Archive of Our Own ^beta

The forest was quiet, at least when compared with the bustle and frenetic activity of New Bodhum. While Fang did appreciate the new signs of life, especially compared to the deserted husk Gran Pulse had been, sometimes all the buzz got… overwhelming. She paused in her walk along the trail she'd picked out through the forest, listening to the sound of the wind through the canopy above and occasional bird song.

There was an undeniable calming element to nature - she'd always felt that way. It loosened the knot of tension deep in her chest, and reminded her of simpler times. Out here, it was easier to take things as they came, to face the future one day at a time. Or it felt that way, anyhow. She snorted to herself - when had she gotten so sappy? She shook her head, a trifle disgusted with herself, before continuing on to check her snare lines.

Fang had been out in the warm forest for close to an hour when she twitched, her attention suddenly drawn back the way she'd come. Something had shifted in the natural ambient sound of the forest - the rustle of the canopy hadn't changed, but the birds… She drew her lance from the straps on her back, unwilling to take a chance. Not with her new status as "ordinary human" still yet to be tested…

The crack of twigs snapping caught her attention, the dense scrub moving as something advanced through it. Fang's grasp on her lance tightened, and she sank into a ready stance. Whatever was back there sounded big, and if it was edible, then she'd ensure it was New Bodhum's lucky day.

That was when Snow burst through undergrowth, all ungainly, cautionless blundering. Fang bit back a creative curse of her own - the blockhead was going to scare off whatever game was nearby with all the sound he was making. The damage was done, she told herself. There was no point in getting nasty about it.

Fang still shot him a dark, meaningful look as she shouldered her lance, hoping he'd get the point. It being Snow, he ignored it entirely.

"There you are!" Snow exclaimed, his expression elated as he brushed some dried grevillea fronds from his coat. "Vanille said you'd gone east, had no idea you'd be out this far or I might have just waited."

Fang snorted, strangling her immediate urge to retort, and exchanging it for something a more even-tempered. "If this is about those pelts Biggs messed up yesterday, tell him I don't really care -" she frowned, watching Snow draw something from his coat pocket. "So what are those?"

Snow held up a single ticket, his grin widening several notches, practically bright enough to dim the sun. "Oh, only the most fun ever."

Coming from Snow, that was quite the compliment. Fang accepted the ticket from him without a word, running a critical eye over the hand-written details.

"'Paintballing'?" Fang questioned, handing the ticket back to Snow with a shake of her head. The name alone raised some... interesting mental images. "You're gonna need to explain this one to me."

Snow laughed, though to Fang's ears it sounded somewhat unbelieving. "You with the paintballing, Noel with the theme parks... do you Pulsians actually know how to have fun? Because I'm just saying."

Fang shot him a wide, sharp grin that would have sent a Behemoth cowering. "I'm a hunter by choice, Snow. I somewhat doubt you'd be appreciating my idea of 'fun'."

Snow just grinned back. Trust him to have all the self-preservation of a pack of cryohedrons.

"Well, as the dashing, fearless leader of Team NORA -" Snow actually stopped to pretend to buff his nails on the front of his coat. "I scored us all tickets to the grand opening of Bael's Paintballing Arena. Figured we needed a break, given how busy things have been around here lately."

"How thoughtful," Fang drawled, before waving a lazy hand. Her curiosity always did get the better of her. "Go on then. Convince me."

Fang's feeling of reluctance didn't much improve as Snow explained the concept and practicalities of the whole paintballing... idea. She hesitated to even concede it was a game - what kind of game involved people shooting at one another for fun?

When the slew of energetic, somewhat roundabout explanations finally ended and Snow stopped to breathe, Fang held up a hand. She had a serious headache developing between her eyes already, and she yearned for the silence Snow had so blithely shattered. She'd end the matter quickly, she decided.

"I've been in a war, I've been a l'Cie, I've cracked Cocoon and then almost did it again," Fang told him, her voice sharp. "I'm not sure this paintballing thing is going to give me my kicks."

Oddly enough, Snow didn't look disappointed by the way she'd dismissed the entire activity - if anything, he looked thoughtful.

"You know, that's almost exactly what Light said," he said, rubbing his chin and shooting her a considering look. "Of course, she talked more about eternal cycles of battle, hearts of Chaos and incompetent goddesses, but you know. Serah convinced her anyway. She's pretty great at that."

That brought all of Fang's expectations of the conversation to a screeching half, and she stared at him.

"Wait. You're telling me that Lightning is playing along?" She looked back down to the ticket still in Snow's gloved hand. It had suddenly earned itself her full attention. She shook her head, meeting Snow's gaze again and clearing her throat, entirely too aware of how eager she'd sounded. "Well, I suppose if she's willing to settle for something less likely to end the world, I'm in too."

Based on his immediate reaction, she might as well have told Snow the summer solstice was coming early this year.

"Awesome. With you, we've got a full eight for tomorrow!" He grinned, slapping the ticket back into Fang's hand with an exhausting level of energy. "You are not gonna regret this one, hero's oath!"

"Thanks," Fang replied, still somewhat uncertain as she looked back down to the fragile paper in her hand. Lost in her own thoughts, she barely registered him bidding her goodbye, and only just remembered to raise her lance in farewell as he headed back the way he'd arrived.

Her reaction had... surprised her, when Snow had mentioned Lightning would take part in paintballing. She hadn't seen the woman in the months since she and Vanille had woken up from crystal stasis. That, of course, had been Lightning's doing. She'd known it even then, some sort of reward from the gods when the danger was over and Caius defeated.

Lightning had been the first thing Fang had seen when she'd been dragged back from the stillness of stasis. She'd been dressed in some strange armour, and while she hadn't aged, there had been something about her that screamed change.

No matter how many times Fang had asked after Lightning since then, she'd seen neither hide nor hair of her around New Bodhum. Maybe the look of incredible weight behind Lightning's eyes worried her.

It does. Who are you trying to fool, Fang she asked herself.

She held up the ticket to eye level, considering it. As dubious as she found the whole concept, this paintballing activity would apparently give her a chance to finally see Lightning. She was not about to waste it.

No matter how many times Lightning had visited the place in both her dreams and paradoxes, seeing the Team NORA base of operations was nothing short of unsettling. She remembered friends, family, Serah, all living and dying in this beachside home, all in a thousand different ways. All on the whims of gods and fate, while Lightning herself had been helpless to do anything more than watch.

The spacious house always looked the same, at least in the early years following the Fall, all wide-flung doors and warm, welcoming decor. She'd seen this township - New Bodhum - grow, she'd witnessed it fall by monsters, catastrophe, and to slow, steady progress. The fact of the matter was that Lightning had seen so many things, that it was impossible not to find herself sucked down a labyrinth of "what-ifs" and "maybes". It corroded her sense of self, her purpose, so that even something as simple as a beachhouse under the sun left her feeling cold and almost… afraid.

As if it'll all come crashing down in a moment. Just as I've seen it happen before.

Lightning had promised Serah that she'd try, though, and she wasn't in the business of denying her sister anything - not after the hell they'd both been through. If Serah wanted her to come back, then Lightning would be happy to comply. Her feelings on the matter were irrelevant - she could handle paintballing for a day.

Her resolve didn't prevent her from lingering, uncertain, outside Snow and Serah's home. If it hadn't been so pathetic, Lightning might have laughed at herself.

I'm fine with an eternity of battle with a guardian of dubious sanity, yet the idea of small talk with my sister and her fiance - who is also my friend - makes me quake in my boots? Please. I need to grow the hell up and just… keep moving forward. Lightning shook her head, weary of her inner conflict with her past as Etro's champion and new her role on Gran Pulse. Refusing to be defeated by the spectre of her own… difficulties, she climbed the steps to Serah and Snow's house and rapped her knuckles sharply on the doorframe.

Snow wasn't home, of course. His mornings these days were dedicated to monster eradication within the territory claimed by New Bodhum, but Serah was a very different story. Given it was a weekend, she wouldn't need to have risen early to hold classes for the children of the growing town, and that could only mean one thing. Lightning sighed, cocking her head as she listened to the sound of feverish movement and bitten-off curses on the other side of the closed bedroom door.

Serah might have saved all of time, but that did not stop her from sleeping in until noon.

There were a few beats of silence before Serah exploded out the door in a tornado of frenzied activity - tying her hair up, pulling on her jeans and shrugging into her jacket. Lightning couldn't help but feel somewhat impressed by her sister's attempts at multitasking, and it was a sight refreshingly reminiscent of of those years before the horrors of the Purge and the isolated eternity beyond the Fall. The familiarity was a timely reminder that the role Lightning had been forced into by Etro was not the sum of her being, and the ever-present twist of anxiety in her stomach began to relax.

Maybe it'll be better, this time around.

Serah lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Lightning's shoulders in a crushing, full-body hug. As she allowed herself to carefully squeeze Serah back, Lightning supposed she should just be grateful her sister was neither tall enough nor strong enough to pick her up and swing her around as Snow did.

"It's about time you woke up," Lightning told Serah, her voice dry, and then she paused. She'd said much the same to Fang, all those months ago at the pillar, when she'd freed her old friends from their fate. The months she'd spent in the silence of the wilderness had flown - had it really been so long since she'd seen them? Any of them?

"I know you said you'd be here, but I wasn't sure." Serah's smile spoke volumes of how she felt about the kept promise, and she held Lightning out at arm's length, her blue eyes searching. "You look…"

Tired. Fractured. Uncertain, Lightning's mind supplied, and she carefully pulled away from Serah's grasp. She cast an eye over the Team NORA headquarters, feigning interest in a building she'd seen thousands of times before.

"I'm not sure how long I'll stay," Lightning said into the lingering, uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them. She didn't need to be watching Serah's expression to know that she'd disappointed her sister yet again.

After the mess with Caius had been resolved - and Lightning would not have wished that miserable fate on her worst enemy - Serah and Noel had led her by the hand back through the gateways to New Bodhum, 3AF. The paradoxes had been resolved, the apocalypse with the Atlas war machines averted, the Second Fall cancelled. Lightning's family had been restored, all of them smiling…

Lightning had looked around at them, and while she'd been happy - unbearably so - it hadn't felt real. She'd spent eons wishing for that ending, for that second chance at life no matter what sins she'd committed, but that was the catch. She'd spent all that time alone, the guardian of a silent goddess of the dead, with no other company than Caius. This reality, this new beginning… it felt scrambled, surreal, like this world was no longer her home and she had no place in it.

From all those smiles, from the look of relief on Serah's face, the way they'd talked of normalcy, routine, reintegration... they'd considered her to be home, as though she'd never need to leave again.

The expectation suddenly heaped on her shoulders had felt strangling.

Her battles with Caius, her servitude to a greater, necessary good had defined her for so long. She'd asked herself, sitting apart from all the bonfire revelry, watching Serah, Noel, Team NORA, Hope and Sazh all celebrate yet another victory.

Who was she, without those roles? What was she now meant to become?

No matter her doubts, Lightning had been reluctant to shatter Serah's hopes for the future, and had put any further self-reflection on hold. Instead, she'd fixed her sights on Cocoon and the crystal pillar that held it suspended in the night skies. She'd launched herself into her next task, fixing her gaze on her next goal without bearing to pause, breathe, consider. It had been logical, it had been something she'd known that Serah and Snow wouldn't argue. Fang and Vanille had needed saving, had deserved their second chance under the sun just as much as Lightning, and when it came to Etro, Lightning was the one with the bargaining power.

When that task had been over, though, Lightning had been forced to confront reality. The resulting argument with Serah and Snow had been emotionally devastating, and she'd left for the untamed wilderness and peace of Gran Pulse in an attempt to gain some perspective.

As Serah had looked at her - really looked - she'd seen the answer to the question she'd been too afraid to ask. The question that hung like a threat in the air between them, souring their attempts at true reconciliation every time.

Lightning hadn't quite worked out who - or even what she was, given all Etro had changed. What was she meant to do with herself with no more battles to fight or wars to win?

As disappointed as Serah had been, Lightning herself had felt far worse. So many people had died as a result of her actions and inability to halt Caius herself - if she didn't make the most of her second chance, then what right did she have to receive it at all? How was she meant to live with that guilt?

Even so, Lightning had decided to return. Serah hadn't even needed to produce the usual thumbscrews of pouting and crocodile tears. That had to count for something, at least.

The silence between them had continued on far too long, though, and Lightning looked over her shoulder, to the brilliant white beach and the ocean beyond. It looked nothing like the moody, black beaches of Valhalla, and the gentle lap of waves on sand was more reminiscent of what Bodhum had been before Orphan's destruction. The rhythmic sound was soothing, and Lightning felt herself slowly exhale, her tension bleeding away.

Serah and this life are not the enemy. And neither are her questions.

Lightning closed her eyes, wishing that coming home had been as easy as just taking Serah's hand and following her through the gateways. Serah hadn't deserved to receive this confused, broken older sister back, and Lightning knew she needed to make a better effort for that reason alone.

She just... didn't want Serah pushing again, so with that in mind, she seized on something less confronting.

"Has Amodar declared me "undead" yet?" Lightning asked, forcing a small laugh and turning back to Serah. The apprehensive look on her sister's face faded at the light words, and Lightning was offered a genuine, if somewhat strained, smile.

"The paperwork came through to Snow a few weeks back," Serah replied, and she breathed a soft laugh. "You've got quite a bit of back pay to spend."

Lightning huffed, resting her hand on her hip. "Damn. I guess I'll have no excuse for sleeping in trees instead of a bed, then."

"Well, well, well! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! What's this I hear about you sleeping in trees?" Snow demanded from over by the wide-flung doors, covered in dust from his patrol and wearing the biggest grin Lightning had ever seen. The sleeves of his black coat here singed, and Lightning caught the faint scent of ozone as he approached. He'd encountered some tough competition out there, then.

"Just remarking on my current travels," Lightning said, forcing a smile. She was somewhat relieved that he didn't take that as his cue to sweep her up in one of those damn hugs of his. Instead, he appeared satisfied to simply grasp her forearm.

"Well, no need to sleep in any trees tonight," Snow told her with a firm nod, releasing her arm after giving it a squeeze. "Got a spare couch here that is way more comfortable, just saying."

"I don't doubt that," Lightning murmured, watching Snow dip down to press a kiss to Serah's cheek. It was so… strikingly normal, and for a dizzying moment, all she could feel was the crushing weight of a thousand expectations on her shoulders.

She bit the inside of her mouth, furious with herself and her own inability to relax, even with her family and friends. Both Serah and Snow were aware of how… difficult things were for her, now. Even if neither of them could really understand, that had to count for something. She had to remember that.

"So, where is this paintballing arena I've been dragged back to see?" she asked, shaking her head as Snow's eyes lit up. "The grand opening, was it?"

Truth be told, Lightning's memories of alternate timelines did occasionally mention "Bael's Paintballing Range", but it was no more than a blip in the context of a thousand possible futures.

"Yeah, being the sorta mayor around these parts has its benefits." Snow's grin grew even wider, and he slipped an arm about Serah's shoulders. "It'll feel good to unleash a bit of hell on you guys."

"You went to the one in Bodhum once or twice, didn't you?" Serah asked, and at Lightning's nod, she continued. "This one is meant to be pretty state-of-the-art, all things considered, and we've got most of our friends coming along now."

"Fang was a tough nut to crack, though. Almost thought she'd laugh in my face when I asked her." Snow ran a sheepish hand through his blond hair.

"Fang agreed?" Lightning asked, surprised. Given Fang's own, deep-seated issues, given that she'd become Ragnarok on her own twice and with Vanille once more... Lightning hadn't figured she'd consent to playing battle with a bunch of paintball guns.

Then again, Lightning supposed Fang had always managed to surprise her - Palumpolum flashed to mind, the Ark and turning the Focus on its head and shoving it in Orphan's face one last time.

Lightning had been far too distracted with her own problems that she'd not seen Fang since the rescue. A reunion after so long avoiding New Bodhum... would any of her easy connection with Fang remain, or had Etro taken that, too?

"Did they ever wake up?" Serah asked then, her eyebrows drawing together in a small frown as she thought. "Just that, in all our travels, we never once saw a paradox where they were alive and well."

Lightning's jaw tightened, and she felt a flash of hot anger. Serah knew better than to ask her about all those futures, she'd talked to her sister about all this. She didn't understand why Serah kept pushing.

"Serah -"

Then Lightning froze, mid-sentence, caught off guard by the meaning behind Serah's question. With every other future fighting for her attention at a given moment, it had been difficult for her to get perspective, difficult to focus, but… Serah wasn't wrong. In all the possible futures Lightning had been subjected to as the champion of the sleeping goddess, never once had Fang and Vanille been released from stasis.

Lightning had seen the impact of a single human life on an entire timeline - she'd seen civilization turn the corner on one man's life, a single invention, a realisation. The War of Transgression itself had ended when one woman had snapped and had taken mercy on her frightened sister, setting in motion the Purge and the averted Fall five hundred years later.

The simple act of reviving Fang and Vanille meant that none of the possible futures Lightning had seen could play out. Not truly. Just by existing in the timeline, they influenced the actions of those around them, changed the very fabric of time itself as it was forced to incorporate new strands.

Lightning pressed the heel of her palm into her temple, her head aching as she looked out at the calming ocean. Serah's voice was a muted buzz over her shoulder, but with so many thoughts whirling through her head, how was she meant to pay attention? She'd been Etro's stand in. How could she justify having neglected such a simple realisation for so long? None of it could be the same, just because Fang and Vanille were awake. They were the difference in outcome she'd been looking for. They were what she could focus on and build around. She felt breathless, as though she'd been sucker punched.

All of a sudden, Lightning really was looking forward to the insanity of paintballing, no matter how unsettled and transient she felt in this life. She could have laughed. Of course it would be Fang who changed her entire perspective, who reminded her that things weren't as terrible as they all seemed.

Lightning felt herself smile.

Bael's Paintballing Range was situated on the outskirts of the Settlement, the town that had cropped up around the base of the pillar during Fang's three year nap. From the way Snow had talked, Fang had expected a few dodgy sheds and maybe a fence around the perimeter. The building she and Vanille arrived at wasn't as elaborate and flawlessly shiny as standard Cocoon structures, but it sure was… bigger than Fang had imagined.

Given the new arena's size and its proximity to the Settlement, Fang wondered how Snow, default mayor of a spit of a frontier town, had managed to score tickets to the grand opening. She'd never get her head around that idiot's bizarre charisma, she suspected.

"Hurry up and park this thing!" Vanille fussed from the ground, giving Fang's side a mighty shove that would have sent a lesser sentinel tumbling from the velocycle. "Don't just sit there! We're late already!"

"I was ready when I was ready, and no sooner," Fang reminded her, though privately, she did concede Vanille had a point. She swung her leg over the side of the velocycle, powering down the engine with an exaggerated gesture for her sister's benefit alone.

"And all that time standing in front of the mirror was completely justified? I'm not five years old, Fang." Vanille rolled her eyes, practically dancing on the spot with nervous anticipation.

"Sometimes I do wonder," Fang drawled, shooting Vanille a tiny smile and nodding for the entrance. "Let's get this thing on the road."

Despite her smile and dismissive words, Fang couldn't find it in herself to blame Vanille for her edginess. As they approached the doors, the old, gnawing apprehension in the pit of her stomach - sentiments and fears she'd thought she'd long since buried with the spectre of Ragnarok - started up. It was as though they'd never left her be.

In the months since Fang had awoken, she'd not seen her whole family in one place. Some she'd seen often enough - she shared a bungalow at the edge of New Bodhum with Vanille, and Snow and Serah lived just a stone's throw away, down on the beach.

She'd seen Hope infrequently - the kid lived in the Settlement with his father, who had his hands full negotiating the clusterfuck that was current day Gran Pulse-Cocoon public relations. As for Sazh, he'd been making a hell of a living running airships up and down the pillar, but even so, he still found the time to visit New Bodhum on most weekends.

And Lightning… well. That was different.

For one reason or another, Fang and Vanille had never quite had a chance at a big, happy reunion with them all, and the longer it had gone on… Over the months, Fang had fooled herself into believing that she hadn't cared, that it hadn't mattered to her at all. Now she was facing the full folly of her ways.

There was little point in dreading the inevitable. Swallowing her reservations, Fang forced a look of mild boredom on her face as they entered the arena's reception area. She trailed behind Vanille, wordlessly allowing her sister to negotiate social niceties for the both of them while she took stock of the situation.

There were far more than eight people in here, no matter what Snow had claimed the previous morning. The full lot of Anima's l'Cie were arranged in various groups throughout the reception - Sazh with Dajh at his side, Snow with his arm hooked around Serah as he mouthed off to the rest of the Team NORA inner circle, and Hope chatting to -

Lightning. Fang felt her throat tighten as she gave them all a quick once-over. Seeing them together, acting so normally... The feeling hit Fang hard. Who would have thought that the last time she'd seen them all like this had been back in Oerba, before everything had gone to hell in the Cradle?

Seeing them all together felt like she'd finally come home, in the strangest way. The warm happiness infusing her stomach threatened to snap the final few threads of her composure. She ducked her head slightly, just to hide the smile that twitched the corners of her lips.

The central Team NORA members were as much family as the rest of the ex-l'Cie were. Fang was most familiar with Lebreau, who had taken charge of stock and rationing of supplies when it had become clear Snow's strength was not numbers, and Gadot, who she often ran patrol with. The blond haired technician she was less familiar with, but from what she'd seen, he was decent enough. Fang privately hoped the the blue haired teen would be taking part - she'd been dying to take the proper little shit down a few pegs.

Fang scarcely listened as Vanille greeted the ex-l'Cie, merely raising a hand in a lazy wave. Unable to resist any longer, she cast Lightning a look out the corner of her eye. The woman wasn't wearing the familiar custom Corps uniform, but neither was she wearing the armour she'd been gifted with during her… questionable stint in Valhalla.

While Lightning appeared to have traded that burden in for sturdy boots, trousers and a tank top, to Fang's eyes, the toll Valhalla had taken on her old friend was unmistakable. There was a heaviness to her gaze as she conversed with Hope, a deep weariness in her expression that Fang could emphasize all too well with.

Fang had been filled in on the stark realities of Lightning's role outside time itself by Serah, after she'd vented one time too many about Lightning's absence. It had apparently been a painful topic for Serah, and it had been difficult to hear. Just as it had been back then, as Fang had constantly paced the length of the Team NORA headquarters like an angry gorgonopsid… It had been difficult to quell her rage toward Etro. Of all the people to pick for her champion, the goddess had chosen Lightning Farron? She'd gone and dragged Lightning away from the happy ending they'd gone through hell to earn, taking someone who had been so solid, a pillar of strength and hope for a better future in Fang's mind, and crushed her in guilt and solitude -

I suppose you and I see eye to eye even better now, when we know victory is pyrrhic and leaves nothing but a bitter taste in your mouth, Fang thought, and she wished she hadn't. Her hands tightened into helpless fists at her side. She wanted to hurt something with a desperate intensity, to rage until her voice was hoarse and her energy spent, her enemies in splinters before her.

People - or gods, or would-be-gods - did not hurt Fang's loved ones and just get to walk away.

No matter how she wished it, she'd never get the chance to settle things. Worse, it'd be a complete kick in the teeth for Lightning. She'd have spent eternity protecting a goddess that scarcely deserved it, only to lose when she finally let her guard down. It was too similar a sentiment to what had nearly happened to Fang - with Orphan, Ragnarok and the feeling of losing them all just when she'd found them. With an effort, she relaxed her hands and her shoulders, exhaling softly.

Whatever the case was, Lightning clearly needed some… adjusting. That much was obvious from just a look. If there was anything Fang knew, it was facing reality and pulling oneself back together and out of the abyss. She was sure she could help Lightning, though she'd be damned if she knew where to begin.

Lightning had obviously caught Fang's blatant staring, as she looked up from her conversation with Hope. Her blue eyes were serious, her expression unreadable. For one moment, Fang could practically feel every lifetime that had passed since they'd last seen one another at the Cradle. Fang watched her smile and murmur something to Hope, before pushing herself up and off the wall she'd been leaning against.

A little reluctant, Fang spared Vanille a fleeting glance. Her sister appeared to have gotten involved in some dead serious conversation of whispers with Serah, so without hesitation, Fang met Lightning halfway.

"You know, most people start with 'hello'," Lightning said, her voice dry. Fang let a single bark of laughter escape her lips, even if it hardly felt justified.

"And you've known from the start - I'm not like most people." Fang bared her teeth in what she knew Lightning would take for a savage grin. "Been a while."

Lightning looked over Fang's shoulder, her expression somewhat exasperated as she watched Snow and the arena's proprietor, Bael, attempt to cajole the would-be participants into some sort of action. Fang followed her off to the side without missing a beat, reading Lightning's nod for what it was.

"I've had a few things I've needed to… take care of," Lightning told Fang when they'd achieved some level of privacy, even if she still pitched her voice low. Her eyes were fixed on some distant point off to the side, as if her mind had gone elsewhere entirely. There was a tightness to her expression - she didn't much appreciate the direction of her thoughts, then.

"We've all got our…" Fang trailed off, wracking her brain for a phrasing that wasn't going to offend. "...Concerns."

Lightning snorted, shooting Fang a sidelong look, back in the present for now. "Very delicate of you."

It had to have been the familiarity of the look, as though the years hadn't flown by and things hadn't changed - because it was at that exact moment that Fang's stupid little crush on Lightning flared back to life with a vengeance. Fang leaned against the wall, fully aware she'd started to grin like a damn fool, but couldn't bring herself to care one iota. She breathed a silent thank you to Lady Luck - Etro hadn't stripped Lightning of that damn attitude. It had been one of the things she'd loved best about the woman.

Fang cleared her throat, trying to cover the way her stomach had started to flutter. "Never let it be said I don't try."

She watched Lightning carefully for a few more moments, before nodding back to where Snow and that Bael character were now arguing with one another. Her good mood faded, and her lips thinned.

"Not exactly convinced this is such a grand idea, myself," Fang said, because they'd always been honest with one another.

Lightning made a small sound of agreement, as though she'd had similar thoughts of her own. "It is safe, though. And maybe it's exactly the sort of thing we both need. Let loose, so to speak."

Fang tilted her head, her eyebrows raising before she could quell her skepticism. That was an interesting way of looking at it, but before she could press Lightning for clarification, Snow clapped his hands and whistled for their attention.

"Guys! Shut your mouths and listen up for a few minutes while my friend Bael here explains a few of the ground rules!" Snow gestured to the short man beside him, effectively passing the floor and the attention over.

Fang tuned out quickly after Bael began, more concerned with her own efforts at reconnecting with Lightning than listening to some Cocoon-bred tool tell them all about how combat was meant to be. She watched Lightning out the corner of her eye, feeling as though she could never get enough of the sight. It wasn't just that she was beautiful, either - that was just one factor among many. Truth be told, she'd missed the easy way the conversation and quips had flowed between them, as though they'd known one another for a lot longer than a frenzied week as fugitives.

She did, however, dutifully accept and sign the registration form that Bael passed around during his little speech, agreeing to the terms and conditions of the game with a quick signature and barely a scan of what was actually required of her. She wasn't planning on making trouble for herself.

Though, Fang amended as she cast a quick look over at Vanille, who still had her head together with Serah, That sentiment doesn't hold true for everyone. What in the hell are those two planning?

"Two hundred rounds apiece have been provided by Snow for this small, private session. If you are feeling particularly trigger happy, you may want to purchase additional ammunition from our staff." Bael grinned and waved toward the counter, where three other staff members were waiting. "For now, would the eight participants please come on through and collect their gear?"

Fang watched Snow surge forward to take the lead, only to be elbowed to the side and into the wall by a grinning Gadot. Serah and Vanille followed suit, the both of them casting considering looks over their shoulders at Fang, while Hope and that dark-haired kid - Noel? - trailed on after them. With herself and Lightning making up the final two, Fang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Sazh as she breezed past him.

"Not planning on joining the fun?" Fang asked him, pausing and reluctantly allowing Lightning to pass her by.

Sazh laughed, as though Fang's question had been the funniest thing he'd heard all day. "Me? The old man? I'm not nearly that crazy. Not with those kids as my opposition."

Fang stared at him. 'Not that crazy'? What was she meant to make of that? She didn't exactly have time to press him for details, either as Vanille poked her head out the prep rooms.

"Fang! Come on!"

Sighing, Fang shot Sazh another dubious look, before throwing her hands up in the air and following Vanille in an exaggerated show of obedience. Sazh's words did play on her mind, though. Exactly what had she signed herself up for?

Vanille was still shooting Fang considering looks over her shoulder, watching her like a hawk as she slotted her belongings into her allocated locker. The intensity of the stares were unnerving, even by Vanille's standards - Fang had to trample the urge to snap and demand answers three times in the space of as many minutes.

Was it the attention she'd been paying to Lightning? Admittedly, Fang had been quite distracted by the chance to speak with her old friend, and there had been the regrettable resurfacing of her teenage hormones. Even so, it had still been the first time she'd seen Lightning since awakening, and what did Vanille expect her to do? Just stand off to the side like a staggered behemoth, while her chance to reconnect with Lightning just passed her by?

"So," Vanille said, her voice low as she pulled on one of the long-sleeved khaki shirts Bael had provided in the lockers. Fang really didn't like the look on Vanille's face - it had always spelled out trouble and tanned hides in the past.

Just as Fang had opened her mouth to retaliate with every innocent explanation for her interest in Lightning she could come up with, Vanille glanced around the locker room, as if wary of being overheard.

The ridiculousness of Fang's crush on Lightning aside, there was very little reason for Vanille to act in such a way if it was just Fang's pride on the line. She pressed her lips into a line, holding her tongue. She'd let Vanille roll the dice first.

"Serah and I were talking just before," Vanille continued, and Fang didn't jump as she heard someone lean on the lockers just behind her. Guessing based on the pattern and weight of the footfalls just before it, Fang didn't have to turn to know it was Serah. That figured - Vanille had always feigned an upbeat attitude for the sake of others, even back during the War of Transgression. Thanks to her new friendship with Serah, that mask had become more and more genuine.

Fang hardly disapproved of her sister's growing happiness, but Serah was engaged to Snow for a reason. She did have concerns about corrupting influences, and this was definitely one of those times.

"Things do get awfully chaotic out there, capturing the flag," Serah's voice was both casual and low, but Fang felt a prickle of worry regardless. She turned - it was hard not to notice the bright blue captain's badge illuminated on Serah's shoulder when it had been practically shoved in her face. "While the captains normally organise teams out on the field, we figured you might…"

"Be helpful to our team," Vanille finished for Serah, and when the pieces finally clicked together in Fang's head, she could have laughed. That was what the furtive looks had been about? Because the two wanted to rope her into an alliance before anyone else got to her? Fang was just about to tell them both she'd rather the cards fall as they may, when she heard a rather pointed cough from just beyond Serah.

Fang's head snapped around - Noel. She hadn't heard him approach, not the way she usually did with the others, and it seemed that Serah hadn't either. Her expression grew a little guilty, as though she'd been caught red handed trying to break into the Vestige. That was all it took to get the two of them to scatter, leaving Fang and Noel to get ready in relative peace.

Fang shot Noel a sidelong look as she pulled her sandals off. Why had he interrupted?

"You looked like you needed a hand," Noel told her softly, as he took one of the shirts and began to button it up over his regular, ornately decorated clothing. "I travelled with Serah a lot. You can't trust her when she's got that… look."

Fang made a small sound of agreement. She hardly knew Serah the way Noel clearly did, but given her own experience with Vanille, she could sure as hell get behind the sentiment. Shaking her head, she brushed off her supplied khaki clothing with a sigh, slipping on a pair of leather gloves she'd found in the locker. The trousers were a little short on her, though with the cuffs tucked into her lace-up boots, it hardly mattered. There was a large, suspiciously grey badge on her left shoulder - the one on Serah's shoulder came to mind, though Fang's wasn't yet lit up in blue.

Most of the locker room had cleared out long before Fang and Noel were done, and she had to crush the thread of disappointment rising up in her chest. She wouldn't get another chance to talk to Lightning until the whole paintballing ordeal was over, and damn her, she'd been enjoying the way she'd been able to lift Lightning's mood, too.

Fang looked back to Noel, thoughtful. He was stranded from the future, much in the same fashion Fang and Vanille were relics of the past - none of them particularly belonged, but they were all ready to make the most of their second chances. She'd not really had much of a chance to speak with him, but… he looked like an honest kid, and if he was going to jump in and save Fang from her sister's machinations, that was a good sign.

"They were attempting to form an 'alliance'," Fang told him under her breath, closing her locker and leaning back against it. To his credit, Noel's expression didn't so much as flicker.

"Not exactly surprising," he said, nodding for the door as he climbed to her feet. Fang fell into step beside him, sensing that he hadn't quite finished his piece. "You might regret not taking her up on it, when the behemoth crap hits the fan."

"Alliances… they're common, then?" Fang asked, accepting the paintball cartridges Noel passed her from the supplies box at the door. She stowed the extra, tight-packed rounds at her belt. Two hundred… just how trigger-happy did Snow think they'd be?

"Weren't you even listening to what Bael was telling us?" Noel sighed, raising an eyebrow as though he should have expected it. "Sure, I guess so. Snow picked a mode of battle called "Chaos Capture the Flag". Cute name, but as far as I can tell, it's all about two selected leaders. Red and blue. The teams assemble around the leaders - on field - and each team then attempts to capture the other's flag. Thing's a free-for-all, if you get hit, you just keep running."

"Sounds simple enough," Fang muttered under her breath, leading them both out of the locker room and into the bright daylight beyond. The others were already gone, and worried, Fang turned her attention toward one of Bael's assistants. The woman held out what was probably the paintball gun, and after a few moments of showing Fang how to reload and shoot, she handed it over.

The gun was a lot lighter than the one Snow had attempted to get Fang to use back at Palumpolum - which she'd then ditched in favour of her lance. She'd never been a gun sort of woman, really. She gave the weapon a once-over, just in case, though she doubted she'd even notice if things weren't in order.

She glanced over at Noel, to where the assistant was showing him what she'd showed Fang. All things considered, Fang wouldn't really mind an alliance with this Noel kid. He seemed fairly thoughtful, and she supposed the quiet, deliberate way he moved reminded her of the hunters from back home.

To distract herself from the way her throat had tightened, Fang cast an eye up ahead. The other six participants had, according to the assistant, been taken to different deployment areas around the massive timber fence surrounding the arena. Fang snorted to herself - locker room deals aside, she supposed that was how Bael intended to enforce the Chaos Rule during this session.

Only Snow would have picked something so potentially imbalanced, Fang thought with a faint sigh, allowing another of Bael's assistants to lead her around the fence's perimeter to one of the many gateways. About halfway around, she heard a cheer sound from above - Lebreau and the rest of Team NORA were up on the wall, probably to give them a bird's eye view of the chaos as it unfolded. So - that was why they'd all showed up, if only eight tickets had been given.

"Gonna watch me kick your fearless leader's rear, then?" Fang called out, and she offered Lebreau an over-confident smirk. She was rewarded with a laugh from above and a roll from the range assistant's eyes. Fang shouldered her gun, and just the act of feigning confidence was enough to give it some truth.

Paintballing, no matter how Bael dressed it up, was combat. She was good at combat. She'd spent most of her adolescence tracking game in the fields south of Oerba, and her prowess with finding and exploiting an enemy's weakness had been why she'd been selected as one of Anima's Ragnarok l'Cie.

No matter her newfound confidence, the whole lot turned tail and fled as soon as Fang was ushered through an imposing gate on the eastern edge of the arena. This paintballing… scenario wasn't combat, not really. It wasn't real, not as hunting, the War of Transgression or her time as a fugitive l'Cie had been.

She swallowed, sweat beginning to prickle under her visor and mask in spite of the mild weather. She could swing this.

The assistant had mentioned that a green flare would be launched above the arena when they were allowed to begin, and as Fang squinted, trying to focus through the plastic visor, she felt her heart rate pick up.

Waiting for prey, waiting for battle, waiting to launch as Ragnarok… Fang preferred action, she itched for it, and while she'd grown more comfortable with her new life in the recent months, that much would never change.

Still. No point wasting energy on worry, Fang told herself, and she peered around at the dense Pulsian forest surrounding her new location. That was good. She'd have immediate access to cover when the flares went off, and if there was anything Fang could hold over her Cocoon-bred friends, it was moving silently through this sort of terrain.

Interspersed throughout the forest, Fang could make out a mix of wooden structures, both on the ground and as platforms through the trees. Above it all, just through the forest canopy, she could see a central, wooden tower of ropes and ledges. She whistled softly under her breath - she had to hand it to Bael, he'd made for a pretty interesting arena.

When the flare finally went off, brilliant green against the sky, Fang sprang into action, all of her nervous, coiled tension releasing in a powerful burst of adrenaline. Twenty meters in, Fang heard the crack of gunfire to her left and the sound of crashing wood, and she skidded to a halt, her back pressed against a wide tree trunk. She'd recognised the resulting cry of pain from her days as a l'Cie - it had been Hope. She wavered for a moment, old, useless instincts to shift paradigm and protect him with her own flesh playing havoc with her head.

Idiot, he's safe! Fang snarled at herself, and she swallowed convulsively. She forced herself to continue, opting for ruthless practicality over sentiment. For all she knew, Hope had already accepted the alliance with Serah and Vanille, and it was a play to catch her unawares. She was no bleeding heart like Snow or Lightning, and she wasn't going to be suckered in by some tears and a sob story.

Trees blurred past Fang's visor-limited vision as she charged ahead, running as fast as she dared. If she had her way, she'd find Lightning first. If alliances were really a thing in this match, then there was only one person she wanted - no, needed on her side. It wasn't only Lightning's skill and level head under pressure that made her attractive as an alliance partner.

No, that pretty smile makes you attractive enough for anything, Fang thought with a tiny one of her own, slowing to a walk. She pushed her way through some giant ferns, distracted by the memory of the other woman's dry laugh and hesitant smile.

All said and done, though, Fang didn't want an alliance with Lightning for either her usefulness or her smile. An alliance would give her more time to spend with the woman who had pulled her from stasis, gauge a little of how things were… and maybe how she could try to help, even if she wasn't certain she'd be the pillar of strength Lightning had been, back in the day.

Fang eased forward through the undergrowth, her desperation to spend the nervous energy buzzing through her veins ebbing to a more manageable level. Something had shifted gears in her head as she'd settled down, moving into a frame of mind that felt comfortingly familiar.

Fang hefted the paintballing gun, testing its weight again. She pressed the modified stock back against her shoulder, attempting to mimic the way the assistant had explained, and biting the inside of her cheek, she fired a single shot at the ground. There wasn't much kick to it, Fang noted with some satisfaction, though she hadn't been expecting the paint to be so… grey.

So far, aside from forcing herself to crush her urge to protect her family, the whole paintballing thing hadn't been too bad. Fang scoped out her limited view of the arena with her gun, before continuing on to a glade up ahead. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she'd been afraid she'd freeze up, freak out, or get buried beneath an echo of Ragnarok. The light-weight gun she had in her hands felt decidedly non-lethal and… it was her family. She trusted them.

Even if Snow's idea of a good time did tend to involve blinding hangovers and broken bones.

Of course, her warm feeling of affection was a doomed one. Fang barely had enough time to register the prickling sensation of being watched, before something stinging and sharp thudded into the back of her head. She staggered forward, more shocked than hurt, clapping her hand to the back of her skull. Her eyes watered, and she bit off a few choice words. When she withdrew her hand, the paint was blue.

Fang's eyes narrowed, and from somewhere in the canopy above, she heard Serah's familiar laughter. She couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, but she had absolutely no doubt that she was still in that hellraiser's sights. She had no intention of caving in and forming an alliance with Serah, not when she still hadn't found Lightning. She sure as hell wasn't about to stick around and get pelted by paint, either. Abandoning her pride, Fang took off through the trees again, zagging hard to the side, listening when her senses told her to dodge.

Blue paint splattered against the tree just to Fang's left. Another round caught her sharply on the shoulder, the next hitting the back of her right thigh. The laughter faded as Fang fled Serah's range, and thankfully, she didn't appear to have been pursued.

She continued her jog regardless, her jaw clenched in determination as she wracked her brain. Where the hell would Lightning be? With all the trees and cover in the arena - Serah's ambush demonstrating the point regrettably well - Fang could search for hours and they still might not cross paths. Not unless Lady Luck bowed her head and sent a little love Fang's way.

Fang pushed on grimly, and a good quarter of an hour had to have passed before she encountered a sign of anyone else.

Somewhere to Fang's right, in a crumbling stone compound that appeared to have been reclaimed by nature, she heard Vanille yelling, followed shortly by a few bursts of gunfire. Without missing a beat, Fang fell to the ground, letting the short, wiry ferns conceal her from view as she waited for who would emerge.

Lightning burst from the bunker - Fang would really have to offer the sincerest thank yous to Lady Luck for having come through so admirably - and even from a distance, Fang could make out a streak of blue paint on her cheek and sleeve. On her shoulder, clear as day, was the glowing patch of the Red Team's captain. Fang's eyes narrowed. If Lightning was for the Red Team, then that meant that any additional alliance with Vanille and Serah on the Blue Team went right out Fang's window of options.

Lightning didn't spot her, sprinting off in the forest and heading for the northern edge of the field.

"Vanille!" Fang called out, scrambling to her feet. She was reluctant to allow Lightning to escape, but there was Vanille to concern herself with. Her sister emerged from the decrepit bunker, looking irritable as she scrubbed at the bright red paint on stomach and chest. She glanced up as Fang wavered, looking between the dull, grey patch on Fang's shoulder, and the direction Lightning had just vanished.

Fang knew that Vanille wanted her on-side - if it had been any other time, she would have agreed wholeheartedly! But she had something she needed to take care of, and she hoped that Vanille would understand.

Vanille read her intentions immediately. She sighed, the sound muffled from behind her mask, before shouldering her gun and nodding after Lightning.

"If you're gonna catch up, you'll need to run!" Vanille told her, her voice bright, and Fang could have hugged her.

Instead, she offered Vanille a salute, before taking off after that flash of red and rose-coloured hair. It gave her the most incredible sense of deja vu - Palumpolum stuck in her mind. This time, though, she wasn't pursuing just because the idiot would up and get herself killed - things had changed so much between them since that day.

This time, she followed that flash of red because it was what she wanted.

It wasn't long after Lightning had gotten off a few, satisfying direct shots on Vanille that she paused in her slow jog through the arena forest. The hair on the back of her neck stirred, and she glanced behind her, suddenly very certain she was being followed. She could have sworn at herself for the thoughtless blunder, and worse, she couldn't tell how long she'd had a pursuer.

She'd always taken point during her Corps days, her eyes fixed ahead to whatever the goal had been, and she'd scarcely needed such skills against Caius in Valhalla.

Probably Vanille, too caught up in the idea of revenge to realise she won't win, Lightning reasoned, shaking her head. There was nothing to be gained from waiting around for her follower to find her - she vaulted up toward the wooden platform in the canopy above, springing easily between two tree trunks to help her gain height.

She flattened herself on her stomach against the platform, careful not to make the slightest sound as she shifted toward the edge for a better view. Her finger on the trigger was relaxed - almost surprisingly so. In spite of her reassuring words to Fang back in the reception area, Lightning hadn't realised just how desperately she'd needed the chance to cut loose.

The chance to engage in thoughtless, natural combat had provided a hell of a respite from her memories. The unpredictable nature of the game meant that she had no answers or cheats to unconsciously fall back on - and even fewer reminders of chaos and destruction. That meant that she'd been able to focus on the present alone, and that had been the sweetest blessing she'd received since Fang and Vanille had awoken.

Lightning's pursuer didn't keep her waiting long, and her eyebrows drew together in a frown as Fang - speak of the devil - jogged into her field of view, visor up and guard down. Judging by the grey, unactivated patch on Fang's shoulder, she hadn't yet formed an official alliance with either team.

That was hardly conclusive - Fang could easily be drawing Lightning out into a trap set by Serah and Vanille. Her eyes narrowed as she swept her gaze up and down her old friend, considering. Fang had always been a poor actor when placed under stress of any kind. From her vantage point, she could just make out the relaxed set to Fang's shoulders, and her thoughtful - if exasperated - expression indicated she'd followed Lightning of her own accord.

It was only when Fang turned, searching the area the trail had abruptly ended, that Lightning caught sight of the blue paint splattered all over her back.

Maybe I can trust Fang - at least in this instance. Lightning holstered her gun in the loops at her belt, before swinging herself down over the ledge. Fang twitched violently as Lightning landed in front of her, letting loose a string of curses that sounded almost comical in their vehemence.

She was still grateful Fang hadn't thought to have her finger on the trigger. Getting pelted from such a close range would have stung enough to have awoken the sleeping gods themselves.

"You're getting soft," Lightning told Fang with an easy shrug, unable to resist needling the woman as though they were still on their Focus. "Is this what long term stasis does? I don't remember you being so... rusty the first time around."

Fang scowled at her, though it held no bite. It had been a relief for Lightning to realise how much of Fang's old bitterness and anger had faded. Accusations of softness aside, it seemed as though life in New Bodhum had been good for her friend's peace of mind.

Lightning envied her for it.

"You're a smartarse - anyone ever told you that?" Fang asked, shouldering her gun and giving a very fake-looking smirk. Lightning wasn't sure why she bothered - who did she think she was trying to fool?

"Most of the time, that's been your job," Lightning countered with another shrug. "You do look a little lost, though. Serah been giving you a hard time?"

She cast an eye up and down Fang, as if to note the presence of the blue paint marring the neutral colours of her clothing. Halfway through, though, her eyes caught on the curve of Fang's hips, obvious through the baggy khaki gear.

She'd... forgotten how damnably distracting those hips had been. Her mind flickered back to sunny days spent hunting marks on the Steppe, the way the sunlight had caught in Fang's dark hair and on the silk of her blue sari. That shade of paint wasn't far off the colour, either. She remembered looking, and a lot of it. One of the worst times had involved her picking cactuar needles out of her flesh for hours, all because she'd gotten distracted by the sway of Fang's hips.

"- so what do you say?" Fang was asking, her head cocked to the side and her eyes looking entirely too hopeful. For a few frightening moments, tasks like memory and recall were beyond Lightning's grasp as she struggled with that hint of a smile on Fang's lips.

With an effort that was practically inhuman, Lightning shook her head, dragging her attention back toward something other than her... appreciation of Fang's attractiveness. It had been a long time since she'd been so powerfully blindsided by something that wasn't her intrusive memories of possible timelines. She'd forgotten how awkward it could be.

"Run that by me again?" Lightning said, deliberately turning her attention to the forest around them. Her throat didn't seem to be working the way it should - perhaps she should have gone to visit Fang a lot earlier, if she was going to react like a giddy high school kid over a damn smile.

There were a few beats of telling silence on Fang's end, before Lightning saw her shrug.

"Sure. Since alliances seem to be a thing that's happening, I figure, why not have one between us? You know, since Vanille and Serah have -"

"Of course," Lightning broke in, perhaps a little too quickly. She strode forward to cover her eagerness, taking Fang's shoulder in a grip that might have been considered too rough for anyone else. She tapped the greyed out badge three times, watching in satisfaction as the patch lit up in red to mark her as one of Lightning's allies.

Only, that left Lightning holding onto Fang's arm and shoulder, and even with the thick cotton and leather gloves between them, the heat was distracting. Lightning could feel taut skin over hard muscle, full of the vibrant life that had been so horrifyingly absent from her endless years in Valhalla.

Lightning cleared her throat as she allowed her hands to fall to her sides, refusing to concede that her hold on Fang's shoulder had lingered embarrassingly long. Fang offered her another of those awkward and uncertain smiles - one that made Lightning's heart skip a beat every time.

"That... that should do it," Lightning said, and she was surprised to find her voice both neutral and level. She searched for something to focus on - filling Fang in on the current situation seemed like a good start. "As far as I've been able to tell, Serah is the Blue Team captain. If she's got half the sense I've tried to instil in her, she'll already have the blue flag with her."

Fang looked thoughtful, her fingers tapping a rapid tempo on her gun. "And the red flag? Where is that meant to be?"

"That is a great question," a voice announced from above, and Lightning froze as her head shot up, her eyes scanning the trees desperately. Serah. She'd occupied the platform Lightning herself had used to observe Fang. How long had she been there?

Based on that smirk? Long enough, Lightning thought, twitching toward the gun at her belt. There was only one of Serah, and no matter how good a shot she was, they had the advantage in numbers. She and Fang could take her down with ease -

"Vanille's at six o'clock," Fang hissed to her under her breath, and Lightning doubted she'd ever live down the shame. She'd been crept up on by Serah and Vanille, all while she was ogling Fang's hips.

Lightning's eyes flickered back to Fang. Raises a good question, though. Why didn't Fang hear them approach?

"Vanille and I knew following you would lead me straight to Sis," Serah continued, loudly enough to be heard through her mask as she addressed Fang. She waved a hand - the Blue Team's flag was tied about it, a blatant challenge to the two Red Team members on the ground before her. "You distracted her, she distracted you. It worked better than I dared hope! You should have taken us up on our offer, while you still had the chance."

That gave Lightning pause. Fang had turned down an alliance with Vanille - Vanille - in favour of pursuing one with her? She wasn't sure if she was meant to be flattered or just worried.

"Smart as your sister," Fang replied, her frown twitching seamlessly into a smile. She's always been bizarrely cheerful before a tough fight - Lightning had missed those tiny details.

"So where did you hide the flag?" Vanille asked, speaking up for the first time since she'd arrived. Lightning mentally logged her position. The girl hadn't proven herself to be the expert shot that Serah was, but she was trigger happy. "Snow says it's just... gone from your base. We all think you had something to do with it."

Lightning let herself smirk, relaxing. Vanille wasn't wrong - she had done something with the Red Team flag.

"You've been busy," Fang remarked, that savage smile of hers widening. To Lightning, her body language telegraphed her intentions clear as day - get ready to fight. "Or perhaps it's just that you've been... well-prepared."

"Snow and I did this all the time, back on Cocoon. We do have a few tricks up our -"

Lightning felt Fang spring into action before she could really register it - yes, she'd been ready to move for her gun, but that had been as far ahead as she'd thought. Fang, on the other hand, appeared to have considered her options. In a single, smooth movement, she'd tugged her mask down, stepped between Serah's direct line of fire and had targeted Vanille over Lightning's shoulder.

Trust a sentinel to protect like that, Lightning thought, listening to Vanille yelp and dart off to the side. She heard Fang hiss as the first of Serah's paintballs impacted hard on her back. Pointlessly heroic or otherwise, it provided Lightning the opening she'd needed.

Lightning lowered her visor, grabbed her gun from her belt and opened fire. She didn't bother to pull her punches this time, hitting Serah several times in the chest. Lurid red paint spattered over her sister's clothing before she could think of leaping down from the platform and taking some damn cover.

At her back, Fang's wide-flung, rapid fire appeared to be keeping Vanille busy. The hell if it didn't remind Lightning of the first time they'd fought together in Palumpolum. Lightning had been impressed by the strange woman's sheer power and battle prowess back then, but for her to have a personality just as breath-taking...

"There's some cover, my five o'clock," Fang growled over her shoulder, grunting when one of Vanille's shots hit her hard in the ribs. "Think we can make it?"

"Of course," Lightning replied immediately, catching sight of the wooden wall, barely visible through a shroud of ferns and rapidly-spreading ivy. From what she could tell, Fang was a miserable shot, but she did have her other uses.

"Right. I'll draw 'em out, you get your arse behind it and return the favour. Got it?" Fang didn't wait for agreement, springing away from her position protecting Lightning's back and whistling. The sound was shrill and practically ear-piercing in its loudness, and it would do the job nicely.

Lightning dashed for the wooden wall, vaulting straight over the top and pressing herself hard back against it. She didn't have time to wait for herself to settle, Fang was still out there, and from the sounds of things, Serah and Vanille weren't happy about how things were going. She struggled back to her feet, and she caught both of them in places she knew from experience would smart like hell.

She only relaxed when Fang followed her behind the wall, breathless and streaked in blue paint. In Valhalla, Lightning had only needed to look out for herself, which had been as much a blessing as a curse. She'd needed to watch her own back in a fight, had nobody else to rely on...

It was stunning how quickly she could trust that role to Fang, or how automatically the other woman had assumed the role. It was then, really, that Lightning felt the first prickle of true enjoyment. This game, these people, this partner... It was all tied together in her head in some sort of perfect combination.

Fang was still firing over the barrier, beautiful to watch in action. Her movements all deadly grace even when her shots flew wide. She was fierce in the face of a challenge and so devastatingly human when compared to Etro, Caius and what Valhalla had made of Lightning herself. It caught Lightning completely off guard, and she felt a sharp twinge of longing in her stomach.

Fang ducked back down behind the fence to reload, but despite her clothing being reduced to nothing but a blue-khaki patchwork, she was laughing. Whatever tension she'd admitted to back at the reception appeared to have evaporated entirely in the face of a good fight.

Lightning suppressed a tiny groan, the yearning growing hotter in the pit of her stomach. Her hormones could not have picked a worse time to resurrect themselves.

"Got any ideas for an escape route?" Fang asked her, before turning back around to open fire on Serah and Vanille once more. Lightning's eyes felt compelled to follow the slope of Fang's back, catching on the shape of her shoulder blades under clothing.

She shook her head, struggling to get back in the game, and in doing so she spotted movement in the forest to her left. Vanille yelped as Lightning nailed her in the shoulder with a single, well-placed shot.

"Are you saying you don't like it, us against the world again?" Lightning asked, and she could hardly believe she felt like laughing when Serah and Vanille had them soundly pinned down.

Fang glanced down at her for a moment, her green eyes fierce and grinning widely enough to make a marlboro envious. That was when blue paint splattered across her visor, hampering her vision critically. Lightning clasped Fang's shoulder for a moment as the woman slid back down to cover with her.

Fang rubbed at the new splat with the back of her hand, the wet blue paint streaking over the back of her leather gloves. Though the light contact between their shoulders, Lightning could feel the movement of the muscles in her arm, hard and warm.

She turned her attention deliberately toward reloading her gun, hissing under her breath as she heard Vanille laugh.

"But really, I'm covered in paint, Light. What's the plan for bailing on the demolition duo?" Fang demanded, all prior playfulness banished from her voice. Lightning looked across from her gun for a moment, reading Fang's obvious frustration. Her lips curled into a tiny smile - that wouldn't do at all.

"Plan is to run like hell." Lightning finished reloading with a flourish, and was rewarded for her efforts when Fang answered her with a snort.

"Dangerous in its simplicity. Snow would be proud."

Lightning nodded, her eyes searching the forest around them for any sign of Serah or Vanille. The shots had slowed - had they withdrawn to regroup, or were they simply laying in wait? Whatever the case, joining with her other allies at the Red Team's base would be far more beneficial to them than sitting here at Serah's mercy. No matter if the flag was almost within her grasp.

Lightning didn't needed to speak up - they moved as one, fleeing into the forest with Serah and Vanille's shots at their backs.

Fang really shouldn't have been surprised to find that Lightning had already enlisted Hope to her cause, but somehow she was. The two had been pretty thick back during the Focus - of course they'd immediately find one another as soon as the green flare went off.

She couldn't help but feel a prickle of jealousy, though, that she hadn't been one of the ones Lightning had sought out. Maybe that was her just desserts, for mooning over Lightning's presence back when Bael was instructing them on the ins and outs of the arena.

Hindsight really is a bitch, huh? Fang told herself, glancing around the base as Lightning led her inside. In spite of the stinging patchwork of pain her body and cheek had become, she forced herself to take tactical interest in what was meant to be her home base.

Hope had managed to tuck himself away in one of the more defensible sections of the Red Team base up on the second level. When Lightning announced their presence, the boy lowered his guard and raced out from behind his cover. His smile was wide, his raised mask and chest streaked with blue paint. Immediately, Fang felt a little guilty that she hadn't gone to his aid when she'd had the option to.

Maybe if she'd done so, she would have also met up with Lightning a lot earlier, too, instead of spending all that time tearing around the arena on her own.

"How have things been here?" Lightning asked him without preamble, and the kid beamed up at her.

"Just like we thought. Snow and Gadot came through here looking for the flag, saw that it was missing, and immediately thought it was you." Hope shrugged and laughed. "They didn't even think to check anything else."

Fang watched Lightning's lips turn upward slightly at Hope's confirmation.

"That explains the trap Fang and I ended up in." Lightning shook her head, looking down at the paint that now covered her khaki clothing. It was nothing on what Fang herself had endured, taking the brunt of Serah and Vanille's shots. She'd figured that if she was such a terrible shot, she might as well save Lightning a little pain.

Fang twitched as she heard footsteps on the wooden flooring above them - Noel swung down from whatever hidey-hole he'd lodged himself in, and again she had to marvel at how seriously they were taking the game. First Serah and Vanille's attempts at an early alliance, then there was the trap - it wasn't bad, quite the opposite, but it gave her a whole new perspective on what Cocoon folk did for fun. Unlike Hope, Noel's clothing lacked any paint that Fang could see.

Kid must be good, Fang mused. Either that, or he just knew how to avoid Serah.

She paused, thoughtful. Had Vanille allowed her to pursue Lightning with a trap in mind, or had that only come later? Fang supposed it hardly mattered in the end, as she'd gotten what she'd wanted out of it anyway. Even if her skin smarted like hell.

"It was a nice trick you did with the flag, I've gotta hand it to you. How'd you know?" Noel asked, raising an eyebrow at Lightning.

Lightning snorted to herself, as if amused. "I know I've taught Serah to take matters into her own hands, and in this case, she has. She then expected me to do the same. Little did she know..."

Fang held up a hand, cutting when Lightning had trailed off. "Wait. Where did you put the flag?"

Lightning's mouth twitched upwards again, her blue eyes amused. "With the least likely person."

Hope turned, gesturing with his free hand. There on his back, clear as day, was the Red Team's flag. When Snow and Gadot would have gone through, Fang would have bet serious gil on Hope having hidden away in his easily defensible niche. They would have been in a hurry and dismissed him entirely, thinking him simply scared.

Fang shook her head, looking to Lightning with a raised eyebrow. "Is that even allowed?"

Noel sighed, crossing his arms against his chest. "Do you really think Serah and the rest are playing by the rules?"

Fang had already noticed how flawlessly the Blue Team had pulled together and had sought to dominate the game, and she nodded reluctantly. "...point, I suppose. So what's next?"

Lightning offered her a smirk, glad that Fang had seen it their way. "We've confirmed the flag is with Serah. Noel, did you break that lock?"

Break the lock? Fang repeated silently, suppressing a groan. What exactly have I gotten myself into?

Noel smiled at Lightning's question, spreading his hands wide as he shrugged. "Is a chocobo feathered?"

"Depends if it's on Snow's dinner plate," Hope countered with a grin. Noel elbowed him in the side before he could dart away, but from Fang's perspective, there was an odd sort of... sadness to his expression.

From what Fang knew of Noel's travels through time, it was likely that he and the older Hope had been friends of a sort. She felt a stab of pity for them both - it was a friendship doomed never to exist, now. Not in the way it had.

Lightning sighed, and the sound was only a little long-suffering. "Enough horseplay. It was the supplies cache, right?"

That caught Fang's attention. Forget how poor Lightning's ideas had been just before - "run like hell" was not a plan and never would be - that sounded like a hint at a real strategy. She crossed her arms, waiting.

Hope scratched the back of his neck, his smile becoming a little strained. "Yep. I'm not exactly sure what sort of mode they expect to use paint cannons in, but... they are definitely in there."

Fang blinked, unsure she'd heard that correctly.

"Paint cannons?" she repeated, staring at Hope. If Vanille or Snow got their hands on one of those, the chaos that would unfold would be... catastrophic. She leaned back, feeling ill at the thought.

Noel sighed, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips as he said, "We were as shocked as you are, for the record."

"I hadn't expected something so..." Lightning trailed off, resting a hand on her hip as she considered her words. "...useful."

You uncover paint cannons and call them useful, Fang thought to herself, shooting Lightning a look that was equal parts exasperation and admiration. You're as bad as I am.

Lightning shrugged, and that was definitely a smile she was attempting to stifle. "It'll be fun to see them run."

Fang offered her a snort, well appreciating her old friend's dry humour. But now wasn't the time for that - now was the time for business, good and proper.

"So, what, how is this even going to work?" she asked, following Lightning's lead in getting this whole meeting back on track.

Lightning nodded, her expression growing more serious as she continued. "Hope found a locked door here in the base, and since we're all so outclassed by the self-described Dream Team... We're going to give them some hell, and win in the process."

Fang had forgotten how stubborn Lightning could be when it came to victory in the face of defeat. That had been how she'd made her stand against the fal'Cie, and it was good to know for certain the trait - such an integral part of what Fang had valued so much in her - had remained.

Not to mention, Serah's obvious advantage must be seriously pinging that over-competitive Farron urge.

This Lightning, with the fire in her eyes and the suggestion of a smile on her lips was the woman Fang had fought beside. There was none of that tortured Etro's servant bullshit Serah had talked about. The half-buried heat in Fang's chest sharpened as she looked Lightning up and down again, and she lingered toward the back of the group as Hope led them to the supplies door.

Fang had always denied herself the luxury of physical attraction. Sure, it had been there, but it had been a tertiary concern at best. There had always been something else to worry about - Vanille, Ragnarok, a Focus and the ticking time bombs brands. Indulging in thorny entanglements had been the least of her worries. None of that remained, now. There was nothing to hold her back, no more excuses.

The sound of hinges creaking jerked Fang to her senses, and when her gaze fell on the cannons, she couldn't help but give a low, appreciative whistle. That thing was clearly designed to hit targets from all the way across the field, and with enough of them lined up... She shared a smirk with Lightning, already warming up to the woman's plan.

Hope leaned against the nearest cannon, rapping the barrel with his knuckles. "I've had a few thoughts on what we should do. Really, it's pretty risky."

"We've done riskier, I'm sure," Noel drawled, and he raised a fair point. This was a paintball game, and there was zero at stake - except for pride, anyway.

Hope had the nerve to roll his eyes at Noel's comment. "Thanks for the input. Anyway, for it to really work... we need to have just as much on the line as the Blue Team."

"So, what exactly are we suggesting here?" Fang asked, crossing her arms against her chest and leaning against the doorframe. She was actually pretty proud of Hope - the kid had sure grown some spine since the Fall. She'd known that much already. More interesting was the way Lightning was deferring to him for tactics. It left her wondering - what did Hope become, in the future never to be?

"We need a team to confront the Blue Team, head on." Hope paused, his expression becoming conflicted. "Thing is, I think that team needs to be the one carrying the flag."

Noel raised an eyebrow. "Don't we automatically lose, if they get our flag? Wasn't that the whole point with giving the flag to you?"

Lightning shook her head, looking thoughtful as she considered the merits of Hope's plan. "He's saying we need to give them a reason to gather and come after us. Unfortunately, that increases the chances we lose, too."

Isn't that how it always is? Fang asked herself, but refrained from commenting aloud. Noel was doing a good enough job of playing the level-headed sceptic without her assistance.

Hope smiled at Lightning, clearly relieved she'd understood the implications. "The ones with the flag gather the Blue Team into an ambush in a predetermined location. At which point, we hammer them hard with the cannons."

Fang hummed thoughtfully under her breath. "And grab Serah's flag while they're all choking on red paint."

"Exactly." Hope nodded to her decisively, before turning his attention back to Lightning. "What do you say?"

Lightning sighed, as if weighing the options in her head, but Fang could already make out the shadow of a smile on her lips.

"I think that we're going to have a tough time taking Serah's team head-on," Lightning said after a few moments, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Vanille seems to be a natural, and Serah, Snow and Gadot are very familiar with the way this whole Chaos Capture the Flag concept works."

"Meanwhile, you're saddled with us. Can't speak for Noel, but I know I'm not much of a shot, and Hope... well." Fang shrugged, attempting to sound apologetic and failing miserably. "You're not much in the way of stamina."

"Thanks for letting me know that," Hope told her, his voice dry. "I recommend you stay with me and let Lightning and Noel take the Blue Team directly. You know. Since we're both hopeless."

Noel snorted under his breath, and if Fang could make a guess, the kid was fighting the urge to point out the pun Hope had probably made on purpose. Even so, she wasn't exactly enthused about the idea of leaving Lightning to the mercy of the Blue Team. It didn't matter whether Noel was a decent enough guy, she wasn't sure she could trust him with Lightning's back like that.

Lightning appeared to consider it. "That's an idea. I'll take Fang with me, though. She's... proven she can take a hit well."

Fang straightened, grateful for Lightning's vote of confidence in her admittedly questionable abilities. Noel, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, so you guys get to have all the fun? Really?" he asked, as if he could scarcely believe his poor luck.

Hope was nodding to himself, putting the pieces together with a truly intimidating ease. "Yeah. She's got a point, though. She wants Fang to carry the flag."

"You read my mind." Lightning's blue eyes cut toward Fang, her expression questioning. "What do you say, Fang?"

Fang shrugged. While her body ached all over from the slew Vanille and Serah had subjected her to, a little more punishment wasn't going to kill her. Besides, she was never one to turn down a challenge - especially not when Lightning was the one throwing it out there.

"I'm in, especially if it ruins Vanille's day a little more." Fang bared her teeth in a vicious grin, and was satisfied when Lightning nodded. At least they weren't going to get split up.

Noel sighed in resignation, even if his lips twitched into a small smile. "Alright. I'll stay by here and guard Hope. Deja vu, much?"

There wasn't much Fang could really say to that, and she wasn't alone. Hope's face was one of confusion, and Lightning's expression looked frozen. Fang felt a prickle of worry, but she crushed it ruthlessly.

Not here.

Hope cleared his throat after a few moments, not to be deterred by the cryptic comment. "Right. In order to make the most of the paint cannons, we'll need a clear line of fire. You'll need to keep the whole Blue Team on your tails until you get them up to the top of their base. After that, Noel and I will take care of the rest."

Fang nodded. It seemed simple enough to execute, though there was one thing they were forgetting.

"What happens to me and Light, when that happens?" she asked, and a part of her already knew she wouldn't be fond of the answer.

Noel crossed his arms, his smile grim. "Run."

Lightning was more than confident Hope and Noel could handle their preparations, so she didn't press them for details. Given the mood she'd suddenly found herself in, she desperately needed a distraction - and she wouldn't find it holed up in the Red Team base. After she and Fang had loaded themselves up with some more ammunition, she slung what appeared to the paintball equivalent of a sniper rifle over her shoulder. The thing could only come in handy - she'd always been of the opinion that a few surprises were good for the soul.

Eager to move and ward off the crawling sensation of anxiety in her head, she and Fang set out toward the southern wall of the arena. The forest was silent, but for their footsteps, and they only occasionally stopped to listen for stray members of the Blue Team. If Lightning knew Serah at all, she would have convened her own troops to plan her next strategy.

She tried to focus on what Serah would come up with, but her thoughts kept slipping away from her, like smoke in the wind. No matter what she did, her mind kept circling back, fixating on a paradox that would never come to pass.

She knew that Noel hadn't meant to bring it up, that he had no real way of knowing his error. His mention of deja vu back at the base had hit her like a suckerpunch. In that future, Snow had arrived in time to thwart Caius' plans with Alyssa, and Noel had remained in the Academy to protect a much older Hope. Lightning supposed her plans had contained shades of that future, and while this Noel had never seen that paradox, he'd clearly felt... something.

Through the canopy above them, in patches of colour she'd scarcely paid attention to before, she could see the crystal pillar. It loomed over the arena, shards of crystal glinting in the afternoon sunlight. Lightning slowed, her grasp tightening on her gun.

How many times had she watched that pillar fall, Fang and Vanille's sacrifice becoming nothing but another casualty in a war? Everything had started - and ended - with that pillar. Wars had been waged around it, machines razing humanity down to a bare handful of survivors.

Those futures didn't exist outside her own head, not anymore, but that hardly mattered. Not when the memories felt so vivid and real -

"Light."

-there was a warm, steady hand grasping her shoulder, and Lightning jerked away from Fang on instinct. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, and she blinked rapidly, looking back up to where she could see crystal Cocoon through the leaves. The sight of her old home didn't feel quite so threatening or overwhelming, the feeling of tension ebbing away.

It was still a few moments before Lightning had the courage to look down at Fang, but when she did, the other woman's eyes were calm. There was no trace of judgement in her expression, and Lightning's half-hearted attempts to explain died on her lips.

Fang already understood.

"I'm..." Lightning trailed off, swallowing. Her throat felt impossibly dry. "I'm... back."

Fang didn't comment, merely nodding once. She didn't press Lightning for answers, not the way Serah had forced Lightning to seek distance just to cope. Fang had no expectations.

While Fang had rarely spoken on the topic, Lightning supposed she'd been in a very similar position. How difficult had it been for Fang, to return to a Gran Pulse that was just a shattered, deserted shell of what she'd known? Lightning exhaled, long and slow, the tension bleeding away from her rigid muscles until she felt... more like herself.

Fang shouldered her gun, understanding implicitly as she said, "Let's go kick some Blue Team butt, huh?"

It was an invitation back to normalcy, and just what Lightning had needed to hear.

"You know it." Lightning moved to take the lead once more, resettling her shoulders determinedly. As she passed, though, she couldn't help but offer Fang a small smile. She wasn't fine, and maybe never would be. But looking at Fang, grounded and steady, a fixed point on the horizon... She wondered if it might get easier. She hoped it would.

They walked in silence, Fang holding up the rear as Lightning took the lead. That was the way they'd always worked best - Lightning's keen eye on the goal, and Fang's strength and durability there to back her up to the very hilt. Lightning hadn't spoken since she'd spaced out, and really, she'd hardly needed to. Something had reared up in her head - shadows, memories or whatever they were.

The important thing was that Lightning had come back on her own terms, even if she'd been shaken. On a colder, more objective level, the unwilling moment of vulnerability had given Fang some sense of how her old friend's issues, and why she might have left New Bodhum. Old memories - while they could still be as potent as reality itself, they were something Fang had experience in dealing with. That, she could at least understand.

She knew how difficult the weight of memories could be - Ragnarok and her role in the events leading up to the Purge were her sins to bear. There was not a day she didn't regret those actions, when the future felt terrifying and unforgiving.

She'd learned that taking it a day at a time was vital to her mental health. While it had been a struggle at first, she had seen a marked increase in what she could truthfully call good days.

Still. It meant a great deal to her that Lightning had trusted Fang - enough not to redirect her question and lie that she was fine.

She kept her eyes on Lightning's back as they slipped through the trees, watching the play of the dappled light on her hair and skin. The glowing red badge on the woman's shoulder kept catching Fang's eye, and she admitted she missed that odd red cape. And the short skirt - the khaki trousers Lightning was wearing didn't show the amount of skin Fang had become delightfully accustomed to seeing.

Still... Fang thought, letting her eyes flicker up and down Lightning's body. She traced the steady movement of muscles under paint-streaked clothing, openly admiring. The pants do have their benefits.

When Lightning suddenly halted, holding up a hand as she scanned the forest around them, Fang barely jolted herself to awareness before she knocked into her. Lightning still shot her a fleeting, sour look over her shoulder, as if she knew they'd nearly gone sprawling. Fang shrugged expressively, but now that she was concentrating... she could hear voices.

Snow and Gadot, Fang realised, her grasp tightening on her gun until the plastic grip creaked. What now?

Lightning waved her hand, and remembering the hand signal from their l'Cie days, Fang slowly backed up, careful not to make a sound.

It wasn't until they'd put some distance between themselves and the Blue Team that Fang relaxed enough to breathe. Hope's plan called for them to engage the Blue Team and led them all into a trap. But what was the best way to go about it?

Fang shot a sidelong look at Lightning. The woman was frowning, her chin tilted up as she peered at something through the forest canopy. Her expression wasn't vacant, not the way it had been before, but Fang didn't want to leave it to chance.

"You've got a plan ticking over in that head of yours." Fang tapped the side of her head with a finger. "Care to share with me?"

Lightning met her eyes, her mouth twitching into a small smirk. "Hm. How tired are you?"

"...I'm not going to like this plan, am I?" Fang let out a long breath through her teeth, trying not to think about the patchwork of bruises Vanille and Serah had made of her hide. "A little sore, but more than ready to do what it takes."

Lightning exhaled sharply. "Good."

Fang watched her grab the extra gun she'd nicked from storage, holding it out to examine. It looked a little different from the one Fang carried - and while she was no expert on guns or their parts, she did recognise the scope.

Lightning watched her for a moment, before sliding it back into its place on her back. "I figure I'll take a vantage position and hit them when they get too close. You, on the other hand, get to run like hell."

"I knew it wasn't going to be good, but that..." Fang whistled under her breath. It was always a mixed bag with her fellow ex-l'Cie, wasn't it? Good plans and bloody terrible ones. "S'pose I see why you wanted someone who could take the hits. I really am carrying this whole operation, aren't I?"

Lightning tilted her head to the side, shooting Fang an odd look. "Only because I know you can pull it off."

Fang grunted under her breath, flattered by the faith Lightning had in her but not exactly thrilled with the task ahead of her. She checked her watch, or at least the part that wasn't hidden by the red flag tied about her wrist. "I'll give you five minutes to get to your vantage point before I... announce myself to the gentlemen."

"Done." Lightning nodded sharply, and she seemed to waver for a moment. Eventually, she reached out, her movement uncertain and jerky as she took Fang's shoulder in a gentle grasp. "You'll be fine."

The intensity of her eyes... Fang swallowed as Lightning slowly withdrew, her throat suddenly feeling thick. She couldn't help but notice the way Lightning's touch lingered on her arm. Was it just her wishful thinking, or had those blue eyes flickered down to her lips?

The combination of proximity and intensity was enough to nearly buckle Fang's knees. She wanted nothing more than to shove Lightning back against one of the trees, catch her lips with her own and kiss her bloody senseless, the paintball game and Farron family politics be damned.

As much as Fang wanted it - she hadn't ached for it like that in a very long time, since before Anima and the worst of the War - now was not the best time. Lightning was nothing if not goal-driven, and distracting her now would be of no benefit.

Maybe after... Fang thought to herself, trying to ignore the unbearable, sharp heat in her stomach as Lightning headed out. All too soon, she was gone, launching herself through the canopy from branch to branch, and Fang was alone with her desperate frustration. She looked back in the direction they'd last seen Snow and Gadot, and sighing, she tugged her mask back down.

Show time.

Lightning made it up to her vantage point with time to spare, settling herself on her stomach and drawing her modified paintball rifle from her back. She'd picked the wooden tower in the centre of the arena, and while it lacked the sort of subtlety Lightning normally preferred, it made up for it in sheer view.

From here, she could see all sides of the arena - the Red Team's base in the north, and the Blue Team's base in the south. Team NORA and Sazh had set themselves up near the Blue Team's base, which was fair. Snow was the best showboater among them, and paired with Gadot... Lightning snorted softly to herself. She just hoped that the cannons wouldn't splash too far.

As the minutes ticked onward, she adjusted her scope and checked her ammunition. It used the same paintballs as her assigned gun did, though the scope gave it better accuracy and the thing had a hell of a lot more punch to it.

She almost felt sorry for the opposing team - the operative term being 'almost'. From her vantage point, she could make out Fang flitting through the trees, back toward where Snow and Gadot were lingering in an open clearing. The woman was hardly difficult to spot - she was sporting a ridiculous amount of vivid, blue paint.

Lightning had been reluctant to ask such a brutal role of Fang, especially given how much of her skin she'd already idiotically sacrificed to Serah and Vanille. But really, if there was anyone on the Red Team that had the sheer stubbornness and insanity required get the job done, it was Fang.

Fang... Lightning sighed softly, watching the woman move. She'd wanted to take Fang's face in her hands, impulsively kiss her good luck. She'd wanted it so badly it had hurt, even if she'd not dared risk it. She'd almost thrown caution in the wind, just to know if Fang's mouth would be as soft as it looked.

It was strange, to realise that that part of her had remained - that she'd been able to continue to have these feelings in spite of her role in Valhalla. Apparently, her feelings for Fang had been something Etro hadn't been able to dig out, even as she'd moulded Lightning and forced her into the role of warrior goddess.

It was another difference, another way to refocus her sometimes fragmented attention. When she was thinking about Fang, she wasn't ruminating on the end of the world, and… that was a relief.

Lightning watched Fang engage with Snow and Gadot, and as they sprang after the woman, she couldn't help but wince in sympathy. Lightning had been unlucky enough to encounter them, not long before she'd found Vanille. In hindsight, she realised they'd been on their way back from their attempt to find the flag.

Gadot was no slouch with a gun, and that translated rather admirably to their current situation. Snow, on the other hand... well, he wasn't as bad a shot as Fang, but the problem was, he had an even poorer understanding of the term "self-preservation" and was more than happy to eat a few close-range shots to get the job done.

Lightning rather suspected that both he and Serah would be her main concerns, as she helped Fang reach the top of the Blue Team base.

She watched them pursue, her finger resting on the trigger, her visor raised to give her the best possible view, following and predicting Fang's path as well as she could. At times, she had no more to go on than flashes through leaves - at others, she could clearly make out all three as they tore through the clearings.

Lightning hissed under her breath as she watched Fang fumble a dodge, and hot on her heels, Snow lunged for her. Exhaling and steadying her aim, Lightning squeezed the trigger and let off a single shot. It nailed Snow right between the shoulder blades, and the added power from the rifle floored him for moment. She watched in satisfaction as Fang darted back out of Snow's reach, making a beeline for the Blue Team base.

Not a bad idea, Lightning thought, following them with the scope of her gun. Fang needed to remember that Serah was the target - so far, she hadn't showed. Lightning wasn't quite sure what to make of it. If they couldn't draw Serah out, into the trap... then it would all be for nothing.

Fang couldn't bite back her grunt of pain as Gadot's trio of shots hit her in the small of her back. She could have laughed - given the patchwork of fire her flesh had become, was it really so hard for her to just grit her teeth and take it?

She pivoted sharply as she heard Snow laugh and spring at her, narrowly avoiding the much bigger man as his arms closed around nothing. She heard another crack of Lightning's brutal gun, listening to Snow grunt and stagger - she sent another silent thanks to her self-appointed guardian up in the vantage tower.

Fang was normally a lot faster than Snow was, but even she had to admit she was flagging, sweat dampening her hair and leaving her hands and skin slick under all the layers of clothing. It felt as though she'd been running around the forest with Snow and Gadot on her heels since forever - just where the hell were Serah and Vanille, anyway? Between Lightning's loud gun, Snow and Gadot's shouting and her own breathless taunting, they were making a serious commotion.

Even distracted as she was, run to near-exhaustion with two hot-heads on her heels, she realised that their absence was suspicious.

Just keep moving, she told herself, lowering her head and lurching to the side as she heard Gadot fire. Only one of his shots grazed her arm that time, and while the pain was sharp, she bared her teeth in a vicious grin. It had only taken her twenty minutes of tough-love learning to figure out how to dodge properly. If she hadn't been so damn beat, she might have been more self-congratulating.

As it was, she could scarcely see straight through her exhaustion and the sweat in her eyes - that was when she heard shots come from to the side. Fang snarled in frustration, swerving hard, but it was far too late to avoid Vanille.

The impact was hard enough to jar both of them, Fang's teeth knocking together painfully when Vanille's forehead collided with her chin. She swore harshly under her breath, immediately attempting to roll away as her sister scrambled after her. Of course it was Vanille, the only person who was ever able to anticipate her actions entirely. She'd royally fucked up - where the hell was Lightning? She struggled to her hands and knees, taking a beat to check if the flag was still fastened about her wrist -

Vanille's knee impacted with Fang's tender back, forcing her to the ground, and she couldn't bite back her groan. Never one to admit defeat, Fang attempted to tuck the wrist with the flag under her body.

"Give it up, Fang! Surrender!" Vanille exclaimed, her tone both upbeat and wheedling. Fang scowled over her shoulder, about to burn her sister's ears with some choice words - and her eyes fell on the blue flag tied to Vanille's wrist.

Vanille has it now. Not Serah, Fang realised breathlessly, but what the hell could she do about it? Snow and Gadot wouldn't be far away, Lightning couldn't hold them off forever. By proximity alone, Vanille was dangerous - all she'd have to do was wrestle it from Fang.

That was when the weight on her back was abruptly gone. Game or no, she still had to crush the protective urge rearing up in her chest as she saw the wide shot of red painted all the way across Vanille's chest.

Lightning, Fang realised breathlessly, surging to her feet just in time to escape Gadot's slew of shots. You sure as hell cut that one fine.

Over her shoulder, she saw Snow spot her. He covered the distance between them impossibly quickly, and to her left, Vanille was struggling to her feet.

At least Fang now had Vanille on her tail - it was time to bring the sorry fiasco to a close.

Through the scope of her gun, Lightning watched Fang scramble away from Vanille in relief. It had been a close call, but she'd been so preoccupied with keeping Snow and Gadot pinned that she'd forgotten the two sisters entirely. Of course, she couldn't have expected Fang to fight off Vanille with the same sort of vigour she'd favoured Snow with.

At least with Lightning to shoulder the blame, Fang hadn't needed to -

That was when the shot hit her in the back of the thigh, both stinging and sharp. Lightning hadn't even had the chance to twitch a muscle or breathe a curse before the next hit her shoulder, but by the time the final shot impacted with the back of her head, she'd gathered her wits enough to roll away.

She took cover behind the nearest plywood wall, pressing her back up against the cheap wood, her breath coming hard. She ran a hasty hand through her hair, flinching as she brushed over the area that would likely rise in a welt. Her gloveless fingertips came away tellingly blue, and Lightning's jaw tightened.

That sort of accuracy speaks of just one person. Lightning let her head thud back against the wooden wall. Serah. That puts a spanner in our plans, but she is my sister, after all.

Lightning waited, forcing her breath to even out as she listened. Dozens of feet below, she could hear the chaos as Fang continued to lead Snow, Gadot and Vanille on a merry chase. The woman was completely unaware that their target had staked out one of her own - that the whole charade had been a waste of time.

She heard someone land on the platform, their footsteps so light she could have mistaken them for just the creak of the wooden boards in the wind. Lightning tightened her grip on her gun as she weighed her options.

Serah had forced her to abandon her sniper rifle, which was a shame - the weapon had been more useful than Lightning had initially estimated. She could probably escape, sliding down one of the many ropes strung up on the tower. If Serah had the flag, though, then that meant the plan really would have gone out the window.

And with how tired Fang looks, the Blue Team are going to capture the flag soon.

Lightning realised there was nothing for it. She'd need to remain and settle things on her own. There was a chance she could take Serah by surprise - her sister had no way of knowing she'd remained atop the tower. She could use that to her advantage.

"A sniper modification? I'm fairly sure that's cheating, you know!" Lightning heard Serah announce, her voice pitched to carry through her mask. There was a clatter and a bang as Serah kicked the weapon over the edge of the tower.

Lightning didn't reply, listening to the creak of the boards under Serah's feet and trying to get a sense of where her sister was standing. There was still a good chance Serah was bluffing, and where was the harm in attempting to call it?

There were a few beats of silence from over the other side of the wall. Lightning's eyes narrowed. Of course, Serah wasn't buying it.

Seems we'll need to do it the hard way, Lightning thought. Fantastic.

"That's quite a show you've had Fang put on!" Serah called out, and Lightning could hear her boots thudding on the wood as she walked. "Too bad she's not much of a match for Snow, you know? It's a little sad she's gone through all that wasted effort."

Lightning smiled in spite of herself, finally deciding to give in and allow her sister the back-and-forth she apparently wanted so desperately.

"Don't underestimate her," Lightning replied, and she closed her eyes for a moment, her muscles coiling with tension. "I really do think she gives Snow a run for his money in sheer stubbornness."

She silently moved to the next barrier on the platform, slipping behind it just as her sister rounded the corner. Her heart hammered in her chest in a way it hadn't in years of battling in Valhalla.

"You wanna know something?" Serah asked, and Lightning could tell she was continuing to search - the conversation was just a distraction. "As much as you'd hate to hear it, I think we do have similar tastes."

"Perhaps." Lightning had to laugh at that one - there was really no use denying her attraction to Fang. She darted to another lot of cover, her feet soundless over the unfinished timber. She was behind Serah, now, and satisfied that her sister was preoccupied with her search, she leaned out. Where the hell was the flag? Last time it had been on Serah's wrist, now -

Serah pivoted sharply, levelling her gun at Lightning's head before she could even think to dart back behind cover. She was raising an eyebrow, as if disappointed - Lightning only barely rolled out of the way, blue paint spattering in the spot she'd last occupied. She righted herself immediately, bringing her paintball gun up and locking it on her sister.

"You take this game awfully seriously," Lightning said slowly, as the seconds passed and Serah hadn't moved to continue the fight.

Serah tilted her head, looking at Lightning a little oddly. While they'd admittedly been estranged of late, there was nobody in all of Cocoon and Gran Pulse who could read Lightning so easily - at least when not blinded by her own expectations.

"Something tells me you're okay with that." Serah made it sound almost like a question, and perhaps it was.

"More than okay. This game has been..." Lightning shook her head slightly. It was difficult to explain, really. Her emotions and head were such a mess - but this game had offered her a few moments of clarity in chaos itself. "I've felt more like myself today than I have in a long time."

Serah laughed, the sound clear and genuinely happy for the first time since their fight. "I've noticed."

Lightning didn't relax or drop her weapon, but she did smile.

"We're still going to win, though," Serah added, jerking her head back toward the ground.

"Distracting me from saving Fang's ass, are we? I'd thought this was an odd place for a heart-to-heart," Lightning said, letting her smile twist into a smirk. There was no doubt in her mind that her sister had been entirely genuine in her observations - but that didn't stop her from taking advantage of Lightning's distraction, either.

Well, two could play at that game. If the flag wasn't with Serah, then Lightning would put serious gil on it being entrusted to one of the others. In that case, there was little benefit in continuing to engage Serah - Fang needed Lightning watching her back down there.

Before her sister could make a move, Lightning lunged to the right and straight off the side of the vantage tower. She'd barely had time to angle her jump, and it was by dumb luck alone that she managed to catch herself on one of the lengths of rope that had been strung up. She let herself hang for just a heartbeat, knowing Serah would have her in her sights already, before dropping from the reduced height.

The fall was still not one she'd have recommended for her now-human friends, but for Etro's champion, it was more than easy to shrug off. She looked up, fixing her sights on the Blue Team base through the trees.

Be it by Lady Luck's blessing or an insane, self-made miracle, Fang somehow made it to the top of the Blue Team's multi-storey base. She'd fought her way up the building, forcing her far too human body into sprints, jumps, and dodges that felt beyond her capacity at that point.

After Snow had managed to corner Fang in a dead end within the base, leaving her to desperately wrestle herself free, she'd decided that the only way she was going to make it was by scaling the outside itself. By the time she'd launched herself up, fingers scrambling for purchase as she'd darted between the platforms spaced out on each level, her muscles had felt like nothing more than trembling liquid.

Maybe Lightning was right. I have gotten soft, Fang told herself, unable to allow herself to relax for a moment as she assessed her situation.

Embarrassing exhaustion aside, Fang still had reason to be pleased with herself. Despite all the wrestling and heart-stoppingly close calls, she'd still retained the red flag tied about her wrist. The coarse material was streaked in paint, more blue than red now, but she'd bloody done it.

She just hoped Hope and Noel would hold up their end of the crazy bargain. In the precious few moments she had, Fang shielded her eyes from the afternoon such, squinting across at the Red Team's base. She couldn't make out a sign of life over there, which was far from reassuring. Lightning, too, had been conspicuously absent.

Fang wondered, somewhat irritably, what the woman had been playing at. She could have really used the backup when Gadot had snagged her ankle earlier...

She heard panting from the edge of the top platform, her exhausted muscles ratcheting even tighter. It seemed like things were coming to a head, whether Hope and Noel were ready or not.

"So..." Snow huffed out as he heaved himself up. "You made it to the top after all that. What now? Where exactly do you think you're gonna go?"

No matter the trash talk, Snow looked as bad as she felt, his black coat covered in red and his blond hair matted to his neck.

Good, Fang thought, in no mood for feeling charitable. She hadn't seen Serah since the whole ordeal had begun - had that demon of a girl gone and messed things up with Hope?

Fang cast an eye over the opposite ledge to Snow, wondering what her chances would be like if she just dropped the whole idea and ran. That idea was quickly scuttled as Vanille slowly and painfully pulled herself up and over the edge. She didn't look nearly as bad as Snow did, but damn, Fang was certain they'd all seen better days.

Gadot had joined Snow's side when Fang had been watching Vanille, and with all guns locked on her and nowhere to run, she couldn't help but feel a stab of worry sharp enough to give a behemoth indigestion. She checked her gun, even though she knew it was useless - she'd already spent what ammunition she'd had left.

Fang closed her eyes for just a moment, swallowing. Get your behind into gear, Hope...

Snow rushed her first, nothing if not entirely predictable. She ducked through his wide charge, before pivoting sharply and ramming her elbow into his side as a just reward. He grunted in pain and stumbled back toward Vanille - Fang offered him a savage grin. She just hoped the expression spoke of confidence, rather than desperation.

Fang glanced in the direction of where Gadot had lingered, wary. The man hadn't opened fire - perhaps he'd finally burned through all his and Snow's unused ammunition. Still, he was at least as physically imposing as Snow. Any tackles from him would hurt - but perhaps he was smarter in his approach than his fearless leader.

"Don't tell me you don't want some," she called out to Gadot, jabbing the butt of her gun in his direction. "How about you get over here so I can kick your rear nice and sound?"

"Not sure I'm that into you!" Gadot shouted back, shrugging exaggeratedly. Even through his visor, Fang could see the corners of his eyes crinkling as he tried not to grin.

She knew the man liked a good scuffle, she'd spent far too many boring patrols with him, but why in the hell would he look so -

Fang bit off a strangled curse as Snow's arms locked around her waist, and she could hear the idiot laughing as he lifted her full off the ground. His grasp was impossibly strong, and while Fang was far from a slouch in that department, prying herself free would take time she didn't have. She kicked her heel back, landing a solid strike on his shins, but it did her no good and she was far too aware Gadot was edging closer.

Somewhere at the edge of her awareness, she could make out the sounds of Team NORA and Sazh shouting from their vantage points atop the wall - and that was when she heard the cannons fire.

It all happened in a handful of seconds - Snow froze, his laughter subsiding into a rumble of abject confusion at the unexpected noise. Gadot had paused, just out of Fang's range, his expression turning from one of victory to one of horror. Fang herself had just enough time to tug down her mask and visor before the first of the paint deluge hit.

The first shot exploded at Snow's feet, splattering him, Fang and the top of the base in tidal waves of bright, red paint. The next shots fell in quick succession, ten of them without pause, and damn were Vanille's squeals of dismay worth the pain and wait. The rooftop was an absolute pandemonium of shouting, confusion and movement as they all struggled to evade the next shots, and as Snow's grip had slacked, Fang slid out from his arms.

She tugged her paint splattered mask back up, her feet sliding in the paint but her vision thankfully clear. There was no point in wasting time, and as she heard more shots fire from the other side of the arena, she snarled.

Vanille. Where is Vanille? She spotted her sister, drenched head-to-toe in red, not far to her left.

Fang sprang to Vanille's side, catching her by one of her arms just as she'd been about to slip in paint. She was careful to steady her sister, not wanting any more damage to come to her than strictly necessary, but when she looked down, she realised she was grasping the arm with the flag.

Fang flashed her sister a smile, watching her splutter and spit red paint, before she carefully pulled the flag free.

"Thanks for this," Fang said, dangling it in front of Vanille's eyes for just a moment. Her sister's eyes shot wide, her mouth falling open - and that was when Fang heard more shots firing. As awe-inspiring as it all was, she was not sticking around for another bloody volley!

Fang lurched away, attempting to gain some speed. With all the paint on the wood, though, she couldn't get any traction, and she slid the last few meters to the base's edge. She launched herself from the top of the base just as the rounds hit, her arm shooting out to grasp at one of the banner poles jutting out from the side.

Fang's grip was slick with paint, and she couldn't manage a proper hold on it - she left red paint marks behind as her force of movement tore the banner pole from her grasp.

Shit, Fang snarled silently, panicking and starting to brace for impact - and then a hand shot out from one of the base's middle levels. Fang's rapid descent was brought to a stunning halt, and Lady Luck must have favoured her, because while the thick material groaned, it actually held.

Fang looked up into Lightning's blue eyes, relieved beyond words that the woman had been there to catch her after all. She hadn't wanted to test the new limits of her human durability - not in that fashion. She smiled, reaching up and grasping Lightning's other, outstretched hand with her own.

Lightning returned it, pulling Fang up slowly and cautiously. Even through her gloves, Fang could feel the muscles working in Lightning's forearms, impossibly powerful when compared to the rest of the mere mortals she'd been playing with.

It was only when Fang had finally made it up and over the edge, into the safety of the Blue Team base, that the realisation hit home.

They'd actually bloody won. Fang allowed herself to stumble into the other woman, shaking from the pure adrenaline rush of it all. She looked down at the Blue Team's flag, still clenched in her fist, indisputable proof of their victory over the so-called Dream Team.

She looked at Lightning, scant centimeters away, and she laughed as she held the flag up for the woman to see.

"We did it," Fang said, exhaling long and hard in satisfaction. If she'd thought she'd felt good before, it was nothing compared to now. Not when Lightning took one look at the filthy, paint-streaked flag, a real grin forming on her lips and lighting up her whole face in warmth.

Really, I could do absolutely anything right now, Fang thought, just meeting Lightning's blue eyes and grinning foolishly. They were silent for a few moments, just drinking in the elation of victory.

Lightning's hair and shirt had a lot more blue on them than Fang had last noticed, dust and paint streaking the woman's face. Fang swallowed, her mouth suddenly parched and her throat tight - Lightning was beautiful, so vibrantly alive.

Fang needed her.

She ducked her head just slightly, moving cautiously, seeking implicit permission from the woman who had always managed to make her feel better than she was. Lightning met her halfway, her lips soft and hesitant as they pressed against Fang's in a shallow, clinging kiss.

Fang broke it almost immediately, resting her forehead against Lightning's for a moment. It was a struggle to remember how to function normally, to keep her head from spinning. She could feel Lightning's breath, shallow, warm and shaky on her cheek.

Worried, Fang drew back to read Lightning's expression, desperate to reassure herself that things were okay - and then she froze. The look of raw need in Lightning's eyes eliminated any reservations Fang had held, and they moved as one.

Lightning pressed her mouth hard against Fang's, hungry, the crook of her arm hooking behind Fang's neck and desperate to eliminate all remaining distance between them. Fang felt dizzy for a moment, a small, involuntary sound escaping her throat as she felt the brush of Lightning's tongue along her lower lip.

Please don't stop, Fang begged her silently, allowing Lightning to push her back until they were both pressed up hard against the wooden wall. Fang refused to break the kiss for a moment, cupping Lightning's face in her hands and desperate for everything Lightning was offering. She'd give the same back of herself, to Lightning. There was nobody else she'd rather let in the same way. Nobody else she could imagine facing the future with.

Lightning seemed to read it in her body language, in the way Fang had arched under her touch. She pressed kisses along the edge of Fang's jaw, her breath feverish and hot.

In hindsight, Fang was certain the only reason they ended up stopping was that Serah walked in on them.

After Bael and his assistants escorted them all from the arena, lecturing loudly about "arena rules" and "property damage", they were forced to hand over the rented gear and change as quickly as possible. Lightning had to hide a smile as she glanced across at the Blue Team - Snow, Vanille and Gadot had been drenched in paint, all thanks to the cannons. Even if Serah had escaped the chaos, she still looked angry enough to take a behemoth bare-handed.

Noel and Hope, as the orchestrators of the cannon trick, had received the brunt of Bael's lectures on their way in. They'd really done a number of the Blue Team, and the two of them were sharing grins and high fives with one another.

Lightning turned back to her own locker, peeling herself out of her sweaty, splattered clothing and dropping them in a pile on the floor. She still felt... exhilarated by the win, no matter how underhanded, and what had happened immediately after had only made things better.

More complicated, as well, but... definitely sweeter.

She glanced around the locker room, to where Fang was getting her ear chewed off by a vehement Vanille. The woman was nodding along with whatever accusations her sister was throwing her way, taking them in her stride with a disturbing ease. Lightning let her gaze linger as Fang pulled off her paint-soaked clothing, the khaki drenched in equal parts red and blue now.

Even if Serah hadn't walked in on them, Lightning doubted anyone would have been able to ignore the suspicious amount of red paint smeared on her own clothing. She wet her lips, unable to help recalling how Fang had arched into her when she'd trailed her fingertips over the nape of her neck.

Stopping had been the last thing on Lightning's mind. Every fibre of her body had been focused in on Fang, on the physical sensation she'd been denied all those years in Valhalla. She hadn't realised just how starved for physical affection she'd been - not until she'd had it offered to her so unreservedly.

Fang must have sensed her gaze - the woman looked over her shoulder, old, clean tshirt in her hands, and shot her an encouraging smile. Lightning snorted softly, turning back to her own locker and grabbing her own from inside. She didn't mind that her fingertips left streaks of blue and red on the fabric, pulling it over her head.

When she looked up, she realised Serah was still glaring at her. She sighed and nodded. If her sister had to get it off her chest, then she'd take Fang as an example and get it over and done with.

"That was a dirty trick," Serah growled, throwing her hands up in the air as she approached. "Did I really need to specify that you needed to win inside the rules?"

Lightning wasn't fazed, merely crossing her arms and leaning against the locker.

"Anyone would think you hated losing," Lightning said, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

"No points for guessing who I picked that from," Serah countered with a sour look, and Lightning could have laughed. "Lightning, Bael is talking about giving us lifetime bans!"

Lightning shrugged, her expression carefully blank. That made her feel uneasy - she hadn't meant to cause that sort of trouble for Snow and the rest. Perhaps she had gotten a little carried away, what with the lock-picking and flagrant breaking of the game rules.

"Well, maybe Snow might be able to sweet talk him out of it, but..." Serah sighed, the corner of her mouth curling into a reluctant smile. "It was fun, wasn't it?"

"I'd do it again, if that's what you're asking."

"Or do you mean you'd do her?" Serah asked her, and her smile became far too innocent to be genuine. Lightning shot her an irritable look, but she was too pleased with herself to give it any vehemence. She'd missed Serah more than she could ever say.

"Is that what happens when you save all of time?" Lightning countered with a scoff. "You get to backchat your older sister?"

Serah's smile changed, just subtly, becoming more wistful than teasing. "No. I get her back, however it is she wants to stay in my life. However long it actually takes for her to come home."

Lightning paused, frowning across at her sister. That was an offering, if she'd ever heard one. Of course, Serah had accepted her need for time and space, but that had been born of anger, disappointment and reluctance. This one felt more genuine, hopeful. It made all the difference.

Lightning smiled. "Thank you, Serah."

As Serah walked away to rally everyone into moving faster, Lightning shut her locker. She had mixed feelings, as always, but mostly, it just felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Things could be normal between them - today had proven that without a doubt. It could happen.

Lightning shouldered her bag with a sigh, following the rest of the game participants out of the locker room, the reception, and into the afternoon sun outside.

Fang fell into step at Lightning's side, and the action felt as natural to her as breathing. She couldn't help but cast a look out the corner of her eye, just... admiring. Fang was still battered, still covered in the odd splotch of paint, but none of that mattered. She was breathtaking under the afternoon sunlight.

Lightning idly wondered if it was too much and too soon to just... kiss her again.

They were silent, listening to Hope chatting to Noel excitedly about the cannons they'd used and future tactics. Snow was obediently trailing after Serah, Vanille was talking to Lebreau and Sazh was shooting them all looks that said "I told you so".

Looking at them all now… It felt more like the happy ending they'd all deserved after the Fall, rather than the clusterfuck of separation and paradoxes they'd gotten instead.

"So," Fang said, as they reached the area the varied array of hovercraft had all been parked. "Are you... heading?"

Lightning paused, looking over her shoulder at the small airship she'd shared with Snow and Serah on the way over. Vanille was with them - it seemed as though her seat had been taken, and she'd need to organise another ride back to New Bodhum. She wet her lips, glancing back to Fang and weighing her options carefully.

Committing to something she wasn't certain of felt dishonest - even if her feelings for Fang seemed to be one of the few things for her that held any sort of clarity. She had no idea if that would last. Disappointing Fang was the last thing she wanted, especially after all they'd both been through...

Her gut clenched painfully, and she hated even then, even after what they'd shared, that she still didn't know.

"I'm not sure." Lightning swallowed, frowning at the velocycle and wishing she could promise Fang more. "I don't know."

Fang was silent for a moment, before she reached out. She took two of Lightning's fingers in her own, her grasp light and warm. If Lightning had wanted, she could have twitched away in a heartbeat. It was both the promise of freedom and stability.

"One day at a time, yeah?" Fang asked, the corners of her lips curling in a tiny smile. Then she laughed, her cheeks flushing as she tilted her head. "Come back with me."

Lightning watched her, blinking once. The future had always seemed so huge in her mind since returning - an all-or-nothing deal. Perhaps Fang was right - perhaps she just needed to try to take it one day at a time, as hard as it could be. It seemed to have paid off, at least in Fang's case.

It wasn't going to be certain, not the way Lightning had so desperately wanted, but she knew she owed it to Serah, Fang, herself - to try.

Lightning tightened her grasp on Fang's hand, squeezing it just the once. "Sure."