Be my Hope, Be my Light

A/N:

I am back! Damn, that was the longest exam period yet! Started on 3rd December and ended on 24th December with only 3 off days excluding Sunday. Boy o boy, glad that's over with! I am definitely gonna get a C in math (my worst subject) but everything else went super so no worries or regrets! So heres the new chapter everybody! Hope I haven't lost my touch!

I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy

Chapter 9: Regret

"Fabula Nova Crystallis." Death said.

"The power which even gods can only dream of obtaining. I have heard of that myth." Hope replied.

Death smirked. "I assure you, it is no myth. Do you know what is required to obtain it?"

"No, but I'm sure you will tell me." Hope sat down cross legged over the infinite white surface of his crystal prison.

"Three souls touched by chaos, three souls touched by cosmos…all from different planes when brought together shall pave the way for Fabula Nova Crystallis." Hope's eyes widened at the sudden realization.

Assuming that cosmos is the opposite of chaos then cosmos would refer to the goddess Etro….the only soul touched by her would be…..Light…..no…

"Correct. I am impressed Hope. I knew there was some reason I chose you as my vessel." Death laughed.

"If you do anything to her I will…." Hope raised his voice but was interrupted.

"Do what? Kill me?" Death laughed. "I doubt you have the strength to even hold me back and remember, I am you and you are me. So, it will be you that will hurt her, not me."

"I won't!" Hope shouted. "I won't."

"Lets put that to the test, shall we?"

"What?"

"My powers come from humanity's wish for death. Some of you fear it but others welcome it." Death turned his back on Hope and grinned. "Guess which one your friends wish for death right now?"

"No…Light!"


"Lightning! Stop it!" Snow shouted.

"No! You stop it! It's my fault everything ended up this way. Don't try to convince me otherwise!" Lightning shouted back.

"Look sis." Snow paused in order to calm down and talk as rationally as he could. He didn't want to make things worse, especially in front of Serah. "I know you care about him and that's why it hurts but Hope did it for your protection." After hearing those words, Lightning completely lost it. She pounced on Snow and punched him down on the floor. Usually that would be the end of it, but this time was different. Lightning had become hell personified. She mercilessly beat down Snow with punch after punch until Serah managed to get a grip from behind.

"Claire! Please…no more!" Serah begged and Lightning seemed to calm down with her long hair covering her face. Snow surprisingly got up albeit with some difficulty. What was surprising or rather shocking was the fact that Snow was smiling.

"Don't worry Serah." Snow wiped the blood away from his lips. "This just proves how much she really cares. It's about time she started showing some emotion." That lit up Lightning's fury once more but she couldn't get out of her sister's grip.

"I never asked for his protection! It was my job looking after him! I promised him! I…I.."

"Isn't that the same reason why he protected you?" Noel stepped in and silenced Lightning with his words. "Hope talked a lot about your times together. Didn't he also promise to protect you?" That triggered a memory in Lightning. How long had it been? Centuries since she had embraced the young boy and promised to keep him safe and he in return promised to do the same.

Lightning…me too…I'll try to watch out for you too

Lightning lost her anger after recalling those events. She was surprised at his words at first but nonetheless, it made her happy. No one was successful in doing that. People had been trying to make Lightning open up to them for years but Hope? That weak torn vulnerable little boy who had lost his mother was able to break through her icy exterior in a matter of days. Was such a feat ever possible? Hope had made Lightning experience happiness for the first time in a long time. In Hope, Lightning found someone who could relate to her, someone who could read her like no one else and ironically someone who gave her security from her greatest fear, loneliness. For that and much more, Lightning was eternally grateful to Hope.

"Look at that, sis is smiling!" Snow declared in triumph.

"Shut up." Lightning averted her gaze and Serah released her. "It doesn't change the fact that he's not here because of me…because I was weak…too weak." Lightning's face fell.

"Claire…" Serah tried to place her hand on Lightning's shoulder to console her but she stepped out of the room. "Why is it that everything bad happens to her? It's not fair!" Serah shed tears for her one and only sister. She soon found comfort in Snow's arms.

"Everything will be fine, you'll see." Snow tightened his grip on her. "Just wait and see when Hope comes back."

"I agree but right now I think it's for the best if Serah goes and talks to Lightning." Noel stated. "She needs someone to talk to right now and there's only two people I can think of for the job. One is you and the other is selfishly taking a long nap."

Serah smiled. "Thanks Noel."

"Anytime." With that Serah left leaving Snow and Noel.


Meanwhile, Lightning quickly retreated to her room but bumped into someone on the way. She absentmindedly muttered a 'sorry' before leaving. She noticed that he wore a black robe and had blonde hair.

"Don't worry." The stranger smirked. "You will be sorry soon enough." Lightning faintly heard those words to look back but found that the stranger was gone.


Snow scooted closer to Noel as they watched Serah leave and whispered in his ear. "Don't tell me you like her?"

"Ofcourse I like her…she's…" Noel finally caught on to what Snow had implicated and turned red as a tomato. "Wait a sec! It's not like that!"

"It's fine. I get it." Snow put his hands behind his head and turned away. "You two did go through an entire journey through time and space. I wouldn't be surprised."

"No! Listen to me!" Noel raised his arms in defence.

"She is pretty after all, I wouldn't be surprised if half the people here had a crush on her."

"That's wrong!"

"Oh, so Serah isn't pretty then?" Snow raised an eyebrow.

"No! She is really pretty! It's just…."

"Oh? So now she's pretty to you?" Noel felt like his jaw fell off its hinges.

"Ahahaha, don't sweat it kiddo." Snow trapped Noel in a headlock. "I don't mind if you like her but if you try anything funny then you and I are gonna have a very long talk."

"But I…I…But I.." Noel failed to make any coherent sounds.

"Just kidding!" Snow playfully slapped his back. "I know you don't like her that way. After all, you like Yeul right?"

"That's right! Finally you see it my…" Noel once again failed to catch on to Snow's words before it was too late and his face turned a brighter shade of red, if even possible. "No! That's wrong!" Noel chased after Snow as he left the room.


"Claire, are you okay?" Serah asked as she found Lightning lying on her bed.

"What do you think?" Lightning coldly replied as she sat up.

"Claire, I know it hurts but you shouldn't take it out on everyone." Serah sat down next to her sister.

Lightning glared at her. "It doesn't hurt!" Seeing Serah flinch, Lightning calmed down and started slowly. "Serah, I'm sorry…It's just that I know why he did it. I know why he protected me but that's why it makes me angry. Angry at him for risking his life for someone like me. Angry at myself for being weak enough to rely on him."

"Claire…" Serah paused and tried to think of the right thing to say. She never knew her sister's feelings ran this deep. "If you ask me then I think he did what anyone of us would've done if we were given the chance. We are a family and like it or not, you are an important part of this family." Lightning thought about this quietly as Serah continued. "Just as you would've risked your life for Hope, isn't it only fair that he would do the same? Even I, Snow,Noel, Sazh….everyone would've done what Hope did in a heartbeat."

"But…"

"How do you think he feels when you stick your life out for him?" Lightning went wide eyed as another memory played in her head.

I…I don't…I don't want you to get hurt because of me

Lightning realized that she was being selfish. She never took into account everyones feelings….Hope's feelings.

"Now you know. As for being too weak, Claire…we all need someone to rely on, no matter how strong you think you are. You can't do things alone. You are not alone in this, got it?" Lightning was touched by Serah's words. She wasn't alone after all. She has a family now and she will do everything in her power to protect it, just like Hope.

"Thank you Serah…for everything." Serah smiled.

"Anytime." She hugged her sister and prepared to leave but felt like she needed to say a bit more. "Claire, please don't ever use the words 'someone like me' again. You might think your life isn't worth much but it means the world to me and everyone else. For Hope, it was something worth dying for." Lightning felt broken after hearing those words. "He cares a lot about you, more than you could ever know." Serah left leaving Lightning overwhelmed by the weight of her words. She lay on her bed and tried to catch some sleep but couldn't. Her conflicting emotions and thoughts wouldn't let her.

I….who had no intention of being attached to myself or anything at all….

Her thoughts then turned to Hope.

But…the time I spent with him….

She thought about all that they had gone through. From the Vile Peaks, to Palumpolum, to Pulse and against the world itself. Hope was her first and only partner and she wouldn't have it any other way. But it had been centuries since she last saw him. She wanted to see how much he had grown.

I want to know more about you...

Under the cover of the night, Lightning allowed herself to shed a single tear for the boy she had cared for and the man whose return she impatiently awaits.

"I regret losing you…."

A/N:

Have you guys seen the debut trailer for Lightning Returns?! Damn! Just look at that outfit! She makes everything look epic! From soldier to goddess to assassin. Is there anything she cant pull off?! And guessing from the voice, Hope was the narrator and will be the narrator of the story. Nice! Cant wait for their reunion!

As for the fic, hope you liked the new chapter. Please Read and Review.