Hate was all that flowed through him.

Hate for the man that had taken his everything.

Hate for the man that had ruined his life.

Hate was all he knew, and all he could continue with if he wanted to live.

The white-haired boy, his bright sea-green eyes lit aflame, continued to plow forward though his destiny seemed to want to limit him. If he was going to die either way, he might as well get the revenge he wanted, the revenge he needed for his soul to move on.

Guided along by a woman of hatred herself, he felt if he continued at her side, he could see his final wish come true. She helped him move forward, even gave him a knife, a tool to keep him safe. But she didn't realize what she'd done. The fire she'd helped build up within the youth grew at a pace quicker than she could imagine.

Hope

He should hate his name. He had no hope left for this world. His soul intentions were to get stronger and destroy that which had killed him inside out. It had nothing to do with 'hope'.

And yet, when it came down to it, he was blind. The taller pink-haired woman could see the change in him. She could see the mistakes he was aiming for, and yet she continued to pull him along with her, and in the end, she only helped him gain the strength he needed and feed his inner demons.

Project: Nora

The boy gave a name to his vengeance. The name of his mother, but also the name of the enemy's retaliation team; ironic indeed. But that was fine with him. His drive was to right for his mother. The name meant nothing else otherwise.

Moving forward, the woman he had continued to follow kept him safe when she could, and he managed to grow stronger than even he could have imagined. The once shy boy, cowering from the fear of war, was no longer.

Before he knew it, he met the man who had destroyed him. His golden opportunity appeared when he was, reluctantly, handed over to the man's care. "Lightning!?" the boy wanted to know why she'd done such a thing. Why had she left him all alone with the monster she knew he intended to destroy?

Snow

The name alone sent the boy into a rage, forcing his mind to blur. All he could see was red, anger, and rage. As he was pulled along by this creature of sin, he continued to hold his hand over the knife he believed would help him complete his revenge.

Waiting, painfully waiting. He wanted the grand opportunity to occur, but he had to wait for the right time.

Mindlessly, as they were alone, he questioned the man for his actions, forcing him to reveal that, deep down inside, he wasn't truly the hero he'd been fronting. The man admitted all of his sins, and did his best to apologize for his actions. But Hope wouldn't take that. His heart couldn't take such a simple apology in place for the life of someone he cared so much about.

Blurs of images crossed his mind, images of the past and what had been done. The boy seemed to black out anything that wasn't hatred, anything that wouldn't help him destroy this man. But no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to strike him down.

Even after knowing the kid wanted him dead, Snow attempted to save him. From the attacks of PSICOM and from the hate of the world for l'Cie. Hope didn't understand how such a person, who so easily allowed others to die in front of him, could do such things.

Though he could barely walk from the damage he sustained, he made sure to carry the boy, unconscious from the long fall, as far away as he could to safety. As the boy awoke, he even told him he could take his revenge and gave him a free opportunity.

...but Hope couldn't do it.

Even staring at the glimmer of the knife that was handed to him, seeing his own reflection, and knowing from it what must be done, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Was it because he couldn't take a life? Or because he didn't want to be haunted by the sin of death himself? He wasn't sure anymore.

"I'm sorry."

Those simple words stopped him from making the biggest mistake of his life.

...or did it?

Opening his eyes, Hope looked down at the blood-covered remain of the once proclaimed hero. With his eyes shut, he had managed to shove the three inch blade into the back of the man's neck three or five times over, causing a large gash to form. The man fell to the ground, the boy still on his back.

"H-Hope...?" he let out with his faint breath. The young green-eyed boy stood up so quickly he became dizzy. His hatred had left him, leaving his mind blank. This man before him was dying, what now? Would this really make up for what had been taken from his heart?

The boy, shaken again with fear, stepped backwards, tripping over his own feet. His grip let go of the knife Lightning had lent to him. His eyes were wild with despair. This man was going to die for his mother's death. That's what he wanted, right? Why did it bother him?

"Heh...you're..just full of surprises..." the man's shaky voice was still full of his usual cheer, though with not so much energy. "I guess this hero..goes down today..." Snow's expression held a slight smile. His bright blue eyes found the boy, and he opened his mouth to speak once more. "Say goodbye..to Light..and Serah..for me...will ya?" he spoke between short gasps of air.

"...Serah..."

Hope's eyes filled with tears. What had he done? Sure this man had been responsible for his mother's death, but he just took the life of someone's love. He had fallen into a state worse than becoming Cie'th; he had become a murderer.

What would he tell Lightning? The question crossed his mind and built a weight over his heart.

As Snow's life faded from him, an empty shell was left behind on the sidewalk. While Hope stared down at the trail of blood on the ground, the man's body rose up. In a flash of white-light, the body of the blond transformed--

--to crystal.

He not only died to this boy, but also, he hadn't completed his Focus. Then why did he become crystal? Hope stood, nearly losing his balance. He took a step forward and looked down at the sleeping crystaline form of the once self-proclaimed hero, a look of confusion mixed into his expression.

The reason Snow had become crystal instead of a Cie'th or simply dying, is because he helped keep Hope safe as was tasked of him by Lightning. The Fal'Cie saw it fitting to allow for him to live forever rather than die, since he had helped further their personal goals.

Ultimately, Hope had accomplished his revenge, and yet, he had also failed. The boy's mind was full of mixed emotions, ranging heavily from fear and despair. Reaching down to the ground, he picked up the knife once more. Staring into his gleaming, red reflection, all he could see was the monster he had become.

Unable to bear what he'd done, he shakily held the bloodied weapon to his neck, prepared to end it all in one quick swipe. At least then he'd be able to see his mother again. He'd be able to hear her voice again. He'd be able to go back to how it was before all of this had happened.

But that's running away, and Hope knew it.

Angrily, he threw the blade across the ground, allowing it to skid several feet away. His anger, now directed at himself, continued to drive him as his legs carried him off down the streets of his home city of Palumpolum.