AN: Wow, hey guys, it's been a long time. I'm sorry about the lack of updates to both this and All This Time, but I have been busy concerning other things rather than worrying about writing fanfiction. Don't worry, I have not abandoned All This Time as I'm in the process of trying to write Chapter 12, but I am not sure when it'll be released.

That being said, I'm sorry that this is all I can offer you guys at the moment, but I do have a couple more ideas (for this, and an individual piece), so hopefully we'll be seeing that soon. That said, this is a rather quick piece that I got inspiration for, and I think it's a pretty neat idea, one that I certainly stand by, and I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Letting Go

"How can you stand it?"

"Stand what, Sunshine?"

"That she's not the same girl you were frozen with the last five hundred years?"

The two women had taken their spots a little on the outskirts of their camp on the plains on Gran Pulse, by a large boulder that the former soldier had taken her place on. The weather was sweet and cool tonight, but instead of Light initiating the walk into the wilderness, it was Fang who trotted away from camp, just to collect her thoughts. Lightning followed her - besides finding herself enjoying the older woman's company (but not wanting to admit to it), she had a curious question tugging at her since late afternoon where she overheard Sazh and Snow counseling Hope on women.

Theoretically Vanille was around Serah's age and therefore would also be wondering about the spectacles of men, yet Light was curious how Fang reacted to all of it. Since they had arrived on Gran Pulse, she likened the older woman's relationship to the cheerful red head as a sisterly bond, something that resembled what Light could've had with Serah; while Lightning had reacted badly to Serah developing into a woman, Fang didn't appear to be too fazed by it, or perhaps she was and keeping it bottled in. That seemed a lot like something the older woman would do.

Fang had been snapping a small stick before Light joined her, and all action concerning it ceased as the tan-skinned woman gave her pink-haired counterpart a curious glance. "I don't think I'm followin' ya there," she said.

Light's shoulders dropped and she gave an exasperated sigh. Did she have to spell everything out? "I mean Vanille, with men. How do you feel?"

Fang shrugged. "Don't really bother me much," she said casually, returning to snapping the already too short stick.

"You mean you're not upset about it?"

"No, why should I be? Vanille's a grown woman, she can handle herself." Fang snapped the last piece of stick and threw it away. "I'll just play the threatenin' big sis figure, but she can take care of herself, and I trust her."

Guilt slapped Lightning silly - Fang had a worse temper than she, or at least more willing to let it loose, and yet she was okay with Vanille getting involved with someone. More importantly, she trusted her. That only sickened Light further, about her behavior towards Serah since taking on the responsibility of the world, imagining her little sister as just that - a sister that would never grow up, never find love or want to have a family.

"Ya were like that way with Serah?" Fang must've been reading her mind, and Light swore at the woman in her head for being able to do that.

Light distracted herself by looking at the dark sky. It was so pretty, and the stars were out, something that was a rarity to see on Cocoon. "It's not something I'm proud of," she said plainly.

Fang snorted. "I don't blame ya. I mean if Vanille wanted to go date Snow-"

"It didn't start with Snow."

Now the Pulsian woman's attention was perked completely, and she gave Light a look. "Ya kiddin' me? Ya mean to tell me that you've been chasin' boys away from Serah since when?"

"Fifteen."

"Etro Light, ya trusted her that little?"

The heavy pang in her heart returned. "I said I wasn't proud of it," she spat nastily. "And if you want to continue making fun of me-"

"I ain't makin' fun of ya, I'm just surprised that ya played parent to her this whole time. Can't say I blame her for wantin' to run awa-"

Light whirled on her in an instant, no longer entranced by the sky. "Who told you that? Was it Snow?"

Fang raised her arms. "Hey, yeah it was Snow, so what? I asked, he answered."

"I'm going to kill him..."

"There'll be no killin' tonight Sunshine. Besides if ya want to blame someone blame me then, I made him tell me."

Light covered her face. "When our parents died, I had to grow up, and try and protect Serah from the world. But I began isolating her from my life too, and suddenly it became like I'm the one who had to make all the big choices for her."

"Look Light, I don't blame ya for wantin' to protect her, but she needed a sister and a best friend, not a mom. I mean I don't try and dictate Vanille's-"

"I wasn't dictating!" Lightning protested, but then hesitated. Was she really dictating what Serah had to do and what she couldn't do?

"Uh sounds like ya were to me. Hey I'm in no place to tell ya what to do with yer life Light, but ya might want to think less 'bout what ya want, and more on what she wants." Fang peered over to inspect the sight at the distant camp. "Looks like party time's over, I'm gonna head back. Ya comin'?"

Too involved with what Fang had told her, Lightning didn't even register her inquiry until Fang repeated herself, where Light responded by waving her off and leaving her to her thoughts. She leaned back on the boulder she sat upon, taking in the sky, but more importantly taking in what Fang had told her, and thinking about what she had done to Serah that only tore their relationship apart.

She didn't return to camp that night, contemplating and sorting her thoughts, and who she was then and who she was now. She knew she was not the same woman who merely shoved others aside to not only show that she could, but because she believed she didn't need anyone. No, she understood now that she did need people. Her former self might've hated the idea of Serah growing up, but her newer self... understood that she needed to let go. And when she openly admitted it to herself, suddenly it didn't seem so bad, that Serah wanted to be treated like a grown woman, and enter into a serious marriage with Snow. None of that seemed to bother her anymore.

Lightning fell asleep on the boulder, only awaken by a vicious tug on her cape in the morning. She turned her head to the side to see Fang staring up at her, a bold grin on her face. "Ya ready to go?"

Stretching out the creaks in her muscles, Lightning leapt off the boulder. Fang thought she was already being dismissed by the hardened woman, and therefore was surprised when Light caught her by the shoulders.

"Thanks Fang," she said, being truly honest in her response, and showing it by giving Fang one of her rare small smiles.

Fang arched an eyebrow, unable to hold back a smirk that appeared on her face. "Glad ya kinda get it now."

Light nodded. She did understand now.

When Serah was freed, things were going to be different between them.