Author's Note: Hi, and thanks for at least trying to read this. I've been hanging around here for a while, reading some frankly excellent fics, and thought it was about time I tried it for myself. I've spell checked and proof read it a couple of times, but I might still have missed something. I know it's short, but I'm just testing the waters with this, if it gets a good reception I'll add to it.

Disclaimer: Characters are property of Square Enix, I own nothing of the Final Fantasy universe

Anyway, onto the story...

Chapter One - When the world comes down

"Without giving away,

The entire ending,

I ruined the evening again"

When the ex-L'Cie awakened after Cocoons fall, everyone knew Snow and Serah would waste no time in getting married. Still, it had taken the best part of a year for things to settle down enough on Pulse for them to get around to it. Despite the sudden and unexpected loss of their home the people of Cocoon had adjusted rather well to their new life on what they once knew as Hell.

In the short time since the fall several settlements had been well established; most notably New Bodhum and New Palumpolum. Snow, Serah, Lightning, Sazh and Dajh had all decided to make their homes in New Bodhum; it reminded them of the lives they used to have on Cocoon. Hope and his father, Bartholomew, however, had chosen New Palumpolum as their destination.

The group had done their best to stay in touch, but with the initial lack of reliable communication across Pulse, Hope had drifted away from the others. Lightning made the journey between settlements every month or two, just to see Hope, but he had very little contact with the others. When Lightning had disdainfully told him that Snow and Serah were finally marrying, then, he was quite surprised that he was invited.

The actual ceremony was conducted in the small chapel that had been constructed soon after the settlement was established, in order to cater for the few who still held belief that there was a god looking out for them. The reception, however, was being held in the large community hall that had served as a shelter for many before everyone had moved into their own dwellings.

Having snuck away from the busy party some time ago, Hope lay by himself, gazing solemnly at the night sky. It's not that he wasn't happy for the newlywed couple, he considered Snow to be family after their L'Cie adventure and Serah had never treated him as a child, but he couldn't help but think of his mother, amongst other things. Engrossed in his contemplation, Hope failed to notice when Lightning followed his example and joined him outside.

"Any particular reason you ditched the party to lay on the grass by yourself?" She questioned, eyes focused on the 15 year old who she had sworn to watch out for.

The question startled Hope back to reality, and he turned to regard her. He had nearly died of shock when she had arrived at the wedding wearing a dress; it just seemed so un-Lightning for her to be wearing something so feminine. Still, Serah was her sister and clearly had enough influence to stop the ex-soldier showing up in the military uniform that she favoured on nearly every occasion.

"Just thinking things over Light, I was actually about to head back inside." It was a lie; he knew it and likely so did she.

Not buying Hope's attempt at a deflection she decided to try and find out what was bothering the teenager. Defying all logic she had a soft spot for him, he'd come a long way in their journey and she would go as far as to say she was proud of him.

"Urgh, I'd rather you didn't. I've spent the last 6 hours in the same room as Snow, I need a breather."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tried to shake her head clear of the Snow based headache she was currently suffering from. Serah's fiancé and fellow ex-L'Cie or not, the oaf still had an innate knack for making her brain hurt. Turning back to Hope, she realised she was right, something was weighing on him.

"You still miss her, don't you; your mother? It's OK to be upset Hope. If you tell anyone I'll deny it, but I still miss my parents sometimes too."

"Yeh, I do. I still have nightmares about it sometimes, watching her falling, not being able to help. That isn't everything though, Light. There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while, and this wedding's about as close to perfect a time there's going to be..."

"... Light, I think I love you"

It took a moment for the meaning of what Hope had just said to sink in. What followed was an internal war of emotion as the ex-soldier made sense of his words. There was no choice though, as much as it would hurt him emotionally, as wrong as it felt, she would have to spurn him, to stop this infatuation dead in its tracks.

"You can't be serious Hope! I'm seven years older than you, even if I did feel the same, which I don't, it wouldn't work out. If we were still on Cocoon I'd be arrested, and even if there is no law about that here yet, we'd still be looked down on."

As Hope listened to her dismissal two things happened; for the second time in his life, the pain of heartbreak tore through him, and then he vowed that one day, somehow, he would make her understand. Hiding his pain as well as he could, Hope broke the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

"...I...see. I'm sorry Light, it was wrong of me to put that sort of thing on you, especially after all you've done for me. I'd better get going anyway, dad said we'd have to leave soon, and that was nearly an hour ago. I'll see you around, I guess."

As she watched him walk back inside Lightning realised what she had just done. She'd just rejected the only person other than Serah who really meant something to her.

She had no way of knowing that that would be the last she would see of Hope for 5 years.

Update: First, I'd like to apologise for not submitting any more chapters for this fic, I could give some spiel about life getting in the way, but frankly I just couldn't find the motivation to write regularly. However, things have changed, and as of now I'm going to begin writing more chapters for this (starting with a slight rewrite of this one). Expect the next new chapter some point this week, Wednesday at the latest.