Authors Note: This is my first FangxLightning story. I haven't written in quite a while so it probably won't be my best of works. I really do love this couple though so I hope to do it some justice by putting a good story up for other fans.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or any aspect of it, Square Enix does. All I own is my creative ideas that contribute to this work of fiction. Enjoy.

Recessional

- - x - -

P r o l o g u e

The softest sigh was heard. Lightning was tired of all this running around nonsense. The decision to head to Felix Heights was probably not the smartest of ideas since they were sure to be caught within a few hours of being there, but there was an obligation to Hope's mother to get him home safely. In the woman's odd revelation, Lightning had somehow taken up a motherly role for Hope. Not to mention, she was more of a mother in worry now than ever before. All that filled her mind was the idea of Operation Nora being carried out. Just having the young boy seeing her before, she couldn't imagine what would happen if he acted as she probably would have if Serah had died.

Trying to keep herself from pacing in worry, she moved to lean close to the wall just as her eyes slowly wandered over the figure directly next to her. The blue satin delicately clung against the other woman's body as a tan hand ran along the unusual looking L'Cie mark. As she heard the accented voice speak to her, she decided to halt her thoughts and reply in hopes of being distracted.

"Yo, Lightning. You alive?"

"Oh uh yeah..."

Fang tilted her head a bit for a moment before shrugging it off. "Right well, tell me something. Did you get a chance to see Vanille's brand?"

"I don't think so, why?" Lightning voiced this curiously. Come to think of it, Vanille's brand wasn't anywhere noticeable like her own.

"Your mark, it can tell you how much time you have left before going Cieth. Over time, when you begin getting closer, more arrows will appear and eventually an eye will form in the center."

Her blue eyes watched Fang closely as she pointed at her mark and drew air-like figures for an example. It was when her dark eyes shifted to stare at her that she felt a jolt of something run through her. A steps were being taken towards her, she couldn't help but stare at the other woman.

"C'mon now don't be shy. Let's have a look."

The blonde scolded herself for feeling weird about the situation. They were both women, what did it matter if she looked to see if her life was closer to being saved or not. She slowly unzipped the top portion of her sweater to have her chest exposed along with the mark directly near the top of her breasts. A pair of tan fingers moved to run over the mark, lingering there for a moment too long. Upon pulling away, they slightly brushed against the side of her black bra just as a small chuckle escaped her lips.

"Looks like you've got time."

Lightning quickly assumed an unphased look just as she rezipped her sweater and looked further ahead to avoid those dark-colored eyes. Hearing some PSICOM soldiers further ahead reminded her of their mission. She reverted back to fighting mode, grabbing the hilt of her weapon from it's case to pull it out.

"We should keep moving."

x

It wasn't long before they had inched closer to their destination. Standing near the middle of the stairs, the other woman had sat down for a moment upon them. Some words were exhanged, involving the same issues at hand. She was caught by surprise though whenever the brunette stood up. As her dark eyes stared up to the sky, she began to speak more on Vanille.

"I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her."

The words were spoken with a hidden meaning of protection and love. Although it was difficult to decipher what kind of love that was. Just from first apperances, the taller woman seemed to be one that flirted quite alot and with anyone. This would make it easy for her to love the carefree spirit that was Vanille. Supposedly in her mind, they would probably make a perfect couple. The former soldier lowered her gaze for a moment while beginning to dwell on the thought far too much.

Love? She surely never felt the word but seeing how Fang was so adamant on finding this woman and protecting her almost made her want to. In a way she felt it with Hope, but it wasn't getting to the underlying feeling itself. From how she always acted, it almost made her wonder if she was capable of being loved.

"What the bloody hell..." The accented words caused blue eyes to quickly blink and focus up at the building not too far away. As fire erupted on it's structure, the two merely looked at each other before rushing ahead.

Entering the shaded area that connected them to Felix Heights, a few enemies came rushing towards them. Lightning felt an anxiousness in her gut. All she could do was fight with all her might and get to the duo. Gripping the hilt of her saber, it almost seemed too easy with this emotion fueling her veins. She could sense Fang watching her almost curiously. Was this what it felt like to fight for something real besides just aiming for a target?

Fang must've sensed it because she sent a slight smirk her way. They were easily tearing through soldiers, running towards a Lodster Behemoth now. That smirk only fueled her more. It took next to nothing to stagger the beast, killing it within moments. No time was left as they ran up the area, turning slightly just to appear at the top of the hill. Snow was unconcious as the young teen was aiming to fight a larger obstacle than he could handle.

The blonde inwardly sighed in relief at seeing both of them still alive, even if Snow was unconscious at the moment. Hearing the other woman's words guided to Hope only made her chuckle softly. "Got some fight in ya huh?"

It made her proud to see the young man was beginning to come into his own with fighting. With all three of them carrying out proper Paradigms, it made the battle go along swiftly. It caught everyone by surprise when the satin-clad figure went to attack and the machine flew away.

"Eh...guess I scared it off." Fang simply shrugged it off while moving to check on the bulky blond nearby.

The knife was glittering against the sunset's rays. Her blue eyes focused on Hope as he spoke to her firmly. "Operation Nora...didn't work out."

It took nothing for her to pull him directly against her in a hug. A pair of dark eyes were surely watching the scene unfold. This must've been what Fang wanted to do with Vanille. To be able to hold her and tell her that...

"It's all right. I'll keep you safe."

Pulling back slowly, she smiled at him just as Fang quickly spoke up. "We should get this lug to a bed."

"Yeah. Soldiers will surely be returning soon. They won't let an explosion like that go unnoticed for very long."

x

The television broadcast could only make her smirk. They sure didn't like L'Cie running around doing whatever they liked. As she crossed her arms, she looked around the house more. Anything to distract herself from thinking about the scene from earlier. It didn't help that while wandering down the hallway, her gaze noticed the woman sitting so formally in a chair. Her voice seemed sincere in whatever she was saying. From the woman she met a few hours ago, it was enough to give her whip-lash for the 180 that the former soldier had done.

It certainly was strange to see her interactions with her comrades. Over time, she seemed to be slowly growing closer to each one. Did that mean the same would occur with herself? Fang rubbed her chin thoughtfully while turning back to some pictures on a table. Seeing the family photo of Hope made her think of Vanille. It was never her style to dwell on depressing things. With each day that passed that she didn't see the young woman, it made it harder to grasp onto the hope that she was still okay.

But...perhaps she could focus on something else in the meantime. Maybe an experiment of sorts. It would be interesting to see if the other woman would even attempt to get close to her. Of course, she could help to shove her in the right direction. That trademark smirk formed on her lips again as many thoughts flowed in her mind. The woman didn't look like the type to desire men, much less let herself follow a man's orders. Leaning against a pillar, she could only imagine what the upcoming days would be like.

Ah, this would be interesting indeed.