Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to my Final Fantasy XIII story called Star of Hope! Sorry for the wait, but I had to give my hands some time to recover. They were hurting so bad from me typing up the prologue and first seven chapters in such a rapid succession, but I'm back and I'm ready to get the ball rolling again! *grins like a mad woman, an almost crazed look in her eyes*
Much love and over flowing gratitude to all those who have faved, followed and reviewed this story and all of my other ones as well. You guys are the greatest and I truly appreciate all the support!
As you probably have guessed from the chapter title, I am finally introducing Hope Estheim into the main story and subsequently his mother, Nora Estheim. It'll start out from Nora's perspective and eventually switch to Artz's perspective. Then do some flip flopping before finally ending on Hope's perspective.
If you were expecting a laid back sort of chapter for Hope's introduction then you'll be in for a surprise. This chapter will probably have the most involved and action packed battle scene thus far. It will quiet down near the end, but still, I'm pretty certain that at least half of this chapter will be a battle scene with character development mixed in for good measure.
And here we are again. The dreaded disclaimer that makes me want to scream. I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XIII-2. Nor do I own anything else I make references to. I only own my original character, Artz Farron, and the insane plot line that I'm weaving throughout the original story line.
Hope: I think the readers are getting impatient, Artz. *gesturing behind her*
Lady Artz: *finally notices all the death glares directed at her from the readers* Uh…*chuckles nervously* On with the show? *they continue to glare* Fine then! On with the show! *grabs Hope and hides behind her computer*
Chapter Eight: Hope's Quest
Nora Estheim, mother of Hope Estheim, watched her head strong and determined little boy question yet another shop keeper. Her son had been asking every person he met since they arrived in the seaside town of Bodhum about a crimson haired woman named Artz. He was absolutely determined to find her and wasn't going to stop for anything or anyone.
For the last six months, he had been obsessed with finding the woman he had seen only once in a dream, insisting that she was real and that he needed to find her. The young looking mother had been supportive of her son's quest, but his father had been less than enthused with the boy's relentless search for a 'made up' girl.
The Estheim household used to run like a well greased engine, every gear turning like it was supposed to, but ever since Hope's dream, things had become rather volatile. Hope and his father had consistently been at odds, arguing practically every day and now her son firmly believed that his father would never listen to him and didn't care about him at all.
Nora had done her best to keep the peace between them, but she was actually beginning to fight with her husband as well. She understood where he was coming from and why he felt they way he did, but the mother believed that her son's dream girl was actually real, especially after hearing a rumor about a woman matching Artz's description from one of the Guardian Corps officers that had recently returned from a mission near Bodhum.
As soon as she learned all she could from the officer, she raced home to tell her son. Fortunately, Hope's father was at work and would be at the office well into the night, maybe even into the early morning hours. Once her son heard her tale, they boarded the first available express train and came to the quaint and peaceful seaside town of Bodhum.
Upon arriving, her son bolted from the terminal, asking the service desk where the best location would be to find someone. The attendant had designated the shopping center as being the central hub of the social network in Bodhum and that if he wanted to find someone then he needed to ask the shop keepers. They knew just about everyone in town and would be able to help find who they were looking for.
And here they were, in the shopping center, asking every shop keeper about the ginger haired woman. In their quest for information, they learned that her full name was Artz Lanaria Farron and she was a Second Class Corporal in the Bodhum Security Regiment. They also learned that she was considered to be the second in command of NORA, a local monster hunting group that safe guarded the town alongside the Guardian Corps troops.
The crimson haired woman was both well known and well liked in the seaside town. She had saved many of Bodhum's citizens from monster attacks and even ran into a burning building to rescue the people trapped inside. She, her best friend, Snow, and her sister, Lightning, were considered to be the protectors of the seaside town; the Guardians of Bodhum, they were called.
She was pulled from her thoughts when her son set off like a rocket across the shopping center and into the main plaza.
"Hope!" She yelled rushing after him.
Unfortunately, all hell broke loose before she could catch up with him. People started screaming and running around, pushing Nora further and further away from her son and deeper into the shopping center. She heard a horrible screeching sound from above her and she looked up. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of a large winged creature being back lit by the sun.
It let out another high pitched screech before swooping low, making everyone including herself duck in order to not get hit. Nora rose to her feet and tried to locate her son. She spotted him at the other end of the plaza and less than ten feet from the creature.
"Hope!" She yelled terrified, pushing her way through the panicking crowd.
The winged creature opened its mouth and started growing some sort of light ball. It aimed it at the frightened boy, preparing to fire. Nora pushed harder against the people running away, trying desperately to get to her son. She then noticed a blur in her peripheral vision. There was a streak of red darting directly towards her son.
The winged creature fired its attack at Hope and Nora screamed in panic. The blur came to a stop at her son, but that was the last thing the mother saw before the light ball collided with the ground. The resulting explosion caused a large dust cloud to form, the wind blowing outwards like a shock wave and making Nora cover her face to shield her eyes and mouth.
"Hope!" She screamed in worry and fear.
The dimensional traveler breathed a sigh of relief from where she stood on the rooftop of a nearby building, the silver haired boy in her arms. That had been a very close call. If she had been a second later, they would have both died in that attack. She looked down at boy who was staring at her, his face holding an expression that was a mixture of awe and happiness.
She frowned slightly, something stirring at the back of her mind. This boy…he seemed awfully familiar to her. Where had she seen him before and why was he staring at her like that?
"I found you. I finally found you. My Artz!" The boy proclaimed joy radiating off of him in waves.
The red head felt something strike her at her core and for some reason, she felt herself blushing. What a strange reaction? She took a closer look at the boy's face and she inwardly gasped, her eyes widening in realization.
"Hope! You're Hope Estheim!" She exclaimed a little too loudly.
"That's me!" The boy replied happily.
Their discussion was interrupted by the high pitched scream of the winged creature in the sky.
"Oops." Artz stated realizing that their shouting had called its attention to them, "Hope, get onto my back. I need both hands to fight."
The silver haired boy did as he was told and climbed onto her back, wrapping his arms around her neck and locking legs so that he wouldn't fall. The creature dive bombed at them, forcing the ginger to jump back to avoid being hit. She pushed the talk button on her head set, connecting her to the blonde tech expert of NORA.
"Maqui, do we have any intel on this thing yet?!" She yelled over the roar of the creature's wings as it rushed past them.
"The librascope is still downloading. Initial data shows it to be a wyvern or a garuda." Maqui answered.
"Which is it?!" She snapped jumping to another building when it tried to peck them with its elongated beak, "Wyvern or Garuda?!"
"Just a minute!" He replied the furious tapping of keys could be heard through the speaker of the head set.
"I don't have a minute!" She yelled jumping off the building she was on to avoid its bladed tail.
The creature's tail whipped back around and was heading towards her back in a slashing motion. She twisted her body around so that her front took the hit, making certain that Hope wouldn't get hurt. The tail sliced through her shirt and into her skin from her left side, through the valley of her breasts, and stopping at her right shoulder.
She twisted and flipped again to land on the ground. She staggered a bit and fell to one knee, her right hand pressing against the fully bleeding gash.
"This is my fault. You can't fight properly because you're protecting me." Hope stated sounding close to tears.
"Nonsense. I'm not engaging because I don't know what I'm up against. To rush in without any information is foolhardy, reckless, and could get me and everyone around me killed. I just wasn't expecting its tail to bend backwards that far because of how thick its scales were." She replied trying to ignore the pain.
"I got it! It's a cross breed, both wyvern and garuda! It's resistant to all elemental damage except lightning!" Maqui informed over the head set.
"What about physical damage and status retention?" Artz asked getting to her feet and running through the alley to escape the now pursuing hybrid monster.
"Green light on physical damage, susceptible to poison, and capable of inflicting daze." The techie answered quickly.
"Clear the plaza. I need room to fight this thing." The red head ordered ducking to the right and down another side road to avoid the hybrid's bladed tail.
"Already on it. Yuj, Gadot and Lebreau are getting the people inside the buildings and off the streets." Maqui replied.
"Hope, whatever happens, you must not let go under any circumstances. Do you understand?" The ginger ordered glancing back and gauging the distance between them and the winged creature.
"I'll never you let go." The boy replied his voice filled with an intense determination that made her heart flutter in response, skipping a beat before returning to its regular rhythm.
She mentally shook her head and focused herself once more. She then jumped towards the wall, using her mana drive to bounce off the wall and flip backwards over the winged creature and land behind it.
"Hey ugly! This way!" She yelled running back towards the main plaza.
The creature let out a high pitched screech and quickly gave chase. She continued running, turning when necessary and giving a message for the blonde techie to pass on. When the plaza came into view, she withdrew her short swords from their sheaths and prepared for a hard battle.
Nora tried to push past the blue haired boy in front of her. She had to find her son. She needed to make certain he was okay, that he wasn't…that he wasn't dead. She'd never forgive herself if she had let her son die out there all alone.
"You've got to let me pass! My son is still out there!" She yelled straining against the blue haired boy's grasp on her arms.
"It's too dangerous! You need to stay here until Artz has taken care of that monster!" The boy shouted grunting from how strongly the woman was fighting against him.
"That's who my son was looking for! He was looking for Artz!" She cried out continuing to pull.
"Why was he looking for her?" The boy grit out, getting a better grip on her and holding her to his chest.
"Because he dreamed about her! He said he had to find her! That's why we came here!" She half shouted still struggling.
"Your boy…is his name Hope?" The blue haired boy asked an almost desperate tone in his voice.
She stopped struggling for a moment and looked up at him in shock, surprised that he knew the name of her son.
"Yes, yes it is. How did you know?" She asked quietly.
His eyes brightened and a smile appeared on his face.
"Artz has been waiting for him a long time, almost six months. That means that you're Nora, Nora Estheim." The boy answered seemingly relieved.
"Yes, I am. Please I have to find my son." She pleaded close to tears.
"Yuj, Gadot, Lebreau, did you find a woman named Nora by any chance?" Maqui asked over the walkie talkie.
Yuj kept one arm wrapped around the silver haired woman, giving her a look that promised that he would pin her to the ground if she tried to run, and pulled his walkie talkie out of his pocket to answer the blond techie.
"I've got a Nora with me right now. She's looking for her son, Hope." He stated calmly, keeping a close on the woman in question.
"Great! Artz said to tell her that Hope is with her and as soon as the monster is dealt with, she'll bring him to her." Maqui informed.
"Thank the goddess." Nora said collapsing into the blue haired boy named Yuj in sheer relief.
He managed to keep his balance and hold her up as well.
"Message received and much appreciated." He replied pocketing the walkie talkie, "See, Artz is looking after your boy."
The mother smiled up at him, tears falling down her cheeks.
"You're pretty strong for a girl." Yuj commented offhandedly.
"Moms are tough." She replied standing up straight again.
The crimson haired dimensional traveler ran out into the plaza, skidded to a halt and then turned around, swords at the ready. Her breathing was ragged and heavy and her eyesight was beginning to blur from the amount of blood she had already lost, but she couldn't give in now. Hope was depending on her to protect him and return him to his mother safe and sound.
The wyvern/garuda hybrid soared high into sky, screeching loudly as it climbed higher. It then positioned itself into a downward spiral that Artz knew to be the move aptly named Feeding Scoop. Her eyes fogged over from the pain, her world beginning to spin. She was vaguely aware of someone yelling out her name. She wasn't sure if it was Hope or not.
Suddenly, the pain vanished as she was engulfed in a momentary burst of green light. Her vision cleared just as she saw Snow punch the hybrid creature away from her and Hope. It crashed into the other side of the plaza, struggling to get up. She looked down at her shirt; the wound, the blood and even the tear had disappeared like it never existed.
"Sorry we're late." Lightning piped up from next to her.
The NORA leader joined them on Artz's other side, already in a fighting stance.
"Apparently this thing had a mate and was wreaking havoc at the beach." He informed.
The red head smiled, realizing that the elder Farron had used her mana drive to heal her wound and repair her damaged clothing while Snow shielded them.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Heroes usually show up at the last minute." She stated falling in to her own fighting stance.
Lightning withdrew her gun blade from its holster, a smirk on her face.
"Let's dance!" The NORA leader shouted.
"I'll lead, you follow." Artz quipped back in a teasing tone.
She raced ahead and delivered a series of quick blows to the hybrid's wings and neck. She flipped back out of the way when it swung its tail to defend itself. The elder Farron rushed in for her assault, dealing a few blows before having to retreat hastily to avoid being pecked from above.
"This is thing is weak to lightning based damage. Also, no resistance to physical type attacks." The red head informed.
Snow smirked, bumping his fists together.
"That's my cue!" He shouted jovially, running up to the winged creature like the brash fool he was.
He sent a swift uppercut to its head before landing two square punches to its chest. He then jumped back, but had to dive to the left to avoid the wild swing of its tail. It was starting to get desperate.
"Artz, with me!" Lightning ordered charging at the creature.
The ginger haired woman followed her sister's lead, both activating their mana drives at the same time and unleashing powerful Sparkstrikes to stagger the winged creature.
"Launch it!" Artz ordered preparing for an aerial assault.
The elder Farron charged up her mana drive and powered up her sword. She then struck underneath the wyvern/garuda hybrid and sent it flying into the air. The crimson haired dimensional traveler jumped into the air and started hitting the creature with everything she had.
"Faster! Go faster! Even faster! Starlight strike!" She yelled her swords glowing a majestic purple color as she landed her final crossed blow to the winged creature.
The wyvern/garuda hybrid fell to the ground and did not move again. She landed gracefully on the balls of her feet and sheathed her swords.
"Cool." Hope stated in awe, looking at her like she was some kind of warrior angel.
She smiled at him as she helped him slide off of her back and onto the ground.
"And the heroes win again." She replied winking at him.
He smiled a goofy grin at her, making her laugh.
Nora ran out of the building and into the plaza, making a bee line for her son.
"Hope!" She yelled.
Her son turned around and beamed at her.
"Mommy!" He shouted happily, waving at her but made no move to go to her.
She reached him and scooped him up into her arms, hugging him fiercely.
"I was so worried. I thought I lost you." She whispered tears in her eyes.
"I'm fine, Mom. Artz protected me from the monster! She's amazing!" He replied seemingly unaffected from the entire ordeal.
It was in that moment that the young looking mother noticed the crimson haired woman standing a few feet in front of her. She had sapphire blue eyes, an hourglass figure, and was quite beautiful. She was wearing a modified Guardian Corps' uniform and had two short swords hanging from her belt behind her.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Nora Estheim." Artz stated smiling at her, a knowing and almost wise look in her eyes.
For someone so young, she had such ancient eyes. It was a startling contrast to say the least.
"Thank you for protecting my son." She replied gratitude in her voice.
"I will always protect Hope." The red head stated like it was a fact of the universe.
The silver haired woman blinked at that statement, sensing some sort of bond between the ginger haired woman and her son. Whatever that connection was, it was incredibly strong and now she understood why her son had been so adamant to find his dream girl. The bond had always existed, ever since he had been born. It was only brought to light now because the dream had awakened it within him.
"Well, I don't about you, but I'm starving. How about we get something to eat? I know a great place down by the beach. It's called NORA House and Lebreau is the best cook in Bodhum." The red head suggested her eyes sparkling with kindness.
Nora felt herself relax completely. Somehow, that girl gave off a calming aura that soothed anyone and everyone around her. It would be difficult for someone to stay grumpy when in her presence for an extended period of time. Her charming personality was rather infectious.
"I'd like that." She replied smiling warmly at the ginger.
"Me too!" Hope concurred jumping from his mother's arms and taking the red head's hand, beaming up at her.
Artz smiled down at her son with such warmth that Nora almost felt like she was intruding on some kind of private moment between the two. It was a ridiculous feeling to be having since the red head was a grown woman and her son was still a child. She mentally shook her head of those thoughts. How very strange indeed?
"You got things covered here?" The ginger asked the pink haired woman with the gun blade.
"Yeah. You get some rest and spend time with your friends. I'll drop by later to check up on you." She answered smiling softly at the red head.
"Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." Artz stated her tone completely serious.
"Nah, she wouldn't do that. Then she'd have to find someone else to argue with." The blonde haired man commented bumping his fists together, a smile on his face.
"No promises." The pink haired one stated her tone deadly serious.
The crimson haired woman chuckled at the put out expression on the NORA leader's face.
"I just can't win with you, can I?" He griped.
"You can't win ever." The pink haired woman quipped back, a slight smirk on her face.
The blonde haired man's shoulders slumped in defeat as he sighed heavily. Nora watched the whole interaction with an amused look on her face. What an odd group of friends? It was clear from their interactions with each other that they trusted one another very much, no matter what the pink haired woman might have said.
Artz waved goodbye to her comrades and the two Estheims left with her.
The dimensional traveler walked along the beach, carrying a sleeping Hope on her back. His mother, Nora, was walking beside her, a content smile on her face.
"I can see why my son was so determined to find you. You really are an amazing woman." The silver haired woman commented.
"You're the amazing one. I don't know how you keep up with him. I got tired from simply watching him run around like a hyperactive chocobo." Artz replied with a chuckle.
Nora chuckled as well before falling silent.
"May I ask you a question?" She said suddenly.
"Sure. You can ask me anything." The red head replied looking at the silver haired woman.
"Why is it that every time you look at me, it's with such sadness?" She asked coming to a stop.
Artz stopped as well, looking down at the ground with her hair covering her eyes.
"We've talked about many things today. Me being from another dimension, the game called Final Fantasy XIII and my blocked memories…" The ginger started taking a breath to steady herself, "But there's one memory that isn't blocked. One memory that has been at the forefront of my mind all day. One memory that constantly appears in my sleep as a nightmare."
"And that memory is?" Nora asked gently.
The crimson haired woman looked up at her and the mother inwardly gasped. The ginger's sapphire eyes were swimming with tears and pain so profound that it made Nora want to cry.
"The memory of how you die." She answered her voice trembling slightly, "And how Hope watched helplessly, unable to save you."
Nora stayed silent, her mind trying to process this new information. Sometime in the future, she was going to die and her son would not only see her die, but wouldn't be able to do anything about it. To say she was shocked was an understatement.
This woman, the woman from her son's dream, knew how her life would end and was already filled with such sorrow and loss because of it. She looked into the ginger's blue orbs again. To carry the grief of the future was a terrible burden to bear and for someone so young to have to carry that burden, it was cruel.
"Tell me everything." She replied softly.
"Are you sure?" The ginger asked gently.
Nora dug deep into herself to find the courage and resolve to hear about her own death. She squared her shoulders, her eyes hardening with determination.
"Yes, I am." She answered.
That evening, Nora and Hope stood outside the railway terminal, preparing to head back to their hometown of Pallumpolum. The silver haired boy was having a hard time letting Artz go. He didn't want to leave her after finally finding her. The ginger managed to detach him from her waist long enough to kneel down in front of him.
"Here, I want you to have this." She stated pulling out a folded boomerang inside of a holster.
"What is it?" He asked sniffling and rubbing his eyes.
"It's called an Airwing, a weapon fashioned as a boomerang." She answered holding it out to him.
"But why are you giving it to me?" He asked confused.
She placed it in his hands and he nearly fell over. It was a lot heaver than it looked and he had to use both arms to keep from dropping it.
"I'm giving it to you so you can get stronger. The road ahead of us is long and treacherous. There will be many dangers and you need to be strong enough to protect both me and your mother. This Airwing will help you accomplish that. Practice with it every day until you can wield it with one hand. Master it so that you can protect the ones you love." She answered softly.
He looked down at the boomerang weapon then back up at her face. In his mind, she was asking him to become stronger for her; that she wanted and needed him to be stronger. This was a request from his Artz. He would do it for her. He would become stronger, so that nothing and no one could ever hurt his shining star.
"I'll do it. I'll practice every day. I will be stronger…for you." He replied his eyes hardening in determination.
She smiled at him and his face became really hot. He really liked it when she smiled. She was so pretty when she did. The crimson haired woman stood up, but the smile never left her face.
"Safe journey." She said softly to his mother.
Nora nodded and guided her son away from ginger haired woman. When they reached the door, he looked back one last time. She smiled softly at him and waved. He clutched the boomerang weapon under his left arm tightly and used his right hand to wave back. His mother lead him away again and the crimson haired dimensional traveler disappeared from view.
Lady Artz: Chapter Eight: Hope's Quest is over and done with! Whew! Talk about epic! I had a lot of fun typing up this chapter…at least until my hands started hurting again. What a bummer that was. Not to worry, the next chapter will not be nearly as action packed as this one was.
With that being said, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Nine: The Vestige! Stay Tuned!
