A/N: This Sebusai tale has the pairing of Seven and Sice, going from Pre-Sebusai to Sebusai. Plot here is that they meet for the first time through mutual friends at an event (Sice is one of the performers at said event, Seven was invited to it by Ace, who makes an appearance). Has a mentioned but past Seven/King and Sice/OC, plus established but mentioned Ace/Kurasame. There is a brief appearance in this tale by Mog (FF VI). Not too long but a bit darker than usual. I will add that I am on Twitter, and I have Ko-fi (I am accepting commissions), which I will allow the reader to set the price. Both accounts have the same username (LadyWolvie82). Enjoy!

Better Late than Never

Seven looks at her girlfriend who shares her bed, Sice, who is sleeping peacefully and with a smile on her face, the white haired woman's face on Seven's chest, more specifically where the silver haired woman's heart was. Spirit the cat sleeps in her cat bed close to the couple, her cat snores soothing them. It is late at night, which Sice had to be up the next morning for her day job as a noted chef, although Seven is off for a the next four days from her job as head of a well known orphanage in Rubrum. The couple, who recently moved in together after six months of dating, went through a LOT just to be together. Sice went through a nasty break up with her ex four years ago and has had issues since, something that Seven experienced via Sice's angry outbursts. Seven, oddly enough, was previously engaged to King, which she broke it off as King had to be with Queen after he got her pregnant five years ago, four years before Sice and Seven were even friends. With a smile on her face, the silver haired woman finally falls asleep, protectively holding Sice close and petting the white haired woman's hair the way Sice likes, her dreams taking them back to how they became a couple...

Flashback - One Year Ago

"Ace, be prepared to get your arse handed to you at the end of the show..." Seven angrily warns her close mate Ace as he "drags" the silver haired woman to a type of show Seven's never heard of before: a show with people who dance with fire, or fire dancers as it's known to some on Orience. Ace was immediately hooked on when he first saw it six years ago, and had been begging Seven to see it with him. At first, Seven couldn't go because her now ex-fiancé King wouldn't let her hang out with Ace without him being present, even though the shorter blond is happily married to Kurasame, giving King ZERO reasons to be worried. Years later, and up to this point, Seven broke off the engagement with King and returned the ring upon finding out that King had gotten Queen pregnant while Seven was on a business trip to Vale in the island country of Remnant. Heartbroken, the silver haired woman went through a short series of difficult times in most aspects, the hardest one being finding a small apartment for herself and finding the desire to eat after the break up.

Ace, being the good and loyal mate to Seven, helped her get back on her feet and made sure that she actually ate - after all, she was not only the one who set him up with Kurasame, but Seven was also his Matron of Honour when Ace and Kurasame wed. This was the least he can do for the silver haired woman. It was the blond who knew someone at the performance who can be a mate for Seven that can relate to the silver haired woman's situation: Sice, a woman with white hair but a nasty temper who's been single for three years (to Seven's four) as Sice had gone through a nasty breakup with her violent ex-girlfriend Melanie but has issues with romance since, keeping everyone at arms' length.

Upon arrival to the venue Sice is due to perform at, Seven, by a miracle, went from wanting to hand Ace his arse to wanting to spoil him and Kurasame with a nice baby shower gift as they're about to welcome their daughter via a surrogate in a few months. There was something about the venue that made the silver haired woman feel at peace with herself, something King had prevented all those years ago due to his jealousy and then his infidelity. Seeing the look of content and peace on Seven's face, Ace smiled his best since the day the silver haired woman was his Matron of Honour, for he knew that he made the right decision by taking Seven with him.

Ace would be the bridge that healed their wounds.

XXX

Like Seven, Sice is good mates with Ace, but not as long as Ace's friendship with Seven. Ace and Seven have been mates since they were kids. To Ace, Seven is his Big Sis. While at university some time ago, Ace befriended Sice, knowing that Seven would drill him with 21 questions the instant she found out about this unexpected friendship he has with one like her. Sice has since been grateful for Ace's friendship, as not many people are willing to just hang out with her for the sake of being her friend, which is hard for Sice to have friends, especially one like Ace. The white haired woman couldn't help but wonder what kind of mates Ace has, secretly wondering if anyone he knows would heal her from the nightmares that was her ex-girlfriend Melanie. While getting ready for her show, something inside Sice's heart said that there will be the one person who will heal her soul, and that person will accompany Ace to this event.

"The show goes on..." Sice quietly mumbles to herself, having to focus on her performance despite what her heart is telling her, knowing that a major distraction would likely result in her getting fewer gigs in the future. With a look of confidence, which was a first in the past few years, the white haired woman finishes her preparations for the gig and exits her dressing room to meet her fellow performers.

Sice would be floored by the person who is with Ace upon greeting her fans and friends.

Sice's heart, so far, was right, but only time would tell just to be sure.

XXX

Seven and Ace take their seats at the venue, patiently waiting for the show to start, enjoying the snacks Ace purchased for them as thanks to Seven for FINALLY accompanying him to this event. With the two close mates jokingly trash talking about varying things to each other to kill time before the show starts, Sice takes a peek from the curtain area at the audience, noting the silver haired woman seated next to Ace. With that hot looking lass seated next to my mate Ace, I might as well pull out all the stops to impress her, Sice thought to herself, as she was immediately smitten by the sight of her being there. Going back to hide behind the curtains, the white haired woman takes a few minutes to prepare herself to impress Seven with her performance. Twenty minutes later, the show begins with Mog as the emcee of the show, which Seven found adorable. Fortunately for Sice, the white haired woman was slated to be one of the last performers in the first set of three in the show, which has one hour in between each set. That way she can show Seven what she can do in the show and try to get to know the silver haired woman in between each set, with the goal to sweep Seven off her feet.

During the first set, Sice shows up in a costume, dressed as a female samurai with a wooden katana in flames from above the hilt. The moves done with the enflamed katana were simplistic but graceful. Seven couldn't help but stare at the performance, reminding her with a memory from childhood, when she trained with her beloved whip blade that helped keep her in top shape. Upon the end of the first set, Ace and Seven went to the common area to get more snacks and drinks, with the silver haired woman being the only one drinking anything alcoholic as Ace is the designated driver and could not drink. Seeing her in the distance, Sice was beyond nervous, contrary to how she is when performing at her gigs. It took the white haired woman downing a shot of Jameson to FINALLY have the confidence to walk up to where Seven and Ace were at in order for her to be formally introduced. "Ace! Your goofy arse finally made it... and who is this one?!" Sice asks the blond, clearly referring to the silver haired woman accompanying him.

"Sice Cullan, meet Seven Oliver, one of my mates from and since childhood..." Ace introduces the pair to each other. Seven was at a loss for words but gave Sice a hug instead of a handshake. Initially startled by the hug, Sice returned the hug she was given, grateful to know that there was someone with the potential to fully heal her from the nightmares Melanie had put her through. Seven asked Sice if they can have a private chat after the second set, taking note that the second set was to begin in less than 20 minutes. Sice agreed to this, knowing that she'll need a few minutes to prepare for her second set. Seven and Ace buy a second round of snacks and drinks - Seven and Ace decided on some decaffeinated tea and Seven buying herself a hearty sandwich to help absorb the alcohol she consumed up to this point. Once the two pals returned to their seats, the show was only a minute away from starting the second set, which Sice was set to be the fourth person in the second set, earlier than her order in the first set.

Sice's second performance was as a ninja with a pair of spheres attached to their respective rope, which the spheres were made out of wood and can be put on fire, the rope made out of a thick cloth. Doing varying tricks that the katana couldn't do, and being flashier with what she can do with them, Sice took a few more risks with the spheres and it impressed Seven to no end. Speaking of the silver haired woman, she chose to remain in her seat for the remainder of the second set, despite the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. Fortunately, where Seven sat was very close to the bathroom, saving her from a great deal of embarrassment. Once both the second set was over with and Seven returned to the common area from her bathroom break, the silver haired woman found Ace talking to a few of the performers while Sice was by herself, the white haired woman shaking for reasons unknown, possibly due to the fact that she's talking to someone that isn't Ace, a first for the white haired woman in a few years, when she was dating Melanie.

The conversation Sice and Seven had put each other at ease. Sice finally met someone who can relate to her misfortunes in love. Seven told her about being previously engaged to a lad called King, who got another woman pregnant, forcing the silver haired woman to call off their wedding, and then taking some time to herself and explore her sexuality ever since, shutting out the world in the process. With this chat being slightly longer than the introductions from the end of the last set, Sice got to know a few things about Seven: the silver haired woman loves to eat, especially sushi, and has a cat that acts like a dog who goes by the name of Spirit. Seven has a knack for watching martial arts movies, and collecting stuffed animals. Seven found out that the white haired woman does fire dancing on the side, with her day job being a noted chef, at a place that doesn't pay her well enough. Sice loves cats, and prefers things like sushi, action films and cute things over everything else.

For the first time, this lass has some stuff in common with me. I'd never thought that I would fall in love with a woman, after what King's idiotic arse had put me through...only time will tell, Seven happily mused to herself while seeing Sice go back to the stage to prepare for the final set. Ace couldn't stop smiling once he saw a piece of paper in Seven's hand, which the silver haired woman confirmed what Ace was thinking: Sice gave the silver haired woman her phone number so they can talk over the phone in a day or two, to catch up with each other after the show is over with. Oddly enough, Sice went first in the final set, as the white haired woman had a few tricks up her sleeve still to pull. It was Sice's final number that had Seven completely falling in love with the white haired woman, for it was something about Sice and the way she carried herself that had Seven smiling nonstop. Knowing that Sice had to be at her cooking job early the next day, Ace volunteered to drive Sice and her gear home, as she was given a lift to the venue by her roommate Amelia. In an odd twist of fate, it turned out to be the same apartment building that Seven lives in; Sice and Amelia share a decent sized two bedroom apartment, while Seven lives alone with Spirit in an one bedroom apartment a few floors above them.

For both Seven and Sice, they had to be patient.

XXX

Seven and Sice got to really know each other over the next three months. Seven allowed herself to be Sice's literal punching bag whenever the white haired woman had an outburst of sorts, while Sice helped Seven FINALLY get over what happened with King, who robbed her from having a happy ending of her own. Their time together, as friends, went from grieving from their respective ex to them having fun and then really enjoying each other's company. The people who knew the pair best saw a better Sice and Seven than how they were before, when Sice was with Melanie and Seven was engaged to marry King. It was during that time that Seven came to a major realisation about her sexuality, that she was only with King because it was the right thing to do in the eyes of modern day Orience. She thought that no one would accept her for being a lesbian, even her birth parents didn't accept homosexuality in the slightest bit, as they put Seven in an orphanage when she was a child for that reason alone, to try and force her to be heterosexual when she actually wasn't. Sometimes Seven wished she had met Sice before King, but life didn't turn out that way for the silver haired woman. For Sice, meeting Seven was better late than not at all.

It was one day out of the blue when Sice offered Seven a home cooked meal, as a means to ask the silver haired woman if they wanted to be more than just friends after thinking it over for the last few weeks. Without hesitation, Seven said yes to the home cooked meal, with relief in her heart that Sice likely felt the same way about her as Seven felt about Sice. Etro, please answer my prayers about Sice wanting to be my girlfriend as much as I want to be hers, Seven silently prayed while she was driving home from a long day at the orphanage. It was during the elevator ride to her apartment on the top floor that her phone buzzed off, only to find a single emoticon message from Ace: a smiley face that winked, which the only effects that had was making Seven even more nervous than she ever was when she was with King. Upon arrival to the floor where her apartment was, Seven smelled something very pleasant: Sice was in her kitchen, making the silver haired woman's favourite dishes, for Sice enjoyed making sushi more often than not, plus was starting to make a chocolate cake when Seven entered the one bedroom apartment at long last. Sice couldn't stop smiling at the site of her friend.

Shortly after Seven sat down at the table in her kitchenette, which there was a second chair there, with Spirit eating her cat food with glee close by, Sice had just finished making dinner for them, and placed the sponges of the chocolate cake in the oven for them to slowly bake in Seven's oven. The pair ate Sice's sushi in silence, occasionally exchanging small but sincere smiles at not only each other, but also as Spirit, who warmed up to Sice at a rate Seven was surprised to see, knowing that Spirit doesn't warm up to people often. It was when Seven got her second serving of sushi when Sice got the courage to let the silver haired woman how she truly felt about her. "Seven... I-I-I know that we haven't known each other as you've known Ace... but I-I-I-I... uh... fuck... want to be girlfriends with this idiot, Sevsky?" Sice asked the silver haired woman, feeling flustered, and a bit scared. It was Seven's smile that put Sice at ease. Without saying a word, Seven approaches the white haired woman and gave her a kiss on the left temple, before agreeing to be Sice's new girlfriend. The new couple had their first kiss as such which was sweeter than the kisses Seven ever had with King.

After eating some cake, which Sice brought leftovers of both the sushi and chocolate back to her roommate, as Seven didn't have the space to hold the extra food, which the silver haired woman gave her new girlfriend some extra food to hold Sice and Amelia over for a few days. Leaving Seven's apartment with a smile on her face, Sice sent a text message to Ace, saying thanks for introducing her to the one who fully healed Sice: Seven, who is now her girlfriend. Spirit and Seven are the happiest human and feline pair, knowing that there's someone who accepts them both. The new couple now have a chance to have a happy ending with each other, something that both Melanie and King robbed from them years ago.

Over time, Seven and Sice go to new and better strengths as a couple. The only down point was that the lease Sice and Amelia have on their apartment was ending soon. Since she married a lad called Jake, Amelia was set to move out of the apartment, leaving Sice to find a new place to stay. Due to her girlfriend also planning on buying a home, the white haired woman called Seven to discuss the matter. By Etro's Miracle, Seven asked Sice if she wants to live with her at the new house, which is much closer to both Sice's cooking job and the orphanage Seven heads. Knowing this, the white haired woman immediately agrees to move in with the silver haired woman. Spirit loves Sice as much as Seven. The home Seven purchased was quaint but felt very Seven and Sice. Once the couple and cat finally move into the home, it was the start of a much happier life for them, a future that brought them the peace and tranquility they rightfully deserved.

Present Day

Sice wakes up early in the morning, seeing a peacefully sleeping Seven, with Spirit snuggling with her. Smiling at the sight of her girlfriend and cat, the white haired woman quietly puts a ring on Seven's left ring finger. Soon, we'll be married, Sevsky. Thank you for having this idiot in your and Spirit's lives. I love you so much, and cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Sice happily tells herself, quiet enough as to not wake up her new fiancée. Placing a gentle kiss on Seven's forehead and another on the top of Spirit's head, Sice leaves for the day to her day job, with a spring in her step, facing life with a better pair of eyes than before.

Better late than never, as they say. Seven and Sice finally have their happy ending with each other.

As it should be.

FIN

A/N #2: The next story in this collection is a two-part tale with a Fangrai tale, with Lightning as a professional poker player and Fang attending one of her tournaments (it's two parts as the first half is SFW, the other half NSFW). This should be published in January 2019, as the next story I'll be working on is the RWBY tale "Best Christmas Ever", a fluffy two part tale out by Christmas, followed by an OVERDUE tale for the FF IV/VI collection with Rydia and Edge (tentative date for that is New Years).