Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy XII nor its characters.
A/N: I suppose having a bit of writers block helped in the area of one-shots. Sorry this is not my typical pairing for those of you who follow my work expecting such, but as I struggled to write other pieces this one begged to be released. The title was the hardest part to this piece and I still don't think it does it justice. By all means, please suggest a new one. I do hope you enjoy!
Her Hope
Her vision blurred as the tears streaked down her cheeks. The fumes of burnt wood and worse hung thickly around the once splendid streets where she had played, a carefree child. She stifled the scream that threatened to escape each time a shadow jumped out at her and she ran.
They gave their lives to save hers so she ran as if the very hells were lapping at her heels. Her heart hurt and she was certain it would burst, but she couldn't stop.
The scream that sat ready on the tip of her tongue made its way to the night air that burned her nose as a hand grasped tightly around her wrist. And though it was futile, the petite fifteen-year-old made every attempt to fight off her captor.
"Penelo, it's me!" a familiar voice shouted over her screams bringing her to her senses.
The young blonde eye's widened in shock and began brimming with new tears as Vaan threw his arms around her. He looked around with a look of disgust and anger before he clasped her hand tightly and lead her through the streets as quickly as the two could move.
A cloud of black smoke blocked out the stars and she briefly wondered if the city would still stand come morning. She ran into Vaan's back when he stopped suddenly. The fear that had rooted itself in the pit of her stomach clawed its way up to her heart as the two came face to face with a heavily armored man.
The man gave a shout and Vaan pulled Penelo in a new direction as the heavy footsteps clamored on the stone-paved street behind them. She heard Vaan growl as the two ran hand in hand and turned down a narrow alley-way.
The two ducked down behind some wooden crates and Penelo prayed to Faram that they were hidden enough to go unnoticed. For the first time that night, her meager plight had been answered.
Vaan held her tightly to him as her fingers linked around the straps of his vest, afraid to let go. He made an attempt to calm her fears with soothing words, but was cut short as another scream pierced the night air. It was close, too close.
He growled again as he hefted himself up and then pulled Penelo to her feet. She swore that if she survived tonight, she would never leave his side again. Vaan crept slowly up to the corner to peek around and Penelo clung to his hand, forcing herself to remain silent.
A door opened behind them making her scream and Vaan spun around. The two came face to face with a pair of tiny brunettes who were just as terrified as the two blondes before them. Vaan breathed a sigh of relief as he rushed up to them and picked the girl up in his arms. Penelo, following Vaan's lead, did the same with the boy and the four ran from the alley.
They needed to get out of the city, but the gates were all locked. The chaos made it hard to determine who was friend or foe, so they ran and hoped they would find some place safe to hide until this was all over.
Salvation came in the form of the blue bangaa shop keep that ran the sundries. His head swayed from side to side as though searching for something. His nose caught smell of the newly-orphaned group well before his eyes found them. Urgent hands motioned to them to move quickly and they heeded his command. Once inside the shop, he pointed to a heavy stack of crates and then left them alone to go back into the street.
Penelo cautiously followed Vaan to the crates and then slipped behind them where a cleverly hidden door waited. Vaan opened the door and Penelo slipped through with the crying boy in her arms. Vaan followed behind her, the tiny girl sobbing against his shoulder. He closed the door and they made their way blindly down the steps into darkness.
It was a few minutes before their eyes adjusted to the lack of light. When they did, their eyes widened in realization that they were entering into the warehouses hidden beneath the city. They reached the bottom of the steps and were met by the sounds of sobs, tears, and pain that echoed in the expanse around them.
Penelo looked around at the small mass of bodies. None of them looked old enough to be alone. She sniffled one last time before she shook her head and looked to Vaan. The two shared a look of determination before they gathered the small group of children to them and did the best to comfort them all.
And so the night passed slowly for the small group that lay huddled on empty sacks and straw, clinging to each other out of fear. The once grand city of Rabanastre had been brought swiftly to her knees. Her children were now orphans, her wives now widows, her husbands, bereft widowers, her loving parents now rendered childless, and all of them heartbroken with no place to call home.
The morning would birth a grey dawn as the charred remains still smoldered. Those not dead or in hiding were herded into the depths of the newly dubbed Lowtown. A place with no windows to see the sky, their new found prison that would swallow what little hope they dared possess.
Yet hope is exactly what Penelo found in the sea of tear-streaked faces looking to her and Vaan as tomorrow finally came. She saw it then, the look in his eye; the determination that shone straight from his soul, a soul that knew no limits. Her solemn face soon gave him a tiny smile, so slight that she knew only he would recognize it.
He made them all a promise then. They would take back what was rightfully theirs and even if Penelo was unsure of the lengths they would have to go to achieve his goal, she resolved to stand by him. They may have been brought together because of tragedy and then later by force of her parents, but she knew she would never leave him now. He held her hope and as long as he never gave up, she would stand by his side because she knew then that she hadn't lost everything. There was still hope and she would never give up on that, or him.