Before I Wake
He never doubted he'd see Serah's face again. And that hope had brought him here, wherever here was, and she was holding out her hand to him. She was the only object he could make out in the colorless, shapeless world around them, their surroundings smudged in his mind. Eyes straining, he tried to make some sense of it, but Serah chuckled and attracted his full attention at once.
"Snow," she murmured. "You did it. I'm so proud. I'm happy!"
"What?" Snow didn't understand. Serah could always read him, and he thought she enjoyed being cryptic just to watch him become confused. Upon thinking on it, he couldn't quite remember how he got here in the first place, reinforcing his confusion.
"Please don't worry. You'll wake up soon." Definitely enjoyed it.
Snow reached out and brushed his fingers against her cheek, her skin soft. Moving his limb felt like a stroke through water, but when Serah leaned into him, he felt light and warm. "Babe, I never worried. That's what sidekicks do, yeah?"
Serah laughed again. "So you've reduced Light to a sidekick? She won't like that."
"I never said-!"
"You can't tell me she didn't worry, and there's no way you left her alone after last we met. I know you both, you goof."
Snow let out a breath, resigning himself. There was something about Farron women that made their sharp tongues endearing. "I didn't mean that. Your sister's no sidekick. She's a lone heroine. Maybe. I think she's learned a little something about teamwork, something the Guardian Corps couldn't teach her."
They were quiet for a time before Snow's spring of patience ran dry. With heavy motions, he drew Serah close and hugged her tight, one arm wrapped around the small of her back and the other's hand holding her head to his shoulder, fingers buried in her hair. "I missed you. How is this happening, Babe?"
"You're dreaming, Snow," Serah sighed. "But I told you already, yeah? You'll wake up soon."
Snow's grip loosened and Serah backed away to look him in the face. She dragged her hand over his bicep and down his arm, stopping with her hand pressed against the shimmering brand there. A tiny smile perked up her lips. "I promise, you'll wake up soon. You'll be okay. We'll all be okay. You should get used to waking up to me."
Snow frowned. "What? But you're crys-"
"You, too. I'm sorry. I love you."
Serah pushed hard on the brand and something hot rushed through his body. Images flashed behind his eyes, a nonstop cascade of memories - Bodhum vestige, Hope's valiant mother, meeting everyone, the force of Lightning's punch, memory memory memory memory Hope's grief memory memory memory Barthandelus memory memory Fang? memory ORPHAN! - and then all he knew was white.
"Wake up," he heard, like listening underwater. The Pulsian accent helped him identify the speaker, her higher voice much sweeter than her friend's. Vanille pleaded, "You have to wake up. Everyone's waiting."
Snow woke to the lush scents of Pulse and the crystal world of Cocoon reaching for the sky.