This takes place several years after the end of the game. There are probably a few small spoilers within, but mostly not. Keep an open mind! :)

It's actually a songfic, but there is only a line from the song(s) worked in every so often. The main song in question is Recessional by Vienna Teng, but also elements form Cannonball and The Tower as well. Enjoy!

She lifted the last box and pushed it into place inside the trailer. With a smile on her face, she turned to receive the embrace from her sister. "Thanks Fang!" She couldn't see through the smile to the chaos of thought caged behind it. It was better that way.

"Anytime Vanille." She looked to the man who had stolen the younger girl's interest in the last few years. He was a decent guy, she couldn't deny that.. but part of her hated him for taking her sister away. She offered him a hand. "Don't let me hear if you don't take care of her.." She left the threat hanging, seeming just a joke, but they both knew it was completely serious.

Her gripped her hand strongly and nodded, smiling. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Oh Fang.." Vanille chuckled as she pulled them both together in a hug. "We're not far if you need us.." She added, looking directly at her adoptive sister.

Fang nodded, still hiding behind her smile. "I'll be fine." Vanille hugged her again, tears twinkling in her eyes. It was like the end of an era. Before the tears became a contagious effort, Vanille bounced up to the front of the trailer to the small carlike craft it was attached to and hopped in. Fang could tell she was a bit emotional about it, but she certainly couldn't blame her for that.. Fang herself was emotional about it too. Upset even; but she wouldn't show it. She wouldn't show the pain she felt watching her little sister grow up and move away. Maybe it wasn't far.. but it was far enough.

"I will take care of her." He reiterated as he stopped beside her on his way to the drivers seat.

She nodded somberly. "I know you will."

She didn't watch the car take off down the street as she closed the front door to the small house she had shared with her sister since they awoke from their crystal slumber. It looked so empty now. Fang wasn't really one to accumulate material possessions, which meant most of the things that she was accustomed to being around the house were Vanille's, and were now puttering their way to a new home.

With her back to the door, she slid to the floor, her tears finally slipping through. Her lonesome cry echoed through the nearly empty room.

After the third unanswered knock, Light was worried enough to fish for the extra key Fang had given her and let herself in. The room that greeted her was cold and empty, the only light coming from the moonlight streaming through the open window on the far end of the room. "Fang?"

She wished she had been able to be there for her, but as usual, work kept her busy. She was still in her uniform, as she had come straight to Fang's when she was off. Had Vanille given them more notice about her impending move, she might have been able to get the day off, but unfortunately, that hadn't been how it worked out.

She moved through the empty room and up the steps, listening for signs of her friend. Friends.. Over their time together, Fang had somehow pushed far enough into Light's personal bubble to become her best friend. Through their time as l'cie, to the time after Fang and Vanille had awoken, that relationship had only grown and solidified. Fang had become her constant.. her dependable friend. But this time, it was Fang that needed her to be there.

She passed Vanille's door, open and showing nothing but an empty room. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart, reminded of how she felt when Sarah had moved out. Fang had been there to help her through that time.

"C'mon now, she's not gone entirely. We all have to grow up sometime yeah?" She held out the bottle in offering, and light held up her glass to be refilled. "Y'still got me." She flashed her a cheeky smile as Light smirked and shook her head with a small chuckle. She sipped her wine and slid over just enough to be able to rest her head on Fang's shoulder.

Wordlessly, Fang put an arm around her shoulders and held her close. Lighting felt comforted knowing Fang would be her rock. And Fang was comforted just to be close to her in her time of need.

Farther down the hall, she knocked lightly on Fang's door, which was slightly open, and swung open a few more inches. "Fang?" The room was empty. Her frown deepened as she looked toward the open window at the end of the hall. There was a small balcony that allowed access to the roof. If she wasn't there, Light wasn't sure where to look.

Luckily, she was there, sitting on a small chair, reclined back and staring at the moonlit crystal form of Coccoon. Light didn't say anything as she moved across the roof to kneel next to her. Their eyes met and Light could see how pained she was; how lonely. "You ok?"

Fang ignored her question as she moved her gaze back to the mass of crystal glinting in the dim light. "Didn't think you were coming."

"I would have been here sooner if I could. You know I wouldn't leave you to do this alone."

Fang was silent save for a few sniffles. Light leaned over and embraced her. "Hey, y'still got me." She mirrored Fangs sentiment.

Fang just gave an indulgent if sad chuckle. 'But I don't.. not how I want you.' She thought sadly to herself. Friends, even best friends just weren't enough. Fang loved her. But she didn't love her back; not like she wanted her to. It would have to be enough; but it wasn't.

Lightning had never seen Fang so depressed before. Afraid to leave her alone for the night, she offered for her to stay at her place for the night. Fang felt weak for accepting, but there was nothing more comforting than being close to the one you loved.. Though in Fang's case, it was like a dull ache. Sometimes, you could imagine it was gone, but others it hurt so bad you could think of nothing else..

She fell asleep with her head in her lap. They had been talking, relating old memories and new ideas. Light would speak of things Fang could do now, without having to worry about Vanille, while Fang's replies would only be half hearted accounts that were a mix of memory and dreams.

Light ran her fingers through the sleeping woman's hair, wondering if things would change. Would their agreement change?

They sat at the edge of the water. Fang had her boots off, her toes dipped into the shallow of the river just enough for the rushing water to crawl partway up her foot. They sat in companionable silence, as they often did. Fang leaned back, basking in the sun as she listened to the sounds of the small waterfall just down the river. Lightning's eyes ventured up to watch her for a moment before looking back to her hands; busy cleaning her BlazeFire.

"Light?" She looked up to her companion again. They had sat in silence so long she wasn't sure she'd actually spoken. Fang opened her eyes and looked back to her. "I love you."

Her breath caught in her chest, unsure how to respond to such a statement, "Fang, I.." her gaze shifted to the water. She missed the sadness in Fang's eyes before they too shifted to take in the expanse of the river.

"It's ok. I won't do anything.. I respect you too much as a friend to do anything you aren't ready for."

"And if I'm never ready?" She looked back to Fang now, feeling guilty for the obvious hurt that question had caused.

"Well," she began, her voice only a little shaky, "Then I'll always be here for you as a friend."

They returned to their silence again as Lightning stared at her, thinking on that. After a few minutes, she slowly nodded. Fang was her friend. Probably the best she'd ever had; save for her sister. She didn't feel awkward around her, didn't feel the need to hide. "Best friends." She stated, causing Fang to look back to her, a genuine smile blooming on her lips. Light couldn't help but smile as well; a rare treat that Fang treasured.

Light drifted off to sleep, the comfortable weight in her lap. She always felt better when Fang was around.. she could only hope she did the same for her.

Fang moved around the house, cleaning mostly, removing the dusty impressions where Vanille's possessions had once resided. She had invited Light over for dinner, and to her delight, she had accepted. For most of the week though, she hadn't moved. In her depression and loss, she hadn't done anything more than eat, sleep and go to work.

Work had sustained her when she awoke from her crystalline sleep. If gave her an outlet and kept her active in a world that seemed geared to finding every way to make life easier. Machines did most of the hard labor, and most of the food was farmed. Fang's way of life, had died over 500 years ago, and she had a hard time adjusting. That is, until Light's commander offered her a job. So she had taken up the position as a guide, teaching the Cocoon natives how to survive in the wilds of Pulse.

But unsurprisingly, the wilds were getting pushed farther and farther away as the cities began to sprawl. Fang's position meant less and less with every passing month. She'd been reduced to going out with scout teams when new ruins were found, translating Pulsan scripts and teaching others how to read and write her native tongue. Mostly, she wasn't needed anymore. She and Light joked every now and again about how she'd done her job too well, but she was sad to think she was giving them the knowledge that allowed them to destroy everything she knew at a faster pace. She'd only wanted to be sure that the story persevered even after her death.. She needed to know that an entire history of Pulsan life would at least live on in text and stories.

She picked up a lone, leather bound book off the shelf that had been littered with Vanille's small library only a week ago. Its pages were hand written in Pulsan script. It was a journal of sorts.. Fang's personal account of their time as l'cie, from the day they woke within Anima's temple, displaced from what they knew. The Bodhum Vestage. She flipped through the pages, recalling how confused and angry she had felt then; lost, as she felt so often now. She shook her head and closed the volume, hiding it from her sight behind a small planter on the shelf. 'Now is not the time to think of such things,' she told herself as she went back to clearing the dust.

An hour later, the house looked as if it was ready to go up for sale. Somehow, that was even more depressing than the dust. She retreated to the kitchen to begin prepping dinner as she tried to distract herself from the time. Light was late.

Confident her friend wouldn't stand her up, she readied the small table near the bay windows in the kitchen with a clean cloth. She hesitated as she reached for the candles, she knew their agreement, but she had to try. She settled them on the table and moved to cover the food to keep it warm.

As she was finishing that task, she heard an airbike settle outside. Her smile returned for the first time in days as she went to open the door.

Lightning slid out of the seat and unbuckled a plastic case from the rear seat, which she carried with her. "Sorry I'm late," she stated as she approached the door. "I had to make a stop." She lifted the case as she followed Fang inside and allowed the door to close behind her. She paused as she looked around. The house looked so.. desolate and foreign; another feeling she remembered from when Sarah moved, but Fang, having less possessions of her own, made it far more prominent.

"What's that?" She asked curiously, trying to peer inside.

The question drew her attention back to Fang with a smile. "I thought this might help you adjust a bit." She set the case down on the dark hardwood and opened the small door on the front. For a moment, there was nothing as they waited, then a small feline creature poked its head out of the opening.

It was dark grey with redish stripes, two little horns that weren't yet grown poked out just before its ears and tiny little saber teeth were poking out from its gumline. It mewled at her, lifting a black booted paw toward her. With a smile, she knelt down to let it sniff at her fingers. Once it was satisfied, it rubbed against them, and she gently picked the small creature up and let it cuddle into her arms. "Where did you find a Canthor cub?"

"We found it out on the Steppe the other day. Unfortunately, the mother was badly injured by a behemoth and they couldn't save her.. So we brought this little one back with us. She's way too young to survive out there on her own."

Fang chuckled softly as the kitten nibbled at her fingers. Light smiled, watching her.

"The lab couldn't see anything wrong with her, but they are rare and no one was really sure how to take care of it. I figured if anyone did, it would be you."

"A Canthor is a hunter's pet. They were popular in my time." Somehow, Fang had gotten over the sting she felt when she'd refer to the past as 'her time'; it felt so natural now. She hummed softly as the little feline curled up in her arms, purring contently and looking a bit sleepy. It was that same tune she had first heard Fang humming when they had reached Oerba originally.

Light kicked Snow a little harder than she meant to as she returned from watch duty. "You're up." Snow slowly got to his feet and moved to take over for his shift as Light moved up the steps. The menfolk had been pushed downstairs to sleep, affording Fang and Vanille some private time while Light was out on her shift at watch.

As she began up the steps, she didn't hear the sniffling that filled the hall when she'd left. She heard humming as she got closer to the top of the steps. Cautiously, she entered the top floor of the building, her eyes adjusting the the dim light. She could see Fang sitting on the bed, Vanille laying on the bunk with her head resting on Fang's thighs.

"Fang?" She asked softly, not wanting to wake the younger girl.

The humming stopped as she looked up. "You're in already?" She asked, equally low. Light just nodded, settling onto the bunk across from the pair. "Musta lost track of the time."

Light watched as her hand idly rubbed the girl's shoulder, humming once again. "How is she?"

"Doin' better."

"And you?" Light could tell how much it was effecting Fang to see her home in such a state.

"It kinda all hit me at once." She spoke, barely loud enough for Light to hear. "It's really been 500 years. Everything I knew is gone. Everyone I knew is gone. Vanille is all I have left."

Leaning forward, Light placed a reassuring hand on Fang's knee. "You have me. You have all of us. We're all in this together."

Fang smiled, though her sadness dulled it considerably. "Thanks Light. That.. means a lot to me."

Light nodded and settled back on the bunk, watching her as she watched Vanille sleep. "You should get some sleep."

"Soon." She nodded, pushing a few strands of red hair away from Vanille's eyes. After a moment, she began humming again as she rubbed the girl's back.

"What are you humming?"

"Mm?" She looked over to a curious gaze from Light where she reclined on the bunk. "Just an old song. It used to comfort Vanille when we were little. Afraid I can't remember the words.. just the melody."

Light nodded as she tried to get more comfortable. "Its.. pretty. I can see how it comforted her."

Lightning fell asleep listening to Fang humming. It certainly was comforting.

Light smiled, shaking herself from memories. She knew this would help Fang a bit. It was a convenient thing, but she'd wanted to get Fang a new companion to care for, and Fang just didn't seem like the Chocobo type.

"What are you going to name her?"

"Mm?" She looked to Light. "What should we name her?" she stressed the 'we'.

Light smiled again, moving close enough to rub the fuzz around the snoozing kitten's horns. "Well, they're nocturnal right?"

She nodded. "Mostly."

"Nyx?" It seemed a lame copout of a name to Light, but Fang brightened and lifted the cub, waking her in the process.

"How's that little one? Do you like the name Nyx?" it mewled back at her, waving her little paws. "She likes it!" Fang nodded, allowing the small creature to cuddle back up against her breasts. Little Nyx returned to her contented purring. She gave a little mewl of protest as Fang set her down on the small couch in the living room and pulled a blanket around her to cuddle into, but she quickly curled up in it and quieted, pawing softly at the blanket in her sleep.

Fang turned to Light and wrapped her arms around her in a chaste hug. "Thank you.." She released her, though she didn't want to. "…For everything. For coming, for Nyx.."

Light smiled reassuringly. "It's ok. I'm here for you." Idly, Fang nodded, still saddened by the limitation that Light still clung to.

They moved into the kitchen and Light was caught breathless by the effort Fang had put into what she'd thought would be a friendly dinner. The table was lit by candlelight, the bay windows offering a beautiful view of the sunset. A bottle of wine sat chilling in a bucket of ice. On the counter, bowls of food were still steaming a bit through their covers. Whatever she'd made, it smelled excellent.

"Fang.." She found a finger over her lips, silencing her with an accompanying 'shh'.

"Just.. let me have tonight." Her eyes were nearly begging. It tugged at Light's heartstrings. Silently, she nodded.

Dinner went smoothly. They chatted amicably, the mood lifting a bit more with each glass of wine. Light was pleasantly surprised at Fang's ability to cook, and she didn't find the candlelight setting uncomfortable at all.

After dinner, they moved to the roof, taking what was left of the bottle with them. Nyx woke and opted to follow them, only to curl up happily between them as they sat in silence, once again observing the glinting crystalline form of Cocoon.

"It's so beautiful here," Fang said softly, her speech barely impacted by the amount of wine she'd imbibed. "This moment, now.. This moment," she continued, locking gazes with Light, "now.." she trailed off, lost in her azure eyes. She might not be slurring, but the alcohol had definitely impaired the way she thought.

Light felt a tug at her heart again. In this moment, it seemed.. right to be with Fang. She knew it was the alcohol, but she couldn't remember why she'd refused to be anything more than best friends.. but she knew she had a reason. She broke her gaze away, dimly aware that they had been shifting closer and closer.. and looked to the bottle, now empty; thankfully. Her head was fuzzy.. but she didn't want to do anything that would ruin their friendship.

"I.. should go." She looked back to Fang in time to watch her practically deflate. It hurt Light to know she'd hurt her with that single small sentence, but she didn't know what else to do.

"You shouldn't drive now.. Stay.. please. Just tonight. You can sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch." Fang's head seemed to clear somewhat quickly, perhaps the adrenaline rush of fear. Fear of being left alone? Light wasn't sure. "Please? I won't try anything.."

"Alright." She couldn't resist when she made that face. Leave it to Fang to be able to pout without actually doing so. She busied herself collecting the wine glasses and empty bottle as Fang gently picked up the sleeping kitten to take back inside.

True to her word, Fang settled onto the small couch once she was sure Lightning was settled in her room. Nyx opted to curl up with Fang, purring away as she hummed and stroked her fur. For the second time in her life, Lightning fell asleep comforted by the sound of Fang's humming.

Light awoke to the smell of breakfast, the sound of small mewls and the weight of a kitten on her stomach. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was. But Fang's scent was all around her and she recognized the woman's bedroom. She glanced beside her, assuring herself that the woman had not slept with her. She wasn't sure if she was happy for that fact, or saddened by it.

"Good morning Nyx." She ground out sleepily as she sat up. Her head was spinning. Way too much wine.

"Mew!" The little Canthor jumped off the bed, hitting the floor with a thump, then ran off through the open door, apparently deciding that its job was complete.

Slowly she got up and pulled on her clothes before stumbling to the bathroom.

Shortly after she stumbled towards the kitchen, now ignoring the empty livingroom as she practically dropped into a chair at the table and put her head down.

"Morning Sunshine." Fang stated as she turned some kind of breakfast meat on the stove.

"How can you be so…"

"Not hung over?" Fang finished for her as she grinned.

"Yeah that." Light grumbled irritably as she lifted her head enough to watch her set a mug of something hot in front of her.

"Drink that, it'll help."

She eyed the steaming mug. "Tea?"

"It's special tea, trust me." She chuckled as she shut off the stove. She moved the meat to awaiting plates, then turned and set a third, already prepared plate or raw meat bits on the floor for Nyx to happily nom away at. She brought the two plates of cooked food over to the table and set one down before Light, and the other for herself.

Rather than continue feeling ill at the smell of breakfast, Light cautiously sipped at the tea, hoping it would help sooner, rather than later. She started to feel better within a few minutes. "Thanks." She nodded slightly as she finally felt ok enough to pull her plate closer to her.

Fang nodded, slowly eating her own breakfast. Light noted she was being slow about it, as if something was bothering her. "Are you alright?" she ventured before sipping at her tea again.

She looked up, her confliction showing on her features. "I.. wanted to apologize." She paused a moment before explaining, "for last night."

Her suspicions were correct then, Fang had been trying again to get her to change her mind. "It's alright.. I know how you're feeling right now Fang. Desperately looking for something to make you less lonely.. You helped me with that when Sarah left, but I was afraid I couldn't do that enough for you.."

"Which is why you brought Nyx."

She nodded, if only a little. "Partially. Even if Vanille was still here, I would have brought her to you."

Fang nodded as she stared out the window.

"Fang.. I'm sorry I can't be what you want me to be."

"You never even tried." The clipped tone alerted her to the shift of the warrior's mood. An angry Fang was a force to be reckoned with and she knew where this was going.

"I can't-"

"Why?" She turned to her, eyes dark with a tumultuous mix of emotion. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not gay Fang."

"You're not anything are you Captain?" She spit her rank as if it was a curse. Lightning put so much of herself into her job, she never dated anyone. She never even tried, or showed any interest in anyone.

It hurt to have it pointed out so bluntly. She felt guilty. She told herself that she was just too busy. Between work and her ex-l'cie family, she just didn't have time for a relationship. Was that really the truth? She wasn't even sure anymore.

"You're nothing more than your Job. " She shook her head, now standing and leaning against the wall next to the window, her back to Light.

"Fang-"

"Just go. I think I've made enough of a fool of myself for the day."

Slowly, Light stood, giving her a chance to change her mind. She watched as Fang knelt down to pick up Nyx, but never even glanced toward her. With a sigh, she turned to go, pausing long enough to say "I'm sorry," before heading out to her awaiting airbike. She never saw the silent tears that slid down Fang's cheeks as she clung to the little kitten as if she was her lifeline.

The world(s) of FF are sadly devoid of many feline creatures, especially ones that make suitable pets. So I made one up. Haha. :)