A/N: So people have requested a follow-up, and this I what I came up with 10 minutes into a lecture.

This project will be separated into 2 one-shots titled "Heaven," and "Las Vegas," respectively, referencing that no path taken can leave anyone happy in the end. Honestly, I didn't mean for this chapter to be that angsty, but it was the only way I could introduce finality into this specific reality.

Think about it as flipping a coin as you move between chapters.

There's one good, and one bad.

One happy, and one sad.

One for those chained with stone.

One for the liars who've forgotten their home.

I just made that up on the spot. Someone make a screenplay out of it.

Heaven

Lightning looked down at her watch. 2:54pm. She slowly parked her car in one of the many empty spaces available. Unlike the person she was visiting, she always made sure to be on time.

The problem is… she wasn't sure said person would take the news. She rehearsed the line repeatedly in her head as she drove down the freeway on her way here. It was a nice distraction from the stressful sessions at her therapeutic clinic, where one patient didn't react well to his medication and threatened her with a fork.

The hundreds of unmoving cars in front of her made time pass slowly as her thoughts ran idly, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she couldn't tell.

She took a breath as she looked up at the ornate, government building in front of her. The Parliament. She whispered the practiced line one last time as she walked up the steps.

"I'm engaged, Fang. Hope is my fiancé."

On her way home, Lightning had a fresh set of words run through her mind.

"I'm happy for you, Sunshine! You'll save me a front row seat at the wedding, yeah?"

"I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, Fang..."

"Nonsense! I wasn't expecting anything from you, love," the tanned woman said as she spun her chair in a complete circle childishly. "Come back at the end of the week, you hear? We'll get your bachelorette party sorted out!"

Lightning couldn't help but to laugh with her. She finally felt the tension fall off of her shoulders.

Truth was, the tension wasn't completely gone. It was only relocated.

"I'm happy for you!..."

Lightning was a militarized woman, even if that was a lifetime ago. Small things like the barely noticeable drop of her eyes. The way her smile dropped ever so slightly. The invisible sigh she gave afterwards.

Fang wasn't fine.

Fang really thought they could repair their relationship after 2 long years, especially given the events of the previous night where they shared an intimate moment.

But Lightning was engaged. What else could she do?

Fang had to take a phone call afterwards, so they exchanged their farewells soon after.

"I'll see you soon, Fang,"

"Be seein' ya, Light."

And those were the last words said before Fang left and Lightning had a fresh conversation to mull over as she drove home.

She forced a small smile onto her face as she parked in her driveway. Hope was probably inside already, waiting for her to tell him about her day.

But whatever happened in the past few hours, he didn't need to know anything about.

"Claire! Quick! Come down here!"

Lightning groaned as she left Hope's embrace. Her fiancé began stirring as well, only for the voice to shout again.

"Come on! It's an emergency! Please!"

"I'll come with you, Light," Hope said as he began getting dressed. Lightning gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, dear. I've got it."

Lightning glanced at her clock as she walked down her steps. 12:58am.

With a heavy sigh of annoyance, she opened her door groggily. "What is it, Serah? It's past midnight," she said sleepily. It was only then that she noticed sniffling.

Serah was cradling a crying Vanille on her shoulder. "There was an attack just an hour ago. Fang was shot and killed."

"She was a tough bastard alright," an officer said as she walked in line behind Police Chief Snow Farron-Villiers. "Took out the entire cell before she went down."

"Not the time, Jhil..." Snow said heavily as he knelt down beside the lifeless body.

"Just saying, Chief. I always knew she was good, but not THAT good."

"That was a long time ago. In this universe, she was just a civilian. And we let her die," Snow said with a bite as he flipped the body over to reveal the crying boy that it was shielding.

"Hey buddy," Jhil said as she took the boy's hand. "Let's get you someplace safe, okay?" she said gently as she lead him to a nearby ambulance.

Snow didn't flinch at the sound of screeching tires, which signaled their arrival. He his eyes didn't move from the lifeless body of his friend.

"FANG!" Vanille shouted as ran to her sister's side, where she could only drop to her knees and cry.

"Serah, please," Snow said, without turning. Serah instantly understood. "Yes, dear."

Serah took Vanille's hand and lead her away as Snow's officers began taping off the area.

"At around 23:30, a group of 24 men launched a siege on the building. Fang was still in her office at that time, but she wasn't having any of it," Snow said with downcast eyes as Lightning stood beside him. "She neutralized all targets single handedly with a kitchen knife, but she wasn't invincible."

Around them, politicians, bureaucrats, and other government officials were all being helped out of the building by police officers and firemen. Military men stood by, watching for further threats. "Fang took 86 bullets, 15 puncture wounds, and severe chemical burns before going down. She died comforting a boy who just lost his mother." Snow roughly sat on the ground. "We came too late..."

Hope walked up, placing his hand on Snow's shoulder while Lightning could only stare at the body that lay in front of her.

Despite the bullet wounds on her body; despite the numerous scratches, nicks, and burns that marred her tanned skin; her hair was a mess, dirt smeared on her face and body, her dress was tattered; despite the dullness that was now held in her lifeless, green eyes,

Fang died with the largest, brightest smile on her face.

"Thank you all for coming. Oerba Yun Fang was a special individual as we all know," the priest said into his microphone. "She was in every sense and definition, a hero. Fang and her sister, Vanille saved Cocoon from collapsing, together with her friends, they saved our souls from oblivion, and only last week, she, herself, saved the lives of her fellow citizens, giving up her own in exchange. It seems like, even at the end, "giving" was all she ever thought of."

As the priest continued with his sermon, Lightning took note of the millions that had gathered. People had come from all parts of the globe to witness the event, with every foreign dignitary and leader she could think of. Beside her, at the front row of the enormous stage sat the rest of her friends, Sazh and Dajh even making special appearances.

The entire ceremony was held at the lake, where Fang's coffin rested on a funeral pyre. With cameras broadcasting everything on stage, no one could miss the still, peaceful smile that rested on her face.

"Oerban traditions state that only heroes shall have their bodies cremated, so that they are no longer shackled to this mortal realm and are free to dance among the gods. We will honour their traditions. Her only survivor and next-of-kin, Oerba Dia Vanille will send her off. You may all proceed to take one last look."

The crowd slowly made its way on stage, all with various gifts and flowers in their hands. Some offered their condolences to the party, with Vanille receiving the most. Some of them even approached Lightning, offering their condolences to the deceased's former spouse.

It took several hours for everyone say their farewells given the attendance. When sundown finally approached, Vanille stepped forward with a torch.

As her sister's raft was lit, she gave it a gentle push into the horizon.

"I love you, Fang," were the last words shared between the two Oerbans.

"Fang always loudly proclaimed that "she cannot die," so forgive me if this will seems a little outdated," General Amodar said as he read the document to the others. "This paper was dated 2 years ago and is the only one she ever wrote." They were currently seated in Fang's "government" estate.

Fang and Amador always shared a good relationship with one another ever since Lightning introduced the two, which both became fast friends. Their friendship only grew when Fang took her post at the Ministry of Defence, effectively making her Amador's superior.

"So first things first, to Serah and Snow Farron-Villiers, I'm leaving my entire estate to you both. The Feds keep pestering me to keep it, but I've never had much use for it anyways," Amador dictated from the document.

"Are you serious?" Snow asked in shock. "This thing's worth at least $23 million!"

"It says here that both of you never found a home big enough for your family. She says 10 hectares should be plenty!"

"That issue's been taken care of, Fang!" Snow said to the sky. "But man, it'll feel so much better crashing in a mansion!"

"To my beloved sister Oerba Dia Vanille, I'm leaving every cent I have in my possession. Maybe I'll finally buy you that duck plushie that looks like a chocobo, yeah?" Amador continued, before looking up at Vanille. "Currently, she has $30 million in uncollected checks and bonuses to give."

"I much rather have the person…" Vanille said as she hung her head low, causing Sazh to pull her into a deep hug. Amador rested a hand on her shoulder before continuing.

"To the king of the pilots, my man Sazh Katzroy!" Amador dictated weirdly. "I'm leaving the car collection my good friend Carlos gave me when he died. All I ask for is that you watch over Vanille and water my grave each year. Can you handle that, old man?"

"You got it, Fang!" Sazh said proudly. "You've always wanted a cactus planted by your tombstone, didn't you?"

"To Hope, you never wanted any material possessions from me, and that's fine. Instead, you always wanted me to acknowledge you as a man. Well, here I go. You're a man now Hope, not a kid, and I'm proud of what you've become. All the decisions that you will ever make and its outcomes, it's all on you now. Every once in a while, you'll have to take the good with the bad, and the bad with the good, but that's what being an adult is all about. Just don't let that go to your head, yeah?"

"Damn, right. I'll make you proud, Fang," Hope laughed genuinely. Lightning may have been his mentor, but Fang had his back every inch of their journey. To have both finally acknowledge him, it made him feel complete.

"And finally, to Claire Farron," Amador spoke. This drew everyone's attention. A few seconds of silence passed by. Amador held clear discomfort on his face.

"What does it say?" Serah asked.

"I loved you."

A tear fell as Amador finished reading. All eyes fell on her now, even Vanille's.

"Damn," was all Snow could say.

Like Lightning had told Fang, she and Hope married later in the year, during the autumn season. She couldn't be angry at Fang, the will was written 2 years ago after all, right after their divorce. It didn't account for their meeting earlier in the year. The one thing that Fang did leave her was her wedding ring, given back to Lightning by the young boy Fang saved several weeks later. When asked if Fang said anything during her final moments, the boy said yes.

"Haha, Sunshine... You got me good..."

Lightning didn't regret anything though. She was happily married to Hope, surrounded by friends and family.

But every once in a while, during those sleepless nights, her mind would wander back to Fang. The last words she ever wrote to her were "I loved you," and the last words they ever exchanged were "Be seein' ya."

A/N: Mha Haert, mah soule.