Disclaimer: It is with my deepest regret that I inform you that I do not own Final Fantasy XIII.

In the end, Lightning didn't call Fang. Call it pride or just being plain stubborn, Lightning couldn't bring herself to dial the number.

It's going to take a lot more than a few witty lines and a smile, thought Lightning.

Almost a full week had passed and Lightning had spent her days resting at home and her knee seemed to be healing well. She had begun doing simple stretching exercises to maintain her flexibility and had tried walking around without her crutches. She felt a twinge of pain every now and again, but overall, she was pleased with her progression.

With the spring semester having come to a close, Serah had returned home from her second year at Eden University, where she studied Elementary Education, to live with Lightning for the summer. Lightning was glad to have her little sister back home and the delicious home cooked meals were definitely appreciated, but the one thing Lightning hadn't missed was Serah's tendency to be a tad... overbearing.

"Let me help you out of the car."

"Here, let me open the door."

"Let me get that for you."

"Do you want me to carry you upstairs?"

"Serah," Lightning said, trying her best to not sound annoyed, "Trust me. I've got it."

Serah wasn't fooled by her tone.

"Fine. Sorry for trying to be the best little sister in the world," Serah pouted as she crossed her arms and turned her back to Lightning who was still trying to limp up the flight of stairs.

Lightning frowned slightly as she felt a small pang of guilt in her stomach. She hated when she hurt Serah's feelings, but if this is what it took to regain a small piece of independence, she could live with it.

She turned to continue her ascent. After a second had passed, she heard the muffled sound of a footstep on the carpet behind her and felt a small hand on her lower back. She turned to see Serah, two stairs down, standing as though she was ready to catch Lightning at a moment's notice.

Is she acting as my... spotter? Lightning thought as she looked at her sister.

"Hey! Don't look at me in that tone of voice," Serah said, indignant. "If I can't help you, I might as well be ready to rescue you."

Lightning let out a sigh, but gave Serah a small smile. "Fine, but the last time I tried to catch someone who was falling, I injured my knee."

Serah laughed and her mood brightened immediately at her small victory. "Don't worry! I've got your back, Claire."

Lightning turned once again and the tandem slowly made their way up the stairs to the second floor landing. "I think I can make the next fifteen feet to my room without your assistance, Serah."

"Okay, okay," said Serah, holding her hands up in defeat. "Just call me if you need anything." And with that, Serah descended back down the stairs. Lightning just shook her head at her sister as she stood at the threshold of her bedroom.

Lightning's room was simple, yet cozy. The pale pink walls were bare save for a few framed certificates and awards that Lightning had attained during her time in the Corps. A bed sat in the corner directly across from the door with a small nightstand next to it that featured a lamp, an alarm clock and a framed photo of a younger Lightning and Serah. A laptop sat on a worn, wooden desk that was placed against the wall, next to the room's entrance, and a bookshelf was placed to its immediate right. The door to a small closet sat in the far corner.

To most, her room would have seemed rather plain, but Lightning preferred it that way. She had never been materialistic even during her teenage years. The only thing she had ever spent large amounts of money on were books. Reading was by far her favorite past time and she indulged whenever she could. So it was no surprise that her bookshelf was filled with a lifetime of literary conquests. The shelves themselves bowed slightly under the sheer weight of paper.

Lightning made her way over to the aforementioned bookshelf and scanned the spines to find something to pass the time. Like most avid readers, Lightning had already read all of her books at least three times and, while she loved each one of her books dearly, none of them were currently sparking her interest.

I really need to go and buy a new book, Lightning thought forlornly. She glanced at the watch on her left wrist. It was only half past noon. I have plenty of time to run down to the bookstore.

She began to gather her things when she hesitated. She had a feeling that Serah would not be too happy with her going out and about alone no matter how much Lightning protested that her knee would not be a hindrance.

"Well, it's almost time for her daily one o'clock nap. I'll just wait until she's asleep," Lightning muttered to herself.

When her watch read "1:15," Lightning quietly made her way down the stairs. When she reached the bottom step, she glanced to her left and into the living room. As expected, Serah was splayed haphazardly across the sofa, asleep.

With the agility that one can only attain after years of intense military training and a bad knee, Lightning silently pulled on her shoes, grabbed the keys to her Corolla, a single crutch, and headed outside.

After a short ten minute drive, Lightning pulled her car into the parking lot of a small, but sophisticated looking bookstore called The Epilogue. Lightning preferred this shop over the others in town since it supplied coffee through their own cafe and a secluded, outdoor sitting area where she could read her newly purchased books in peace. Also, it was rarely ever busy.

After crutching through the entrance and giving the shopkeeper a nod of salutation, she began wandering up and down the aisles trying to find an intriguing book. She had skimmed around fifteen titles, not finding anything to her liking, when she came across a book titled The Fault in Our Stars. Lightning had heard good things about this book, but had skipped it due the "Young Adult" label and the idea of a tragic love story.

Maybe it was the planets aligning in a specific order or her flirtatious encounter with Fang because, for once, Lightning decided that reading a love story didn't seem like a complete waste of time. She made her way to the counter located at the front of the store and purchased the book along with a large iced coffee. It was summer, after all.

While simultaneously holding the book and keeping the crutch in place with her left hand and holding her coffee in her right, Lightning opened the door leading outside and began searching for a suitable table in the outside sitting area.

The sitting area consisted of six tables with two chairs each. Every table also had an umbrella to provide shade from the harsh summer sun. Lightning selected the table furthest from the sitting area's entrance. After leaning her solitary crutch against the wall behind her seat, Lightning sat down and began to read.

To her surprise, The Fault in Our Stars was much more entertaining than anticipated and she began to immerse herself completely in the story. In fact, she was so engrossed with the book that she didn't even notice the figure approaching her.

"Well, look who we have here," whispered a voice next to Lightning's left ear.

For the most part, Lightning considered herself as someone who was not easily startled. However, in this particular moment, she was caught completely off-guard by the sudden interruption. Lightning jumped a full six inches out of her seat and, in the process, nearly spilled her coffee all over the table.

"Holy sh-" cursed Lightning, her head snapping in the direction of the voice. Her look of anger and extreme annoyance gave way to an expression of genuine shock as her gaze feel upon a pair of familiar green eyes.

"F-fang?" exclaimed Lightning, unable to hide the slight shake in her voice. Her heart was pounding due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Hey there, Sunshine," replied Fang with a grin. "Is this seat taken?"

"Um… no. Not at the moment," Lightning responded, trying to calm herself down. She bookmarked the page that she was on.

"My lucky day," Fang said as she flashed a smile. She sat down, placed her elbows on the table, and leaned forward. Lightning proceeded to subconsciously lean back into her own chair.

Fang glanced down at the book in Lightning's hands. "The Fault in Our Stars, eh? Any good?"

"Yeah, it's not bad," answered Lightning still slightly unnerved by Fang's sudden appearance. "What are you doing here? I didn't even know many people knew about this place."

"Well, I certainly do. I've been comin' here for years. I'm surprised I've never run into you. You look like you're a regular," said Fang as she pushed a strand of wayward hair out of her face.

Lightning couldn't stop her eyes from flicking up to watch Fang run her hand through her hair. "Before my injury I tended to work a lot, so I never really had time to come by."

"A workaholic, huh? All work and no play makes Sunshine a dull girl, ya know?" chided Fang with another playful smile.

"Funny," deadpanned Lightning, "and don't call me Sunshine."

"Aw, but why?" asked Fang with a tilt of her head. "I think it perfectly describes ya bubbly personality."

"If your mission was to come and annoy me, I'll let you know that you succeeded. I should probably get going," Lightning announced as she began to stand up.

With a blur of movement, Fang reached out and grabbed Lightning's wrist. "Whoa, now. Hold ya horses." Even in the summer heat, Fang's hand felt warm against Lightning's skin.

"I'm sorry if I annoyed ya," apologized Fang. Her tone sounded sincere. Lightning relaxed slightly in her grip. "I just tend to tease a lot when I talk to cute girls." Fang shot a deadly smile and wink combo towards Lightning.

Lightning rolled her eyes in response. "Flattery will get you nowhere," cautioned Lightning, but she sat back down anyways. She had to admit that there was something about Fang that made her curious enough to stay.

"Glad you changed ya mind," smiled Fang.

"If you're going to stick around, we need to set some ground rules," stated Lightning. Fang simply looked at her, so Lightning continued. "I require absolute silence. I came here to read in peace and I intend to do just that. Understood?"

"Technically, that's only one rule, but yeah, I got it."

"Good." Lightning opened up The Fault in Our Stars and began reading once again.

"Was that iced coffee any good?" inquired Fang, gesturing towards Lightning's nearly empty cup.

Lightning glared at Fang and felt a vein begin to pulse in her forehead. "Yes."

"Hmm... I might get me one then. I've never considered gettin' coffee iced, but - "

"Fang." Lightning interrupted. The glare that she was giving Fang had enough intensity to bore through solid metal.

"Oh, you were serious about that whole silence thing? My bad," apologized Fang, but she was laughing. "I'm goin' to go and grab me one of those iced coffee things. You want another? It's on me."

"No, thanks."

"Suit yourself." Fang stood and started making her way back into the bookstore. Lightning watched her leave.

She is going to make me commit murder, thought Lightning. Maybe I should make my escape while she's gone.

But Lightning quickly realized that this was a bad idea. Fang was her physical therapist and a stealthy exit would make for an awkward appointment. If there was one thing that Lightning hated more than annoyance, it was awkwardness. I guess I'll just stick it out. Lightning lowered her head and tried to continue reading.

A short while later, she heard the door of the sitting area open and guessed that Fang was making her way back to the table.

Fang returned with a book of her own along with two iced coffees. She slid one of them over to Lightning.

Lightning glanced at the coffee and then shot a pointed look at the dark haired woman across the table.

"Oh, stop bein' stubborn and take the damn coffee," instructed Fang. With that, Fang opened her book and began to flip through the pages.

Lightning considered countering with a sarcastic remark, but decided against it. She gave a small shrug and took a sip of the proffered coffee. She wasn't completely sure, but Lightning thought she saw Fang smile at the acceptance of her gift.

Lightning disregarded it and then, she too, began to read. The two fell into a comfortable silence that was only broken by the occasional turn of a page and the soft clinking of ice hitting ice.

Lightning had almost reached full re-immersion into the world of The Fault in Our Stars when she suddenly felt something rubbing against her leg. Without turning her head away from the book, she looked down below the table and saw that Fang had begun rubbing her foot against Lightning's leg.

Lightning glanced over the top of her book, annoyed, and saw that Fang was maintaining a facade of pure innocence on her face. Lightning simply readjusted her sitting position and moved her legs out of the range of Fang's reach.

A mere three seconds had passed before Lightning, once again, felt Fang's foot rubbing against her leg. Lightning scowled into her book. She knew that asking Fang to stop was not going to do anything, so she decided to retaliate. Lightning took her right foot and forcibly pushed Fang's back to her side of the table.

Immediately, she felt resistance as Fang began pushing back. Lightning's rational side told her that the mature thing to do was to stop this nonsense at once. However, her stubborn and competitive side told her that mercy was for the weak. So, of course, she consolidated all of her lower body strength into her right leg and pushed.

What had started as Fang's silly attempt at flirting had now escalated into an all-out foot war with neither woman willing to back down. Below the table's surface featured the setting of a chaotic turf war; above featured two women displaying the illusion of determined facial indifference contrary to the battle underneath.

Fang was the first to break down as she began to laugh uncontrollably. To her own surprise, Lightning joined in with a few laughs of her own. To be honest, Lightning couldn't remember the last time she had laughed with someone other than Serah.

"What are we even doin'?" chuckled Fang. "Sittin' here actin' like a couple of five year olds."

"Yeah, well, you started it."

"Sayin' something like that isn't helpin' ya case, Sunshine. At least I know your right knee is doing just fine."

"Oh, shut up." And with that, the two began to laugh again.

While she enjoyed the feeling, it felt strange to Lightning. To her knowledge, she hadn't felt this comfortable around someone other than her sister since, well, ever. It felt... nice?

When their laughter had subsided, Lightning glanced at her watch. It read "4:15."

"I should get going. My sister is probably wondering where I am."

"Oh, gone so soon?" Fang poked out her lower lip. "I thought we were havin' fun."

"You're delusional," responded Lightning, but she couldn't quite suppress the small smile on her lips. She stood up, grabbed her crutch, and turned towards the exit of the sitting area.

"Whatever. Anyways, it was a pleasure runnin' into you, Sunshine," purred Fang. "I guess I'll be seein' you in two days for your appointment." Lightning could literally see Fang's eyes roving over her body.

"I guess," said Lightning, trying to ignore Fang's flirtatious advances. "See you then."

"See ya."

Lightning had almost made it past her, when Fang suddenly stood up and stepped in front of her.

"Hey, Sunshine. One thing before you go."

Without warning, Fang reached out and grabbed both sides of Lightning's face.

"What the hell are you doing?" exclaimed Lightning. She tried to pull away, but Fang had a strong hold on her head and held her in place. "I swear, if you try and kiss - " That's when Fang leaned in.

She moved too quickly for Lightning to react. Sensing no escape, she instinctively closed her eyes, held her breath, and braced for the kiss.

It never came.

Instead she heard a soft whisper in her left ear. "Make sure to stretch daily. It's beneficial for the healin' process."

Lightning's eyes snapped open to see Fang with a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

"Gotcha, Sunshine," smirked Fang. She was so close that Lightning could feel Fang's breath blowing across her face. "I'm glad we were still able to get our coffee even though someone didn't call me."

With that, Fang turned on her heel and exited the sitting area leaving a dazed and, admittedly, disappointed Lightning in her wake.

AN: Wow, I honestly uploaded the first chapter on a whim and couldn't believe more than 3 people even acknowledged its existence! Thanks for the support. It really gives me motivation to continue this story and keep posting. Stay awesome, y'all! Reviews are always welcome.

Before you go, here are a few things I thought you guys should know:

Lightning's love for books in this story was inspired by a short story fanfic that I read a while back. I wish I could remember it's name so I could credit it, but I couldn't find it anywhere in the archives. It's the one where Fang buys her so many books that they need another room just to hold them all. If anyone knows the title, tell me!

Also, Lightning might get a little OoC during this story and my rationale for that happening is that love can make us do things we would never do, both physically and emotionally. So, while I'm trying my best to remain true to their personalities, just anticipate some minor OoC moments, especially in regards to Light.

Thanks again! - Pilot