Author's notes

Well, I did not quit my other stories…. I just got inspiration for this AU! Well, I'm sorry but the first chapter was a little rushed and pretty crappy…. Please bear with me though!

Reviews are ALWAYS welcome.

I don't own Final Fantasy XIII for the last god damn time.

I - First Meeting

It was a fine day, and any other day like this, a certain platinum blonde teen would have loved it.

But today was an unhappy day.

In the solitary confinement of one's own home, Hope Estheim let out a small sigh.

'Hope's Perspective'

"I can't believe I spent the whole day just mulling over this crap."

It all started with mom…

Mom died when I was 14….

My Ex-Girlfriend Serah Farron dumped me a year ago even though we are still friends…

She stated that she had found someone else whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

And it was only yesterday that I attended Dad's funeral.

I look around my dad's…..MY house.

I'm 18 now, so I can take care of myself…..no problem.

I'm still hyped up on my dad's death I can't think about other things.

"I heard there is a new Cafe in town…..opened about a month or so ago."

I moved from Palumpolum to Bodhum because of Dad's work and now he is dead….

"I think it was called…..Cafe of Joy?"

Joy…..the last thing I thought I would feel right now.

"I could use a distraction….. I guess."

I decide that I have nothing better to do so I just left the house to go to this new Cafe.

I think about the name mom gave me.

"Hope huh… ironic."

Hope would be the last thing I could have felt right then.

What I felt was totally in contrast to my name…. Hopeless.

Turns out this café is actually a restaurant that wants to make a more relaxed atmosphere, thereby naming it a café.

It's pretty fancy…. I go inside and I see dazzling bright lights, a beautifully decorated place, to be sure.

I wish I wore something a little more….. Upper class. I feel so inferior right now!

I go in and take a seat. A waitress brings me a menu.

I was so bored I guess I just stared at the waitress.

She bears a striking resemblance to my Ex-Girlfriend, Serah Farron.

But…. Her facial features seem different; she looks like a cool, calm person in contrast to Serah's happy, contagious smile that always stuck on her face. She looks older too.

Maybe they're related…

I would never forget, the pink hair, blue eyes….. And that caring personality Serah always radiated.

I must have seemed like I was in a trance or something because I didn't even notice that the menu was right in front of me.

I snap out of it when she taps my shoulder.

"Sir, would you like to order anything?" She said, with a huff of impatience.

"And please don't ogle, this is a high class restaurant and we have a bouncer." She said this icily…. I almost felt my skin tingle.

But that feeling was soon replaced with disgust.

What a rude person…. Was my first impression of her. No respect at all towards the customer.

Though she is right, I hate to admit…. That I WAS staring at her. She just reminds me of the sad day that Serah broke up with me.

But Serah was always kind and happy; she was never rude to anyone…. As far as I know anyway.

I sigh in irritation and place my order.

I guess I just had a hard day…. But that didn't stop me from showing irritation in my voice.

I swear…. I heard her call me a douchebag when she left. What's got in her hair?

I mutter to myself darkly…

"That is exactly the kind of person who will live their lives alone forever…."

Though it was also partly my fault, I was in such a bad mood I silently sulked.

She must be used to criticism huh…. I was in such a bad mood I did not think about how others might feel. What happened to the old Hope Estheim? The boy who always helped others and cared about their feelings?

After eating, I paid the bill, filled out the Customer Satisfaction form, I grinned thinking about how happy she will be when she (maybe) gets her promotion. And hesitated a little before putting in a tip. I guess it was partly my fault that she indirectly cursed me so I left her a tip as a sign of goodwill. She actually looked confused for a second when I put extra cash in there.

"Sir, the bill clearly states 500 gil, you put 1000 gil there."

What a little bitch….. I thought to myself. But quickly shook those thoughts out.

I compose myself and, with the most polite voice I could summon, said…

"I felt you deserved a tip…. So I left 500 gil for you." I smile at her.

It's not my fault my dad was rich and he left all his inheritance for me.

"I don't need one; I'm not a charity case." She said it firmly.

This is ridiculous…..

"Look, miss…. I just felt you deserved a compliment for a job well done and what better way than with money?"

I guess her pride just can't make her take it.

She looked at me, again with that bewildered face.

I just sighed, put the money in her hands… and walked out of the restaurant.

I wrote in the Customer Satisfaction form, NOT criticizing her, but I decided she could use a compliment so I filled out all sorts of good things about her. At least someone would feel happy today…..

Still, what a little bitch…. I thought to myself again. In which of course I inwardly scolded myself…Again! I'm just having a bad day.

But I allowed myself a small smile.

That little exchange actually rid my mind of my troubles.

What an interesting person….maybe I should come back here soon.

And with that, I walked home and went to sleep, smiling for the first time today.

Little did I know…..That this very woman…. Would one day steal my heart. And that one day…. She would be the only person I would ever love….forever.

'Lightning's Perspective'

It's true…. I need money to support myself, I barely earn enough here and I can't bring myself to accept money from my baby sis.

So I took this job at this…. Café of Joy to earn a living. My wage was only 350 Gil…. Barely enough to pay the bills and keep food on my table.

Today work was amusing….And actually fun, For once.

I never ever received a tip from a customer before…. Probably because I was straightforward and to the point whenever I was pissed and always pissed them off.

I can't even keep track of how many times the manager… Amodar kept lecturing me on customer happiness. He even asked to see the comments of the next person I serve.

I saw a young man of around 18 come in wearing….a T-shirt and long pants.

Not something I would expect from someone dining at somewhere as posh as this.

He took a seat and I took a menu and started walking toward him.

He just turned and looked at me, mesmerized?

Even after I put the menu in front of him, he just continued staring.

I had to tap him on the shoulder to snap him out of it.

"Sir, would you like to order anything?" I said it, huffing impatiently.

"And please don't ogle, this is a high class restaurant and we have a bouncer." I said without thinking.

Great….Amodar is going to give me another lecture again.

He then ordered with a hint of irritation in his voice and I'm sure he was pissed.

As I walked away, I thought about what he would say to Amodar.

"Douchebag….." I said, unaware that he could hear me.

When he was done, I brought him the bill and waited for him to fill out the 'Customer Satisfaction Form.' I swear I saw him grin a little before folding the form. He paid the bill of 500 gil, and added another 500. I figured he was mocking me so I called his bluff and told him,

"Sir, the bill clearly states 500 Gil, you put 1000 Gil there."

He looks at me like I'm a mad person and surprised me by saying,

"I felt you deserved a tip…. So I left 500 gil for you."

While I desperately needed the money, my pride would not allow me to accept it.

After a series of a childish argument on the bill, he just sighs and leaves.

He's probably one of those guys who for some reason thinks I'm pretty and think they can get on my good side with MONEY. This definitely won't be the first time.

I snort and pick up the form…

I am curious as to what he wrote about me… probably rating everything at 'Poor.'

I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I opened it to read and I was, surprised. To say the least.

At the tab 'Waiter/Waitress Performance and Discipline' he checked the box 'Above Average' which was the best rating available.

At his comments he wrote,

The waitress that served my table, the one with pink hair and blue eyes… She is doing a great job, I think she deserves a promotion. She is kind and gives her opinion on food very well! She sure knows her food! I will definitely suggest this place to my friends as it is a fine establishment with good food and good staff. Yours Truly, A very pleased customer.

I was stunned as I handed it to Amodar. He said the next table I served, he wanted to see their comments. There couldn't have been a better time for him to ask.

After he read through it, Amodar was surprised and really proud.

"Good work, Farron. You must have really done a good job to get compliments like this! I'll see to it that you get a 50 Gil raise in payment!"

"Thank you, manager." I allowed myself a smile.

As She left, Amodar checked the form again.

"Hope Estheim huh?"

"You sure live up to your name, you just gave Farron and I hope, I can once again believe in my staff again."

When I got home, I was tired from today. But strangely happy.

That man, the one with the platinum blond hair… He sure made my day huh…

And to think…. I actually thought he was a Pervert and an Asshole.

As I lay my head on my bed, ready to go to sleep…

"Thank you….for giving me hope again." I directed this thanks to him, even though I know he won't ever hear it."

Oh the irony in that sentence….if only I knew.

With that, I fell asleep to one of the best dreams I have ever had in a long time.

I would never have known that him of all people, would be the person I want to spend the rest of my life with….

Author's notes

Sorry I think it seemed a little cheesy and corny here and there! If you want to flame me on this go ahead, I know I deserve it….. Well, Hope originally thought Lightning was rude and whatnot, but now he finds himself oddly interested in her. Lightning actually smiled! It's THE END OF THE WORLD! Not really. Hope you liked it, please review =D. I'm sorry it is probably confusing so if you have any questions please feel free to PM me or review a question.