Anyone in the mood for something disgustingly fluffy? Here we go!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except this improved version of Fang and Vanille. Thanks go to GrimGrave for beta reading as always!

-Head in the Clouds-

Gosh she was pretty—and powerful to boot.

Vanille supposed she should have been paying attention to their mock-battlefield, but that was sooooo hard when Oerba Yun-figgin'-Fang was sweeping her lance about, graceful as a dancer.

Dark hair looked really soft when it swooshed around like that and the red-head wondered idly what it would be like to push errant locks out of bright green eyes.

I bet they're soft as a… As a Couerl's tummy.

Fang half-turned towards her companion and Vanille started guiltily, quickly averting her gaze. She didn't want to get caught staring—again—but if the bemused smile that curved full lips was anything to go by, Fang knew.

Gah…!

Of course Fang knew. Everyone knew. She might as well have screamed her feelings for the bronze-skinned, dark-haired, painfully beautiful goddess that graced Oerba Village with her presence from the mountaintops.

This crush thing was spiraling out of control.

Vanille flinched when a warm hand rested on her shoulder, prompting her to look up into (surprisingly warm) green eyes. "Hey… You alright?"

"Fine!" she squeaked; a little too quickly, a little too high-pitched.

'Riiight,' Fang's expression said. But she removed her hand nonetheless, leaving the girl feeling curiously cold. As she moved past she slung her spear across her shoulders, giving Vanille a good look at the muscles that coiled sleekly beneath tanned skin.

Swoon.

Oerba's orphanage was no place for a young woman to grow up, and yet Vanille wouldn't have changed her childhood for the world.

Which was a horrible thing to say considering she had lost her parents to the War of Transgression, but whatever. Had they not both been orphaned, she never would have met Fang.

The very thought made her heart hurt.

So, despite the fact that she missed her mother and father dearly, the girl was happy that things had worked out the way they had.

She wondered if Fang felt the same way…

A pang of guilt went through the spell caster. Here she was thinking such selfish thoughts when, for all she knew, Fang was all broken up inside over the loss of her parents.

"Hey, Fang?"

The brunette stirred. She had been close to dozing off, it seemed, but she responded dutifully, "Yeah?"

"What were your parents like?"

"I don't remember much. I was very young when they died."

"Oh…" In that case, her thoughts were justified… Right? Right. She wasn't a horrible person if what made her happy didn't make Fang unhappy, so there.

"Why do you ask?" She sounded more awake now.

"No reason…" Truth time: "I was just thinking that I'm glad we met."

"Me too," the young woman agreed without hesitation. And darn if that didn't make Vanille feel all warm and tingly.

"Are you nervous?" She was referring to the ceremony in the morning, of course. Fang intended to play the hero by becoming a l'Cie for Gran Pulse's patron fal'Cie, Anima.

There was no doubt in her heart that Fang would be right as rain, but…

That didn't stop her from worrying.

"A bit." The answer surprised her. Fang was as fearless as she was gorgeous.

"Why?"

She was quiet. Finally, the warrior said, "If anything happens to me, who'll look out for you?"

Everything had gone south in a record-breaking amount of time. That was to be expected when a proud woman like Fang came into contact with someone she disapproved of, so Vanille reckoned she shouldn't have been surprised at the raven-haired beauty's outburst.

What she had been surprised about was the courage she had found to defend the one person who meant the world to her. There in Anima's chamber, in front of all the Oerban priests, she had shielded Fang with

"Vanille?"

… Oops.

How long had Fang been trying to get her attention? She was so close that she could see the little flecks of gold within emerald pools and her brain went quiet, leaving her on all on her lonesome to face her greatest foe: her utter inability to function when Fang's attention was focused on her. "Um…"

Tomorrow they would attempt to destroy Cocoon by becoming a colossal beast, and yet, that task seemed so much more doable than this. If her Focus had been to grow a pair and lean in and kiss her best friend in the whole world, she would have been doomed to become a Cie'th from the get-go.

… How sad.

Vanille was so busy wallowing in her own pathetic shyness that she didn't register the fact that the object of her affections was touching her until long fingers brushed her hair out of her eyes. The older girl gently rapped her knuckles against the other girl's temple, and her smile was heart-achingly tender. "You in there? I was trying to thank you for stopping me from doing something stupid back there." She grinned and it was as though the sun had come out from behind the clouds. "Stupider, anyhow."

Her brain chose this moment to disengage entirely. Out for lunch; be back never. "Uh…"

"You've had your head in the clouds lately," Fang mused, flicking the tip of her nose for good measure. "Gil for your thoughts."

Before she could even locate the source of such a daring idea, the red-head reached out and caught Fang's wrist, bringing it up to her mouth and pressing a kiss to the back of that strong, tanned hand.

Fangs eyebrows shot upwards, but she didn't comment, dark green orbs observing Vanille intently. The girl took her silence as a good sign and dared to kiss each knuckle, paying loving attention to the ones that were marred by the young woman's active lifestyle and therefore were all the more beautiful.

She swore she heard Fang gasp, but she didn't dare to look up. Instead, she began to kiss calloused fingertips, her heart in her throat.

She… really liked Fang.

"Vanille." This time it was said in a breathless croak and the red-head glanced upwards. Heat shot through her slender frame when she saw the way dark green eyes beheld her.

Fang didn't say another word. She grabbed the younger girl's shoulders—gently despite her strength—and pulled Vanille close, sealing their lips together for an immeasurable amount of time.

Tomorrow, they would have to become a monster and destroy a world.

Vanille sighed blissfully, standing on tiptoe and wrapping her arms around Fang's neck.

Tomorrow, everything they knew would change completely.

Fang's arms went around her slender waist, holding her close with infinite tenderness.

Tomorrow, though they had no way of knowing it, was the first step of their grand journey, but at least they would take it—together.

-End-