Disclaimer: Don't own anything of the FF13 world, including characters or sequels.

Rating: T

Takes place in 3 AF, but despite that, the events of 13-2 have not happened (will be references to that game though). Also, slight adjustment to 13's ending.


Hope held up a hand, watching the airship come closer, the wind whipping at his clothes.

Attached to Sazh's ship however, were three dead Behemoth Kings, suspended below the ship by thick cables. Which meant they would all eat good for the next month or so. Behemoth meat, plus the stuff they grew themselves, easily allowed them to make sure there was plenty of food.

The airship hovered in place ten feet off the ground, allowing the Guardian Corp troops to place the dead Behemoths onto special vehicles. After that, it moved slowly to the landing zone... but before that happened, one woman jumped off off the top of the ship, used a special vehicle as a stepping stone, then landed on the ground easily. And not a second afterward, Hope was there by her side.

"Well, has someone decided for you to be my welcoming commitee?" Fang said, sounding like she already knew, brushing dust off her shoulder.

"No, they haven't, and I need to talk to you, Fang" Hope said, knowing beating around the bush was pointless. "About Vanille"

The woman's attention centered on him near-instantly, but her expression seemed a little amused. "Am I correct in assuming that this about you having eyes for my Vanille?"

Hope opened his mouth to say something... then closed it; he somehow knew she'd know what he was going say, considering she and Vanille were so close, and she was so protective. "Uh, yeah" he said, looking down briefly.

"Well, I'll say this" she continued, chuckling. "You've got guts, kid, coming directly to me instead of hoping I wouldn't do it myself"

He felt a flash of irriatation. "Why do people still call me kid?" he asked mildly. "I'm 17 now"

"Because it's fun" she said bluntly, chuckling, then slowly walking around him. "But back to the matter of hand; Vanille. You wanted to say something?"

"Right" he said, watching her circle carefully. "Well, I wanted you to know that I like her that way. Obviously though, you've figured it out for yourself"

"Obviously" she repeated, then tilted her head. "So it's my permission you're asking for?"

"Yeah" he said simply.

She stopped, looking at him, one hand holding her spear by her side. "Well, nice of you to ask" she said lightly. "Technically you don't need it, but it's still good manners to ask. But there is one question that must be answered here first".

"Which is?" he asked, feeling a faint sense of dread.

"How far do you intend to take this relationship, should Vanille return your feelings?" she asked simply, head tilted.

The question brought him up short; incredibly, it turns out he hadn't thought about that past the first step...

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it" Fang said mildly, hefting the spear to rest on her shoulder.

At first, he said nothing; that was no denying he hadn't thought about it. Then he looked up, subtly defiant, "Fang, I promise I'll do my best with Vanille, whatever may happen" he said firmly. "But it's not just up to me. It's up to Vanille, and you too"

Fang simply looked at him for the longest time, but he didn't back down.

"Vanille's that way, about two miles down the valley" she said finally, gesturing with her spear. "Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it"

And with that, she walked off, leaving him looking after her briefly.


Hope pulled himself up with a grunt, taking a moment to rest and look around. He was definitely in the right place, where Fang said; he just had to spot Vanille. Though he did see a Behemoth King prowling to his right... best to go around. He could solo it, but it would take so much time that it wasn't worth it.

And speaking of Vanille, he spotted her cheerfully strolling through a field of flowers, next to a wide plain. Or at least, that's what he thought he saw her doing.

Having caught his breath, he climbed down the cliff face to his left, aiming towards her. Eventually he got close, calling out to her as he climbed down the last stretch, and he heard a reply as he jumped in close:

"It's such a nice day!" Vanille breathed, bent over and admiring a large batch of flowers. "Glad you could join me, Hope" she continued.

Hope grunted slightly, landing a few feet away from Vanille. "You're welcome" he answered gently, looking at her as he patted himself.

From his side-view, he could see much of Vanille's profile: The red hair in curled pigtails, the green eyes, that smile, the fur-trimmed boots...

Okay, now he was nit-picking. Anyway, the point was, her usual appearance was very pretty to him, and her cheerful personality only magnified it. He loved all that, but one question remained: how would she react to his feelings? But he'd never know if he didn't try after all.

And while he was thinking, Vanille sniffed the flowers and stood up, smiling. "Hmm" she said faintly, one finger touching her cheek, one arm supporting the other. "What do you think?" she asked cheerfully, turning toward him. "We go for a swim next?"

"Uh, maybe" he said, a little surprised. He quickly pushed any thoughts out of his mind, because if he started thinking about the implications of them swimming together... it probably wouldn't end well. "But listen, Vanille, there's something I want to say"

"What is it, Hope?" she asked, tilting her head.

In the moment that followed, he hesiatated slightly; the moment had come, and he didn't know how she'd react. Could he do this?.

It's not a question of can or can't. There are some things in life you just do.

"Right" he thought, remembering the quote. "I can do this"

"Hellooooo!" Vanille said, drawing it out, her body tilted so that she was right in his line of vision, jolting him. "You wanted to tell me something, hah hah!" she continued, bounding past him.

As he turned and watched her bound a short distance away, the words came easily: "Do something for me, Vanille" he said. "Keep smiling"

She slowed and stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I-" he continued, doing his best to sound like he did three years ago. "It makes me happy when you smile"

Vanille's fingers clenched slightly, and he heard a small grrr; a sound she rarely made. Then she turned around to face him, hands on her hips, with an annoyed expression. The same annoyed expression when he'd said she 'didn't get it' about the fal'Cie in the Pulse Vestige, in fact.

Hope braced himself a little, but he didn't move or change expression... much.

"You really thought I'd fall for that again?" she said in a low voice, sounding a bit like Fang, but neither quality lasted long: "Well, it didn't work out!". And just like that, she playfully pushed him as she giggled. He turned and watched her walk away, unoffended, but saw she wasn't done yet.

"You're pretty smart, Hope" she continued lightly, her back to him, overlooking a cliff. And she bent her head slightly forward, her hands going up, arranging a diamond shape between her fingers, and held herself that way for a few seconds before looking up. "We're friends, and I like playful jokes as much as the next person, but this time it's not as funny. Surely you knew that?"

Ten paces away, he stepped closer bit by bit, feeling the wind lightly tug at his hair. "Vanille, what if this second time wasn't a joke?" he asked, keeping his voice light.

She shook her head, but still wasn't looking at him. "Don't be silly, Hope" she scoffed, in her own way. "It can't be serious"

"But it is, Vanille" he said with all seriousness, stopping five paces away. "It's no joke"

Her head snapped up with a gasp, but it took her several seconds before she turned toward him. Her green eyes were filled with a mixture of surprise, shock and fear - that last one worried him.

"B-But - how?"

"Well, it didn't start till Gran Pulse, when we really had time to get to know each other" he said, not wanting to give another long explanation; he'd already thought one earlier. "You remember me messing with you, but I really did mean it - I just covered by saying 'Now we're even!'"

"So you were serious, but you were joking at the same time?" she exclaimed, making another grrr noise and throwing up her arms briefly. "That's not fair!"

"All's fair in love and war" he said playfully, chuckling but still getting ready to bolt if she came after him again.

Her fist's clenched briefly, and she made a frustrated sexual sound (he knew it was actually just frustrated), but she didn't move. "Why didn't you tell me years ago then?" she asked loudly, her pigtails bouncing from her movements.

"I had to make sure my feelings were serious" he said simply, holding up his arm, looking at where his I'Cie brand used to be. "If I just had a crush, my feelings would have faded... so I waited"

Vanille inserted herself into his vision, bent over to do so. "You still could have warned me!" she said with reproach.

He chuckled weakly, figuring she meant his 'exactly-like-last-time' approach. "If I had, you might have thought I'd mess with you again" he said. "The best way to tell you was to get the second time out of the way. If I told you I loved you first, you'd remember me messing with you, and think I was messing with you again... I didn't think there was any way to avoid it, so I went straight at it"

She straightened, and he watched her. "Mmmhhm" she breathed, then glanced down. "Either way... I don't know how I should react right now"

"Then take your time, Vanille" he said gently, having expected this or something similair. "I can wait"


Though Hope's already said it, any attempt to tell Vanille that he loved her would flash back to the game's moment, so there'd be resistance ;) And he met it head-on here in this chapter.

Plus, Vanille's always seemed like the type who wouldn't understand romantic love. I'm well aware of the 'other' angle about her & Fang, but I just can't see it. They love each other as family, but it just didn't have the edge of romantic love to me.