Author's Note: So, this fic makes absolutely no sense. Honestly. It really doesn't. Don't believe me? Decide for yourself, the story is below. Nothing is what it seems.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Her soft hands moved slowly from his shoulders and folded on his chest, her arms handing around his throat. Her head found it's perfect niche between his neck and shoulder. Her scent invaded his nostrils, a mix of something sweet and flowery and sweat. "Hope..." She breathed.

He turned his head toward her, and took her hands in his own, loving the feeling of her skin. "Should we really be doing this?" He asked timidly.

She giggled. "Yeah. What does it matter? No one will know?"

"But-" His protests were cut off by her lips. Her soft, soft lips. He kissed her back, unable to do anything else. Not that he'd want to. Never breaking the kiss, she brought herself in front of him. By the time she made it around, his brain shut down and was running purely on instinct. She ended it. "Now." She crooned. "What was that you were saying?"

"I, uh..."

She grinned. "That's what I thought." She poked his nose. "You worry too much."

"But if Fang-"

"Don't worry about her, she's not on watch tonight. It's just Snow."

"I know, but he'll notice we're gone sooner or later."

She huffed. "Who cares? Besides, if he does catch us, he won't tell unless someone asks, which they won't."

"Vanille..."

She kissed him again, just a peck on the cheek this time. "Come on, let's go." She stood, pulling him up with her. Their fingers remained intertwined as she led him toward their destination. Wherever that was. She wouldn't tell him. He tried to pay attention to where they were going, but his own thoughts distracted him. Why didn't his brain have an off switch?

By the time she stopped dragging him, he was lost. He hadn't been able to pay attention to where she was taking him. He couldn't even dim the noise of his thoughts.

"Where are we?" He whispered.

"A place I found a few days ago. They'll never find us. Follow me." Vanille let go of his hand and slipped into a hole in the rock face before him.

He stared blankly after her for a few seconds, then followed her in.

The cave was...well, he couldn't decide. He found that he could stand at his full height at least. The ceiling was covered in a layer of luminescent blue-green, moss? Or grass? He couldn't tell. Whatever it was, the light cast short shadows on the rocks that peppered the ground. Vanille sat to the side, down a ways from the entrance.

"Isn't this place amazing?" She exclaimed when he came in.

"Yeah." He said. "It really is." He walked over and sat beside her. "I've never seen anything like it."

Vanille shook her head in agreement. "Me neither. I've heard of it though." She stared into the glowing mass." "Back in Oerba, when I was really little, the older kids would talk about it. They said the glowing plants had power, which is why they hide in caves. I never believed them." Her tone had slipped. Unattended, it had fallen into sadness. He gently placed his fingers in between hers, taking her hand. She smiled at him, sending him a silent thank you. "Sometimes, I miss it."

"Oerba?"

She nodded.

"I don't blame you, it sounds nice."

Vanille sighed longingly. "Yeah, it really was." She glanced sideways at him. "You know what else is nice?"

"Hm?"

"You."

He felt his cheeks burn. She giggled. "I'm serious." She grabbed his shoulder and shook it playfully. "You're the nicest boy I've ever met."

"I don't know, Vanille. I can be pretty nasty."

"Oh, really?"

"Really. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I told someone to shut up once."

Vanille gasped dramatically. "No!"

"Yes." He smirked.

"Well then, I take it back. You're a horrible person."

"Thank you."

They both laughed. The sound echoed through the cave, and a sudden breeze made the glowing plants above them dance.

He calmed down first. "Do you think Snow knows we're gone?"

"No. We're not that far. If he knew, we'd hear him."

He nodded. It wasn't hard to imagine the older man searching for them. He'd probably wake half the planet calling their names. Not to mention Light and Fang, who'd add their voices to the clamor. It seemed that only Sazh trusted them alone. Ironically enough, considering he'd seen...

"It makes me happy when you smile."

"I didn't know you felt that way!"

"Hope..."

He turned to Vanille, who had her head bowed toward the cave floor. "Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something."

He took her hand, chilled from resting against the cold stone. "Okay."

What she had to say, wasn't said with words. She pressed her lips against his, kissing him passionately. Her cold hands sat on either side of his neck, a device to keep him from turning away. He didn't want to. He kissed her back, with just as much passion, if not more. She slowly moved to his front, his hands found her waist. The air around them, or at least him, quickly became warm. He went to remove his short-sleeved jacket. That's when he knew just how far she wanted to go. She stopped kissing him.

His jacket hit the floor, and he whispered. "Don't worry, it's just hot in here."

She gave an almost inaudible sigh of relief. "We are so dead if they catch us." She breathed.

"Who cares?" He mumbled. "We're not doing anything."

Something between a giggle and a sigh, and they were together again. He somehow kept his head, his hands avoiding off-limit areas. Hers occasionally migrated to his shoulders, but for the most part, they remained as they were, getting high off of each other's presence.

But suddenly, his hands were holding nothing; his lips were kissing no one. He opened his eyes. Vanille was nearly transparent in front of him. She sat back on her heels, eyes gazing longingly at him. She held out her hand for him to hold, but his fingers slipped right through.

"Vanille?"

"Hope." Her voice echoed slightly, it's soft tones only scaring him further.

"Vanille?"

She smiled sadly, becoming even harder to see. "I love you, Hope." The only thing that remained of her was a vague outline, and her eyes.

"Vanille!"

"...Goodbye..."

"No! Vanille!" He swiped the air, trying to grab her, but she was gone. He curled into the ground, fist slamming into the stone. She was gone.

Everything went black, and when he opened his eyes, he was still in the cave, though the ceiling no longer glowed. Actually, there was nothing on the ceiling; and his jacket was on. He rubbed his eyes, and decided that it had all been a dream. A very strange dream.

He left the cave. It was still dark out, stars still littered the sky. Well, maybe it hadn't entirely been a dream.

But where was Vanille?

He started making his way back to camp, calling her name along the way. No answer. Anxiety clawed at him, until his heard her voice ahead. She was laughing, and so was Fang. Light, too. She was fine.

But when he made it back to camp, there was no one there.

"Vanille!?" He called. "Light?! Guys?!"

No answer.

"Come on guys, this isn't funny!"

Silence.

He was starting to get scared. "Joke's over, guys! You're not scaring me!"

"I thought you were terrified."

"Light?"

She suddenly appeared, sitting by the remains of the fire. "Didn't you tell me you were terrified?"

Something wasn't right. She wouldn't face him, she was alone, and he would swear on anything he could see through her.

"What do you mean?"

"You told me you were terrified, but that you'd be okay because Snow, Fang, and I were with you."

"Oh. Well, yeah."

"You're wrong." She finally turned to face him. "You're alone."

His heart jumped up, choking him. Adrenaline and fear sent him into overdrive. Lightning had neither pupils nor irises. Her eyes were completely white.

"She's right." Fang appeared to his right, eyes in the same state. "We can't babysit you anymore."

"Lightning should've left you in the Peaks." Sazh suddenly stood beside Fang, white eyes somehow managing to accuse him.

He took a step back, heart beating a million miles an hour in his throat. "I - what did I do?"

"Nothing." He whipped around, and faced Snow, eyes also as white as his namesake. "That's the point. You're useless."

"I should never have pitied you. It would have been better if those soldiers had killed you along with your mother."

This, the most stabbing statement, was paired with a voice that doubled the pain of the words. He turned slowly right, until he was face-to-face with-

"Vanille."

She crossed her arms, milky eyes conveying disdain. "You're pathetic."

"Vanille, I-"

"And delusional. As if I would ever love you. Why would I love someone who can't even protect himself?"

His heart dropped from his throat to his stomach. "I try." He said, horribly, obviously lacking any confidence in his words. "You know I do."

"Hardly." Lightning spat.

"We practically tames your Eidolon for you." Fang added with disgust.

"You couldn't even kill me." Snow scoffed.

"Weak." Sazh growled.

"Useless."

"Pathetic."

"In the way."

"Burden."

With every word, the people he thought were his friends stepped closer, and closer. Eventually their voiced blended, all chanting the same words. Over and over. Weak, pathetic.

"Hopeless."

He was driven to his knees, hands clamped tightly over his ears. "Stop." He pleaded.

"Weak. Hopeless."

"Stop, please!"

"Burden. Pathetic."

"Stop!"

"Hopeless."

As they chanted, he filled with rage and despair. Their words crawled into his ears and down his throat, choking him, deafening him. He could hear nothing else, he could be nothing else.

"Hopeless."

From somewhere deep within, a fire burned. Then it burned on his hands, and he couldn't take it anymore.

"STOP!" He shouted, and the fire followed his voice, exploding outwards. The explosion knocked away the demons pretending to be his friends.

He blacked out.

"Hope?"

No. Not her.

"Hope, wake up."

This can't be happening.

"Hope, come on."

No.

"Hope, please."

He relented. He slowly opened his eyes to see Vanille's green ones staring down at him.

"Oh, thank the goddess!"

Vanille glanced behind her, then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. He began to sit up, fingers scraping against charred earth. He was still at camp.

"Vanille, I - what happened?"