Disclaimer: Square Enix owns these characters

Chapter 4: The Kiss

Their lips touched-

-Lightning took in a sharp intake of breath-

-and her world exploded in a dizzy whirl.

Alarm bells sang for her to resist, but the slender fingers that ran through her hair sent paralysing tingles running through her entire body. She gasped as Fang deepened the kiss and pressed her harder against the cold, stone wall. The feel of Fang's warm, supple flesh rubbing fervently against her made her shudder involuntarily.

Her heart raced. In that one brief moment, Lightning yearned for more.

But Fang pulled back, panting heavily.

Lightning looked at her in a daze, unable to speak, her chest heaving heavily in rhythm to her short, halting breaths.

With a look of gentle regret, the brunette cupped Lightning's pink face with a hand and brushed her cheek with repeated strokes of her thumb.

"Sorry," she whispered contritely, "But I'm just not ready for another relationship."

The brunette released her and turned away, her head bowed dejectedly.

Harsh reality slapped her in the face.

Wha-?

W-wait a minute!

"What the hell just happened?!" Lightning spluttered, righting herself against the wall agitatedly.

"You'd just be my rebound, and I respect you too much for that." Fang continued, unfazed.

"Y-you just- assaulted me!"

"Although, if that kiss alone was as incredible to you as it was to me, could you imagine the sex we'd be having? Under different circumstances, of course."

Lightning's face burned with humiliation.

"How. Dare. You."

Fang finally turned to look at her questioningly with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd never- look, I didn't know you were- I'm not even like you!" The pink haired soldier raged helplesly.

The brunette folded her arms calmly and leaned back against the wall.

"Not like me?" She repeated bemusedly. "You mean you're not into the ladies?"

Lightning nearly choked.

"Of course not!"

"So you weren't into that kiss either?"

"No!"

"Huh. And it wasn't you moaning in pleasure just then, I suppose?"

"Wha-? It wasn't a mo-"

"I heard noises. Are you two fighting again?"

Heads turned to the figure that stood by the corner of the corridor. The bespectacled blonde haired private had hair that tumbled obnoxiously to her waist. Her sharp features were twisted in annoyance.

The pair reacted in unison.

"It's none of your business!"

"Move along, Naabat."

Outraged, Private Naabat pushed her spectacles higher up the bridge of her nose with an angry finger.

"None of my business? The last time you two got the entire troop into trouble for your antics!" She snarled. "Never again! I'll report this to the commander if you don't stop right this instant!"

Fang placed her hands on her hips, and pushed her face intimidatingly in front of Private Naabat's, who took a step back in surprise. "What are you, five? Get out of here!"

"You won't get away with this!" She spat, turning on her heels and stomping off with her nose in the air.

The two women continued to glare at Private Naabat's retreating back.

"Annoying."

"Totally."

They exchanged glances.

"I meant you." Lightning growled, snapping her face away.

Fang sighed tiredly. "Fine, whatever. I don't know why you're getting so worked up anyway."

"Maybe it's because you just violated me, you freak!"

Fang took a step closer and whispered dreadfully into Lightning's reddening ear. "I've noticed the way you look at me since the day we first met. The way you hesitate whenever you touch me, the way you blush when I so much as smile at you, and even the way you steal glances at me when I'm in the showers and you think no one's looking- should I go on?"

Blood drained out of Lightning's face.

"Shut up." She whispered. "You liar."

"Don't tell me you never realised?" Fang asked hesitantly, a hint of uncertainty clouding her expression.

Lightning drew back a fist threateningly, her blue eyes ablaze with fury.

"Not one more word." She pronounced through clenched teeth.

Fang stood her ground unflinchingly. "Go ahead, it won't change a thing."

Seconds passed in stony silence.

The fist dropped limply to Lightning's side.

"Lightning..."

"I'll request for a change in quarters first thing tomorrow morning. I'm sure the commander would oblige." She intoned impassively.

"Lightning, don't."

But Lightning Farron paid her no heed and stalked down the corridor, leaving Fang standing alone with one hand outstretched to her.

The pink haired soldier promptly broke into a run after turning the corner.

Fang ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

Was I too blunt?

She seemed really upset.

Should I go looking for her?

She'd only hit me.

"That silly girl." The brunette murmured softly.

The nocturnal inhabitants of the Black Bamboo Conservatory eyed the human balefully. It had just barged in unceremoniously, disrupting their ritualistic hunt.

An inexperienced owl froze for a split second as the intruder tore violently through the tall stalks, brandishing its glinting metal blade. This gave his prey just enough time to tunnel down a shady hole with a triumphant squeak echoing in its trace. Cursing, the young owl continued on his course, pretending like he had meant to all along. He eventually settled on a sturdy twig and began to preen himself, ignoring the mocking hoots of his peers who watched him owlishly.

Lightning hacked at the black bamboo stalks desperately with her gunblade.

"Liar!"

Crack.

Her gunblade came whistling down on yet another unfortunate bamboo stalk.

Crack.

"Lies!"

Crack. Crack.

"They're all lies!"

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Why would a bunch of lies make you this upset?

"I don't know!"

The gunblade slipped from her fingers and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. The soldier broke down, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"I really don't know..."

Am I really...?

She lay on the soft grass, flat on her back. The night breeze tugged persuasively at her pink hair, and playfully tweaked the tip of her nose with a chilly tendril.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, falling back into pitch darkness.

Broken whispers came flooding into her mind like the torrential rain, swiftly wrecking devastation upon the depths of her soul.

(...have you ever been in a relationship...)

Had she always known?

(...the way you hesitate whenever you touch me...)

Or had she always casually dismissed it in the past as her caring too much for just a friend.

(...you're so adorable, pretending you don't already know...)

(...the way you blush when I so much as smile at you...)

She thought she had just wanted to be her big sister.

(...and even the way you steal glances at me in the shower...)

(...you could come along with me...)

But it had hurt so badly when she had returned to his side.

Why?

(...come along with me...)

Lightning brushed her lips with trembling fingertips, savouring the memory of the warmth that had embraced it.

...it felt different this time.

A hot tear rolled down her pale cheek.

I think I'm in love.

Once again, thank you all so much for your reviews, favs, follows and just for reading it! xo