A/N: So the funniest thing happened. I sat down to write my story, turned on my music, and got a paragraph written before the song for this came on and I suddenly could no longer focus. It was a like a switch had been flipped and my imagination was shouting, "Write this, write this, write this..." I, being the oh-so-lovable author, had no choice but to give in or face the wrath of being unable to continue my story for a longer time yet and have this blocking everything else. So! Here we are :P it's rather depressing for the most part, but I promise it's not so bad at the end :3 The entire thing just jumped out at me within the first few lyrics of the song. Inspiration strikes us at the strangest times, eh? Anyway, the song is Wait It Out by Imogen Heap if you wanna go listen to it. I just love her voice *.* So heartbreakingly beautiful...

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or anything to do with, nor do I have any affiliation or ownership to Imogen Heap's awesome music.

Just A Moment

Where do we go from here?

How do we carry on?

I can't get beyond the questions

Lightning sat and stared at the photo of Fang and Vanille from years past, clutched in a gentle grip within her hand. She ran her fingers, almost reverently, over the rough surface. In the picture, Vanille was her spunky self, all smiles. Fang looked happy as well, despite how uncomfortable and unhappy she must have been to be taking a picture anyway. Tears pooled momentarily within azure eyes before they were angrily dashed away.

Clambering for the scraps

In the shatter of us collapsed

It cuts me with every could-have-been

Memories arose and suffocated Lightning's attempts to stifle her tears. She didn't want to remember the nights she spent with her, all the times that they talked, laughed, kissed. She didn't want to be reminded of the empty void within her heart. But she especially didn't want to think of all the times they could have had. All the times they could have talked, could have laughed, could have kissed, hugged, cuddled. The whole thing spun around her mind and dragged on the already strained strings of her heart.

Pain on pain on play, repeating

With the backup makeshift life in waiting.

She suddenly thrust the picture away from her, unable to stand to stare at the heartbreakingly beautiful face that was hers. She never wanted any of this - no, she had just wanted to get Serah back and build a life with her, a life that would be filled with a family she could call her own. Something she had so desperately wanted for a long, long time. But that was impossible now, in spite of everything she had done, everything she had given.

Everybody says time heals everything

But what of the wretched hollow?

The endless in-between

Are we just going to wait it out?

Standing on shaky legs, she walked out of her room and through the house. She ignored Serah's call after her, hearing only the sounds and seeing only the sights of that wretched day. The day she had been taken away. As she rushed outside in an urgent need to get away, all she could remember was the look on her face, the emotions behind her eyes on that awful day. She wanted to fall to her knees and scream to the heavens of the injustice of it all, demand they give herback. She wanted to throw things around, slash something to bits, pummel the life out of whatever got in her way, curl into a ball of misery and stay there...

There's nothing to see here now

Turning the sign around;

We're closed to the Earth 'til further notice

She began running, forcing her emotions to carry her through her legs. The world fell away from her as she threw herself onto the long, winding road leading to her. More memories flashed behind her eyes like a bad movie and she forced herself to go even faster, as if she could outrun them if she could only go fast enough. Faster, get away, faster faster faster...

A stumbling cliched case

Crumpled and puffy faced

She could no longer feel the burn in her lungs, the stitch in her side, the pain radiating from her feet and legs combined. The sound of her wheezing breaths fell on deaf ears as she looked up at the towering pillar still so far away in the distance yet so clearly visible. She stretched out a hand as if to try and touch it, the empty space in her heart growing bigger and bigger with each step she took.

Dead in the stare of a thousand miles

All I want, only one, street level miracle

Nothing made any sense anymore. Things had been torn away from her in a moment's notice twice in her life, the second having left her with virtually nothing. She stumbled and fell, tumbling to the ground with a choked sob. Her heart felt like it was bleeding its life out slowly, dying with each breath she took without her by her side. The world came crashing back to her as a single tear rolled down a dirt-stained cheek, azure eyes turned up at the pillar. So many things she wanted to say, to apologize for, to plead, to beg for..

I'll be an out and out

Born again, from none more cynical

Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand over her chest. She didn't know how much longer she could live without her, the lifeline she had clung to when she'd had no one else. She missed her smile the most - not that wonderfully cheeky, cocky grin. No, she missed that genuine smile reserved only for her, only for the best of moments. And her eyes.. Those deep emeralds that would suck you in and spin you around and around and around.

Everybody says time heals everything

All in the end

But what of the wretched hollow?

The endless in-between

Are we just going to wait it out?

That husky accent; the long, bronzed limbs. The wildy beautiful mass of dark hair. The sense of humour that always sent her into a laughing fit. The obvious ways she showed she cared.

And sit here cold?

We will be long gone by then in lack luster

In dust we layer on old magazines

In the first days that she had been gone, Lightning had waited in high spirits. Hopeful. Sure she would return and have a good laugh over it all. But then the days had turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years...

Fluorescent lighting sets the scene

For all we could and should being

In the one life that we've got

Today marks the sixth year that has passed and Lightning has lost all hope. So much time spent just waiting, waiting for her to come back and make everything ok again; to be held in her arms, to be comforted, to be loved again. She didn't think she could wait anymore. Her heart was too tired of going on alone, having found the completion it had not known it had wanted until she came along and gave it lovingly without having to be asked.

In the one life that we've got

She closed her eyes to the slowly darkening sky above and the glittering crystal of the pillar. A small smile finally graced her face as she allowed the happiest memories to surface and suppress the pain of everything else for just a single moment...

Everybody says time heals everything

But what of the wretched hollow?

The endless in-between

Are we just going to wait it out?

"Fang," she whispered, voice filled with the deepest love imaginable. In this single moment, she felt that maybe, just maybe, waiting for a little while longer wouldn't be so bad...

And sit here, just going to wait it out...

And sit here, cold, just going to sweat it out

Underneath the setting sun and the sparkling resting place of Fang, Lightning sighed blissfully for a single moment, just a moment, with a deep joy. In a way, she thought she could feel Fang's loving presence nearby, showering her with the love and security she needed to continue on. "I'll wait for you, Fang. I'll wait for as long as I can, and then wait some more..."

Wait it out