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For a long time, there was silence; peaceful, impenetrable. Crystal stasis… it was supposed to be a paradise. Maybe for some people, it was a peaceful sleep where they could rest knowing they’d been successful, free of regrets. But it wasn’t for Fang. She’d already had that peaceful sleep. Five hundred years of it, in fact. This time, her stasis was filled with an impatient sense of waiting, a suspension of time that felt grueling and endless. Unlike the last stasis, she thought she heard voices occasionally in this one, as though people had come to visit her and Vanille. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew Etro had woken everyone else; Vanille had been the one to tell them to wake up, after all, and they were bound for the time being. That only made Fang’s impatience worse.
It felt like an eternity before there was a blinding flash of light, and then consciousness. She could move. She flexed her fingers first, then her toes. Slowly, her body remembered what it was like to be awake, and she pushed herself to her hands and knees, her eyes scanning the area around her for signs of Vanille. But this time, it didn’t look like she and her sister had awoken together. She was surrounded by crystal dust, but as she looked up, she realized that the pillar was still intact; Cocoon hovered directly above her head, gleaming in the sunlight. She looked for Vanille’s face in the pillar, but it wasn’t there. Fang hoped she had woken up first. She couldn’t imagine anything else having happened to Vanille; she wouldn’t.
Her thoughts flew to someone else then, as she rose to her feet, the crystal grains crunching as she stepped on them. Lightning. Fuck, Lightning was going to be pissed. Fang ran a hand through her hair nervously as she thought of her girlfriend’s wrath. But then again, Fang realized with a sinking sensation, she didn’t know how long she’d been in stasis for. For all she knew, it’d been another five hundred years, and Lightning…
No. She wouldn’t imagine that. She refused. Not until she had proof.
Brushing the crystal dust off of her knees, she started her trek toward the Archylte Steppe, hoping she’d find signs of life on the way. As she walked, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt. She’d promised Light, given the soldier her word that she’d stay with her. And then she’d just… turned to crystal with Vanille. Granted, there probably wouldn’t have been any other way to save Cocoon. But Fang knew that if Lightning had known that, she would’ve taken Fang’s place in a heartbeat. Fang had been the one to convince Lightning that they’d all be together after defeating Orphan, knowing full well that wasn’t exactly true.
She’s going to kill me.
Fang chuckled at the thought. Despite her guilt, she was surprisingly eager to be on the receiving end of Lightning’s anger. She missed it more than words could say. She found her pace speeding up as she thought about the left hook Light was sure to throw at her when they finally saw each other again, and then… and then the feeling of Lightning in her arms, rigid and tough until her wired muscles finally softened.
She was shaken out of her thoughts when she nearly collided head-first with a tall man in a white and yellow uniform. Stumbling back, her eyes widened when she realized who it was. Hope was nearly taller than her now, and she felt a mixed wave of relief and concern when she considered how long that meant she must’ve been asleep for. At least her friends were still alive; she hadn’t been asleep for centuries. But how many years had it been for Hope to get so tall? He’d been a little squirt the last time she saw him.
“Fang!” Hope’s eyes widened. “You’re awake!”
“Yeah, I’m awake. About damn time, too.” She placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head sideways with a lopsided grin. “Last time I saw you, you were barely as tall as my hip. You sure you’re the same Hope Estheim?”
Hope chuckled. “The one and only. Lucky we ran into each other when we did, I’m headed back to Paddra soon. I just came out here to do some research. But since we’re here now, I can show you to New Bodhum; Vanille will be thrilled that you’re finally awake. She was pretty angry when she woke up and you were still in stasis.”
“So, Vanille is awake then,” Fang said thoughtfully as they started to walk in the direction of New Bodhum. “And what of everyone else? Sazh, Snow? Did Serah wake up?”
“We’re all awake,” Hope said, nodding. “Serah and Snow wasted no time getting married, Sazh and Dajh went back up to Cocoon but they visit from time to time. It was a miracle, really. The only downside was that you and Vanille were still in stasis. Nobody ever lost hope that you’d wake up, though. In fact, Lightning…” his voice trailed off then.
Fang’s eyes snapped to him, a sharp look as she raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, what about Lightning?”
“Well, she -”
Before he could finish his statement, they were interrupted by a loud squeal before Vanille catapulted herself into Fang’s arms. Fang looked down with a hearty laugh, wrapping her arms tightly around Vanille, before her eyes shifted back up and she got a good look at the area. They were on the shore, the ground having given way from tall grasses to sand. It looked like a work-in-progress replica of the town she and Vanille had first woken up in. From a distance, she saw the younger Farron jogging toward them, Snow following at a slightly slower pace with his hands behind his head.
“You’re awake!” Vanille cried excitedly. “Took you long enough,” she added as she took a step back and placed her hands on her hips.
“So, you’re Fang,” Serah said with a light smile as she walked up to the Pulsian. “You’re the one who actually managed to reign in my sister.”
Fang grinned at Serah. “That’d be me. Nice to finally meet you, mini Farron.”
“Good to see ya, Fang!” Snow interrupted her thought as he walked up and slung an arm around Serah’s shoulders. “Have a nice nap?”
“You could say that,” Fang said with a chuckle, but her eyes were still looking around for that missing someone. “Lightning taking a nap, too? Too busy to come out and see me?”
The group fell silent then, sharing frowns and uncertain glances. The bad feeling Fang had had when Hope first seemed hesitant to talk about Lightning deepened. But then it turned into a sense of anger. All of this, waking up and realizing her friends were still alive, happily living on Gran Pulse, and Lightning wasn’t here? No. No way. She was having none of that.
“Well? Someone tell me where the hell she is. Vanille?”
Vanille looked up at Fang then, before saying softly, “Fang, it’s… it’s been three years. Light never stopped trying to find a way to wake us up. She traveled all over Cocoon, Gran Pulse, she exhausted all options, except…”
“Except what, Vanille,” Fang’s voice was low. Etro, what had Lightning done?
“... except Thiamok.”
Fang froze. Thiamok. Of course, she knew of Thiamok. He was infamous; during the War of Transgressions, he had been a bloodthirsty war machine. He wiped out armies before even becoming a l’Cie, and when he did become a l’Cie, he did so willingly. He craved the power, the strength it would offer him. But then the war had ended, and he’d never been able to fulfill his focus. He’d turned Cie’th, and now he roamed the top of the Haerii Scythe, one of the tallest mountains on all of Gran Pulse. Many adventurers had tried to slay him; there were stories that whoever defeated him would be granted powers that rivaled a fal’Cie’s for a short time. Most of the adventurers perished in the frigid temperatures, harsh weather, and avalanches that plagued the mountain. Those who actually made it to Thiamok faced horrifically gruesome deaths. And Lightning went up there alone ?
“I tried to talk her out of it,” Vanille said, “we all did. But she wouldn’t hear it. She was just thinking about it, not acting on it, but then when I woke up… that was the last straw, I guess. I tried to tell her that I probably just woke up first, but she thought if you were going to wake up on your own, that you would have woken up when I did. I’m sorry, Fang!”
Wordlessly, Fang turned and started walking back off toward the Steppe.
“Fang, where are you going?” Vanille cried after her.
Looking over her shoulder, she said, “I’m going to get her.”
“Fang, be rational,” Hope said, frowning as he took a few steps after her. “If you follow her, then you’ll both -”
“I don’t care!” Fang interrupted, whirling around, her eyes wild with anger. “I can’t believe you all let her go! And she went up there for me. I won’t let her die for me, not if there’s a chance she’s still alive. I refuse.”
Before any of them could argue with her, she stormed off. Snow sighed as he looked at the rest of the group. “She’s just as bad as Light,” he commented, though his voice was grim. “But if anyone can make it, it’s those two.”
Fang stormed across the Steppe, anger surging through her. A part of her felt like it was angry at Light - how could she be so stupid, so reckless? How could she think Fang would be happy to find out about her plan when she awoke, whether it’d worked or not? But she also knew, deep down, that her anger wasn’t at Light so much as it was at the situation and herself for failing to wake up any sooner. Had the tables been turned, she would’ve done the same thing Lightning was doing.
About halfway across the plain, she managed to get a hold of a chocobo, taking off toward Haerii as quickly as she could. Upon reaching the base of the mountain, Fang slid off of the chocobo, offering it one last gysahl green and a grateful pat before she started to hike upwards. It was an exhausting trek, and as she pressed onwards, she started to notice that she was still feeling the effects of having just come out of stasis. But while she was fatiguing faster than usual, she wouldn’t slow down. Not when Lightning’s life could be on the line.
It got colder the further up she traveled, and as the first signs of snow came into view, Fang noticed that there were indents in the snow that hadn’t been completely covered yet. It gave her a glimmer of hope; that likely meant Lightning had been here recently, and maybe there was a chance she hadn’t made it to the top yet. If she made it to Thiamok, it’d be game over, Fang was nearly certain. She had faith in Lightning’s capabilities, but not when it was Lightning alone, without a l’Cie brand, fighting against Thiamok. She sped up a bit; Lightning was fast, and Fang knew she was going to have to move quickly if she wanted any hope of catching up to the soldier.
The winds started to grow stronger as Fang took out her spear to dig into the ground and help keep her moving forward. She raised an arm to block the snow from getting in her eyes, gritting her teeth as she entered the blizzard and struggled to see more than a few feet in front of her. Any tracks Lightning had left were quickly fading, and the further she walked, the less she noticed them, until eventually there was just one flat blanket of snow, the fat white flakes falling so quickly that even Fang’s footprints were quickly swallowed up.
Glancing up, Fang noticed flashes of red light coming from the Scythe, and she felt her heart sink. There was no way Lightning was already fighting Thiamok. There couldn’t be; Fang hadn’t come all this way to lose her. Fear and worry fueled her onward, her mind set on reaching the top and saving Lightning before it was too late.
She became so focused on getting to the top that she almost didn’t notice the snow-covered, person-shaped mound that she was passing a few feet from the top. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the red staining the snow around the mound, Fang might not have noticed it at all. Slowly turning, Fang’s eyes widened, and she dropped to her knees, pushing the snow off of the figure to reveal a pink-haired soldier.
Fang’s heart leapt into her throat. Lightning had a deep gash in her forehead, blood spilling down the side of her face, her skin covered in bruises. She was wearing a warmer jacket than usual and pants, at least, but it didn’t seem to be doing much to help her against the cold now. Her hair was frosted at the tips, her lips starting to turn purple. She’d taken off her cape, which was now wrapped around her body and holding one of her arms in a makeshift sling. Her other arm gripped her abdomen, and as Fang’s eyes traveled downward, she realized that there was more blood pooling under Lightning’s jacket.
“Oh, Light,” she breathed, reaching out and placing a hand on Lightning’s ice-cold cheek. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Lightning’s pale blue eyes fluttered open then, squinting against the flurry of snowflakes as she struggled to make out the figure in front of her. “Fang…?” she mumbled. “So, I must be dead… I’m sorry, I couldn’t… beat him…”
“You’re not dead, Sunshine,” Fang said, the realization sending relief crashing down around her. “It’s really me. I’m here now, I woke up. You didn’t need to beat him. How the hell did you get away, anyways?”
Lightning laughed bitterly, and Fang’s eyes widened in horror as her laugh turned into a violent cough, blood splattering onto the snow and dripping down her chin. When she spoke again, she was wheezing. “You think… I’d let that fucker… kill me?” Her eyes glimmered with a fierce determination, but it fizzled out almost as quickly as it’d appeared. “But I’m still going to die up here…” she breathed, her eyes growing distant, her breaths coming out in shallow gasps.
“Like hell you are,” Fang growled, beginning to shift Lightning so that she could pull the soldier onto her back and head down the mountain. “You’re not dyin’. Not on my watch.”
She did her best not to jostle the soldier’s broken arm as Fang pulled her onto her back, leaning forward so that Lightning’s good arm could fall over her shoulder as she held on tightly to the pinkette’s legs. She started picking her way down the mountain as quickly as she could, but then Lightning’s voice in her ear made her blood run cold.
“I’m glad I got to see you… one last time.”
“Damn it, Light.”
Fear could be a powerful motivator, Fang reckoned, as she nearly ran down the mountain after hearing that. Lightning wasn’t someone who gave up; if she thought she was dying, then that meant she really didn’t have much time left. Skidding to a halt at the base of the mountain, Fang was relieved to find that the chocobo was still there, picking around in the grasses lazily. She fed it another gysahl green before hoisting Lightning up onto its back first, then hopping on herself behind the soldier, letting Lightning’s unconscious body slump back against her chest.
The chocobo let out an indignant cry, giving Fang a bit of a dirty look.
“Sorry, friend,” Fang said, as she gave it a pat on the neck. “I’ll give ya lots of snacks when we get to New Bodhum.”
Seeming appeased at that, the chocobo took off toward New Bodhum. As they traveled onward, Fang kept a protective arm around Lightning. Now in the warmth of the Steppe, significantly better than the Haerii Scythe despite the fact that the sun had almost completely set, Fang was painfully aware of just how cold Lightning was. Somewhere in Fang’s mind, she was impressed, proud even that Lightning had faced Thiamok and gotten away, but those feelings were swamped by the fear-induced adrenaline that rushed through her when she thought about the dying soldier in front of her.
She’d just woken up, just gotten back; it’d only been three years rather than hundreds, everyone was doing well. Of course, it’d be too good to be true, Fang thought bitterly. The world had always been against her, against them, had it not? The only reassurance to her was the weak rise and fall of Lightning’s chest and the fact that, slowly but surely, some of Fang’s warmth seemed to be seeping into Lightning, returning a bit of the color to her features.
When the chocobo skidded to a halt in the center of New Bodhum, Fang’s eyes locked on the light spilling out of the NORA house. Hopping off of the chocobo and carefully sliding Lightning off and into her arms bridal style, Fang rushed toward the house, yelling out as she moved.
“A little help out here!”
The door was flung open for her as she made her way up the stairs. Everyone’s faces registered shock when they saw her, before mixed emotions seemed to spread across their features, a mosaic of horror, worry, relief, and surprise. Hope, who had opted to stay in New Bodhum for the night, reached Fang first. When he tried to take his mentor from Fang’s arms, the Pulsian’s first instincts were to tighten her grip; but upon seeing the serious, thoughtful look in his eyes, reminiscent of all of the times he’d set to work healing their wounds when they were l’Cie, she begrudgingly let him take Lightning from her before they followed Serah into her room.
“Put her on my bed,” Serah instructed, Hope doing as she said without a second thought. Vanille and Snow walked in behind Fang.
Looking at Vanille, Hope said in a grim voice, “Get the first aid kit. It might not be enough, so try to find a bottle of alcohol too, if you can. I can still use some magic, but I’m out of practice, so it’s not as strong as it used to be. Snow, find some blankets. She’s freezing.”
The two of them headed off without a word as Hope set to work doing what he could in the meantime, unzipping the soldier’s jacket to get a better look at the wound on her abdomen and carefully removing the makeshift sling to reveal a horribly mangled arm, covered in blood and bent at unnatural angles. He sucked in a breath, and for a moment, Fang could see the childlike fear in his eyes; so, the kid was still a kid, at least when faced with such a dire situation like this involving his mentor. But then it was whisked away as he started the healing process.
“How did you find her?” Serah asked as the two of them stood worriedly to the side.
“Sheer dumb luck,” Fang admitted. “Miracle she lived at all. She faced Thiamok and got away. Bet you a behemoth’s claw you can thank your sister’s unyielding stubbornness for that. I was almost to the top, thinkin’ she was fighting him, when I noticed this bloody heap covered in snow. Turns out, it was Light.”
“Thank you,” Serah said then, and as Fang looked over, she noticed that the younger Farron’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Even if she doesn’t pull through this, I… I can’t imagine if her body had just…”
“Don’t think like that, mini Farron,” Fang cautioned gently. “She’s gonna be alright. She has to be.”
Fang’s eyes widened in surprise when Serah wrapped her arms around her midsection in a tight hug, but then a soft smile spread across her features and she gave Serah’s shoulders a bit of a squeeze back before releasing her. It was funny to Fang, just how similar Serah and Vanille were, and how different that meant Serah was from Lightning despite looking like they could’ve been twins.
It was then that Vanille and Snow returned with the items Hope had requested. The Academy director moved quickly, his hands steady and his brows creased in concentration as he cleaned the gashes and stitched them shut. Waiting to work on her arm, he spread his hands across her ribcage, his palms glowing with a soft green light as he focused on mending her internal wounds. The last thing he did was set to work on her arm, carefully setting the bones before using the last of his magic to start their healing process. Taking a roll of bandages out of the first aid kit, he carefully lifted the soldier’s head and wrapped them around her head wound, followed by her stomach. He fashioned a better sling than her cape had been after bandaging her arm as well.
Sitting back and letting out a long breath, he raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“She’s going to live,” he reassured, sounding a bit drained. “She had a lot of internal damage, but I used the bulk of my magic to patch it. The external wounds are going to require some time to heal, but they’re not lethal anymore. If she’d gotten here any later than she did, she wouldn’t have made it. She got lucky.”
“Thank you, Hope,” Serah said, giving him a tight hug similar to the one she’d given Fang before heading to her dresser to grab warm clothes for Lightning to be changed into. As she did that, Fang walked up as well, placing a gentle hand on Hope’s shoulder.
“You did good, kiddo,” she said, and when Hope looked up at her, he was surprised to see that Fang’s eyes were misty with unshed tears. “She’d be proud of you.”
She looked down then, her eyes meeting Hope’s, and she gave him a grin as she saw his eyes shine with happiness at realizing that he’d been able to help Lightning. Yeah, still that same kid, alright.
Serah walked over a few moments later with a pair of sweats and a zip-up hoodie that they could easily change the soldier into without jostling her broken arm too much. Once Lightning had been re-dressed, Fang grabbed a few of the blankets from the pile Snow had brought in and spread them over the soldier, relieved as she did so to find that Lightning felt significantly warmer than she had on their trip down from the mountain.
Noting how late it was and tired from the situation, everyone slowly started to clear out once Lightning had been situated. Serah opted to sleep on the sofa since Lightning was in her bed, Hope headed out to the guest hut that he was staying in for the night, and Vanille put a comforting hand on Fang’s shoulder, letting her know she’d be in the hut she was living in now and that Fang could head there to sleep whenever she felt like it before the redhead headed out herself.
Left alone with Lightning, Fang pulled up a stool and sat beside her. She gently picked up the soldier’s good hand and held it between both of hers, letting out a long breath as she bowed her head. The relief that Lightning was alive, that she was going to be okay, paired with her exhaustion from having just come out of crystal stasis, was finally catching up with her. Sleep tugged at her eyelids, but she wouldn’t leave Lightning again. She refused; she’d promised. Instead, she found herself leaning forward, her head falling on the bed just next to Lightning’s side as she drifted off, her hands still wrapped protectively around Lightning’s.
When Fang awoke, she looked up to realize that it was because Lightning had moved. The soldier was trying to sit up, but the lack of color in her face and the furrowing of her eyebrows in pain indicated to Fang that it wasn’t going well.
“Hey, slow down there, Sunshine,” Fang said, quickly sitting up and putting a hand behind Lightning’s back to help her upright. She lifted the pillow Lightning had been laying on to rest it behind the soldier’s back.
Lightning stared at her, silent.
“Well, good mornin’ to you, too,” Fang said, chuckling a little.
Lightning’s mouth opened and then closed, her eyes wide, as though she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then, she said, “I thought… I thought it was a dream.”
“Not a dream,” Fang confirmed, “it’s really me, in the flesh. How else do you think you got down from that mountain? Which reminds me…” her voice hardened, “what the hell were you thinking, you bloody idiot!”
Lightning’s eyes widened at the sudden anger in Fang’s tone, then narrowed as her face fell into a scowl. “Oh, so I’m an idiot, is that right?”
“Yeah, you are!” Fang snapped. “You could’ve died; in fact, you would’ve died if by some miracle Etro hadn’t woken me up exactly when she did! That was a goddamn suicide mission and you know it. Everyone said they tried to talk you out of it, but you just had to go after goddamn Thiamok on the Haerii Scythe by yourself because you’re a stubborn prat!”
“I was trying to save you,” Lightning said, her voice hardening as well. “Everything I’ve done since we woke up has been to try to wake you up, Fang.”
“You think that’s what I would’ve wanted?” Fang growled. “You think I would’ve wanted you to die? What, so I could wake up in a few years and realize my stubborn fool of a girlfriend died on a suicide mission to bring me back? Did you even think that plan through at all, Light?”
“Like you wouldn’t have done the same thing if it were me,” Lightning scoffed.
Fang’s eyes narrowed. She was right, of course, but that didn’t change the fact of the matter. “I don’t care! Etro brought you back by some miracle and you almost threw that gift away on the off chance you managed to wake me up. Why the hell would you do something so fucking stupid?”
“Because you left me!” Lightning yelled, her eyes wild with emotions like a raging storm, startling them both. Fang’s eyes widened, her mouth agape as the emotions that the soldier had been holding in for the past three years finally bubbled up and spilled over, a few stray, angry tears welling up in Lightning’s eyes. “You left me, Fang. You gave me your word you’d stay with me… that we’d be together when it was all said and done and then… you just had to up and be the fucking hero. You just… left me alone.”
“Light…” Fang breathed as the soldier angrily lifted her good hand to wipe her tears away. Moving carefully, Fang sat on the bed next to Lightning, putting her arm around the soldier’s shoulders comfortingly. “Light, I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice. But I’m here now. I’m awake.”
“I thought I was never going to get you back, Fang,” Lightning said, leaning her head on Fang’s shoulder despite the residual anger in her tone. “I thought…”
Fang frowned, tightening her hold on the pinkette. Of course, Fang realized. It didn’t matter if it had been a suicide mission. Everyone Lightning had ever loved had left her behind. Her parents, her sister. Then, she’d gotten her sister back, and Serah had immediately married Snow. They’d talked about it before, on their way to fight Orphan, right after they’d realized their feelings for each other. Lightning had become more open with Fang in those final days. Along with discussing potential futures as a way to try to ease their fears about what was to come, they’d gotten to know one another, their histories, their concerns.
Lightning had told Fang that she was afraid for the future; that once she got Serah back, she didn’t know what was going to happen. Serah wasn’t going to need Lightning to protect her forever; Serah was going to marry Snow, and then where would that leave Lightning? The only thing that Lightning truly feared, that outweighed any fear of death, was being abandoned by those she loved. It was part of why she was so closed off. Fang, in response, had reaffirmed her vow; that Lightning would always have her. That they’d be together. And then… and then Fang had turned into Ragnarok, had become the crystal pillar.
“I’m sorry,” Fang said again. The words hung in the air. There was nothing more to be said in that moment; her apology held all of the weight of her guilt.
Then, Lightning let out a breath. Her hand slipped into Fang’s, their fingers intertwining. An unspoken forgiveness. Softly, she said, “I’m sorry, too. I’m glad you’re back, Fang.”
“You seriously bought a house in Oerba? Just on the off chance I came back?”
Fang’s eyes were wide as Lightning made her way up the stairs to the house; it was one of the few that’d still been intact when they’d returned to Oerba before fighting Orphan. Though it’d been refurbished after the fall of Cocoon, it was clear that the contractors had done their best to keep things the way it had originally been. Fang had a sneaking suspicion Lightning had been the one to make sure of that. Lightning shot her a look over her shoulder.
“Off chance? I would’ve brought you back if it was the last thing I did. Even if it meant I had to drag you out of stasis. But, yeah. Being in the military has its perks. I stayed in New Bodhum since I didn’t have anyone here in Oerba. Now that you’re here though… I figured you’d like it.”
Fang walked inside, her mouth twitching into a smile when she looked around. Lightning had tried to preserve as much as the original Oerba as possible, she could tell. She’d added some new pelts, likely the remains of beasts Lightning herself had killed while traveling Gran Pulse in search of a way to free the crystallized Pulsians. The soldier stood off to the side, allowing Fang the opportunity to have a look around.
“I asked Vanille if she wanted me to get her a place in Oerba, too, but she decided to help the Academy out since she knows Gran Pulse so well, so she’s staying in New Bodhum for now before moving to Paddra. Still, she agreed to help guide the restoration process here since she knew more about it than I did. I hope it’s okay, you can change anything that doesn’t seem right, I know this place has sentimental value and I -”
Fang cut her off, pulling her in for a kiss. Lightning’s eyes were wide before fluttering shut as she softened, wrapping her arms around Fang’s lower back as the Pulsian embraced her. When they parted, Fang met her with a wide smile.
“It’s perfect.” Then, booping Lightning’s nose and earning a steely glare from the soldier, she added, “You’re awfully cute when you ramble, though. I was half tempted to let ya keep goin’ for a bit there; not every day our stone cold Drill Sergeant babbles like a nervous chocobo.”
“Shut up,” Lightning muttered, her cheeks darkening slightly as she stepped away and crossed her arms over her chest. Fang, meanwhile, was having herself quite the laugh. Lightning eventually huffed before shaking her head fondly.
“Seriously, though, this is incredible Light,” Fang said earnestly when she’d finally stopped laughing like a madwoman. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
Lightning smiled softly, and Fang felt her eyes softening as she gazed at it. Etro, she could look at that rare smile forever.
“Yes, I did,” Lightning said. “You’re the reason we’re here, Fang. The least I could do was preserve your home.”
Fang smiled as she walked around the house, her hand running along the familiar walls, eyes sparkling when they stopped on a functional Bhakti skittering around. With the sound of people chattering away outside, having moved from Cocoon to Gran Pulse in the last few years, Fang could almost imagine none of her time as a l’Cie had ever happened. But it had. Sighing, she turned to Lightning.
“I know we talked about it,” she confided, “but I never imagined we’d get here. Guess it’s the pessimist in me.”
Lightning leaned up against the wall, nodding. “I didn’t either, for a long time. Thought we were fooling ourselves. Guess I have Snow to blame for my change in mindset.”
“Light,” Fang said suddenly, walking over and grabbing her hands. Lightning tensed for a moment, startled by her sudden intensity.
“What is it?”
“How do you Cocoon vipers do it… ah, I don’t even have somethin’ to show for it. It’s just - we’ve been through so much, but now we’re here and this future is real. I don’t want to waste anymore time… when the moment feels right, ya know?”
“Fang…”
“ Light ,” Fang stressed again, and Lightning’s eyes widened as the Pulsian fell to her knees before her. “Claire Farron…”
“How the hell did you remember my na-”
“Goddamn it, Light, shut up and let me have this moment,” Fang huffed, still holding Lightning’s hands. “Claire Farron,” she continued, the corners of her mouth curving upward as she moved one of her hands to unclasp the necklace of colorful beads she always wore, before setting it gently in Lightning’s hand. “Will you marry me?”
Lightning’s eyes widened as she stared down at Fang and the necklace in her hand.
“I… of course, I will, Fang.”
Immediately, Fang rose to her feet, pulling Lightning into a bone crushing hug before planting a firm kiss on her lips. Then, taking the necklace back from her, Fang clasped it onto Lightning’s neck before taking a step back and grinning at her with her hands on her hips.
“Well, it’s a bit colorful for your tastes I reckon, but should make a fine placeholder in the meantime if you want somethin’ more silvery and Cocoony. I can always head up there or see if Sazh can bring somethin’ when he visits with Dajh. ‘Course, you’re welcome to keep that necklace if it doesn’t ruffle your feathers too much -”
Now it was Lightning’s turn to cut her off with a kiss.
“It’s perfect,” Lightning chuckled. “You’re cute when you ramble.”
Fang rolled her eyes, but there was a fond smile on her face.
The rest of the day was spent adjusting to the move to Oerba and discussing the best way to break the news to Serah and Vanille without either of them having a heart attack from excitement (eventually, they agreed that they’d just have to rip off the bandaid and hope for the best.) Lightning showed Fang around Oerba to point out the developments being made, as well as to reassure the Pulsian that all of the efforts to restore the town were intended to preserve as much as possible rather than completely rebuilding it anew. Fang noticed on their brief tour that most of the construction workers seemed scared of Lightning, and she had to laugh a bit at the thought of the soldier intimidating them into working around the ruins that remained in order to keep the memory of Fang’s home alive.
As the sun started to set, the two of them headed up to the roof of their house, breaking out a bottle of wine and splitting it as they watched the sunset over Gran Pulse together from the top of their quaint home in Oerba. After a while, Lightning rested her head on Fang’s shoulder, and the Pulsian gently intertwined their hands. As the sun set behind the hills, reflecting off of the shimmering crystal pillar that no longer housed the Pulsians in the distance, the two of them at long last were able to relax. And Fang realized, then, why her crystal slumber hadn’t been the paradise it was supposed to be.
Because it never could’ve compared to this, Fang thought. This was paradise.