A/N: I apologise that you have had to wait so long for this update. Unfortunately, life has gotten the better of me recently, and I rarely find time to get a large amount of writing done, making this slow going. Hopefully, things will calm down soon.
This is, unsurprisingly, the sequel to Entwined Destinies Part 1, which you can find on my account. I recommend you read that one first if you haven't already. Thank you to everyone who commented on the first story, your reviews made me endeavour to continue no matter how long it took. I believe this has gone from being a trilogy to a quadrilogy, however, that depends on how part 4 goes. It may get tagged onto the end of part 3 if it is not long enough. Until then, I hope you enjoy, and your comments are always welcome.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2 or Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, or any of the characters portrayed in this story, nor is any profit made from this work.
Entwined Destinies
Part 2
Broken
The village was peaceful. It had been now for a few weeks. The last remnants of a world that once was had been all but eradicated and the people could live without fear.
New Bodhum had been set up fairly quickly in the days following the fall of Cocoon. People had realised a basic need for shelter and safety after their world had literally fallen around them, reverting to primal instincts that had kept them alive this long. Weapons were crafted, buildings erected, and monsters slaughtered and skinned for food and cloth. They'd chosen a simple beach area to found the village, the tranquil waters providing a relaxing backdrop that soothed the fear, at least for a little while. Now that the area had been completely secure, children could be heard playing amongst the waters, splashing and swimming under the watchful eyes of the women of the camp. During the day, most of the men were situated away from the village, weapons in hand, protecting their boarders from the savage beasts that dwelled beyond the mountain.
For Hope, the quiet of village life was a brand new form of torture. During the first weeks, he'd busied himself tirelessly, finding himself settling back into hunting and killing their quarry easily. It wasn't too far removed from the months that he had spent living off the land with the rest of the L'Cie he had called friends. The adrenaline pumping through his veins as he took down his next kill had numbed the pain. But as the danger had died away, so had the feeling of peace, and it had been replaced with despair.
She was gone. Trapped in the infernal pillar that kept Cocoon afloat above them, mocking him. She'd saved everyone, becoming a legend in the process, cementing her place in the annals of history in a way that the rest of the group could not. She had completed her Focus.
Sometimes, he could forget. Sometimes, he felt nothing, and could operate normally. Sometimes, he felt angry, raging at the world for the injustice of it all. Hunting had dealt with this, allowing him to release his emotion through the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of the kill. But sometimes, the pain hit him, stopped him dead. His last hunt had ended like this, causing him to pause, hesitate, staring up at the huge crystalline pillar, for a moment too long, until he felt the jaws of a Gorgonopsid baring down upon him, knocking him to the floor. His weapon had flown from his grasp, and he found himself pinned beneath the wolf. Desperately he grabbed for the snout and bottom jaw, desperately pushing with all his might to keep it away from his throat, kicking as hard as he could at the monster's underbelly, but it did him no good. He was tiring fast, and knew that his time was up. His momentary lapse in concentration was going to cost him his life.
As this realisation had hit him, he heard his name called frantically, the rapid phut-phut-phut of the burst fire gun, and felt the weight of the beast lift from his body as the force of the shot blasted it away from him. Another round of bullets silenced the snarling, and Hope rolled over to his side, desperately trying to catch his breath, tears rolling down his face. He felt his saviour kneel beside him and vaguely realised it was Snow before blacking out.
He'd woken back in his hut, tucked up safely in bed. He hadn't left since. People had come and gone, brought him food and spoke to him, but the taste had left his mouth, and he couldn't really register the words people were saying, unless he concentrated really hard, and concentration was something he was lacking right now.
Physically, he was uninjured. The scrapes and bruises that had covered his back from his fall had cleared up within a few days, and, as far as he was aware, he'd been 'discharged' from his bed by the village's unofficial doctor Lebreau.
He couldn't muster the strength to leave the safety of his bed. He'd drift in and out of sleep, with nothing to stop his brain from switching off when it felt like it. Every time he'd wake, it felt like a black veil was covering his face; suffocating him, sapping his energy. His legs felt like lead, and moving them required effort that he didn't have spare. So he lay there, staring into space, drifting in and out of sleep when needed.
Hours and days no longer mattered. Hope no longer knew what day it was, and his concept of time was limited to if light was shining through the window, and whether people were moving or bringing him meals. He didn't need to know the time though, he just needed to sleep. So he did.
He vaguely heard voices outside. He couldn't make out the words, but even in his numb state of mind he could make out the concern laced in them. He tried to tune in a little harder, and managed to figure out there were two people outside his room, a man and a woman. Snow and Serah perhaps. He knew they were talking about him, but he didn't care. Sleep once again claimed him, and he forgot about the voices.
The next time he woke, it was to his door opening. He felt something heavy disturbing the mattress beneath him, and slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the light.
"Hey kid, good to see you're awake."
Snow's face was smiling, but Hope could tell that it was forced. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and had learned that he couldn't hide behind the hero act every second of the day, so the L'Cie who had journeyed together all knew when he was feeling it. Right now, he was worried.
"Brought you in some food. Gadot snagged a huge catch today, reckon it should feed the house for a week. Serah's been busy all afternoon rustling this up for you."
Hope recognised that Snow was avoiding the real issue here. He was glad. He didn't really feel like talking. Slowly, he lifted himself a little further up the bed so he could rest against the headboards, and took the food onto his lap. The prime steak had been cooked to perfection, and was accompanied by the usual vegetation that Serah had managed to start growing in their makeshift garden. But he wasn't hungry. He didn't think he'd ever be hungry again. Still, he picked up the cutlery and began to dutifully cut into the meat. Slowly, he raised it to his mouth, and popped it in. It tasted dry and bland, like he'd been given the leftovers from a few nights ago. Nothing had tasted right since she had gone. Swallowing hard, he looked up at Snow and faked a smile, managing to say "Thanks Snow," his voice still heavy from too much sleep.
"No worries kid." The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, where Hope managed to force a couple more mouthfuls of the meal down his throat. Eventually, Snow sighed, and looked up at the ceiling.
"You had us worried, Hope." He said, all pretence of hiding his concern gone. His hands balled into fists, as though remembering the moment. "We almost lost you."
"I'm sorry." Hope said automatically, though he wasn't sure what he was apologising for. Nothing that had happened had been through his doing. A momentary lapse in concentration, a second of stupidity in the face of death. It wasn't his fault, yet he felt guilty. It had been a long time since he'd been the weak member of the group.
Snow shook his head, "What happened out there? You're too good of a hunter to let your guard down like that."
Hope laid his cutlery down, wanting to eat even less than before. He closed his eyes, letting the torrent of emotion hit him once more. Waves of despair washing over him, dragging him deeper into its depths, drowning him. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth, but his voice left him. No words could describe how he felt when he saw that pillar, when saw her.
He was dragged from the memories by Snow's voice, speaking softly, as though scared the words might break the boy in front of him. "It's her, isn't it?"
Hope didn't move. He couldn't. He wanted to scream, to let it all loose, as though it might exorcise some of the demons, but his throat tightened up. He let Snow continue.
"Hope, I know you felt strongly for Van-"
"Don't say her name!" Hope's eyes snapped open and he looked up, an angry, blazing stare, straight into the older man's eyes, before the fire extinguished, and he sagged forward again.
He felt dirty for getting so angry at the man who meant so much to him. Snow had looked after him, done more than his mother had ever asked of him, and Hope appreciated, even saw him as a brother. He knew that Snow trusted him now. He no longer saw him as this angry kid, but someone who deserved respect. To snap like that felt like betrayal.
"I know you're angry Hope. Out of anyone, you have the right to be. You perhaps lost more to this war than anyone." Snow said softly, not showing any sign that the outburst had phased him. "She was perhaps more important than anyone to you."
The words were soft and full of understanding, but they quickly cut through the barriers that Hope had erected over the past few months, ever since she had left him. He felt tears start to fall, and hastily wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He felt a slight movement, and Snow rested his hand on his shoulder lightly, giving him the strength to look up into his eyes.
"She promised we'd make it through, Snow." Hope said, the words having to fight their way past the lump in his throat. "She promised, and she broke that promise."
He felt like a child again, like he'd lost a game at school and had run crying to the teacher. The words seemed pointless even to his own ears. But he knew it was how he felt. He knew Snow would understand. "We said we'd be together."
Snow nodded slowly, processing the information that Hope was sure he already knew. His hand never left the boy's shoulder, providing some comfort. But nobody could comfort him like she could. That day in Oerba, the promise they'd made, the moment they shared, he could still feel the soft skin of her toned stomach beneath his hand, still smell her flowery scent. In the silence, he could almost hear the rhythm of her breathing, or the quiet murmurs of the prayer she had said. He still felt the pain of watching her cry.
"She had other things she had to do Hope." Snow said, the emotion evident in his voice. He'd lost someone to a L'Cie focus himself, Hope knew. But he always seemed to have coped so well. It had given him purpose, a goal to aim for, and Snow did anything he could to make sure that he fulfilled his promise to his fiancé. So why couldn't she have kept her promise?
"If she hadn't completed her focus, there wouldn't be a world where you could be together." Snow paused and let the words wash over the boy. It was something Hope knew, deep down, but had denied himself since it had happened. Slowly, Snow lifted his hand from Hope's shoulder and stood up, moving over to the window and gazing out at the beach.
"She saved us. All of us. Gave us another chance at life. We owe everything to her, and Fang. The least we can do is make sure that we live the life she gave us properly."
The words sounded hollow, unbelievable. Maybe Snow, who had a life to live, could carry on. Serah was still here, she was alive and the two could resume where they left off before this whole business of L'Cie and Fal'Cie ever started. They could enjoy this second chance, and gaze up at the crystal pillar, knowing that they have years together, decades maybe.
"How?" Hope voiced, his voice thick with emotion. Snow sighed, and shook his head. The two lapsed into silence, but it was more comfortable than it had been previously.
"When I lost Serah, I thought I was going to lose my mind." He said finally. "I thought I'd found the one I'd spend my whole life with, and then she was taken away from me. All the stories of L'Cie and Focus' rushed through my head, and they all said she wasn't dead, she was sleeping, forever encased in crystal. I'd have stayed there for days, trying to smash that crystal apart, just to touch her one more time."
Snow paused, seemingly lost in the memory. Hope himself, knew the desperation that had taken over Snow in those moments. The screams of anguish had stuck in Hope's mind for longer than he cared to admit. He felt embarrassed that he could recall something so private so vividly. After the manic times settling and founding a new village, when times had become much quieter, Hope had found himself coming closer and closer to screaming like that himself.
"When I was told there was a way to free someone from the crystal, I knew I'd do anything it took to get her back."
He stopped again, this time as though battling with himself for a second, before sighing and turning to face the young boy. Hope's thoughts turned to the things he would do to get one more second with her. To see her smile again. He couldn't think of any length he wouldn't go. Eventually, Snow seemed to reach a decision.
"And here she is, alive and well, no thanks to me." He said simply, a grim look crossing his face. Hope frowned, not understanding the last statement. Snow had been vital in his role to stop Barthandelus and the Fal'Cie from their destruction of Cocoon's inhabitants.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you see Hope?" Snow exclaimed quickly, startling the boy, "In my efforts to break open that crystal, I could have hurt the one person I wanted to save. Hell, I could have died out there in that lake. What then? Me and Serah couldn't have had what we have now had I died out there."
Snow ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"I guess what I'm saying is that if you and Vanille ever get the second chance that Serah and I have, you have to first get to that moment. Maybe one day, Vanille will come out of her crystal sleep, just like Serah, and then you can have as long as you want, but you won't have anything if you die first."
Could she really awaken from her crystal sleep? Serah and Dahj did, and she and Fang had done it once before when they arrived on Cocoon. Would history repeat itself, and they could spend the rest of their lives together? Would that even be in his lifetime? Hope didn't know, but he felt more alive than he had since Edenfall, since she had left him. The thought invigorated him. He could get her back.
"You think she will wake up?" He asked, excitement lighting up his eyes. It soon faded when he looked at Snow's face. Doubt was etched into every pore.
"I dunno, kid." Snow said simply, "what's important is that you live your life. Don't let this consume you, like it did me. Be strong, and you can make it through this, ok?"
Hope nodded, finally feeling like he had some sort of purpose. Like the cloth had been lifted from his face. Slowly, he stood from his bed, and looked outside, staring straight at the giant crystal pillar where she slept peacefully.
"I will," he said confidently. "And one day, we will be together. I'll keep my promise."
Inside that pillar, was a girl who had changed his life, who had got him through the toughest times, made him laugh when he wanted to cry, and with whom he had shared their deepest secrets and dreams together. One day, he would see her smile once again, hear her laugh, and see the beautiful light that shined in her eyes.
A/N: Thank you for reading, your comments are always appreciated