Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII

Friends? No, Best Friends

『Age: Five』

The pink haired girl stepped inside the classroom timidly. Today was the first day she hadn't been accompanied by a parent for all of her waking hours. It'd been ages since she'd seen them.

Had she known how to tell time, she would have realized that it had been a half an hour, at most.

Of her friends, Claire was the least excited of the three for school to begin for the first time in her life.

Without having taken two steps inside, Claire was immediately accosted by Lebreau. The energetic girl was by far the most excited Claire had ever seen her.

"Claire!" she nearly screamed. "Come sit here!"

The pink haired girl wasn't given a choice, as Lebreau gripped her arm and dragged her to a table near the back of the room.

A fairly normal occurrence.

Claire said nothing as she took her seat and waited for the teacher to do something. Lebreau couldn't stop looking around, as if she hadn't seen everything the first seven hundred times she'd done so.

More and more kids walked into the classroom, each looking as lost, scared, excited, amazed or unnerved as could be. Every extreme walked through the door.

Per usual, Fang was the last to arrive. She had no need of Lebreau's cheery greeting as a signal to come and sit by her two friends.

"Hi, 'Breau. Hi, Claire-bear," Fang greeted, taking a seat next to the pink haired girl.

At the mention of her familiar nickname, Claire smiled. Her anxiety receded, and she greeted Fang in kind, "Hi Fang."

The only adult in the room (Presumably their teacher), stepped up from her desk and greeted the class of children.

Claire leaned back in her chair, and relaxed. School couldn't be that bad.

『Age: Seven』

Claire hated school.

She sat down in the middle of the bus. As kids got older, they gravitated towards the back of the bus. It was like an unspoken rule, one Claire didn't want to deal with breaking.

Fang and Lebreau eventually boarded together, talking about whatever they had done in class.

It just wasn't fair. The two of them were in the same class. Why couldn't she have been with them? Now she had to go an entire year without seeing them in school.

The fact that she saw them at recess shot over her head. Claire was grumpy. Logic didn't apply when a person was grumpy.

Fang noticed Claire's mood before Lebreau. She nudged her black haired companion. Lebreau nodded, and took the seat in front of Claire, while Fang joined the pink haired girl in her seat.

"Hey, Claire-bear," Fang said. "You look sad."

Claire huffed and muttered, "I wish I was in you two's class."

"We do too," Lebreau said, hanging over the top of the seat.

Fang nodded in agreement, "We'll have to do more things then!"

When Claire looked confused, Fang elaborated, "You can all come over to my house today!"

Claire began to smile, and Fang grinned. Lebreau ruffled both of their heads, to each girl's annoyance.

『Age: Ten』

Fang didn't understand what was going on when she came home from school on what seemed to be a normal day, and found her mother crying.

Alarmed, Fang walked into the kitchen to find the source of the noise. Sitting at the table where Fang would normally have her after-school-snack at, was her mother. She looked more like Fang's sister Vanille than her.

"Mom?" Fang spoke, slowly stepping closer.

"Fang?" her mother said, bringing her head out of her hands.

"Did something happen?" the brown haired girl asked, worried.

Fang's mom nodded, "Claire's parents got in a car crash."

"Are they okay?"

"…No."

-X-

Claire had never wanted a day to end more than today. Why couldn't she just go back a couple hours to when she was talking to Fang and Lebreau at lunch? That felt like an entirely different person who had sat with her friends.

Vanille had stayed with Serah after school to comfort her. They'd planned to play at the Farron house until Claire's parents got back.

Fang's parents didn't take long to get there. They took on all the official business that the events had mandated.

It was Fang's job, to keep Claire company while her parents sorted out things.

"Hey, Claire-bear," Fang greeted, sitting down beside her friend in the living room.

"…Don't call me that," Claire said in a small voice.

The brown haired girl cocked her head to the side and said, "Why not?"

"…" Claire said nothing, opting to curl up into a ball with her legs against her chest.

That left Fang to carry on the conversation as best she could, "Well, I need a nickname for you. 'Breau would insist on it."

"Lightning," Claire said without hesitation, some strength returning to her voice.

"Okay," Fang said. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" She'd never anticipated having to have this deep of a conversation, this young. Fang was out of her depth.

Thankfully, Claire seemed to instinctually know that. "Thanks for being my friend, Fangarang,"

Fang reached an arm around Claire and gave her a hug. "No problem…Lightning."

『Age: Thirteen』

"You want to say that again?" Lightning shouted at Snow. He'd taken her last punch hard, and had been sent on the ground sprawling.

"All I said was that pink hair was an odd color!" Snow protested, scrambling to his feet.

"Woah!" Lebreau shouted, wrapping her arms around Lightning's waist. She pulled the fiery pinkette back. "We're still on school grounds, you shouldn't do this here. Or at all, for that matter."

Lightning hissed, but lowered her fists. Snow was helped to his feet by Gadot, a bulky orange haired boy.

"Don't say anything about my hair again," Lightning called out to the tall boy. Snow nodded, frightened, and retreated.

As the crowd that had gathered went back to what they'd been doing, Lebreau cornered Lightning.

"What the hell was that?" Lebreau nearly shouted. "Snow didn't deserve that."

"Leave it, 'Breau," Lightning sighed, finally calming down.

Lightning began to walk the path home. She and Serah had been living at Lebreau's since their parents had died. 'Breau's parents had taken them in, and become a second set of parents to them.

"No, I'm not leaving this," Lebreau shot back. "You've been angry all the time for a while. I want to know why you feel the need to take it out on everyone!"

Lightning stopped walking. She bit her lip, and said the two words that were some of the hardest to say, "I'm sorry."

Lebreau blinked, "That's new. What happened to your whole badass never-saying-sorry persona?"

Lightning ignored the latter part of the comment, "It isn't fair that I'm taking this stuff out on you and Fang. I've…got a lot on my mind."

"Well, you know you can tell me anything. And Fang, too."

Lighting gave a weak grin. If only it were that simple.

"Come on, let's have a heart-to-heart," Lebreau said. "Tell me something that's on your mind."

"There's someone I like," Lightning admitted, almost shyly.

Lebreau blinked, "Lightning? Romance? For some reason, I never associated those words together."

"Oh, shut up," Lightning rolled her eyes.

"Sorry," Lebreau apologized, lying through her teeth. "Continue. What's his name? Do I know him?"

"Her," Lightning corrected in a small voice.

The black haired teenager stopped walking. Her mouth formed an O.

"Oh," she said. The most awkward of silences fell over them for a moment, and then, "What's her name?"

The pink haired girl looked as if she were going to comment, but then decided to continue as if nothing had happened. "I can't tell you her name, but you know her."

"Is it me?" Lebreau immediately asked. "I'm flattered and all, but I don't swing that way."

"No, it isn't you, 'Breau," Lightning laughed. It'd been ages since she'd done that.

"Then I'll have to torture you until you tell me!" cried Lebreau.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Lightning asked.

Lebreau smiled with a sly glint in her eye, "I'll tickle it out of you!"

"What? NO!" Lightning screamed as Lebreau jumped her.

『Age: Fifteen』

Lightning stood by the side of the bleachers, waiting for Fang to emerge from the locker room. Her friend had just finished kicking ass at volleyball.

And Lightning had just finished getting free ogling time of Fang dressed in her volleyball attire.

Two happy parties.

"Hey, Light," Fang grinned, carrying her volleyball bag in one hand.

"Nice game," complimented Lightning. "'Breau's going to be sorry she missed it."

"Ugh, she always misses on the days where I do kickass shit!" Fang groaned. Lebreau had a job to juggle with school. She couldn't make all the games like Lightning could.

Though when she did come with, Lebreau would always give knowing winks to Lightning when she was talking to Fang. It was times like those where Lightning regretted ever telling Lebreau that Fang had her heart.

"Anyway, how're you doing this fine day?" Fang asked as they exited the school to Fang's car.

"Fine," shrugged Lightning. "I take it I don't need to ask how yours is?"

"If you were to, I'd say it was bitchin'," Fang grinned.

Lightning rolled her eyes while her heart pounded at that smile. That was one hell of a smile.

She wished that one day, she'd have the courage to tell Fang her feelings.

『Age: Eighteen』

"You're WHAT?" Fang hollered, nearly choking on the water she was drinking.

Lebreau was of a similar state, but she was able to rein in her astonishment and say, "Run this by us again?"

"After we graduate this year, I'm joining the Guardian Corps," Lightning shrugged. She leaned back into the comfy chair of Fang's and prepared for the onslaught.

"You won't be going to college?" Lebreau asked. "I thought we had this all worked out."

"…I don't think college is for me," sighed Lightning.

"If this is because you think my parents can't afford it, because we worked it—"

"No," Lightning cut Lebreau off. "'Breau, I'm really thankful for what your parents have done for me and Serah. But that's just not the kind of life I want to lead."

Fang stood up and left the room. Lightning and Lebreau watched her go, unmoving.

"I figured she'd take it like that," Lightning muttered.

"Go talk to her," Lebreau urged. "And you should tell her how you feel. Now or never, Light."

Lightning shook her head, but stood up and followed after Fang.

『Age: Twenty』

Two years. That was how long it'd been since she'd seen her two friends.

And now Lightning, a member of the GC, sat in a bar and waited for those two friends.

Lebreau arrived first and sat down across from Lightning. She said nothing, and only watched the pink haired woman who'd grown up as a sister to her.

Fang arrived shortly after and sat next to Lebreau. She too, eyed Lightning with an appraising glance.

Lightning, who had been dreading and looking forward to this meetup for a week, said in a quiet voice just loud enough to hear, "Are we still friends?"

Lebreau and Fang looked at each other.

"No," Lebreau said. "Best friends."

"You think a little thing like time would get rid of an entire lifetime of knowing each other?" Fang asked. "You always were a bit of an idiot, Claire-bear."

"'Breau, can you wait here? I want to talk to Fang alone for a moment," Lightning said, having spent the last week building up the courage to confront Fang about her feelings.

Lebreau waved them off. As they walked away, talking, Lebreau smirked. Fang knew exactly what Light was going to say, courtesy of a certain black haired friend.

Because that's just what friends do.

Author Note: This was originally supposed to be a multichapter fic, like Seven Nights and Writers Alike. I've been low on time as of late, and as a result that didn't happen. But I liked the idea too much to not write, so this is what became of it. But that is the explanation as to why it feels rushed. Apologies, but I'm pleased with it.