A Pirate's Life for Thee

Fang ran her hand along the rotting walls of the ship. "Hey there old friend, it's me." She said with sadness in her voice. "It's been a while." She walked around in the ship, occasionally laying her hands on the walls or feeling a timber support. It was truly a depressing sight. Her old ship, the Highwind, was rotting in a graveyard.

It had been a long time since she had seen this ship last. She had been the best pirate there was, and her ship had been a large part of it. Sure there were others who were more feared or better known, but she was the best. She only took from rich fools and corrupt governments, leaving the rest alone. It took a lot of work to figure out who she could take from and who to leave alone, but she refused to take from just anyone. It was also hard to take from people who could afford proper protection, but she and Highwind had broken through every time.

"I've missed you." She said, "I hope ya know that." She descended a set of stairs going deeper into the ship. "I ain't had another ship since. Ain't none could compare." She stopped and put a hand on the wall, hanging her head. "I'm sorry too, so sorry. Ya deserved better than what I gave ya." She lifted her head and gave a hollow smile to the ship. "It worked though. They all think I'm dead. Those damn vipers think I'm fish food, so ya didn't go for nothin'." She started walking again.

Deeper she went, exploring the depths of the ship. "Vanille's still doin' good, ain't seen her in a while though." She said, "She went an' got married. Some Cocoon fella named Hope. Only met the kid a few times; seems like a bit of a stiff. Nah, he wouldn't have liked what me an' you did. Probably been a year since I saw her, three since the wedding. She still keeps in touch though, writes a lot." She looked up from where she stopped and could see into the floor above through a hole in the ceiling.

She descended another set of stairs, but only got halfway down. There was water flooding the bottom of the ship. She took a deep breath and then turned around. She walked back up the ship, remembering the day, so many years ago, that she had lost her ship. She could still remember it like it was yesterday.

She had planned it weeks in advance. She gave all unnecessary crew members a nice payment and sent them on their way. The rest, her very best, she split some of their biggest fortune with. They were risking their lives because she asked them to, and that kind of loyalty was rewarded. She set out to take ship owned by some way to rich and very corrupt politician. It hadn't even been that hard. They had taken the ship, bound the crew, moved everything of value, and then left with a practiced ease.

They moved away from the ship at high speed and it was soon nothing more than a barely recognizable spot. She almost thought they would escape unscathed, but that wasn't the case. As if out of nowhere, a ship appeared and gave chase. She didn't even have to look to know who it was, but she did anyway.

There were crew all over the ship, moving about, carrying out orders and preparing for a fight. She saw only one though; the pink haired captain who had been chasing her for as long as she could remember. Captain Lightning Farron of the Zantetsuken. Fang respected the Captain; she was the only person who had ever gotten close to catching her. As a matter of fact, Lightning Farron was the only person to ever catch her.

She had been capture twice by the woman, and returned the favor once. The first time she had been caught was not long after the Captain had started chasing her. She had been held for three days on the ship and the woman had kept personal guard for a good portion of the time. Apparently she hadn't wanted her prisoner to even attempt an escape. Fang had taken that time to taunt and tease the soldier in the hopes of goading her into a response that would leave an opening for escape. It hadn't taken her long to realize that wasn't going to happen, but she kept going because she happened to enjoy it anyway. Flustered, embarrassed, or even a little angry, the woman was an absolute pleasure to mock. In the end she had escaped when the ship docked and the less skilled subordinates had tried to move her.

She had had the pleasure of hosting the woman some time later. She had just scored a particularly good haul and her crew was in high spirits. When the ship they had come to expect came after them, they had managed quite the maneuvering accomplishment and managed to board the vessel. They only fought to push them back, but managed to get lucky when Fang herself captured the opposing Captain. For five days she had kept watch on the pink haired woman. She even slept in front of the brig to make sure the captive didn't try to run. By day three she found herself running out of ways to tease the Captain, as the woman was making every effort to not react. At this point she just started talking. She spoke of things she normally wouldn't have. She talked of Vanille, of her life before the ship, of her hope to give her sister a better life. By the next day her talking must have worn down the soldier, as she began speaking as well.

She learned that the soldier also had a younger sister, Serah, which she wanted to provide for. She learned that Lightning too had lost her parents at a young age. She heard of Lightning's dislike for her sister's fiancée, Snow, who sounded like an idiot, though her source was likely biased. She learned that the woman was very strict and controlled, but still held an obvious fire inside. She even learned that the woman had skyrocket through the ranks to get a command of her own at a young age. Fang relished every piece of information she gained, the woman got more intriguing by the moment. In the end the woman had escaped, turning out to be as fast as her name and had gotten away when Fang finally left for more than a few minutes. Just before she jumped off the ship though, she locked eyes with Fang and smirked. To Fang it was a challenge. She still wasn't sure how the soldier survived the water and the trip to land.

Being captured a second time had surprised Fang, but what had surprised her more was the woman's reaction. While being held in the brig Lightning had come to keep watch, again, and had actually taunted her. In the two days she spent in the woman's captivity they quickly developed a banter that Fang enjoyed very much. She had once again escaped when they reached land, this time by fleeing into a crowd. She had only taken the time to pause and shout back a challenge of "Catch me again, if ya can."

In the end she hadn't been captured again. Now she watched as the Captain's ship approached hers at high speed. "Alright everybody." Fang said, "This is it. When this is over ya can all go home an' live a nice happy life with ya families. An' I don't wanna hear 'bout any of ya doin' anything else, ya got that?"

"We got that." Her crew answered. The battle was hard, they wanted to injure but not sink the other ship, while still making it look like they were putting up a good fight. In the end though, as it always did between the two of them, it came down to a fight on the decks.

Lightning's crew boarded her ship and started attacking. She didn't worry about her crew, they were the best there was, even compared to Light's. Her attention was focused instead on the Captain herself, who was now in front of her with her sword drawn. Fang drew her own sword and they went at it.

Lightning swung and Fang ducked, bringing her own up at an angle. The soldier jumped back and then thrust forward. Fang sidestepped and grabbed the woman's wrist, pulling her forward while she was off balance and driving her knee into the woman's stomach. She brought her sword down at the woman and was blocked by the pinkette's sword before she felt a punch to the stomach. Fang's sword was pushed away as the smaller woman stood, and then she stumbled back as Lightning's foot found her chest.

Normally fights like these could last for a while, with both women being fairly evenly matched. In this case, however, it wasn't to be. Fang let herself be pushed back towards the side of her ship. When her back was to the edge it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment. It wasn't long before it presented itself. Lightning stabbed her blade at Fang's abdomen and she sidestepped, but she made sure to be just a little too slow.

The actual cut across her stomach was shallow, but it stung. More important was the fact that the fake blood pack she was wearing beneath her shirt split open. Fang grabbed her stomach and the red substance spilled through her fingers. She dropped her sword and staggered back till she hit the railing. She gave one last look at her rival before she fell, seeing shock written all over her face. With that she let herself fall over the side and crash down hard into the water.

She allowed herself to sink, the heavy metals in her pockets dragging her down. After a few moments she took off most of her clothing while underwater and swam for the surface. She made sure to come up where she couldn't be seen from either ship. She stayed there until she was sure the battle was over. All of her crew were going to surrender after she "died". They would be freed later, they had planned for that.

When the ships started moving away she swam in the opposite direction. The rest of her crew would come to pick her up as soon as possible. She made sure to stay under as much as she could to prevent being seen, but she still couldn't stop herself from watching as her ship was taken away.

That had been the last time she had seen the Highwind. Her crew had picked her up and she had been declared dead. In the end it all worked out. She hadn't had a choice really, many other pirates, ones with far less morals than her own, had started targeting her for being better than them. Between them and the governments her family was put in danger. Vanille was the one thing she wouldn't risk, so to protect her, she arranged to have herself killed.

Fang hadn't enjoyed her life as much since then. She could no longer roam the open water wherever she wanted. She couldn't take from people who had no right to what they had. She had instead been stuck doing odd jobs and moving constantly to keep anyone from recognizing her. It wasn't that she needed the money from the jobs; she just couldn't stand not doing something. She still visited Vanille on occasion, but not as often as either of them would have liked.

When Fang finally snapped out of her reverie she was back in her old quarters. The Captain's quarters were just as she had left them. Her bed was even still intact and usable, though it had a bit of a smell to it. She sat down on the bed and sighed. "They're gonna come an' take ya out tomorrow." She said. The ship was taking up space and most of the wood was too rotten to salvage. The plan was to burn it all. "Just thought I'd come an' go down with my ship, like a real Captain would. I know I ain't been one in a while, but that don't mean I won't honor it from when I was." She looked around her for a moment before she began speaking again.

"Vanille don't need me anymore. It's been a while since I saw her too. I'm tired of runnin' and I miss my ship. I miss the feel of a ship beneath my feet. I miss bein' free to do what I want. I miss runnin' from and fightin' with Farron. So if you're gonna go down, then this time, I'm goin' down with ya." With that she lay down on her old bed and let herself go to sleep in the one place she had felt most at home.

Fang woke up and immediately wondered where she was. After a moment she remembered. She was aboard the Highwind. Then she wondered what had woken her. A few seconds later and she heard footsteps. What the hell? Was somebody else here? No, that's impossible; nobody else has a reason to be here.

She stood up and walked to the doorway, the door having fallen off long ago. She made sure to stay out of sight, but still able to see and hear anyone who may be there. The footsteps got louder and soon she could make out the shape of a person, though it was dark enough she couldn't tell who.

The person got closer and then stopped in the middle of the deck. Fang recognized them now and her jaw nearly hit the floor. It was Lightning.

Fang clenched her jaw. This was the woman who was supposed to have killed her. The woman who had destroyed the ship and put it here. The woman who had chased her so relentlessly that she had had to fake her own death. What right did she have to be here? What could possibly make her think this was a good idea? Sure, she had respected the woman, but that still gave her no right to walk on this ship.

Fang watched from the shadows as Lightning stood there looking around the ship. The pinkette then walked around the deck, letting her hand touch various places in a manner very similar to what Fang had done. For a while the only sounds where the water lapping at the ship and her footsteps on the decaying wood. Then she broke the silence as she spoke.

"I probably shouldn't even be here." Lightning said. "In the end though, I had to come say goodbye. I know we didn't know each other very well, I was only ever on board to attack. Except for the one time I was held captive in the brig. I still think you deserved better though. You were the finest ship I ever had the privilege to chase and you had the best captain I've ever met." Lightning moved back to the center of the ship and sat down before continuing. "Serah always said I was crazy, talking to ships. Here I am though, doing it again. Maybe you're not the only one that can hear me. Some say that she's still here, a ghost walking her ship. Personally, I never believed in ghosts. Not that it matters, even if she is here, you both will be gone soon."

"I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen. They thought I was just being sentimental when I told them they shouldn't discard you. They've ignored me for a while now, this is just the latest. Burn down the ship to make room for ones that might be salvaged. It makes sense, it's logical, but for some reason it doesn't feel right. You were the best there was for so long, it just seems wrong for you to go down like that."

By now Fang had sat down in the shadow of the doorway, her anger forgotten. She could hear sadness in the soldier's voice. She listened intently as Lightning continued to speak. "I still miss her sometimes. I'm assuming you do too, or you would if you could. I miss the challenge of chasing the two of you around. I miss being on the water at all. They took Zantetsuken from me. They called it a promotion, but I didn't want it. It was get promoted or get fired though, and I still had to take care of Serah." Fang's anger began to come back, but this time it was directed at the people who had promoted the soldier. You did not mess with a person's ship. Grounding someone like Lightning was almost like a prison sentence, it just wasn't right.

"I still have nightmares about that day." Lightning said, "I never wanted her dead. Capturing her I enjoyed, but I think I kind of always wanted her to escape. It kept the game going. I put up everything I had and she always got away. In the end I guess her lady luck finally gave out on her." Lightning took a breath and sighed before continuing. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this but it feels good to finally let it out. But why here? Maybe because you're going to be burnt down tomorrow, maybe I've just finally gone insane, or maybe it's because you're a ship and you can't actually hear me."

Lightning stood up and let out another sigh. "Well, that was actually therapeutic. Thank you for listening." She said. "They'll be here tomorrow, rest in peace old friend." With those final parting words she started to walk away. That was before a voice shattered her solitude.

"So your just gonna leave now that ya had your little chat?"

Lightning spun around and her hand shot to her sword. "Who's there?" she asked.

"What, ya don't recognize me? That hurts. After all…" Fang stepped out of the captain's cabin and into the moonlight where Lightning could see her, "ya did kill me." Lightning took a step backwards. To Fang the look of surprise on the woman's face was more than worth the overdramatic entrance.

"You can't be here." Lightning said, drawing her sword and pointing it a Fang, "You're dead."

"If I'm dead," Fang said as she slowly walked towards Lightning, "Then what are ya gonna do with that?" Fang looked at the sword, and then so did Lightning. They looked back at each other and Fang grinned. "Well Sunshine, ya gonna kill me again?"

"This isn't possible." Lightning said, "You're not real."

"You ain't hallucinatin' if that's what ya think. I'm real alright."

"So you're what? A ghost? Right."

"Oh yeah, ya said ya don't believe in ghosts. So what does that make me?" Fang crossed her arms and held her head high. She wanted to see what Lightning came up with.

"You're a hallucination. You may have said you aren't, but that doesn't mean it's true."

"You're sayin' you're hallucinatin', but people who are hallucinatin' don't usually know it right? So if ya think ya are, then ya must not be."

Lightning blinked a few times and then lowered her sword. "Right, you must be real. The only people I've ever met who could have logic that flawed are you and Snow, and I know he's nowhere near here." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "So, if you're real, and I'm still not completely convinced you are, then what are you and why are you here?"

"Well, I could tell ya, but I'm enjoyin' watchin' ya try an' figure it out."

"Tell me or I will stab you. If you're a ghost it won't matter, if you're not you're supposed to be so it still won't matter."

"Now that is the kind of thinkin' I'd expect from ya. Alrighty then, I'm a ghost and I've come back to haunt my ship they day before it burns. How's that work for ya?" Fang smirked. It didn't matter how good she was at reading people, it was close enough to the truth to throw off even her.

"You're not a ghost." Lightning said, matter-of-factly, "Ghosts don't exist."

"So what am I then? Ya already said I ain't in your head, and now I ain't a ghost, so what am I?"

"I don't know." Lightning said, "But whatever you are, are you really just here to see you're ship? That sounds like you, but I still need to ask."

"Why else would I be here? It's not like I knew ya were comin'."

"That's true." Lightning said. She had no idea how Fang was here, but she wasn't going to question it anymore. She doubted it would get her anywhere. After a pause she spoke again. "It's been a long time."

"That it has." Fang said, as she stared at Lightning's profile as the other woman gazed off into the distance.

"I'm sorry." Lightning said without looking. She knew Fang was staring at her, but she couldn't meet the other woman's gaze.

"For what? Killin' me?"

"No. Well, yes that too, but also for taking this ship from you. It was a fine ship and deserved better."

"Aye, that's true."

"I tried to get them to fix it after the battle. I refused to let them dismantle it for scrap. In the end they did neither and just let it rot. I'm not sure why I wanted it fixed so badly. I probably wouldn't have let anyone else captain it."

Fang grinned at the confession. She had never figured the Cocoonian for a sentimental person, but it felt nice knowing the other woman thought so much of her. "Well," Fang said, "If it makes ya feel any better. I always said I'd rather see her rot than be taken by Cocoon. 'Cept you, that is.

"Oddly enough, that actually does help. But it brings up the question," Lightning finally turned to look at Fang now, "Why me? Why would you let me have 'her' but no one else?"

Fang's grin widened. "Well ain't it obvious? My ship was a part of me. And you were the only person who ever managed to capture any part o' me." Fang continued to look directly at Lightning as she said this. The other woman held a surprised expression. Honestly Fang was somewhat shocked herself; she hadn't really expected to say that. Even more, she realized she actually meant every word.

"So I proved myself worthy by capturing you? By that logic I should have your ship twice." Lightning's stoic expression had returned, but her voice held an obvious playful tone. Fang raised her eyebrows.

"Oh really. Well then I guess I'd get Zantetsuken for catchin' ya too." Lightning looked away at that. Fang managed to catch a hint of sadness in her eyes before she turned. She immediately felt bad. "Oh yeah. Ya mentioned they took him from ya. Fool mistake if ya ask me. Ya were the best they had out there."

"Thanks." Lightning said, her head still hung. "That means a lot coming from the biggest criminal to ever captain a ship."

"Oh come on now. There are much bigger criminal's out there." Fang said, actually offended. "Unlike the others I kept things clean. I didn't kill no one unless they attacked first, and I sure as hell never let any o' my crew 'have their way' with anyone."

"I said you were the biggest, Fang. Not the worst. The others may have done far worse things than you, but they never lasted very long. You were top of the list longer than anyone. Most of those 'terrors of the high seas', as they like to call themselves, don't live long enough to take as much as you did. Although I suppose you didn't live too long either."

"Oh." Fang said, "Well then I guess I'll take that as a compliment. Best of the best. Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I was the best of the best. You were the best of the worst."

"Well then why is it that I managed to escape from you twice?"

"Because I managed to capture you twice. I was only captured once."

"I only tried capturing you once. Every other time I was just trying to get away, and I always got away."

"Almost always." Lightning was smirking now, and Fang was doing the same. This was what she had missed, the combat, the challenge, the back and forth. She leaned in close and looked the soldier dead in the eye as she spoke.

"Are you sure." She said. The soldier's eyes narrowed. Fang held the gaze against the stare.

All of a sudden Fang jumped back just in time to avoid an upward slash from the soldier's blade. "What are jumping for? I thought you were a ghost." Lightning said as she advanced, blade drawn.

Fang drew her own blade. "And I thought you didn't believe in ghosts." Fang said just before the soldier lunged. Lightning was still fast, Fang knew she couldn't keep up. But she also knew she had always been stronger than the soldier. She just had to figure out how to use that to her advantage.

The battle was fairly evenly matched. Lightning would lash out in quick strikes, but Fang was just fast enough to block them. She would use her strength to through Lightning off balance, but the smaller woman would always recover. Eventually though, Fang noticed that rather than the harsh scowl Lightning usually wore, a small grin had crossed her face. The soldier was enjoying this just as much as she was.

A few minutes later and it became obvious neither of them was even trying to win anymore. They were just enjoying the fight. Despite this Fang decided to seize the opportunity when it presented itself. Lightning raised her blade up, about to bring it down in a diagonal slash. Fang rushed forward, holding up her own blade to block the blow. She pressed forward, pushing Lightning's blade backwards into her chest. The smaller woman was forced to retreat as Fang pushed her until her back hit the wall.

Fang pressed herself against the soldier, pinning the crossed blades between them and allowing the smaller woman no room to move. "Gotcha." She said. Lightning glared at her as she spoke.

"How?" She asked.

"Cause I'm stronger than ya."

"No. How are you here?" Lightning asked, "How are you real? I saw you die."

"No." Fang finally admitted. She kept the soldier pinned as she spoke, this would be easier if the woman couldn't attack her. "Ya saw an illusion. Ya saw what I wanted ya ta see. Fake blood an' good actin'. I needed a way out, I needed to die. So that's just what I did."

"You used me." Lightning spat out. She pushed against Fang, but she wasn't strong enough to free herself.

"Yeah, yeah I did. I wasn't gonna let just anyone kill me, ya know? I don't like it, even now, but I'd do it again if I had ta."

"And what was so important that the great Oerba Yun Fang had to fake her death?"

"My sister." Fang answered. Lightning's expression softened almost immediately. "People were startin' ta look for ways to get at me. The Cocoonians I probably could've handled, but the other pirates too? No, I wasn't gonna let any of them get their hands on Vanille. Decided she would be safer if they weren't tryin' to get at me, so I died. It worked too. Vanille's safe and sound. She even got married. So I don't regret it."

Fang took a few steps back, letting Lightning free. She sheathed her blade and turned around, taking a few steps away. She then let out a heavy sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. She didn't jump, but she was startled by the voice behind her. Not so much by the actual presence so much as by the gentleness in it.

"So you did it for your sister." Lightning paused for a moment before adding, "Well, I guess I can understand that."

"Oh, that's right." Fang said as she turned around to face to soldier again, "Ya got a younger sis yourself. She was engaged to some idiot, yeah?"

"Married to that idiot now. She even has a kid, a little boy. I don't get to see her very often though. She chose to live somewhere safe, pretty far inland."

"I know the feelin'. I had Vanille move away from the shore when people started comin' after me. Wouldn't be a problem if I could just live inland with her, but I can't give up the water. Even if I can't have a ship, at least I can be nearby."

Lightning was leaning up against the wall now, her sword having been sheathed as well. "That's true. I could have left a while back, transferred somewhere closer to Serah. I just couldn't leave though, even after they stuck me behind a desk." Lightning shook her head. "What does it say about me as a soldier if I'm having a conversation with a formerly most wanted pirate I was supposed to have killed?"

"I think it says ya choose the wrong side." Fang answered, causing Lightning to raise an eyebrow at her. Fang pressed on, "Think about it, when was the last time ya enjoyed yourself? I'm guessin' when ya were out there chasin' after people like me. Ya were good at it too, because ya thought like one of us. That scared 'em though, so they took ya outta the water. They were afraid you'd take one of their ships and sail off with it. Now you're here, talkin' ta me, cause ya chose the wrong side." Fang leaned back with a smug grin as she finished her little speech. Lightning just looked at her.

"Well it worked out well for you. When was the last time you captained a ship?"

"Low blow, Farron." Fang said, then perked up as she added, "But there's a difference. Vanille's safe now, so I can go back. Get a ship and sail again."

"So why haven't you?" Lightning asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know. Guess I just ain't felt the same rush. That and it's kinda hard to get ahold of a ship when you're tryin' to stay incognito."

"Well, if you're really determined, I know where you could get one."

"Oh do ya now?" Fang asked, surprised and definitely curious, "Where would that be?"

"Palumpolum. Their just finishing up a new ship there. It's actually based on this ship here. They figured since it did such a good job of staying away, it would be the best to work off of. It's still docked there in secret, so if you want it, now would be the time."

Fang was stunned. Lightning was actually telling her where she could steal a ship, and a good one from the sound of it. After a moment she managed to break out of her shock and ask "Why are ya tellin' me all this? I'm guessin' it ain't exactly somethin' you're supposed to be doin'."

Lightning sighed before answering. "I'm not quite sure. I guess I just don't like the idea of someone like you being forced out. Even if you were on the other side, it's still not right. Also, I kind of owe you. It may have been your plan, but I still took this ship from you. It's only right I give you back one."

"So you're really tellin' me how ta get ship? This ain't some kinda terrible joke?"

"No, Fang, it's not a joke. The ship is docked there just waiting for a crew. If you can do it, that crew can be yours."

"Wow." Fang ran her fingers through her hair. "That's a big chunk of information ya just laid on me, Sunshine. I can have a ship again, a crew. No more odd jobs and rentin' out shitty rooms at a cheap inn. No more fake names, no more hidin'. Captain Oerba Yun Fang can live again." By now Fang was simply talking to herself more than too Lightning.

"Right." The soldier said, pushing herself off the wall, "Rise from the dead and wreak havoc on the water." Fang was broken out of her reverie by Lightning's words. Not even thinking about what she was doing she closed the distance between the two of them and wrapped her arms around the other woman, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you." She said. Finally Lightning reached up and patted Fang on the back twice. She stepped away from Fang, out of the hug.

"Don't thank me yet. You still actually have to get the ship." She said with a slight smirk. Then she turned, starting to leave. Fang couldn't see her face, but she could hear a change in the woman's voice as she spoke. "I hope you enjoy your ship. Enjoy being alive again."

Fang's face dropped as she heard the double meaning of the soldier's words. She heard the melancholy tone in the woman's voice. The pinkette was already walking away, but Fang hurried forward to catch her. Acting on impulse she grabbed the woman's shoulder. "Wait." She said.

Lightning stopped and turned her head to look at the hand. She followed up Fang's arm to look the woman in the eye. Fang held her gaze as she spoke. "Come with me." She said. Lightning's eyebrows knitted in confusion, but Fang continued before the idea could be rejected. "Ya said it wasn't right for one of the best to be docked. Well ya gotta know ya were one of the best. Come with me and get back out there."

Lightning shook her head. "I can't do that." She said. "I have a job. I have duties. Besides, I haven't been a captain for a while."

"And why is that? Ya said ya owed me a ship for takin' Highwind away, even though I planned it. Well ya didn't plan to loose yours but they took it from ya anyway. They owe ya a ship, so take it back." Fang's eyes bored into Lightning's as she spoke. She was getting somewhere, she could feel it.

"It's not that simple, Fang. I'm a soldier. I can't just turn my back on that."

"That's all ya got? Well then quit. Turn in your papers and sign out. I can have that ship waitin' for ya. I had fun goin' up against ya, and I know ya enjoyed it too, I heard ya say so. Ya can't tell me ya wouldn't enjoy bein' on the water again, especially side-by-side with the best. People like you and me, we were meant to be out there."

"But my sister-"

"What about her? Ya said she was married and moved inland. She can take care of herself. Ya can still go see her, but why not enjoy yourself while you're out here. Face it Sunshine, ya ain't happy as a soldier. Ya ain't meant to be landlocked like that. Take back what you're meant to have."

Fang could see the indecision in the other woman's eyes. She was considering it. One last push would probably do it. "Come on. Ya gonna sit there starin' at freedom for the rest of your life, or are ya gonna take it."

Lightning hung her head. When she lifted it back up to meet Fang's gaze once again, the spark had come back and there was a smile in her eyes. "One condition." She said, "We don't give those bastards the honor of taking down this ship."

Fang smiled. "You got a plan?" She asked. Lightning started to walk away saying "I have fuel on the boat I brought. We take this ship down ourselves in the blaze of glory it deserves."

"Sounds good." Fang said. "Ya go on ahead, I got somethin' to get." With that she walked in the opposite direction. When Lightning returned with the accelerant she saw Fang walking towards her carrying the ships wheel. "What? I'm keepin' it. Ain't gonna let it all burn."

Not long after that the two of them stood on the boat Lightning had arrived in. Just big enough for a small family, it held the two of them easily, but it wasn't comparable to what they were after. It wasn't near enough.

Together they watched the Highwind burn in the night. "Goodbye, old friend." Fang said. With the only light coming from the pale moon and the burning ship it was hard to confirm, but Lightning could have sworn she saw tears running down the other woman's cheek. When asked later Fang would steadfastly deny it. Lightning didn't care though, she understood.

After a while they turned their backs on the flame and set course for Bodhum. Lightning planned to deliver her resignation while Fang worked her way to Palumpolum. She would then meet her there to help Fang take the ship. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was a start.

Lightning stood at the helm of the boat as Fang walked up beside her. "So," The Gran Pulsian woman started, "What else can ya tell me about this ship we're gonna get?"

"Well," Lightning said, "It's called Bahamut."

Fang smiled. "I like it already." She said.

A/N: I saw this prompt and the scene of Fang talking to the ship popped into my head. After that, I just had to write it. Turned out differently than I expected it to. Some of it just happened onto the page when I was writing, mainly the flashbacks. No, they didn't hook up, but I left it fairly open at the end, so take that where you will. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review, they are always appreciated and help me out a lot. Constructive criticism is welcome, it's helped me a lot so far. As always, I hope you enjoyed it.