Lightning opened her eyes to see the watery grey light of dawn streaming in from her window. She groaned as she sat up, stumbling towards the bathroom to go and change. Splashing the icy water on her face, she recalled her conversation with Bismarck that night.
"Training isn't everything, there is more to life than that..." the battleship's voice echoed in her head. She smiled slightly. Bismarck would be a good friend, she knew that. She was a good person... and most importantly, they understood each other. Brushing away her thoughts, she quickly got ready and grabbed her bow, her breath hitching slightly when she saw the two model ships sitting on her tabletop...
Lightning wandered around base, yawning slightly. Although it was the middle of the night, she simply could not fall asleep at all. Just then, a light at the corner of her vision caught her attention. Tip-toeing over towards it, she saw Ratchet's holoform hunched over a small table, fixing something. Slinking closer, she snuck a glance as to what he was doing. What she saw amazed her. He was building a ship model. A. ship. model. She thought he had never shown any interest in ships at all, yet... Observing the ship closely, she identified it. Yamato! Thinking back to the day she had told him about honorable ship and accidentally left her laptop on with the Yamato fanfiction on it, everything clicked into place. The corners of her lips quirked upwards in a smile as she slunk back to her room, sleeping peacefully for the rest of the night.
Lightning gazed at the ships fondly, a small reminder of how much they cared. That thought hit her hard, but she dismissed it.
You've already made your choice. She made her way down to the canteen, buying a sandwich and eating it quickly. She could feel the gazes of others boring into her back, so as soon as she finished, she returned a even fiercer glare. Her blue eyes like chips of ice and blue flames at the same time. All those under her glare immediately averted their gazes. Stalking out of the canteen, she headed towards the docks where Essex was waiting.
"Ready?" Essex questioned. Lightning nodded and the two of them glided further out into the open sea...
Timeskip brought to you by Kaga bombing Sirens
Lightning pulled the string of her bow backwards, straining slightly. Once she had pulled it all the was back, she released it, and a bright orange arrow shot out, transforming into a F-35, arcing in the air before returning back to her bow.
Essex nodded, smiling as she commented, "You've got the hang of this!"
"Thanks, Essex," Lightning replied before pulling the bow back again. Just then, a thought crossed her mind and she smiled mischievously. Releasing her bowstring, she made the fighter jet fly right over Essex's head, causing her to look up in surprise. Quickly, Lightning scooped up some water, splashing Essex with it.
"Hey!" Essex protested, before scooping up water herself and drenching Lightning in it.
"Aww, that's not fair!" Lightning whined as she started flinging more water at Essex, the carrier doing the same. Soon enough, they were both soaked.
"You gotta be kidding me! I hate wet clothes!" Essex groaned.
"But... you are a ship..." Lightning pointed out. The two of them exchanged a glance before bursting out in laughter as they realised what Essex had said. Lightning smiled. Essex is quite a good mentor... she thought as the both of them glided back to base, exchanging jokes along the way.
"How was your training today?" Enterprise asked as the two of them glided into dock. Enterprise was standing at the edge of the beach. Looking at her, the pair exchanged a grin. As quick as light, they glided past, creating a huge wave that washed over Enterprise, drenching her from head to toe.
Then, Enterprise did something completely unexpected. She laughed before activating her wisdom cube, launching some planes which skimmed the water, splashing Lightning and Essex too. So, another water fight began with the three of them soaking each other as much as possible.
Later...
The three of them at on the beach, gazing out at the sea as they watched the sun set.
"I never knew you had fun, Enterprise," Lightning said.
"Work hard, play hard." Enterprise returned, her face dead serious. Considering the irony of this and her expression, Essex and Lightning burst out into fits of laughter.
"What?" Enterprise asked. Of course, this only made the both of them laugh harder. Enterprise just sat there, her face one of confusion. Still, she was glad that the dark cloud hanging over Lightning had finally lifted.
All too soon, night had fallen and the three of them headed back to base to wash up. Afterwards, Lightning headed out and started walking up the cliff. The cool night air was blowing, carrying the smell of the sea in the wind. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she realised it was Yorktown.
"I came here to look for you," Yorktown spoke once they had sat down, "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" Lightning nodded, her head filling with memories once again
"Optimus? Why do you like star gazing so much?" Lightning asked as she looked up at the stars, Optimus sitting next to her. "Well, they are so pretty and... just watching them gives me a sense of peace." He replied. Optimus' voice calmed Lightning and she realised that he was right. That was what she respected so much about him. He cared about everyone, however small and insignificant they were. "Looking at them reminds me how insignificant I am..." Lightning whispered. Optimus, hearing this, said, "Don't say that, Lightning, you mean a lot to me, you will never be insignificant. You will always be like the sun, bringing warmth and happiness to everyone, remember this..."
Lightning was jolted out of her memories and she realised that tears were unconsciously running down her face. Upon seeing this, Yorktown pulled her into a hug, comforting her that they would never forget her. For that, Lightning was glad. Yorktown always knew what to say.
Once she reached base, she ran to her room and recorded a message, sending it to Optimus through the charm.
Elsewhere...
Optimus gazed at the charm, which was glowing a bright, electric blue. Then, Lightning's voice played from it,
"When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest..."
Lightning was singing softly. Optimus smiled a soft smile. I promise to do that, Lightning...
Here ya go! Ahhh, now time to take a short break...
~Lightningstar out
YOU ARE READING
Unstable Loyalties
Fanfiction🗲"She is fierce and unpredictable - just like lightning, and within, she is just like a storm about to break"🗲 🗲"Fate... it is so solid. You can't turn back the hands of the clock, can't undo something already done. Yet, I can't even prevent any...
