Escape

Author's Note: Wow, I've never written for this fandom before, and this is also my first shot at romance. I'm a hopeless romantic, I really am. I've just loved this pairing so much, that when I acquired the right prompt, I HAD to go for it. It just sort of clicked in my head, and I spent 3 hours straight writing and editing it. I hope it turned out well. Please, let me know!

They were playing a risky game. In this world, created by their desires overlapping, they posses countless hours, and yet it constantly felt as if it would slip through their finger tips at a moments notice.

His eyes would shine, the weight on her shoulders would seem a little lighter. They were both working towards the same goal, both working towards bringing everyone home. She had been the messenger, the protector, and the knight. He was the one who realized her dream, the builder, and the prince. Both set out to defend their people from those who sought their end, their destruction, absolute chaos. With all of their duties constantly flooding in, being here, together, in this dream, even for a few moments, made it a little easier to breathe.

By chance, they happened to fall asleep at the exact same time. He answered the call of exhaustion after calming down speculators and answering the threat of terrorists. She gave in after upholding her oath to Etro for the millionth time. By seeking a peaceful respite, they found each other for the first time in years. After that chance encounter, a connection was made.

At first, he was certain she was a figment of his overworked mind. She of course, took offense to the remark. One thunder spell and apology later, they both concluded that this place could be a paradox connecting the two dimensions, but were at a loss of how it could have come to be.

To him, an empty beach that seemed to stretch on for miles didn't seem to resemble his past experiences with paradoxes in the slightest. To her, it was a very welcomed change of scenery. It wasn't until she noticed what was not a setting sun on the horizon.

"Look."

Her eyes widened in recognition as some loose pink strands of hair danced in the sea breeze. Still mesmerized by her sheer presence, he almost didn't hear her. Following her gaze, he caught sight of a golden light.

"That light. I've seen it before." He whispered, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"All of those who have come into the world and journeyed out of it have," She answered. "That's Etro's guiding light."

"Then this is her doing, not some sort of threat from another time period." He murmured, tapping his finger to his chin delicately.

"So it seems. How can we be sure this isn't a trap?" She inquired, and noticed for the first time that she had to look up to address him.

He read her expression, and the tiniest bit of a smirk found it's way to his features.

Each reunion brought with it a sense of relief, and also loose ends that needed to be tied.

"Hey, Light?" He started, his hand idly tracing patterns in the sand.

Under the warm light, both of them were lying just away from the water's edge, enjoying each other's company. Earlier, he had childishly remarked that one of the clouds reminded him of the sheep of Gran Pulse. She laughed and stated that she had a always thought he possessed the greatest resemblance. With the faintest blush, he laughed right along with her.

Now though, the atmosphere shifted. She could feel his hesitation, and faced him with a neutral expression.

"Yes?"

"Why. . . How come you had visited everyone," He swallowed and clenched some of the crystal sand. "Except for me?"

She felt herself flinch and chose to look at the sky again. Now feeling his eyes burn into her, but refusing to meet them. It felt as if it were an hour before she answered.

"I wanted to. It wasn't fair. I had gotten to speak to everyone else, I had been able to convince them that I was still alive, that there was something out there, that something was wrong.

"But you, Hope, you already knew. You were already working towards figuring out what went wrong that day. Etro felt that if I went to speak to you, that I would change what was supposed to bring you to find Serah and Noel. I watched you, and I saw you struggle with being the only one left.

"You felt so lost, so abandoned, and that's what drove you to found the Academy. You put on a brave face and lost yourself in your work. You gave yourself one objective to keep yourself going, but also believed that there was a way to set everything right. You became the hope for the future, and you didn't need my help to get going." She finished, a half smile on her face.

They were both sitting up now, her eyes hadn't left his since she started speaking.

"Don't you get it, Light? Everything I did was because of you." He titled his head and smiled reassuringly.

Then she hugged him, just like the day he declared Operation Nora over.

"I'm so proud of you."

This time, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Sometimes, with their feet caressed by water, they would reminisce on their journey, the good times and the bad. On a few occasions he convinced her to dance with him, stating he was required to attend a formal ball the next day, and needed to be assured his skills weren't rusty. She'd claim she didn't know how to dance. He would hold out a hand and offer to teach her. After she had relaxed, he would hold her closer and closer until their bodies were nearly mended together. Eyes closed and foreheads rested against each other, they would sway to the rhythmic sounds of the waves.

It was out of these moments when they discovered the true intentions of the almost perfect world.

Lightning was worried. After telling him what had happened to Serah and Noel after they had taken the artifact from his assistant, the gears began to turn.

"Is that what we're in now? One of those dreams that we couldn't wake up from if we gave in?" He asked, his hand finding hers.

She nodded, studying their joined hands. Then, she heard him laugh. Her head snapped up and she found herself in his arms. He buried his face in her hair.

"I want to be with you, Light, so much so, that it hurts. I'm so grateful for this place, because I get to see you, even before we bring you, Vanille, and Fang back home. I don't have to worry about losing myself here, because just being with you strengthens my resolve." He was looking at her now, waiting for a response.

So she kissed him.

The temptation to loose themselves in the bliss of the false world was always looming over them, even more so as their worlds began demand even more from them, but it was an option neither could bring themselves to accept.

He smiled as she rested her head against his shoulder, their arms wrapped around each other as they watched the waves crash against the shore.

"No matter what happens," she began, "we'll always find a way to a place we can all be together. Me, you, Serah, Sazh, Dajh, Snow, Fang, Vanille, and even Noel, we won't stop fighting until we're all together again. We won't stop fighting until everyone is safe."

That was their last night, before the Timeline was destroyed.

He had been monitoring the tests being conducted on Fang and Vanille, but also comforting Noel. After the brunette had cried himself to sleep, Sazh had managed to convince him to do the same before he passed out on his feet.

"So much has happened, we don't know where Snow and Lightning are yet, how could I even think of resting?" He had snapped, frustration seeping through his voice.

He didn't calm down until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You can't put this all on yourself. You and that damn girl try to shoulder all of the responsibilities alone. We're all here, working together, watching out for one another. Let others take over for a minute, son. You won't get anything done in your condition anyway."

In a cot he laid, afraid that when he fell asleep, she wouldn't be there to meet him. With Noel knocked out in the bed beside his, he knew he wouldn't find out until he closed his eyes.