Runaway

Hope x Vanille

Hope Estheim has the biggest crush ever on the new girl in school. But whenever he tries to talk to her and let her know how he feels, she always seems to…runaway.

AN::A cute Vanille x Hope fanfic centered around their childish ways of running away from their feelings

Running away was a big motif in Final Fantasy XIII, especially with Vanille as she openly expressed to the others that they should simply "runaway" from conflict.
Therefore, this fanfiction was born xD
Hope you enjoy!

Another ordinary day, just like any other. At least, that was how it seemed as Hope Estheim tiredly fumbled with his locker combination to get his books. It was the Monday morning after spring break though, so Hope's lethargic irritation and moodiness was perfectly acceptable. But the thing was, he loved school and learning. It was just the student body population that he could do without.

Welcome back, he thought sarcastically as other students heedlessly pushed past him like he wasn't there or didn't matter. The halls of Academia High School were an uproar of commotion, excited chatter, and of course, the ever prominent complaining about teachers and classes. Hope didn't understand; everyone here acted like they hadn't seen one another in a million years, while Hope probably wouldn't have minded that. He had spent all of his spring break with his mother and they had taken a nice trip to the seaside city of Bodum. It had been one of the best weeks of his life, and he almost refused returning to his everyday reality. But of course, his mother was there to give her patient wisdom, and that was that he couldn't run away from his problems. "If everyone did that," she had reminded him, "Where would we be in life? Sometimes it's worth sticking things out…"

Sighing, Hope closed his locker as he gathered the books he needed in his arms and turned in the direction of his first class. He had hardly walked any further though when he collided with a swift, unseen force that knocked him clean off his feet.

"Uuughh…" Hope groaned, opening his eyes just barely to see the ceiling hovering right above him. He was lying flat on his back, his books scattered around him and the force that had pushed him down sandwiching him to the floor. What just happened? It had happened so quickly, and Hope had been completely off guard…

"Oh my gosh! Oh my, oh my-! Oh no!" Abruptly, the force that had been squishing Hope scrambled off of him. Hope winced, groaning again. His head was spinning, and he wondered how hard he had hit his head when he fell. Then he heard the same frantic voice talking to him again, almost shouting. "Oh, I'm, so, so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" The distressed voice sounded as if it belonged to a high-pitched female, and it possessed a unique, posh accent that Hope had never heard before. Perhaps he was imagining it. He had hit his head pretty hard after all. At least he thought so…

The mystical, frantic-sounding voice continued to ramble out an apology. "I'm so sorry. Here, let me help!" she exclaimed, leaning over Hope and filling his vision.

And that was when he first saw her.

Hope blinked, multiple times, as he stared up at the girl, and she stared back down at him with her large, gem-like, emerald eyes. She had fiery hair like brightly polished copper and long side bangs that swept into her luminescent eyes. Her skin, fair as that of a porcelain doll, emphasized the lavishing hues that colored her hair and eyes, and the defined, perfectly symmetrical features of her face made her look as though she must have been an angel fallen from heaven.

That, or Hope himself had died and was in heaven.

Any other explanation was inexplicable.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked him, shaking him gently "Hello?"

Hope grimaced, but pushed himself up on one elbow, his wide turquoise eyes never leaving the angel that had crashed into him. He managed a nod.

The girl smiled brightly, all of her white teeth showing in that one smile. "Oh thank goodness!" she said cheerfully and extended her dainty hand out to him, "Here!"

Hope accepted her hand, his fingers just closing around it as she hoisted him up. It was like a jolt, and Hope tired not to stumble as his feet became acclimated with the ground and standing again. Thankfully, the girl rested her hands on his shoulders to help balance him.

"Sorry about that," she went on, smiling again before her gaze dropped down to the books spilled about on the floor. "Oh!" she gasped, dropping to her knees and picking up the books before Hope even registered what she was doing. "I'm really sorry," she was saying as she gathered up Hope's belongings.

"I-I...it's okay," Hope assured her quickly, lowering his body to pick up the rest of his stuff, "It was just an accident." When they both stood back up and the girl handed over what she had managed to collect of Hope's, their eyes locked. Hope tried not to look away or stammer when he told her, "Thank you…"

She giggled sweetly, the most beautiful laugh that Hope had ever heard, and tipped her head slightly to the side in a cute manner. "Don't mention it," she replied chipperly, "It was the least I could do after running into you."

Hope smirked, self-consciously looking down as he chuckled. "Yeah, you seemed to be in some hurry, huh?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically, "Mm-hm. I was just trying to find my-" and then at that, her expression became engulfed in horrified realization. "Uh-oh!" she gasped startlingly, "I gotta move! Ciao!"

"Wait, I…"

But before Hope could get a word in, the girl with the fiery crown of hair was gone. Gone just as quickly as she had come; winding through the students that littered the hallways haphazardly and disappearing in blur.

Hope stared on, his mouth parted slightly and his eyes unblinking with utter confusion. What was that? Who was that? Surely with those eyes and that captivating smile, Hope would have remembered someone like her, but his memory bank was empty. And she was too real to have been entirely in Hope's imagination.

Numbly, Hope rubbed the back of his head just as someone in the hall pushed past him. Hope stumbled slightly, his books almost slipping from his grip again. He sighed, grumbling inwardly as he glanced up at the nearest wall clock. Yikes! His collision with the redheaded angel had taken up all of his passing time to class. Now he only had one minute to make it to his AP English class, and Mr. Rhapsodos did not tolerate tardiness. Especially since they were currently on their "Loveless" unit (Mr. Rhapsodos' favorite).

Pushing the thoughts of his strange encounter away for the time being, Hope exhaled and scrambled through the clusters of ignorant students, and in a fashion much like that of the redhead who had just run into him, Hope made his best sprint to class.

Her name was Vanille Dia.

At least that was what Hope had overheard from his peers in their excited gossip about the pretty new girl. Vanille was a junior that had come all the way from the small town Oerba, a place people rarely heard of. As it turned out, Vanille had been the star of the track team at Oerba High, being nicknamed fondly as the 'Runaway Girl'. The name Runaway Girl had apparently been coined in reference to the substantial lead and fierce stride that Vanille ran with, tearing around the track as though she were running away from the other racers. It seemed like a fitting title to Hope, especially when he came to learn just how suiting the nickname really was.

For the rest of that day and the days that followed, Hope made a point of searching for Vanille in between classes. He hoped that he didn't seem like too much of a stalker or anything creepy, for all he wanted was a chance to talk to her again. Vanille wasn't like most girls that Hope had met. True, Hope was only going by what he had seen from Vanille in the short time that they had interacted, but there was just something really pure and compelling about her…something unshakable that had intrigued Hope. And he was determined to figure out what it was.

But figuring that out was the least of his concerns. First, Hope needed to actually find her, and as it turned out, tracking down the Runaway Girl was no easy task. That much was for sure. High and low Hope would search, (all while trying to be subtle of course) but still with no success. One wouldn't think that it would be too difficult to find someone in a school where one bumps into the same people multiple times a day, and yet it was. Sometimes, and only if he was lucky, Hope would get a glimpse of Vanille with a group of kids. He would keep his distance, not wanting to intrude on their conversation, but as soon as it was over and Hope saw his opportunity to talk to her, Vanille would flee from the scene in a flash. Gone like she had never been there in the first place.

It was infuriating.

Actually no, scratch that. It was beyond infuriating!

It was the same routine every time Hope saw her; one second she was there, and in the next she would be gone. She was like chasing a shadow.

So why bother then? Hope hadn't the slightest clue, except that if he didn't talk to her again, he knew he'd go crazy. Already Hope felt that he was going crazy, and it was albeit troublesome.

All Hope could think about was Vanille!

She was the last thing on his mind when he fell asleep, and the first thought that welcomed him to consciousness the next morning. More than likely she was in his dreams as well. During the day it was worse though, because all of his senses and thoughts were in heightened sensitivity. Sometimes he would be so distracted with thoughts of Vanille that he couldn't think straight or answer questions in class. This for Hope was a first. It was as though Hope was forgetting how to function.

What is wrong with me?

Hope had never felt this way…about anyone before, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. It made him feel like a complete, bumbling idiot…and yet at the same time, a single thought of her compelling smile and relentlessly cheerful disposition made him feel like the luckiest boy alive. What was trouble though was that Hope hardly knew this girl, and everything he did know was gleaned from other people. But yet, his feelings for her remained as strong as ever.

I'm so pathetic, Hope thought, Here I am, wasting away for her while she probably forgot all about me…

Regrettably, Hope knew that he might never catch up with the Runaway Girl…

It was after school hours, just as Hope was exiting the library when he finally crossed paths with the Runaway Girl again. He had been heading in the direction of the parking lot when a siren's mellifluous laughter caught his attention and he whirled around. Vanille at that moment was just running out of the Girl's Locker Room and down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Vanille!" Hope called out after her as he stumbled forward. But she was gone before his words could reach her. Hope paused hesitantly, reminding himself firmly that he probably wasn't going to get another chance like this again, and then sprinted determinedly after her.

Huffing and puffing, Hope pushed through the doors he had seen Vanille pass through and spiraled out onto the athletic field of the school. Hope exhaled, looking around wildly for Vanille as other athletes blocked his view. She must have been on her way to track practice.

Hope scowled as the passing jocks gave him degrading glares, their expressions telling Hope explicitly that they didn't want him here. The only "sports" that Hope did were the Math and Science Olympics, which apparently didn't count as sports to most athletes. Whatever. Lowering his gaze to avoid them, Hope cut through the packs and jogged up to the track. Hope paused as he reached the barbed wire fence closing off the track, resting his hands against the rim as his eyes scanned the horizon.

It was hard not to miss her, even when she was running at the speed of light. Perhaps it was the red curly locks, unfurling in the wind as she went, that gave her away.

Vanille.

Hope drew in a silent breath, his eyes following her as Vanille bounded past him and kept going. It was incredible. He had never seen anyone run the way she did; so graceful, yet with such drive and power. Her long, nicely toned legs kept up her pace effortlessly and never missed a beat. It looked as though she could keep running forever...

"Hey!"

Hope jumped out of his skin slightly as the abrasive voice behind him hammered through his daydream. He whirled around and cringed inwardly when he saw Snow Villiers and his gang staring at him. Snow Villiers was a 6'7 football player, and was the stereotypical jock: all brawn, no brain.

Hope sighed inwardly, bracing himself for whatever idiotic thing that was sure to fly out of Snow's mouth any second now.

"Well, hey lookie here," Snow was saying, coming forward slightly, "Yo. I didn't think I get a personal visit for my little nerd buddy here. I guess you're looking to get a head start on my term paper?"

Hope sighed tiredly. He really wasn't in the mood for this right now. Nor was he ever. "And…why can't you do it yourself?" Hope wondered aloud.

"Heroes don't need homework!" Snow declared arrogantly, his posse chuckling as Hope scowled. Snow folded his arms, an almost serious expression crossing his face. "Puh-lease, why would I waste my time writing some dumb paper when I could just have you do it for me? And it's not like it an inconvenience to you or anything, right? Unless you suddenly got a life," he chortled ignorantly.

If you only knew, Hope wanted to retort, but said nothing.

"Hey that's enough!" a stern voice intervened. Hope, Snow and Snow's gang all turned in surprise to see the petite redhead glowering at them on the other side of the fence with her hands on her hips. Hope tried not to gawk, but he felt his eyes widen anyway.

Vanille went on, staring straight at Snow. "What's your problem, hassling people to do your work for you and making fun of them? Perhaps you're the one who should get a life."

"Woah-ho-ho," Snow put his hands up in surrender as he quickly tried to backpedal, "Chill, I was just messing around. Hope knows that, right little buddy?" he said, looking to Hope expectantly to back him up.

Which he didn't.

Vanille's expression softened as she looked towards Hope, but hardened again when her gaze snapped towards Snow. "You were saying?"

Snow huffed his breath and then beckoned his group to follow him towards the football fields. It was probably the smartest move he had ever made in Hope's book.

"Ahh," Hope heard Vanille sigh in relief once Snow turned and left. "That should teach him a lesson," she beamed blithely with a sense of accomplishment.

Hope turned towards her, although dropped his gaze out of sheer embarrassment. This was not how Hope had anticipated his reunion with Vanille to be like. He felt like a bigger idiot than Snow for letting Vanille fight his battle. None the less, Hope owed Vanille all the gratitude in the world for sticking up for him the way she had.

"Erm…T-Thank you…" Hope finally managed, glancing up to meet Vanille's eyes.

"For what?" Vanille laughed ever-so cheerfully. "Those guys can be kinda jerky huh? But don't let them boss you around." She giggled innocently, "And if they bother you again, I'll handle them for you."

Hope almost couldn't meet Vanille's eyes at that. Gee thanks, he thought sourly to himself.

Vanille carried on the conversation without pause, "So, do you remember me?"

Hope looked up in surprise and confusion. "Huh?"

Vanille giggled. "Well, I'd understand if don't," she told him, the cheery tone never leaving her voice, "After all, I wouldn't expect you to remember some silly girl who plowed you over in the hallway."

Are you kidding? Hope wanted to shout, I haven't stopped remembering you! Hope shook his head, "No…I remember you."

Vanille's gem-like eyes glittered joyfully. "Really?! Yay!" she cheered, giggling as she went on. "You know, I was trying to find you after that, but I never saw you again. But I guess now I know that's because you're a senior and I'm just a junior."

Hope felt blood rush to his face at that. "Um…I'm actually only a sophomore," Hope admitted sheepishly.

"Really?" Vanille seemed genuinely surprised, and also impressed. "Wow, I thought that you looked and acted so much older. Surely you must be really smart if you're doing a senior's homework," Vanille giggled.

Hope cracked a grin. Vanille was really cheering him up.

He needed it.

"Oh yeah, by the way, my name's Vanille Dia," Vanille introduced hastily, smiling brilliantly like the sun. "I forgot to tell you my name when we first met."

Hope nodded, "I'm Hope Estheim."

"Hope Estheim…" Vanille mused, "I like it." Hope didn't say anything in reply, and Vanille went on, "I'm sorry that I've never seen you up here. What do you play?"

Oh great. The embarrassment came flooding back as Hope reluctantly admitted, "…Nothing."

"You don't?" Again Vanille was genuinely surprised. She paused, tapping her index finger against her bottom lip as she hummed softly. "Hey, why don't you join the track team too then? I'm sure you'd have lots of fun."

Hope blinked unsurely. Join track? "Well, I um, uh…"

"No, I insist!" Vanille persisted optimistically without letting Hope speak for himself. "Running is such great exercise, and it's practically therapeutic. You'd really enjoy it. Or at least just give it a chance."

Hope didn't reply, going over it in his head and weighing out his option. He really had no interest whatsoever in joining the track team, yet Vanille had made such a nice sale pitch. With her cute face and bubbly personality, how could anyone refuse her offer? Especially when it would give Hope the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with Vanille.

But before Hope could answer, he heard the sharp cry of a whistle. Vanille looked over her shoulder in the direction of where the whistle had been blown and saw her coach gesturing for her to come over.

"Oopsies!" Vanille winced cutely, turning back and smiling brightly to Hope, "That's my cue. Seeya!" And with that a quick wave, she was gone.

Hope sighed, watching her petite figure speeding off as thoughts of joining the track team continued to churn in his mind. In the end though, Hope realized that if he wanted to be with Vanille, he really didn't have much of a choice…

Besides, maybe Vanille was right. Track would be fun…

…Or maybe it wouldn't.

Hope hated track. And he failed at it epicly.

Hope didn't doubt that track was fun and therapeutic. But it was only fun and therapeutic for some people. For Hope, it was a nightmare and he loathed going to practice everyday. Besides failing at the running, Hope also failed to see the point in running laps. It was the same thing, day in and day out; running around, and around, and around. He felt like he was in a hamster wheel; running but never getting anywhere or accomplishing anything.

Oh, and as far as spending time with Vanille, Hope didn't have a prayer. It was just another reason to dread going to practice. He was either a hundred miles behind her, or he was keeled over in a pool of sweat and was too exhausted to talk. If anything, being in track only finalized his fears: no matter how fast he ran or tired, he would never get to the Runaway Girl.

All of it was depressing.

So much for exercise stimulating endorphins.

"Hope?"

There was a knock on Hope's bedroom door before it cracked open and Hope's mother poked her head through. Hope was sitting at his desk, typing on his laptop. Resting his fingers on the keys, Hope tiredly looked over to his mother as she entered his room and closed the door behind her.

"Hope," she told him gently, "I called you for dinner fifteen minutes ago. Is everything alright?"

Hope shook his head, "Mom, don't worry about it. I'm just not hungry."

But Nora Estheim didn't buy that. She sat on the edge of Hope's desk and put her hand on her son's shoulder. Hope looked up at her obediently as his mother gave him a long less-than-stern stare.

"Alright, tell me what happened. Did something happen with your father?"

Hope frowned, looking away. "No…"

"Then what is it? Did something happen at track practice?"

Hope exhaled, closing his laptop distractedly. He didn't say anything for a while. "Mom, do you remember that girl I was telling you about?"

"Yes, the one that asked you to join track."

"…" Hope drummed his fingers against his desk. "I…I think I like her."

Mrs. Estheim's face split into enthusiastic smile, "Oh, Hope, that's wonderful. My little boy's first crush." She paused, studying her son's body language. He didn't act or sound enthused in the slightest. She sighed, "It's complicated though, isn't it?"

"Yeah. And it's not exactly wonderful." With every passing day, Hope's feelings for Vanille grew stronger and stronger until it got to the point where Hope could barely stand it. He couldn't control it either. There were times when Hope would try to forget Vanille and ignore his feelings, but then the memory of her would just come flooding back to him and he'd fall for her all over again. It was impossible. Hope loved everything about Vanille; her smile, her enthusiasm, her friendliness and kindness…

She was everything that he wasn't.

"Does she know how you feel about her?" Hope's mother asked, trying to handle this tender topic as gently as possible.

Hope shook his head. "I doubt it. But even if I had the guts to tell her, I wouldn't even have a chance to say anything. I never do." He met his mother's eyes, "I mean, I thought that by joining track that it would give us a chance to talk, but it's almost as hopeless as when we're in school." Hope exhaled, "I'm just going to quit track."

Mrs. Estheim shook her head, "And what good is that going to do, hmm? You're giving up before you even gave it a chance."

"I already gave track a chance," Hope replied sorely.

"That's not what I meant," Mrs. Estheim corrected, "I meant that you're giving up on what you and Vanille could have been together before you even gave one another a chance."

Hope lowered his eyes, realizing what his mother was saying was true. But still…

"Hope," his mother went on, "Do you remember what I told you when we were leaving Bodum about running away?" He nodded. "It never solves any problems. Sure, it puts some space, but there's only for so long that someone can keep running."

"Unless you're Vanille," Hope mumbled mostly to himself.

Mrs. Estheim tilted her head to the side, reaching her hand up to touch her son's face. Softly, she stroked his cheek with her thumb. "I only want you to someday realize Hope that it's not in you to give up or run away. That's not what I named you for." She dusted his silver hair from his eyes, "If you care enough about Vanille, than you should be willing to take a risk. But don't run away because you're afraid or because you're looking for the easy way out."

Hope stared into his mother's face earnestly, not saying anything as he then nodded. "Okay." He lowered his eyes briefly before looking back up to meet his mother's eyes, "Thanks mom."

His mother smiled, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her son's forehead. "I love you," she told him as she pulled away.

Hope nodded. "I love you too."

His mother smiled, messing up his hair fondly as she turned and left his room. Hope stared at his bedroom door as his mother closed it behind her, he finally knowing what he needed to do.

"Vanille!" Hope called out loudly just as the redhead was sprinting away from the track.

Vanille whirled around, smiling brightly when she saw Hope jogging over to her after practice. "Hey there!" Hope came to a stop when he was a few feet in between them. "You know, you've improved so much lately," she complimented excitedly, "I mean, now you're running without getting out of breath."

Hope managed a smile. It was true though; he had improved. It was after the talk with his mom that Hope had really decided to take track seriously. At practice and after practice for the past few weeks, he had trained relentlessly to build up his endurance. And come to find out, he actually enjoyed running now. Vanille had been right after all about running being therapeutic because every time Hope went for a jog, the running would always help him think about everything so clearly. Most of the time he would think about Vanille though…

"I just wanted to be able to give my best effort tomorrow for the meet," Hope confessed.

Vanille smiled happily, "Well you'll do great then."

"Thanks," Hope mumbled, his cheeks heating slightly.

There was a pause in the conversation. "So what's up?" Vanille asked perkily as she took a gulp from her water bottle and screwed the cap back on.

Hope exhaled. It was now or never. You've been putting this up for far too long. "Vanille…" he started off softly, staring right into her eyes without fear. He cleared his throat firmly, "Listen. I really like you a lot…" Hope lowered his eyes briefly and looked back up to see Vanille's expression change dramatically. "I've wanted to tell you for the longest time, but I never get to talk to you like this."

Hope paused, really taking in Vanille's expression now. She looked shocked, like a deer trapped in headlights, and Hope couldn't tell whether or not she was shocked in a good way or a bad way. He held his breath and clenched his hand into a fist as he waited.

"Hope…I," Vanille appeared almost speechless, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. "I-I…I, oh my." Vanille turned away slightly and it looked like she was blushing profusely. Other kids from track practice were passing them now, staring at Hope and Vanille curiously before moving on. Hope felt his own cheeks become a little flushed, still anxiously staring at Vanille and waiting for her to say something that would affirm that she too had feelings for him.

When Vanille finally turned back to meet Hope's gaze, her doe-like eyes looked troubled. Hope's heart sank instantly.

"I-I, I gotta go, it's getting late! I'm sorry!" Vanille confessed, hastily looking down at her non-existent wristwatch, and then sprinted out of sight.

Hope didn't even bother running after her. He had been rejected, just as he had feared. And on top of it, she had tried to save Hope's feelings by lying and coming up with a lame excuse so she didn't have to directly reject Hope's confession.

Which in the end, hurt all the more…

Hope had made his mother a promise that he wouldn't run away from his commitments, and that was really the only reason why he had come to the track meet the next day. Thankfully with his luck, Hope had reminded himself, he never ran into Vanille anyway, so he wouldn't have to worry about seeing her today.

During the meet, he had watched and cheered on team-members, of whom Hope had finally formed a connection with. No longer did the athletes give him those degrading glares. Well at least not all of them.

Then he ran in his race, the 1500 meters, and although he didn't place, Hope walked away from the race with a strong sense of accomplishment; perseverance. No matter how hard and long the race was, or how fast the other racers were, or how tired Hope was…he hadn't given up.

After jogging off the track, Hope quickly loosened the laces of his spiked track shoes and pulled them off before he walked up to the bleachers to grab his stuff. The 1500 meter race for the girls would be next, and then the co-ed 3000 meter race. Hope sighed, trying to push the thoughts of Vanille that filled his mind. Vanille ran the 3000, and Hope would prefer not to be around when the race was going on.

Hope changed into his regular sneakers and packed his other belongings into his track bag. He stayed for a little while to watch the race, but as soon as he saw it finishing up, Hope decided to leave.

Hope had barely gotten up and walked away from the bleachers when he heard someone call his name. He froze, recognizing the voice instantly. As much as he would have preferred to have kept going, Hope turned around to see Vanille jogging towards him.

He inhaled sharply.

Vanille approached, her usual happy-go-lucky expression somewhat subdued today. "I wanted to tell you that you did really well in your race today." She smiled brightly, and it panged Hope's heart.

He nodded in thanks. "Good luck in your race," he told her, even though she obviously didn't need his words of encouragement.

Vanille could hear the scorn in his tone. Her bright emerald eyes saddened then and her lips fell into a frown. "Hope…" she stared at him, desperation almost ringing in her voice, "I'm sorry for running away like that on you yesterday. And for all the other times when I ran away from you." She smiled sadly, "I guess running away is what I do best."

Hope shrugged dejectedly, realizing that he didn't have it in his heart to stay angry at Vanille. "It's alright," he told her unconvincingly.

Vanille shook her head stubbornly, "No it's not. I hurt you so much, and I never wanted to do that to you…I just…" she exhaled in frustration.

Hope sighed. "Vanille, you don't have to explain or apologize. I promise you that you didn't do anything wrong yesterday, and I don't blame you for the way you reacted." He had been hoping that there was chance that he and Vanille could become something more, and it wasn't Vanille's fault that she didn't feel the same. If anything, Hope felt the most upset with himself. But even still, he would never regret what he had said to Vanille for anything.

"So you don't hate me?" she asked, her voice lighting up like clouds parting after a storm so that the sunlight can shine through.

Hope gave her a small smile, "No."

Vanille sighed in relief. "Thanks Hope," she said in a quiet voice.

There was a pause, and Hope watched as Vanille looked down at her hands, which she had clasped in front of her. Then abruptly, Vanille came forth and took Hope's hand, placing something inside of it.

"Here," she told him cheerfully, sounding like her usual self again. Hope furrowed his brow in confusion, but looked down at his hand as Vanille released it. In the palm of his hand was a torn scrap of paper. Frowning, Hope picked it up between his thumb and index finger and turned it over to see that there was writing on it. It was a phone number.

"Huh?" Hope began to look back up to Vanille, but as soon as he did, he felt Vanille's soft lips pressed firmly against his. With eyes wide open, Hope felt a furious blush engulf his face until it was the flaming color of Vanille's hair.

Pulling away from the kiss just as quickly as she had initiated it, Vanille smiled a she met Hope's awe filled eyes. She couldn't suppress a laugh, blushing herself as hastily looked over her shoulder towards the track, where they were no doubt waiting to start the 3000 any second now. Smiling, she looked back to Hope as he continued to gawk at her speechlessly.

Releasing another giggle, Vanille waved to him cutely. "Ciao!" And with that, she spun on her heels and ran away. Just like she always did.

For Hope, the world was still spinning and he was still trying to catch his breath. He felt similar to how he had felt after running his 1500 meters, the same dizziness and fatigue taking over. Only this…this was better in ways that words could not describe.

"Huh…" Hope mused aloud to himself as a goofy grin crawled across his face. And then he fainted, the overwhelming adrenaline reeling in his mind as Hope's last thought was of how he had finally caught up to his Runaway Girl.