AN - I got married! I am a missus now, officially. Thanks to all who had sent through some kind words. Speaking of kind words, I did have to delete an anon comment on the last chapter as they weren't exactly... Fond of this fic. Hey Anon, if you're still reading for some reason, it's ok not to like things but telling someone to go kill themselves isn't exactly what I'd call "constructive criticism". If you don't like something, just go do something else with your day. It's completely fine to just move on with your life. But for everyone else, thanks for your continued support. Renderings will restart on Tumblr later in the week once I have the house to myself again!

The sounds of struggling woke Lightning in the dead of night, her instincts flaring and electricity surging as she leapt out of bed. She raced to the room it was coming from, her steps slowing when she realised it was Fang having yet another nightmare. Lightning carefully knocked on the door to try to rouse the shifter, but to no avail. She opened the door to find Fang thrashing around in bed, the sheets shredded from her claws.

"Fang... Hey. Wake up." Lightning said quietly, sparking some electricity to create light in the room, hoping it would wake her up. While it had the desired effect, it wasn't the desired outcome as Fang's eyes suddenly snapped open and she leapt forward with a savage snarl. Operating on pure instinct, she tackled Lightning to the ground, who was too shocked to even move out of the way. The jade eyes came into focus and Fang became immediately aware of her surroundings, breathing heavily.

"Shit... Light... Sorry..." Fang stammered, still not moving off the elemental. Suddenly panicking, she reeled back, checking Lightning for any unintentional injuries. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Lightning assured her, allowing herself to be helped up. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few beats of silence, the elemental weighing up her next words and deciding for the tactless approach. "Is being with Caius really that bad that you wake ready to kill?"

Fang shook her head, her eyes looking hollow. "N-no. Something... Something else. Sorry. I didn't mean to... Look don't worry about me, Light. Just go back to sleep." Looking at the closed off stance and the avoidant gaze, Lightning stepped forward and took Fang by the hand, leading her back to her own bedroom. "Uh, Light?"

"Quiet." The pinkette replied, rifling through a case at the foot of her bed that hummed. She glanced back up with an uneven smile of her own, handing Fang an ice cold beer and pulling one out for herself.

"A mini fridge hidden in your room? You been holdin' out on me, Light?"

"Please. The stash would be gone overnight if I had have told you about it earlier."

A low chuckle came from Fang as she used a claw to pop the top off the bottle. "Well you're not wrong."

The two leant back on Lightning's bed, resting their backs against the wall. She was used to seeing the brunette looking so defeated, but never realised until now just how much seeing it affected her. Lightning found herself scooting closer on the bed so they were practically touching. "Fang, are you... Ok? If you want to talk about it... I'm here." The shifter didn't answer for some time, merely content to focus on her breathing.

"You asked me a while back, why I keep the... guns out, yeah? It's because then I don't have to be reminded of what humanity means." Fang growled, closing her eyes and calming herself, allowing the hardened plates and blue skin to fade, revealing the scars in their wake. They marred much of her skin, savagely marking her biceps and carving out wicked lines. "That's not even counting the ones on my chest, on my stomach, legs... I was just a kid on the streets, after I ran away from home following... Well you know. I kicked it with a homeless crowd that helped show me the ropes in Nautilus. Until the day I let my guard slip and they realised what I was."

Lightning inhaled sharply, suppressing a gasp but couldn't help reaching out to touch the scars on the Pulsian's arm. "So they turned on you."

"In a fuckin' heartbeat," Fang laughed bitterly, "They broke bottles, pulled knives, broke pipes off the alley walls. Whatever they could find. The only good L'cie is a dead L'cie, right? They attacked me, brutally. I was as good as gone, and I welcomed death. I'd gone from having a happy life, with family, friends, to a life on the streets begging for scraps while hiding what I am. A life of constant fear. If Caius hadn't have found me, they would have killed me."

"Fang I'm... Sorry that happened to you." Lightning said quietly, still absently trailing her fingers down Fang's arms as she slowly made her way to the brunette's wrist.

A sharp inhale came from Fang's throat at the attentions, and she covered it with an awkward cough. "Nothin' to be sorry over, Sunshine. I just wish... I wish I had the courage to have gone home sooner. I lost my sister, and I lost my best friend that day. I miss her as much as I missed Hex. She would have known what to do."

"Oh? You had a level headed friend? Hope it balanced you out as a kid.." Lightning joked, smiling softly at the nudge she received from the Pulsian.

"Nah, she was just as crazy as I was. But she did... Make things calmer." Fang chuckled, reminding herself of simpler times. She leant against Lightning, looking around her room when she spied a photo on the dresser mirror. There was a familiar monument in the background that made her sit up with interest. Lightning quirked an eyebrow at the Pulsian, wondering what had caught her gaze.

"What is it?" She asked, sitting up as well.

"Hey, I recognize that camping ground." Fang replied, tilting her head curiously. Lightning eyed the image and smiled.

"That's the only possession I took with me, the day I ran from home. Photo of me and my best friend as kids. She meant the world to me and... Fang?"

The shifter stood and walked over to the dresser, plucking the polaroid from the mirror, looking nervous. "Before the shit hit the fan I used to go there all the time with my... With you." Fang trailed off as she finally caught a proper glimpse of the photo of the two of them as teens at the campsite. She held it with a shaking hand and turned slowly. The pinkette saw the scar along the palm of Fang's right hand that held the photo, the first time she had noticed it in human form. She held a matching scar on her own hand that she would rub as a nervous twitch when she was stressed. Their eyes met and Lightning sucked in a nervous breath.

"Y…Yun?"

"Hey, Claire? Do you… Do you love me?"

"Hm?" Claire turned to regard her friend as they sat by the campfire, tilting her head curiously. "Of course I do. You're my best friend."

The brunette swallowed nervously and scratched at her hand, something she had been doing more frequently over the last few weeks, Claire noted. "Even if, something were to happen to me? Would you still love me?"

"What kind of a question is that? You could turn into a Chocobo tomorrow and I'd still love you. Probably even more so than I do now because then I could just ride you to school and forget the bus. What's going on?"

Her friend drew a shaky breath and laughed at Claire's attempt at humour, staring at her hands. "I dunno. Just a feeling, I guess. It feels like something bad is coming. If… If I have to leave, would you come with me?"

"Nothing bad is gonna happen, I'll protect you. And if we have to run away together, so be it." Claire stared into the fire for a while, holding her friend close. She suddenly pulled back with a snap of her fingers. "We'll blood swear on it. I've seen it in those Pulsian mythos comics you read. That way we're bound to each other under Etro's Grace."

After rifling through her bag for a pocket knife, Claire turned to her friend and scooted close. They cut each other's palm with barely a hiss of protest from the pain, and then clasped their hands together. "Blood swear?" the brunette asked nervously. Claire smiled warmly and rest her head against her friend's forehead.

"Absolute total super blood swear."

They fell back into their sleeping bags, still holding hands as they stared at the night sky. "You'll still love me no matter what, huh?" The raspy, accented voice floated over, sleepy and soft.

"Of course I will. Super blood swear promise, remember? You're my best friend, and that's what best friends do, right, Yun?"

"Claire." Fang said bluntly, like the name was a knife against her own throat. The scar on her hand spoke of many promises, none of them fulfilled. She had showed up on her best friend's doorstep in a panic a month after the camping trip, having just put her sister in hospital at the peak of an argument. Fang didn't remember what had happened, only that they were yelling at each other one second and the next her mother was screaming as Vanille lay bloodied on the floor, her sister's face hideously torn up by what appeared to be claw marks.

Claire's mother had told her to go home because it was late, completely unaware of what had transpired and ushered her best friend inside. That was the last time they'd seen each other. Her father had tried to kill her over what she had done when she had returned home, so she had to run.

Before Fang could say anything further, she was pushed back against the dresser as Lightning threw her arms around her neck in a crushing embrace. In an instant the animosity that was slowly thawing melted in an inferno of memory, Lightning either forgetting or no longer caring that she was in the arms of someone she previously considered a dangerous rival. It startled Fang so much her arms and half her torso shifted on instinct alone.

"Etro… I can't believe it's you... after all these years…"

It took a couple of seconds for Fang to really, truly register that this was her best friend in her arms. She slowly pushed Lightning back to get a look at her. "Claire... What the hell happened to your hair?" Fang found herself asking, trailing the tips of her claws carefully through the pale, pink locks. The last time she saw her friend, Claire was a blonde; now she sported an asymmetrical pale pink that Serah shared in colour.

Lightning chuckled quietly, ignoring the tear that had slid down her own face. "The price of being a L'cie also apparently came with a bottle of hair dye." She joked, before falling silent as she lost herself into those jade eyes. "My god you've gotten tall."

Fang couldn't help but laugh, reaching up with human fingers, wiping the trailing tear with her thumb. Perhaps instead of Fang delivering Serah to her sister, Serah actually delivered Fang instead.

"There isn't a day that's gone by where I haven't thought about you. I've wished every day since you vanished that I had gone with you. I've been so worried that something had happened to you… That you'd…" Lightning whispered, taking Fang's hand in her own and pressed it against her face, unable to stop another tear from slipping down her cheek. "Nobody ever told us what happened. You vanished and the rest of your family just up and left the following week. I didn't even know what had happened to you, let alone Vanille."

It felt like a lifetime ago. When Claire had raced over to Yun's house the following morning, her friend's father had merely snarled at her, told her that Yun was gone and slammed the door in her face. She found their house up for sale and empty only days later, with no forwarding address. She had tried in vain to search for her best friend and her family for months, and had feared the worst.

Fang closed her eyes and tried not to grind her teeth. "Vanille was young when I… Disappeared, so not surprising that she doesn't recognise you. O' course, you wouldn't have recognised her with the hatchet job on her face. It's lucky she's alive." She observed the emotions so clearly on the pinkette's face and looked away.

But Lightning wouldn't have a bar of it, cupping her by the jaw and bringing Fang's gaze back to her. "I shouldn't have let my mother send you away that night. I should have gone with you. We should have run away together, like we promised."

"What's done is done. We can't change what happened." Fang said, trying to force the bitterness from her voice and failing.

"But we can change the future, Yun."

The brunette growled and tore her gaze away. "I gave that name up the day I lost my humanity. It's Fang, now. Just as much as I'm sure you prefer Lightning." She sighed and turned to leave, only to have Claire grip her by the wrist once more. The pinkette moved in close and cupped Fang's face to force her gaze.

"Please, Fang. Don't keep hurting yourself with your guilt like this. Hex... Vanille has missed you so much. I have missed you so much." She whispered in the brunette's ear. Fang's breath hitched when she swore she felt Claire's lips press against her ear in a gentle kiss. Before she could comment, the pinkette had pulled back with a light blush on her cheeks. Fang shuffled on her feet nervously, suddenly feeling very shy around someone she'd spent half her childhood with.

"I'm... I'm gonna go... Um... I'm probably keeping you awake and..."

"Stay with me, Fang." Lightning said quietly, the redness of her cheeks visible even in the dim light. "Just... Like old times. It might... It might help you sleep. Please?"

There was a moment of fear that considering her shredded sheets, staying with someone in close proximity was likely a dangerous idea. But as Lightning took her by the hand and led her away from the door, she couldn't find it in herself to argue.

The sun light peeking through the curtains was the first thing Fang noticed when she opened her eyes. She was sat up in the corner of the bed, still leaning against the wall. Confused, she blinked a couple of times and looked around, realising she was in Lightning's room. The pinkette in question was wrapped around her waist, head snuggled in against her shoulder.

It was like looking at a completely different person. A matter of days ago Fang knew they were still wary of each other though much of the animosity had finally vanished. This morning however, she was looking at her best friend. The girl she grew up with, got into copious amounts of trouble with, who promised that no matter what, they would find a way to look after one another.

There was a quiet murmur from Lightning as she tightened her grip, the action bringing a soft and easy smile to Fang's face. She glanced down at herself, her eyebrows raising as she realised she was still in human form. It had been a while since she got to wake up like this, but then again it had been some many years since she woke up next to her best friend. Often falling asleep next to each other at sleep overs, lazy afternoons in the park, or just mucking about all over Bodhum.

The iron grip Lightning had around Fang's waist relaxed a little, and the shifter heard her breathing quicken. Cerulean eyes suddenly glanced up at her, very self-conscious about her current position.

"Oh. Sorry. We fell asleep talking last night didn't we?" Lightning rasped, her voice husky from sleep. She gently pushed herself up and stretched out the tension in her neck.

"Yeah, we did. At least you didn't drool on me. This time." Fang said with a slight tickle of Lightning's side, causing the pinkette to leap out of bed with a yelp. Neither could wipe the smiles from their faces. Fang slid from the bed and moved over to Lightning, wrapping her up in strong arms. "Gods... I can't believe it's you."

The elemental bit her lip and glanced over at the photo on the dresser. "Well, we did absolute total super blood swear to stick together. Even if there was a bit of an... Unintended gap." Fang brushed the pale pink hair away from Lightning's eyes, not willing to let her go. She felt giddy, like it was the harvest festival come early.

"Um... Not that I'm complaining because it's nice to see you two not trying to kill each other for once but... Have I missed something here?" a curious voice interrupted their moment together. The two broke apart with a jump, Hex standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Lightning's face broke into a beaming smile and she walked over and scooped the redhead up in her arms.

"Eep! W-what's all this about?"

Both Fang and Lightning laughed, the sound catching Serah's attentions as she walked past the room on her way to breakfast. She nearly tripped over her own feet at the sight of her sister's joyous smile and wondered what could have triggered such a genuine expression that she hadn't seen in years. Entering the room, Serah raised an eyebrow at her sibling, curious as to why she was showering Vanille with early morning affection.

"Fang? A little help here?"

Lightning chuckled and stepped back, brushing the red hair out of the young girl's face. "It's alright, Vanille. I'm just... really happy to see you."

"Aw, I'm really happy to see you t- wait you just called me Vanille. Fang, why did you tell her my real name? I thought you hated human names?"

Serah entered the room at the sound of the familiar name and watched the knowing grin on Fang's face widen. The Pulsian took her sister by one of her many hands and gave it a squeeze. "I didn't tell her squat, 'Nille. This is Claire."

Three of her six arms shot out and involuntarily slapped Fang, Vanille reeling back in shock. "Claire? As in Farron? Then that means..."

Serah gasped, her eyes darting between their respective older siblings. "Wait... You mean to tell me that you're actually Yun? Oerba freaking Yun?"

"It's Oerba Yun Fang now, these days, thank you very much." Fang quipped with a slow grin. Serah stared in disbelief before she was bowled off her feet by the excitable redhead. The two were fast friends as children while their older sisters hung out. There were hugs and ecstatic squeals and just all round happy chaos in the room while they all reacquainted themselves after being apart for so many years.

The bell for breakfast rung out, drawing everyone's attention towards the door. Vanille helped Serah up off the floor with a giggle, then ran over to Fang and grabbed her with at least three hands. "Come on! Catch up over food! We'll miss the best bits of breakfast if Snow gets there before us!" Dragging her out the door, Fang's eyes landed on Lightning with a beaming smile on her face before she disappeared from view.

Serah watched the two Pulsians leave before turning back to her sister. "You look happy," she observed, eyeing the much more relaxed demeanour. Lightning gave a laidback smile, while a realisation hit Serah regarding here sister over the near decade it had been since Fang disappeared from her life. "It wasn't just guilt over me that's been following you around, is it?"

The sudden nervousness that overcame the elder Farron was obvious. It made sense. Serah remembered how distraught her sister was when her best friend had vanished. How withdrawn and despondent Claire had become, and how fiercely protective she became over her younger sister instead. Which was why it had hurt Serah even more when she too had left.

"I promised her. That I would go with her. I should have known something was up when she asked me to run away that night. I just thought she was being... Melodramatic."

Lightning found herself dragged into a hug by her younger sibling. "Claire, you were kids. We weren't even at the age to take responsibility for a part time job let alone something like that. We hadn't even heard of the word L'cie."

"But look at what's happened to h-"

"Don't." Serah said firmly, clamping her hand over Lightning's mouth. "Don't you start blaming yourself over what happened to Fang as well. She already does that enough over what happened with H... Vanille... and you already do it enough to yourself for leaving me. Haven't you both punished yourselves enough? Why not be happy that we're all reunited again, all together as one family in a safe place?"

With a slow nod, Lightning took a breath and held it, allowing Serah to lead her to the dining room where everyone was gathering for breakfast. Her eyes met Fang's as the shifter waved her over, having already secured a seat and plate for the Farron siblings. Lightning laughed quietly as she sat down to a plate of waffles with berries drowned in syrup and she bumped Fang with her shoulder.

"Still remembered, huh?"

"Please," Fang replied with a scoff, dumping salt over her eggs as she rolled her eyes. "We could be apart for five hundred years and I'd still remember what a disgusting sweet tooth you have."

Eyeing the brunette's savoury breakfast, Lightning smiled and leant over, gently taking a dab of syrup on her finger and wiping it on Fang's nose. "The way you cover everything in salt, I should have realised it was you. Nobody buries their meals in sodium quite like you."

Fang's eyes crossed as she watched the syrup drip off her nose and onto her plate. "I'm going to cover you in bacon grease, Farron."

"You'll have to catch me first, Oerba."

Lightning vanished from the room in a flash of green and white electricity, reappearing to grab a waffle before taking off again.