Final Fantasy XIII The Mingling of Dandelions and Butterflies

**1. Lip Balm**

"What's this?" Vanille asked curiously, grabbing the small tube Hope held out to her in his hand.

"I-It's a present." He stuttered rubbing the back of his neck out of nervous habit watching the red headed girl eye the tube in fascination."F-for you."

Vanille popped the lid off the tube and eyed the shiny pink substance within before sniffing it softly. Her eyes instantly lit up as they caught a whiff of her favorite scent.

"It smells like strawberries!" She giggled eyes glittering with pure delight. "What is it?"

Hope looked dumbfounded at the pigtail sporting girl for a moment before replying.

"I-Its strawberry flavored lip gloss." he stated "I saw it in the store where me and my dad went shopping and remembered that that was your favorite smell, so I thought you might like it." He blushed.

"How does it work?" the girl asked as she continued to fiddle with it curiously.

"Uh," Hope took the tube from the red head's twiddling hands assuming they must not have had lip gloss where she came from back in her day. "You just, twist the bottom, like this, see?" He said demonstrating the movement and holding it up for Vanille to see. "Then you just rub it on your lips." He said, mocking the movement making the green eyed girl giggle. "See? Nothing to it." He said handing it back to her.

"How come you didn't put some on Hope?" Vanille giggled smiling at the boy as she attempted to put some on.

"Uh," He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, trying to find the words. "Its, actually kinda, more of a girl thing." he replied, slipping his free hand into his shorts pocket.

"What's the matter Hope?" Vanille teased, leaning in with her newly glossed lips. "Don't like the taste of strawberries?" She giggled.

He didn't know if she meant it the way he took it but, his face still turned bright red none the less.

**2. Photograph**

Vanille was notorious for her antics with a camera.

Everywhere the team of former L'Cie went the girl was always there, whipping out the purple, little device in a frenzy of fiery haired, pigtailed, picture taking passion.

This was good, of course, for keeping memories and giving them all something good to remember and look back on together, but it also had the tendency to capture more, personal, things about its subjects.

Things said subjects may not have wished to have expressed...

Vanille sat in her assigned bedroom, red as a tomato as she clicked through the images she had captured of the group's previous excursion together on her camera.

They had all gone to New Bodhum beach and decided last minute that it might be fun to pitch some tents and camp out there for a week.

She had gone with Hope and Sazh to pick out groceries for the event, so when they had gotten back, all the tents had been pitched and she didn't know for sure whose was whose. She had heard someone scuffling about in one, so she had gone to see if it was Fang.

Thinking it would be funny to sneak up on the elder pulsian and give her a start when she ripped open the tent door unexpectedly; she had pulled out her camera and stood at the ready; only to banzai a mortified, half-naked Lightning.

The red headed girl blushed nervously as she stared back at the picture, finger trembling tenaciously over the delete button.

_If Lightning found out…._ She gulped, not wanting to think about the cruel and merciless things the soldier would do to her if she found out she still had the picture.

It wasn't like she was keeping it for personal fancy or anything, Etro forbid; she just didn't want to lose sight of a single moment the group spent together. Even without the threat of becoming a C'ieth still looming over them, there was still only so much time they had left to spend together, just living life. All good things came to an end eventually, and she wanted to make sure that they were all lived and remembered to the fullest. But, maybe she could make an acception; just this once.

She moved to press her finger down on the delete button when a knock on her door and someone suddenly entering stopped her.

She quickly tossed the camera into the mountain of pillows beside her, hoping to hide it from the invader's line of sight and curiosity for fear it might be a certain icy eyed soldier.

"Ay," rolled in Fang's familiar accent as the door opened to reveal the raven haired woman.

"Came to check and see if you needed any help unpacking." She smirked strolling across the room casually, coming to stand in front of the younger pulsian.

Vanille smiled up at her surrogate elder sister, instantly relieved it had been Fang and not certain strawberry-blonde death lurking outside her door.

"Nope, already done." She chirruped, happily swinging her feet.

"Alright then, I'll be down stairs." Fang chuckled turning to leave.

"Just let me know if you end up needing anything else, yeah?" She waved back at the younger pulsian, and made her way back out the door.

Suddenly, Vanille got an idea.

"Hey, Fang wait!" she called back, scurrying up to grab the tan-skinned woman's arm.

"What?" the taller woman laughed at her friend's enthusiasm as she was dragged back through the door she had only just managed to exit by her arm.

Vanille quickly began rummaging through the unnaturally massive, pile of pillows on her bed, producing a small purple camera from somewhere in the abyss.

"Here," she said dumping it in the chuckling elder pulsian's hands.

"What's this then?" the jade eyed woman grinned eyeing the device curiously.

"You've still got that crush on Lightning right?" the redhead asked teasingly, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, why?" Fang asked eyeing the girl curiously.

"Let's just say, you owe me." She winked, leaving Fang to her thoughts.

**3. Miscommunication**

"But Light, I swear she told me it was this way!" Snow cried in his defense, having brought the then sleeping pink haired soldier somewhere that was clearly NOT the hotel they were supposed to be staying at.

"Through the woods Snow? Really?" Lightning asked growing more annoyed with the blonde giant's face by the second. She curled her hands into fists, getting the sudden urge to hit something.

"That's what she said."He stated, raising his hands in defense. "Or was it, not, to go through the woods?"He questioned himself aloud."Maybe I was supposed to stay on the interstate."He mumbled in thought.

Lightning growled, fists now aching to pummel something particularly tall, blonde, and sporting a size 13 shoe.

"Maybe if we just keep going down this road, it'll lead us back to the interstate." He reasoned cheerfully, hand heading for the gear shift.

"No!" Lightning shouted, knocking his hand away."Get Fang on the line, now."She stated in infuriation, chucking a phone at him roughly.

Snow fumbled with it, flipping it open and dialing in the number as quickly as he could, seeing his life flash before his eyes as Lightning's tone of voice increased. He pressed send and was greeted with a beeping noise. He looked at the screen and it read the words "No Service" in bold letters.

"No service." He read aloud, pressing a few buttons and showing the screen to Lightning.

Lightning growled. "Damn it Snow!" she spat, snatching the phone from his hand."Get out of the car."

"What?" he asked bewildered, seeing her undoing her seat belt and opening the passenger's side door in a flurry of movements.

"You heard me. I said get out of the car! I'm driving!" She shoved him out of the way and jerked the keys from the ignition, exiting the vehicle.

Snow quickly undid his seat belt and opened his door, seeing Lightning quickly rounding the front to his side of the car.

When he didn't move fast enough, she grabbed a hold of his shirt collar and all but threw him out of the car. He struggled to regain his footing and quickly scurried to the passenger side of the vehicle, hearing the pink haired soldier almost immediately start the ignition.

He ran and managed to get in on the other side just as she was about to drive off. The car started moving before he even had a chance to shut the door, hastily fastening his seat belt and slamming it shut as the car rolled and began to turn.

"Light, you can't turn here it-"

"Watch me." She cut him off, performing an illegal U turn before speeding off in the direction where they had just come from.

"And they let you into the Corps?" Snow smirked, having witnessed the whole thing.

"Can it Snow. Unlike you, I don't care if I get blood on your new apolstry." She threatened, making the blonde man cringe. "You're the reason we were even lost in the first place." She spewed, shifting gears as she sped to make up for lost time. "I don't know why I ever even agreed to ride with you. Now we're going to be late, and we can't even call Fang, Vanille, Sazh, OR Serah to have them check us in at the hotel desk before the cutoff time!" She bellowed in exasperation, merging onto the interstate.

"What are you complaining about?" He huffed. "If we get there late, you get to share a room with Fang. Me on the other hand; I'd probably be stuck outside."

Lightning slammed on the breaks, slowing the car down to far below the legal speed limit on any interstate.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing Light?" Snow yelled seeing a multitude of nearby cars go flying past and almost hit them."You're going to get us killed!"

"We'll get there when we get there." Lightning hummed calmly, car creeping along.

"Well fine." Snow smirked sitting back in his seat, tuning out the honking sounds of cars that roared passed them. "If the hotel won't let me in, I'm sure Serah will let me stay in her room with her." He replied coolly.

Lightning's foot hit the floor; the car shot off at an insanely illegal speed and was still gaining it rapidly. They sped by all the cars that had previously passed them, barely avoiding hitting them once again. Snow held onto his seat, regretting not having written out a will of some kind before taking on this excursion. He shut his eyes as Lightning merged onto the exit that would take them into the city and swore he felt the car lift off the ground. She sped through downtown, which was all lit up with neon and lights from the emerging night life.

"There!" she exclaimed seeing the top of the fancy hotel they were supposed to be staying at just up ahead of them. She sped into the parking lot, tail burning into a parallel parking space just outside the entrance, making a few people who were exiting the building jump back. She disengaged her seat belt and flew out of the car at lightning speed, Snow soon in toe, only at a more civilized pace.

Lightning rushed through the automatic doors, all but running to the hotel's front desk. She whipped out her phone and started dialing as Snow, only just finally managing to catch up, gave their names.

"Hello?" Fang's accent rolled cheerfully into the receiver after about 3 rings.

"Hey, we're here." Lightning breathed in relief.

"Here? Where's here?" Fang asked sounding confused.

Lightning grumbled. "Here, you know, at the hotel we're staying at?" She stated, growing annoyed, not in the mood to deal with the tribeswoman's antics.

"Hotel?" Fang asked, taken aback."What hotel?"

"The Palumpolum Elite." The soldier fumed.

"…Ohhh," Fang said, realization dawning on her."_That_ hotel."

Lightning rolled her eyes.

"We're not supposed to be staying there till'_ next_ week Light."

Lightning dropped the phone.

**4. Trouble maker**

"Hey, Light." Fang smirked eyeing her strawberry blonde scouting partner from behind.

"Not now Fang." Lightning groaned focusing on the task at hand, not in the mood to deal with the tribal woman's antics.

Fang's grin broadened and suddenly she lunged forward grabbing on to the soldier's wrist, turning them about so that she was now a step ahead of Lightning with her back turned to their heading.

The sergeant's cerulean eyes were wide with surprise at the unexpected turn about but soon steeled over, glaring daggers into the tall, raven haired woman for halting her.

Fang's eyes shone devilishly as her smoky emerald gaze bore liquid fire into Lightning's lethal, cerulean blizzards, daring them to freeze her where she stood and smother the flame that could melt the rigid soldier to the core.

Fang lifted Lightning's hand to her lips never once breaking eye contact nor wavering in the shadow of the looming, icy, fortress of death that shone in the fair skinned woman's eyes.

The battle worn huntress grinned impishly into the stern, war hardened expression of the soldier, lowering her lips onto the lightly calloused tip of the strawberry blonde's left index finger. She bit down softly, her lips and tongue barely making contact with the soldier's pale flesh as she encircled it with her mouth. She flicked her tongue over it teasingly; her teeth scraping along the slender digit's exposed tip as she slowly drew it from her mouth, not once breaking eye contact with the strawberry blonde soldier.

Lightning fought to keep her entire body from trembling at the touch. Her icy resolve visibly wavering in her eyes and threatening to melt for an instant under the huntress' smoldering, evergreen gaze, before catching its self and steeling over again.

Quickly she drew her hand away, pulling it cleanly from the pulsian's grasp. She wanted to beat the devil woman into the ground for having the gall to even attempt such an act and think she could get away with it. Her fist drew back violently, ready to pummel the cocky Oerban warrior who simply smirked and raised an eyebrow at her in amusement.

Lightning shook with rage, her fist trembling with anger as she glared up at the raven haired pulsian. The ties of reason that held back her fist were breaking more and more rapidly the longer she stared into the huntress' playful, jade eyes; their wry glint acting like a knife to the ropes of the soldier's sanity.

It wasn't long before the last thread of reason holding the livid sergeant together finally snapped, and Lightning's fist lunged for the haughty woman's jaw.

The soldier's eyes widened in horror, however, as the pulsian woman simply redirected her rage powered fist mid-flight, and used its momentum to pull the furious strawberry blonde flush against her warm, solid, body.

Lightning's eyes bore death into Fang's as the tan skinned warrior woman wrapped a strong arm around her pale waist and drew her in closer. The hand holding her fist loosened and lightly calloused fingers moved to wrap gently around Lightning's wrist.

The strawberry blonde swordswoman growled in pure fury, snarling and struggling violently to break free from her pulsian captor's firm yet tender grasp.

She could feel the Oerban woman's hot breath tickling across her skin every time she breathed, and her feathery raven tresses dancing lightly against her exposed pale shoulders as her face drew nearer.

The taller woman chuckled softly; filling the agitated soldier's nostrils with a sweet, intoxicating, foreign scent that she feared may become addictive.

Before Lightning could retort, Fang closed the gap between them, bringing her smiling lips to meet the soldier's in a tender, lingering, caress.

The contact lasted for only a brief moment before the pulsian woman pulled away, but the hardened soldier girl had found herself utterly disarmed and drowning in it for the few seconds it had. Her eyes fluttered shut as she unconsciously began to lean into the captivating warrior woman's warm, velvet, kiss, craving more of her gentle touch.

Fang pulled away, but not so far that her lips weren't still brushing against Lightning's breathless, parted ones. She smirked against them, seeing the sergeant's eyes flutter open with a dreamy look, which her own eyes mimicked and returned with playful adoration.

Lightning scoffed dazedly in annoyance against the Oerban woman's lips at the mischievous glint; still not quite able to regain consciousness enough to have full control of her body yet.

Then, suddenly, like the element she was named for, the soldier's senses snapped to and her eyes burned with renewed fury into the elder pulsian's, this time not waiting to strike.

The tribeswoman ducked, managing to evade her rage powered fist once again, quick but not quite as quick as the sergeant had thrown it, the punch missing contact with the right side of her face by only a few centimeters.

Before the fuming blonde could recoil another fist to throw, the battle practiced warrior woman latched onto the blue eyed soldier's free wrist, grabbing it and using its force to, once again, twist the shorter woman around, pinning her arms to her back as she turned her about. She pulled the soldier girl back, hard against her, locking her arms in place, grinning broadly.

Lightning snarled in outrage, twisting and thrashing violently against the sari clad woman, unable to break free from the hold the much stronger woman had her in. She stilled, her arms aching in their sockets, panting with infuriation at her inability to free herself and shake the fluttering feelings the tribeswoman was filling her body with as her back pressed lightly into the front of the caramel skinned warrior's well formed figure.

The huntress had her arms pinned in one hand while the other teased its way down her side, coming to rest on her hip, but not before making a point to brush the pale, sensitive, skin hidden just under the ends of the sergeant's jacket on the way to its destination. Lightning shuddered.

Fang pulled the soldier more fully against her, causing the flurried blonde's back to press firmly into the front of her body.

Lightning trembled and jerked half-heartedly in attempt to escape, allowed now only the freedom to move her head as the pulsian's hold tightened on her body and she felt herself begin melting under her heated touch. She growled breathily in aggravation.

Fang beamed in tender amusement, grinning broadly at the flustered strawberry blonde from behind, knowing she had won. She leaned in close over the blue eyed soldier's neck, brushing her lips against her ear as she spoke:

"You're such a trouble maker Light." She hummed teasingly into the exasperated soldier's ear, grin growing even broader as she saw the normally stoic blonde turn bright red.

**5. Vacuum Cleaner**

Sometimes, Lightning wondered if Snow was even human.

She stared at the tall blonde man in pure disgust from her seat across the campfire as he ravenously devoured the two freshly cooked behemoth steaks that had just been plopped on his plate not moments ago.

"Do you even know how to chew?" she grimaced at the barbarian of a man who was all but shoving the two massive slabs of meat down his throat whole.

He didn't respond, too focused on the feasting at hand.

Lightning sighed, and got up from where she sat, turning only to meet an approaching Fang who was carrying her own steaming plate of hearty meat to the fireside.

"Here," Lightning said dropping her plate of food into the warrior woman's free arm as she passed.

"I've lost my appetite." She cringed walking away from the carnage by the campfire.

Fang stared after her confusedly for a moment, mouth a gape, trying to say something but, unable to find the words.

Finally she sighed in defeat deciding not to think too much on it, moving to take the seat that was supposed to have been next to Lightning's. She sat the soldier's plate down in its absent owner's seat and turned to begin picking away at the contents of her own.

"You gonna eat that?" Snow questioned Lightning's orphaned plate from across the campfire.

"Help yourself." Fang replied for it, smirking softly, too lost in her own thoughts of its strawberry-haired owner to care what the big bloke did.

Snow immediately rushed over to grab the luscious steak, not even making it fully back to his spot across the fireplace before he had begun to shove it down his throat.

**6. Straight perm**

They all stared back at him utterly shocked and in total disbelief of what they were seeing.

"So?" He began. "Wadda you think?" Sazh asked motioning to his new, not quite medium length, straight strands of hair.

"Uh," Snow was the first to utter awkwardly not quite sure what to make of the whole situation.

"Well its, uh…" Hope tried to elaborate for the blonde also finding himself at a loss for words, ending with rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Different." Fang finished for them, hand clasped over her mouth in mock interest as she eyed the older man quizzically, silently wondering what Maker forsaken Fal'Cie had possessed him to get it.

"I like it!" Piped Vanille cheerfully, giggling as she smiled up at the older man.

Everyone's gaze fell on her in greater disbelief than it even initially had with Sazh.

**7. Coffee**

"How can you stand that stuff?" Fang grimaced, eyeing the strawberry blonde soldier from her cup of herbal tea.

"It's not a matter of can or can't." Stated Lightning, lightly humoring the raven haired woman's question out of drowsiness. "I wouldn't be able to function this early in the mornings like I need to without it." She said, nose disappearing into her mug of freshly brewed coffee as she took a seat caddy corner to the pajama clad pulsian.

"Yeah, but-" Fang rested her mug on the table watching the soldier sitting slightly across from her side all but chug the black fluid from her mug.

"I mean, how can you stand to drink it black like that?" she asked watching with disgusted astonishment, taking a sip from her own mug to wash the taste it was giving her from her mouth.

"I like the natural flavor of things." Lightning stated simply, clearing her throat as she sat her mug down. "Adding milk or sugar just dilutes the taste and makes it too artificial."

Fang's eyebrows peeked in interest.

_Ah, so is that it then? _She smirked mirthfully into her tea.

"That comin' from a Cocoon born girl." Fang chuckled.

"Your whole life you've been living off nothing but a knock off." She laughed.

Lightning remained silent.

"Experiencing something from Gran Pulse for the first time must have blown your mind." She sipped her tea whimsically staring off in thought.

"As a matter of fact."Fang heard Lightning respond softly a few moments later, turning her head from her cup of tea to eye the strawberry soldier curiously."It did."

The soldier's normally hard, icy blue eyes melted into molten, cerulean, as they burned into Fang's surprised, smoky evergreen orbs. They lingered there, locked in place, speaking volumes but only for a moment before they hardened once again, closing the doors and shutting out the world at the small beeping sound of a pager.

"I've got to go."Spoke Lightning, getting up and moving from her seat. "I'm going to be late for work."

She placed her empty mug in the dishwasher, and threw on her coat adjusting it as she walked out the door.

Fang sat speechless, staring off into the space where Lightning had just been. Her hot mug of tea was raised only halfway to her lips, frozen in time, her mind racing and heart pounding with the magnitude of what she had just seen.

_Could she….?_

**8. Dirt**

Fang had to admit. She had become quite fond of the taste of dirt.

A loud crack sounded across the open plains of the Archlyte as Lightning's fist made contact with the left side of the elder pulsian's jaw, knocking the raven haired woman to the ground.

The warrior woman grunted in pain as her head and body connected harshly with the cold, unrelenting Earth, on the verge of losing consciousness from the force with which the sergeant's fist had connected with her skull.

After a moment, Fang shook her head and stood, chuckling in amusement. She spat and wiped the dirt from her mouth as she pushed herself up off the ground, fighting prowess allowing her body to recover quickly despite her head still reeling from the impact.

She stood ready to take whatever other beatings the soldier girl had for her with dignity, but none came. Lightning simply glowered up at her before turning heel and stomping away.

"Fang, Are you ok?" Vanille pleaded, instantly at her side, eyeing the nasty purple bruise that had already started to form under her surrogate elder sister's left eye from where Lightning had walloped her out of the blue.

Fang spat on the ground and wiped her mouth again; grinning despite her aching jaw as she watched Lightning's back marching sternly away from her. She chuckled to herself. Not only had she managed to get away, unbenounced to the others, with copping a feel of the soldier's sweet behind; she had also managed to survive the repercussions for said action relatively unscathed, more importantly, alive.

"Yeah." She replied distantly, still smiling after the pink haired sergeant; the gritty, Earthy taste of victory still sloshing in her mouth."Just peachy."

**9. Parents**

_Parents? _Fang scoffed mentally, no one in their group knew how to be for Sazh, since he already was one but, as for the rest of them they didn't have the slightest bloody clue what to do with a kid.

Hell, most all of 'em, including herself, had grown up as orphans and had never even known their parents, let alone knew how to be them themselves. She sighed in aggravation, sipping her tea.

None of 'em knew a thing about being parents really. Sure Hope still had his dad to go off of but, the kid was far too young to take on that kind of a responsibility yet anyway and so was Vanille, mentally at least.

Snow would've made a great dad, in her opinion, if he actually had a clue what he was doing and wasn't so reckless and dead to the world around him, but let's face it that was Snow.

The youngest of the Farron sisters, Serah, she believed it was, might have actually stood a good chance in child rearing as well, but Lightning, on the other hand, was far too stern and irritable for any kid placed in her hands to stand a chance in hell.

As for herself, well, let's just say her tattoos, dare devil antics and naturally flirtatious, suave, attitude toward everyone she met, probably weren't the best attributes of a good role model, let alone mummy dearest.

_Then again,_ she thought,both her and Lightning _had_ managed to bring up Vanille and Serah to be relatively normal, law abiding denizens of their worlds without much trouble for having had no parental guidance telling them how to do so.

She smirked affectionately into her tea glancing over at Lightning who was busy washing something in the kitchen.

_Maybe having a few little ankle biters running around wouldn't be so bad._

**10. Telephone**

Lightning stared back at the remains of what had to be the 73rd new cell phone she'd gone through that month.

"Let me guess." Said Serah sarcastically, eyeing the carnage that was her sister's latest phone/victim from over the elder Farron's shoulder.

"Fang?" She groaned, really starting to grow tired of her older sister's temper tantrums.

"It's not my fault the woman is so Maker damn irritating." Lightning huffed and walked away, feeling entirely justified.


End file.

Final Fantasy XIII, Humor, Romance