Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or any of the characters.
The hallway was silent. I was used to coming home with the house quiet. But Hope had this habit of playing his music 24/7 as a sort of background noise. So to walk past his room and not hear anything is strange. I slowly open up his door. He is sitting on his bed, staring out the window. Not the child he used to be anymore, but now at the age of 21, his figure slim and muscular. His hair has gotten longer, and I'm used to having to look up to talk to him now. His window in his room has a beautiful view of Cocoon suspended above the planet of Pulse. I walk in silently. He is aware I am here.
"Hey Light." He says gently. I sit on the bed next to him, careful not to invade his personal space. I nod at his greeting.
"Do you still think about it? The time before we became I'Cie? Before we were rushed into an unknown and frightening world? Do you think of the times we were all still together? With Fang and Vanille? I know I do. I think about them every time I see Cocoon. I miss them Light. I feel like…like we should have been able to help them or something… Do you remember being in Stasis?" he asks so many questions that I don't know the answers to. I think about each one.
"I don't think much about before the fall. There's no need to. It was just me and my sister, I lived a lonely life, only being comforted by waking up and heading to G.C. every morning. The time before we were I'Cie was hard for me. My mother had just passed a few years before, our father when I was around ten. I had to grow up quick, I had a sister to take care of. I do think about our I'Cie days often, I kind of miss them in fact. I know it's silly, but having a goal, having a purpose was very rewarding in the end. I changed a lot through those times. I miss Fang and Vanille dearly. Fang was an outstanding warrior and had quite the character. Vanille…was well she was Vanille. Stasis? I remember that. It was a dream world. Everyone was there; all my dreams had come true, everyone was happy. Endless days of laughter and joy. Much different from this world now." He looks at me once I've finished, and smiles.
"What dreams came true in Stasis for you?" he asks. I think about it. I don't know whether to lie to him or not. Though Hope can always see when I've lied. I chew on the question for a bit. Stasis was something my heart wasn't ready to wake up from. Hope had been….we had been together. He was about the age he is now. That was probably the best part of Stasis, Hope had been mine. I had lived a whole life with Hope without him even knowing. So to awaken and see him still in his youth, and oblivious to my feeling had made me angry. I also felt an overwhelming sense of longing and sadness. My dreams had come crashing down around me. Those first few weeks were the toughest.
"There was really…like a major point in Stasis that I enjoyed the most." I say to him, not sure if he will question me further, and not sure if I want to keep the secret anymore. He looks at me expectantly. I look down at the floor and purse my lips.
"We were…we had a…a very serious…relationship." I stutter out. This isn't like me. I frown deeper and knit my eyebrows together trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I haven't looked up to see Hope's reaction yet. I feel his hand on my chin, and he tips my head up. Just as I am about to look at him, I feel his lips on mine. My breath catches in my throat and my heart is drumming faster than the speed of light. He brings his hand to my neck and deepens the kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Our lips move together, like we've done this before. I laugh inside, in my mind we have several times. He pulls away and looks me in the eyes. Green meet blue, and I can't believe I have waited this long to tell him.
"That kind of relationship?" he asks with a grin. I smile slightly at him.
"A little bit…yes." I feel blood rise to my cheeks and can't believe I'm blushing. He notices and his grin gets wider. I bury my face in the crook of his neck, not wanting to prolong my embarrassment. He laughs at my childness. I push off of him and go to stand. He takes my hand and looks at me. I look down at him.
"So are we like…in a serious relationship now?" he asks honestly. I wink at him and say,
"You asked what my dreams were, this is what you get." He laughs a bit and nods.
"Well I'm glad. They were kind of my dreams as well." He says. I smile at him. He stands up and kisses me again.
"So is this better than your dreams?" he asks. I nod by head at him.
"You've asked enough questions tonight. Goodnight Hope." I begin to walk out of the room and remember,
"Ooh, and turn your music back on. It's creepy not hearing it." I say seriously and he laughs at me.
"Goodnight Light. I'm glad you answered my questions." He says as I walk out the door. I smile to myself, happy that I've finally been able to admit my feelings to him, and have him accept them. Sereh will be ecstatic. I laugh to myself at the thought of admitting that I and Hope are together to my baby sister and worse yet, her husband. I cringe at the thought of the new unsought of teasing sure to come out of the moronic man. Maybe this will be better than my dreams.