Silence. That was what filled the small private room of the hospital where Lightning laid. White sheets pulled tightly against her shivering body, which were soaked through with sweat.

The strong, stoic, woman was cringing, curled up slightly, and biting her teeth so as not to cry out from the sharp pain that racked her body.

A swallow echoed across the room like a gunshot as one sixteen year old cleared his dry throat. He had been sitting in a very uncomfortable wooden chair next to Lightning's bedside for almost three days now. In that time little had been said between them. Mostly because whenever Lightning tried to talk she would cough, and when she coughed she would spit up blood.

So Hope sat beside her in silence. Getting her a glass of water and feeding her at regular intervals. He could tell from the look she had when he did this she just wanted him to go. Lightning didn't want to be a burden to him or anyone else.

But Hope wouldn't leave. Not until the doctor managed to fix Lightning. Then he would take all the yelling and verbal abuse that she could throw at him, but right now she needed him. And no amount of glaring, even if it was very menacing, would stop him from helping her.

So as Lightning started to thrash about, a coughing fit beginning to build, Hope got up and headed to the private rooms sink. He filled a glass with water, making sure the taps filter was working properly, and quickly kneeled on Lightning's bed, beside her.

He used his left arm to help sit her up. Lightning weakly allowed Hope to push her into a sitting position. And then as the coughing died down she even allowed Hope to hold the cup to her lips so she could slowly, thirstily, drink.

It took her the better part of a half hour to slowly swallow the water, a few trails of the clear liquid falling down her chin and dribbling unto her brown turtle neck.

Hope gave her a reassuring smile before fluffing her pillow and laying her back down. Lightning nodded meekly, her body shaking from being cold once Hope left her side.

Lightning's feverish blue eyes watched Hope as he washed and dried the glass. Hope then set it down; in the same place he had set if for the last three days, and walked back to his chair. Lightning could see by the slump of his shoulder and the large dark bags under his eyes that Hope had not slept since she had been here. Briefly Lightning felt guilty because she had done little other then sleep.

Hope caught her gaze and smiled easily. It was kind and warm and said 'everything's going to be alright' without Hope having to say a word. Lightning tried to smile back, but it turned into a grimace as her stomach felt like it was twisting.

Hope kept smiling, even though he felt like crying. He reasoned that if he showed just how much all this was hurting him then it would make Lightning feel worse. And that was the last thing she needed right now.

"…Just….Go…" Lightning wheezed, another coughing fit starting.

"You know I won't go." Hope got up and went to get Lightning another glass of water; the doctor had said to do this whenever she started coughing. "Not after everything you've helped me through." Hope had filled the glass and was at her side again, the cold feeling temporarily leaving as Hope's presence was so close.

"Idiot." Lightning's coughing eased as Hope sat her up.

The doctor had said something about sitting up allowing fluids, or maybe he said blood Hope was to shocked at the time to listen properly, to leave her lungs. The only reason they didn't have her sitting up all the time was because when she sat up there was an increase in cranial pressure… or whatever the doctor said. Hope really wasn't sure anymore. It all sounded so medical that he just nodded and did what the doctor instructed.

However he did understand one thing: whatever was happening had Lightning's life in the balance. And for once the odds couldn't be overcome with sheer will power alone.

"Guess I'm taking after Snow."Hope said. Lightning made a laughing wheeze like sound as Hope laid her back down. "I'm going to go to the bathroom now, do you need anything? Just nod, don't talk."

Lightning shook her head marginally as the warmness of Hope's body left her. In truth she just wanted Hope to stay close to her. The pain seemed to ease when he was nearby, but she couldn't tell him that. In her mind Hope was suffering enough on her behalf, so there was no reason to further burden him.

"I'll be quick; I'm a guy so taking a leak won't take very long." Hope said as he jogged off, wanting to be done and back at her side as fast as possible.

Hope ran through the sterile halls of Oerba's one and only hospital. It was a small place with a maximum capacity of a hundred. But then again the whole populace of Oerba was only three hundred or so people, including visitors and military personal.

Since Cocoon's fall people had spread out. Forming thousands of small towns all over Pulse. The millions of people that had survived Cocoon's fall had spread out into a little over two thousand villages. Oerba, while not an even remotely large village, was a very important one. It's surviving books and script offering a view of how to survive on Pulse.

Of course that view on how to survive didn't include how to cure this strange disease that had infected Lightning.

"…Why can't I see sis!" Hope froze as he heard Snow's brutish voice.

"Trust me you'll just aggravate her." The doctor said annoyed.

Hope looked down the hallway to see the thin, lanky, doctor standing in the narrow hallway. His hands touched either wall as he defiantly blocked the way of a guerilla of a man known as Snow Villiers.

"But she's my sister!" Hope could see a fuming Serah also being held back by the doctor.

"She's not ready for visitors!" The doctor shouted as he was slowly being pushed back. "You don't understand, anymore strain and she could be in seriously bad shape…"

"Duck!"

The doctor ducked just as Hope's boomerang flew over his head. The weapon slammed into Snow's head and sent him flying all the way down the hall where he collapsed into an unconscious lump.

"You will leave Lightning alone." Hope commanded as he calmly walked towards the doctor, a hand automatically reaching up to grab his boomerang. "Until Doctor Jason says otherwise."

Serah took a step back as she caught Hope's glare. That look would give Lightning, even on her worst day, a run for her money. It was made all the more effective because Serah had never seen that look on his face before.

"H-Hope." Serah swallowed and returned his glare. "I have to see her." Serah's body was shaking with determination. "She's my sister…" Hope slapped her, the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the hall.

"You're thinking about your needs." Hope's face, which had lost the baby fat and gained an air of strength, was locked in determination. "You want to see Lightning so you can feel better and grieve properly. But right now she needs to be alone. If she knew you were here worrying about she would worry about how you were feeling and try to fake being better."

"Then why are you here!" Serah yelled. "Shouldn't the same go for you?"

"I'm the only person she won't put on masks around." Hope's eyes softened and he put a hand on Serah's shoulders comfortingly. "I know how you feel. But right now she doesn't even know we told you. And if she did it wouldn't do anything good for her. Please trust me."

Serah glared at Hope for a moment. But she sighed and nodded with sad eyes, a certain understanding dawning.

"…Alright..." Serah said after a moment. "Just… protect her please."

"I will." Hope said confidently, almost like he was making an oath.

The doctor gave Hope a nod of thanks before leading Serah to a waiting room. He dragged the unconscious Snow by the collar as well.

Hope let out a sigh of relief. That was one problem out of the way. But as he heard Lightning yell out he knew that something else was wrong.

Holding his urine Hope ran back down the hall and burst into the room. And what he saw made him want to slap Lightning stupid for being so stubborn.

Lightning was laid out on the floor in front of the sink. A broken glass was a few feet away, water spilled around it.

She was curled up in a ball, shaking violently. As Hope hurriedly approached her moaning form he saw a pool of blood forming around her head.

"Light." Hope breathed out as he ran to her side. "Damn it, you shouldn't have done that!" His voice was angry. Lightning couldn't blame him.

"I won't be a burden." Lightning groaned as Hope rolled her over.

"Damn it." Lightning had bit her lower lip open. That mixed with a new coughing fit were quickly coating the floor in slick, yet sticky, blood. "You may not get up, do you understand me?" Hope ordered. Lightning's eyes widened slightly as she realized that Hope was ordering her around, and with that strong, hurt and caring voice she knew she would obey. Well until she felt better, then she'd do what she wanted.

Hope picked Lightning up in his arms gently. And then carefully laid her down on the bed, checking her for any cuts as he did so.

Seeing that other than her lip there were no injury's he pulled a manadrive from under her bed and used it to sow her lip back up. The flesh reattached itself, leaving behind nothing but caked blood.

"Now stay put." Hope locked eyes with Lightning. The older women shivered in a bad way when she saw the wetness about his eyes. "If anything happened to you… I don't… I don't know what I'd do." And he was gone. Getting her a glass of water.

Lightning grunted in what she hoped was an apologetic way and stared up at the ceiling. They're were exactly three hundred sixty two and a half tiles on the roof. Three of these tiles had small chips. Four had what looked like spit wads on them and fifty five had large missing pieces. In Lightning's three days here she had counted the tiles and each individual fault in them.

Not because she felt like she had to, or that it might help her in some way. But because her mind was always alert and active. And laying in bed, not being able to talk, with someone taking care of her had left her mind precious little to do.

Of course Lightning admitted, begrudgingly, that if Hope hadn't been by her side she probably would have left the hospital already. She hated these places. The sterile rooms, that strange clean smell that made her think of death. No, hospitals and Lightning Farron didn't get along very well at all.

"Come on." Lightning glanced to the side, seeing Hope kneeling on her bed with a glass of water. "We need to sit you up, don't want to accidentally drown you because you were drinking while laying down do we?"

Lightning allowed Hope to sit her up, as though she had a choice in the matter, and put the glass to her lips. The cooling liquid made the burning in her throat feel less severe. However as it hit her stomach she didn't enjoy the way it made her insides feel so cold. It was a little to metaphorical for her liking.

"There." Hope pulled away the empty glass. "that's all for now, okay? The doctor said something about your electrolytes being low. And death by drinking too much water sounds like a lame way to go." Lightning rolled her eyes. She agreed with him, but she really wanted more water. The stupid six ounce glass never had enough to quench her undying thirst.

As Hope got up Lightning watched him. She felt guilty as Hope wetted a towel and started cleaning up her blood. It was a massive blow to the soldier's pride that she had to rely on someone like this, especially when that person was as dear to her as Hope was.

Hope was finished mopping up the floor after a few minutes. He then threw the towel away in a bio hazard bag. The doctor had said that this disease couldn't be spread through blood and that it was just standard procedure. Lightning wasn't sure if she believed him, but she hoped he was right. Because if he was wrong Hope had been infected long before he brought her here.

"As long as you're not going to try anything stupid." Hope emphasized stupid. "I'm going to go pee."

Lightning rolled her eyes, but nodded. She learned her lesson, well learned it for the day at least. If she had to stay here much longer then she'd probably try something else, but not for a few days.

Hope took one last glance at Lightning. She was shaking again, but he couldn't give her a blanket. Not with her temperature being as hot as it was. The best he could do was hurry to the bathroom and offer his silent comfort.

Of course as Hope was running down the halls destiny decided to stand in the way of his bathroom break. This time destiny came in the form of doctor Jason.

"Hope." Jason said as he blocked the boy's path.

"Aw come on." Hope groaned. "I have to go…"

"Then I'll accompany you." The look of suspicion on Hope's face was not lost on Jason. "I need to talk to you about Lightning's condition. And I believe you should be the first to know, since you've been at her side since you brought her here."

"…Alright." Hope said, still eyeing the doctor. "But if you try anything you'll be a patient here."

"Don't worry." Jason smiled a tad tiredly. "I know Lightning and the last thing I want to do is mess with her pupil. If she's taught you half of what she knows your stronger than most of the army."

She's taught me far more then half. Hope thought as the pair made a jog towards the bathroom, which was on the opposite end of the hall for some strange reason. She's almost finished training me. Comparatively I'm just a step below her, not that I'd ever tell her that.

It had been just over two years since Cocoon fell. In that time Hope had trained under Lightning, with the permission of his father. He had advanced quickly under her strict, though kind, hand. His body had changed. He was still thin, but his muscle index was fairly high. His endurance and strength were higher the most trained soldiers, but what was most amazing was the level of his combat technique. Hope fought in a similar style to Lightning, though he favored a heavier weapon with less acrobatic attacks.

If Lightning hadn't gotten sick she would be telling him he did a good job when he almost beat her. Or smiling down at him when he did something stupid like trip up the stairs, which is a lot easier to do then one might think. Or maybe even shake her head as he failed yet again to cook a good dinner…

"So what's wrong with her?" Hope almost dreaded asking. But at the same time he had to know.

"Her body's eating itself. I don't know why, and I don't quite understand how." Jason said as they came to the bathroom. "It appears to currently be eating on her nerve endings and the pain center of her brain, though it's already ate a couple of small holes in her lungs causing the bleeding. But I suspect it won't stop there. Her muscles and organs will be next and eventually she'll die."

"I see." Hope stepped to the urinal while the doctor leaned by the sink. "How long do you think she has?" Hope glanced at the doctor and frowned at the man's serious face.

"If she had any less willpower I'd say a couple weeks before she'd either die or go insane." Jason sighed. "But this is Lightning. The second most stubborn person I've ever met. I officially can't make this call, I'm supposed to say two or three weeks… but." Jason fixed Hope with a strangely happy yet sad smile. "I would stake money that Lightning lasts at least six months before we can't help her anymore.

"Do you think you'll be able to find a cure?" Hope's sentence is punctuated by the sound of him zipping his pants up. "And don't lie. Tell me the truth."

"To cure her I'd have to do something like rewrite her DNA." Jason admitted. "Because that's what I think is happening. Her DNA was encoded with a directive to destroy itself. I hear PSICOM was working on something like that before Cocoon fell. But I was in PSICOM, a higher up if you can believe it, and that project wasn't anything more than an idea on a piece of paper…"

"Maybe…" Hope shook his head as he washed his hands in the sink. "Maybe someone on Pulse has that kind of technology?"

"…Maybe." Jason looked thoughtful a moment. "There are some ancient ruins a few clicks east. They were about a mysterious disease that occurred during the war. It took a heavy toll on Cocoon soldiers, everyone who contracted the disease died. The disease persisted up until Ragnorak tried to destroy cocoon. There were some other writings but…"

"But what?" Hope was drying his hands on his pants.

"The last bit was written in an old Cocoon script. Really old, I recognized it as the original Cocoon language but I couldn't read it." Jason and Hope locked gazes. "The only word that made sense were Time and Fal'Cie. But I get the feeling it was a warning."

"Or it might be a cure." Hope said, biting his lower lip. "You want me to investigate?" Hope inquired of the doctor. Jason couldn't help but smile sadly.

"Yeah." Jason pulled a cell phone sized device out of his pocket. "Communications, without the radio towers of Cocoon, are slow. But I've got a list of several places that have the same Cocoon writing amidst ancient Pulsian history. I think that it might be how to find a cure. We've identified words such as, power, purity, angel, salvation, plague, and cure."

"So you think it's our best shot." Hope could feel his stomach knot slightly. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He was supposed to be at her side to make sure she gets well, not off to find some cure that may or may not exist.

"It's our only shot." Jason clarified. "Without the technology of Cocoon we can't possibly come up with a cure in time. The best we could do is maybe delay it, and even then it will be only a matter of time." Jason held out the phone, the two male's eye's locked in one of the most serious gazes that two men could give each other. "You're her only hope. If you can't find a cure then she'll die. I'd send someone else, but you're the only person strong enough to do this. The only person strong enough to go out into Pulse, find it and come back."

Hope glanced down at the phone. This was hard, so hard. He had lost so much because of the Fal'Cie. But he gained something. Five, eight if you included Dajh, Serah and Chocobo, friends that were more like family. And maybe he gained a crush. Maybe he cared, just a little bit, more for one of those friends then he should.

So, with that thought in his head, Hope extended his arm and took the phone. Making a silent vow to protect that friend he cares a little too much about.

"I'll do it." Hope pocketed the phone. "I'll leave tonight. You just have to promise me to protect her until I get back." Hope looked coldly up at the doctor. "Because if you let her die while I'm gone I'll kill you." And with that Hope left Jason standing in the bathroom by the sink, a mildly amused look on his face.

"You're quite the scary one." Jason looked up at the ceiling a moment before smirking. "But most people can be quite scary when they have something to protect…"

Something's up. Lightning could see the tense way Hope was sitting. That and how he seemed to be so much more attentive and alert then earlier, like he had woken up. This is what he looked like when he was about to have to do something he didn't want to.

But Lightning would wait until Hope was ready to talk. Forcing things out of Hope often wound up very awkward. And she rarely got the whole story, just the shortened 'I'm going to tell you before you get pissed' version.

"Light…" He asked hesitantly. It was the same hesitant voice he used when he asked to train under her.

"Get on with it." Lightning wheezed, suppressing the coughing fit that started.

"I think I can find a cure to your illness." Hope swallowed hard. "But I have to leave to find it. And there's no guarantee that I'll find it before you… before you die."

"Forget it. I'm not worth you worrying over…" Lightning couldn't suppress it. She started coughing blood and Hope was by her side in a second. He wedged himself between her and the wall and kept her in a comfortable sitting position. And with his presence that cold feeling in her body was gone again. Someday she had to figure out how he did that… made her feel so warm.

"I'm going to go. With or without your blessing." Hope said sternly. "And while I'm gone I want you to stay alive until I get back." Lightning tensed in his arms. "Because I will come back. I won't abandon you, I give you my word."

"Idiot. You should worry about yourself." Lightning knew she shouldn't talk, but she couldn't help it. "Get married, have a nice family and forget about me…"

"Idiot." Hope flicked her in the forehead, earning him a glare from the sick woman. "I can't forget about any of you. You people changed me and I can't forget, I can't go back to being the selfish, sheltered, child I was." Hope smiled down at her, causing Lightning's glare to falter. "So let me do this. Let me be the one to protect you for once, okay?" And he went for the win. His eyes widened and lip pouted slightly in that expression that Lightning had never been able to resist.

"If you die I'll kill you." Lightning promised. Which was almost like getting permission, except she could complain about it later.

"Alright." Hope gave her a kiss on the forehead in parting. "I won't die." Hope laid her down. "As long as you don't." Lightning smirked as Hope got up, the cold feeling returning to her body.

"Yes sir." Lightning made a weak mock salute.

"Yes ma'am." Hope saluted earnestly, and like a moron he used the wrong hand.

Hope left. And as soon as the door closed Lightning couldn't help but feel like she had just lost something very important…

(A/N)

All the credit for this one goes to muddledthoughts. It was her idea and this is the first chapter. It's more of a set up for what's to come.

Now for those of you reading my other story I haven't stopped writing it. And it does take somewhat of a priority since it's closer to being done. But this story idea was just to good to pass up. muddledthoughts is like a genius with this one and it's an honor to get to write it. That said the next chapter will probably sometime midweek since it's already half written (this chapter was originally much longer, but that was just the perfect place to stop so shrug) so look forward to that as soon as it's done.

Okay I know HopexLightning fans. This isn't listed under Hope x Lightning. That's because the majority of the books romance has nothing to do with Lightning. Please put down the stakes! I will always support that pairing and when Because you are my Hope is done I will write another HopexLightning story at the same time as this, but this is something I was asked to write and something I really want to write so please bear with me, it'll all be worthwhile I assure you.

Disclaimer: Huh… I don't appear to have the rights to Square Enix on my person. Must have left them in my other life…

Now I'm going to bed. I need to sleep at least a couple hours tonight or tomorrow's not looking so good for me… 'sighs'

So… laters!