Hey everyone.

Thanks for deciding to click on my little story and give it a chance. :) To tell you the truth, I'm crazy nervous about submitting this because it's been so long since I've written anything!

My idea for this story is to sort of make an alternate story out of the one that already exists, by adding in a new character of my own. You don't get to meet him in this chapter, but soon enough. Until then, I hope my writing is okay. I'm a few years rusty here so any constructive criticism is super appreciated. :)

Note: Although this story won't be -too- spoiler heavy, it does pick up at a point about 7-10 hours into the game. So if you're trying to completely hide yourself from any elements of the game's story, I won't be offended if you decide to hit the 'Back' button on your browser now.

Note on formatting: Like many other stories, thoughts are italicized. Sometimes an emphasized word may be italicized as well, but I'll do my best to avoid confusion. Bolded goodness may be used if something is extra important as well, but I'll try my best to not make everything too dramatic.

Reach Up to the Stars

Chapter 1
The Streets of Palumpolum

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is not mine, it belongs to Square Enix.

Why did I have to get stuck with him..?

Hope Estheim absentmindedly ran a hand through the back of his hair as he trudged through a quiet, dark alleyway in the suburbs of Palumpolum on the way to his home. Ahead of him was the man assigned to protect him as they made their way through the city; Snow Villiers. Seven years Hope's senior, Snow towered over the boy – not to mention almost everyone else around. Hope kept a several-foot distance between him and Snow at all times, and hardly responded to Snow's endless smalltalk.

He wasn't ready to get friendly with the person who was responsible for his mother's death.

As the two approached the end of the alleyway Hope's fears of getting caught reignited. They were Pulse l'cie, mortal enemies of all citizens (not to mention armed soldiers) of Cocoon, and the brand on his wrist was a constant reminder to that. It was still strange to Hope that he was wanted dead by everyone in the town he called his home not a few days ago. But he didn't have much time to think about it; he was preoccupied by the fear for his life and the hatred towards his assigned guardian.

Hope was still annoyed with Lightning – another person made into a l'cie alongside him and Snow's future sister-in-law – for leaving him with the man he hated. Despite her comforting words before, she literally shoved him into Snow's arms and took off with another woman whom Hope did not recognize. Lightning had been the one he had confided his grief and frustration to in the underground tunnels not two hours earlier, and although she ultimately tried to explain to Hope that he had to abandon his idea of revenge against Snow, the boy was having a harder time controlling himself every time Snow opened his mouth.

Hope kept involuntarily touching the folded-up pocketknife in his back pocket as they walked. It had been given to him by Lightning to protect himself as they ran through the Gapra Whitewood, but he began to have some rather sinister thoughts involving the blade that made his heart race just to think about.

The two of them stopped at the end of the alleyway and Snow poked his head around the corner to check for Sanctum troops as Hope stood behind him and silently watched. He almost wished a hidden sniper or someone would open fire on the stupid bastard right then, but he also knew that if Snow got hurt now, he had little to no chance to make it to his own home in Felix Heights.

"Well, this street looks clear, kiddo. Ready to make a run for it to the next alley?" Snow asked with a smirk as he turned around to look at Hope.

Hope quickly nodded but said nothing, and the two of them made a dash across the suburban road and only slowed pace when they were fully out of sight by any possible street walkers.

"We're getting closer to Felix Heights, I think. It's been a few years since I've been in Palumpolum," Snow said aloud. Hope nodded silently, but standing behind Snow caused his response to be unheard. Snow shrugged it off and continued his attempts to get the boy to speak to him.

"Sooo... is your family pretty well off then, Hope?" Snow asked with a slight chuckle. Hope glared up at Snow with an angry look in his eyes.

Not at all, thanks to you...

"What do you mean?" Hope asked him quietly as he looked back to the ground.

"I mean are your parents rich or something? Felix Heights is some great real estate, isn't it?" Snow asked the boy. Hope waited several seconds before answering.

"...My dad.. works for Sanctum," he said in an even quieter voice. Snow stopped walking and turned around to look at Hope.

"Sanctum, eh? Sure he's going to be excited to have a bunch of l'cie in his house?" Snow asked, sounding more than a bit honest in his inquiry. Hope merely shrugged.

"He's never seemed too crazy about having me around when I was.. normal. Dunno if being a l'cie will change much.." Hope said, ending his statement with a sigh.

Snow took a few steps over to Hope and clasped him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, your dad will be happy to see you. Trust me."

Yeah, right. Trust you. Ha ha ha...

Hope only stared at the ground, clearly lost in thought. Snow took his hand off the boy's shoulder and looked at Hope with a confused look on his face for a few seconds before turning around on his heel and continuing to walk through the dark alleyway. Hope followed silently, staring at Snow's feet making large strides that Hope thought he could only match if he jumped each step.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence they reached the end of the alleyway and stopped at the border to the next street so Snow could do his usual reconnaissance. Snow poked his head around the corner and looked around for a few moments before returning to inform Hope the status.

"Looks clear again, we're getting lucky! A sign out there says we are approaching the Eastern Promenade. Might get a little sticky if too many troops are hanging out there," Snow said. "Luckily, I'm ready for 'em" he added with a smirk as he slammed his fist into his own palm, making a harsh snapping noise as his gloves made contact that made Hope blink a few times due to it's surprise.

"You ready to go kiddo?" Snow asked the boy as he turned around to scout the area again.

Eastern Promenade....that means we're close to..

"Snow?" Hope asked him as his shaky voice slightly cracked, "Do you think.. can we stop somewhere? One of my friends lives near the Eastern Promenade and.. I wanna check on him.. see if he's okay.."

Snow turned around and raised an eyebrow for a bit. This was the most Hope had spoken since they had started walking together and it was the first time he had remembered since they got there that this was in fact Hope's hometown.

Snow shook off the surprise of hearing the boy talk and grinned. He had a hard time not helping as many people as possible. He was the hero. Not to mention, the guilt he felt when he couldn't help someone? Unbelievable. He still got a cold shiver down his spine when he thought of all the needless casualties back in the Hanging Edge when the bridge broke apart.

"Sure! The more, the merrier, right? What's your friend's name?" Snow asked, trying to move past the painful memory.

"His name is Seann. He's been my friend for 10 years.." Hope said, his eyes widening as he suddenly began fearing the worst for his friend's safety. He had seen so much destruction of his home town already.

"Let's go get him then!" Snow said while giving Hope a thumbs up and a wink. Hope only did his best to fake a half smile.

He wasn't ready to smile at the man responsible for his mother's death.