Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc,

or

After, Therefore Because of

Legal Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy XIII. I do not.

Notes:

This is intended to be a collection of one shots taking place after the events of Final Fantasy XIII (approximately several years thereafter), and focusing primarily on Fang/Lightning. Though there shall, hopefully, be forthcoming chapters (entirely dependant on my ability to remain focused and to have time to do so), each chapter is intended to stand on its own.

Please enjoy.

~LogosMinusPity

Yun and Dia, Professional Pulsian Consultation Services

Fang took a deep breath of the fresh air in Palumpolum. It was her first time being back on Cocoon in ages. The air was too damn fresh here, in her opinion. But then again, she had always been a true child of Gran Pulse. Being in the hanging cities of Cocoon always put her edge after a while. The huge metropolis just never felt entirely…natural…to her. Give her a few chocobos and some open plain and she would be set.

Hell, she thought, give me a bloody behemoth and I'll feel more at home then I do here.

She could never fully put her finger on the feeling of unease it gave her. It was true that she preferred smaller settlements like Oerba, but even so, she'd always been fine when her travels had taken her to New Paddra or any of the other burgeoning cities that now dotted the surface of the planet. Perhaps it was all the years of being taught that Cocoon was the "viper's nest", or maybe it was simply the residual feeling of being on the run from PSICOM. Regardless, it made her glad that she was only visiting Palumpolum.

She looked up at the proud, sparkling buildings of Cocoon's mercantile center, shaking her head in partial admiration.

Palumpolum had long since recovered from the nearly apocalyptic fall of Eden and destruction of Orphan years ago, with the profit-minded entrepreneurs who dominated the city becoming some of the first civilians to embrace the idea of expanding business to the formerly taboo Pulse.

Yet, even with the expansion on Gran Pulse and the constant stream of travel between it and Cocoon, Fang still got the occasional strange look at her exotic sari, particularly when entering the financial district, as she was now.

She made her way through the impeccably clean streets and past a wide bubbling fountain until she arrived before a newer stone gray building, complete with vast automatic sliding glass doors.

A gold-lettered sign stood out above the entrance.

"Yun & Dia" it proudly proclaimed. And then, in smaller subscript, "Professional Pulsian Consultation Agency".

Really, there should have been some even finer print below that, stating that the partner title was really "Farron, Yun, and Dia".

Fang couldn't help but grin as she remembered how that particular conversation over the company title had gone.

After having spent countless days and weeks to create the foundations for their agency, just one step was left before they would be signed down in the business sector: a company name.

Lightning had been slowly pacing the room, her eyes plastered to the military datalog in her hands as Fang had talked to her about the logistics of the soon-to-be-born company—or rather, talked at her. The woman hadn't looked up once from her datalog, even when Fang had called out to her. Feeling sufficiently miffed, she had finally used the woman's given name to try and grab her attention.

"Claire."

"Yes?" said person responded, even then still not bothering to look up from her work. "Believe it or not, Fang, but I can in fact multitask. I am listening to you, I promise. I'm just also preparing to type up this mission report before it's due at 0600 tomorrow morning."

Fang waved her hands placatingly. "Alright, alright. I'll stop bothering you then, Captain Farron. I'm going to head down to the town center and turn in the official paper work. Tomorrow, "Farron, Yun, and Dia" will be an official company."

That, much to Fang's surprise, had garnered an immediate reaction.

"What?" asked Lightning, her ghostly pale eyes narrowing. "Why is that the name?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" mimicked Fang, half amused. Light could be so charmingly dense sometimes, it was really too much. "You came up with the entire idea—without you, we wouldn't even be here."

"No."

She was slightly taken aback by the swift deferral that the soldier made.

"What?" asked Fang. "But you're as much part of this as Vanille and I. Your name should be on it too. You should get the recognition."

"No. I don't need to be in the company title."

By this point, Lightning had now made the relatively simple and harmless issue a battle. Fang could be just as stubborn as the Bodhum native, and she intended to win this battle, no matter what tactics were necessary.

Fang came up behind Light, wrapping her arms around her torso to keep the shorter woman trapped up next to her. Lightning tensed for a brief second, as if wary of ulterior motives, and then gradually relaxed into Fang's hold.

"Come on," pressed Fang. "It'll be fun. Besides, you'll be a working as a company partner regardless, so your name should be up with ours. Just say yes."

She interspersed her words with kisses, allowing her lips to slowly trail their way around the delicate skin of Light's neck, and delighting at the reactions she evoked. However stoic her lover was attempting to be, Fang was too finely attuned to her. A hitch in her breathing here, the slight tilting of her head there…they were all signs that Fang was getting closer to winning her battle. Her lips angled up, hovering over Lightning's ear. She had very sensitive ears, Fang knew from experience.

"Please?" asked Fang. Her voice was barely above a whisper by this point, but even that sent a wave of shivers down Light's back. "For me?"

"Ah…I…"

Fang felt her lips curl upward in a triumphant grin as Lightning tried to form a coherent argument. Done and done.

And then the unexpected happened.

"I…" Lightning suddenly shook her head slightly. "No."

The woman pushed away, physically distancing herself. Her brow furrowed in consternation as she shook her head a second time, repeating herself.

"No way," said Lightning, shaking her head a third time emphatically to prove her point. "I already have enough problems with the guppies in the military as "Amodar's l'Cie". I am not putting my name on your company."

She finished by crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively, which indicated that it was a done deal. There was no changing her mind now.

Well damn, Fang had thought to herself. She hadn't expected her to be so resistant to Fang's final plan of "charming" her into agreement. Never mind that Fang hadn't been exaggerating. It really had been Lightning's brainchild, regardless of whether she wanted to accept due credit or not. Fang and Vanille would have never come up with it on their own. You couldn't really blame her though. Lightning had never been one for the popularity contest. If anything, she hated being the center of attention, which is probably why she did such a damnably good job as a military officer—never focused on the glory, just on getting the work done.

The company idea had started out simply. What with all of the field work Fang began doing in conjunction with the Frontier Corps on Gran Pulse—most of it with Lightning or through her connections—it became sensible to make an actual business out of it.

Guarding, wilderness exploration and clearing feral creature infestations were in high demand in the newly blossoming villages, and while the military was doing a damned impressive job adapting to the new lifestyle needs, they could only do so much, even with a super soldier l'Cie at their disposal like Lightning.

Realistically, Fang could bring not only a second helping hand to Lightning's, but also a vast array of terrestrial and bestiary knowledge through her experience that the former Cocoon inhabitants simply did not possess.

However, they had quickly discovered that there was a two-fold demand, present on Cocoon as much as Gran Pulse. Not only were people looking for the basic exploratory and hunting services that Fang and Lightning readily provided, but there was also an increasing need for someone well-versed with Pulsework machines and technology.

With the abrupt departure of the Cocoon fal'Cie, it became quickly apparent that the vast array of manadrive-based technology Cocoon society had relied on for centuries could no longer be sustained. That was where Vanille came into play. Even with knowledge that was over five hundred years old, she could provide a wealth of information on creating a purely machine-based modern society instead of a magic-based one.

And thus, "Yun & Dia, Professional Pulsian Consultation Agency" had been created. Though by this point in time there were certainly rival companies who offered similar services, their company was by and far considered the most capable agency to turn to when you had any sort of problem. Military, government, business, private sector, individuals…they had received contracts for services from nearly every type of person imaginable, with nearly every type of problem imaginable.

The glass doors whizzed open amicably as Fang stepped forward. She shook her head. It was hard to believe sometimes that they'd actually managed to get this far.

She strolled through the lobby of the building, stopping before the young man who sat behind the secretary's desk. Yet another new secretary, and this one looked particularly raw.

"Here to see Vanille," stated Fang.

"Name?" asked the secretary, pulling up a new screen on his interface. Somewhat amused, Fang responded with just her given name.

"Fang?" he asked, sounding skeptical. He waited a minute to see if she would elaborate. "Well, I'm sorry "Fang", but Miss Dia does not have any appointments scheduled in for this afternoon. If you would like to meet with her to discuss a contract, you can give me your information and we'll be in contact with you soon."

Oh yes. This man must be very new indeed. And Fang just couldn't resist the opportunity to mess with him. It was a terrible habit of hers really, not that she felt all that terribly about it.

She leaned in forward slowly, seductively, resting one elbow on the hard granite counter, and nestling her chin in her hand. Her eyelashes lowered as she spoke, mimicking her voice.

"But it would be such a hassle for me to have to go away only to come back later, especially when I'm already here now."

She could have laughed at the way his brown eyes widened visibly, as if already mentally weighing his options. Fang decided to nudge him further in the right direction, swinging her battle-readied lance around with her free hand while still keeping her voice suggestively jovial.

"So what say you just give Vanille a buzz to tell her she a visitor and make everyone's lives easier, yeah?"

The tip of her lance finished its arc to rest just at his eye level, the sharply glinting blades now exposed. If it was even possible, his eyes went wider, though with a very different emotion than before. He stuttered for a response.

It was her "too hot to touch" routine, as Vanille had once jokingly called it. Fang had long since learned how to use her looks to her advantage, but had also found that when coupled with the appropriately timed threat, the combination could take her far in life.

Or at least fuel her occasionally twisted sense of humor. Until others decided to ruin it, that is.

"Oerba Yun Fang!" said a new voice. It was a very reprimanding voice, too. "Lindzei help you if I have to hire another new secretary because you scare this one off like the others!"

Fang straightened back up, smoothing out the silken fabric of her sari in the process.

"By the gods, Vanille, you sound like you could be my mother!" she bemoaned, smiling nonetheless.

Her adoptive sister closed the remaining distance between them in a run, quickly enveloping Fang in a tight hug. When they pulled back, she looked around and past Fang, as if searching for something.

"Just you?" Vanille finally asked, quirking her head inquisitively.

Fang waved her hand, explaining. "Debriefing. She'll probably be by after."

Vanille made a wordless noise of comprehension. Then she turned toward the mortified secretary—who looked as though he was still processing that Fang was in fact the Oerba Yun Fang of his company.

"You hear that, Thomas? If a Lieutenant-Colonel—she is a Lieutenant-Colonel now, right, Fang?—comes by, you go ahead and send her on back to us, okay?"

Thomas nodded enthusiastically, suddenly regaining his ability to speak again. "Of course, Miss Dia! Is there anything else you or Miss Yun will be needing?"

Vanille waved her hand dismissively. "No, no, that'll be it for now."

Fang was barely able to keep her mouth shut until they got back into Vanille's office.

"Etro, Vanille!" she exclaimed. "How do you manage to find them? He's like a bloody lobo puppy!"

Vanille moved around a vast, beautifully carved wooden desk, relaxing back into what looked to be a rather comfortable leather swivel chair.

"Oh, he's not that pathetic, Fang, you just lack patience. Let me guess, you probably still run business from that worn-down little shack of an office building Oerba, right? Do you even have a secretary or do you still do all of the paper work by yourself?"

Fang grumbled out a half-hearted response about hiring out every once in a while to do paper work.

"Fancy pants," she finally countered under her breath. She knew that it would probably make sense to expand her office and hire someone else, yet she couldn't help it. Call her old-fashioned, but she didn't see the need to get anyone else to help out when she and Lightning could take care of things just fine by themselves.

Part of it was simply the nature of their branch of the business. For Vanille, who dealt with so much of the technology and business transactions, it only made sense for her to have expanded into a small building with a slew of various budding Pulsian machine specialists as well as paper-pushing secretaries.

Fang approached the desk, running a hand over the smooth grains of the dark-stained wood.

"Of course, business here does seem to be treating you rather well, Vanille," she remarked.

Vanille let out a girlish giggle. "Well it's not like we don't have the funds for it, silly. If you're that jealous you could always upgrade your office, too.

Fang moved a small stack of datalogs so that she could perch atop the edge of the desk, one leg curled up so that her foot rested on the desk, too, while the other leg dangled off the side. It was much more comfortable this way.

"Thanks but I think I'll pass. Don't think this set up exactly fits my personality now. Don't you agree?"

She smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "All too well. Drinks?"

"You know that I would never pass up the opportunity."

Vanille opened up a drawer, hands briefly disappearing into its depths. Fang could hear the sounds of objects being shifted about before the young woman's hands resurfaced, this time bearing two glass snifters and a bottle of what looked to be a rather rare and expensive looking liqueur. She carefully poured a thumb's worth into each glass, handing one to Fang.

"Careful now," she warned, her viridian eyes half teasing. "You've been on Gran Pulse for a while."

Fang snorted, but still took the warning to heart. If there was one thing that had always impressed her about Cocoon, it was their talent to make extremely alcoholic liquors that were deceptively delicious. It was a lesson both she and Vanille had learned the hard way, multiple times. Granted, without those same strong brews, she and a certain strawberry-haired soldier might have never ended up where they were today. Liquid courage could have its benefits at times.

Fang brought the crystal glass up to her face, admiring the glowing golden drink within. A cautious sip rewarded her with a beverage that she could have sworn tasted like liquid sunshine, leaving a pleasant warmth in her stomach afterward. She didn't even want to guess how alcoholic the liqueur actually was.

Vanille let out a sigh of contentment as she took a sip from her own glass.

"So, how are you?"

The bronze-skinned woman allowed herself another drink before answering. "Can't complain, darling. Summer's been good this year, and there's been lots to hunt on the Archylte Steppes, which reminds me…"

Her voice trailed off as she reached into her belt pouch to pull out a object, offering it to Vanille. It was necklace made up of intricate patterns of multihued glass beads and claws belonging to at least three different species of beast that prowled the Steppes.

"This is from me and Lightning. I was the one who actually made it, though I guess she did a lot of material gathering, so to speak. I thought it would be a nice addition to your collection."

Vanille let out a delighted squeal as she accepted the gift, immediately putting on to match in with her other array of necklaces. Fang watched her silently, a fond grin plastering her features.

"So what about you? Grown sick of Cocoon yet?" she teased, though there was more than just a teasing undercurrent to it.

Vanille met her gaze squarely, her eyes speaking volumes of understanding.

"Not yet, Fang," she responded lightly, taking another sip. "Oh, you know that I miss Oerba and living close to you, but Cocoon is such a fun challenge! There so much to do here, it's still so exciting."

The hunter chuckled. She could never understand what Vanille saw in Cocoon, but as long as she was happy, that was all Fang could ever ask for of her sister.

"I just wish I was around to make sure that you were okay," admitted Fang. Then she winked mischievously. "Make sure that all of the boys I'm sure you're attracting treat you well, or they get a piece of me."

"Oh, Fang, you're as bad as Sahz!" Vanille decried, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore; I can take care of myself, especially in whom I choose to date!"

Fang made a noise signaling her discontent with the response. Her jaw muscles clenched with the force of trying to repress a grin as she adopted the most serious face and tone that she could manage.

"Van, all boys—especially the ones proclaiming interest in dating you—are beasts. Don't think otherwise."

Her sister laughed off the good-natured warning. "Honestly, Fang, it's probably a good thing that you do live in Oerba. It's bad enough with Sahz and Hope getting all protective of me, but you would almost certainly scare away any potential dates I might have."

"Just doing my job," countered Fang, falling back into her drink comfortably. "Speaking of which, I was on an adamntoise hunt the other day, and you'll never believe what I—"

Both Vanille and Fang looked up as the door to the office opened without so much as knock beforehand.

Fang smiled with genuine pleasure as Lightning strode purposefully in. She was in her business mode, Fang could tell, all focused intensity like a sharpened knife. She was probably as dangerous as one. And yet it was also unbelievably attractive. That steel, no-nonsense manner had a tendency to put most other people on edge. Fang had laughed watching her fair share of raw recruits shake and cower under Lightning's fist of tutelage in the army. When she was like this it put Fang on edge, too. But in a much, much different way than it did for everyone else.

She took the opportunity to drink in Lightning's form as she handed Vanille a datalog, talking with her over some new contract that the military wanted them to take care of. Fang could care less if the datalog was announcing the return of the Maker. All thoughts of business had fled her mind as soon as that massive wooden door had opened.

Lightning was in her casual military wear today instead of her formal Guardian Corps uniform, which was an improvement in Fang's expert opinion. Not that she anything against the formal suits that Light would don every now and then—uniforms, Fang had decided some time ago, could be very hot, especially when the right person was wearing one.

But the benefit of Lightning wearing her vest and shorts instead of the long jacket and pants (or worse, the full armor), was that Fang was given a much better view of what the full uniforms tended to hide.

She started at the top, letting her eyes glide first over the locks of strawberry blond hair before moving down to the creamy exposed skin her throat. Fang dwelled on the delicate curves of her collarbone briefly. She never ceased to admire how elegantly feminine Light really was.

Every inch of her marble form appeared as if designed by a master artisan. Alabaster skin served as the deceptively silken cover over the steel-sheathed muscles that cloaked her body.

But it wasn't just her physical appearance that was so attractive—though it certainly didn't hurt at all. It was also the way in which she carried herself.

They had once gotten into a discussion, the two of them. It had begun with Lightning remarking, almost off-handedly, how Fang reminded her of one of the big cats out in the wilds of Gran Pulse—all deadly grace combined with regal ease and relaxation. Fang had laughed, but was nonetheless pleased with the comparison. But it had posed an equal question to her on Light's nature, were she to choose.

And yet there were none to compare. Not a single living beast had yet to hold true to their living "Lightning" counterpart. If anything, she was far more akin to an Eidolon in Fang's mind, particularly in battle. That same perfectly bizarre blend of mechanical and organic, almost ethereal in a way.

It was a different category of grace than what Fang possessed. All of that refined power, unhindered by any false pretenses or appearances; and all of the unpredictable tension of a tightly coiled spring Despite the years, some things still remained unchanged—Lightning was like a loaded gun. You never knew if and when she was going to fire. Fortunately, Fang was someone who liked playing Russian roulette as a pastime.

You never know what you're going to get, she thought, her eyes wandering back to appreciate Lightning's finely sculpted rear. At the end of the day, that was the beauty of playing the game.

"Fang, will you stop staring at my legs and pay attention to what I'm saying?" asked Lightning, sounding disgruntled.

Fang knew that she wasn't actually upset, though. And even if she was, she knew just the perfect remedy for soothing those ruffled feathers. She looked back up at those hauntingly beautiful glacial eyes, smiling sweetly.

"Sorry, sweetheart, the deal sounds good. Should pay well, too. And I think you know quite well that it wasn't your legs that I was staring at, though they are very alluring in their own right."

Vanille promptly snorted into the datalog, attempting to muffle a fit of laughter as coughs but instead failing miserably and nearly choking herself with ill-disguised mirth.

Lightning, for her part, simply crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I swear, Fang, you have all the hormonal control of a teenager sometimes."

Smiling, Fang reached out to lay her hands on either side of Light's hips. She tugged gently but firmly, pulling Lightning close such that the other woman had to straddle one of her legs. She maintained eye contact, enthralled by that crystalline blue gaze. She could lose herself in those eyes. It was not the first time she had thought such.

"Can't help it," she said, aware of how husky her voice suddenly became, but not caring. "Guess I never really grew up."

She curled her fingers slightly, allowing their grip to move just under the hem of Lightning's shirt so that they could press against the soft and heated skin of her lower back. Light's nostrils flared, accompanying the soft intake of air. Fang wanted to garner a better reaction than that. She let her finger tips slowly dance out patterns against the other woman's skin, looking for the distinct flush that would soon color her cheeks, never breaking eye contact all the while. Alas, it was not to happen.

Vanille cleared her throat in a sound of disapproval, disrupting Fang out of her reverie. The younger Pulsian's eyes twinkled with mirth, nonetheless.

"Would you two just get a room already? This is my office after all, and unfortunately I do have work that still needs to be done."

Fang felt the corners of her mouth tug upward in a smile, mentally chortling at the way Light stiffened in embarrassment as she pulled away, her eyes cast demurely downward. Some things never changed.

She slid off her makeshift seat from Vanille's desk, suddenly grabbing Lightning's arm and leading her toward the door out of the office. The soldier half stumbled, pulling back from Fang's insistent grasp.

"What are you doing?" Lightning asked, her gaze accusatory and mistrusting.

Fang sighed dramatically. She reached forward to tap the woman on her nose—it was too adorable watching the normally straight-edged officer go temporarily cross-eyed as she followed the path of Fang's finger. She explained herself patiently.

"Why, I was only doing exactly what the boss suggested."

Lightning sputtered, thrown off guard by the inane response. "She's not even your boss, Fang. You're business partners. And we need to finish this deal."

Vanille's carefree laugh chimed in. She had excused herself from around her desk, and, with one hand planted firmly on each of their backs, began pushing the two arguing women out of the door cheerfully.

"Now, now, you two are supposed to be on vacation, after all. Don't worry—I'll take care of the paperwork on this one. Go take some time for yourselves before we meet up with everyone tonight, okay?" She gave them her signature smile. "Until then, bye-bye!"

And with that, the door was shut in their faces, sealing them off from both Vanille and her workspace.

For a long moment, they both just stared as the closed door. Lightning blinked several times as if trying to fully understand what had just occurred.

This time Fang turned toward her, stretching one hand out in invitation.

"Well?" she asked, her lips upturned in a genuine smile.

She was rewarded when Lightning shook her head once in amusement, and then grabbed Fang's outstretched hand, pulling her in for an unexpected kiss.

"You're ridiculous," Lightning stated. Her own smile bellied the accusation, though.

Fang and Lightning exited the office as the young secretary watched wide-eyed, their fingers intertwined, their lilting voices drifting through the afternoon air.