"You know, I could have driven myself," Lightning said as she readjusted her position in the passenger seat of Serah's car.

Serah rolled her eyes. Lightning had always been way too independent for her own good. "Oh, shut up and just let me be the good sister you know I am. I was headed this direction anyways. Plus, your knee hasn't completely healed yet."

Lightning didn't respond. She continued to stare out of the car window and and allowed her head to fall back onto the headrest. She honestly felt like the help was unnecessary, but she knew that Serah had the best of intentions, so Lightning just let her do as she wished most of the time.

It had been three weeks ago when Lightning had torn the ACL and MCL in her left knee during a routine training exercise. A new recruit had slipped off a raised platform and in an attempt to catch and save them, Lighting had "tweaked" her knee. A MRI revealed that it was much more than a minor injury and, to Lightning's dismay, surgery was required for full recovery.

I swear. These new recruits are simply not cutting it. I guess people get soft when times are peaceful, Lightning mused as she allowed her eyes to close.

"We're here."

Lightning, having been on the edge of dozing, started slightly at Serah's words. She turned her eyes in the direction that Serah was looking and saw that they were parked in front of what looked like a small medical office.

"PALUMPOLUM PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER" was spelled overtop the entrance.

After a successful surgery, Lightning's doctor had ordered her to start physical therapy after two full weeks of rest and recovery. Although she hated the idea of taking it easy, Lightning understood how necessary it was to be methodical in the recovery process. She wanted to be back at 100% so she could get back to whipping new recruits into shape, but she also didn't want to re-injure herself.

"I'm going to the mall to shop for a while. I'll be back in about a hour to pick you up. Got it?" Serah asked to the back of Lightning's head.

"Yeah, yeah. Be safe, Serah," Lightning said as she opened her door and stepped out of the car.

"Maybe your physical therapist will be super hot or something!" Serah shouted to Lightning through the still open door.

Lightning slammed the door in her face, but let a small smirk appear on her lips as she looked back at her sister. Serah stuck her tongue out. Lightning proceeded to the open the back door of the car and pulled out her crutches and set them in place under her arms.

"Work hard, Sis! See you in a bit," Serah said cheerfully. Lightning gave her a small smile and then closed the door with much less force this time around. She turned and began her short journey to the entrance. She heard Serah drive away behind her.

"Thank you, Ms. Farron. Please have a seat in the waiting area," the receptionist said with large smile as she gestured toward a small sitting area. When Lightning didn't return the smile the receptionist's expression quickly faltered. "Um... someone will be with you shortly."

Lightning turned away from the reception desk and crutched over to the designated waiting area which was situated in a small alcove a short distance away and sat down in a rather uncomfortable chair that had seen many years of use. The small table that sat in the middle was littered with dated fashion magazines so she didn't even bother perusing them. Her eyes glossed over the surrounding walls trying to find something to peak her interest while she waited.

A small LED screen was affixed to the wall opposite of Lightning and it was playing a slideshow to display the names and faces of the staff who worked at the center.

Most of the staff looked professional, but rather bland in her opinion. She was about to look away when a woman with raven colored hair and the most piercing green eyes Lightning had ever seen appeared on the screen.

Lightning had always been reserved in her attraction to anyone else, even internally, but she was genuinely taken by this woman's appearance. Her skin was dark, near a shade of bronze, and the smirk on her face gave off an air of confidence and mischief. Lightning's eyes shifted to the right side of the screen.

"Oerba Yun Fang. Physical Therapist," Lightning read to herself. Hmm... her personality probably sucks though, she thought

"Ms. Farron?" a voice called out. A small, portly woman holding a clipboard was looking towards Lightning.

"Here," Lightning responded as she moved to gather her crutches.

"Do you need any assistance?" the woman said as she shuffled as quickly as she could to Lightning's side. Lightning brushed her off with a flippant wave of her hand and quickly positioned the crutches and balanced on her right leg. "I'm fine. Lead the way."

"R-right. Of course," the woman responded. Although she tried to hide it, the small woman was obviously intimidated by Lightning's demeanor. She turned quickly and began to walk towards the door leading to the back portion of the center with Lightning following behind.

"S-so, my name is Tami. Today you'll be introduced to your physical therapist who will be working with you on your rehabilitation for the next few months. The schedule here says that you might be engaging in some preliminary exercises so be prepared to do some light physical activity. but nothing too intensive," Tami recited as she flipped through a few papers.

They continued walking until they reached an area that resembled a small gym. Soft padding covered the floor and different sized exercise and medicine balls, along with other rehab equipment, lined the left perimeter of the room. Two training tables were placed side by side along the right perimeter. The walls were covered with different medical posters with most of them featuring the anatomy of the knee and shoulder. Sunlight streamed in from outside through a few large windows set in the wall opposite of Lightning. The room was empty save for one individual who was currently kneeling in the far corner.

"Fang," Lightning's eyebrows perked in slight surprise at the sound of the name. "Ms. Farron is here to see you," Tami said addressing the figure kneeling in the corner.

"Right. Just lemme finish tyin' my shoe first. These damned laces are too long and I keep steppin' on 'em," Fang said sounded rather annoyed. She finished with her shoe and stood to make her way over to Lightning. Fang wore a tight black tank top with blue running shorts and was just a bit taller than Lightning.

She was dressed much more casually than Lightning had expected. With Lightning wearing a pale blue t-shirt and black running shorts, the two looked like casual workout partners. Apart from the Fang's name tag and Lightning's crutches, it would have been impossible to discern who was the PT and who was the patient.

She stopped a few steps short of Lightning and extended her right hand and showcased a winning smile. "Hi. Name's Oerba Yun Fang and I'll be ya physical therapist movin' foward. You can just call me Fang."

Without taking her eyes of Fang's face, Lightning extended her own hand and shook Fang's hand. "Lightning."

"Lightnin'?" Fang said with a small air of confusion. "But I thought your file said ya name was Claire." Fang released her hand and leaned over to look at the clipboard that Tami was holding.

"It is, but I prefer to go by Lightning. Personal reasons," Lightning said with a tone of finality.

Fang quirked an eyebrow, but didn't question any further. "Right. So, Lightnin', eh? I like it. It's kinda sexy," Fang remarked with a grin. Her eyes quickly flickered up and down Lightning's body.

Lightning didn't miss the quick eye movements and she uncharacteristically felt her cheeks warm at Fang's forwardness. What kind of physical therapist is this woman? she thought.

"Fang, you have got to be more professional around our clients!" reprimanded the woman. However, the reprimand was completely negated by the fact that Tami was laughing. "Honestly, have you no shame?"

"What's the point in being a professional if you can't have a little fun?" countered Fang as she walked over to a raised training table. "Come on over here, Lightnin' and take a seat. I just want to take a quick look at ya knee before we begin."

"You guys have fun," Tami said as she rolled her eyes and she left the room. Lightning made her way over to the table and sat down. She then stretched out her legs on the table.

"Right. Well, I'm just gonna feel around on ya knee for a bit. I'm just lookin' for any telltale signs of abnormal swellin' or inflammation," Fang said as she made her way to Lightning's left side. "Just tell me if any of this hurts or brings ya any discomfort. Got it?"

Lightning nodded. She braced herself slightly for the stereotyically cold hands of most medical professionals. However, to her surprise, Fang's hands were exceedingly warm and gentle.

Fang didn't miss Lightning's momentary tense and mistook it for nervousness. "Hey, don't worry. I'll do my best not to hurt ya. I am a professional, ya know."

"It's not that," Lightning responded. "I just expected your hands to be cold."

"Oh. Well, are they?"

"No."

"As to be expected. We Yuns are known for being rather hot blooded," stated Fang with a small waggle of her eyebrows. Lightning rolled her eyes at the answer.

"So, not the flirty type are ya? That's fine. I've always preferred the strong, silent types. It's the mystery, ya know?" said Fang nonchalantly. She flashed a rather salacious grin towards Lightning. Lightning responded with a face of determined indifference.

"Yep. Definitely the strong, silent type," Fang said with a chuckle. "Anyways, you knee looks fine. I just want to ask a short series of questions to confirm some things about the injury."

"Sure," replied Lightning.

"How long ago did the injury occur?"

"Three weeks ago."

"How did it happen?"

"Tried catching a falling new recruit. Knee buckled."

"Ah, we got a hero. So, you're a soldier?"

"Yes. Guardian Corps."

"Hmm... I do love a woman in a uniform. How would you currently rate ya pain on a scale from 1 to 10?"

Lightning did her best to ignore the uniform comment. "4."

"Not too bad. And are you single?"

"Ye - wait, what? What does that have to do with anything?" Lightning said taken aback.

"So, ya are single... Lucky me," Fang whispered with an air of victory as she removed her hands from Lightning's knee and stood up. Lightning wasn't able to suppress a small feeling of disappointment at the loss of contact.

"I'm your patient. I'm pretty sure this is what's called a 'conflict of interest,'" Lightning said, incredulous.

"Ya won't be my patient forever now, will ya?" Fang said with another waggle of her eyebrows.

"Anyways, that's all for today. I want to give ya another week of rest before we start the rehabilitation regiment." Fang pulled a small business card from a desk nearby. She clicked a pen and scribbled something on the back.

"Here's my business card. It's got the number for the center and my phone extension on it. I also wrote my personal number on the back in case ya have any questions while I'm off the clock or if ya want to go out to get some coffee or something. Maybe catch a film. I heard that new horror flick was pretty good." Fang gave a quick wink as she handed Lightning the card.

Lightning just shook her head as she slipped the card into her pocket. "Some professional you are."

"Hey, I'm the best there is around here. But, if I see something I like, I go for it. To hell with the professional etiquette," Fang stated confidently.

"Clearly," replied Lightning as she got up and made her way to the exit.

"See ya next week, Sunshine."

Lightning just scoffed at Fang's little nickname and continued on her way out. Fang just smiled.

Lightning crutched her way through the hallway and into the entrance lobby. She could see Serah parked out front through the glass doors.

"Have a good rest of your day, Ms. Farron," the receptionist called out. Lightning gave her a curt nod and passed through the entrance.

Once she reached Serah's car she threw her crutches onto the backseat and plopped herself down in the passenger seat.

"So, how was it? Did you get a super hot PT?" Serah asked eagerly. Lightning finished buckling herself in before she answered.

"She was... interesting to say the least. "

"How so?"

"Very flirty and... forward."

"Ooooh. Scandalous. Well, you always were popular with the ladies. So, are you interested?"

Lightning gave Serah a heavy dose of side-eye before responding, "She's my physical therapist. It's unprofessional."

"You won't be her patient forever," replied Serah, her words incredibly similar to Fang's response earlier.

"Whatever. Let's go home," quipped Lightning. Serah gave a laugh and navigated the car out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"You never know. She could be the one," joked Serah. Lightning just rolled her eyes again, but she pulled out Fang's business card from her pocket anyways. She flipped it over and read Fang's messy handwriting on the back.

Call me. Anytime. 704-555-3465

A small heart was drawn next in the lower right hand corner.

She certainly thinks highly of herself, thought Lightning. However, she let a small smile pass over her lips.

Maybe coffee didn't sound like too bad of an idea after all.