& You'll find me here [Lightning]

[Oerba Yun Fang [The Desperado]]

It wasn't often Fang found herself in isolation. Not after her reunion with Lina. But for now, she was alone in the wilds of Pulse, atop a cliff that overlooked the plains. A grand view even for those whom were from Gran Pulse. Something In Fang had caused her to walk into the wilds. Lina was her best friend, someone who taught her how to grow into herself. How to become herself, and love who she was despite it all. Lina had helped Fang in a time where she was scared and afraid of not only herself, but what lived within her. She'd come to know something, about herself within the last few weeks. Ragnarok was not ever a separate being inside her. Ragnarok was her, a part of her. She needed now, to close up loose ends. She needed closure, and there was only one way to get that. Overlooking the plains below as the sun set and the skies were dyed the grandest shades of reds and pinks and oranges she stood. She'd find her tonight, no matter how long she'd be gone, how far she'd run, or how high she'd climb. Fang would find her tonight.

Lightning. That name evoked things inside of Fang that she'd be unable to explain. Feelings that were unlike anything she could describe with words. Only action. Fang had always been a woman of action, never of words, and now shed take that proverbial leap of faith and plunge into an abyss of rather unexplored territories. Romance never had been something Fang was good at. Whilst Lina found her soul-mate and married, Fang was a wanderer. She never felt the absolute resolution that she felt right now. Was this what it meant to know what and who was "the one"> Lina, yes Fang loved her. But it was a separate kind of love, a love that she felt for a close friend, and confidante. Lightning roused some feelings that ranged from lust to fear.

But it was never something purely hormonal and lusty that drove her attraction, no. Something else, she couldn't explain was driving her tonight. Above her Bahamut flew, her constant companion and ally throughout her turbulent few weeks. He landed beside her and nudged her shoulder, a playful move from a dragon known to be serious. She grinned. "He's getting close child. You may not have the need to look far for the one you seek." he murmured into her mind. A low rumble being the only audible cue that he was speaking to Fang. Fang chuckled. "Whataya say Big guy, y'wanna go help me find a ray o' Sunshine?" The dragon roared a laugh at Fang and gently tossed her onto his back. "Perhaps sunshine is pushing it ne?" It was Fang's turn to laugh.

"She's always been my ray o' Sunshine since the day we met." The dragon took off in a steep dive down the cliff, his wings tucked in as they gained speed and soared upward after grazing the ground. Nothing ever felt better than the time she could fly so freely and feel the freedom that she felt so rarely in these times. Her heart and soul seemed to soar as the duo went higher and higher, clouds becoming insignificant. They flew forward, until they found the duo they'd been searching for. Odin and his partner. The raven haired woman knew it was time now. That leap of faith that she'd take at this moment was one that she knew she'd never forget. Her eyes met Bahamut as she jumped. Air rushed around her as she fell, Bahamut diving with her.

She fell until she was sixty feet in front of Odin, where Bahamut caught and landed her safely. The dragon suddenly gave off an uneasy air. As if he was nervous at the Knight's approach. Fang however, she stood, arms crossed and Kain's lance in the ground by her side. This was it. The sun danced across the plains, and her trained eyes could see Odin as he approached.

"Relax old man, 's Just Sunshine and her Horse~"

[Lightning Farron]

you're the conversation; i'm the game.
soldier shine on, with your conscience open
and the curtain falls in with the drums
soldier, come on, when the final cut plays
and the chorus comes...
-----

Astride Odin's back, the metal plating of the bio-mechanical horse was cold against her thighs, though the chill was an accustomed one, just shy of welcome. And the rhythm of his steps was a comfortable and usual gait, a routine to fall back on to hide from her own thoughts.

"You are still plagued with guilt." Odin called her out on it, but she ignored him, half-crossing her arms but still retaining her balance on his back. Only the subtle tightening of her mouth indicated a reaction to what he had said.

"Were you aware of another solution?" he continued on, not taking the hint, and she looked away from the back of his head, out to the right and the plains of Gran Pulse that had become more of a home than her own. Her white teeth worried her bottom lip, a darker shade than usual due to the pressure of enamel on skin. Curse Odin for bringing this up.

"No," she answered at last, and shifted again. The horse snorted and continued walking.

"I am sure she forgives you. The huntress is more of a realist than you yourself, or your other companions."

"Drop it," the soldier said sharply, the creak of leather sounding gently as her fists tightened. Forcing down the violent intent, not necessarily a proper vent for her own self-loathing at having... having, all right, killed Fang-

How could you have done that? a voice in her head said loudly, and her eyes closed.

I had to.

You loved her-

"Shut up."

Silence for a moment, the only sound the steps of the Eidolon as he traversed the somewhat challenging terrain. Lightning busied herself picking dirt from her nails, already accustomed to the swaying of being on horseback.

Creak, rustle.

"You of all people should know hatred solves no problems. That Hope boy..."

"Don't bring him into this." A strand of rose hair danced out of her vision. "I'm not fourteen, and it's not my mother who died. And I killed her."

"Nevertheless. The similarities are- hold."

Lightning lurched forward as the horse suddenly halted, steadying herself with her calves pressed to his steely flanks. "What?" she asked, looking past him, but Odin remained silent.

Suddenly, a shape dropped from the clouds above and before them. A person... followed by a larger form, a recognizable mass that Lightning didn't dare put a name to.

The human was caught, lowered to the ground by the flying creature, and Light shook her head, looking away. "No." A nudge of her left knee against Odin's side, urging him to turn and lead them away, but he did not respond, only turning his head to regard her with glowing green lights for eyes. He turned back and watched the figures...

Lightning was then sliding off of his back, stepping forward tentatively. Once.

Twice.

"Fang...?"

Steel eyes were soft and widened, pliable and brimming over with unshed sentiments. Fists tightened as if aiming to puncture her palms with her nails, futile with the gloves she wore to shield them from contact. A dream. It can't be.

I killed her...

[Oerba Yun Fang [The Desperado]]

"Fang...?"

Fang found herself at the top of a cliff and about to take the plunge into an unknown part of herself, and territory she long thought hopeless until now. Bahamut rumbled something as he nudged her forward. His unease now settled into a quiet sort of confidence as he urged his companion forward into a walk towards the soldier. A day Fang's mind had played over and over since she found herself alive after the tournament. The scars on the huntress' body, the new ones received from Light they twinged and burned every so often. But with Bahamut's push something magnetic drew her right to the soldier, except. If it wasn't obvious by the sudden softness in her eyes, Fang wasn't about to make fun of the soldier right at this moment.

Something had almost punched her in the gut. Seeing Light, she was bathed in the light of the Pulsian sunset, and it was like Lightning had meant to be here all along. She was beautiful and it captivated her in a way that took everything she was, and her breath away. Lightning was here, in front of her. And it was as if she'd grown cement shoes and someone removed her voicebox for just a few moments. She needed to digest the sight, as it felt like it was unreal. As if something like this was never gonna happen. She swallowed, and exhaled a breath. The apprehension before the leap was oppressive, but she couldn't chicken out. Not now. Odin, was here, he was watching. Bahamut was overseeing it as well. Bahamut knew her feelings and the depth of them quite well.

"Yeah Sunshine, It's me. In flesh and blood." she said, her eyes glued to the blue ones of Light as she continued forward. The conflicts she had faced, had become something of the past. This woman, this soldier, this person was her future. Lina, she couldn't be, she felt the absolution that yes. This woman, she was that one. That one she had waited for her entire life to find. (even if she lived far longer than any human should). "Light..." she paused, a sigh as she rubbed her temples. "You Etro-blessed beautiful woman. I can't shut my trap anymore, not about this." She stepped forward once more, slowly as she closed in on Lightning. She knew a right hook would be inevitable soon enough, her eyes meeting those of Odin before she made her move.

"I ain't the most.. well spoken woman. But I gotta tell you this. You an' only you... I love you, and only you. Nobody has my 'eart like you." She looked down for a moment, as if she was thinking the ground below her was about to disappear. She drew in a breath and pulled Lightning into a tight hug. As if to prove she was there in the flesh and blood, she knew Light would be able to feel how she shook from nervousness. This was unfamiliar territory. The extent of romance Fang knew was that of flings and temporary things. Nothing, nothing had ever prepared her for how she felt now, not with Light. "You're the only one.." she murmured softly. Her breaths were shaky, some sort of overwhelming emotion hit her, and now, even though she had now taken that leap, and plunged deep into the waters below.

Even despite her optimism, she had a feeling even now this wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.

[Lightning Farron]

She's alive...

Fang drew closer, and Lightning had to force herself not to match every step of Fang's with her own step backward. Skittish wasn't the right word. It was...

disbelief -

denial -

grief -

anger -

resentment -

and an overwhelming sadness that seemed to leech the color out of everything that she looked at. Even the quote-unquote "beautiful Pulsian sunset" was only a collection of varying shades of gray as her eyes darkened.

She knew the scum that was the creature, Domminitus, and that something far more powerful and even more evil had to be in charge of him. It stood to reason that this was all a trick, smoke and mirrors that this time the fal'Cie weren't responsible for. She can't be real.

Odin was soundless, merely observing, cutting in neither yea or nay to interrupt her thoughts. A slight frown was directed at him, even though she wasn't looking in the direction of the Eidolon.

But then Fang began to speak, and Light found it harder and harder to hold on to her cherished assumption that this couldn't be real. The soldier's face was carefully impassive, only moving to fold her arms as the huntress spoke, even as her mind was a mire of conflicting thoughts.

Beautiful. Ha, ha. This was a depressing prank. And then the Pulsian dropped those three easy words, and (grasped by a flashback regarding a similar moment and Odin) the mess of negativity fluctuated, though still simmering as the "emotionless" soldier shifted her weight, appearing on the outside to be merely listening.

A slightly unbidden thought, but it came to Light that she really could use a drink right now, as Fang ended her statement... and drew her into a hug. Lightning's hands hung in the air for a moment as the situation processed, but then closed around Fang's lower back, feeling the woman shaking under her fingertips.

Lightning Farron was a woman typically equated with her stoic expression, icy personality, and painful right hooks. Lightning Farron was a soldier; she wasn't soft, and she definitely wasn't romance material.

Claire Farron, however - Claire was a young woman, romantic feelings and crushes and all. Claire Farron would sacrifice herself to save those and that which she loved.

The fork in the road right here was evident. Increasingly evident, enough that the dirt under her boots may as well have been cobblestone. A steel wall at the far end of the left path, and a rose at the end of the right.

Fitting.

And she... she let all of it go. Just go. All of the hurt and the grief - the anger animating her movements, surging through her as her fists clenched against Fang's sari, all of it - escaped her system with a sigh as Lightning relaxed into the embrace.

She felt lighter, as if she would float into the sky again. Like there were little lights all around them, as Vanille had called them, like in Oerba and in Cocoon as it fell. As if the crystal enveloping her fell away in a sheet of white dust.

"Fang?

... I love you, too."

[Oerba Yun Fang [The Desperado]]

Let me light up the sky,
Light it up for you.
Let me make this mine,
I'll ignite for you.

"Fang?

... I love you, too."

Fang could feel it, from the moment Light’s fists clenched against her sari, she let it go, she let the emotions she kept hidden and bottled up out. Those words, that single reply though caused the huntress’ eyes to become glassy for just a moment before she smiled. It wasn’t a teasing smirk, or joking grin. It was a genuine and truthful smile that she rarely gave to anyone. It felt like everything, the world was below them, nothing in this very moment mattered more than Lightning Farron. This woman in her arms was the only thing in her life that had kept her motivated to being stronger to being better, to becoming something else entirely. It made her smile, to know that Light shared the feelings she’d kept silent for so long. Her lips eventually pressed to Light’s forehead. That gentle smile still gracing her features.

Now, it was time to do something else. It was Pulsian custom, or rather in general for her custom to give a gift of some sort to give to her that was personal. A part of herself in a way, and Fang thought for a moment trying to figure out what it was that she could give Lightning that was that personal and important. And finally it hit her, that necklace which was an iridescent enchanted behemoth fang would be perfect. It was a slow exhale, a slow methodical movement as she loosened her hold on Light for a moment. An arm reaching back, a familiar purple fang necklace was being removed. "This, it's yours now." she grinned. "It'll protect ya when y'need it." a small pause, and a joke wormed its way into her mind. "But I don't think it could protect ya from me."

The past was the past in her mind, she knew Lightning felt guilty for the things that had happened in the tournament, and knew that she felt like she had done something terribly wrong, Fang would assure her of the opposite. Shed show Lightning she held nothing but appreciation for that day. She sighed, a soft expression on her face. “Sunshine, I could tell from a mile away that you still felt guilty about that tournament..” She murmured quietly, even though there were no ears to listen but those of the summons which watched only silently. “That’s the past now, we got a whole lot to look forward to in the future. After all, who knows what will happen later on?” she grinned. Her scars were the only physical reminder of that day in the tournament, the day that she had come so close to death she could have sworn she was dead for quite some time. Those physical reminders however weren’t anything that bothered her; they were just like the scars on her arms, and back. They were the results of stupid decisions.

"I erm. Well, I'm kinda new to this Sunshine, Let's just say You're the first person I've felt this strongly for.." She turned to face Lightning, with a sheepish grin as she scratched the back of her head. It was a basic, honest admission to the fact that Fang was new to this, very new to this, when it came to relationships. “Yer the second person I’ve fallen for, but the only one that I feel this way.. it's like I know you are that person.” She tried to explain how she felt, hopefully Light would humor her, and understand what she was attempting to say at least. Fang’s grin faded as she continued to stand there with the soldier, she still felt nervous even now as they stood here together, there was always that nervousness which was a natural for people at first.

She was unsure of how to go about this, how to really do anything. She was nervous and it showed after all, Fang was human like everyone else and experiences emotion just as anyone else would. Yet these moments of separation, she hated. Perhaps it was because she was a physical woman; she walked back to Lightning and wrapped her arms around her again. They always told Fang she was to wild and crazy to ever fall in love. The elders were wrong about that, she felt love unlike any other today, she knew Light had let go of things after their embrace... perhaps thought needed to be scrapped, ignore her mind tonight and follow the instinct her heart controlled, and with a sigh, suddenly the nervousness faded, her heartbeat settled.

"We could stay here tonight if you'd like." she murmured. Fang looked on across the plains; it seemed that creatures that lurked in the day were returning to their caves and dens for the night. Sure there were creatures that crept around the steppe at night, some of them were more vicious than those that ran about in the day time. It was up to Lightning tonight, what she wished to do and what she wished to happen; Fang would make it come true for her. She knew deep inside of the exterior of the soldier was a woman, was a woman she knew was named Claire Farron. However, Fang wouldn’t run about Gran Pulse yelling to the world that Claire Farron was in love with her. No, she’d ask permission of the woman to refer to her as that.

"Yknow, you are a woman Lightning, not just a soldier.. is there a real name below all that military title stuff?"

[Lightning Farron]

so i thought i'd let you know
these things take forever, i especially am slow
but i realize that i need you and i wondered if i could
come home.

A pressure on her forehead, and Light blinked, looking up a moment as Fang's grip vanished. Removing her necklace, and bequeathing it to the pink-haired soldier, who opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. Not even at the huntress' jest; she could say nothing but "Fang..."

But the necklace was offered to her, and there was little she could do but accept it... the glittering fang dangled from the two wires of the string held loosely in her gloved hand, light fingers keeping it within her grip as she looked up, hearing Fang begin to speak again.

"I killed you," Lightning responded lowly and frankly. "Something'd be wrong if I didn't feel guilty." But her words lifted another weight off of her shoulders with earnest, and Light stood a little straighter, absent of the veritably physical pain that the accusation had put on her.

In response to Fang's next statements, the soldier shook her head good-naturedly. "And I think you're nuts," she said, trace amounts of humor in the response. But her chin lifted and she looked away, towards the sunset. "You really are crazy," came the wistful point, crossing her arms and resting her weight on her right leg.

Fang approached and drew the Cocoonian into another hug, one which she only partially resisted. But the soldier shook her head at the huntress' suggestion. "It's not time to stop yet," she gave in answer, cryptic as it was. It really wasn't, not for her. Light stopped when she was tired; the rest of the time was spent simply wandering, day or night.

"You already know my name," she muttered, thinking back to the day in Oerba. Barthandelus in Serah's disguise, ripping the soldier open for all to see. Light made to pull away and loosely wrap her arms around herself, stepping away to the cliff edge.

"Claire."

[Oerba Yun Fang [The Desperado]]

Baby, baby blue eyes Stay with me by my side
til the morning, through the night
Well baby, stand here holding my sides
Close your baby blue eyes Every moment feels right
And I may feel like a fool But Im the only one dancing with you

"I killed you, Something'd be wrong if I didn't feel guilty."

Fang grinned at Light's initial surprise. That necklace had been given to her five hundred years prior by the matron of the orphanage to protect her during the war. Fang laughed and her eyes were glittering with amusement. The necklace was a trademark to Fang's nickname, but, who cared? Fang was Fang and you know, she wouldn't want to be anyone else. Not now, and definitely not ever. From what she could gather, Light didn't expect this to happen, and that only made it ten times better, still she was new to this. Fang looked to Bahamut whom stood and stretched, his long lithe form stretched to it's full size and honestly it was impressive. The dragon approved it seemed, as it edged around the two women and nudged the horse with the end of his tail.

Fang raised a brow, gesturing to Light at this.. bizarre thing she was witnessing. Bahamut grinned at the horse as he was thinking of something to prank one of the three of them with. Oh god, This was not gonna end well. But instead, Bahamut spoke verbally. A Rare occurrance for a being like him. "I don't know, Fang's pretty new to this.. romance stuff..." A pause as if Bahamut was listening to some invisible force "Classes? Do you really think they offer classes on how to romance someone?" Fang grumbled something under her breath, possibly something to the effect of 'that dragon will end up in a stew for Oerba's Hallows end festival'. Clearly she was displeased with the blatant obviousness of her... innocence regarding this subject.

The dragon grinned at her and stretched his neck over to bump Fang's shoulder playfully. "Just dont mess this one up yeah? I don't think you'll mess this one up but.." He gestured to Odin. "This guy will judge that." Fang rolled her eyes. Stupid Eidolons and their stupid plotting against their summoners. Despite the conversation being verbal, and Odin and Lightning free to listen, If one looked closely enough at Fang's cheeks they'd see her skin tinged a redder tone than normal, the blush on her cheeks becoming increasingly evident with Bahamut's low rumbles of laughter. Then Light finally spoke, about the tournament and what had happened. Bahamut quieted and Fang nodded. "Yeah, that's right Sunshine. But don't let that guilt haunt you forever." Fang paused again. "I'm here now though, and I ain't going anywhere."

"And I think you're nuts, You really are crazy,"

The good humored statement ended wistfully, Fang gently reached to gently guide Light's face back to look her in the eyes. "Light, I told you when we first met I had a few screws loose." a small smile touched her features, Fang knew this would take time, to draw the woman out of Light, to slowly see Lightning Farron as not the former, but Claire Farron. Her eyes met those of the soldier's as she continued cautiously as she tried to calculate what it was she was going to say. "But, I may have lost a screw or two after I met you eh? I fell so hard it felt like the Fal'Cie decided to play catch with my face with a pile of bricks." she paused again, her smile growing into a genuine grin, something that seemed to exude the warrior's happiness. "And I'll be the craziest woman in the world if that means I'll have you in my life." It was a quick.. Gentle gesture as she pressed her lips dto the soldier's for a moment, it was loving, and soft and yet still playful in the signature Fang way.

When Fang drew away, she felt Far from Awkward and yet she still wanted to avoid Light feeling uncomfortable. If Fang had her way she'd hold Light in her arms for as long as she possibly could. But Light wasn't like that, she was a soldier, Fang was too. But her war, it was in her past and Fang couldn't let herself live in the past anymore. The sunset was becoming more vivid in it's color, that shattered crystal pillar shimmering in the distance. She smiled, she was so glad she'd escaped from the sleep she did. Had she not woken she would have slept her life away in crystal and left the people she loved, her family she had created when she had woken 500 years after the war of transgression. They meant the world to her now. And she'd give them the world if they wanted it.

"It's not time to stop yet,"

Oh? A mischievous grin spread onto her features as she looked out onto the plains of Gran Pulse. Fang was gonna test a theory, was Lightning truly as fast as those men on Cocoon claim her to be? Heh, she was going to find out, after all she grew up on the flat open plains of Gran Pulse and here if you didn't wanna be gobbled up by an angry Behemoth then you learned how to run and run faster than said behemoth. A dark brow lifted as she crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to shift her weight to her left leg as she seemed rather unimpressed. Typical Fang gesture for a challenge of some sort, Light would probably know this pose from all of their sparring matches they would have during their time as l'Cie.

"Oh? Then let's see if Lightning is as fast as those men on Cocoon say she is yeah? Let's see if you can outrun me." She said with a grin. Now, in all honesty Fang loved to push Light's buttons like this. To challenge her and she how far she could go before she'd be forced to retreat, because in the midst of a challenge Light seemed the most open and seemed the most like Claire. She'd lose the Facade for split moments and she'd see glimpses of the woman she saw inside and that was what she wanted to see more of. And affection wasn't the only way for her to get Light to relax a bit. She was ready to bolt at any moment when Light decided to initiate the race. Bahamut looked at Odin and stretched his wings. It seemed Bahamut was up for a good challenge. However as the dragon knew, he wasn't the fastest on the ground, he was faster in air.

"You already know my name, Claire."

Fang nodded. "Yeah, But knowing doesn't give me permission to call you by that name now does it?" She let out a chuckle. "I'd like to keep my jaw from being dislocated for a little bit." she said it with good humor. Her voice was warm, and she treated the woman whom stood beside her with respect, as the sun was setting on the Pulsian world she knew she was in for a long night of travel. And Honestly, if Fang had her. Fang would walk straight into hell and dance with the devil himself.