Thirteen Days
Video-Story

Cloud and Lightning were two people with a similar goal, a similar focus. They cared for the Orphans of the Pulse city known as Edge. It was their task, their duty, and they honestly loved it. They gave these little children hope and love and family. In turn the children had become their family, their life.

Cloud and Lightning met through their goal, their focus was it not any stranger that they'd fall in love because of it?

Cloud was always the sort of quieter of the two, more introspective and calm. He catered to the Orphans' needs of a listener, a big brother, a father.

Lightning was always the loud one, outgoing, rambunctious and preferred not to think of things. She catered to the Orphans' need for adventure and action, a big sister but never quite a mother.

They spent years like this, years falling in love, years unaging and catering to the Orphans in Edge. One year they came across a little boy with the just right amount of features that he could almost have been their son. If they could ever have children that is.

The boy's mother and father died in a rockslide and the child himself barely got to safety. He was a bit banged up but no worse for wear. Cloud and Lightning immediately took him under their wing, notified the nearby Watch about the rockslide and potential bodies, and went about their business.

It wasn't later that they found out the boy, named Denzel, was terminally sick. Lightning and Cloud had resolved to make the young boy's life perfect when they found out. They gave Denzel almost everything, treated him as their own flesh and blood. Neither Lightning nor Cloud neglected their normal duties to the other Orphans, in fact they catered to them as much as they really could.

Everyone could see though how much those two loved Denzel as their own flesh and blood.

It was maybe five, ten years down the road when it happened. Denzel tripped, fell, and didn't get back up. Cloud had carefully loaded the unconscious boy onto his bike and motioned for Lightning to come over from the market where she was looking at little baubles in slight interest.

They drove off, Denzel unconscious and smashed between them. The bike rumbled and roared down the desert street, loud enough that neither Lightning nor Cloud noticed it until the giant, lumbering beast was upon them. The bike went careening sideways, Denzel's frail body flung away from Cloud and Lightning.

Cloud and Lightning tumbled to a stop some ways away and lost all sign of consciousness. When they next awoke they were told that they were in Bodeheim Hospital on Cocoon. Neither knew nor could remember just how they had gotten there.

Lightning asked about Denzel, about a little boy, but was shut down sharply. Cloud was silent.

Lightning and Cloud had left the hospital as soon as they could and went to research just where they were. Cocoon was a forbidden place to those of Pulse for Cocoon was full of l'Cie haters. The people in the fake moon were all normal humans who couldn't bear the thought of possibly losing their free will. To them l'Cie were a curse, a disease.

After all a l'Cie was a human without free will, or at least that's what they thought. On Pulse l'Cie were revered for, unlike the fal'Cie l'Cie weren't born. They weren't even made, not really. They were humans, yes, but they were humans that grew so attached to something that they ended up branded by a fal'Cie. See l'Cie were human versions of fal'Cie and while they appeared not to have free will they really did because l'Cie chose to be l'Cie.

They chose to exist for one true purpose for all eternity. They chose to become crystal if their purpose was completed. They chose to become Cie'th if they lost their way.

They went to a fal'Cie and they chose.

Cloud and Lightning were l'Cie, both around almost a hundred years in age, both rather terrified of being on Cocoon because Cocoon hated l'Cie and on Cocoon they had no purpose.

They needed to get back to Pulse but…no one ever left Cocoon, just as no one left Pulse. Not anymore.

And then there was the memoryloss. Lightning and Cloud couldn't remember what happened. They were in a market with Denzel and then…blank. Nothing.

Lightning, in her infinite acting wisdom, was the one who came up with the plan. They would topple Cocoon's government in repayment for surely it was Cocoon's fault they had no memory? Surely it was Cocoon's fault that Denzel was missing and they were here and not on Pulse?

"It's die or turn Cie'th," Lightning told Cloud as they stood in a field, her voice hushed. "There's no place for us here!"

Cloud reluctantly nodded. He would go with Lightning's plan. So…they attacked the government.

Cloud almost didn't make it.

Lightning dropped the planned assault and secreted Cloud away to safety. There she healed him up, a sadly touch and go process for them. Still days later Cloud was healthy and he awoke.

Nothing seemed to change though. Lightning still wanted to topple the government, she still blamed them for the missing of Denzel and their entrapment.

Cloud just blamed himself.

"So we're still following the plan?" he asked after pulling on his shirt. Tone soft, voice distant.

Lightning said nothing and walked out of the room. Cloud didn't look at her, instead he just stared at the photograph on the table.

How had Lightning gotten a picture of Denzel…here?

…

Lightning was covering up a knife, birthday present. Cloud knew what it was at least as he entered the kitchen room. Denzel wouldn't shut up about it.

Again though…why was it here?

He swallowed, heavily, and just spoke.

"I couldn't care for him," he told his – well was Lightning a life-partner or not? He wasn't too sure…still with the guilt eating at him he had to say something.

Lightning shouldn't be attached to a weakling like him anyway. So…the lie he believed himself.

"Let alone anyone else."

"And you think I'm gonna buy that?" Lightning sneered, ever so logical as she turned to face him. She knew exactly what it entailed to be a l'Cie and Cloud…Cloud could have taken care of Denzel, Cloud did take care of Denzel! Otherwise he could not be l'Cie with her.

Cloud just looked away, liked a kicked or drowned puppy. Lightning yelled.

"Oh you stop it!"

The table rattled and Lightning pulled her hand up, almost as if she wanted to punch some sense into Cloud as was her nature. After a minute though she just looked away.

"This is goodbye."

Lightning left.

Thirteen days passed and Cloud sat down in this strange house filled with things relating to Denzel. Cloud couldn't understand how things of Denzel were here but they were. Really he just wanted to forget. He needed to forget.

Then the news came on and there…there was Lightning and a little, silver haired boy.

Cloud felt his insides turn to ice and the protective streak that had died with Denzel roar into life. That…was an Orphan.

Maybe there was a purpose for them here, on Cocoon, after all.

Swiftly Cloud pulled himself to his feet and raced out the door. He hopped on his bike and drove. Lightning needed him. That boy needed him. With a grunt and a snarl (and without any thought as to how his bike was here too) Cloud hit the lever to release his swords, raised, and flung them.

Soldier's went down as he went flying by and past and over Lightning's head. She seemed almost shocked to see him but swiftly beat it away as Cloud came to a rumbling halt before her and the boy.

Lightning shoved the kid into Cloud's arms and turned away.

"Take him back to the base; I'll be along after I deal with this trash."

"Lightning—"

A pause before, "They were hunting him down because he somehow has the mark of l'Cie. He doesn't have a purpose or focus and this is the third kid I've found like this. It seems to me like Cocoon is doing something weird to the kids here. Either way our purpose is clear. Get him safe, I'll meet you soon."

"What's his name?"

Lightning glanced back and uttered, "Hope."

Cloud nodded and drove off. Lightning raced into battle.

They had a focus to work with, now, on this strange l'Cie hating world and with that everything would be alright.

Because they had Hope.

Notes: This is the story to a video I did for the YT Secret Santa for cloudadventchildren. Unfortunately I didn't get the video done in time but after a long while of working I finished it last night. Typed this up this afternoon 'cuz, well, it was 2AM by the time the video finished saving. Anyway, enjoy.

For a link to the video please visit my profile and follow the link to my YouTube page. The video is titled [Hope] Thirteen Days [for cloudadventchildren]