal, but completely helpless to do anything.
Forced to ride out the increasingly dangerous driving, Fang began to lose her footing as the van suddenly veered violently and fell on its side, skidding along the asphalt. Lightning grimacing from the jarring pain shooting through her body, still not fully recovered from the injuries she had sustained from her fight with Fang. They were pressed for time and while L'cie healed far more quickly than humans, it still wasn't enough to get her back to fully fighting fit. Grateful for Fang cushioning some of the impact, she could only imagine how much more it would have hurt on her own.
The van screeched to a halt, Lightning quickly untangling herself and reaching for her comms unit in her ear. "This is Lightning, do you read me? Caius has made his move several miles out from the intended target zone. You're going to need to move to our location."
"Roger that, Lightning. Are you alright? Is Fang ok?" Vanille's panicked voice came down the receiver.
"We're fine, but that will change the longer backup isn't here. Stay safe, Hex, and get your asses to our coordinates."
The metal on the roof of the van squealed in an ear-piercing pitch as massive claws broke through the steel and began to tear it apart. Fang and Lightning moved back from it and prepared themselves as the roof was slowly peeled away, the shifter turning before they were exposed.
"Don't let him see your injury. Keep your distance. Remember what I said from our training."
Lightning nodded resolutely, balling her fists and throwing out a fierce bolt of electricity the moment Caius' face came into view. It threw the shifter back from the van, far enough for them to get clear and climb out of the vehicle. They found themselves surrounded by dense forest either side of the highway, and while Lightning was relieved that they were at least not being caught out in a populated area, the slew of trees made it harder for their plan. She stared at the dark clouds in the distance and cursed. They were further out than planned.
Caius threw his smoking jacket from his shoulders, charred from the electricity he had been engulfed in. He snarled at the two women standing before him, and pointed a clawed hand at Fang. "You disappoint me, beast. The Haven scum's scent is all over you."
Fang bristled at the comment, curling her lips in anger and baring her teeth. "I won't be a slave to your agenda anymore, Caius. This madness has to stop. I won't let you hurt anyone else."
The Valhalla leader laughed cruelly, his smile malicious. "You don't have a choice, Fang. After all, the seasons have shifted."
There was a strange, choking coldness that fell over Fang's awareness, feeling like something was pulling her down into a black sea. She shuddered and her eyes rolled back in her head before slumping forward, her jaw hanging open in a groan. Lightning took a few cautious steps back, her gaze torn between Fang and Caius.
The larger shifter's grin was manic and his glare possessive of the Pulsian whose mind he held in his grasp. "Is it clear now, Haven scum? She was never yours to begin with. Fang is merely a weapon. My weapon. Come, beast. Take your place by my side, where you belong."
Fang ambled forward, her feet dragging in the dirt. Lightning instinctively reached out for her, her breath hitching as she saw the immediate change in demeanour. She wanted to bring Fang back, but her instincts were telling her to wait. As much as it hurt to do so, Lightning watched on as Fang came to a stop next to Caius. The Pulsian turned to face her with a blank, emotionless expression that sent a lance of hurt through her heart and panic through her mind. It was the same look before Fang had almost eviscerated her.
"Winter is setting in, beast."
Caius' harsh, barking words drew Lightning's fear to the surface. The guttural snarl that erupted from Fang's throat was terrifying, and she anxiously took a few steps back. She needed to hold out a little longer, wait for the right moment.
"Beast. Kill the L'cie. Make her suffer." Caius sneered, his arrogance bleeding through in the tone of his forceful voice. Fang's eyes locked onto Lightning, and the elemental took a deep breath.
"No. Don't listen to him, Fang. Stand down."
For a moment, it didn't look like Lebreau's fail safe had held. The growling quietened, and Fang's posture relaxed. Caius' eyes widened in outrage, snarling at the elemental. "Beast. I said kill the L'cie. Obey my orders you useless animal!"
Fang frowned, her consciousness warring between two voices vying for control. Lightning gave her a pleading look, holding out her hand. "His voice is of no consequence, Fang. Come back to me. Please." She said firmly, watching as the shifter's eyes fluttered, and focused. Another growl burst from Fang's throat, but it was paired with the most subtle of winks, and Lightning braced for whatever stupid thing she was about to do.
"Come, beast. I tire of these games." Caius threatened, turning to face Fang. She rose an eyebrow and shifted her arms, brandishing her claws.
"I really fucking hate when you call me beast, you son of a bitch!" Fang roared, whipping around and taking a swipe at her former mentor's throat. However, her anger had already tipped him off and he leapt backwards, the claws only catching his skin in a shallow slash.
"How is that… Hm. So be it," Caius snarled, holding his throat to check for the severity of the wound. His eyes tracked to the elemental and he bared his teeth ferociously. "I will finish the task you are too weak for."
The Valhalla leader shot forward, claws outstretched to take out Lightning. She cursed and barely managed to side-step him, the twist of her abdomen making her momentarily breathless. Uncharacteristically stumbling from her still healing injuries, Lightning barely stopped herself from tripping over in the dirt.
"Light!" Fang shouted, racing to put herself in front of the elemental like a shield. She raked her claws outward, going for Caius' chest. He grinned viciously as she cut through only air, leaping out of the way with a laugh.
A distant rumble of thunder brought Lightning some relief and hoped they were in range enough for the storm to be drawn towards her. A light spattering of rain began to prickle at her skin, and she sent a silent prayer to the gods that they would listen and send the elements her way. With Fang between her and Caius, any ranged attack was risky, and had a high chance of hitting Fang as well as, or even instead of her intended target. But she had to do this. Lightning had to focus and succeed if she wanted that life with Fang that was promised.
"Sorry in advance.." She muttered, arcing a bolt of electricity from the sky and focused all her attention on it hitting the mark. It struck true, narrowly avoiding Fang in the process. The Pulsian took a few steps backward with a quick chastising glance back at Lightning, the hairs on her arms standing on end from the static.
"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" Fang complained, getting a glare from the pinkette in response. The momentary lapse in concentration was enough of an opening for Caius to kick out at Fang's chest, her shifter reflexes being the only thing that stopped his boot. Her own feet skidded on the asphalt as she caught his foot and threw it to the side, knocking him off balance. Taking the opportunity, she lashed out with her claws, finally connecting with his face.
Caius staggered back and clutched at the gash that mangled his rage-filled expression, momentarily blinded from the blood that dripped into his left eye. The light sprinkle of rain started to get heavier, a sign that the storm was moving in their direction. Lightning smiled and threw out a bolt of electricity, striking him in the chest and sending him further backwards to the edge of the trees that lined the highway.
Fang caught her breath, still snarling at her old mentor as water dripped from the tip of her nose. "Impressive." Caius drawled, getting to his feet and eyeing the two women off. "But it won't be enough to stop the war. Too much has already fallen into place. What will you do when they come for your family in the night?"
"I will protect them with everything I have, and everything I am. But I'll do it without your brand of death. If you won't stand down and come quietly, my last act of violence will be to finish you once and for all."
Caius smiled cruelly, hunching over and digging his feet into the dirt. "Then lose yourself in battle, beast. And rejoice!" He roared, launching himself at breakneck speed past Fang and towards Lightning. The elemental barely had time to twist out of the way, her own abilities and expediency impacted by her injuries.
As much as Lightning had been trying to avoid showing any obvious signs of disadvantage, the angle she dodged with made her still healing abdomen tighten in protest, the wince of pain far too obvious for Caius not to notice.
"Embrace the terror, Haven scum. Your weakness is carved across your face, and I will carve the pain into your flesh." He snarled, stalking towards her with murderous intent. A furious roar erupted behind him, Fang's shift in full, rage-filled form as she leapt for Caius, tackling him to the ground. His teeth snapped at her face as they grappled for control, Lightning taking a few steps back to get clear.
"God dammit I can't get a clear shot in…" Lightning cursed, one hand outstretched to arc electricity at the Valhalla madman while clutching at her stomach with the other. She worried her lip and winced at the terrible idea that shot through her mind, the only thing she really could do to split them up.
Lightning brought both her hands forward and pulled them up, releasing a static discharge that blasted the two apart. Fang went soaring and crashed hard into the ground with a grunt, staring up at the sky in disbelief.
"I can't believe you just fucking shot me!" She yelled out in protest, seeing the elemental's apologetic quick wave from the other side of the highway.
"Sorry sweetie!" Lightning shouted back, immediately regretting the choice of words when Caius' head snapped towards her. His look of disgust was palpable, and he scrambled to his feet and shot towards her. As he got within range, Caius kicked his boot out hard to break her knee. Lightning cursed and made an electric blade with her hand, trying to intercept him before he connected. For once she wasn't fast enough, but had managed to lessen the impact as the electricity burnt across his arm.
Caius spat at her as she went down, balancing her weight on her good knee. "Now I know why she is covered in Haven's scent. Yours. Disgusting that she would fall for someone so weak."
Fang had gotten to her feet just in time to see Lightning go down. She cried out and raced forward, trying to get in between them before Caius attacked again. Already knowing that Lightning wasn't at the top of her game on the field with her still healing injuries, it wouldn't take much from her old mentor to reopen them all over again.
Skidding in front just in time, Fang braced her arms up to shield Lightning from his attack. The elemental leant around her and shot an arc out from her hand, sending him crashing back into the hard tar of the highway. "I. Am not. Weak." Lightning growled, resting a hand against Fang's back for balance and a brief moment of seeking focus as she tried to reach out to the approaching storm, to bring it to them faster.
Fang turned briefly as Caius was still down and struggling to get up, touching Lightning's face gently and carefully with her clawed hand. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" She asked, looking her over for any signs of bleeding or injury beyond that painful looking knee.
"We're almost there, Light. Hold on!" Vanille's voice crackled through the comms device, still thankfully fastened firmly in Lightning's ear. Fang gave her a smile and a thumbs up.
"See? Calvary is on its way and-hgck!" Fang choked as Caius roared and grabbed her by the throat, forcefully throwing her across the highway. She crashed hard against a tree, dazing her. Satisfied the Pulsian was out of the way, Caius turned back and faced Lightning.
"Witness your end, Haven filth." Caius snapped, and moved for the elemental's jugular with his vicious claws.
The world seemed to slow down for Lightning, she could briefly pinpoint every drop of falling rain. She knew it for what it was. The storm was finally within range enough for her to be affected by it. "Not today, asshole." Lightning rasped, throwing everything into a wave of electricity that sent him flying back mere seconds before his claws connected with her throat.
Caius' landed hard near Fang, shaking off the stun of the voltage quickly. An energy blast caught him on the edges of the highway, narrowly missing him but enough to get his attention as two more L'cie ran into the fray. He snarled as he saw Fang almost getting to her feet and kicked her in the head angrily, knocking her back down.
"Hey! Get away from my sister you jerk!" Vanille yelled out, racing over and squaring off against him while Serah went to help Lightning. Caius sneered at the small, petite redhead, giving her a patronising stare.
"You may have many arms, child, but they will not be fast enough to stop me."
Vanille's head tilted to the side, her expression blank as she reached behind her with all six of her arms. Slowly drawing a blade for each hand from a sheath pack on her back, she brandished a variety of katanas and tanto blades, all sharpened to precision deadliness. "Try me." She replied, launching into a whirlwind of bladed chaos, her polymelic reflexes allowing rapid movements. Her weapons caught Caius on the chest a few times before he managed to get free, an angry roar echoing across the forest.
With Caius momentarily distracted, Lightning got to her feet with Serah's help and gave a tight smile. "Nice to have you join the party." She drawled, nodding towards the violent shifter. "Keep him busy, I need to check on Fang."
Lightning zipped over to Fang, her speed hampered by the limp of her rapidly swelling knee. The storm kept seeping into her awareness and threatening to steal her focus. It made electricity crackle along her skin and her movements much more erratic. As she came to a stumbling halt at Fang's side, the shifter was just regaining composure.
"I want a hot bath. And a beer. And nice music. And candles. Candles are romantic. And you. All of those things." Fang complained, shaking off the dazed, woozy feeling as Lightning helped her to her feet.
"Well get up then, lazy. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can sort our evening out."
Fang peered at the elemental and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not lazy. I'm injured. And you're… Looking a little more zappy than usual? What's going on with your eyes? They're all… Glowy and shit."
Lightning shrugged as Caius roared in anger behind them. "Hopefully something that'll help. Serah! Take him out!" She yelled out, getting her sister's attention. An energy blast beamed out from Serah's hands, aimed square at Caius' chest. He only just managed to dodge out of the way, the flare setting fire to a tree behind him.
"She said to hit him, Serah, not start a forest fire…" Vanille muttered, staying by her friend's side. Serah glared at her and pouted.
"I… Shut up Vanille."
Caius snarled, drawing everyone's focus towards him as he tore his shirt from his chest. "Foolish, weak, pathetic L'cie. I grow weary of this pointless battle. Let me show you your fate."
His skin darkened, similar patterns to Fang's other form branching across his chest in deep purple and gold hues. From his shoulder blades, two additional arms grew out, with large deep blue hands tipped with jagged, black claws. Where Fang's shifted form was more humanoid in appearance, Caius' was more draconic, sets of bladed horns jutting from his head as his face elongated.
"What. The hell." Lightning exclaimed, taking a few nervous steps back as the ear-splitting roar shook the trees around them. Fang joined her, motioning for Vanille and Serah to do the same. "Have you ever… Seen him like this?"
"Never. This is not good, Light. This is definitely not good."
Caius whipped forward, faster than they'd seen him move. He grabbed Vanille by the wrist and spun, flinging her towards Serah. Only just barely managing to get out of the way by sheer luck, Vanille shot past them and crashed into the trees, landing roughly on the ground.
"Shit. Serah keep your distance from him!" Lightning yelled out as Fang rushed forward, raging at the sight of anyone bringing Vanille harm. She split his abdomen with a devastating slash of claws. He grunted from the pain and doubled over, holding his stomach with two hands while the larger ones protruding from his back attempted to fend her off.
Keeping out of the fray for the moment, Lightning held back and shivered at the pressure from the storm starting to build. "Fang! Get out of the way!" She yelled out, shunting both her hands forward with an incredible flurry of electricity pouring from her hands in a crackling arc of energy.
The element coursing through her was intoxicating, and Lightning struggled not to give into it. As Fang had correctly assumed when they'd first met, elemental-based L'cie were always in constant fight and flow with their abilities, and this was no exception. If she wasn't careful, she could take enough of the storm into her to burn her from the inside out.
The beam struck Caius in the chest and Serah followed up with a large energy bomb, detonating it right on him. It launched him a distance into the trees, the cracking of branches echoing amidst the forest as he went down. The reptilian roar sounded weaker, the blood and wounds covering the Valhalla devout's body seeming to finally start to take a toll.
Vanille jogged up with annoyed look on her face, panting from the exertion. She looked a little bruised and battered and was missing a few of her weapons, but she was mostly ok. "This sucks. I want ice cream after this." She complained, and Lightning rolled her eyes at the similarity between the Pulsian women.
"Sisters. Honestly." She muttered, her spine straightening as a lightning strike hit the ground about a mile away. The thunder was deafening, and yet she longed to hear it again.
A few trees began to fall in the forest near where Caius had landed, his fury being taken out on the trees surrounding him. Fang groaned and rolled her shoulders, stretching out the aches that had already long since started to set in. Her head still pounded, her muscles screamed for rest, but there would be no rest until Caius was stopped or they were dead. Not preferring the latter, she sighed and flexed her claws.
"The bastard doesn't seem to want to slow down. Any ideas?" Fang asked. She heard a grunt of exertion from Caius' direction, and didn't have enough time to move as a thick, jagged branch shot towards her like a spear. It impaled her through the shoulder and sent her crashing to the ground with an agonized scream.
"Fang!" Lightning cried out, rushing to the shifter's side to stem the bleeding. "Van, a little help, please!" As Vanille raced over, Lightning spared a quick glance at her and Serah. The younger Farron was throwing out a flurry of energy explosions to keep him back, but the shifter was rapidly gaining ground.
Lightning was in no shape to protect either of them. And with Fang out… They were running out of options and Caius didn't seem to be slowing down. The storm crackled overhead and sent a course of energy surging through her. Her back arched from the sensation, and she let out a gasp.
"What did it feel like?"
"I felt like I was able to touch the sky."
One of the first conversations that occurred when Fang first came to the Haven rattled through her mind as another bolt lit up the sky overhead. She looked back down at the Pulsian and touched her face gently, careful not to let any of the arcing electricity along her skin go anywhere near her. "I love you. No matter what happens. Serah, Vanille, get Fang out of here and clear some distance. Make sure Rygdea and the driver are clear of the van as well."
Vanille narrowed her eyes and Serah looked concerned. "Sis, what are you planning on doing?" Lightning looked up to the sky and balled her fists.
"Becoming the storm. Get clear. Now."
Fang struggled as the other two helped her up, weakly trying to fend them off. "N-no Light, I won't leave you. It's too dangerous." She said quietly, her voice strained and the toll of the injury apparent.
"Trust me, my love." Lightning gave her a sad smile and tapped on the communicator in ear. "Diabolos? Do you read me?"
"Y-yeah I read you. What do you need?"
"Extraction for the others, a destination for me." Lightning replied, staring at Fang's face and committing it to memory. She was only going to get one shot at this, and there was a lot at stake. Fang's expression turned from outrage to grief as the black mist surrounded them as Hope teleported them all away.
Caius emerged from the forest and stalked across the highway, a large tree bough in each of his enormous hands. "You are a foolish child to leave yourself alone and exposed like this."
Lightning gave a shrug and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the stupid plan she was about to go through. "You know what they say, Caius. You should never stand out in the open in a storm." Hope's small form flitted into view and grabbed onto Lightning by the wrist, keeping close and out of the Valhalla leader's reach.
"Where are we going?" He asked, his eyes widening as Lightning gave him a lop-sided grin and pointed to the sky.
"Up. Make sure you're clear too." She said, feeling the lurch and crawling feeling on her skin as she was suddenly displaced. Cold air rushed at her face and the rain turned into tiny painful pricks against her skin as she found herself in freefall alongside of the teleporter. "Get out of here, Hope! If this doesn't work… Be safe, and be well! Keep your family together!" Lightning shouted over the roar of passing air.
The yellow eyes searched her face for a moment, before Hope closed his eyes and looked away. Hope vanished in a puff of mist, leaving Lightning alone and falling amongst the clouds. She reached out with her mind and called the storm towards her, the clouds swirling and her descent slowing. Ever since her powers manifested, Lightning had wondered what it would be like to become the storm itself. Now she was going to have the opportunity to find out.
Inhaling sharply, Lightning opened herself up to the elements and cried out in pain as the electrical charge quickly became overwhelming. White light shot from her eyes and lit up her skin to the point of where she could see all the individual veins and arteries underneath. Sparing a thought for those she loved and wanted to protect at all costs, she focused on her breathing and allowed the storm to consume her.
The times she had stood out in fields, the day at the lighthouse with Fang, couldn't compare to the way the power moved through her as she continued to draw more of it in. She wondered if there was a limit, if she would turn to ash before too long. When Lightning glanced down at herself, she couldn't see any of her body anymore. It was all too bright. As much as the addicting feeling made her want to stay in the skies forever, Fang wasn't up here with her. The thought pulled her from her intoxicated revelry in her element and she tilted herself to face the world far below.
With a yell that burst from her lungs like a crack of thunder, Lightning shot towards the ground at an incredible speed, building all the power she could up behind her hands and forcing them forward. There was the briefest moment of panic on Caius' face as he rapidly came into view, before she struck the earth. The impact set off a massive explosion of electrical energy that sparked along the treetops and rippled the asphalt of the highway, felling trees and ripping grass from the roots.
All Lightning could see however, was blackness.