Alpha: I have a LOT of old one-shots…yea…

Disclaimer: same as the first

Many Worlds One Shot Collection

A Matter of Innocence (Hope, Lightning/Vanille/Fang and a cameo from Snow)

Now Hope considered himself to be a practical child, if a bit emotional at times. Bright and curious, he tackled problems he didn't understand with vigor; having a need and a want to know everything about anything.

So when he had stumbled upon the glorious sight of three feminine figures bathing together…

In the nude…

In a hot spring…

In broad daylight where anyone could just unknowingly walk up on them…

He knew a part of his innocence had been snatched away from him that he was never going to get back. What's more, his mind was going a mile a minute with questions upon questions about the opposite sex. It wasn't like he didn't have some basic knowledge of these things, it's just that what they taught in school vs reality was a gross exaggeration of the real facts.

"How long do you plan on standing there?"

He wasn't fazed from his shock by Fang's question. It was like his entire body just broke down, running out of fuel for the engine. All he could do was look…and look….and stare some more.

Green eyes going from the curved slope in Light's back; her back meeting the flaring of her hips and rounding out to her posterior that was hidden from view under the steamy waters. The pink haired woman of the trio, refused to acknowledge his presence, seeming rather annoyed that he was still there or embarrassed he wasn't sure. To keep up with some modesty, she had her back turned to him, arms crossed over her breasts.

Not that it really mattered at this point.

Then he'll go to the naturally tanned Oerban woman, with hair of wild midnight and piercing green eyes. Fang was making no attempts to even cover her body at all. She seemed to actually enjoy everyone's discomfort, his most of all. She stood proud and tall with a teasing and playful smirk on her lips, water only hiding her from the calves down. Her skin still had droplets of the spring waters clinging to her.

Last but certainly not least, there was Vanille. She looked the most embarrassed of all, ginger curls out of the usual ponytails, now wet and clinging to her skin, doing well to aide the female in hiding her modesty from view. She chose to stay hidden deep in the waters sitting down; only allowing her bent knees and legs be shown above the waters of the hot spring. Through all of this, she still managed to smile at him regardless.

"Hope, I think you should go now?" she suggested to the boy, now coming out of his daze.

"Oh— yea, um, err…" he started to backtrack away.

The three women were still staring at him with such intensity, it made him all the more embarrassed, he started to stutter.

"I'm- I'm very sorry! It was an accident, I swear!" he bowed in apology.

Lightning scoffed, sounding very agitated, "And this is why I said we should have picked another more secluded place!"

Fang waved off Lightning's complaint, "What's done is done."

"And you!" Lightning snapped towards Hope, he flinched straightening up. "You should be leaving, now!"

"S-s-sorry!" he apologized once again, quickly doing as he was told and making a mad dash to camp.

"He's going to have a lot of questions isn't he?" Vanille asked, once he was gone.

"Then you and Fang can indulge him when he asks," Lightning spat, finishing her bath.

"Whatever you say, Solider Girl," Fang chuckled, mock saluting at the bathing woman.

Lightning only simpered, splashing the dark haired woman with water.

As the trio of ladies were continuing their bath, a young silver haired teen was sitting quietly by himself in deep thought. He had seen it all! And he had many questions he was going to have proper answers to.

The logical thing to do was ask the very gender he unintentionally saw a lot of about the very form of their bodies, but Hope feared he wouldn't be very successful in that arena. It would be way too awkward, and he could already see how it would go with each of them.

Light would not bother at all to indulge him, and instead tell him to focus on other more important matters, Fang would just…ugh, she'll tease him more than rightfully necessary. Vanille would give it a try, but that would end up failing more than succeeding. It would be uncomfortable for her and him too.

No, he'll wait until Sazh came back and he'll ask him. He trusted the older man enough to know he wouldn't get Hope in a situation where his eye would be met by the end of a fist.

Which is why, he was never going to strike up this conversation EVER with Snow.

"So I heard you ran into the ladies while they were bathing?"

Hope's heart was close to jumping out of his chest as he heard the teasing voice of one Snow Villiers. He tried to cover up his moment of fright with a scoff that would have made Light ashamed to call him 'apprentice' because it was more like a weak cough.

He did sigh and closed his eyes feeling embarrassed again and a little annoyed. Dammit and I just said, Snow wouldn't know about my predicament too.

"It's not like I did it on purpose! And I bet it was Fang who spilled the beans wasn't it?"

"Uh– you could say that…"

Hope finally turned around to look at Snow when he heard the slight quiver of uncertainty in his voice. He grimaced while trying to hold in a huge wide grin.

"Whoa! Nice shiner you got there."

"Oh ha ha ha! You're just lucky Sis likes you so much or else you'll be sporting one of these too!"

The quick blush from the comment of Light liking him died quickly for he was too busy staring at the taller male's face to give it more thought. There upon Snow's face, surrounding his poor left eye was the hugest bruise Hope had ever seen before. It was pink, blue, and purple all over. He almost felt sympathetic for the huge oaf. The poor blond was unable to open it a crack.

Man that's gonna look uglier in a few more hours, Light really doesn't hold back.

"I dunno Light's thoughts about me and all, but I told you before, It's not like I walked in on them on purpose." Snow made a noise at that statement, refusing to give a proper answer.

"You know, Light's really not going to approve of you marrying, much less dating her younger sister after this right?"

Snow just hung his head with a weary sigh.

Hope had an sympathetic smile on his face for the older man.

Yep, he concluded.

Only Sazh was the better choice in these matters…

He hoped, no puns intended.