"Do you trust me?"

Lips curling into a smile, Fang took her offered hand and stood, steadying himself on the gliding wyvern they were riding. Lightning's eyes sparkled with challenge. "Race you down."

With nothing further, Lightning jumped from the beast in a graceful dive, Fang leaping only a fraction of a second thereafter. Lightning twisted in the air to look at him as he fell with her, the air rushing past and catching her hair, flipping it back with the currents. Lightning smiled, and Fang's heart soared. It must have shown in his face, too, for Lightning's grin grew a little wider before she spun mid-air, completing another graceful flip before returning to her dive. Fang copied her form to catch up.

The two spiraled downward, picking up more momentum and speed with their narrowed bodies. As the ground raced up closer and closer, Lightning cast a look over her shoulder at Fang. She broke out of form abruptly and flipped head over heels before landing smoothly feet-first in a crouch. Someone let out a little piping yelp. Lightning turned to see a short redhead gaping as she tripped over her feet and stumbled back on her butt. Lightning was tempted to grin at the wide-eyed shock scrawled across her features.

Fang pulled out of his dive himself, a little ways up from her, and prepared to brace down on his hands and knees- seconds later, he found himself caught in a blue bubble that slowed his descent before gently sinking down to the soft grass.

Vanille's eyes bulged. It's raining beautiful women! She looked up to the sky to see if any more were incoming, then back down as the second pulled up off the ground. Vanille startled so bad, she nearly stroked. "Fang?"

Fang turned to the voice a little ways up the river they landed by to see little Vanille practically going into shock at the sight of him. "Vanille!" Fang laughed, starting over to her where he kneeled at her side and lifted a hand to her arm.

Vanille gawked as the other gorgeous beauty began following Fang over. "Did I die?" Vanille peeped, frightened and dazzled by their appearances. Fang only chuckled.

"Vanille," Fang's hand on her shoulder squeezed. "I want you to meet someone." Fang gestured to the other heaven-sent angel, who'd stopped at her feet, still standing. "This is Lightning Farron." Vanille turned her head at the last name, recognizing it. Fang was grinning, and whispered confirmation. "My bride-to-be."

Vanille's head turned back to Lightning, where she stared, admiring. "Wow..." Fang helped her up, and Vanille leaned in to whisper. "She's reallypretty, Fang."

Fang beamed. "Light, this is Oerba Dia Vanille. She's the best friend I was telling you about."

Lightning nodded graciously. "Nice to meet you, Vanille." Lightning greeted politely. "So you're the chocobo charmer?"

Vanille fingered the hem of her skirt shyly. "You guys talked about me?"

"Only good things." Fang squeezed her shoulder.

"Fang being trampled on..." Lightning slipped in.

"Fang!" Vanille blushed, "it was an easy mistake! My pitch was too high; I didn't mean for it to push you and start attacking me like I was her... she just got the wrong idea from my call that she should... Fang, stop laughing!" Vanille hmph'ed indignantly, crossing her arms and casting a red-faced glare at Fang. "She was just a bird, Fang! Sometimes they can't tell..." Fang snickered.

Lightning arched an eyebrow at Vanille. "A female chocobo mistook you for its mate?"

"Not that story, Vanille." Fang choked on his laughter.

Lightning's mouth twitched as Vanille's blush darkened to match her hair. "Oh..."

"She was one possessive female too," Fang chuckled. "Even started running away with Vanille- caught Vanille's arm in her beak and started dragging her off."

"She was just confused!"

"You were afraid to call out to the chocobos for months after that, if I recall."

"If you hadn't failed so bad at saving me, I wouldn't have had to be so afraid!" Vanille pouted. "You'd think Fang, the toughest, mightiest warrior in all of Paddra, able to slay great Oretoises single-handedly, would be able to rescue me back from a single confused Chocobo a little easier..."

"She just liked you too much."

"It took you an hour!"

"Well, I didn't want to hurt her. It'd have been much quicker to just give her an encouraging poke with my spear..."

"Fang!"

"But you would have yelled at me for that." Fang pointed out. "I practically had to wrestle that chocobo to get you back."

Vanille giggled guiltily. "That was the funny part."

"To watch, I'm sure."

Lightning smiled faintly. "Seems like Fang has some reoccurring issues with the Alpha females."

Vanille giggled. "You shoulda seen her first fight with a neochu."

"Toughest warrior in all of Pradda, hmm?"

Fang shook his head. "Vanille exaggerates. I'm not my dad."

Vanille scoffed. "You could beat Asael, Fang. He's not the one that's been training his ass off the past eighteen years of his life."

Lightning noted the unusual hint of distaste emanating from Vanille and the acidic bite with the use of Asael's name. She kept it at the back of her mind for later consideration.

"That's 'cuz he's already trained of it." Fang pointed out. "And language, Vanille."

"So, what's an Oretoise?" Lightning questioned, drawing away from the subject. "Sounds slow for a supposedly fierce beast."

Vanille recognized that look in Fang's eyes. "Fang."

"I think she'd like it, Vanille."

"I'd like what?"

"She's not used to the fiends we have, Fang, I don't know..."

"I really think she'd like it, Vanille." Fang insisted, grinning now again. Slender fingers closed over Lightning's wrist, tugging gently. "Come on, Light. Time to see the real size of natives Gran Pulse has to offer."

"Wait- Fang!" Vanille sighed; unable to crush the excitement in Fang's face, she relented. "Did you come in on steeds? I can take them back, if you're going on after the Oretoises then."

Fang was tempted to hug Vanille for the offer. "You're the bloody best, Vanille."

"I know, I know, your adorable amazing, incredible best friend that you'd be utterly unable to function without and you love me to pieces, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah." But Vanille was smiling a little too. "Where'd you leave them?"

"Central Expanse by the Chocobo pond." Fang offered her one of his rarest, all-fulfilling smiles. The change in demeanor around Lightning didn't pass unnoticed, either. Vanille had a feeling she was going to get along with the new Farron quite easily.

Lightning smiled at her too, then, and Vanille was again shaken with how incredibly attractive Lightning was, especially when she smiled. "Thank you, Vanille."

Vanille gave her a smaller one in return. "Stick around once you're there." Fang told her. "We'll see you back at the castle a little later if you do."

"Have fun, you two." Vanille watched them take off together, with Lightning speeding ahead of Fang as they raced. She shook her head, knowing exactly what Fang wanted to show Lightning. "You show off."

XXX

Lightning had seen a lot of things. Fiends being replicated into mechanical forms, robotic monstrosities that rivaled the height of small houses, and militant and luxury airships that stretched longer than the size of a huge mansion.

What she had never expected to see was an actual fiend that size. No mechanics added, the beast's foot alone was roughly the size of six of her across, supporting a heavy, massive body above as it stepped, literally shaking the ground as its foot stamped down to Pulse.

"You slewone of these?" Lightning gaped. "On your own? What'd you do, strap a timebomb around its neck?" Even then, the beast may still have lived, considering how massive it was, with how thick its skin had to be.

Fang grinned, beaming pride and radiance. The great, horned Oretoise before them bent its giant head to a treetop, where it opened its maw and chomped down over the whole treetop. Lightning watched as leaves fluttered and the giant beast chewed, lifting its mouth as branches snapped from a now-barren, leafless tree. The beast chewed with long, slow, deliberate moves.

"Every upcoming Yun leader has to defeat at least one completely on his own. It's a sort of trial to prove worth of the position. We're only given our default weapon, which is usually a spear, and we have to discover how to kill them on the spot. Until this time, we're not even allowed to engage the bigger ones- 'cuz it's gotta be solely the warrior's skill that carries them through."

"Eden, Fang." Lightning shook her head, trying to contemplate how anyone could manage to kill such a beast single-handedly with merely a spear.

"Maybe I'll hunt one with you sometime." Fang suggested offhandedly. Lightning paused long enough to look his way, and Fang saw the slight flicker pass through her. He grinned broadly.

"Come on," Fang urged her, practically gleaming. "I think you're capable, even if it takes a few times. Watch what I do, then follow, right?"

Lightning didn't know if he'd done it on purpose, but mentioning that he thought her capable of whatever he was about to do was the perfect motivator to get her to prove it. Fang cast her a look over his shoulder, then winked. Lightning almost smiled at the bravado, was even surprised at how much she seemed to enjoy it. Just yesterday, she might have scoffed at such.

Without further, Fang took off, running at the hind quarters of a nearby Oretoise. He removed his spear from his back as he went and dug it into the ground before leaping, launching himself with the dual strength behind the spear and his own leap to jump up on the beast's wide tail. From there, it was a balancing trip across the expanse as the tail drooped. Fang raced across it to the giant's hind quarters and started zipping across the hard shell of its back. Lightning watched as he skated over to the neck and balanced himself with the spear.

"Light!" Lightning wandered over to the side-front of the beast, coming closer to get a better view of Fang. "You should use my spear!" Fang hollered down at her.

Lightning eyed up Fang's position near the neck, where he was balancing as the Long gui took several giant steps back. Lightning jogged to keep up. "Keep it!" Lightning told him, measuring up her own route.

Fang peered at her, curious, and Lightning took off, running at a bent forepaw before she leaped. Fang watched, both a little stunned and dazzled as Lightning flipped easily through the air, bouncing up on the crease in the Long Gui's arm before springing right back up, higher to its shoulder, where she propelled herself into a backflip, pushing down off the rough skin of its shoulder to spiral herself over to Fang.

Landing half on the massive chain lock, half on the Gui. Fang reached out to steady her by the shoulder. "Light..." Fang looked down at the path Lightning had just followed up, awed. "You wanna show me how you did that so fast?"

Lightning smiled and took his wrist.

They spent the next hour or so jumping and re-jumping onto the Oretoise. Fang was stunned by Lightning's finesse. She wasn't even using her anti-grav lift and her leaps were always dazzlingly executed with flips and somersaults to spare. Fang's own jumps weren't quite as pretty as Lightning's, but with Lightning's help, he kept up and learned specific techniques she'd showed him, and he helped her learn the best landing spots on the Gui. Both had excellent balance and no trouble getting along with each other, Fang was so happy.

After a little over an hour of practicing the jumps, Fang and Lightning now rested on the giant Gui as it lumbered about over the grasslands. Lightning was sprawled out backwards alongside the Gui's middle neck spikes, one arm slung lazily around one to keep from falling as she watched the scenery and the Gui trod on. Fang leaned against the metal chain brace father down on the neck, watching her. Lightning delighted in the scenery, just how grand and expansive and free the Pulse wilderness was.

"So, what do you do in Cocoon?" Fang asked.

"It's nothing like here." Lightning told him, sighing. She lifted herself to a sitting position facing Fang. "Cocoon is extremely tame compared to this place. Everything's regulated, you can't find a fiend to slay unless you go way out to the outskirts of town where it's not patrolled, and the life you're supposed to be happy with there is just...boring, really. There's nothing exhilarating to do. I remember, before the lake was frozen over by the fal'Cie, I used to run off the edge of our floating cities and jump."

Fang chuckled. "Bet your parents liked that."

"Yeah," Lightning shook her head. "It wasn't exactly safe, either, since Cocoon has criss-crossing highways and layered floating developments. I coulda landed on one of them instead of the water by mistake. It's actually why the gave me a anti-grav device." Lightning smiled softly. "I was seeking a thrill. There was nothing more fun than free-falling through the air, finally released from all their confines like that."

"Explains the expertise in flips and jumping." Fang nodded. "How high up was your castle from the water?"

Lightning laughed. "That was the other thing. A jump from the castle down would have killed me on impact. I went a little lower with my experiment- still, crashing into the water wasn't quite as comfortable as I imagined at that age."

"Were you hurt?" Fang ventured.

"I fractured both my wrists and had a concussion." Lightning explained. "The jump was too high and I went in too close to shore. I passed out when my head hit the bottom. Though I guess it's kinda lucky I jumped so close to shore, too. A younger girl, Lebreau, rescued and resuscitated me."

"Wait- Lebreau?"

"She was just a girl at the beach," Lightning explained. "Young and orphaned. Probably had no idea who I was, but my parents offered to adopt her into the castle as a maidservant after she saved me. She served us for a few years, then later moved down to a settlement here somewhere. She was technically a paid servant, but we were friends, too. It was hard to see her go."

"Does she have dark hair, Light?" Lightning startled, blinking. "Amber eyes?"

"You know her?"

"She's the local bartender." Fang explained. "Moved into Paddra a few years ago. I could take you to visit sometime."

"That'd be nice, seeing her again..." Lightning looked up at Fang, and Fang was happy to see the slight twitch of the corners of her mouth again, signifying the beginnings of a smile. "Thanks, Fang."

XXX

It was late when Lightning and Fang returned to the castle. Fang crossed into the dining hall first, where Asael was seated and greeted his father. Asael looked up at the voice of his son, seeing Fang and Lightning finally return after a long day out. Although both were ruffled and muddied up with dirt and grass stains, neither seemed disheartened or injured or even weary at all. Lightning soldiered up of amusement upon seeing him, but she otherwise didn't appear deterred or frightened from her trip out to Gran Pulse wildlands at all.

"Fang," Asael greeted, turned away from his open interface computer now.

"Father," Fang greeted in turn, coming up upon Asael. "We're back now, safe and sound."

"So I see." Asael's eyes flickered over Lightning once more. Lightning made a point to match and keep his steely eyes unflinchingly.

"Is Vanille still here?" Fang asked, noting the later hour of their return arrival.

"She went to your quarters to wait for you." Asael kept his eyes on Lightning. "Raina and Cyrus were asking after you, Claire." Lightning's jaw steeled at the use of her birth name that Asael had no right to. "I imagine they're still worried sick about their little princess in the dangerous Gran Pulse wilderness." Asael returned to his screen with distaste. "You should apologize for keeping her out so long, Fang."

"I will." Fang respectfully nodded to his father, aggravating Lightning with his obedience to this man. "I'm sorry we tarried so long, father. I lost track of time with our last venture."

Lightning stepped up, interfering again, having little desire to see Asael beat Fang's submissive nature to him down again. "It was my fault." She told him, then uncharacteristically gushed. "I was just having such a great time out there, with Fang, that I insisted we stay longer."

Asael's brow hiked. "I see..." Asael started packing up his computer, folding it down into a little notebook. "You should report to your mother then, Claire, and let her know no serious Gran Pulse beast got to you. I am retiring for the night. Fang, I will speak to you again tomorrow."

"Good night, Father." Asael turned and left them once more without so much as a return bidding to his son. Fang returned attentions to Lightning. "It's been a long day now- you gotta be hungry after all that hiking across Gran Pulse," Lightning noted the use of the surname, and how Fang always seemed to use it. "Would you like something specific?"

"It doesn't matter. Surprise me."

Fang grinned at her a little. "I'll be right back- you can head up to your parents or Serah if you want. I'll just be a minute."

"Okay." Fang headed off an opposite direction and Lightning took the corridor she'd remembered on her way to her parent's room, but was sidetracked when she heard her sister's familiar voice along the way and sidelonged a visit into Serah's bedroom instead, where Serah and Vanille were chatting amiably on the bed over a seemingly-forgotten eidolon simulator.

"- they should be getting along well." Serah continued, oblivious to her quiet entrance. "Claire won't admit it out of stubbornness, but she likes the way Fang looks. She was talking about it yesterday, I could totally tell."

Vanille blinked. "Yeah?"

"Mhmm." Serah confirmed. "Fang's verrrry pretty-boy, and that's something Claire likes."

Vanille bit her bottom lip, smiling. "Lightning's really attractive too."

Serah giggled, nudging Vanille. "You would think so." Vanille blushed, poking Serah accusingly. Serah giggled again. "In any case, Claire's really attracted to dark hair and Fang's got the body structure she likes on her gi- uys, so physically, I think they're great for each other, too."

"I like his eyes too," Lightning put in. "If you girls wanna gossip about that as well."

"Ooh yeah!" Serah remembered. "She loves green eyes on a g- " Serah halted, then looked to the door, where Lightning was leaning against the frame with a brow hiked at the gossipers. Serah startled. "Claire! Eek!" Serah rolled over Vanille and ducked down behind her on the bed. "Vanille started it!"

"Uh-huh."

"Soo...how long have you been standing there, Claire?"

"Since Fang and I should be getting along, apparently, because we're both so attractive."

"Oh, phew." Serah breathed.

Vanille went crimson and turned her head down. "Sorry, Lightning."

"Don't worry about it, Vanille." Lightning dismissed. "I'll roll Serah in the mud later or so."

"Hey!"

Vanille smiled guiltily. "How were the Oretoises, Lightning?"

Serah piped up at the question, lifting herself from behind Vanille, now that she was confident enough she wouldn't be killed. "Oh, yes! How'd the date go, Claire? Did you have a good time?"

"It was... enjoyable."

"Oohie," Serah hugged Vanille's arm, giggling. "Enjoyable, huhh? You liked playing with Fang, hmm?"

Lightning shook her head. "Settle down, Serah."

"I just might have to sneak into bed with you again tonight, Claire." Vanille's eyebrows went up. "Vanille! Ew! Not like that!"

Vanille stuck her tongue out kiddishly.

"Light?"

Lightning glanced back and waved out the door to Fang. "Over here."

Serah squeaked. "He called you Light! You gave him permission to call you Light?" Lightning rolled her eyes as Serah bounced giddily on the bed. "It took Amodar months to get that privilege!"

Fang came over. "They'll be bringing up dinner in a few minutes." Fang glanced inside, smiling warmly. "There you are, Vanille. Hello, Serah."

"Hi, Fang!" Serah grinned, grabbing Vanille and hugging her from around the back. Fang's eyebrow just slightly lifted at Vanille, who flushed.

"Hey, Fang."

"Am I interrupting girltalk? Should I come back?"

Lightning shook her head. "Don't leave me with them."

Serah giggled again, hyper and excited. "Come sit with us already, Claire! Fang."

Lightning cast Fang a look. "This is the dangerous part." Fang smiled graciously and crossed the room with Lightning to perch on the edge of Serah's bed with her future wife and sibling figures. Lightning gave Serah a knowing look, cutting her off before she could start the grilling. "Don't make me take your books again."

Serah pouted.

"So what'd you do all day?" Fang asked Serah. "I hope you weren't sitting bored; I didn't mean to keep your sister all day."

"So it went well!" Serah inferred, squeaking, then settling back at Lightning's warning. "No, I wasn't bored." Serah returned back to the question. "I read for a little while, then went wandering and got lost for a bit. You guys have a huge castle! I wandered for a little 'till a nice servant girl directed me back to the Great Hall, where Mom was. We visited the castle library."

"Find something you like?" Fast asked, smiling inwardly. Serah sounded a lot more like the typical princess Fang had expected in Lightning.

"Oh, yes!" Serah shied then. "Is it okay if I took a few books out?"

Fang chuckled. "What else is a library for?"

"'A few.'" Lightning speculated. "I hope you left some books in the library, Serah."

Serah blushed and swatted at her sister. "There were a lot of new adventure titles I've never even seen! It was exciting." Lightning shook her head; Serah gave her a prudish look. "Anyway," Serah hmph'ed at her sister. "We went out to the horses after to see if you'd gotten back- and instead found Vanille with Odin and Sunfire! We started talking then, and I told her about the horses, and she showed me some chocobos and we played games all afternoon. It was very..." Serah gave Lightning a look. "enjoyable."

"I'm glad," Fang smiled at her. "That you had stuff to do while I was away."

Lightning shook her head. "You give her one adventure story, she could be sitting there reading and re-reading it all day. She's not hard to please."

Serah hit her sister's arm again petulantly. "We baked cupcakes too!" Vanille pipped in.

"Sounds like you two had fun." Fang was glad of it, too. He and Lightning were getting along much better than the first introductions might have suggested, and now his best friend and her sister were becoming friends too.

"And your day?" Vanille asked, pusing for details now that Fang was here too.

Fang shot Lightning a grin, who shook her head at their littles' insistent wondering. "It was great," Fang told them. "Light's a better jumper than I am, in fact. You shoulda seen her on the Oretoises, Van."

"Claire always did like pitching herself off high ledges." Lightning hit Serah lightly right back.

"Maybe we could take you out with us on a shorter trip tomorrow, Serah, so you could see some sights too." Fang glanced at Lightning. "If Light thinks it's okay."

Lightning snorted. "That'd be amusing."

Serah preened at her indignantly. "I'd loveto go, Fang. Thank you."

Fang smiled; everything was going just fine now.