Chapter 6: Christmas, snow and a bitter taste?
Christmas was in three days, and everyone was getting pretty excited, even if there hadn't been any snow yet. Everyone had met Mike, Johannes' nefew and he was a stoic young man. He was around Hope's age, but he reminded everyone of Lightning at that age. Even Lightning could see it, but only Lumina knew why he was like that. Lumina and Johannes, at least.
"So, who's going to be coming?" Johannes asked, all of them sat in the living room, watching some tv.
"Well, all of us, for one." Vanille beamed. "Then there's Chocoline, Lebreau.."
"What about Alyssa?" Lightning asked Hope.
"Er, no. I was going to ask, but she said something about being excited since her friends were taking her on holiday with them for christmas and the new years thing." Hope replied. And yes, Johannes did have to explain new years to them, too. Having to explain these things to them had made him more and more curious about where they were from, but he didn't ask. He was going to wait until they'd finally tell him their story.
"That's a shame, isn't it?" Lumina pursed her lips, pretending to sound dissapointed, but it was painfully obvious.
"Not really" Vanille smiled. "Less people to cook for. We're going to be busy, girls." Vanille had said that on purpose, to avoid Lumina getting scolded by Serah again. While Vanille didn't agree with Lumina's cruel words towards Alyssa, she couldn't help but dislike her either. Not just because of what she did to Serah and Noel; she forgave that since it wasn't her place to judge to begin with. But because Vanille noticed Alyssa give Lumina a few nasty glares every now and then. Lumina was completely unaware of this, but Vanille knew exactly what was going on in that girl's head.
"And I'm sure it'll be delicious" Fang threw an arm over Vanille's shoulder, clearly a little drunk from the drink she had been drinking.
"Oh, Fang.." Vanille waved a hand in front of her face. "Your breath smells terrible!"
"That's a lot of people, regardless." Mike spoke up, his arms folded across his chest. "Do I really have to get cramped in with a bunch of people I hardly know?"
"Yes. It'll be fun, Mike." Johannes frowned. "Now don't be so rude."
"Tch, whatever. Just don't sit me next to the big guys." He nodded towards Snow, who was lost in conversation with Sazh about something stupid.
"Now that's enough." Serah frowned. "There will be plenty of room, so stop complaining. Jeez, you sound just like my sister."
"Hey" Lightning shot Serah a glare.
"Well it's true!" She huffed. Both Mike and Lightning turned their glances away, thier arms crossed.
"Whatever.." They both said, making everyone laugh at them.
In the next couple days, everyone was getting ready, then Christmas finally came. They exchanged their gifts and were all in high spirits. Even Lightning and Mike were smiling.
Even dinner went well. The three girls slaved away in the kitchen, and they did not dissapoint. Chocolina had almost revealed their secret to Johannes when it came to the meat, but luckily they dodge the bullet.
"Me? Eat chicken? I could never eat another animal like that. No, no, no. I was once a cute little chick, you know. Eating my distant cousins? How unthinkable!"
"What did she just say?" Johannes raised an eyebrow, staring at the bubbly woman in shock.
"Er, don't mind her. She believes in the whole 'reincarnation' thing. She things she was a bird in her past life and so, she's a vegiterian.." Snow covered, laughing nervously. Lucky for them, Johannes baught the story.
It wasn't long before they were all in bed, fast asleep. The next day, the cooks took it easy while everyone else cleaned up. They did offer to help, except Lumina, of course, but everyone refused to let them since they had worked so hard the previous day.
The next week, it was finally new years eve and everyone was in town to watch the fireworks show at midnight.
"It's so cold" Vanille cried, jogging on the spot to warm herself up.
"I told you to bring an coat" Fang chuckled, throwing her jacket over Vanille's shoulders.
"No, you'll get cold!" Vanille was about to give the jacket back, but Fang refused it.
"I don't feel the cold, so use it." Vanille knew she couldn't win with Fang, so with a huff, she put the jacket on and felt it's warmth. She felt bad for Fang, but she knew she'd be okay. It was Fang, after all. That woman was built like a worrior, even here.
"How much longer?" Lumina began to complained "I'm tired."
"Not long now. The countdown will start soon." Johannes chuckled, ruffling the young girl's hair.
"I'm a little dissapointed there hasn't been any snow though." Serah sighed. "Even though it's so cold."
"Yeah, the snow can be late sometimes. But it's no biggie, so don't worry. It'll come" Johannes reassured.
"5...4...3" The countdown started, and everyone joined in as the big clock on the tower was seconds away from midnight. " 2...1...happy new year!" Everyone cheered and fireworks flew off into the air, banging and popping in the sky and lighting it up with colour.
"Woah.." they awed, their eyes fixed on the beautiful decorations that continued to echo for miles.
"You know, Serah" Snow whispered, hugging Serah from behind. "It's just like back in Bodhum, the night I proposed." He chuckled.
"Yeah.." Serah nodded in response. She hadn't really thought of that night at all, but when she suddenly recalled it, she realised how far she had come since then.
"Next year, I'm going to propose to you, Serah. We'll do it properly, in this world. We'll make it real." He smiled, squeezing Serah close.
"Snow..do you think we'll still be together by then?" She turned, facing him.
"What do you mean? Of course I do." He chuckled. "I wanna be with you, Serah, and nothing will stop me."
"Yeah, I guess so. It's just...things can change so much in a year, you know?" She turned around again, turning her gaze up to the sky.
"Yeah, I know. For someone who's traveled the timeline, you know all about that."
Over the last couple of months, Serah had tried hard to relight the fire for her relationship with Snow. But she had really started to believe it was never there to begin with. She was blinded by reality, and without realising it, she was lying to herself. Now she knew, but she didn't know how to say it. But she was going to wait for a while, just to see if maybe, just maybe, she could fall in love with him.
A few days passed, and everyone was enjoying their last week off before work and school started again. They were on their way back from the bar when small, white things began to fall from the sky.
"What's this?" Lumina blinked, watching a piece of the wonder fall into the palm of her gloved hand, where it melted instantly. "Woah!" She gasped.
"Ah, would you look at that, it's snowing." Johannes chuckled, looking around.
"This is snow?" Vanille beamed, jumping around in it as it continued to fall from the sky. Their clothing and hair was soon decorated with the soft snow that danced all around them, landing on the ground to set.
"Kinda takes the manliness out of my name, don't it?" Snow rubbed the back of his head.
"Snow, I don't think there ever was any manliness to your name." Lightning shook her head, smirking a little. It was entertaining for her to see Snow look so dissapointed about it. But they had also learnt, thanks to Johannes, that Snow was a strange name to begin with. 'a pet name' as he called it. He also made fun of Hope's name a few times, saying it was a girl's name. He had picked at everyone's unusual names, except Serah's and Fang's, simply because Fang would rip his head off if he said anything and Serah's was normal. But then again, his youngest newfew did have a rather unusual name, too.
"Hey, I just thought of something.." Johannes chuckled. "Yuki means snow in Japanese, so would that mean you both share the same name?"
"Oh, really?" Lightning smirked. "But it's cute for him. It suits him."
"That's true, but why did your sister name him yuki? I mean, isn't it a little strange?" Serah asked. Johannes thought for a moment before finally replying.
"You know, I never really had the chance to ask her, but I'm sure it had something to do with the fact it was snowing when he was born and my sister was into that kind of thing"
"Sounds nice, actually" Lightning nodded. "But then, wouldn't that mean both their birthdays are coming up?"
"Mine's already been." Mike said. "But since I wasn't able to get here for then, we're celebrating it now."
"Huh!? That's terrible! We haven't got you anything.." Serah lowered her head.
"Don't worry. Like I'd accept gifts from a bunch of people I hardly know, anyway. And it's ont likely any of you will be in my uncles life for long either." He said coldly.
"Mike!" Johannes frowned.
""What? I'm just saying the truth. Anyway, I don't like making a fuss over the stupid day I was born."
"The celebration of your birth is not a 'stupid' day, got it?" Serah huffed. "I don't care if we're strangers, either. We're here now, and I don't think any of us plan on not being around, so get used to it, Mr!" Mike was silent as Serah continued to lecture him, but it was hard to tell if it was sinking in or just winding him up more. If he was anything like Lightning, which he was, it wasn't going to make a difference to him. "Your birth is a time for happiness and life."
Lumina stepped up, grabbing Serah's arm gently and shaking her head, telling Serah it was enough. Normally, Lumina would sit back and watch the whole thing blow up, but this time, she decided to be the one to stop it. She knew the story, after all. She knew why Mike didn't celebrate it and why Mike was so distant with everyone, not letting anyone get close to him. Not just because of Johannes' story, but because Lumina was once a part of Lightning. She knew what it was like. She knew he was like Lightning in a lot of ways, and so she could understand him in her own, weird way. But it wasn't her place to say, since she promised Johannes.
"Let's just get home, kay? I'm super tired." Lumina dragged Serah along with her, leading the way back home without giving anyone a chance to speak or argue.
Everyone pretty much went straight to bed after that, each with their own thoughts and problems. But they had something to look forward to now; the spa trip. Even if it was three months away, they were going to have something to make the days come quicker.
Of course they still had a week to relax with. They played in the snow until it had all melted away, and even after trying to persuade Mike to let them throw him a small party, he refused. They decided to try again next year, but for now, they were going to give Yuki a good birthday party. He was going to be turning eight tomorrow.
"Are you excited?" Serah asked, smiling at him. She had spent the last couple days practicing to make him a great birthday cake. She was pretty proud of it, but he wasn't aloud to see it until tomorrow.
"Yeah." Yuki nodded. He had opened up a little more in the last couple weeks. He would now talk to Serah more and often stuck to her like glue. "But Mike's going home after, too."
"Will you miss him, Yuki?" Yuki's head hung low and he nodded a few times.
"I always miss him."
"Yuki.." Serah felt her heart break into a million pieces, and all she could do was hug the young boy close. "I know how you feel."
"How so?" Serah let him free from her hug and he looked up at her with curious eyes.
"Well, when me and my sister were very young, our parents died. Lightning had to grow up fast, and she wasn't around much for a long time. I felt very lonely and sad because I missed my big sister and needed her to be with me." Serah smiled gently.
"You're parents died, too?"
"I thought your mum was still alive, Yuki?" Serah tilted her head to the side a little.
"Our mummy is alive, but our daddy died a long time ago. But my mummy's parents died when her and uncle were about your age." His words shocked Serah, making her gasp a little.
"Is that true? Johannes lost his parents?"
"Yes." Yuki nodded. "Didn't you know?"
"No, he never said anything."
"Then it's probably best you forgot it, ok? It took a lot for him to move on, mummy said. So making him recall it will hurt him."
"Yuki..."
"Mummy told Mike about it, and Mike told me. He said that uncle fell bad back then. Mummy said she was scared for him because it was like a black hole just swallowed him up, especially after..no, I shouldn't say." Yuki lowered his head. "I'm sorry...I've said too much." He began to tear up. "Please forget I said anything, Serah."
"Y-Yuki? Don't cry." Serah tried to comfort him, but her mind was racing with thoughts. Why had Johannes never told her something like that? It was then that she realised that she really didn't know Johannes at all. He had a past that was burried under smiles and kidness. A past that cut deep into his soul.
Yuki's birthday soon came by, and he was over the moon with the cake Serah had made for him. Everyone had baught him nice gifts, and Johannes was more than greatful. By the end of the day, Yuki was fast asleep and everyone could finally relax and enjoy the last day off before work started, but even that flew by.
"Hey, good to see you again, Farron. How was your last week?" Lebreau greeted Lightning as she walked through the door in her uniform.
"It was good. You?" Lightning smiled, making her way behind the bar with Lebreau.
"Yeah, it was great"
Meanwhile, Vanille and Serah were also enjoying their fresh start after their break, along with Snow and Fang.
"It's good to have you back, Fang." One of the guys she worked with chuckled.
"Yep, it's good to be back. I've missed these punching bags." She smirked, throwing a punch into the bag.
"Don't forget about me, Fang." A woman smirked, stepping into the room. She had long-ish, blonde hair and deep, green eyes. She was wearing a training outfit with a towel hanging over her shoulders.
"Don't worry, I can't forget you that easily." Fang chuckled.
"Good. I'd have to really work my way to the top if you did." She leaned in close to Fang, biting her lip and winked suggestively.
"Oh, I don't know. You could still do that." Fang winked back.
"Come on, ladies. In your own time." The man chuckled. "Sure, girl on girl is great, but maybe after work hours, when I'll have time to-"
"Hey, we're not getting into that." The woman waved a hand. "Jeez, guys are such pigs."
"Aw, come on. I would be the same if two girls were about to make out in front of me." Fang chuckled. "We'll just have to go to our usual place after work, okay?"
"Alright" The woman giggled. Fang had been seeing Louise for a while now. The two had hit it off from day one, and they both turned out to like girls. Fang never really had to work late, she just wanted to spend time with Louise without having to explaine it to everyone else and have them on her case. Also, she didn't want to see how Vanille would react. Would Vanille be happy for her? Or would she be disgusted that Fang liked women? Would Vanille be hurt? Or would she even care at all? It kept Fang awake at night, and it frustraited her enough to make her punch walls. She had blamed her ingured hands on training a lot though, just so she didn't worry anyone. Of course, Vanille still took care of her, and Fang couldn't help but fall in love with her.
But Vanille was Vanille. There was no way Vanille would feel the same, so Fang did her best to make a distance between them for a while, but it was no use. Instead, she met her work partner, Louise. She took her mind off Vanille and the lingering thoughts daily, and Fang adored her pressence for that. Louise was Fang's new focus, and eventually, she'd open up to her friends about it, but for now, Louise was nothing but a destraction from her real feelings for Vanille.
"Hey, Lumina, I need to use the boys room a second, so wait here for me." Hope said, running off to the toilets and leaving Lumina in the hallway. She let out a sigh and checked the time. They still had a while to spare until class started, but even so, she just wished she could go back to bed.
"Lumina?" A familier voice called out, snapping Lumina from her thoughts. She turned around to see someone she really didn't want to see: Alyssa.
"Alyssa? Fancy seeing you here." Lumina said smugly. "If it's Hope you're after, he's not here right now."
"That's alright, since I go here anyway. I was moved into your class!" She beamed, yet there was a devious grin on her face, as if she was warding Lumina off. Lumina, however, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Lumina was the queen of bitching people out. She could flick Alyssa away with one simple sentance, but she wanted to see how long it would play out.
"Oh, I wonder why?" Lumina's voice dripped with sarcasm, making Alyssa's devious smile twist with bitterness. "I bet it has nothing to do with wanting to be with Hope."
"Nope, not at all" Alyssa denied. "I was just so interested by this course after hearing him talk about it 24/7 that I switched. Besides, there's no doubt that you'd be dragging him down and stuff, so someone has to be there to help him out with you." And there it was, the bitchy comment Lumina was waiting for.
"Right, right. I'm bringing him down. I'm the nasty, fire breathing dragon that's got your prince all locked up and won't let you have him. That about right?" Lumina smirked. "Or am I some sort of demon that's seduced him and stolen him from you, so you've come to take him back?" Lumina let out a small laugh, as if she found Alyssa's pressence pathetic. "Really, you need to let the boy breathe"
"Well, who's the one with the reputation for being the devious little witch that goes out of her way to make everyone's life hell?" Alyssa grinned smugly.
"One: it's demon, not a witch. Two: I went out of my way to make things difficult for Lightning. I don't care for people like you. And who's the one who went behind everyone's back to help Caius and lure Serah and Noel into a trap? Well that certainly wasn't me." Lumina's voice continued to ring with a bitter innocence, making it harder for Alyssa to resist the urge to smack her.
"Would Hope and the other's really be so accepting of me if they still held that against me?" Alyssa countered. "You've still shown to have not changed, so if anything, the odds are not on your side."
"Oh, no. She's got the upper hand on something I don't care about. What will I do?" Lumina pretended to act scared, her voice trembling with a fake worry. "Please, you'll have to try harder than that. Actually, I'm a little dissappointed."
"You think you're some sort of princess, don't you? Well news flash" Alyssa scowled. "We're not in that world anymore, so you don't have the power of chaos to save you when I slap you, got it? You keep out of my way, and I'll make it easy for you. But if you continue to make my life hard, you'll be sorry."
"Ouch, how low." Lumina smirked. "Threatening to slap me? That's pathetic."
"That's rich, coming from the girl who isn't even a person." Alyssa laughed smugly. "You were made from Lightning's rejected emotions as a vessel for Serah's soul. Literally, all you were was a vessel for someone else. Even then, you were rejected. You were rejected from the person you spawned from. That's pathetic." Alyssa's words cut Lumina, but Lumina kept a smirk on her face.
"Right, but at least I'm not some attention whore who wants to ride on her directors dick." Lumina let her anger get ahead of her, which she hadn't done before and the words spilled out before she knew what she had said.
"Oh, looks like even you have a limit." Alyssa smirked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that too much for you? Does the truth sting that bad?"
"You know what-?" Just then Hope walked over and Alyssa held her tongue.
"Oh, hey, Alyssa." Hope smiled.
"Hey, Hope. I was just telling Lumina about how I exchanged to your class." She put on a big, fake smile. It make Lumina cringe at how obvious it was, but Lumina wanted to push it a little more.
"No we weren't" Lumina said innocently. "You were about to say something until Hope came over. 'you know what-?' and then you cut off." Hope looked at Alyssa, along with Lumina, who was smirking smugly.
"Er..you know what? This is going to be great. Just us three hanging out in class together." She laughed, but it was clearly killing her to have to say that. Score one to Lumina.
Lumina knew she won this round, but she also knew this was only the beginning. Now she had seen Alyssa's true colours, her true motives. Lumina could feel the hate growing from the pit of her stomach. The gut feelings had proven true, but who would believe her? Who would believe this girl who had 'changed' by everyone else's rules, was a devious little rat? Lightning, maybe. But what good would Lightning do in this situation?
AN: I am guilty of disliking Alyssa, so yeah. I made her a huge bitch that's out to ruin Lumina's life simply because Lumina is close to Hope. But can you really think she isn't the type anyway? And yes, Fang has been being naughty this whole time.