Disclaimer: I do not own any character from Square-Enix.
Rated for Teen! Rating may change later.
Pairing: SnowxHope
Chapter 2: Meeting NORA
'Sweetie, your father was attack today'
Hope green orbs widened in fear and panic as his heart skipped a beat when he heard those words from his mother lips.
"Attack? Is dad okay?" The silver-haired teen asked becoming frantic.
"He's alright. He's still at work though. The security was fast enough to notice the strange bystander's intentions before he could make his moves." Nora said calmly placing her hands on her son's shoulder to comfort his distress. "So stay strong for your father."
Hope nodded weakly. He turned and glanced at all the weird people occupying their living room.
"Why is the Sanctum here? Shouldn't they be with dad?" Hope curiously asked for his father safety.
"The company's security is watching over him for now. Your father called for the Sanctum to investigate the person who attack him." Nora informed.
"Wait! Does that mean the person wasn't capture." Hope said becoming more hysterically.
"I'm afraid not." Nora said feeling uneasy. She noticed her son's expression only darken. With all the madness in the world, Nora tried her best to keep the dangers away from her son and her family. But an event like this is something she cannot control. The situation has change, but she'll make sure her family survive despite the cost.
"C'mon you must be hungry after a day like this." Nora lightly led her only son into the kitchen. With all the business going on in her living room, Nora make sure to distance her son for his own protection. After serving him some dinner, she returned to living room, talking with Jihl Nabaat.
After two bites, Hope deemed that he wasn't hungry. His mind was still trying to digest the information about his father and the events that transpire today. 'First I was bully, then some odd-looking men follow... Hopes eyes widened again at a sudden realization. He had completely forgotten about that event earlier after his mother distracted him about his family's problem. He contemplated calling his mother this instant and telling her about what had happened to him after school, but the sound of the doorbell broke his trail of thought. He heard more voices, which were followed by that voice of his father echoing throughout the house. Hearing his father's voice was enough to get Hope jumping out from the stool beside the kitchen islander and running toward the front door.
Hope threw himself into his father's arms as the man entered in the living room.
"It's okay Hope." Bartholomew said to calm his son, which only caused Hope to tighten his grip. Nora only gave her husband a sympathetic smile. "Look no harm done." The man said after his son step away from the embrace. He was trying to comfort his son's worry.
Yaag Rosch walked up to Bartholomew and shakes his hand. "Been a long time, old friend."
"Not too long, but I was hoping we could have met under different circumstance." Bartholomew responded. "And thanks again for Sanctum help to investigate this situation."
"Thanks Jihl, she was able to conduct the investigation hastily despite procedures." They both glanced to blond-haired woman near Nora.
"Any news yet from the investigation?" Nora asked hoping it was over.
"Beside the bystander getting away, the gun he was about to used was shot out from his hand from a security and was left at the crime scene." Bartholomew answer carefully. 'A gun...' Hope gasped never thought a lethal weapon like this was involved in his father attack. "The investigation did a double-check to the security cameras around that city district, but somehow lost the person."
The room fell silence knowing that the person is still out there.
"Don't worry my friend. We'll find this man." Yaag comforted.
"How do you know if it was only one man?" Hope interrupted. He then bit his lips feeling a chill run down his spine from every occupant eyes in the room staring at him.
"What?" Yaag asked curiously looking sternly at the teen.
"Ahhmmm..." Hope lost his voice not used to this much attention.
"Hope if there's something you wanted to share, then by all mean say it," Nora said warmly but seriously.
"Mom, I didn't say this before, but…" Hope stopped, wishing not to share this information. "I was being followed by some men dress in black when I coming home from school today." He said in one breath.
"What?" Nora said disbelieving.
"Hope, do know these men who was following you?" Bartholomew worriedly asked after hearing that statement. Hope only shakes his head.
"Young man, can you tell us of the event that transpired to you after school." Yaag asked carefully as Jihl handed her companion a tape-recorded. Hope nodded. He told them everything that happened. From the bookstore, being followed, walking into the restaurant at the plaza and his ride home from the restaurant's manager.
Bartholomew sighed placing his head in his hands. 'First me and now my family...'
"Hope, why didn't say anything earlier?" Nora said, her voice becoming more worried. "And with everything that had happen, why didn't you call knowing that some men was following you?"
"I'm sorry mom, but I forgot. Everything kind a happen really fast." The silver-haired teen said apologetically in voice.
The room fell into silence again.
"Well, it seems like the event takes a turn for the worst." Yaag said softly as all eyes fell on the man.
"So what can we do?" Bartholomew asked looking at his two family member despair faces. Hope looked down feeling a little guilty now that their problems have increased.
"There an extend as how far the Sanctum can intervene." Jihl said nonchalantly all eyes turned to her. "We can continue with the investigation because of corporate matters in Palumpolum, but your family personal safety is a different matter."
"What do you mean?" Bartholomew asked.
"As I said, the circumstance has change." Jihl said taking off her glasses. "This is not the job for regular Guardian Corps officers to handle. I appointed them to investigate but they do not have jurisdiction over individual personal safety. This is now a job for PSICOM."
"So PSICOM will help us instead?" Bartholomew asked feeling optimistic.
"Yes, but the last thing we want our pursuers to know is that the Estheims are under the protection of PISCOM." Jihl said walking across the living room all eyes watching her movement.
'What is she getting at?' Hope mentally thought.
"Rather than regular PISCOM officer, I think this is a job for NORA. They can easily move under the shadows compare to PISCOM who are in the public eye," Jihl offered with a smile.
"Nora?" Hope said giving his mom a confused look. The woman herself was quite surprised and confused for the same reason to hear her name mention.
"Not Mrs. Estheim lad." Yaag said smiling at the confused look of the family. "NORA is a highly group of specialized agent for the Sanctum. If you want, Bartholomew, we can request for their help?"
Bartholomew glanced at his wife and his son. "For the safety of my family, I'll take anything."
"Great. Yaag make the call. Then go get an account from the manager at the restaurant and any other eye witnesses." Jihl ordered gathering her stuff before leaving.
Three days later...
Hope was pacing back and forth in the middle of a living room in a hotel in Palumpolum. For the safety of his family, they have been requested by Yaag to leave their home after receiving a threatening letter two days later from an unknown source. The letter contained images of his family members and it specifically indicated for his father to shut down his business. His mom requested for him to leave school for the moment until everything settled down. 'Great, just great, now I'm going to be behind of my classes..'. Hope mentally sighed.
The silver-haired teen flopped on the sofa, his mind exhausted from the past events that transpired in three days. He just wanted everything to go back to normal. But life is just too cruel to let that happened. He was about to go into the kitchen in the hotel, but stopped when he heard whispers coming from the hallway in the hotel. He walked to door, pressing his right ear against door, but suddenly the knob turned and he quickly rushed back to his seat. The door opened, followed with his father entering in the hotel with Yaag and six unknown strangers dressed in black and white. Hope stood up as his mother came out from kitchen where she was distracting herself with dinner.
The moment when the six strangers entered the room, Hope felt an unpleasantness in the air. He could feel the hair at the back of his neck began to rise as his heart skipped a beat. The reason for his discomfort radiate from the moment when his eyes make contact with a pair of intense cerulean eyes belonging to a young blond man standing over six feet tall. Hope felt his insides stir under the scrutinize gaze and quickly gaze away. He could still feel the intense gaze still penetrating his body.
Yaag introduced the six unknown strangers as NORA. The leader of the operation was by a young woman name Claire Farron. She has light pink hair dressed in black pants with a white button-shirt tuck in her pants like the other two female occupant, Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille. Except pigtail haired girl is wearing a black tie with a black shirt rather than a black pant. Lightning, her alias name, introduced her second in command Snow Villiers. He and the other two men, Sazh, a cheerful afro-hair black man and Gadot, a dark-skinned man with fiery hair, are dressed in the same style like their female counter part. Snow instead had his shirt out his pants and wears a black bandanna covering his head. Hope glanced at the man awkward and lazy fashion to meet again the man blue and distant eyes staring back at him. He felt a chill run down his spine like before as the room seems to become hotter by the second been watch from those bright blue eyes.
"Aww, you're too cute." A cheerful and hyper voice said breaking away his trance. Hope turned to face a bright red-haired young woman. "Hi I'm Vanille."
"Ahhmmm. I'm Hope." He replied weakly.
"Hope, that's a weird name." She said cheerful. "I think it will be nice working with you and wait Fang..." She stopped as Hope watched the tan-skinned woman dragged her companion into the living room.
"You can talk later after. We got business to do remember." Fang grumbled.
"I know. I just want to introduce myself." The pigtail haired girl wined. The other members followed as well into the living room.
Hope followed them and seated himself on a sofa listening as his father and Yaag gave the party the account of what had happen. Fang, at the time, was reading the letter while the rest of the members were listening attentively, except for Snow, who Hope noticed was watching the pandora view of the cities. It was the fiery-haired companion who nudged his side to pay attention. The man turned back his gaze to the room only to meet a pair of green orbs looking at him. Hope flinched and look away feeling himself shrink under the man's stare. 'Crap... Why is he watching me like that?'
"Well for starters, I'm guessing the company will still be operating." Lightning asked knowing that this is not going be an easy task after listening to the two men.
"Yes. We supply many resources to our neighboring cities and small businesses. Closing down will cause us to lose many clients and a lost of business." Bartholomew informed.
"From the investigation report, all we can conclude is that some unknown group is targeting you and your family, and they want you to shut down your business." Fang said gaining an approval nod from Bartholomew.
"With no leads, all we can do is to wait for another move from the pursuers." Lightning said. "For now, I want you to continue playing your roles like nothing happen."
Bartholomew nodded.
"Gadot, I want you at the company when Bartholomew is present there, but stay at a safe distance." Lightning said passing out orders. "For the time being, I'll be playing the role of your new assistant staying by your side if any actions are necessary. Fang, Vanille and Sazh, I want you guys watching our very movement."
The four nodded in approval.
"Wait, what about my family?" Bartholomew questioned.
"From my knowledge, these men seems very organized to get away from security and they likely have abundant resources. Your family is very influential; it wouldn't take long before they can track your movements. The only solution I can offer is to separate the family." Lightning offered.
A ghastly expression cast upon the three family members. "Separation, you can't be serious!" Nora said becoming worried.
"Hear me out. The last thing we want is to place all three targets together. It makes the job easier for our enemies, but more difficult for us." Lightning said.
Bartholomew turned and faced his family. "You guys okay with this?"
The room fell quiet waiting for a response from Nora and Hope. Both of them were contemplating about the thought of being separate from their family, Hope from his parents and Nora more worried being separated from her son.
"If for a short while..." Hope glanced to his parent "Then yes." Both parents nodded in favor.
"Okay. Bartholomew, your wife will be staying at a based of operation where the rest of the team will be analyzing the situation and our movement. Your son will be staying will Snow." Lightning concluded gaining a nod from the man.
Hope eyes widened in shock hearing that piece of information. He slowly glanced at the man who seems to be looking at ceiling like it is most interesting thing he ever saw. The man made a disapproval noise, not liking the outcome.
"You want me to baby sit?" The blond questioned.
"The boy is probably the easiest target." Lightning stated the fact. "And your not baby sitting, you'll be watching over him." She was glaring at Snow from his witty comment. Snow let out a heavy sighed which all occupant in the room notice.
Hope didn't like this situation at all. The blond-hair man was behaving like he doesn't care about his job.
To be continued...
A/N: I didn't expect that the second chapter to will be this long. I try to develop as much of a thought in the story as possible. Next chapter will focus primarily on Snow and Hope... And I'll try to update Only You by this weekend.