Title: Let's Talk
Author: Valk
Characters: Kain, Lightning, Kain/Lightning, Team Cosmos
Rating: T for language
Setting: 012
Prompt/Wish: Exception, lakeside, post-sparring bonding, and lyrics from Coldplay's Talk:

So you don't know where you're going and you wanna to talk
And you feel like you're going where you've been before
You tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored
Nothing's really making any sense at all, let's talk
Let's talk, let's talk, let's talk.

Summary: They bonded beyond friends, but one remark made her realize she didn't know him as well as she should.
Word Count: 1,834
Genre: Gen
Special Mention: Written for Quaterzaz on LJ for ffchaoticcosmos's holiday gift exchange. Thanks to Valentine'sNinja for her beta work!

…

Steel clanged on steel as two weapons clashed repeatedly, one throwing a vicious assault while the other took graceful steps to dodge and block every attack. A blur of beige and pink moved like a fox, ferociously striking her opponent with angered blows while never missing a beat. Her skill was second-nature to her. She didn't need to fight with her sanity. She just needed to know who should die and who should be protected. It didn't matter if she was angry or sad or impartial. She could fight just as well.

The man across from her blocked each strike, moving with the wind itself to remain safe. In one, swift moment, he swept his lance under her attack to catch her footing and throw her off-balance before twisting his weapon to push her to the ground. A slight smile crossed his lips as he shifted his weapon to his off-hand and reached out to help her to her feet.

She glared and gripped her weapon in one hand and pushed herself to her feet with the other, completely ignoring his gentlemanly gesture. Snorting a scoff, she turned on her heel and marched over to stand on the lakeside view of Order's Sanctuary, silently wondering what to do next.

"Why so cold, Lightning? You're bound to break a man's heart with such an attitude."

After sheathing her Blazefire, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Was he seriously asking her that? Did he not realize what he'd done wrong? "Shut up. I'm pissed with you, Kain."

She sensed his approach from behind as he stood near her but wisely made no move to touch her. "May I at least ask why?"

She let her shoulders fall as she released a sigh of exasperation before letting the memory take over.

…

The Warriors of Cosmos sat gathered on the main floor of Order's Sanctuary, sitting in separate groups while conversing on battle strategies and personal opinions. The Warrior stood near Cosmos and the short little bossy mage by the name of Shantotto, both standing guard while the mage lectured Prishe and Bartz for their curiosity.

Firion was with Cecil and the Onion Knight, the three of them sharing sword techniques and offering advice to one another. Tifa sat with her back to Yuna as the summoner smiled and combed the fighter's long hair, Vaan and Laguna partaking in a game of stone toss nearby. Zidane humored the other old man present as he mocked Jecht for not being fast enough to dodge all the attacks that resulted in his scars. Squall sat by his lonesome on the side, completely ignoring everyone else.

Kain and Lightning stood behind Jecht, trying to hold a private conversation amidst the crowd of nosy warriors. The battle would begin soon, and the sixteen warriors had just been blessed with the power of the goddess that would lead them to their crystals. Lightning and Kain had hit it off from the start, both of them being soldiers with cynical outlooks that lead to them bonding as similar personalities.

Slowly, the chemistry had started to build between them and, though she constantly tried to ignore it, the rest of her allies refused to let it go unnoticed. Whether it was peer pressure or not, Kain had acted on it and kissed her one day, leaving her with no choice but to come to terms with her feelings. In the short month and a half since awakening here, she found herself leaning on him more than she'd like, but silently admitted it didn't feel so terrible.

"Lightning…"

She heaved a heavy sigh and averted her eyes. Did they have to talk with all the others around? Couldn't they go outside? "Yeah?"

"I must admit, I am worried," he crooned, his eyes focusing on the illusion of endless sky over the expanse of the sanctuary. "I… do not recall ever trusting a woman as deeply as I do you. I am concerned over what may come on the battlefield."

She placed a hand on her side and turned to glare at him. "You doubt me?"

"Nothing of the sort. I just worry that you'll fall behind, what with being a woman."

Something inside her snapped at that. Did he really think she would perform subpar because she was a woman? Was his world so sexist that only the men could do anything? Somewhere behind her, she heard the sound of Zidane and Jecht, obviously eavesdropping, murmur together, "Ooh…"

Apparently, they knew what it meant to knock a woman who chose to fight. It was as if she insulted his dragoon heritage he recently remembered and prided himself on so greatly. It took everything in her to remain calm as she casually seethed, "I'll be just fine, thank you."

He nodded once, completely oblivious to her anger. "All right. But do know that I'll always be nearby. Do not hesitate to call if you need me."

Deciding it was high time to walk away, she shook her head and turned towards the others. She made up an excuse and said, "Hang on, I think the leader's calling me."

Kain cocked his head. "I didn't hear-" he started, but she was already gone.

…

"You seriously don't know?" she growled, stretching to her full height and still only able to stare at his chin without craning her neck.

He reached up to remove his helmet, shaking out his long hair in a combination of airing it and shaking his head 'no.' "I haven't the faintest."

"You want to know why I'm mad?" She inhaled deeply to try to avoid losing it before taking a step forward and jamming her index finger into his chest. "I'll tell you why. Because you're so damn restricting! You treat me like I can't do a damn thing for myself because I'm a woman! Is it so hard to trust me to take care of myself? Or am I too incapable because I have boobs?"

He blinked in slight shock and leaned slightly away from her. "You… Let me see if I have this right. You're angry with me for caring about you?"

"No!" she snapped. "I'm mad because you treat women—not just me—like we're invalids or something! 'I just worry that you'll fall behind, what with being a woman.' Is that how you really feel?"

"Lightning, I-" He reached out, gently setting his hand on her rigid shoulder. "I didn't realize… I apologize."

Damn it. Why was it so hard to stay mad at him? Her blood still boiled at the thought of him treating women so lowly, but… She took a deep breath and did her best to stay calm. "Do you promise to never refer to me as weak because I'm a woman again?"

He nodded. "Of course. I hadn't even realized I said that…" In one, quick motion, he shifted to wrap his arms around her and pull her to his chest in a tight embrace. "I apologize, Lightning."

A few moments later, they sat on the stone ground, him behind her while she sat between his legs. His arms settled around her waist as he leaned back against his spear and gave a sigh. "Lightning, I never intended to make you feel inferior. From what I've gathered of my home world, the man is the soldier. He protects his family and all else he holds dear, which includes the woman he cares for."

She shifted in front of him uncomfortably and bit down on her lip. It made sense, but she wasn't the type to just up and forgive a remark like that. He would know that she wasn't the kind of woman who appreciated being protected and coddled. She needed to be on the front line, fighting for herself and not relying on another to clean up her mess. "I have memories of my world. They're blurry as all get-out, but I remember battles, and a lot of them. Most of them were for my life and the lives of others."

His arms shifted to tighten on her middle. "Lightning, I-"

"I don't remember anything else about them, just that there were people I needed to have survive."

He leaned forward to settle his chin on her shoulder and murmured in her ear, "I recall only brief bits of my world, but I can say there is one friend whose face I can see quite clearly."

She rolled her eyes at his obvious sarcasm and said, "Me?"

A deep-throated chuckle came as her reply, followed by the words, "I meant from my world."

She blinked. "Who?"

"His name is Cecil."

Her eyebrow rose as she turned slightly to look at him. "As in, the same Cecil who was summoned and changes his clothes more frequently than my sister?"

"Yes, that Cecil." He ignored her snide reference to Cecil's light and dark sides and, instead, asked, "You have a sister?"

She paused, a faint memory blurring the edges of her mind. "Yeah… I do." She shook her head, the image of the smiling face mostly hidden by shadows taunting her mind. Though she couldn't remember her face, she knew she had a sister. Her name was on the tip of her tongue, too. The name 'Claire' rang in her head as being important, but something seemed wrong when she tried associating it with her sister.

"Then you'll have someone to return to when this war ends."

She glanced back slightly at him before looking back at the sanctuary. "I'm sure you do, too."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a long moment before he said, "Is it cruel of me to want for this war to never end?"

"Eh?" She glanced back at him. "What would possess you to think something like that?"

He laced his fingers between hers and raised one hand to kiss her palm. "Because I'll be parted from you when that day comes. Cosmos has said that we'll return to our own worlds when the war is won and I believe it is quite clear we are from separate worlds."

She stayed facing forward, blinking in surprise and trying to rid herself of speechlessness. For a lack of saying anything, she shifted to lean back against him and snuggle slightly, nestling her head under his chin. Finally, her voice decided to work and she blurted, "Maybe not."

His forearms tightened on her waist and he asked, "How do you mean?"

She wasn't entirely certain where to go from there, so she said, "Maybe we won't go our separate ways. Maybe we'll go back to the same world, regardless of where we're from."

A chuckle filled her ears as he tugged her closer. "I hadn't realized you were such a romantic, Lightning."

Her sarcasm came forward and she grumbled, "There're a lot of things you don't know about me."

"Hearing that doesn't quell my curiosities."

She snorted and let the smirk cross her lips. "I'll tell you when I know."

Please review!

-Valk