A/N – This is the first piece of fan fiction I have ever written (so please be gentle!), inspired by my first trip to the Archylte Steppe in FFXIII and my general love of all things FLight.

I don't own Final Fantasy. If I did, well, let's just say things would be a lot different ;)

Lightning Farron was not a happy camper.

Not metaphorically speaking, although her mood could certainly be described as 'tetchy' at best, but in the more literal sense of the phrase. She was not a fan of camping. More specifically she was not a fan of who she was camping with. Antisocial at the best of time, Lightning found that there was only so long she could remain in close proximity with others before her temper got the better of her.

Ever since their unscheduled detour to Pulse, (in her head she could almost see Fang roll her eyes and growl out 'Gran Pulse' as though those four extra letters made all the difference) her mood had gone from bad to worse and was looking to hit an all-time low. They had ended up in Vallis Media (Fang had confidently asserted, though Lightning couldn't have given a fig what the place was called), a mountainous pathway of a place, with no transport, no supplies and no idea of how to get back to Cocoon and Serah.

Serah…

Lightning could feel tears pricking her eyes at the thought of her beloved sister, whom she had cruelly turned her back on after she announced her engagement to that moron, Snow.

A raucous laugh interrupted her brooding. Ugh, speak of the devil…

Snow and Hope were mock wrestling - Hope was in a headlock whilst Snow rubbed his knuckles gleefully over the head of the silver-haired teen, prompting squawks of indignation. Snow was guffawing at the boys' plight while Sazh just chuckled to himself from the sidelines.

Lightning shook her head. Was it any wonder her mood was foul? Here they were, stranded in the middle of nowhere, counting down the minutes until the situation turned Cie'th, and the boys were playing. Their camp, hastily constructed on the first day of their landing was looking to become a permanent fixture in the scenery. Bed rolls and backpacks were scattered almost haphazardly around the central fire-pit (albeit a perfectly made fire-pit, she thought a little smugly to herself) and off to the side a large ring had been gouged into the ground. Snow and Sazh claimed that a sparring arena would be just the thing to keep them occupied while they decided what their next move would be. Hope had enthusiastically agreed with his two new idols, Vanille claimed that patching everyone back up would be good healing practice for her and as for Fang…

Well, Fang had stared at Lightning for what seemed like an unnaturally long time, with an unnatural glint in her eyes before appearing to pull herself back together, loudly proclaiming that she would wipe the floor with all-comers. Weird.

Lightning sighed. At the rate they were going their next move was going to be the installation of running water to the latrine and the re-invention of electricity. Honestly, they had been on Pulse for days and all this lolling about was wearing thin. Back on Cocoon everyone had known that the world beneath them was 'hell', but no one had ever mentioned how boring it was. The most interesting thing she had had to take a gunblade to since landing was a freaking Flan, for crying out loud. An amorphous gelatin-based pudding can't be the only thing on this planet to fight, surely? What was that creature Fang had tattooed on her arm? Why couldn't she run into one of those? Anything to break the monotony.

No, Lightning Farron was not a happy camper, and all this forced proximity with her fellow campees, with nary a distraction in sight, was going to break her spirit.

Another bout of laughter cut its way into her musings. When she looked back over at the boys, Snow had pinned Sazh to the ground, while Sazh was claiming, in a rather muffled voice, that the big guy was just picking on a poor old man. Hope was doubled over with laughter and even the chocobo chick appeared to find the situation amusing, if its chirps were anything to go by.

Seriously Lightning, you think you can tell whether a chocobo finds something funny or not? My word, you must be bored. See, you've even started to talk to yourself. You know what people say about that…

She snapped herself out of it. Great, a talkative subconscious; that was all she needed. Another sigh escaped her lips. Maybe the others had the right idea after all; maybe a spot of sparring would take her mind of the boredom. But who would provide her with the right challenge? Hope and Sazh were out for starters. Despite their L'cie enhanced abilities, one was still only a child and the other was looking youth in the rear-view mirror. No match for a Guardian Corps trained soldier. There was Snow, she supposed, although if she started to punch him she wasn't sure that she would be able to stop. She grinned slightly.

That left the two Pulsians. Or it would have left them, Lightning realised as she scanned the camp for them, if they were anywhere to be found.

They probably wanted some time alone. After the past few days, not to mention five hundred years of crystal stasis, a peaceful stroll round their native soil would be just the thing…

Shame though. Vanille was too bubbly and perky to take seriously in a fight, even if it was just for fun, but Fang on the other hand, yes, she would be perfect. That tall, willowy frame belied a wondrous athleticism, borne of years of the hunt. There was mystery behind her eyes of apple-green, and a calculated cunning that matched the soldier's own. Her muscles rippled sensuously under her bronzed skin, her sari did nothing to hide her shapely curves and her face played host to the most wondrous pair of full lips that Lightning had ever see-

Wait. What?

Gee Light, that went from a commentary on her suitability as a sparring partner to…whatever that was at the end. Certainly sounds like you're considering her as a partner of some sort.

Lightning resisted the urge to face-palm. All this inactivity was clearly starting to affect her sanity. That was it. There was no way that she found Fang sexually attractive. The whole concept was ridiculous, laughable even. It's not even as though the Pulsian was her type.

Oh, you have a type now, do you? Funny, you've never shown a significant interest in anyone before. Certainly not often enough to develop a 'type'.

Whoa, that's not true, Lightning thought. She showed interest in plenty of people before now. Plenty.

Oh yeah? Name one.

Her mind went blank. Well, there was…ehhh…y'know…wossname…with the…hair…

She cringed at how unconvincing she sounded.

Uh huh. That's what I thought.

Something started to niggle at her brain. Had she really never shown an interest in anyone before? This shook her slightly. Admittedly, up until now, her main priority had been providing for Serah, and a full-time job on top of that left her little time to herself. But even so, her lack of romanticism was disconcerting. The niggling became stronger. So the lack of free time would certainly go some way to explaining her apparent apathy. What about the rest?

She thought some more. Maybe she hadn't interacted with the right kinds of people. Bodhum wasn't a large town, and asides from her GC colleagues the other people Lightning really got to see were Snow's friends from NORA. Lebreau was nice enough, and a decent bartender, but she didn't really care for the rest of them. Tch, especially that meathead, what was his name, Guido? Godot? Either way, the man had honed to perfection every muscle in his body except the ones for thinking with. Brawn was no good without brain to back it up. Fang managed to balance the two perfectly, and look damn good doing it.

She shook her head violently. Oh, who cared what the reasons were - what mattered here was finding a way back to Cocoon and saving Serah, not daydreaming about huntresses. Dark, sultry huntresses with bodies that were made to be worshipped-

You've got it bad, Light.

Okay, fine, maybe she did think Fang was attractive. But lusting over attractive comrades was not going to alleviate her boredom, and it certainly wasn't going to save Cocoon. Maybe scouting around the area would take her mind off things, perhaps she could come up with a plan.

Grabbing her gunblade and sheath, and calling out a farewell over her shoulder, she strode away from the camp.

It was nearing dusk before Lightning brought herself to a stop. She had set off from the camp at a furious power-walk and must have covered several miles in her attempt to outpace her boredom. Several miles without stopping, she added to herself. Not even one of those Alraune things bothered to at least attempt to accost her. Admittedly, she could have taken it on with one hand tied behind her back, but that wasn't the point. The point was she was bored, and a bored soldier was not ideal. She kicked the ground in front of her with a petulant huff.

"Y'know…" A voice drawled from over her shoulder. Lightning spun round, hand on gunblade. Fang was standing ten feet away, leaning casually on Kain's lance. "…when you kick something on Gran Pulse, it tends to kick back."

Lightning relaxed her stance, albeit slightly. "Fang. Have you been following me?"

The huntress grinned and started to saunter slowly over. "Yes." Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Well, no." Lightning's eyes opened again. Fang was now standing in front of her. "Well, yes."

Lightning's eyes narrowed for a second time. "I'm not in the mood for riddles, Fang."

Fang flashed a smile. "Sorry, Light. It's just that Sazh said you were looking pensive, then you stormed off, so I figured I better catch up with you before something big and nasty carried you away. So I wasn't following you in the sense that I was following you but I was following you in the sense that I was following you. You follow?" She flashed another smile.

Lightning blinked. She could feel one of her Fang-related headaches coming on. The pinkette decided to focus on the bit she could understand. "Something big and nasty? We've been stuck here for days and the scariest thing I've seen is Snow when he rolls out of his sleeping mat in the morning." And that is not a sight for the faint of heart. What does Serah see in in him? "Honestly, the way you were talking back on Cocoon I thought the big-and-nasties would be falling over themselves to attack us." At least, she thought that's what Fang had been saying. To be honest, her eyes and subsequently her mind would start to wander down the Pulsians' body several seconds into the conservation and her ears would completely check out.

Fang pouted. Here she was trying to be chivalrous, protecting her favourite pink-haired Cocoonian from the mortal perils of the wilderness of Gran Pulse, and she was being sarcastic about it. Honestly, the nerve of some people. "Gran Pulse is too full of big-and-nasties. Bigger and nastier than anything you have in that viper's nest of yours." It occurred to her that this was not the best way to plug her home world.

"I'd invite you to prove it, but I feel like I've wasted enough time today. Let's just get back to camp." Lightning started to turn back but paused when she saw a flash of hurt in Fang's eyes.

Maybe it's your acerbic manner that put that 'kicked-my-puppy' look on her face. Weren't you raised better than that? After all, she did walk several miles out of her way just to make sure you were okay. Perhaps she likes you after all. Quick, kiss it better before she walks off.

She relented slightly. "Uh, if we get back before the sun goes down, maybe we could do a little sparring? We could even light some torches if it gets too dark."

Fighting by firelight, you old romantic.

The sardonic eyebrow Fang raised showed that she was on the same wavelength as Lightning's fickle inner voice. She tried to backtrack. "I…I just meant that we should try and include different variables in our training. It won't be light every time we fight, and adding an element of difficulty will stop us getting complacent." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should address the issue that had been bothering her. "And to be honest, I'm bored. Really bored. I almost feel like the rock walls are closing in." And though she would never admit it, Lightning was claustrophobic. Ever since her parents had died, her world had shrunk right down until it was just her and Serah, and sometimes that was enough, but other times it felt like she was being boxed in and she couldn't breathe. It was why she enjoyed life in the Guardian Corps – plenty of wide open spaces and plenty of distractions.

Fang looked at her with sympathy. "I know. It's hard for our type to sit on our hands."

Lightning gave a half smile and relaxed slightly. Of course Fang would understand, they were cut from the same cloth. It was why they worked so well together. She stepped closer to the huntress and gestured back the way they had come. "C'mon then, let's get back."

Fang shook her head. 'Uh uh, you asked me to prove that Gran Pulse was crawling with creatures and by Etro I'm gonna prove it. Get you out of this funk and back to your old self.' She winked, grabbed Lightning's arm and pulled the soldier in the opposite direction. 'We're close to the Archylte Steppe. This is a sight you've got to see'.

They walked in companionable silence for ten minutes or so, Lightning idly watching the setting sun throw shadows across the rock face. Fang was walking next to her, almost close enough to touch. Every once in a while the wind would waft a wild, almost spicy scent into Lightning's nostrils. Fang's scent. It was fleeting, but it was something she could easily get addicted to. She stole a glance in the Pulsian's direction and was startled to find amused eyes watching her.

'What?'

Fang shrugged. 'I dunno, you just seem more…relaxed out here. More carefree.'

Lightning raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to respond but Fang cut her off.

'And I know you're not actually carefree because of all the business with Serah and the Primarch and the fact that the world will end unless we all pull a miracle out of the clear blue sky, but it's true. Being on Pulse suits you. You look beautiful here.' That last part was mumbled under her breath but Lightning caught it anyway. Her heart pounded.

She thinks I'm beautiful? Like, actually beautiful? Does that mean she likes me the way I like her? What should I do? Oh goddess, does she know I heard? Should I ignore her, or say something? But something like what?

I don't know, something like I like you.

I like you? Gee, maybe I should just pass her a note in History class.

Alright then, smartypants, what will you say instead?

Oh goddess, you mean I still haven't said anything? How long has it been since she said what she said? Has all this been in my head? She's turned her head away. That's it, I've taken too long talking to myself and the moment passed and now it's going to be awkward right up to the moment we all turn into Cie'th.

Hey, I told you to say something. This is all on you.

Lightning managed to drag herself out of her own head just in time to avoid walking into the back of Fang, who had stopped abruptly just before the opening in the rock face. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but Fang beat her to it.

'Right, we're here.' Her voice sounded almost as upbeat as normal, but Lightning noticed a hint of sadness in it. 'I want this to be a surprise, so would you mind closing your eyes, maybe use your fancy cape as a blindfold?'

Lightning blinked at the request.

The sadness in Fang's voice had made its way round to her eyes. That kicked-my-puppy look was starting to reappear. 'It's cool if you don't want to, I know this is a strange place and I'm little more than a stranger…' She trailed off.

Lightning finally managed to get her brain into gear. 'No, no, it's nothing like that,' She pulled up the bottom of her cape and wound it around her eyes. 'I trust you.' She hoped the inflection she used would convince Fang and make up for her previous silence. She made sure the cape was secure then waited patiently. She felt the air shift as the huntress moved to her side, then a delicate touch as soft hands guided her forward.

'It's only a few steps, just out into the open, this is a view worth seeing properly. They walked slowly forward. Having been deprived of her sight, Lightning noticed her sense of smell sharpen. Fang's proximity meant her scent filled Lightning's head, making it difficult for her to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. When they stopped and Fang pulled away, the pinkette could stop herself from whispering 'you smell so good.' She winced to herself when she felt Fang pause beside her.

'Thank you,' came the quiet reply, but Lightning was pleased to hear the lightness back in Fang's tone. 'Are you ready then?'

Anticipation built up in Lightning's chest. 'Ready for what?'

She sensed Fang make her way behind her. 'Ready for Gran Pulse.' She unwound the cape and Lightning opened her eyes.

She was stunned.

In front of her, as far as the eye could see, was a rolling expanse of grass, small hillocks peppering the landscape in some places, small dips breaking up the greenery in others. The sky was a glorious blend of orange and pink, the sun setting behind a distant mountain, casting long shadows. Cocoon was there, floating amidst the colour, blissfully unaware of the fate that may befall it should the companions fail. Lightning felt her throat begin to close. To the left a pack of Gorgonopsids' sped away, eagerly pursuing their prey, the heavy rhythm of their paws contrasting perfectly with the calls of the winged creatures that flew high above them. As she swept her gaze to the right she was taken aback by the sight of an enormous turtle-like creature, standing some 40-feet high, slowly meandering across the Steppe.

'It's called an Adamantoise,' a voice said next to her ear. She was half surprised to find it was Fang. The sight of the Archylte Steppe had completely thrown her senses out.

'It's huge.'

'Pretty much the biggest thing we have on Gran Pulse. You don't get too close to them and in return they don't flatten you. Plenty of other creatures to keep you occupied though. Someone could spend days wandering across the Steppe, seeing what there is to see. Whaddya think?'

What did Lightning think? She didn't know what she thought. The breath-taking view before her, coupled with the promise of monster hunting, coupled with the heady presence of the gorgeous Amazon beside her had rendered her speechless. She shook her head slowly, her eyes still drinking in the magnificence before her.

'Light?' Fang came to stand next to her, concerned at her lack of response. Lightning continued to say nothing, her neural pathways desperately trying to reconnect. 'Light, are you okay?'

'You think I'm beautiful,' she blurted out.

Way to go Lightning, only one conversation behind.

Fang blinked, confused by the change in topic. Lightning plunged on, determined to get everything she was feeling off her chest before it consumed her.

'You think I'm beautiful and you followed me miles out of your way just to make sure I was safe and you brought me all the way out here and this view is so incredible I could die happy just having seen it and the way you smell makes my head spin and you're the only person who is a match for me when we spar and you're so beautiful yourself and I want to kiss you because I think I like you.' She finally stopped, inhaling a deep, shuddery breath as her brain caught up with her mouth and she realised what she had said.

You idiot, what did you go and say all that for.

Fang continued to stand beside her, facing the Steppe as she processed the pinkette's baffling non sequiter. Slowly her right hand inched its way across the gap between them and, having found Lightning's left one, gently caressed it before pulling it into a comfortable hold.

'Oh Light, I like you too.' She turned until she was facing her and stepped closer until they were breathing the same air. 'And I want to kiss you too'. She lowered her head slightly, Lightning lifting hers at the same time and their lips met in the briefest of touches. They both moaned slightly before Lightning's new found courage made her run her tongue along Fang's bottom lip, gently asking for entry. The Pulsian complied and the hearts of both women pounded as they explored each other's mouth for the first time. Lightning was the first to pull away.

'Wow'. A glazed look covered her face.

The look was mirrored in Fang's face as she too pulled back. 'Wow, indeed.'

They stood in silence for a while, soaking up the last of the sunlight and revelling in each other's company. Lightning smiled to herself as she cast her mind back to her earlier thoughts.

You know, if days on Gran Pulse all end like this, then I think I could handle staying here a little while longer.