This is a story of what happens after a break up. It ain't fluff so consider yourself warned.

A gift for Socially introverted because she's such a nice lady and I know she lurves her M-rated FLight. Thanks again Secret Santress.

Rating: M

Warning: Femslash and some cussing

Disclaimer: Own nowt.

Lightning wasn't one to give praise unless it was warranted, and in this case it was definitely warranted.

"Wow Serah, it looks great."

Lightning had scrutinised every inch of Serah's newly painted dining room and couldn't find a single mistake in its finish. No thin patches resulting from an uneven coat, not one drop of paint on the carpet or errant paint smears around the light switches, and the line between the pale green paint of the wall and the white paint of the ceiling was perfect.

And Lightning was a woman who appreciated perfection.

"Who did you hire again?"

"A friend of Vanille's," Serah smiled, leaning back onto the edge or her dining table. "They did it all in two days and the price was very reasonable too."

Impressed Lightning thoughtfully stroked the faultless paintwork with the tips of her fingers. Since moving into her new house a few months ago Lightning hadn't had a chance to redecorate over the hideous brightly coloured walls and her exacting standards meant that she didn't trust anyone but herself to do a good enough job. But Serah's decorator was definitely someone she could trust to meet her high expectations.

"Can you give me their number I could use a good decorator."

There was a pause, a long, pregnant pause before Serah muttered darkly. "If you hadn't moved out of your home with Fang you wouldn't need one."

Lightning sighed sadly, unsurprised by her sister's sudden belligerent tone. Every time Lightning mentioned her new house or her ex they fell into the same argument (Serah seemed more angry about about the break up than Fang). She turned to face her sister and leaned against the wall. Mimicking her sister she folded her arms, but while Lightning looked calm and controlled, Serah looked looked positively pissed.

"Do we have to go over this again?" Lightning said with a bored sigh.

"Yes we do Claire," Serah snapped, pushing off the table and closing the distance between them. Lightning tutted, unimpressed by her little sister's attempts at intimidation as the smaller woman tried to loom over the soldier. "I just don't understand what happened between the two of you," Serah continued. "You were both madly in love with one another and then suddenly out the blue you're breaking up and moving out," she said emphasising her point by throwing up her hands in mock surprise.

Lightning clicked her tongue with distain. "It wasn't out of the blue-" Lightning began to reply.

"That's not what Fang said."

"THEN SHE WAS LIVING IN A FANTASY!"

It wasn't often Lightning raised her voice, and yelling at her sister was even more of a rare event, but she was sick and tired of it. It seemed everyone, Sazh, Vanille, Hope, even her own flesh and blood, had something to say about it when they had no idea exactly what had happened to end her relationship with Fang. And, even if they did know, it was still none for their god damn business! All Lightning had ever done was what she considered to be right for her and Fang, even breaking up with her, and it wasn't her fault that the huntress and everyone else couldn't see that. Her sister's continued reprimands had been the final straw, and so she had pushed away from the wall, squared at her little sister and shouted in Serah's face before she could stop herself.

Lightning's anger dissipated as quickly as it had arrived as Serah burst into tears, covering her face as with her hands as she cried. "Serah," Lightning said softly, sweeping forward to pull her little sister into a hug. No matter how angry she was the last thing Lightning ever wanted was to upset her sister.

"I just hate it," Serah explained between sobs, burying her head into her big sister's shoulder. "Because the two of you aren't talking I haven't seen Fang for weeks and I barely see Vanille anymore. I feel like our family is breaking apart."

Lightning pulled Serah closer and guiltily squeezed her eyes shut as Serah continued to cry. She should have realised the break up would hit her little sister hard. Serah had been so happy that their adventures had resulted in this large extended family of the ex-l'Cie, finally the two sisters were not alone. But now their family get-togethers without Fang were awkward affairs that lacked the Pulsian's joviality and warmth. Because ever since they had broken up four months ago Fang had refused to see Lightning, just as the soldier had anticipated, but she never thought she would start avoiding Serah as well.

"I know, I know," Lightning said soothingly into Serah's hair. "We just have to give her some time. We were friends before and we can be friends again, but its over Serah. Fang and I are never getting back together."

xxXOXxx

The moment she had stepped over the threshold of what was to be her new home, Lightning had fallen in love. The large three bedroom grey stone house reminded her of the home she had left in Bodhum with its large open plan living area and seaside location. Situated on the top of a cliff and the only house for miles it gave the soldier the quiet solitude she always desired along with beautiful views of the Gran Pulsian coast. So despite the questionable interior design tastes of the previous occupants, the astute woman had seen its underlying potential and she couldn't wait to see it realised - with the help of Serah's decorator.

Lightning smiled as her doorbell rang. True to her word and despite their heated disagreement, Serah had called the decorator and made the arrangements for them to visit Lightning's home for a quote a few days later and they had arrived exactly on time. Punctual and a perfectionist, she liked them already as long as the quote was affordable the job was as good as theirs. Putting aside the newspaper she had been reading she stood up from her sofa and mentally waved farewell to her garish walls.

She paused before her door and took a deep breath to calm herself (it wouldn't to do for the soldier's image to show any excitement) and then opened the door ready to greet them.

The friendly smile the woman had been wearing when Lightning had opened the door dropped from the brunette woman's face into astonished gape.

Equally stunned by her visitor Lightning looked the woman up and down to double-check what her eyes were telling her. Tall, dark hair, characteristic sari, distinguishing beauty mark. There was no mistake. It was Fang. Fang was standing on her doorstep. The ex-girlfriends looked at each other in disbelief.

"Fang?" She questioned, still not quite believing that her ex-girlfriend was here, at her new home.

"Lightning?" Fang replied, sounding and looking just as shocked as Lightning to find herself at her ex-girlfriend's door. And if Fang was surprised to find herself here and there was no decorator hiding behind the brunette, it left only left one reasonable explanation the soldier quickly deduced.

"Serah," Lightning realised through a growl.

Fang's eyes widened as she followed her trail of thought and added her own accusation through gritted teeth. "Vanille," she said narrowing her eyes.

Their silent scowling match at their conniving respective sisters was suddenly interrupted when their mobile phones simultaneously started to ring. Lightning walking back into the living space, grabbed her phone from her coffee table and reading the caller ID she rolled her eyes.

"Serah-" she answered, ready to give her little sister a piece of her mind.

"Stop talking and listen," Serah ordered in a way that made Lightning do as she was told and her mouth automatically snapped shut (she was sure Serah had inherited that stern tone from their mother as it never failed to work on the older sister). "We're sick and tired of waiting for the two of you to make up and be friends so we have taken matters into our own hands. She IS the person who painted our dining room and YOU are going to hire her to decorate your house. If you refuse, your favourite gunblade will not be returned."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about," Lightning began to say as she glanced over at the custom made cabinet beside her fireplace where she kept her beloved...it was empty. "What the hell Serah!" Lightning yelled into the telephone, wondering how her sister had taken it without her even knowing. She was sure it had been there last night. "When did you even take that? Did you break into my house? Did Snow break into my house?" Lightning added in a low threatening voice. "Serah," she asked when the line went suspiciously silent, "Serah?" She repeated slightly louder but there was no response, Serah had already hung up. "Damn it!" Lightning cursed angrily. She squeezed her phone between her fingers, shaking and growling at it, trying to take her frustration out on the inanimate object before she threw onto her sofa.

Lightning looked up to find Fang pacing outside her front door and, by the sound of her side of the conversation, being subjected to similar threats from Vanille.

"Vanille will ya just let me...but...no...but...you can't do that!...Vanille?...VANILLE?...for fuck's sake," Fang snarled, shoving her phone in her jeans' pocket. Her eyes trained downwards she ran a hand though her hair. "This is fucking bullshit," Fang muttered quietly to herself. Lightning had to agree.

Arms folded Lightning stood awkwardly inside her front door, not sure of what she should do. Because Fang looked angry, really angry. It wasn't often that the laid back huntress lost her temper but when she did she was a force to be reckoned with. And Lightning liked the quiet, getting away from Fang's arguing was why she moved here in the first place. She realised that she couldn't ask the huntress to leave before the huntress threw one if her hissy fits (Serah would make her life a living hell) but if Fang left of her own accord no one would blame her; after all she was the injured party.

She could tell by Fang's furrowed brow and crossed arms that Fang was thinking it over. Nibbling her bottom lip as she weighed up the pros and con's. Please leave, please leave, Lightning repeated in her head hoping she had suddenly developed the power of mind control.

Fang quickly glanced at her, then back down, and then she did something Lightning would have never have expected. With a curse and an aggravated sigh, she pulled a pad and pen out of her messenger bag slung over her shoulder, and pushed past the soldier making her way further into her house.

"What are you doing?" Lighting questioned. Her arms dropped to her sides in astonishment she turned to watch the huntress stalk by her. She knew exactly what Fang was doing, she just couldn't quite believe it.

"What's it look like I'm doing," she said sullenly, "seems like neither of us has a choice so let's get it over with."All the rooms?" Fang asked waving her pen round the living room. Lightning just nodded dumbly. "Just a paint job?"

"Yes. I've already bought all the paint and the primer."

Lightning watched the huntress jot down a few notes as her keen eyes assessed each room in turn. She was right. It was embarrassing how easily the two proud warriors could be swayed by their little sisters. And it wasn't just the gunblade it was the threats of pouts, tears and/ or silent treatments. All of them just as terrifying to experience as the last.

"Painted directly onto the plaster ay?" Fang asked rhetorically, scratching at the wall with her finger tip and interrupting Lightning's musing. " Better get some lining paper too. It'll give you a better finish than painting over these uneven walls, plus you'll need a lot of coats to cover up these colours," Fang suggested, looking at the bright orange walls in Lightning's living room. "Alternatively I could replaster them but I'll take longer and cost you a lot more."

"No, I can get the paper." Lightning said surprised that she hadn't thought about using lining paper as well. Obviously the huntress knew her stuff. Lightning was amazed.

Fang walked stiffly around the downstairs' rooms and then made her way upstairs with Lightning close behind her. Apart from a few growled questions about the decorating job Fang was acting like Lightning wasn't even there. Fang either stood with her back to her or to the side with her drooped low so that her long, dark hair hid her face from the soldier.

To say that the situation was awkward was an understatement. The confident soldier was not used to feeling uneasy but right now she felt so uncomfortable she would have loved to have been able to float out of body leaving it behind to deal with the surly huntress.

This was not what she had planned and so it was not how she had imagined Fang vising her home for the first time. She hadn't lied to Serah, she did want to be friends with Fang again. No one understood Lightning better than Fang, not even Serah and she missed having the Pulsian in her life. Just because their relationship hadn't worked out Lightning couldn't see any reason why they couldn't go back to the way things were before they were a couple. But she still hadn't forgotten all the things Fang had said when she had told Fang she was leaving her and obviously Fang hadn't forgotten either. Vanille and Serah's meddling had ruined everything. It was all too soon for both of them. Lightning could see that as she watched her ex assess each of her rooms in turn. The brunette was muttering to herself in a quiet low voice and she was so angry she couldn't even look at her.

Lightning cleared her throat as she tried to think of something to say to break the heated silence. She swallowed hard to remove the lump in her throat. "I didn't know you were a decorator," she said carefully.

"Just a sideline when its not hunting season and no one needs a guide. Have to find some way to pay the rent now I'm living alone,"' she added bitterly and quickly left Lightning's bedroom with the soldier trailing behind her as Fang bounded down the stairs and back into the open plan living space.

"But I thought you would move back in with Vanille...after..."

"Yeah well you thought wrong," Fang interrupted curtly. Ripping off the piece of paper she was writing on she slapped it into Lightning's hand. "Here's my quote. Unless I come across any unseen problems it'll take me about four weeks excluding weekends."

Lightning read the quote with dismay. It seemed that she couldn't even use the excuse that Fang's services was overpriced. It was reasonable, too reasonable. She sighed with resignation as Fang looked down to return her pen and paper to her bag. "I guess I can't say no."

Fang threw down the front of her bag and looking up and her eyes finally locked with Lightning. She looked at her, really looked at her for the first in months revealing everything she had been trying to hide from the soldier. She didn't look like Fang. She looked thin, tired and worn like all her brightness had been pushed out of her. But the most shocking thing had been the look in the brunette's eyes.

The look that Lightning recognised.

Fang barked a mirthless laugh. "That makes two us. But don't worry I'll arrive just before you go to work and I'll be gone before you get home. I wouldn't want to invade your privacy," she said spitefully. Turning on her heel she stormed towards the exit. "I'll be here tomorrow," she snapped just before she slammed the door shut behind her.

Lightning didn't respond. She just stood where Fang had left her, still staring at the spot where the Pulsian had been standing. It was so haunting. Lightning hadn't seen her look like that since The Ark, so fierce, and hurt, and scared. The first time she had seen it hadlooked so harrowing on the proud huntress's face that the stoic soldier couldn't stop herself from reaching out to her. But now she had been the cause of it and the sudden guilt was unexpected and unwanted, and she felt ashamed.

I know, angst not crac I feel so dirty. This is dedicated to Socially Introverted and her recent fictional break up *wipes away a tear*.

Sorry for the lack of activity. Don't have much time for writing but hopefully this'll be around 3-4 short chapters.

Thanks for reading.