I. Imaginary Friend

Come on, come on
Don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now
I'm haunted

~ Taylor Swift, Haunted

The velocycle whirred and hovered over the red plains, as the late afternoon sunlight glinted off its polished chrome surface. Clouds of dust billowed around as the vehicle finally made its gentle descent onto the soft earth. The engine was cut, and the driver sat staring ahead, waiting patiently for the sounds to die off.

"We stick together, no matter what…"

She exhaled softly in her leather seat, the corner of her lips curling up mockingly at the memory. Memory of a promise left unkept. The high collar of her white silk coat obscured most of her face as she dipped her head in shame momentarily. As she seemingly made peace with herself, she lifted her head with new resolve, her sapphire eyes tinged with steely determination. She swung her long legs out the side of her vehicle, and emerged to survey the landscape in a languid fashion.

Nothing much seemed to change around here, she mused to herself. Her knee-length white boots with onyx buckles tread heavily in the desert sands as she made her way to a small cliff that held a good view of the horizon. Moving with grace and efficiency, Lightning Farron held her posture straight with a hand on her hips, as she gazed at the crystalline structure that held Cocoon in the sky. Her other hand rested on her gunblade out of habit. Gunblade that was still sheathed at the ready in the leather holster that swung from her hips.

A year had passed since the incident. Life had moved on, despite their experiences making a different sort of brands in their hearts. Lightning had returned to her work in the Guardian Corps and earned her current rank of Captain. The two luminescent gold stripes on her shoulder plate displayed her competence proudly. Her lithe figure was still clad in the same uniform, albeit altered to suit the prominence of her position. She no longer wore her turtleneck with her beige leather jacket. Instead, a tailored white silk coat with gold trimmings hugged her torso while she wore a glossy black V-necked shirt underneath. She still wore her mini-skirt, but it was no longer made of the practical, durable denim material which allowed her to stretch in a fight. In its place was a matching white silk skirt with a side slit of such expensive cutting that she blended better in a boardroom cutting down politicians than Behemoths here in Gran Pulse. Her maroon cape was now replaced by a royal blue one. The significance of the colour was only known to her. The rich hues kept her reminded of a certain someone whom she kept close to her heart.

She swept her fringes from her eyes as she glanced upwards. Her rose-coloured hair now hung softly to her waist, the wavy tresses a comforting weight across one side of her chest and back. Every weekend, Lightning would come to this spot to chat with her imaginary friend. And she waited patiently for the sun to slowly bathe Gran Pulse in a fiery orange-red glow.

"There you are, Sunshine! I thought you were never gonna make it…"

As if on cue, when the glaring sunset warped the plains into a swirling haze, she heard the deep baritone voice teasing in her head. A silhouette became more prominent on the cliff, a figure with her back turned towards her. Wild, raven hair whipped in the desert wind, the sunlight making bronze streaks play across the silken tresses. The figure slowly turned towards her with a roguish grin on her face and held out her hand.

Lightning's heart constricted painfully as she took in the sight of the beauty before her. Her gloved hand curled slightly at the overwhelming urge to reach out, but she stopped. She had made that mistake once before. The first time Lightning saw her there, she had stretched out to touch her face disbelievingly. Instead of feeling the familiar and warm sun-kissed skin upon contact, her hand had passed through cold air and her personal mirage had vanished immediately. Over time, she had learnt not to expect too much of her own imagination. Now, she only made a slight huff and gave an answering smirk as she made to sit on a rocky outcrop by the side.

"I'm not late, you are…" she countered haughtily.

"Irritable, are ya? Don't wanna make it worse for you, but you look like you could use some company, luv." The figure clad in blue sari swung her hips confidently about, twirling her red lance lazily.

"Yeah… I'm just out of sorts now that Serah's married and moved out." Lightning replied as she fidgeted and tossed small rocks into the distance absent-mindedly.

"Missing me already, ain't it? I'll bet you wouldn't look so lost if I were with you right now."

Lightning turned her turquoise burning gaze to meet the warm emerald eyes behind her.

"Fang, you bloody well know the answer to that. Why don't you wake up already instead of waiting another hundred years to do so!"

The figure turned her bitter gaze away from the sudden outburst.

Author's Notes: This is my first time writing a fanfic. I was going for a one-shot, but certain things in my life I am going through right now makes me want to continue it through Lightning and Fang. As the story progresses, do review and let me know if any of you feel the same way at some point in your life…

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story and I've been in love with Final Fantasy since Cloud :)