I just finished FFXIII not too long ago, and I had this story swimming in the back of my mind that I just had to write it down. I loved Fang/Vanille in the game, but I won't lie - I definitely saw some delectable chemistry between Fang/Light too. Or maybe that was just me and my twisted mind. But anyway, I thought a little love triangle wouldn't hurt anyone! This is just a one-shot for now, but I may just continue it. I'm not sure. It might be fun to explore a scenario where Fang is helplessly drawn to Light despite her love for Vanille. We'll see... Hope you enjoy it!

Oerba Dia Vanille sat on a grassy hill in the Tsumitran Basin, watching her fellow Pulsian spar with their appointed leader.

The midday sun had just reached its peak when the party had stopped to make camp. Normally, they wouldn't have ended their exploration of Gran Pulse so soon. But after Hope's harrowing encounter with his eidolon, even Lightning didn't put up much of a fight about taking it easy for the rest of the afternoon. They would need all their strength for the upcoming trek through the massive Archelyte Steppe.

While Snow and Hope had gone searching for the group's next meal, Vanille and Sazh had set up a makeshift camp. Fang and Lightning, apparently below such domestic chores, had paired off to clear the perimeter of beasts and other nasties that inhabited the area.

Vanille had done her best to tamp down her disappointment when Fang had traipsed off with the former Guardian Corps soldier. She had been hoping that Sazh would go with Lightning so that she could spend more time alone with Fang. They hadn't had much since reuniting on the Palamecia. But it wasn't meant to be. She couldn't put her finger on when exactly she started to notice a difference in Fang's behavior. But ever since they had escaped the Ark and arrived on Gran Pulse, Fang had seemed less...attentive... somehow. That wasn't to say that Fang had been actively neglecting Vanille. Far from it. Fang had been just as protective and caring as she had always been. But something had felt different, and the feeling made Vanille uneasy.

It wasn't long after Lightning and Fang had returned that they immediately started their current sparring match. Vanille became a spectator of their duel and Sazh soon joined her.

"Are those two still at it?" He sat down next to her on the hill with an exasperated sigh, legs outstretched.

Vanille nodded, absently toying with several blades of grass. "Looks like it."

"I don't know how they do it." Sazh shook his head, hands flat on the ground as he leaned his weight backward. "I really do get exhausted just watching them."

She giggled. "I can't speak for Light, but Fang never could sit still." It was difficult for Vanille to keep the warmth and affection from her voice. "Even when we were kids, she was always up and about, going goddess knows where."

"Yeah, well, neither can the soldier," Sazh replied, remembering how he had chased after Lightning around the Hanging Edge and all the way to the Pulse Vestige. It seemed like a lifetime ago. He had much preferred his journeys with Vanille. At least she knew how to take breaks, he thought, recalling their trip to Nautilus. Speaking of...

"Hey Vanille?"

"Hm?" Her eyes never left Fang and Lightning.

"Do you remember when we were in Nautilus? I asked if you had anyone special, and you said no."

Vanille reluctantly tore her gaze away from the sparring match to look at Sazh, her expression sheepish.

"That wasn't exactly the truth, now was it?" He smiled gently at her so she knew he was not accusing her.

Vanille looked down, a blush coloring her cheeks a light pink. She had told so many lies, she couldn't possibly tell him another. She shook her head.

"Thought so." Sazh nodded and let out a breath, pleased his hunch had been right. He looked over at Fang and Lightning, before glancing back at Vanille.

"Does she know?"

She hesitated. "Yes...no... I don't know. I mean, I don't even know how I feel half the time." She laughed weakly.

Sazh could sympathize. It had taken him quite some time to sort through his own feelings for his late wife. Thankfully, he had gotten his act together and was able to enjoy a few fleeting years with her and Dajh before she passed away. This was definitely not the time for Vanille to follow the old man's lead, he mused.

"Now I'm not trying to make you feel bad, and it's probably none of my business but... you should talk to her about it, you know. If there's anything I've learned about this whole L'cie business, it's that we have to seize the moment. I mean, at any time any one of us could become a Cie'th. Or hell, say we even complete this insane focus, then it's a one way ticket to crystal city. You know what I mean?"

He noticed her gaze was back on him. She nodded, grateful, and he returned a smile. "Anyway, just some food for thought. I'd better get the fire started. I'm sure Snow and Hope'll be back soon; hopefully with something edible."

With a quick pat on her leg, Sazh stood and returned to the camp, and Vanille turned her attention back to the sparring match.

Seize the moment.

Sazh made it sound so easy. But how could she be truthful when even she didn't know what the truth was. Not to mention the fact that she hadn't even told Fang the truth about her memories of Ragnarok... It wasn't too long ago that Vanille had run away from Fang, with every intention of keeping the older woman safe from the horrible truth of their focus. Even if she turned into a Cie'th, at least she would have protected Fang in her own small way. So was she supposed to just casually bring up her lies during a conversation about their relationship?

Vanille groaned in frustration.

Well, if it's too much to deal with, face it later.

Serah Farron's words came unbidden to her mind. They had spoken only briefly on the beach at Bodhum, but their conversation still stayed with Vanille to this day. Face it later... She was always facing things later. But what else could she do right now in this instance? She nodded once, steeling her resolve. Alright then I'll talk to her...later. And she would tell Fang everything. For now, she would be content to watch her two comrades in action.

She admired the battle dance of the two women. The sheen of sweat on their skin glistened in the afternoon sun. They moved elegantly and fluidly, as if choreographed, neither one ever gaining the upper hand as they traded blow after blow, parry after parry. Vanille was highly impressed with Lightning's ability to keep up with Fang, who had been widely regarded as one of the strongest warriors in all of Oerba, if not all of Gran Pulse itself. She often wondered if Fang held herself back so as not to bruise Lightning's ego. But she knew Fang well enough to realize she would never hold back punches, especially against a soldier from Cocoon.

Looks like Fang finally met her match. Vanille tried to ignore the sinking feeling that pulled at her stomach.

It was then that Fang leaped high in the sky, twisting in the air and initiating what appeared to be her Highwind attack. Anticipating the move, Lightning quickly shifted her weapon from gun-mode to blade-mode, lifting it to a defensive position. But the strike of spear against sword never came.

Instead, a small ball of darkness shot from Fang's left hand as gravity pulled her toward her opponent. Lightning recognized the Ruinga spell a second too late before it expanded out in an explosion of light. Vanille had to cover her eyes from the brightness, which lasted a mere instant. When she looked back, she saw that the force of Fang's spell had knocked Lightning on her back, causing her to drop her gunblade. Fang pointed her spear at the fallen woman in triumph.

Vanille had nothing against Lightning. Indeed she greatly admired and respected her. But she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at the victory of her... her...her what? What was Fang to her?

Vanille frowned, cursing Sazh for steering her thoughts to the subject. She loved Fang, and Fang loved her. She was her special someone, just like she had told Sazh. She knew at least that much. But what were they, exactly, to each other? What would she say to Fang once they had the "discussion" that she had already vowed to have later. They were closer than mere friends, surely. In Oerba, all the villagers were "family," technically. But deep down, she knew they were so much more...even if neither of them could ever seem to put their relationship into words let alone discuss it out loud. At least that's what she had thought...

Vanille watched as Fang smirked down at her defeated opponent, her green eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Your problem, Light, is that you never expect the unexpected," Vanille heard Fang say. Smugly. She spoke slowly, relishing each word as it rolled off her tongue in her Oerban drawl. "That will always be your downfall."

"Is that right?" Although she couldn't quite see it, Vanille could hear the glare in Lightning's clipped tone.

"I thought you'd have figured it out by now. I'm almost always right."

"Like back at the Ark with Bahamut?" Light challenged.

Fang shrugged, attaching her spear to her back. "Ch... Well, no one's perfect - as you so kindly demonstrated."

"I knew I shouldn't have stopped at one hit in Palumpolum."

"Well no one's stopping you from trying now, little lightning bug." Fang winked at Lightning.

"Don't tempt me, snaggle tooth. You're mine next time."

"Is that a promise?"

Vanille's brow furrowed as she observed their exchange. Were they...flirting? The notion wasn't completely foreign in Fang's case at least. In addition to her battle prowess, Fang had been known throughout Oerba as a notorious flirt. But Lightning... Vanille shook her head, still uncomfortable. I'm just imagining things. This is Light we're talking about.

Fang leaned down and held out her hand to Lightning, smirk still firmly planted in place. Vanille didn't think Lightning's pride would allow her to take it. But to her surprise, Lightning slipped her fingers into Fang's grip and let herself be pulled up, their hands lingering in a grasp that lasted a tad longer than Vanille liked.

Vanille could see that Lightning had bits of grass in her hair; something that didn't go unnoticed by Fang. Vanille's breath caught as she watched Fang chuckle, reach up, and gently brush some of the debris from Lightning's bangs.

It was then, Vanille saw it.

If she blinked, she would have missed it.

But the tenderness in Fang's eyes as she looked at Lightning in that fleeting moment was unmistakable. Undeniable.

Vanille knew then the cause of the unease that had been troubling her since they arrived in Gran Pulse.

Fang looks at Light the way she used to only look at me.

The realization hit her with the force of a King Behemoth's lunge. To Vanille's dismay, the Lightning didn't pull away from Fang's touch nor did she try to knock the other woman's head off her shoulders. Instead, Light's icy blue gaze softened, almost imperceptibly. Just like Fang's expression, it was over before it even started. But it didn't escape Vanille's notice.

Vanille's jaw clenched. The sinking feeling in her stomach turned into a cold grip of jealousy. It made her sick.

Fang and Lightning turned to her then, and it took all the willpower of Hallowed Pulse to paste a smile on her face as they approached.

How can I seize the day when there might be nothing left to seize...? She wondered. And when would "later" be too late? Based on the small smiles Lightning and Fang exchanged as they walked toward her, Vanille feared she already knew the answer.