Weightless

by Sapphire Smoke

The people of Cocoon never really stood out to her; they were faceless blurs that passed through her life as effortlessly as the wind, never overshadowing her priorities or distracting her from her path. But then she fell into her life, an enigma wrapped in a sari, bringing with her a raging storm that Lightning didn't know how to weather. •Lightning/Fang•

Title: Weightless
Author: Sapphire Smoke
Beta: BellaRei713
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII
Rating: M
Pairing: Lightning/Fang
Timeline: Through a handful of events from Final Fantasy XIII, then veers off from canon.
Summary: The people of Cocoon never really stood out to her; they were faceless blurs that passed through her life as effortlessly as the wind, never overshadowing her priorities or distracting her from her path. But then she fell into her life, an enigma wrapped in a sari, bringing with her a raging storm that Lightning didn't know how to weather. It left her feeling perplexed and disoriented, and it finally made her realize that Cocoon's innate fear of Gran Pulse was a valid one, but not for the reasons they had once believed.
Cover Manip Credit: xheeendlx at deviantart
A/N: I'd like to give a big thank you to my first reader DoomKitteh, who helped me with my characterizations and made me feel a bit more comfortable about writing for a new fandom ^_^ To the rest of you, not that you would, but just in case, please don't spoil FXIII-2 or LR in the reviews. I only just started playing FXIII-2, lol.

---

Lightning Farron was a woman of few words.

There had been a time once, many years ago, when words flowed from her lips as freely as water. After the death of her parents however, Lightning learned that words were rather frivolous. Condolences were meaningless, promises were useless; they left her with nothing more than passing sentiments that only hung in the air as long as a singular breath of air. Everything dissipated as quickly as it was formed, leaving her with nothing more than she had moments before. It was pointless, and it accomplished nothing.

Actions accomplished something; telling her sister that everything would be alright, that she would take care of her, meant nothing unless she did so. Speaking was easy, but actually doing something required effort and follow through, which Lightning believed, in the end, spoke volumes louder than words ever could.

Unfortunately, there was a big difference between cutting down everything in her path to save her sister, and actually having the courage to take what she needed in regards to the more… personal aspects of her life. Doing something for someone else – for Serah, mainly, for she was all she had now – had always been easy, but doing things for herself hadn't been a priority of Lightning's for a very long time; so much in fact that she had almost completely forgotten what it was to want anything for selfish reasoning.

Until now, that was.

The people of Cocoon never really stood out to her; they were faceless blurs that passed through her life as effortlessly as the wind, never overshadowing her priorities or distracting her from her path. But then she fell into her life, an enigma wrapped in a sari, bringing with her a raging storm that Lightning didn't know how to weather. It left her feeling perplexed and disoriented, and it finally made her realize that Cocoon's innate fear of Gran Pulse was a valid one, but not for the reasons they had once believed.

Fang was dangerous. Which perhaps was nothing more than an obvious assessment of the facts – as she was a lethal warrior who fought with both intensity and passion – but that wasn't why she frightened her. Lightning could hold her own in a battle, but this… this was entirely uncharted territory and she hadn't a clue how to proceed.

So she ignored it; suppressed it. It was the safer of the two options after all, and with everything else that was going on, Lightning couldn't afford a distraction.

But just because she couldn't afford it, didn't mean it didn't exist, which unfortunately was brought to the limelight the moment Fang caught her staring through the flames of their campfire.

"Something on your mind?" The corners of her lips turned up into a smirk, like she knew, and Lightning had to quickly pull herself out of her stupor.

The soldier's gaze fell back to her weapon, immersing herself in the futile task of sharping that which could already cut through bone. "No."

If no meant yes, anyway.

Yes, how is it that you can catch my eye so effortlessly when nothing else ever could even come close? What is it exactly, that makes you shine so much brighter than everyone else?

Lightning knew of beauty; Cocoon was home to superficial idealizations, so whatever it was that drew her to Fang, it certainly wasn't that. Not that Fang wasn't beautiful, because she was, but someone's physical appearance had never been what caught Lightning's eye. And after further inspection, she finally realized that there was just something about Fang's… energy. The huntress was raw, untamed, unapologetic; and while Lightning was inclined to dismiss her unexpected attraction as nothing more than some kind of strange… Pulsian magic or what have you, the logical part of her was apt to argue. It wasn't magic.

It was freedom.

Fang encompassed something Lightning did not have; something she threw away in favor of maturity and responsibility, and something she hadn't realized she had missed up until now. It seemed there was still a part of her that just craved to touch it, to become immersed in it, if only for a fleeting moment; to remember that impulsiveness was just as much a part of life as forethought and preparation.

But that was wistful and foolish, especially now. There was just far too much going on for Lightning to even entertain the idea, let alone carry it out.

So she buried it.

Or, at least, she tried to.

"No?" Fang questioned, sounding as though she were amused by Lightning's blatant shut down of the conversation, rather than put out by it. "Gotta be honest with ya, that was a pretty intense staring match for 'no'. Usually when people look at me like they're trying to dissect me, they have something to say about it." The brunette cocked her head expectantly as she awaited an answer, and Lightning tried not to outwardly show how uncomfortable she was at being called out like that.

A loud snore came from Hope and Snow's tent, and Lightning's gaze flickered over to the one Fang was supposed to be sharing with Vanille before allowing her eyes to rest once more on the woman across from her. "Just wondering why you're still up," Lightning lied evenly, using the first excuse that came to mind as she ran her sharpening stone over the blade in her hand. "I said I'd take first watch."

But instead of telling her why she chose to stay awake with her, Fang just leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees, looking Lightning dead in the eyes. "You don't like me very much, huh?"

The unexpected assessment made Lightning noticeably start as her eyes snapped up to meet Fang's. "What?" she asked, practically stumbling over the question.

"That wall you put up," Fang mentioned, almost as casually as one would talk about the weather. "It's more intense around me, yeah? Or am I reading you wrong?" She didn't sound like she thought she was reading her wrong at all, and Lightning struggled to maintain eye contact throughout what felt like a direct assault to her psyche.

"I don't know you well enough not to like you." It was a cop out, but at the moment she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Then you probably don't know me well enough to be scared of me either."

Lightning bristled at the implication. "Excuse me?" Her shoulders squared instinctively as she straightened her spine, looking the other woman in the eyes. But Fang wasn't looking to challenge her, and the huntress just casually tended to the fire with a jagged stick as she shrugged noncommittally.

"Gotta be one or the other, right?" Fang responded, arching an eyebrow. "Anyone who puts that much effort into shutting someone out either doesn't like 'em or is scared of 'em. And you, Sunshine," she continued, gesturing with her hand at the space before them, "well I can practically see you laying the bricks between us. So which is it?"

Lightning's expression became disgruntled at the unwanted nickname (as it was the complete opposite of everything she believed herself to encompass, thank you), but it was bypassed in light of more pressing matters. She quickly wracked her brain for excuses, but came up short. She didn't usually do the conversation thing. "I—"

"Intimidated," Fang interrupted suddenly, snapping her fingers. Lightning's brow furrowed, yet her heart rate sped up. "Ah, sorry; wrong word. That's what I was going for; been a long couple of days."

Lightning wished her throat didn't feel so tight; she didn't like Fang's little guessing game, especially when she kept getting further and further towards the truth of her standoffish behavior. "Maybe you should sleep then."

"Maybe I will after you answer my question." Lightning scoffed at that, like Fang was the one being childish about this, but the woman just smirked and said, "Hey, you can't fault a girl for the curiosity. So what is it about me that's got ya on full lockdown?"

Lightning released a frustrated breath. It was difficult to ignore a situation when the issue of said situation was practically waving in her face. "I'm not intimidated by you."

That response seemed to only amuse the other woman. "Right, okay," she said, like suddenly she had all the answers she needed. It elicited panic, which only furthered the soldier's defensiveness.

"What?"

That damn smirk still hadn't wiped off her face, and as Fang cocked her head to address her, Lightning realized she had been looking at the other woman's lips for far too long. "Anyone ever tell ya that you say more by what you don't say, or is this about to be a first?"

Lightning's breathing shallowed, and she tore her gaze away from the curvature of Fang's lips as she stood. "I'm taking a walk," she abruptly announced, anxious to get away from the conversation. This feeling in the pit of her gut whenever she talked to Fang (looked at her, was near her) felt like it was burning her from the inside out, but what could she do about it?

She shouldn't—couldn't do anything. There were more important things at stake, and indulging herself right now in frivolous entanglements would be nothing but selfish.

And besides, who's to say Fang would even let her indulge in it? She looked way more amused by her (annoyingly so, in fact), than attracted to her.

Lightning really wished that didn't bother her as much as it did.

"Bad idea," Fang warned, turning her head to look up at her. Lightning picked up her gunblade, content to not heed it in the slightest. She needed the space.

"I can take care of myself."

"Maybe, but you've still put me in a bad position."

Lightning side-glanced her, skeptical. "How's that?"

"It's dangerous here at night," Fang told her, all trace of nonchalance gone from her tone. "Even for someone who knows the land. Some pretty nasty things hunt in the dark, and while I'm not doubting that you could rip a behemoth clean in two, what happens when you come across two of them, or six? We'll be picking up parts of you scattered all across the Steppe."

Lightning pursed her lips. Fang was right, and a part of her hated that, as it proved that she was being irrational. Irrationality was dangerous, and it only furthered the point of why she needed to get ahold of herself; this attraction to Fang was going to end up causing nothing but problems if she didn't deal with it.

"Look, if I make you uncomfortable and you want to get away from me, be my guest," Fang continued, nodding towards the soldier's solitary tent. "I can take watch while you catch some Z's, but if you walk out of this camp then suddenly I'm stuck between needing to watch your back, and needing to watch theirs. See the problem?"

Lightning wanted to protest that Fang did not make her uncomfortable, but with the way things were going, all it was going to do was prove to the other woman that she really did. And it wasn't her fault; it was Lightning's, she knew that. She had found herself attracted to only a handful of people in her life and had been intimate with less than that.

Way, way less than that, actually.

Like one. Singular. And that had been… years ago; right after her mother had succumbed to her illness. An act of grief, really; a way to forget. She didn't regret it, not really, but it barely provided her with the experience most people her age had. Thus, she had no idea how to deal with what was going on right now, and that frustrated her. Ignoring the issue in favor of the bigger picture had always helped, but that was partly due to her ability to physically relocate herself elsewhere, and the fact that all her previous attractions to either sex had been superficial at best.

There was no escaping Fang. Not just because of their Focus, but because the rest of them needed someone to navigate the strange world of Gran Pulse should they ever expect to actually survive it. And while Lightning could usually mind-over-matter physical appearance – picture the woman with boils, or something else just as unseemly – it wasn't that which drew her to her.

Lightning didn't want to just lie with her and take advantage of the woman's physical beauty. She wanted to… she wanted to run with her; have Fang take her hand and just run. She wanted to feel the wind in her hair and the ground beneath her feet and for once not take any of that into consideration for the next battle. She wanted to be shown how to breathe, how to relax, how to feel. Sometimes, Lightning felt like she had forgotten how to feel anything other than an intense awareness.

She was always on edge. She was always prepared. Always ready.

And that was good, that was responsible, but even still, a part of Lightning envied the easy way that Fang approached life. She could sit like she wasn't expecting something to attack her from behind, she could take each moment in life for what it was, and not worry about what would happen an hour, a day, a week from now.

Or, at least, that was how Lightning perceived her in the short time they'd spent together. In reality, she didn't know the woman from a hole in the wall, and all she could be doing was just idealizing her, which probably wasn't smart or healthy either.

Etro, she really needed to get away from her. Nothing good was going to come of this sudden infatuation; of that she was certain.

And so Lightning turned, taking advantage of Fang's offer despite knowing full-well that it would prove the other woman's theory correct, and stated simply, "I'm going to bed."

Maybe she couldn't run away fully, but at least she could do this.

[x]

"You really need to relax," said the woman with a mangled leg.

Lightning shot Fang a glare as she knelt over her, while Snow suggested, "Y'know, maybe we should just wait for Hope to get back with Vanille…"

"I've got this," Lightning snapped impatiently, which just made the man hold up his hands in surrender and back away, mumbling something about 'stubborn women' underneath his breath as he began to help Sazh pack up the camp.

It was a little ironic, how adamant she had been against Hope and Vanille scouting up ahead; they were just kids and it was dangerous, Lightning had reasoned. But, in an odd twist of fate, as soon as Fang insisted that they would be fine – that Vanille, at least, was more than capable – and the pair of them headed up the path, a pack of five gorgonopsids decided that their camp was a great place to find food; with them being the meal of choice.

All five of them met an untimely death, but not before one of them took a huge chunk out of Fang's leg. Lightning had always been quick on her feet, but out of sheer dumb luck one of them had actually managed to corner her, so Fang chose to provoke it in order for Lightning to come in swiftly from behind and land a killing blow. Unfortunately, she had been a second too slow, and now she was internally berating herself for her failure while simultaneously trying to figure out how to fix her mistake.

Healing magic was not something she was well-versed in. She had only just started dabbling with it, and while perhaps it was smarter to wait for Hope or even Vanille – who were easily the first and second best medics of the group, respectively – Lightning felt as though this was her fault and therefore her mistake to rectify.

Story, end of.

"Ah, I see the difference now."

"What?" Lightning asked, wishing Fang wouldn't distract her while she was trying to think. Her palms were sweating and her heart was thumping just a tad bit heavier beneath her ribcage at the close proximity, and really, this was difficult enough without all the added… fogginess, that seemed to envelop her brain whenever she was around Fang.

The brunette merely smirked as she answered simply, "Him you don't like."

Lightning didn't bother suppressing her eye roll, but when Fang started to lean back and chuckle at the look she received, she moved her leg a little bit too much and it turned into a sharp hiss of pain instead. "Idiot," the soldier mumbled under her breath. How many times had everyone told her not to move?

Fang's sharp gaze met hers after that, an eyebrow arching as she tried to ignore the pain. "Yeah? Well you're welcome, by the way. This idiot just saved your ass."

Lightning pursed her lips at that, feeling resigned to admit that maybe her previous statement wasn't called for. "…You're right."

Etro, she hated to admit that.

As a general rule, Lightning didn't much care about being rude when people were clearly being stupid, but Fang had just helped her out of a tight spot, and took a bite to her leg for her troubles. The least she could do was probably not be a bitch about it.

She just felt so terribly wound up. Her adrenaline was still pumping from the fight, and her nerves about attempting relatively unknown magic were keeping her rooted in her own self-doubt. Couple that with the mess of confusion she felt whenever she was around the Pulsian, and their current close proximity that enabled her to literally touch the beads of sweat that littered the woman's collar bone should she only be so bold, and Lightning felt like she might actually explode if anyone were to come at her the wrong way.

Or the very, very right way.

Lightning fidgeted, her brow furrowing as she ordered herself to stop being a frivolous school girl with a crush and just concentrate.

"Light, you seriously need to take a breath," Fang told her, looking exasperated. Gritting her teeth as she shifted to a better position, Fang then shook her head and placed her fingers gently beneath the soldier's chin. "I mean, look at you. You look like you're gonna—"

But that was as far as Fang got, because the feeling of the woman's fingers on her startled Lightning so badly that she practically jumped out of her skin before immediately getting into a defensive position. Fang held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, whoa," she coaxed. "You see what I'm saying about needing to relax?"

Lightning blinked, finally realizing the strength of her own reaction and quickly becoming mortified by it. It was one thing to be pent up from a fight, but that was… that was utterly ridiculous. She slowly put down her hands and allowed her shoulders to sag thereafter, praying to Etro that her embarrassment wouldn't etch itself all over her face.

Thankfully, it seemed her blood was too busy rushing to other areas of her body to bother with her face.

"Just take a breath, yeah?" Fang encouraged, for some reason paying more mind to Lightning than her own injury. "I know you're 'Soldier Girl' and it pays to always be ready for a fight, but if you want to attempt healing magic, then you seriously need to relax. It's the only way it's ever gonna work."

Right. She knew that. Hope had mentioned it once – he had a natural inclination for the skill – but 'relaxing' wasn't exactly a word in Lightning's vocabulary. Still, she had to try; this was her fault, after all. She took a couple deep breaths and closed her eyes, hoping that would help.

"Good," Fang murmured, her voice sounding like molasses and causing a noticeable shiver to roll down Lightning's spine, which the fair haired woman instantly berated herself for. "Damn," Fang swore, suddenly looking very intrigued by what was in front of her; or more notably, the reaction her voice provoked. "You okay? That fight really got to you, didn't it?"

"I'm just… angry," Lightning stumbled, opening her eyes and yet avoiding eye contact as she looked down at Fang's wound. "I should have been quicker."

"It's not your fault."

"It is," Lightning countered, before taking another deep breath and hovering her hand over the gash. She needed to focus; that was what she was good at, after all. Everything else had to become irrelevant, if only for a moment. "But I'm going to fix it."

Fang's lips quirked into a small smile at the other woman's determination. "Then by all means," she offered, gesturing at her leg. "Impress me."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

The words slipped out without thought, sounding much more flirtatious than Lightning would ever – at least in good conscience– which apparently she didn't have much of at the moment. Fang looked surprised by that, but it was only momentary before she smirked, and that damned eyebrow arched even higher.

"Maybe I would."

Oh, Etro, help her.

"Just… be quiet," Lightning demanded, suddenly flustered as she tried desperately to focus on what she needed to do. She really wished her breathing hadn't shallowed and the tips of her ears hadn't betrayed her embarrassment with the current situation. "I'm trying to concentrate."

Fang looked amused, but thankfully said nothing more.

It took a couple tries, but finally Lightning managed a cure spell that healed Fang's leg as good as new. The accomplishment actually seemed to relive some of Lightning's tension, and a genuine smile broke out across her face as she took a look at her handiwork. There wasn't even a scar.

"You should do that more often, you know?"

Lightning looked up at her, momentarily confused as she watched Fang get to her feet. "Heal?" She might be able to manage on her own under the right circumstances, but that didn't mean she was very good at it.

"Smile."

Oh.

A fierce warmth invaded the pit of Lightning's stomach at that, but as her heart rate sped up and her throat went dry, panic began to ensue and within an instant the woman had practically slammed all of her walls back into place as she rose to her feet, hoping that Fang hadn't noticed the myriad of emotions that played out on her face before she slipped back on her mask.

"I'm going to help pack up the camp," Lightning told her, suddenly all business in the hope that it would enable them to brush past this moment and leave it forgotten in the dust. "You should rest your leg… just in case."

Fang looked a little perplexed by the abrupt shift in the other woman's demeanor, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she tapped her leg twice. "No need; it's good as new. Probably be kickin' an Adamantoise in the face in no time."

Lightning snorted at that. "You'd never be able to reach its face."

"Oh, I'm full of surprises."

Lightning wasn't sure if that was a line or if Fang really did have some kind of l'Cie powers the rest of them did not, but she didn't get the chance to counter that as suddenly Vanille and Hope came through the clearing, the former practically flailing down the hill with the latter dragging behind in her clasped hand, the both of them laughing and enjoying themselves. Vanille's eyes lit up when they landed on her friend.

"Fang! Guess what we found!"

Fang chuckled at the girl's eagerness before leaving Lightning's side to meet her halfway, and Lightning crossed her arms and leaned against a tree as she watched them talk animatedly across the clearing. She didn't know what to make of the two of them; originally, she had assumed they were lovers, as Fang's declaration of 'tearing down the sky' sounded much too intense for mere friendship. But having traveled with them since, Lightning found some of their interactions to be more likened to sisters.

And, well, that she could understand. She would tear down the sky to save Serah. She might very well end up doing so before the week was out.

It went back and forth with Fang and Vanille though, which was another reason Lightning didn't want to get involved in anything. It could prove to not be a distraction just to her, but to everyone involved. If they were lovers, then things were bound to get messy if Lightning tried to insert herself where she didn't belong. It could dissolve the group and screw up their Focus; screw up her chances at saving Serah, and Lightning couldn't— she wouldn't take that risk.

It would never be worth it. Never.

[x]

It was raining.

Pouring, to be more accurate. Water fell from the sky in sheets, banging on the roof with such relentless vigor that Lightning wondered if it would hold. The village of Oerba had been abandoned long ago, the War of Transgression driving the people from their homes, and now all that was left of Fang and Vanille's village was empty structures and crystal sand. Lightning looked out the window at the square below, watching a few seekers come out of the shadows and drag themselves across the stone pathway, and the woman wondered exactly how much longer it would be until the clearing was filled with cie'th again.

They had cut down so many in their path, but it looked as though the village was retaliating by spawning more. A fal'Cie's doing, perhaps? But to what end?

Lightning heard footsteps behind her, and she didn't have to turn around to know it was Fang. The woman stood next to her, arms crossed over her chest as she looked out the window. "I'm home, and yet I still feel homesick," she mentioned. "Strange, innit?"

Lightning didn't say anything. Over five hundred years had passed since Fang and Vanille had made this village their home, and so the soldier didn't find it strange at all; so much had changed in that time. Lightning wondered what it must have been liked back then, to live here in a village on Gran Pulse that was bustling with people. The stories she had heard about this place as a child likened it to a living hell for humans, and while now that may be true, it certainly hadn't always been this way. Perhaps it was far more primitive than Cocoon, but even still, it had once been inhabitable; where they were now was a testament to that.

Hope and Vanille were talking animatedly on the other side of the room, trying to repair the girl's childhood robot Bhakti. Lightning had no idea how it survived the test of time – how any of this village did, really – and yet it seemed so much of Oerba had weathered the storm. Sazh and Snow were across the square, trying to find another inhabitable home for them to crash in for the night – as the one they were in only had three beds – and Lightning wished they would hurry so she could turn in; battling the fal'Cie in Taejin's Tower had taken a lot of out of her, had taken a lot out of all of them, and Lightning just wanted to rest up so they could keep moving as soon as possible. She hated doddling.

"You look restless," Fang noted, watching Lightning shift her weight between her feet.

"I'm not a fan of staying still."

Fang chuckled. "So I've noticed." She was quiet for a moment then, just looking down at the square as it slowly became more populated with the monsters of this world. "Do you want to work off some aggression?"

"What?" Lightning asked, her eyes finally meeting the brunette's for the first time during their conversation. Fang smiled at her, that easy kind of smile that made Lightning wonder how she could always be so blasé during one of the most stressful situations of her life, and nodded her head towards the window.

"Run with me," she offered. "We can cut down everything in our path; clear the surrounding streets of cie'th so maybe we can sleep easy tonight. Whatdaya say?"

"I…" Run with me. Fang probably didn't realize how meaningful that was to her, when the suppressed girl inside of the woman she forced herself to become ached for a moment's freedom. "What?"

Fang laughed. "Cognitive issues, huh? Yeah, you definitely need this. Come on, Soldier Girl; you're always wound so tightly that I'm half-afraid your head's gonna pop clean off its shoulders one day. This will relax you, I promise."

Lightning's throat felt dry, and she had to turn away from Fang so she didn't lose herself in her eyes. "It's raining," was all she said in response, an excuse that was as flimsy as it was pathetic. Because she couldn't; she couldn't… let herself go like that. One thing would lead to another, and another, and suddenly everything would fall apart around her; she was sure of it. Lightning needed to stay focused, and running through the rain in Oerba with Fang did not seem conducive to that goal.

"So? Unless you're allergic to a little water, I'm not seeing how that's a problem." Lightning still didn't answer, choosing instead to stare out the window and focus on anything but what she desperately wanted to do, and Fang moved a little closer to her. It made breathing normally a difficult task. "I promise I won't bite," the woman said in what could only be considered a sultry tone before cocking her head to the side and smirking deviously. "Well, unless you ask nicely."

Lightning released a shuddered exhale of breath and immediately stepped backwards, putting space between them. "I don't think that's a good idea," she finally managed, because while Lightning may not have much experience in this area, there was no confusing what that was; Fang was flirting with her.

She had thought what passed between them in the Steppe was just a fluke born from her own idiocy, a response brought about just because she had started it, but maybe Fang really was interested. And Etro, that made the woman even more dangerous, because Lightning was fairly certain that should she just reach out and take what she wanted, Fang would let her have it.

But that wasn't an option. She had Serah to think about right now; she was what was important.

Disappointment shown in the huntress' eyes, but Fang just shrugged like it didn't matter either way and said, "Suit yourself then," before turning and heading out the door to work off some aggression by herself. Lightning released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding before pursing her lips, wishing that she didn't feel as disappointed by her own response as she did.

"You should go with her."

Lightning whipped around to face Vanille, who was smiling at her. Lightning had thought that her and Hope had been too busy with their own little project to bother with them, but apparently she had been wrong. "Why?"

She didn't mean for it to sound defensive, and yet it came out that way anyway.

Vanille didn't look bothered by it though. "Because it'll make you smile," she said simply. "And I think we all could do with things that make us smile right now, don't you?"

Vanille had the same sort of easiness that Fang had – although she was perhaps a bit more wistful in her approach than her friend – that Lightning had to wonder if it just came with being a Pulsian. And it was strange to think about, as the land of Gran Pulse was as wild and untamed as their inhabitants, and Lightning would have assumed that living amongst beasts would make one rather on edge. Yet she herself had grown up on Cocoon – a world with all the luxuries one could imagine – and somehow Lightning had turned out to be the one who didn't know how to relax.

It all seemed so backwards.

The soldier's gaze fell to Hope, who just shrugged. "I don't know," he offered, looking a little taken aback that he had been invited into the conversation. "But I'd probably sleep better if more cie'th were dead out there."

For Hope, then.

At least, that was Lightning's excuse as she allowed herself to follow after Fang. She would never admit to herself that she was looking for one, but her stomach began to twist in excitement once it was found. She had needed a reason; a reason that wasn't self-serving, because it was the only way Lightning was able to justify immersing herself in the danger that was Oerba Yun Fang.

As she descended the stairs two at a time, Lightning had to stop short once she noticed Fang at the bottom of them, leaning up against a pillar with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face. Lightning's brow furrowed. "How did you…?"

Know I was coming, but Lightning couldn't get out the rest of the sentence as Fang grabbed her hand and encouraged, "Come on."

Lightning started at the feeling of Fang's hand in hers, not entirely knowing how to process it or what to do with it, but thankfully it didn't last very long. As they ran into the square, Fang let her go and grabbed for her spear instead. Without taking the time to assess the enemy's position, the tip of it drove into a seeker, being removed almost immediately to impale another. Lightning only managed one while Fang got three, and once they were dead, the brunette whipped around to face her.

"No."

"No?" Lightning asked, looking confused by the order, whatever it was supposed to be about.

"No, don't think," Fang told her, crossing the distance between them until there was less than a foot left. Water droplets lined her cheekbones and fell from the tips of her hair as she continued, "You're too contained, and one day it's gonna drive you mental unless you learn how to blow off some steam. Don't think, just feel."

"That's a good way to get ourselves killed," Lightning countered, making careful effort to not look at the water droplet that had fallen into the canyon between the other woman's breasts.

"I'll watch your back."

"Fang—"

"I'll watch your back," she repeated strongly, not backing down from this. "You need someone to think during all this, fine; but I'm gonna be the one to do it, ya hear me? You need this way more than I do."

Lightning wet her parched lips as she looked up at her, her heart hammering in her chest as she began to dangerously toe the line between rationality and that moment of freedom a part of her had been searching for. Was Fang right? Did she really need this, or would it just end up being a fool's endeavor with dire consequences? It was that uncertainty that caused her to hesitate.

Fingertips gently brushed her soaked bangs from her face, and yet instead of flinching away from it, Lightning's eyes fell closed at the touch. "Just let go…"

Lightning released a breath, nodded without thought, and then suddenly took off before she could think better of it. The stone walkway pounded beneath her feet, the rain hit her cheeks, and the wind gave her a chill that made her feel alive. Lightning smiled as she grabbed her gunblade, coming up on a vampire, just before she launched herself at it without a plan to speak of.

The cie'th roared in anger as the blade hit its flesh, and Lightning narrowly avoided a swipe as Fang came from behind her. "Hey, ugly!" she called out. "It's me you want!" Lightning turned to look at the other woman, who winked as she got into a defensive position, leaving the other woman to come at it from the rear.

The wind whipped through the square, littering raindrops on the soldier's face as she waited for the creature's attention to turn from her. It howled then, right before taking off towards her partner, leaving Lightning with the perfect opening to jump upwards and drive her blade through its back. As it fell to the ground, Fang didn't even give her a chance to rest before she was taking off again, encouraging Lightning over her shoulder with another, "Come on!"

Lightning met her step for step, bee lining for a varcolaci in the distance. Her blade met flesh once more without resistance, an easy kill with Fang taking point in front of her. And then they were off again, another vampire becoming their target as they began to slaughter each creature they came across without precedence.

Adrenaline was pumping through Lightning's veins as she moved swiftly through the streets, a feeling that once would come hand in hand with thinking five steps ahead of what was happening. It had always been an instinct of hers, and yet for some reason tonight she was able to let that all go and just live in the moment. Did that mean she trusted Fang? She must, to be confident that the huntress had her back; to be assured that she would think for her, and allow them to destroy anything in their path without being worried that she would have to be the one to protect the both of them.

Fang hissed in pain as a taxim got in a lucky shot and injured her arm, and as she shouted, "Light!" the soldier didn't even need to contemplate what she was doing or if she could even do it as she sent a cure spell in her direction, healing the woman instantly. Fang grinned at her and Lightning returned the gesture before the two women simultaneously embedded their blades into the cie'th, the creature howling in pain as it died. After they removed their weapons from its body, Lightning held up her gunblade and watched the blood drip from the tip, staining the dirt on the ground below them.

It was such an incredible feeling.

They ran until their lungs burned and it felt as though their hearts would pound from their chests, taking shelter from the rain underneath one of the house's porches after they had been certain every monster in the area had met its untimely end. Fang laughed, clearly enjoying herself as she leaned heavily against one of the pillars, and Lightning couldn't help but join in as she pushed her soaked hair from her face.

"How do you feel?" Fang asked her, breathless from their endeavor as she pulled her sari off her shoulder, wringing the fabric out with her hands before tying it around her waist. Lightning's eyes raked down her soaked form, her chest heaving from exertion as she focused probably much too intently on the small piece of black fabric that was now the only thing separating Fang's breasts from her gaze. Suddenly, she found she couldn't breathe for another reason entirely.

"Weightless."

Fang smiled then, and it practically lit up her entire face. "Good…" she breathed, slowly taking a few steps towards her. Lightning found herself frozen to the spot as the huntress crossed the distance between them, only leaving a sliver of space separating their bodies as she looked down at her. It seemed as though Fang's gaze was devouring her, leaving Lightning feeling like prey for the first time in her life.

PSICOM might be looking to eradicate them because they were l'Cie, but Fang… Fang looked like she was hunting her. All of Lightning's instincts failed her as she found herself unable to run from it, and before she knew what was happening, a soft pair of lips enveloped her own, stealing the breath from her lungs and all competency from her mind.

A quiet sound escaped the back of Lightning's throat as she forgot how to suppress the desire inside of her, fingers wrapping around the soaked fabric that was bunched up around Fang's hips. But as soon as her lashes hit her cheeks and the world darkened around her, Lightning was suddenly very aware of what was happening, and panic began to hit her like a freight train as she violently pushed Fang off of her, causing the woman to stumble back a full three steps.

Lightning wanted to demand what the hell she thought she was doing, but she couldn't form words. She just panted heavily, looking at the woman across from her like she wasn't sure if what just happened was even real, or just a figment of her imagination. She felt so completely disoriented by it.

"Right," Fang drawled awkwardly, pulling on the back of her neck with her hand as she straightened to full height. She looked embarrassed, yet tried to downplay it like it wasn't a big deal to her as she shrugged lightly. "Well… guess that crashed and burned, didn't it?" She chuckled, the tone sounding a little strained before she coughed and averted her gaze.

Lightning couldn't stop staring at her. "I…" she tried, but her throat was tight and her head was swimming. "I have to go."

"No, Light!" Fang called out, heading after the other woman and placing her hand on her shoulder to stop her. Lightning whipped around in defense, but Fang immediately showed her her palms so the soldier would know she wasn't trying to attack her as she implored, "At least gimme the chance to apologize."

"Apologize…?"

For some reason, the word sounded foreign to her.

"Yeah. Look, I guess I... musta read you wrong," Fang tried to explain, although still looked a little confused by Lightning's reaction because apparently, on some level, she didn't think she had read her wrong at all. And she hadn't; that was the worst part of it all. "Thought you'd be into it; you looked… well, like you were, but if you're not—"

"What about Vanille?"

The question was out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop it, and Fang's brow furrowed in response.

"What about her?"

Lightning folded her arms across her chest, looking the other woman dead in the eye. For some reason, the stance made her feel more in control. "You know what I'm asking."

Fang exhaled a breath. "Look, that's—it's a little complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it."

The woman's gaze flicked up to the house they were sharing – where Vanille was currently – before returning it to Lightning's expectant expression. "We grew up together, been through a lot together; things happened," she admitted. "But it hasn't for a while. The girl's like my sister, ya know? Love her to death, would do anything for her, but things between us… they aren't like that anymore. We're not lovers, Light; I swear to you."

"Does she know that?"

After all, Fang's assumption of their relationship could be entirely one-sided. She didn't want their kiss to cause an issue within the group, even if it shouldn't—couldn't happen again.

"If you're asking if she's gonna be pissed about what happened between us, the answer's no," Fang told her point-blank, having read between the lines. "She knows I have eyes for you; has even encouraged it. Guess she seems to think a girl like you would do me some good." She shrugged casually when she said it, maybe to try to downplay the intensity of that statement, but it hit Lightning full throttle anyway.

Attraction was one thing; wanting to see and feel her naked body beneath her own, that was one thing, but… what Fang said, it implicated more than that, like somehow she had found herself attracted to her for who she is and not what she looked like, and Lightning… well, she didn't know how to process that exactly. She never really felt like she had any desirable traits outside of her physical appearance.

The rain beat down heavily on the surface above them, the pounding filling the silence that fell between the two women as they met each other's gaze. "I wasn't wrong… was I?" Fang asked softly, although it was more of a realization than a question as she read the wave of contradicting emotions that passed across Lightning's face. She took a step towards her, "Look, if Vanille was the only thing keeping you from—"

Lightning immediately took a step backwards, maintaining the distance between them. "She wasn't."

Fang stopped her approach, a look of a disappointment flashing across her face. "…Ah." But she didn't say anything more, she didn't ask, and Lightning didn't really know what to do because words hadn't been her forte in quite a long time. She spoke of what she wanted through her actions, but when she found she wanted two completely different things, the feeling left her at a standstill, and suddenly all she had left were her words. It was the only way she could express herself right then, and she felt like she should—needed to explain.

"You're a distraction."

Fang chuckled at that. "Kinda pride myself on that actually, but go on."

Lightning felt water droplets fall from the tips of her hair and run down her skin, and the sensation made her shiver as she crossed her arms over her chest. Now that they weren't running, fighting, touching, the world felt incredibly cold. "Distractions are dangerous, especially now; what we're doing, all of us… it's too important to screw up."

"Because your sister's life is at stake."

Lightning nodded.

Fang released a breath and backed up another step to lean against one of the pillars. "Won't say I'm not disappointed – cause that'd be a damned lie – but I get it. If it was Vanille in the Sanctum's hands…" Pursing her lips, Fang looked out at the village for a moment before turning back to the woman in front of her. "We're gonna save her, Light. Save all of them. Hell, might even saves ourselves in the process, if we get lucky."

"I know," Lightning responded, despite not having as much confidence about that as she liked to portray. "But only if I keep focused – if we all do – and if we got involved—"

"We start worrying about each other, instead of the mission."

"…Yes."

Fang allowed her eyes to drag over the expanse of Lightning's body, taking her all in during a moment's silence as she contemplated saying her next words. "Hate to break it to ya," she said finally, "cause I know it's probably not what you wanna hear, but I'm pretty sure that ship's already sailed."

Lightning's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I already got a chunk taken out of my leg 'cause I was worried about protecting you, when chances are you could have gotten out of that situation alone." Nodding her head in Lightning's direction, Fang pointed out, "You aren't exactly a damsel in distress."

Lightning started at that information, as she had thought it had been a tactical decision. Yes, she had been in a tight spot, and yes, she probably could have gotten out of it herself, but not without taking some damage in the process. The chances of everyone making it out in one piece were a lot slimmer if Fang had provoked it while she attacked from behind, which was why Lightning thought she had made the decision.

Apparently not though.

"Why were you worried about protecting me?" she demanded. Lightning had always sounded angry when she was scared; it was just a part of her nature, and right then was no different.

"I don't know, I just was," Fang told her with a light shrug, like it wasn't as big a deal as it was. "Seemed like the thing to do at the time, I guess; don't really know what else to tell you. Instincts and all that; you know how it is."

Lightning said nothing, because quite frankly she didn't know what to say to that. It flattered her and terrified her simultaneously, and she had to chew on the inside of her cheek as she tried to organize her thoughts.

"Point is," Fang continued, bringing her eyes up to meet her gaze. "Nothing's going to change."

Lightning wished that were true, but it wasn't. Already things were changing far too fast for her liking, and it made her feel dizzy and out of control. This wasn't supposed to happen; she was supposed to suppress it, and Fang wasn't supposed to be interested. At least… at least not until they saved Serah; saved Cocoon, had a second to breathe.

"Everything will change," Lightning breathed softly, regrettably, until she had to tear her gaze away from Fang's. She took a step back. "…I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize," Fang responded, waving it off in order to try to overshadow her own crushing disappointment. Lightning could see it in her eyes though, and it hurt her chest. "You've got your priorities; not gonna fault you for that."

Lightning wet her parched lips, hating how much a part of her ached to reach for her; to take what she wanted despite her better judgment, because hadn't their focus already been compromised? They saw so much more in each other now, and there wasn't exactly a way to shut that off. Still, it seemed foolish, and so instead Lightning just nodded her head and said, "Thank you."

She appreciated that Fang wasn't the type to push, regardless of a part of her wishing that she would so she could both have what it was that she wanted, and have someone to blame should it all fall apart afterwards.

But that was a horrible way to think, and so Lightning turned and retreated towards the house; out of the rain, and away from her.

It was the only way to stop feeling like she was falling.

[x]

"Do you think we're going to die?" Hope asked softly as they stood outside the Narthex Throne. He had grown up so much in the short time she had known him, but suddenly he sounded like the little boy that he really was. Lightning took a breath and placed her hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"No."

It was a lie. She had no idea if they were going to make it out of there alive, but she had to hope… for Serah's sake; for all of their sakes.

Her eyes fell on Fang then, who was having a few final words with Vanille across the room; probably the same conversation of reassurances that she and Hope were having. And that was when Lightning finally realized she had to hope for her own sake as well, because just looking at the other woman reminded her that she had been alive for so long, had done so much, and yet she hadn't really lived much at all. Not for herself, not for a very long time.

And maybe after this, maybe… maybe that could change.

It was such a shot in the dark, considering all the extenuating circumstances that surrounded who they were now; what they were now.

"So you think we'll wake up?" Hope asked, his eyes flickering to the rest of their party. "If saving Cocoon really is our Focus and we complete it… that won't be the end?"

"Fang and Vanille woke up once," Lightning pointed out, trying to reassure herself as well as him. "Maybe we will too."

Hope bit the inside of his cheek, unconvinced. "…But it's rare, isn't it? That's why we never heard of it happening until them."

Lightning exhaled a long breath, squeezing her hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Hope; I don't have all the answers. I wish I did. But think of it this way, even if this is the end for all of us… which death would you rather have; a peaceful sleep, or one as a monster?"

Hope pursed his lips and looked at the large door separating them between what very well may be the last moments of their lives. He nodded, exhaling a breath he had been holding. "So we do what we have to," he responded, sounding stronger. Lightning nodded.

"We do what we have to."

As they all began to prepare for their final battle, Fang crossed the distance between them. Lightning expected her to say something, but instead the woman just cupped the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss that completely robbed the soldier of all functioning thought for at least a solid thirty seconds.

Snow nearly tripped over his trench coat at the sight and Sazh coughed awkwardly before quickly turning back to cast buffs, reminding them all, "Not our business," as the two women pulled away from one another, a little short for breath as they stared into one another's eyes.

"Hit me for that later, yeah?" Fang suggested, her voice having a funny tone that Lightning couldn't ignore, because she knew exactly what it meant; promise me that you'll get out of this alive.

Lightning tried to look indignant about her wishes being ignored, but her stomach was twisting in uncomfortable knots and a part of her was beginning to hate herself for not indulging in this sooner, because this could very well be their last moments together; their last moments alive. "I will," was all she promised instead, because what else could she do?

Time had run out, and she had made her choice.

She just prayed that it would be worth it.

[x]

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

They were all in this together. Should they have all turned into cie'th, or should they have all become crystal by completing their Focus, Lightning believed that they would all do it... together. And perhaps they did; each of them was in crystal stasis after the fall of Orphan, at least for a short while. But then they came back to this world, finally free to live a new life without the mark of a l'Cie.

All of them… except for Vanille and Fang.

Two weeks had passed since they had returned, had saved both Serah and Dajh, and Lightning found herself sitting on the porch of their newfound home in Oerba, looking at the crystal base that held up Cocoon night after night. They hadn't known if Cocoon was safe for them, as despite no longer being l'Cie, they could easily be blamed for what happened; people, as a general populous, tended to panic when confronted with change, and this… this was a big one.

Without the fal'Cie, the people of Cocoon were going to have to learn to be self-sufficient. It would be difficult, if not impossible, but at least the entire population wasn't being sacrificed for the sake of bringing about the Maker. That had to count for something.

Or, at least, that's what Lightning tried to tell herself as she looked up at the crystal pillar in the sky. Without Fang and Vanille, Cocoon would have fallen, and countless lives would have been lost. It was a bigger picture that Lightning understood, and yet hated to accept regardless.

"Are you okay?"

Serah came from behind her, out of the house the two of them now shared, and sat next to her on the porch. She dangled her legs over the edge as she peered at her older sister, her head cocked just slightly to the left as she assessed her. "I thought you'd be on cie'th duty with Snow tonight."

"It's Hope's night," Lightning responded, still keeping her gaze locked on the pillar in the distance. Her tone was even, distracted. "The schedule is on the wall near the door."

"Right," Serah replied, shaking her head. "Guess I forgot." Silence followed that, and Serah scrunched up her brow as she tried to engage her sister in conversation. "When do you think you're going to take me out to fight? I mean, Hope's younger than I am—"

"Soon, I promise."

Serah released a sigh as she leaned back on her hands, having still been unable to hold her sister's full attention. "Light?" No response, Lightning having already immersed herself in her own thoughts once more. "…Claire?"

Lightning finally turned towards her, but before she had a chance to remind Serah that she hated being called the name of the person she no longer was, her sister asked again, "Is everything okay?"

No.

"Yes."

"If yes meant no, right?" Serah countered, and Lightning sighed heavily. Her sister had always known her better than anyone else, and the younger Farron wasn't exactly one to let Lightning just bottle everything up inside of her, despite countless efforts of trying.

"Something like that."

Serah pursed her lips in sympathy as Lightning's gaze flickered back towards Cocoon. "You miss her… don't you?" The question was unexpected, and it caused Lightning's attention to fall back towards her sister as she creased her brow. "Snow told me," Serah explained. "He said she kissed you before… everything happened."

Lightning hadn't expected her to know that, but that was probably stupid; of course Snow had told her. Everyone else knew, so why shouldn't her sister? Still, Lightning was a private person, and that made this an uncomfortable conversation. She didn't exactly like talking about her feelings.

"I miss them both," Lightning avoided instead. "They were both my friends."

"I know," Serah assured her, not wanting to come off as unsympathetic to Vanille's fate. "But still, I'm—for what it's worth anyway, I'm really sorry that you lost your friend… and your partner."

The word elicited a strange feeling in her gut, and Lightning shook her head. "It wasn't like that. We weren't—" Sighing heavily, the soldier finished regrettably, "It just wasn't like that."

"Then what was it like?" Serah asked innocently, her gaze curious as she peered at her. Lightning sighed heavily, not really wanting to get into it. She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. They're never coming back."

"You don't know that," Serah countered firmly, the conviction in her voice holding Lightning's undivided attention. "We all came back, didn't we? Why can't they?"

"Because they're holding up Cocoon, Serah. If they come back, it falls. People die."

Serah shook her head. "You don't know that. They could come back one day; you just gotta have faith." She smiled at her, trying to encourage her sister to think positively, but Lightning had always been a realist which, unfortunately, most of the time became synonymous with pessimist.

"Faith doesn't make things happen, people do," Lightning reminded her strongly. She almost sounded angry, but then again, she had never really liked the truth of it. "You can't just wish for something to happen, Serah; if you want something in life, you need to reach out and take it for yourself, because no one's ever gonna hand it to you."

"…Then why don't you take it?"

Lightning's gaze turned downcast as the reminder of her own inadequacies threatened to consume her. "Because I don't know how," she admitted in a whisper, hating that beyond anything else. They all should have come out of this together, and yet she couldn't find a way to change their fate. "How do I free them without sacrificing countless lives?"

"I don't know," Serah responded apologetically, her brow creasing as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "But if anyone can do it, you can. You saved me, didn't you? Dajh? Cocoon?"

"I had help."

"You still have help," Serah reminded her, locking eyes with her. "All of us… we'll all help you. You know we will."

Lightning gave her a faint smile, appreciative of her support. "I know," she said softly, because she did; she knew they would all back her up if she began a rescue mission. Problem was, there couldn't be one at all without first having a plan of action, and Lightning didn't know where to start.

Even if they could separate Fang and Vanille from the pillar, could they wake them up? Could they give them life again, just as they themselves had been blessed with?

There were too many questions and not enough answers. But as Lightning leaned back on her hands and looked back up at the pillar in the sky, she resolved to find them.

After all, a soldier's life was nothing without a mission.

[x]

"Knock, knock."

Lightning's entire body froze, her mind rapidly convincing her that somehow she must still be asleep. But Serah's loud gasp while Hope dropped the dinner plates reminded Lightning that even in her dreams the impossible never happened, and she nearly tripped over herself as she whipped around to face the two smiling people in her doorway.

Eight months, fourteen days, and a handful of hours. It seemed like forever; and yet at the same time, like it was only yesterday.

Etro, it wasn't possible.

And yet, it was. Everyone around her started moving at once; Snow, Sazh, Hope… even Serah. Everyone spoke at once while their returning friends were enveloped in hugs and bombarded with questions. Everyone was moving, everyone had something to say… except Lightning. She just stood there, still finding herself unable to move as she stared at Fang and Vanille, still half convinced that this was some kind of dream.

It would crush her, she realized, to move towards them and have it all come crumbling down around her. It would hurt worse than if she didn't move at all – didn't allow herself to believe – and so she didn't.

She stood completely still.

Fang's eyes were on her nearly the whole time. She greeted her other friends, returned hugs, and promised at least ten different times that they would explain everything in a minute before she finally broke away from the group, crossing the distance between them and Lightning. She stopped just a mere foot before her, and Lightning felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You promised me something, Soldier Girl… remember?" Fang said finally, jolting Lightning back to that kiss they shared in Orphan's Cradle despite the softness of the other woman's tone. The memory of it set the pit of her stomach ablaze, and Etro, Lightning wanted to believe.

"Hit me for that later, yeah?"

So Lightning moved. You couldn't touch something that wasn't real, right?

But it connected. She backhanded Fang so hard across the face that the vibrations reverberated down her arm, and the loud sound of it caused Serah to gasp and Vanille to squeak, "Oh!" But Fang… Fang just chuckled; she chuckled and smiled as she righted herself, her hand pressed to her jaw to try to soften the aftereffects of the blow. She could feel it, Lightning could feel it. This was real; she was… she was real.

Lightning didn't remember moving; she didn't even remember wanting to move, and yet suddenly her arms were thrown around Fang's neck and her lips were seared against hers in a kiss that was a greeting, an apology, a promise. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, nearly bringing Lightning to her tip toes as Fang guided her up to her height. Lightning allowed her eyes to fall closed as the huntress deepened the kiss, finally allowing herself to actually take a moment and feel it, revel in it, enjoy it. Enjoy her.

"…Well that's not something you see every day," Snow said as Vanille practically squealed and clapped her hands behind them. He chuckled as the two women parted, still looking at one another like they were the only two people in the room. "Hey Light, the next time you hit me, can you kiss me after too?"

Lightning flipped him off over Fang's shoulder without even sparing the man a glance, which was fine because Serah had it covered with a hard knock to the stomach. "Oof!" Snow groaned, clutching his abdomen as he grimaced. "Man, you Farron girls really don't know how to take a joke, do ya?"

As Serah told her husband off, Fang's tongue snaked out to wet her bottom lip, her eyes drinking up the woman in front of her. "Well," she drawled. "Gotta say, that's the best homecoming I've ever had; maybe I should turn to crystal more often."

"If you turn into crystal again I'm going to smash you into a thousand pieces," Lightning threatened, raising an eyebrow in her direction. She really shouldn't joke about that; it was a miracle that she had come back the first time, let alone a second. "So I wouldn't if I were you; not if you value that pretty face of yours."

"Oh, a kiss and a compliment," Fang responded, smirking in order to minimize the large smile that threatened to break out across her face. "I feel like it's my birthday."

"It is, kind of!" Vanille interjected with a wide grin. She then cocked her head to the side as she reassessed that. "Well, rebirth-day, anyway…"

Fang laughed; that one laugh she had reserved only for Vanille to let her know how adorable she thought she was. It was strange to hear it again; even with solid proof, even with them both right in front of her, Lightning couldn't believe this was all happening.

"How…?"

It was the only word she uttered, the only question she could think to ask. It was breathless, perplexed, as her brow creased and her eyes searched Fang's.

"Yeah, how'd you guys get out?" Sazh reiterated, looking towards Vanille. "Thought the whole of Cocoon would come crashing down without ya'll holdin' it up."

Hope suddenly paled. "Did it…?"

"Nah, trust me, kid; we would have noticed if it did. Would've been a helluva big bang," Sazh assured him, which at least allowed Hope to breathe a little easier. He still had friends up there, family; his father, who he had yet to be able to get in contact with. It had been hitting him pretty hard as he feared the worst.

Fang just shrugged in response. "Guess we weren't needed anymore."

"What do you mean, 'you weren't needed anymore?'" Lightning asked, finding that answer to be way too simplistic for her understanding. Weren't they the reason Cocoon was still in the sky?

"We fused with it to strengthen it!" Vanille told them excitedly, clearly proud of her whole part in it all. "Ragnarok created the pillar, but it wouldn't hold without help; that's why we became a part of it – we had to give it strength so it could stand on its own. It was kind of like building something from the outside in, if you think about it!"

"Took a damn lot of work," Fang told them, rubbing the back of her neck. "And it sure as hell wasn't anything like how it was the first time we slept in stasis; there was no peace, no dreams… just the two of us giving everything we had to keep that rock afloat. Felt like years of that thing syphoning all our energy; we could barely stand when we were finally able to wake up."

"But we did it!" Vanille announced with a wide grin. "And now Cocoon is safe, now we're all safe!" She hugged Hope then, who laughed happily and hugged her back. Lightning smiled at the scene, glad that they had all been reunited; glad that the fight was over once and for all.

It lifted a huge weight off her shoulders that she hadn't realized had burdened her that badly; for so long she had become accustomed to the feel of it that without it, she felt almost like a feather on the wind. It was such a strange feeling, but it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

"So," Fang began, nudging Lightning with her shoulder before shifting her gaze to the dinner table. "You got enough food for two more?"

Lightning couldn't help but laugh lightly at that. "You think I cooked?"

"Ah, true," Fang responded with a chuckle before turning towards the young boy. "Hope, you got enough grub for Vanille and I to join in?"

"Plenty!"

"Excellent," Fang responded, grinning. "Cause damn, after trekking halfway across Gran Pulse, I am starved." She shot Lightning a wink before moving past her to the dinner table, and was shortly followed by the rest of the motley crew as everyone bustled around to continue their weekly dinner.

And although it wasn't, although things had drastically changed in the span of just a few moments, it felt… normal; like Fang and Vanille had come to dinner every week since they settled in this village. The two women had always slipped into their group with an innate sense of casualty and easiness that the rest of them took ages to find though, so it wasn't as though Lightning was surprised.

If anything, the one word she would choose for this moment was… happy.

Lightning Farron was happy.

[x]

"You can have the house back," Lightning told Fang after dinner had ended and everyone except the two Pulsians had filed out of the house, back to their own across the square. "I know this was one was yours and Vanille's. I can… find somewhere else to live, if you need me to."

Fang's eyes searched the house that Lightning had made a home for the last eight months, her fingers trailing idly over their hunting schedule that hung on the wall. "You were here alone?" she asked instead of answering.

"Serah lived with me for a little while," Lightning answered, leaning against the wall as she looked over at the huntress. "But she's married now."

"A wedding, huh?" Fang idly responded before her eyes caught the other woman's. "Sad I missed that."

Lightning shrugged. "It was small. Snow was… well, being Snow." Which wasn't saying anything positive, but her sister had made her choice.

Fang chuckled. "You really don't like him, do you?"

"He's arrogant," Lightning responded, scowling. "Reckless, emotional; a complete jackass. But… he loves my sister, and she loves him. I guess in the end, that's all I can really ask for her." Her gaze met Fang's and she shrugged lightly. "She's happy."

Fang murmured a sound of acknowledgment in the back of her throat before she turned, nodding her head towards Lightning's room. "There's three bedrooms," she reminded her. "Think Vanille and I could do with a roommate, if you're willing. It's never been just us before – actually it's never even been only three people in this house before – so the more the merrier."

"How many people used to live here?"

Fang smirked. "Seven."

"…Seven?"

"We were a tight-knit bunch," Fang explained, laughing at the look on Lightning's face, but the soldier couldn't fathom living with that many people in such a small house. "Most people wandered from house to house, never staying in one spot, but Vanille and I settled into that room over there and decided to stay." She nodded her head towards the one next to Lightning's. "Used to share a bed for ages; be weird to actually have one to myself for once."

"I'm taking it that's how thing's 'happened' then," Lightning responded, an amused but knowing look on her face. Fang chuckled and shrugged.

"Hey, growin' up… we all get curious, right?" Lightning didn't say anything to that though, and Fang gestured at her with a slight nod. "Really, Light, there's nothing anymore… and she's okay. Happy for me even, despite the fact that whatever this," she waved her hand between them, "is, it's not anything really solid at the moment. It's just… ya know."

It was the perfect opening to talk about what it was that they wanted, what it was that they could have with each other, but Lightning had never been much of a talker, especially when it came to her emotions. So she ignored it and pushed herself off the wall, crossing the room to look out the far window at the pillar that used to be Fang and Vanille's prison. The huntress came up from behind her and stood to her left, her gaze following Lightning's.

"I tried to get you out," the soldier mentioned after a long moment's silence. "I returned to Cocoon for a short while and read… everything I could get my hands on about crystal stasis, but no one ever fathomed that l'Cie could come back from it, so there was nothing. Short of chiseling you guys out…"

"Glad you didn't," Fang told her, before a smirk crossed her face and she looked to her right. "Could you imagine if you missed and took a chunk out of my tit or something?"

Lightning rolled her eyes at that, but she was suppressing a chuckle. "I'd like to think I have better aim than that."

"Still," Fang said, suddenly getting serious. "It really is a good thing that you didn't. If we were separated from the pillar too soon, the whole thing would have come tumbling down."

Lightning nodded, understanding that now. Still, a part of her felt inadequate for being unable to save them; even if in the end it wasn't needed.

Fingertips brushed the palm of her hand then, and Lightning looked down to see Fang weave their fingers together. As she looked up to meet her gaze, Fang hesitated for a moment as she searched her eyes. Finding no resistance, she slowly moved until she coaxed Lightning to turn around and place her back against the wall. Their linked hands met the surface next to her head as Fang eradicated the last of the space between them, and Lightning felt her breathing shallow at the close proximity.

"This okay?" Fang asked her softly, double checking.

Lightning put most of her weight on her back as she pressed her hips outwards to meet Fang's. "If it wasn't, I would have thrown you across the room by now." Fang chuckled.

"Fair point."

But Fang didn't close the distance between them, instead taking a moment to rake her eyes down the soldier's form. "What do you want from me, Lightning Farron?" she asked softly, needing to know what exactly this was becoming. But Lightning didn't know; relationships of any sort were so far out of her realm of comfort, because she never really felt like she had anything of value to offer anyone. She was a soldier; a fighter… not a lover.

"I don't know," she admitted, her tone matching the woman's in front of her. "It's been a long time since I've been able to do anything for myself, that sometimes I'm afraid I've forgotten how. All I'm built for is fighting; protecting people. Without that…"

I feel lost.

But the words stopped there, as Lightning already felt she had revealed too much about herself. She averted her gaze as she began to feel uncomfortable, but it wasn't for the reasons she expected. Usually, Lightning didn't offer up much information about herself because she didn't trust people; most everyone was a threat in one way or another in her eyes, but Fang… Fang wasn't. On some level, she found she really trusted her, which in a way made her more uncomfortable than if she had just offered information up to someone she couldn't trust it with.

"Well," Fang began, moving a little closer until she forced Lightning's hips back against the wall, pressing the length of her body against hers. Lightning could see how dark her eyes had become, and it made her heart thump louder in her chest. And yet still, Fang didn't just take her. Instead she continued, "Your sister's safe, your friends are safe, and hell… you even saved Cocoon while you were at it. There's nothing else to fight for anymore, Soldier Girl, so what's your next move?"

"…I don't know," Lightning breathed again, because Etro, that seemed to be the theme of her life now, didn't it?

Fang's gaze flickered across her face, landing on her lips momentarily before once again finding the other woman's eyes. Lightning's grip tightened on her hand. "Well whadaya want…?"

Right then Lightning couldn't bring herself to think of the future, or what it could hold for her. Instead, she found herself living in the moment as her gaze snapped up to meet Fang's, and she told her with purpose, "You."

It was Lightning who moved first, and their lips collided in a wave of passion that caused Fang to groan low in her throat. The sensation sent vibrations across Lightning's bottom lip, and the shorter woman grasped the bottom of Fang's sari as she pressed her breasts against hers. This… this was what she could do; act, not talk. In the end, didn't it say more than words ever could anyway? Lightning might not know what she wanted from Fang in the long run, but she certainly knew what she wanted now.

It had always been hard for her, at least since her parent's had died, to want selfishly. Yet now, with everyone and everything she had ever cared for safe, Lightning was finally able to indulge in her own desires. But even still, despite the freedom, Lightning felt the tiniest bit of uncertainty still holding her back, because she wasn't exactly well versed in this area.

She tried to push past it however, resigned to not show any kind of weakness when it was she herself who started this. Dragging her lips over the surface of Fang's jawline, Lightning dipped lower to kiss and suck and the woman's neck, her hand that was previously on Fang's hip raising upwards to tangle in a mess of chestnut locks. The huntress let out a breathy moan that sent a shiver down her spine, before Lightning bit down on the junction between Fang's neck and her shoulder.

If Fang was controlling herself before, it seemed she had lost all sense of it after that, as suddenly she turned her face to capture Lightning's lip in a rough kiss that left her breathless. Their teeth clashed together as they struggled to find a good angle amidst their passion, but within moments they had found their niche and Fang's tongue suddenly invaded Lightning's mouth while her hands found her neck, her hips, her breasts.

A firm squeeze made Lightning's breath hitch in her throat as her nipples began to strain against the fabric of her vest, and her own hand fell from Fang's hair to slide down the woman's shoulder, taking the sari with her.

…And then suddenly a door opened across the room.

"Oh!"

Fang practically catapulted herself off of Lightning, nearly tripping over herself in the process as the two women stared at Vanille, who had come out of her bedroom. She had a hand covering her lips, but it looked more like she was suppressing a giggle rather than her shock.

"Sorry, I was looking for a blanket," the girl said as she rolled her ankle and tilted her head, this little smirk crossing her face before she turned fully towards Lightning and asked innocently, "Light, do you have any extras?"

"I…" Lightning struggled to reply through her labored breathing. Her hand went to her mussed hair in a vain attempt to fix it as she finished, "Yeah, they're… in my room; top of the closet."

Vanille bobbed her head in acknowledgement before disappearing into the designated area. As Fang readjusted her sari the girl returned, however she didn't go back into her bedroom right away. "So Fang," she asked conversationally, although she had this playful glint in her eye as she asked, "Where are you sleeping tonight?"

"I don't know, Vanille," Fang responded pointedly, her eyes narrowing at her friend for teasing her. Vanille just looked amused, however. "But thanks for making it awkward, yeah?"

Vanille giggled as the tips of Lightning's ears turned pink. "Well it's cold tonight," the girl answered, much too innocently for her to not have an ulterior motive. "And before we came here, my clan was from the southern part of Gran Pulse, so I'm used to it. Fang, on the other hand…" Fang outwardly groaned at her friend 'helping her out', but Vanille just giggled and continued anyway, "Well, she does better when someone shares their body heat with her."

Lightning blinked, feeling a little awkward and put on the spot. "I'll… uh, keep that in mind."

"You should," Vanille said with a grin before waving to them and turning back into her room. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Vanille," Fang shot back with an exasperated tone, but her friend just laughed before closing the door behind them and leaving the two women alone. A disgruntled look flashed across Fang's face before she told her, "You know it's been awhile when your friend is actually making up crap just so you can get laid."

Lightning still felt a little embarrassed from the interruption and subsequent conversation, but she still chuckled at that. "So her clan isn't from the south, I take it?"

"Try the west, and at least four generations before her. Vanille was born in Oerba, like me; I don't think she's seen what the south of Pulse even looks like."

Lightning smirked, amused. In a way though, it was nice; that Vanille was pushing so hard for the two of them to get together. It at least eradicated the last remaining worry that Lightning had in regards to her and what drama their relationship might cause should they pursue it.

"So," Fang began, although she looked a little unsure of herself as she tugged on the back of her neck with her hand. "Do you… want to continue this in the bedroom?"

Lightning felt a fierce heat rise in her abdomen over the prospect, but her throat went dry and she was unable to answer. In all honesty, she did want that; she had thought about touching Fang for so long, despite knowing for most of that time that she would never actually allow herself to do so. So to finally have the freedom to take what she wanted felt so dangerously appealing, and a part of Lightning ached for the chance. But at the same time, she also still held a fair amount of insecurity when it came to sex, and although it was probably foolish, another part of Lightning was afraid that she'd end up disappointing her.

"We don't have to," Fang backtracked after not having gotten an answer. "It was just—ah, look… I'll just take the other bedroom, okay? Doesn't really matter—"

"…Come to bed with me."

Fang, who had averted her gaze once she thought things were starting to go in the direction she wasn't aiming for, suddenly looked back and caught Lightning's eyes. She looked surprised, and if she was being honest, Lightning was too; she hadn't really expected to say that so suddenly, or even out loud before she had had a chance to process it. But maybe that was good; maybe that was the point. It was what she felt, not what she thought.

"Yeah?" Fang asked, a small smile tugging at the edges of her lips.

Anxiety and excitement seemed to swirl simultaneously in the pit of Lightning's abdomen, making it hot and tight as she struggled to keep her breathing normal, so as not to alert Fang to how nervous this made her. "Don't make me invite you twice," Lightning told her, forcing a self-confident smirk before sauntering past the other woman and into her bedroom.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Fang responded with a grin as she followed suit, not hesitating for a second.

As the door clicked into place, Lightning tried to ignore the pounding in her chest as she looked out the window near her bed. The floorboards creaked as Fang approached her from behind. "Not much of a decorator, huh?" she mentioned, noting the bareness of the room despite Lightning having resided there for nearly a year now.

"I like to keep things simple."

"Yeah, well, that'll probably change," Fang noted with a chuckle. "Vanille… she likes color. Give it a month and this entire house will explode with it, so I wouldn't get too attached to the bareness of your walls if I were you."

Lightning shrugged lightly as she turned around, not really minding that. If Vanille wanted to make their house a home, who was she to argue? Things were different now, and Lightning figured that maybe she could do with a little more color in her life. At the very least, it couldn't hurt.

Fang approached her then, and the moonlight from the window outlined her face in a light blue hue that cast shadows on her cheekbones. Lightning sucked in a breath as the woman's eyes searched hers, just before Fang's brow creased as she asked softly, "You alright?"

"If I wasn't, I would tell you."

"No, you wouldn't," Fang countered as she delicately ran her fingertips down the expanse of her arm. "You'd show me, wouldn't you?" Lightning's eyebrows rose at that, and Fang chuckled softly. "Don't look so surprised; you're not that hard to figure out. You speak more with your body, not your mouth; although I'll admit I've often wondered why that is."

"Words are… meaningless," Lightning breathed, her voice catching in her throat as Fang used her nails to run gently back up her arm, before finally getting lost over her neck and into her rose colored hair. "The only thing that ever bares importance in this world is our actions."

Fang tilted her head to side and smirked at her, although her voice was far more gentle than cocky as she requested, "So show me some action then, will ya…?"

Lightning's lips parted just slightly, her tongue running along her back teeth as she brought her hand to the front of her vest. Keeping her eyes locked on Fang's, she slowly unclasped each binding that held the fabric together, her breasts rising and falling a little more rapidly as her breathing increased. Fang watched her intently as she slid the fabric off of her, shrugging it from her shoulders until it pooled at her feet. As Lightning grabbed the hem of her turtle neck, the huntress's eyes began to grow black with need. It was pulled up and over her head then, the piece of clothing being discarded in a heap and leaving her cheat bare to Fang's hungry gaze.

The woman began to advance on her, encouraging Lightning towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the mattress and she ended up sprawled across its sheets. "Has anyone ever told you you were beautiful?" Fang asked her as she began to pull the sari down off of her shoulder.

"Not often," Lightning admitted breathlessly as she watched Fang pull the piece of black fabric that covered her breasts up and over her head, not breaking eye contact before she tossed it clear across the room.

"Mmm," she murmured as she knelt on the edge of the bed, beginning to crawl over Lightning's form. Once again, the soldier suddenly felt akin to prey as Fang eyed her like a hearty meal. "That's a damn shame…"

Lightning would have responded to that, really she would have, but at the moment the only thing that held her attention was Fang's breasts. She allowed the woman to crawl completely over her, forcing Lightning to lie completely back against the sheets as the huntress hovered just inches away from her form. Taking a shuddered inhale of breath, Lightning's eyes flickered upwards to meet Fang's gaze before quickly falling back to the woman's chest. She reached out to touch her then, just a light brush of her fingertips against soft skin, slowly beginning to trace the curvature of each of Fang's breasts. The woman above her shivered at the sensation and closed her eyes.

Feeling bolder, Lightning propped herself up just enough to rest her lips on Fang's skin, just below the woman's collarbone. She allowed her tongue to trace its shape, eliciting a soft moan of contentment before dipping lower, placing a hot, open mouthed kiss against the swell of Fang's right breast. "Light…" she breathed as Lightning's next destination was the woman's nipple, completely enveloping it in her mouth and making Fang shudder in appreciation.

Gentle quickly dissipated in light of Fang's responses however, each of them encouraging more and more until suddenly Lightning was putting a little more bite into her kisses and palming the woman's other breast with a newfound fervor. As Fang's hand fisted in the sheets below, she emitted a sharp gasp and moved her thigh in between Lightning's legs, pressing hard against her center. The soldier's breath hitched in her throat before she exhaled a hard breath against Fang's skin, her eyes falling closed as the huntress made careful effort to put just a bit more pressure where it counted. It made Lightning's head spin.

Fang's hands clasped around her wrists then, once again pushing Lightning fully onto her back before finally allowing her lips to meet hers. A small sound got trapped in the back of the soldier's throat as she threaded her fingers through Fang's hair, her back arching into the figure above her as the woman violently tugged on her belt to unclasp it.

As they continued to kiss, Lightning mirrored Fang's actions as she pulled on the huntress's belt, allowing it to come free and for the woman's sari to fall completely from her. Eager fingers then pulled her skirt and undergarments down over her hips, and Lightning practically kicked them across the room before spreading her legs on either side of Fang's body, encouraging the woman to come fully between them.

She hadn't expected Fang to touch her so quickly, so when a hand cupped her sex, Lightning pursed her lips to muffle her sound of pleasure as her fingernails dug into the skin of Fang's back and her head dipped forward to rest on the woman's shoulder. "You don't have to contain it, you know," Fang breathed in her ear, her fingers sliding through Lightning's dampened folds, just lightly teasing her.

"Yes, I do," Lightning countered, her soft words tickling the other woman's skin. "Vanille's in the other room."

"And if she wasn't, would you allow yourself to let go?" Fang asked her as her lips dragged across Lightning's neck, her tone indicating that she knew better.

"Yes."

No.

Fang nipped at her shoulder. "You're lying."

Obviously.

Lightning's eyelashes fluttered to meet her cheeks as Fang continued to gently tease her between her legs, fingertips seemingly everywhere but where she really needed to go. She strained her hips for more contact, but Fang used her other hand to pin her back down to the bed. Lightning released a breath of frustration and looked up at her, her eyes narrowing at the woman's raised eyebrow. "I'm allowed to fear it, you know," she told her indignantly as Fang's hand stilled between her thighs.

"Fear what, exactly?"

Lightning took a hesitant breath, yet still found herself quietly revealing her secrets to the woman who shared her bed. "…Letting myself go."

Fang's brow furrowed as she looked down at her. "What do you think's going to happen?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Lightning released a long puff of air that blew her bangs back from her forehead. "I don't know; that I'll lose all control?"

"What's so bad about that?" Fang queried, her fingertips now gently grazing the inside of the soldier's thighs. "It's one night, in a room you're completely safe in; the world won't crumble if you enjoy yourself, Light, no matter how important you think you are."

"I don't think I'm—!" Lightning began in a huff, but stopped her sentence short and rolled her eyes instead. She took a deep breath then, averting her gaze momentarily as her shoulders sagged in defeat. What was the point of denying it? Fang probably already knew how she felt anyway; she'd been rather intuitive as of late. "I'm just… not very good at it," she finally admitted in a whisper before allowing her eyes to find Fang's once more.

The woman smiled gently at her. "Well," she drawled, her fingertips sliding up her thigh to meet her center once more. "I suppose we'll just have to practice then, won't we?"

Lightning went to answer, but the words caught in her throat as Fang slipped her fingers over her clit, apparently through with teasing. Because she was about to speak however, the sound she ended up making in response sounded almost strangled as Lightning's fingers wrapped around the woman's bicep, fingernails digging into the tattoo that resided there. Fang grinned at the response she was given before nudging the woman's chin gently with her nose, encouraging Lightning to move her head back from her shoulder slightly so that she could get at her neck.

Lightning inhaled a sharp breath as Fang's mouth covered the skin beneath her ear, sucking hard enough to leave a mark while her fingers traced a firm, circular pattern against the most sensitive part of her. The soldier's breathing began to labor as she buried her face in Fang's neck, her eyes shut tightly as the feeling raced through every nerve ending in her body like a raging and unforgiving fire. She tried to reach for her, to show Fang the same treatment that she was receiving, yet the angle wouldn't allow it and the closest she could come to was grasping at the other woman's ass in desperation.

Suddenly, two fingers slid deep within her.

The feeling of it caused a very verbal, "Oh…!" as Lightning grasped for her tighter, feeling her inner walls squeeze around Fang's fingers, inviting the other woman in deeper. The huntress chuckled low in her throat as she flattened Lightning against the sheets once again, making the woman unable to hide in her shoulder as she brushed her lips over the swell of the soldier's breasts.

"Well look at that; she made a sound," Fang gently teased before nipping at Lightning's nipple, causing the other woman to writhe and pant beneath her. Bringing her knee up to meet the back of her hand, Fang pushed into her firmly and smirked at the tiny whimper it elicited, despite most of it being held back by a firm bite to her bottom lip. "Let's see if we can make more, shall we?"

"…Asshole," Lightning panted, barely serious and extremely distracted as Fang braced herself against the bed, placed her hips against the back of her hand, and began to move firmly against her. Lightning's lips parted and her face etched in pleasure as Fang rested her forehead against hers, her uneven breathing tingling her skin before she closed the distance and kissed her.

The sound Lightning made was muffed against her lips as she attacked Fang's mouth with fervor, sucking on her tongue and biting on her bottom lips. Fang moaned in approval, not at all afraid to voice what it was that she felt, and as she corkscrewed her fingers inside of her, her knuckles pressed up against the sensitive spot inside of Lightning, causing the woman to rip her mouth from hers as she involuntarily gasped out, "Fang…!"

Fang grinned wide, finding that she was winning this little game that she started, and she growled in approval as she began assaulting Lightning's neck, leaving marks up and down her pale skin. The woman beneath her was panting heavily, the sound filling the otherwise silent room as she wrapped one of her legs around Fang's waist, her hips meeting the woman's hand thrust for thrust.

Fingernails tore into flesh the second Fang slipped her thumb over her clit again, and Lightning felt like she was spinning as the mounting heat in her abdomen threatened to consume her whole. She moaned, the sound much louder than she would have usually allowed, but Lightning could barely hear herself as her muscles began to tighten and her toes began to curl.

Breasts heaving, Lightning repeatedly slammed the heel of her palm against the huntress's back as she realized that Fang was purposely hovering her between the agony of intense pleasure and the peace of absolute bliss. "Tell me," Fang encouraged, the words breathy and labored against her ear, sending a shiver down Lightning's spine and making her hairs stand on end. "Tell me, Light… tell me…"

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle at this point, Lightning bit Fang's shoulder in retaliation, making the brunette cry out before Lightning gave in and begged, "Please… please!" She sounded half mad with desperation, but Etro, she was so very close and the feeling was beginning to overwhelm her senses and cloud her mind. Raking her nails down Fang's shoulder, Lightning pleaded with a final, desperate sounding, "Fang…!" before the woman finally allowed her to be brought over the edge, causing Lightning to fall with a muffled cry against her skin.

Eventually, the storm inside of her began to calm.

Lightning's skin glistened with sweat, her breasts heaved and her entire body tingled with the aftermath of pleasure as she waited for the world to stop spinning from beneath her. Fang slipped her fingers from her and fell to her right, resting her body next to the other woman's as she tangled their legs together. When Lightning could finally open her eyes, she saw Fang propped up on her elbow with a satisfied grin on her face.

"How do you feel?"

Lightning tried to steady her breathing, but everything still seemed hazy and disorienting. "Weightless," she breathed honestly, making Fang's grin grow wider.

"Yeah?" Her fingers brushed against Lightning's abdomen as she questioned. "That a good thing… or does it scare you?" But Lightning said nothing to that, not really sure how to answer, and Fang peered down as she assessed her expression. "…Both?" she asked, reading her correctly.

Lightning exhaled a long breath, closing her eyes momentarily as she allowed herself to feel the last tremors of her orgasm. "Assume from now on that everything about you fills me with contradiction," she answered finally, before opening her eyes once more and looking upon Fang's face in the dimly lighted room.

"And yet you sought me out anyway," Fang noted, curiosity in her tone as her fingers idly played with the soft patch of hair between Lightning's thighs. "Why? You must've known what I'd to do you; we're not exactly alike."

She had known, but that was the point; that was what drew Lightning to her in the first place.

"You… encompassed something I lost a long time ago," Lightning told her honestly, although whether it was due to her hazy state or the fact that she trusted Fang with the truth, she was unsure. In the end though, it hardly mattered, as once she put herself out there, it would be hard to take it back. "I wanted it back; I wanted… a balance."

Gentle fingers were placed beneath her chin then, guiding Lightning to look her in the eyes. "And did you find it?" Fang asked her softly, sounding a little worried about the prospect. Lightning raised her eyebrows.

"Are you asking me if I'm through with you?"

Fang bit the inside of her cheek before shrugging, always trying to downplay anything that made her feel uncomfortable. They were almost alike in that way at least, although Lightning usually ran from it instead of making light of it. "If you've gotten what you've needed, I'd say it's a valid concern."

But Lightning, never having been able to put herself first for very long, didn't accept something like that as an option. Shifting her position, Lightning placed her palm against Fang's chest and encouraged her to lie back on the bed as she swung her leg over the huntress' hips and sat back against her skin. "And what of your needs?" she asked pointedly, her eyes roaming the expanse of the other woman's body, taking her all in. "There are two of us in this bed."

"Yeah," Fang agreed, allowing her hand to trace down Lightning's arm before tangling their fingers together and bringing their clasped hands above her head. "But my question is, for how long?"

Lightning chewed on her bottom lip, not wanting to promise anything she couldn't guarantee her. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "But to maintain a balance, one has to… maintain it," Lightning told her pointedly, leaning down just far enough so that the brunette would be able to feel her words tickle her skin. "On a regular basis, I'm assuming."

"Mmm," Fang purred, clearly happy with that answer as she nipped gently at Lightning's bottom lip. "Well I would hate for all my hard work to go to waste…"

"Then don't let it," Lightning breathed against her lips, fingertips tracing the curvature of Fang's hips while the other squeezed the woman's hand tightly in hers. She searched her eyes, and Fang smiled in promise.

"I won't."

And, true to her word, she didn't.

THE END