Author's Notes: Short, sweet, with shoujo-ai added for flavor.

Fly Pudding

A Quistis + Fujin Romantic Comedy by Mr. Toasty

Without a class to teach or a world to save, Quistis Trepe discovered she had a lot of time on her hands. She stretched her arms out to the sky, leaning back so much that she almost fell over in her chair. It was a lazy, pretty day, the kind that made her want to take a walk with a special someone. As she noticed a few bullies gathering around a helpless young man somewhere nearby, she knew for sure that this special someone would be stopping by very shortly.

Before the bullies could humiliate their target very much, a loud voice froze them in their tracks. “BACK OFF, TOADS!!!” The boys stopped and gawked in horror as they saw a ghastly woman running towards them. A few were able to scatter, but some were too slow and got caught by the woman. She grabbed them, both of them, by the scruff of their collar and held on tight.

“DETENTION!” she roared, issuing the horrible judgment. She shoved the boys away fiercely, and gave them a devilish glare that told them she meant business. “…OR ELSE,” she added firmly, and this scattered the boys straight to the prison, which might’ve been easier to bear than the wrath of the woman. She parted her hair coolly and turned around to give the poor kid a motherly smile.

“Undamaged?” she asked. The boy sighed and picked himself up off the ground.

“Yeah… so we meet again, Miss K. You know, it’s funny you saved me now. I was just on my way to Mr. D’s class.” The woman nodded her head and tapped her chest with her fingers.

“Self-defense important. Won’t be hero forever. Take care.” The boy waved shyly and limped out of the cafeteria, leaving his savior behind. She sighed and turned around just in time to see the amused look on her girlfriend’s face.

“You’re such a sweetheart,” sang Quistis. Fujin rolled the only eye she could and ambled over to sit across her. She gave the girl a quick kiss on the forehead before sitting.

“Hard being hero. Glad he’s trying. Important… to stand up.”

“In more ways than one,” replied Trepe as she sucked up the last of her soda. She grinned at her girlfriend Fujin, who was probably still agitated from a day of capturing truants and saving the helpless. She definitely showed it through her body language: she crossed her arms and stared at the floor. Quistis could’ve sensed the antagonism in a dark room.

“You all right?”

“Need hot bath.”

“I hear that. Mind if I join?”

“Yes,” she sighed wearily. “Privacy important.” Quistis gave a cute pout.

“No fair. How about a walk outside, huh? It’s a beautiful day and we need the exercise. C’mon, we haven’t taken a walk together in weeks.”

“Cold,” was Fujin’s excuse. Quistis snorted.

“So? Um, Fujin, they have these things that can help people avoid something like that. They’re called coats.” Fujin actually looked like she had never heard of the things, but she was really just trying to humor her girlfriend.

“Oh. Share a big one?” she asked with a warm grin. Quistis blushed and felt her throat tightening as she fantasized about how that would feel. Already she could see Fujin giving her a sweet smile as she held a big brown coat over their heads.

“Yeah, but… it’s not that cold. Let’s take a walk. Look, you’re already dressed for warm weather, and it won’t stay chilly forever. C’mon, let’s go.” She gave Fujin a smile that could not be resisted, and helped the woman stand as she extended her arm.

“Such a sucker,” muttered Fujin as she took her girlfriend’s arm. Quistis giggled and put her arm around the pale girl’s waist. Far be it from either of them to misuse a beautiful, uneventful day like the one they were living in at that moment.

After leaving the sleepy Balamb (“Praise Hyne for Saturdays, eh?” Quistis had said with a smile), the only obstacle that stood in the way of the two women was wind. Quistis smiled and breathed in the mountain air. It was a light mixture of snowy rocks, the rich forests, a trace of cooked magma from the Fire Cave, and the salty waters of the ocean that embraced the island. Fujin tilted her head and smiled as well, successfully making herself look quite serene. Quistis leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Day’s pretty,” added Fujin with a gesture. She grinned and gave Quistis a warm stare, the kind of ruby-red gaze that made the gorgeous queen melt, and walked away from the Garden with her fingers gently entwined with her girlfriend’s. The touch was sweet, symbolic, and slightly erotic. Since discovering each other in the seas of cruelty and joy, they had not gotten very intimate and yet knew more intimacy with simple stares, smiles, and touches than many other couples who had attained the level of One Flesh.

As Fujin observed, the day was as beautiful as the friendly blonde walking next to her. As Quistis observed, it was also quite a cold day, where the sky was a pale, milky color, which meant that some nasty weather would probably come out. But the sky itself, she thought, also had its own beauty, just as the lady next to her did.

Fujin let out a soft moan and rested her head on Quistis’ shoulder. They had wound through grasses and passed a rare tree or two that didn’t belong to the forest, and looked to be coming towards the ocean slowly. Quistis welcomed the added weight on her shoulder and put her arm around the woman’s neck, tickling and scratching as she ran her fingers through the pale girl’s hair. She could come up with a thousand ways to have an erotic or intimate moment with her girlfriend without taking off a shred of clothing (although Fujin did love rubbing her weary feet).

“Tu sens bon, mi amore,” whispered the pale lady, kissing Quistis’ neck. She chuckled.

“You think so? I’m not wearing any perfume.”

“Natural smell. Like lilies. Fresh.” Quistis smiled and turned her head just slightly so she could kiss Fujin’s temple.

“Thanks. How do you say ‘you taste good’?”

“Not telling.”

“Why?”

“No reason.” Fujin lifted her head and gave Quistis a catty grin, clasping both her hands softly. Quistis’ face flushed just slightly as Fujin pulled herself close, fingers still locked in a clasp, and teasingly kissed the area just millimeters away from her lips. She drew away slowly, making Quistis’ heart melt in the chilly air as she gazed back with a single loving eye of gentlest red. Her face was pale yet it glowed with love.

“…Don’t start,” whispered Quistis with a playful warning. Fujin tilted her head.

“Why?”

“I’ll be tempted to do very naughty things.”

“Bad instructor,” she whispered in a mock scold. Quistis suppressed a giggle and drew in Fujin for a hug and a kiss--a real one, where neither of them bothered to tease the other.

“Fujin, was that you?” blurted Quistis as she drew away from her girlfriend. The lady’s fair face was still flushed as she denied it.

“No. Digestion good. Not you?”

“Wasn’t me.” The two women turned around, arms still around each other’s necks, as they saw a trio of frogs sitting there. The frogs let their neck sacs bulge out with a croak, and stood on their hind legs as they prepared to fight the women who had invaded their territory. Both women rolled their eyes (or eye).

“Enemy frogs,” murmured Fujin in annoyance. They reluctantly broke their embrace and went into battle formation. The frogs couldn’t hurt either of them to save their lives, but they could inflict nasty ailments on them such as poison, confusion, or worse. Quistis jumped out quickly, wheeled her whip in the air, and slapped it on the head of the closest frog, knocking it back where it stayed, unmoving. Fujin, irritated that their date had been interrupted (and by frogs, no less), let loose her Chakran and neatly cleaved another frog in half. Quistis began to wonder if she could give any of the amphibians to Dr. Mellock for biology class.

The last frog standing (or hopping, as it were) jumped after Quistis and slammed itself into her face. She screamed and tried to pry it off, but a cloud of greenish gas covered her up. Fujin covered her face from the smog and waited until everything settled. She saw the frog hopping away, croaking triumphantly as it completed some vile mission, and cut it in two before it could brag to its friends. With nothing to gain except for an unnoticeable increase in strength and battle experience, Fujin wiped the silver hair out of her face and searched for Quistis.

“Quistis! Location! Quistis, okay? Quistis! ……Quisty?” She blushed as she used her girlfriend’s pet name (she rarely did that even to those she was close to), crossed her arms, and squinted her eyes as the green fog cleared. When the barrier of wind picked up and blew it away, Fujin’s only working eye widened so much that it looked like a strawberry.

Standing where Quistis used to be was a frog.

Actually, Quistis was still technically there.

She had just been turned into the frog. Fujin cursed.

“…Quistis?” she whispered as she picked the creature up. The frog croaked sadly and bounced slightly in her hands. It lowered its green face and nudged her hand on a spot that Quistis usually touched (in their quietest and greatest moments of intimacy), and Fujin knew then that her beloved girlfriend had become a frog. The poor girl could only stare in shock before a sigh was finally set free.

“Setback,” she grumbled as she placed the frog on her shoulder. “Patience. Give you Maiden’s Kiss.” Everyone and their dog (which did include Fujin) knew that the best way to cure the ailment of being turned into a frog was the Maiden’s Kiss, but Fujin didn’t have any to spare since she didn’t usually travel (and besides, it would be silly to prepare for such a thing when going for a simple walk). And so, with nothing to help her beloved girlfriend out, Fujin sighed wearily and turned around, back towards Balamb.

People brought live frogs into Balamb every now and then, usually as pets or for science, but seeing Fujin carrying one on her shoulders was a little weird. She couldn’t help but notice the stares she was getting as she walked through the Garden, but chose to ignore them since it wasn’t worth her trouble to scowl. She vaguely remembered somebody in the Garden selling Maiden’s Kisses, but that had been in a time and place which Fujin couldn’t remember.

As she wandered around, she came across one of the few people she considered a friend of hers. Rinoa Heartilly had been a part of Seifer’s posse once, about two years ago, but she drifted away and found herself in the embrace of Dollet and Deling City--and later, Squall Leonhart. Fujin hadn’t spoken much with the pretty lady since then, but she still considered her a friend. Rinoa greeted her old acquaintance with a friendly wave and smile before she inquired about the obvious.

“Fujin, is that a frog?” she giggled. Fujin rolled her eye and nodded her head.

“Yes, frog.”

“I’ve never seen you take an interest in frogs before! Is he a pet?”

“She.”

“Oh. Well, is she a pet? Y’know, she’s kinda cute.” Rinoa smiled and traced her finger along the back of the frog, smiling with wonder as she petted it. Fujin couldn’t help but wonder what Quistis was thinking at that moment. Weird girl.

“Uh… not pet,” she said (although sometimes this was not necessarily false). “Friend. Uh, victim. Turned into frog.” Rinoa drew back and gave Fujin a look of concern.

“Oh! Oh, that’s bad… Do you have a Maiden’s Kiss?”

“No. Looking. Have one?” Rinoa frowned and rummaged through her dress, frisking herself in search of the elusive remedy.

“No, I don’t usually carry things like that. Somebody was selling them a few days ago, but they moved out of Balamb and went off across the sea. You’ll either have to borrow one from somebody else or…… uh… do the honors yourself…” Rinoa trailed off nervously, piquing Fujin’s curiosity.

“…Honors?” Rinoa blushed and stammered.

“Yeah, you know. …Kiss it. It’ll work if a woman kisses it. Don’t ask me why; that’s just how it goes.”

Fujin grimaced.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never heard the story of how the beautiful princess kisses the frog and it turns it into a handsome prince??” Fujin shrugged.

“Not handsome prince. Quistis.”

Rinoa’s brown eyes widened so much that they could’ve been buckeyes.

“Whoa! That’s Quistis??!”

“Yes,” sighed Fujin wearily. Rinoa gawked.

“Uh… oh, wow… Well, uh, I definitely couldn’t tell! But hey, since she’s your girlfriend, it’ll be easier for you! Go ahead, give her a big wet one!”

“LUDICROUS!” Fujin’s scream sent Rinoa jerking back a bit.

“Whoa! Okay, uh, you don’t have to scream. I mean, is it really a problem?”

“Not kissing a frog!” she yelled. Rinoa frowned.

“Oh. But it’s Quistis! I mean, what’s the difference?” Seeing as how she really wouldn’t win against Rinoa, Fujin rolled her eye and puffed out an angry sigh.

“Never mind. Sorry to bother. See again--with Quistis restored.” She then walked away, with the frog back on her shoulder croaking farewell. Rinoa didn’t know what to do, so she just shrugged and waved.

“Um, well, okay… uh, see you later, Fu.”

Sigh. Fujin hated waiting longer than necessary. The elevator was being slow on purpose. Quistis gave a soft croak and fidgeted impatiently on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Fujin smiled sadly as she petted the poor creature.

“Sorry. Won’t be long.”

Ping!

“Slow elevator.” Fujin cursed the device and pressed the 3^rd floor button. She blew out a sigh and rested on the wall of the elevator as she waited for it to go up two floors. She had an idea, but it would take a true friend to pull it off. Fujin couldn’t bear to kiss Quistis while she was a frog unless she had no other choice, but she knew of one woman who might: Quistis’ ex-girlfriend (and still best friend, even after all that time), Xu Xiang. The elevator door opened shortly and Fujin found herself and Frog Quistis on the third floor, watching as Xu spoke quietly with Nida.

“Oh, hi Fujin,” said Xu with a wave. Fujin nodded her head and walked towards the older woman, hoping she still loved Quistis enough to go through something as weird as kissing a frog version of her. Fujin knew of a few men who would gladly do the job, but she wasn’t certain if a man’s kiss would be very effective. Were there any fairy tales in which the princess was a frog and the prince had to kiss her?

“Talk briefly?” she asked. Xu put her chat with Nida on hold and approached Fujin, but jerked away in disgust as she saw the frog perched on her shoulder.

“Ugh! Fujin, could you please take that thing away? I’m getting sick already.”

“Not thing,” she insisted. “Person turned into a frog. Went out for walk, fought enemies, results. Have Maiden’s Kiss?”

“Sorry,” said Xu with a watery grin. “Nida had the last one. We feel your pain; he and I had to use his on someone else. I don’t think anyone else in Balamb has one. I mean, there really isn’t a use for them since we rarely get those kinds of frogs on our shores. Who is it?” Fujin pursed her lips, and even though it would shock them both, she just decided to tell them cold turkey.

“Quistis.”

“Oh, no way!” blurted Nida. He gawked and walked right up to the frog, peering at it closely as only he could. He looked at Fujin and shrugged. “It doesn’t look a thing like her.” Fujin merely gave him a shrug.

“I’m sorry we can’t be of any help to… uh, you two,” sighed Xu sadly.

“Could kiss her.”

“I really can’t,” she grimaced. Fujin frowned.

“Used to be her girlfriend!!”

“I know, but… it’s not that. If she were anything but a frog, I wouldn’t mind. Uh, I mean, I know you two like each other now, but… um… I really can’t.”

“Don’t like frogs?”

“Not really,” she murmured weakly. “I’m allergic to them. They make me break out and I get really nauseous. I’m getting a little ill just looking at it. Sorry.” Fujin did notice that Xu was a little more pale than usual, so she just shrugged.

“Sorry for interrupting. Um… suggestions?” Xu shook her head as she came up with nothing, but Nida seemed to have an idea.

“You could ask Selphie,” he suggested. “Irvine gave her a pet frog and she’s kept it pretty well. I don’t know if that would help or not, but it’s worth a try.” Fujin smiled with relief at the younger man and gave him a wave of thanks as she descended back down the elevator and resumed her quest. Once both Fujin and Frog Quistis were gone, Xu whistled in relief and wiped her forehead.

“Whew… that really sucks. I’d hate to think of what would happen if I became a frog.”

“Yeah…” Nida trailed off, paused, and suddenly did a double-take as he realized what he had overheard. “Wait a minute! You and Quistis were an item once??”

“His name is Sir Glenn the Frog,” announced Selphie proudly as she hoisted the little green guy up for Fujin to see. The pale lady sneered and politely declined the introduction. Selphie grinned and put Sir Glenn next to a small bowl of what looked like vanilla pudding with raisins. Sir Glenn dug in and lapped the stuff up hungrily.

“What’s that?” pointed the pale woman. Selphie looked over and watched her frog eat.

“Oh, uh, a little something I threw together. I wanted to make something that would get rid of all the flies that come in here for the summer, so I made a sugary treat and set it out somewhere. The next day, I had all these dead flies in there, so I guess I succeeded. Don’t worry, it’s just harmless pudding, but I made it real sticky so the flies wouldn’t be able to move. Hey! Haven’t you eaten enough, you pig of a frog?!” Selphie quickly plucked the hungry Sir Glenn up from his snack and placed him back in his terrarium. She gave Fujin her usual perky smile and tilted her head.

“So anyway, why did you want to see my frog for? I always thought you hated them.”

“…Mostly,” she murmured. Fujin bashfully revealed the frog that was once Quistis to Selphie, who crowed over it as if it were actually cute. Fujin really didn’t like frogs.

“Aww, he’s so cute! What’s his name?”

“She.”

“Whoops, sorry. Uh, what’s her name.” Cold turkey once again. Selphie might’ve taken it better anyway. Fujin broke the news to her as Selphie fed the frog some of the sugary goo she had made.

“Quistis.”

“You named her after Quistis?” giggled the little sunflower. Selphie’s eyes danced as her laugh tickled the air. “That’s so cute and romantic! But she doesn’t look a thing like her! Hey, does she have a frog named Fujin??”

“Misunderstanding,” sighed Fujin wearily as she shook her head. She placed her pale hand on the frog’s back, picking it up from the table and holding it in her hands as she emphasized, “Frog is Quistis.”

“No way!” exclaimed Tilmitt. “You mean our Quisty got turned into a frog?! Jeez, what a mega bummer! I always thought that Balamb Island didn’t have creatures that could turn people into frogs!” Fujin gave a “Maybe, but they do now” kind of shrug and asked if Selphie could help.

“Well… I don’t have any items that can cure Toad, and I’m trying not to use my GF as much these days, so no magic either. Have you tried kissing it?”

“Not kissing a frog,” snorted Fujin. Selphie gave her an almost irresistible smile.

“Aww, come on! The beautiful princess has to kiss the frog if she wants the handsome prince--erm, the other beautiful princess to return to her natural form! Come on, do it for Quistis!”

“You can’t?” Selphie smiled and shook her head.

“Nuh-uh. If it were Irvine, I’d reconsider. Now there’s a handsome prince for ya! Anywhoo, she’s your girlfriend, isn’t she? Why don’t you show her how much you care and just get it over with? One little smooch from a frog won’t hurt you, right?” Fujin sighed wearily, but as she looked into the innocent yet wise face of the petite lady staring up at her, she really couldn’t disagree. If she wanted to prove her love for Quistis, she would have to do things that would probably be uncomfortable.

Kissing frogs certainly wasn’t a prerequisite, though. Oh well.

“…No.”

“Then go do it!” she exclaimed with a wave. “Go, go! I don’t wanna see you two getting all mushy in front of Sir Glenn! Go on, go!” Fujin couldn’t help but smile at the smallish lady, so she put her froggy girlfriend back on her shoulder and sought out someplace private. Selphie smiled and made Sir Glenn wave farewell at them both.

Fujin sighed as she sat down on her bed, carrying the frog that was once a princess in her hand. She stroked the creature’s back lovingly, and stared into its bulbous eyes. She had to wonder if Quistis was really aware of things while in that condition. Fujin had never been turned into a frog herself, so she really couldn’t say. The beautiful pale lady sighed as she steeled herself for the inevitable kiss.

“Sorry for delaying,” she apologized as she petted it. “Hate frogs, you know. Any other animal okay. Wonder what you’d look like as a cat?” She smiled and chuckled softly to herself, and with a wish in her heart, she bent over slightly and put her lips to the frog’s. It really wasn’t such a bad experience, but not one she’d like to duplicate after that. Fujin reminded herself to carry plenty of Maiden’s Kisses around with her from that moment on.

Another cloud of green gas clouded over the frog, and as Fujin coughed and wiped it away, her heart sang out with relief as a second cough joined her. She smiled warmly as her beloved girlfriend returned to her in her true form, tall and shapely as a goddess. Quistis waved away the green gas and glared around for a familiar object. She saw her beloved girlfriend sitting across from her, giving her a dusky smile.

“(Cough) …Fujin?”

“Welcome back, princess,” she whispered. Fujin leaned over gently and placed a soft kiss right on her girlfriend’s mouth, feeling the warmth tenderness of her lips slowly enveloping her own. A bit of lipstick clung to Fujin’s own mouth as she pulled back and grinned. She liked kissing Human Quistis much more than Frog Quistis.

“That was nice,” admitted the human princess with a blush. “But what was it for? Have I been gone long? And why am I in your room?”

“………Uhh…” The poor dear really didn’t know how to break it to Trepe. She could speak to Rinoa, Xu, and even Selphie with ease, but her own girlfriend, unless she had been aware of things, wouldn’t take it too well. Quistis didn’t like frogs either.

“A long story?” she guessed, sensing the awkwardness in Fujin’s face. The silver-haired maiden smiled sadly and nodded her head. Quistis hummed softly and stared down at the bed. “And I probably don’t want to know anyway. Ugh, whatever happened, it made me hungry! You mind if I get something to eat?”

“I’ll buy,” offered Fujin. Quistis gave her girlfriend a sweet smile as she placed her hand on her cheek.

“That’s sweet of you.” Trepe leaned forward and completely enveloped Fujin’s mouth with a very loving kiss, and held it for quite some time until her stomach took dominance over her heart. They walked back to the cafeteria hand in hand.

As fate saw to it, Selphie Tilmitt was passing by the area, a bowl full of what looked like vanilla pudding with raisins in her hands. She hummed to herself as she made a beeline to her destination, but was stopped as she saw Quistis and Fujin walking down the hall. Selphie let out a squeal, and would have hugged her friend if her arms were free. Noticing the bowl, Quistis offered to fix the problem.

“That looks really great,” she sighed hungrily, “and I’m starving! Selphie, do you mind if I have some of that stuff? I just love raisins.”

“Uh, well, um, I mean, if you really want to! I was just gonna wash it out since I don’t need it anymore. Uh, here.” Selphie awkwardly gave the bowl to Quistis, and before she or Fujin could stop her, Trepe had already shoveled in a few greedy spoonfuls. Both ladies watched as their friend ate, and couldn’t help but become a little pale (well, more pale in Fujin’s case). Quistis moaned with pleasure, however, as she ate the dish.

“Mm, mm! Oh, yum! Selphie, this stuff is amazing! You’ve got to give me the recipe! It can’t just be vanilla with raisins! What is this, really?”

“…Well… uh, you see…” Speechlessness overcame the poor brunette, who could only stutter and scratch her neck as she stood there awkwardly. Fujin coughed politely and offered to do the job for her.

“Want to know?”

“Yeah! What is this stuff? It’s delicious!!” Fujin sighed sickly, and since it had become a new habit of hers, she just decided to tell her girlfriend cold turkey.

“…Fly pudding.”

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