The sound of birds chirping left somewhat, of a melancholic feel in Snow's heart as he sat at the edge of the pond where the water came together from the waterfall spilling over the cliff in Sulyya Springs. Memories of coming here with the others flowed through his mind like a slow river;

"Whatcha doing?" asked Vanille, 'Huh?, I was, uh...talking to Serah. Just telling her that...we're all gonna be okay" said Snow. Those days...seemed to be long gone...they were never reunited with Serah.

Snow signed as he looked down to his opened hand, there lay Serah's crystallized tear that he held onto to remind him of their love, to remind him to never give up because someday, they would meet again.

"It's been ten years since you've been taken from me...I miss you, everyday...why can't I find you...why is it that I can't let go and just come to terms with what's going on around me...Lightning...yeah, she's heartbroken...but she lives her life, walking these paths with the thought of you by her side as if in spirit..."

Snow moved his sight to look up at the sky through the hole at the top of the cave, tears forming in his eyes.

"Maybe, it's time that I accepted the fact that your gone." He said, his throat tightening "You will always be in my heart, there's no doubt that I love you...but I have to let go, and in time, if we meet...I will run to you with open arms."

Snow took a moment to catch himself from falling apart. Gazing down to his opened hand he lowered it to the water in front of him, clenching his fist before taking one last breath and slowly releasing the symbol of his and Serah's love into the current that swept it away slowly.

"I love you Serah...I love you." said Snow, taking a moment, looking at the world around him, his smile raising with relief.

Suddenly a gust of wind lightly grazed his face, intertwined with the smell of delicate flowers. Snow let out an airy laugh threw this nose as he rubbed his face recollecting himself.

Getting up with a wide stretch, he made his way down the path, heading back to his home village.

Over the next few months, Snow began building himself to become stronger mentally and psychically through rough and vigorous training to fill his time, and to force himself to break out of his past to begin a new future, as well as a comfortable present. Though some days were harder than others, it started to seem like things would be alright.
From time to time he would get visits from the team, and his old crew from back in the day. Most recently he had been visited by Hope, asking for training sessions to become more of a...I guess you would say a man instead of a young boy. He had always been quite the small person and somewhat of a male damsel in distress at times so it would only seem natural for him to want to change that as he got older.

"Snow!" called out Hope.
Snow paused from his training and took a look back to see who was calling for him.
"Hey! Your late." Snow replied with a small chuckle.
"Yeah I know I'm really sorry, it takes a while to get here you know, on top of this heat it feels like it takes twice as long" Hope said huffing slightly from exhaustion.
Even though it had been ten years Hope's physic really hasn't changed much, he was still small and lanky, the only thing that made him seem stronger was his bone structure as it grew over the years into his adulthood.
"Are you serious? Your exhausted just from walking all the way here?" Snow asked chuckling to himself seeing how awfully pathetic the younger one could be at times.
"I got quite the training session for you. We're going to work on technique like thrusting, swinging and striking, along with a bit of hand to hand combat, but most importantly your form, because if your form isn't perfect then your going to get hit."

"My form? What's wrong with my form, I'm perfectly capable of fighting and defending myself just fine...I really don't see the need for improvement." said Hope in a defensive manner.
"Trust me boy, you need some help, you leave out to many open spots for you to get hit, if you don't believe me I'll prove it to you today." replied Snow.

Snow motioned his hand signaling the other to follow him to the back of his home where there was plenty of space to move around without running into obstacles. He walked over to a table where there lay different types and lengths of knives, blades and revolvers. Looking over his choices snow took his pick of two fighting knives. They both had a long blade about five and a half inches in length with a sturdy handle that had indents for each finger for a better grip.
"Here you go champ" said Snow as he offered the other a knife. "You ready for this?" He asked.
"Never been more ready for anything in my life" replied Hope.
The two walked out into the open space approximately three meters apart from each other.
"Alright, look at me as your enemy, give me all you got." said Snow with a devilish smirk.
Hope noticed the others expression which got him tensed up with anger only for the reason that he hated seeing someone who thought they were better than him, he just wanted to be stronger.
Immediately Hope lunged towards the other using his quick feet and light body as an advantage to move quickly for quick counter attacks and slipping out of possible attacks.
Snow pressed forward towards the other attempting to strike, using his own agility as an advantage as well. He was quite good with hand to hand combat whether with a weapon or using his fists. Quickly striking in an area that was not so obvious Hope shifted his body to defend himself without knowing Snow used his other hand to strike the other in the side with his forearm, pressing him up against the wall.
"U-Augh!..." exclaimed Hope recoiling off the wall from such force. "Wha-how?!" he cried.
"You left yourself open, its to easy for your enemy to shift your attention to somewhere less obvious and hit you where your open." Snow replied coming off the other. "Its really no big deal right now but if your out there on your own no one is going to be able to protect you when your staring death in the eyes" He added.
"I don't need to be protected!" Hope exclaimed pushing the other back, "like you said...its no big deal right now..." Hope added with a huff, slightly aggravated.
Snow couldn't help but laugh at Hope's distress "Your such a hothead."

Going back to their places, Hope looked at the other with sincere confidence. Suddenly lunging forward with a pre-emptive strike he was cut off by Snow's defensive strike, both their knives pressing together. Their eyes meeting, Snow smirking and Hope showing his teeth. Snow pushed the other away from himself but with Hope's quick feet he jumped forward snagging the others shirt causing a tear.
"Huh, your good" Snow said looking down at the tear feeling a slight burn "Seems you've caught the skin too." he added.
The situation got Snow excited, ready for action as things started to pick up. Running closer and forcing himself towards Hope, Hope began to push back again, throwing himself back as Snow thrusted at him with his blade. With the sudden increase in speed Hope tripped on his own feet falling back, Snow going in for the hit. Falling on top of him on one knee he held Hope's equipped hand down and snagging the side of his shirt.
"We're even" Snow said huffing slightly with sweat trickling down his forehead, one drop dropping onto Hopes'.
"What are you going to do?" asked Snow.
Hope quickly swung his open hand at the others side causing them to cough violently and slightly collapse, giving Hope the time to run free.
"You give…quite the good punch kid." Snow said between clenched teeth, getting up quickly by pushing off his knee.
Both began to aggressively fight each other, with Hope being much younger, and with his smaller physic, his stamina began to diminish over time with the heat blasting at his face.
"You know kid...your getting...good" Snow said between breaths.
"What...can I say, I'm better...than I look." Hope replied beginning to feel faint.
With a smirk and chuckle Snow lunged towards the other one last time.
"Maybe so...but, not good enough" He said pushing the other against a tree, pressing his weight onto Hope's equipped arm causing the blade to fall out of his hand, Snow's other arm on the boys chest with the knife to his neck.
Both looked at each other with somewhat aggression from the moment, both trying to catch their breath.
"Looks like your dead..." Snow said staring at the others stressed expression.
He slowly released himself after catching his breath letting a smile settle on his face.
"You did good, but...we need to do this more." Snow said as he reached out to pat the young boys head.
Hope closed his eyes and rested his head back as he caught his breath, sweat trickling down the side of his forehead to his neck. He let out a sigh of exhaustion which caught Snow's attention. He stared at Hope for a moment noticing his skin slightly glisten as the sun hit his neck and chest. Without a sound Hope opened his eyes to see if the other left but instead caught the others eyes with his own.
"What?" asked Hope.
"Umm...its nothing I just figured you must be tired so if you'd like you can head inside and shower, I'll take one after" Snow said laughing under his breath and shaking his head with embarrassment.
"You did good kid, ill prepare something to eat for your hard work" Snow added and he pulled the others shoulder away from the tree walking him inside.

As they entered inside Snow's home, Hope looked around examining the place.
"Its quiet...how long has it been...ten years?" Hope asked "How are you with it?" he added
"Yeah, its been a while but, over these few months its become easier...and I mean we've spent quite some time together so having a friend around helps with the loneliness. Overall I've come to accept it and I haven't felt better in a while." Snow replied with a smile.
"Huh...I've always wondered what it would be like to have that kind of connection with someone and to be able to move on...after mom died...its never been easy to move on..." said Hope, his expression becoming tainted with melancholy.
Snow looked at him as his smile faded slowly not knowing what to say. He watched Hope head to the bathroom, wondering how he would be able to change the boys' perspective on what happened with the past. Hope said he forgave Snow for a decision he didn't even make but when his mother fought alongside with NORA it was her own decision, but I guess the boy couldn't get over the past, just like Snow himself.

Snow turned around and began rummaging through the fridge and cupboards collecting all kinds of ingredients and spices, finely chopping cabbage, carrots, onions and all the basic needs for a kimchi cabbage stir fry. He pulled a pan out from the cupboard and set it down on the counter and pausing...He thought about Serah, knowing he had moved on after so long. Snow tried to think of a way to get Hope to move on from the past, not to give up on his mothers memories, but to help him release the painful memories of his mothers death.

Snow looked outside the window which viewed the open land and the tree where Hope rested on. Looking down he thought about how close they have become over the past few months along with how he aided Hope during their fighting days, constantly encouraging him that he is better than he believes, holding him when he would fall...perhaps both their negative connections with their pasts could bring them together...it was an odd thought...but it didn't feel wrong.

Snow braked from preparing the food and looked over his shoulder, slowly turning his attention to the door which lead to the bathroom where Hope had been rinsing off in the shower. He made his way to the door and knocked, listening for a response, but there was nothing. Turning his back to the door and turning the door knob to open a small crack in the door he called out to Hope.
"Hope...you alright?" Snow asked. But there was simply no answer. With slight worry, he opened the door further to notice Hope's back faced towards him in the glass shower. The steam covering the lower half of his body, the only thing visible was his slender back. Snow gazed at the sight, slightly memorized at how feminine Hope had looked. Snow's eyebrows furrowed as he stepped in the room closing the door behind him.
"Hope...is everything alright?" He asked softly.
Hope peered over his shoulder, his wet hair covering his eyes. He hugged himself as if holding himself for comfort.
"Snow..." Hope asked, his voice cracking. "What is love?.." He added, his voice becoming coarser and weak.
Snow's eyes relaxed as his eyebrows raised, his expression saddened as those words hit his heart deeply.
"Hope..." Snow said.
Hope looked back at snow, their eyes meeting again. He was clearly crying to himself, trying to hold back tears.
"All my life I've tried to prove that I'm more than what I look like...to be somebody, be apart of something to show my strength's but all I am is weak...and I have nobody..." Hope whimpered.
He turned around in shame...feeling weak for opening up and showing his true self. He looked up at the tile, banging his head on it and closing his eyes.
After a moments silence, his eyes shot open as he heard the shower door open, he cautiously looked back over his shoulder to see Snow entering the shower with him. Quickly turning his head back towards the tile, keeping his back towards Snow he held himself tighter beginning to feel flushed.

Snow came up behind the young boy, pressing his chest up against the younger male's back, moving his hair away from his neck and offering a small kiss.
"Hope...perhaps our negative hold on the past...can bring us together...if you want to know what love is...I can show you if you want...because you do have somebody...you have me." Snow said softly trying not to startle the younger male.
Snow's gaze became fixated on Hope's side of his face. He brought his hand to Hope's jawline and turned it towards Snow's eyesight, slowly shifting his whole body so both were facing each other.
Hope didn't say a word but nod and lean in so both Snow's and Hope's lips met for the first time.

Snow could feel Hope's lip trembling, the situation felt like strings were tugging at Snow's heart due to the emotion Hope expressed to him, but also from the rising heat of the moment. Due to Snow's rash nature he deepened the kiss, slowly moving Hope back into the wall. He held Hope's jawline to pull him into the kiss.
"Nnn..." Hope muffled into the kiss, his face become very warm.
Snow opened his eyes slightly to peek at the others expression. It was timid and sweet; at the same time, he could feel Hope's flushed skin radiate onto his own face.
Hope pulled away, lowering his head and hiding it in Snow's chest.
"I-I've never done this before..." Hope said as he trembled "This is wrong...why do...why do I feel like this..." He added moving his hands to his lower area, cuffing what seemed to be an erection.
Snow lowered his gaze to the young boy covering his affected area and grinned.
"This isn't wrong...or else your body wouldn't be acting this way...I've grown fond of you over these few months, how about you?" Snow asked.
There was a small silence that seemed to last forever as Hope bit his lip, trying to calm his nerves.
"I...I've always hated you...for being stronger than me...being in love...being able to fight past your worries and obstacles...all I could do is sit back and watch...but that only made me look up to you more...it only made me want to be closer...but you never noticed...Nnf..." Hope answered, growing more frantic over his current situation below.
"Well...then there doesn't seem to be a problem if we feel towards each other the same way does there?" Snow asked bringing his hand over the others' to uncover his erection.

He grabbed onto Hope's member slowly grazing the length of it, trickling the his fingers around just under the head to hit multiple nerves.
"Unn-Haah!" Hope exclaimed, arching his back forward a bit and quickly covering his mouth.
"Hmh...cute...don't cover your mouth...I want to hear you." Snow said softly, grinning to himself, watching Hope's body language.
"Ngh...Mph...Ha-" Hope moaned from under his hand with eyes shut tight.
"Don't be embarrassed, its quite flattering..." Snow said with his grin plastered on his face.
"Wha!- You think this is all about you?!" Hope yelled out.
Snow suddenly grasped Hope's member tighter and began to run his hand along his shaft with more speed stopping just under the boys head.
"Ughn! Ha-Ahh! N-No...Plea-Hahh...S-Stop it..." Hope pleaded as he was confronted with sudden wave of pleasure. "I can't...take that, Ughn!"
"That's it...Just like that..." Snow replied and locked their lips together, kissing the younger male more roughly. He then picked Hope's legs up to wrap around his waist, and pinning him against the wall, Snow's one hand grazing Hope's member and the other holding him.
The water that ran over Hope's skin made Snow flush slightly, it allowed for swifter movements and a much more sensual experience.
Snow suddenly broke the kiss staring into the younger boys eyes.
"You know...even though your grown up...your still just as cute as I remember you..." He said.
"P-Please S-Snow I... I." Hope pleaded.
"What is it?" Snow asked with a smirk, pleased with how the young boy wriggled beneath him.
"I...want...m..." Snow replied timidly lowering his head.
Snow tilted his head biting his lip.
"What was that?...I can't hear you." Snow replied cleverly.
As the seconds passed Snow slowed his pace on the young boys member, barely grazing the skin.
"What was it you were saying?" Snow added.
Hope looked up to the other timidly with his face flustered significantly.
"Please!" Hope exclaimed grabbing hold of Snow's hand and forcibly tightening his grip on his member "Please...M-More...I-Hngh! A-Hahh!...I want more..." Hope replied in defeat looking at Snow.

Snow felt himself become harder himself by the look of the young boys face with his plead.
With his intense nature, Snow lowered the other onto his feet and turned him around so his back was facing him. He softly licked Hope's neck up then offered a rough bite, his one arm wrapping round the young boys chest, softly caressing and pinching his nipple.
"Ahh! Hn-Ugnh!" Hope moaned loudly, his breathing becoming increasingly heavier.
Snow trailed his other fingers down Hope's back as it began to arch, soon coming to his ass.
Letting out a soft chuckle snow kissed Hope's shoulder blade licking up to his ear and giving a small nip, secretly letting his fingers trail between his cheeks, and beginning to fondle his entrance.
"W-Wait! I cant do that, Ngh..." Hope said with worry.
"Now, your not going to stop me now are you? I don't think you want me to either by what your body is telling me, now do you?" Snow asked teasingly, pinching the young boys nipples, prodding his entrance with his finger.
"I really don't think you want me to stop...your too wet.." Snow added smirking, hovering over the boy's shoulder and whispering into his ear "You're almost sucking my finger in.." He added with a chuckle, nipping at the boys earlobe.
"Hng..Ungh..D-Don't tease m-me...Ahhh!" Hope replied, letting out an extended pleasurable moan as he felt Snow slip a finger inside.
"Hmph...sexy..." Snow whispered into the boys ear, then biting the boys shoulder, beginning to gyrate his hips in sync with the finger movements. "Hope...I'm putting in another..."
"D-Don't!" Hope whimpered, his back arching more, as he put his arms on the wall for support, feeling his legs tremble.
"Mnng-gn-Haahh!" Hope moaned out, biting his lip trying to keep his voice down.
"There's no one here, no one is listening but me...so let it out, if you feel good, you should show it, especially because I want to hear it" Snow said becoming more rough with his movements. He moved his hand away from Hope's nipple and down to his member, beginning to stroke it in tune with his fingers and gyration.

"Its okay to feel good...Hope" Snow added, then biting down on his shoulder, watching the boys' expressions. Snow then pushed his fingers deeper, rubbing the younger males inside, pressing on sensitive spots.
"You know Hope...Ngh...I'm really turned on ri-"
"Please come inside" Hope interrupted looking over his shoulder. His face was pure euphoria, he had never experienced something like this with anyone, so it was all new to him, the feeling, the burn, the pain, the lust...everything.
Snow looked at the younger male in surprise, offering a deep kiss and biting his lower lip before letting go. He pulled his fingers out from the boys entrance, while wrapping an arm around his waist.
"It might hurt a little...but bare with me" said Snow, his eyes filled with lust.
Holding Hope with a strong arm, Snow adjusted himself to enter the boy, slowly but surely.
"Npff...Hope...your tight..."
Snow began stroking Hope's member sweetly as he entered him.
"This will help make it feel better" Snow added.
"I...feel...full" Hope replied softly "Don't let me go..."
Snow softly pressed up inside the boy, biting his lip as he watched Hope before pulling out and pushing back in.
"Hugn! A-Ahhh" Hope moaned with a high pitch as his voice cracked, his fists opening.
"I don't know how to handle it!" He cried.
"Call out to me...let me hear you cry out" Snow replied.
Holding Hope and tightening his grip around his waist Snow began to thrust in slowly, ever other gyration picking up at a faster speed. "Ngh, Hope..." Snow grunted.
"Snow...I-Ughn!" Hope squealed as he put his hand on top of the others as he stroked his member.
"Fuck...Hope...Ung..." Hope replied as he bit down on the boys shoulder aggressively, closing his eyes, his breaths becoming more shallow and heavy.
"Auhn! S-Snow, Ngh! H-Hard...er..." Hope begged.
Snow's brows furrowed and his expression became much more aggressive as he began to thrust roughly, grinding on the boy's inside and pressing against his prostate constantly.
"Snow! I'm...g-gonna...c-" Hope whined out.
"Cum Hope...Ngh...F-Fuck...C-cum..." Snow instructed as he penetrated the younger boy deeply with aggression and lust.
"I'm cum..ming...Ha-Aaaah!" Hope moaned out loudly as he came into the others hand.
"Ngh...Nmph..!" Snow replied from under his biting, piercing the young boys skin as he came.

A moment passed as the two collapsed to the floor from pure exhaustion, sitting against the shower door, Hope in Snow's lap, their breathing heavy and quick.
Snow kissed the young boys head and closed his eyes, resting his head on the others. Hope resting in Snow's lap, he shut his eyes and just took in the moment.

"You know..." Snow said, looking at Hope.
"Hmm?..." Hope replied looking up at the other,
"Your better than you look."