Look Towards Tomorrow,
Written by WickedSong.
Disclaimer/Note : So my first foray into the world of Final Fantasy XIII-2 fanfiction and I'm a little nervous. This is based off of the Paradox Ending, 'The Future Is Hope'. It is primarily Noel and Hope friendship with hints of romantic Noel x Yeul and Hope x Vanille, my two otps for the Final Fantasy XIII series. You don't like? Don't read. I do not own any of the characters used, they all belong to Square Enix.
Standing by a complex looking console, Noel looked on in genuine interest as Hope worked away, along with the researchers around him. The hustle and bustle of the research area of the Academy building gave no sign of the high security alert that they all had been put under, due to the rumours of an assasination attempt on the Director himself. Only a subtle increase in the number of guards - two extra on the day after the news had been revealed and then another two the day after that - gave any indication that anything underhand may be afoot. In charge of weeding out any threat was Noel, left on guard duty, as Snow and Serah went on a quest to find Caius and to return the timeline to its natural state.
Noel folded his arms and looked around. He noted nothing suspicious going on around the area at present - the attempt wasn't meant to take place for another day - and found that Hope, for someone who was facing death, seemed surprisingly chipper, hard at work, determined as always, Cocoon's well being always at the fore of his mind. He had been working vigorously, using the Graviton Cores that Noel and Serah had painstakanly acquired, almost as if nothing had happened, as if Alyssa hadn't been a spy, working in line with the enemy, as if his life didn't hang in the balance. As if none of that mattered.
There had been a silence between the men on these particular topics, both far too preoccupied with the task at hand. Hope had to create the new Cocoon to be ready for when the prophecy was to unfold, a hundred years into the future, while without Noel these things wouldn't happen at all. The future was Hope.
Insecurity seeped into his sub-concicious almost at once. Again a huge burden had been set in front of him, to protect someone whose fate seemed to lay with him. He had never gained Caius' power as a Guardian, had refused outright to fight the one man who had trained him, honed his talents, treated him almost like a son, a brother, a kindred spirit even, but it seemed as if he would always have the responsibility of it. Whether it be watching over the Director of the world's only hope or sitting by an oracle drive in a world where time was dying.
He clenched his fists. There would never be a repeat of when he had to watch her die, not again, not once he could just figure out-
Figure out what exactly?
How to stop her visions, how to save her from her fate, how to find-
"You look troubled."
Noel looked up to find Hope with a kind smile on his face, turned away momentarily from one of the machines he had been inspecting expertly, tinkering with the nodes and various other mechanics that Noel didn't quite understand from this time period. The silver haired man gestured to the lobby area of the building.
"It might be dangerous out there," Noel replied, taking up the role of the Guardian quickly, disgusted as more and more he felt like Caius, like everything he had ever been told by his purple-haired predecessor.
Noel looked to the boomerang that he still carried around with him, even years after his time as a l'cie was up, a cautionary measure, which proved useful, Noel recalled, when he and Serah had been in that tight bind earlier on in 10 AF and Hope had saved them.
"I think I've probably faced a lot worse, Noel," Hope commented, with a smile and a nod.
Noel reluctantly nodded back, and without much commotion the two men stepped out of the research lab, and headed to a small cafe beside the building, where Hope was welcomed with open arms by the owner and patrons. A table near the door but out of view of a window was the place where the two sat down, and Hope again noticed how on edge Noel had become.
"It's not until tomorrow," he pointed out, somewhat helpfully but this tid-bit did nothing to alleviate any doubts.
With how quickly life could be taken from anyone, nothing would be able to rid Noel of those nightmares ever, he feared, it had all happened so fast.
"So, you look..."
"Troubled, yeah, I know," Noel said, with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.
"Well, is something bothering you?" asked Hope, his head tilted, in a question-like manner. Noel felt uncomfortable with the question and this was obviously picked up on by the man seated across from him. "It's a huge burden having to protect something, just look at me with Cocoon."
"Then why do we do it? If it's just going to hurt in the end, why?"
"It's strange. I knew all along this day was coming. But, I'm still not ready…to say goodbye. I wish we could stay together. I'll miss you Noel."
Hope didn't know the answer to that question. Because he had been faced with it so many times before. His own anger, upset, self-loathing, how he couldn't do anything right, couldn't use time to his advantage, couldn't be successful and bring his mother back, he couldn't get back Light either, or Fang. They were so strong, their strength was his guiding light and he had to find it. But most of all, sometimes, when he would least expect it, it would cut his heart like an icy dagger that it had been technically four hundred years since he had last saw her smile.
"Do something for me, will you? Keep smiling."
Hope smiled himself as he contemplated his own answer, settling for something that Lightning used to tell him when things got rough on their journey. "Because there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow, Noel." It always seemed to be Vanille's way of seeing things as well, no matter how sad she got, she would smile and hope and dream for tomorrow.
Because tomorrow had to be better, Hope would insist, just had to be better, than their today.
Noel picked up where his friend was going with the conversation. "And there's no need for tears because...because..."
"You don't have to cry. We will meet again."
If Noel could help it it would not be the last thing his Yeul ever said to him. "...we'll meet again. Someday."
With a wise nod, Hope's eyes flickered with happiness. "Exactly.
"It makes me happy when you smile."
Hope would see her smile again - and this time he wouldn't put it down to teasing. He was sure of that.
So this wasn't my first ever Final Fantasy XIII series fic (I wrote a Vanille-centric drabble after finishing XIII around two years ago) but the first that revolves around this second strand of the story (and hopefully not the last, XIII-3 better be a possibility after that cliffhanger!).
I will be writing another one based on another Paradox Ending, 'Beneath A Timeless Sky' and if that is the case then the character sections will change as they will be very loosely related.
Please give me your feedback as it is very appreciated!
WickedSong x