Guh, it popped into my head two days ago. I like the idea, but I don't know if I portrayed the characters right. D: What also bugs me is this 'no-spaces-between-POV-switches' and other nonsense. How does one do this? D: If I am forced to put some line there in between to signify the change, I swear to Yevon I will!

Hope you enjoy, I didn't originally indeed to continue it.. But after this ending I might have too. XD

Closer

Honey

I missed her, I missed her beyond compare. I didn't want to face reality, I didn't want to see myself as a hated L'Cie, I just wanted her back.

I felt horrid when I eyes drifted to him, even for the slightest of seconds. He never noticed; he was far too stupid to notice my gaze. But every time the thought crossed my mind, so did his loyalty to who he loved beyond compare.

Serah.

Then there was Fang.

She wasn't off-limits like Snow, and Eden knows she was ten times smarter than he was. But there were odd things to consider, even before the idea of her and me…

It wasn't right, no; I would never convince myself of the idea… But…

She didn't belong to anyone, maybe there was Vanille but the two were practically sisters. It brought me comfort, that even if I didn't act on it…

Fang… Could be mine.

* ~ *

Don't you have some happy-go-lucky red-head to follow around?

She couldn't take Fang looking at her anymore.

"Will you stop it?" Lightning hissed, narrowing her eyes at Fang who simply smirked, resting her head lazily on her hand.

"Stop what?" She shrugged lightly, acting oblivious to Lightning's discomfort.

"Stop…" She almost answered, before she gritted her teeth. "You know what."

Damn her, she knows she's getting to me.

"You're tense," Fang chuckled, leaning back as she stretched.

Snow had gone off scouting and Vanille had chosen to keep the ogre company. Hope meanwhile, lay between the women, sound asleep in the middle of Vile Peaks. Pulse born creations were wandering around, but Lightning had opted to stay up. Fang usually went off to find some place comfortable both for herself and Vanille, but tonight she chose to keep Ms. Farron company.

Much to Lightning's displeasure.

"I'm not tense," came the counter, brimming with embers. "I'm irritated."

Fang's left eyebrow rose ever so slightly. "By what?"

"By whom."

She chuckled at the counter. "You saying I'm irritating you? Here I thought that was a job reserved for Snow!"

Hope twitched in his sleep, turning over.

Lightning snorted, looking away sharply as she tapped her foot on the ground. She hated this place; it reminded her of the past, things that she couldn't change.

Like Serah…

It always came back to Serah.

Of course what didn't make her mood any better was the fact that they had returned here because Sazh had been captured by PSICOM. Brilliantly, she might add, that to stop the agents who had him, Snow had fired a rocket at the sky tank. Apparently it had never crossed his very small, very limited mind that the explosion could kill Sazh.

Oh no… She gritted her teeth just thinking about the giant idiot. Eden forbid he actually thinks before doing anything.

"You're thinking about her."

Fang's voice broke Lightning's thoughts abruptly. The pink-haired woman, who hadn't realized she looked solemn, suddenly appeared off guard.

"It's alright, I understand it. Was the same way when Vanille and I got separated." The Pulse-born looked as defeated as Lightning did for a moment. "You give up hope to easily."

"Hmph.."

"Oh, now I'm not dignified with a reply?"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "I'm thinking; about the crash."

Yes, the second part of the tale. After the rocket had hit, the airship had went tumbling down past the Hanged Edge, and down here. It was now somewhere in the mess of what could only be described as crap the Fal'Cie had used to repair the shell of Cocoon. Lightning hadn't been impressed in the least, Fang found it hilarious, Snow was remorseful, Hope was bitter and Vanille horrified.

Tense wouldn't begin to describe what Lightning was feeling.

"He meant well."

She gritted her teeth. "He's a moron."

"Aye, I never disputed that. But…" Fang's face softened. "He meant well, if they had been able to take Sazh back-"

"I know." Lightning cut off, crossing her arms and standing. "But he's still a moron."

The warrior-woman laughed, stretching again. "You ever gonna go to sleep? Or am I going to force you?"

Lightning blinked. "Pardon?"

"You never sleep Light. You're always up, guarding everyone, including the idiot you claim to hate." She smirked, standing up and approaching the pink-haired girl. "Get some shut eye."

Lightning's eyes narrowed at the challenge. "No."

The challenger rested her hands on her hips. "You don't, and I'll get Snow to knock you out."

A small smirk appeared on Lightning's face. "I'd like to see him try."

"Not that hard, I'll tell him to bear hug you, lack of oxygen… Or I'll just have him breathe on you after he's ate some of his own cooking… Foul stuff."

"Charming.."

The gap between the two was closing quickly. Fang had a dominating persona, and though Lightning would never admit it to anyone, she was sometimes intimidated by it. But the lack of personal space was also getting to her; she instinctively backed up, away from the approaching woman. Lightning had a thing about space, her bubble occasionally wavered and bent, but it never was broken. Not intentionally, there was the awkward time Snow had crashed in her or Hope hugged her, but not like this.

Fang was intentionally getting her in space, and Lightning would have none of that.

"I got another way to tucker you out," Fang teased, eyeing Lightning up and down.

Now she felt rather awkward, Lightning backed up faster, until her back hit the wall. "W-what?" She stammered, unable to hide her surprise. "Fang but I-"

The warrior-woman smiled, twirling her spear brilliantly before readying herself. Lightning took a long blink, reality dawning on her as Fang just laughed.

"Oh…" She still hadn't revived her usual 'no emotion' shell.

"What did you have in mind?" She snickered. "Something a bit… Closer?"

Lightning's fury boiled over as she glared doom on Fang, she could almost see the counter timing down. "Shut up."

Fang shrugged. "Make me."

Hope woke up in time to see the most violent sparring match between Lightning and Fang to date.

There were sparks flying from each hit, but Fang just seemed to laugh it off. The sergeant however, looked like she was out for blood. Her blue eyes burned with could only be rage as her opponent simply danced about. Embarrassment wasn't something she was used to, usually that was for Snow or Sazh. To have that pulled on her was something she couldn't handle…

Well, not handle well anyways.

Though she didn't know why it was infuriating her to the degree it was. It was a joke; she had certainly heard worse ones, especially with the ogre trudging around with Serah.

But it was at my expense, damn it. She has to pay.

Then the idea of what she thought Fang had been implying came screaming back to her. The image was enough to throw Lightning off her game, letting the Pulse-born rush in and slam her to the right.

Lightning yelped, tumbling out of sight.

"Light!" Hope called, starting to get up.

"Stay here," Fang rolled her eyes. "I'll go get her."

"A-alright…"

* ~ *

"URGH!" Lightning growled, jumping to her feet. Her fists were clenched and teeth ground tight against each other as the idea of that woman's coy smirk came to be in her mind. "That… That…" The word wouldn't come to the dumbfounded Lightning, there was no possible insult she could utter to make herself feel better. "To hell with it, I'll just hurt her later…"

Lightning had never been the butt of anyone's jokes, simply because she didn't take it well. Her childhood had typical mockery all children face, only she had the tendency to take things too seriously. What was a joke to another usually wasn't to her. Not to mention this didn't seem like the time to joke, or think that she had been implying anything else.

The image came back, and the woman found herself angrily looking for her weapon as an outlet for her frustration.

"Light?" Fang's voice echoed into the pit she had fallen into.

So help me, when I find my gun..

"Oh there you are!" Fang tiled her head a bit, stabbing her spear into the ground. "Whatcha doin' down there?"

Lightning didn't grace Fang with a reply, not even a loathing stare.

"Hey, it's not my fault you were daydreaming…" She trailed off, looking a bit playful as she stood at the edge of the pit. "About what though, I wonder."

"Murder…"

"I bet; I never knew murder made someone that misty-eyed."

Son of a…

Lightning clenched her fists in response, choosing to continue the search for her gunblade instead of even acknowledging Fang's second challenge of the night. The Blaze Edge was stuck in the ground a few feet away. Happy to put more distance between Fang and herself, Lightning hastily went for it. Tearing it from the ground so hard that dirt went flying upwards. She heard Fang chuckled from behind her, but paid her no mind as she retracted the blade and shoved it into its scabbard.

She was brushing dirt off herself when she nearly ran smack into Fang who had once again, popped her bubble. Lightning's anger had reached the point of no return, with the intention of silencing whatever smart comment the fellow L'Cie had, she formed a fist.

Of course, that was until she felt Fang's lips pressed up against hers.

Shock shot through her, then… Then nothing, nothing words could properly portray anyways. For whatever reason she didn't pull away in disgust, she didn't smack Fang for the second time, she just..

Let it happen, and was letting it continue.

Her fist unclenched and her eyes drifted slowly shut. Her body still remained tense, though it was ever so slowly beginning to relax.

"Light!? Fang?" Hope's worried voice broke the fantasy Lightning had been drifting into, and she quickly pulled herself away.

"We're coming." The shell the sergeant had perfected returned in a flash; she roughly pushed past her opponent.

"Hey, don't think I'll let you off that easy." Fang crossed her arms as Lightning turned back to her, looking uncertain. "I deserve something, I think."

She slapped her sparring partner without a second of hesitation. Fang shook her head with a small smile, touching her jaw with her hand.

"Always good to have your efforts rewarded."

"That's for popping my bubble," Lightning stated, before jumping up out of the pit. "Twice."

The warrior stood in the hole with her hands on her hips. She licked her lips, a thoughtful smirk appearing on her face. For all the things Oerba Yun Fang had correctly assumed (and there was a lot of them), the taste that lingered on her lips wasn't something she could add to that list.

She tastes like honey… She bounced out of the pit, and plucked her spear from the ground. Didn't see that coming…

Fang made a mental note as she walked back over to the camp. Lightning hadn't pulled away, though she was quick to hide what happened even from herself when the others were involved. Her shell came back at the speed of well, lightning. It was slow to drop however, something that would dissuade others from the challenge.

But Fang liked challenges however, and she adored the taste of honey.