Chapter 10: A World Achieved And Unfulfilled

Lightning grumbled, walking down the road to the construction site during this lazy afternoon. After a month away from the village, she was hoping to spend some quality time with Serah before her work called her off to some distant and unknown land again. As fate may have it, her unwanted expectation came into light when a Cavalry soldier visited to her house earlier this morning and informed her that Mr. Estheim had requested her presence. The female soldier only let out a tired sigh. It was only a matter of time.

Lightning stopped in her track when she reached near the construction site by Overpass Bridge. She took in the scene before her. Men and women were bustling around, carrying lumbers, steel materials, and cargo boxes over their shoulders. Some were on top of house, fixing and hammering away the roof. Others were in-group, planning and making projects. It made her heart burst with hope seeing everyone finding his or her way and role in this world. She felt a little comfort in her future seeing the people was not giving up on hope. Every soul had a role to play and she had her own too, which was protecting those she cared about. The people had survived a terrible fate before and Lightning made a promise to herself to not let a human suffered again. She continued down the road, coming before a small office building before giving the door a few alarming knocks.

"Come in." Bartholomew's voice said.

Lightning opened the front door and walked into the office. She paused for a brief moment to look around the room. The desk, which was covered in mountains of paper, was barely holding up on its wooden legs. Behind the papers, Bartholomew was sitting in his chair, looking dead exhausted, his face staring at a paper, which he was holding in his hands. There were dark circles under Bartholomew's eyes, but the fatigue didn't seem to point toward the stack of papers on the table. "You call, sir!" Lightning stated, breaking the man's focus from the paper before shifting his eyes to her.

"Please take a seat, Ms. Farron." Bartholomew gestured to the empty chair on the other side of the desk. "I apologize for calling you out so suddenly, but I have a job I need you to take care of."

"What kind of job?" Lightning asked, raising a brow.

"An Investigation on Cocoon!"

"An Investigation? Investigate what exactly?"

"Undead activities. I believed they are currently your specialty." Bartholomew only hinted.

"The Necromancer is on Cocoon?" Lightning inquired, gaining a nod from the middle-aged man. The man pulled out a folder from the drawer under the desk before opening it and handing her a report file.

"We believed that monster is lurking on Cocoon. We're don't know the details exactly, but we received reports of witnessed account of walking corpses around what was supposed to be Bodhum after Eden fell on top of it and outside the Hanging Edge. Luckily there was not attack."

"A simple recon mission?" Lightning raised a brow, skimming through the report.

"Yes and that is why I am asking you alone to lead this investigation." Bartholomew informed her.

"What about Sazh?"

"Mr. Katzroy is currently working on an agricultural project with other Sanctum members. You can ask him for assistance but I think it will futile on your attempt seeing that he happily requested and volunteered himself when he heard about the project." Bartholomew said.

Lightning held back a sigh. It would be nice to have someone she could trust to look after her back. "So when do you want me to leave?"

"Preferably by tomorrow. Rygdea will informed you of the other minor details and gathered a troop to accompany with you on Cocoon."

"That's comforting." Lightning suggested.

"Not much to offer there." Bartholomew said, regardless. "I know you just got back from a mission, but seeing how things are, I can't trust anyone else with this mission." He sympathized with the woman, feeling worn out himself. "I wanted to go also; to check on Cocoon's condition and the people, however, the situation with my son has been very delicate lately."

"Hope still taking these changes hard?" Lightning inquired.

The older man nodded. "He's been quiet. He stays lock up his room and he isn't talking much. I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't talk to me."

"I understand. He is probably still in shock over everything."

"Well, I don't think that is root of the problem." Bartholomew sighed, taking off his glass before rubbing the space between his brow. The woman cocked her head, looking curiously at him. "I haven't seen Snow for a while."

Lightning made a soft "Oh" sound when realization hit her like a brick to the face. "A lover's spat, I presume." She mused. On the contrary, she hadn't seen Snow for couple days now. Something probably happened between the two lovebirds.

"I am afraid so." Bartholomew sighed.

"Another day almost over." Hope said sullenly to himself. He was sitting, more like huddling with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arm crossed around them, near the shore beside the boathouse, listening to waves. He was looking at the calming and glorious sunset while ignoring the people behind of him going on with their usual business. It's been over four days since he last saw Snow or even spoke to anyone as a matter of fact. When did his life become so boring? He spent the past days lying on his bed, under the covers and never coming out of his room other than to swell the creeping hunger into his stomach. There was a hole in his chest, a dreadful feeling of unfulfillment and loneliness. Hope just wanted to walk into the water and let the waves carried him away. And maybe the waves could take him to a different and better world where he couldn't feel this much pain.

Hope's face turned into a frown. That wouldn't bring back his mother alive and his old life again. He could whine and complain about it, but it wouldn't change anything. He lost it all because of one man: Snow Villiers. Hope felt his blood boil hearing himself thinking about that man. The life he once knew didn't exist anymore because of that man. And as much he wanted too, he couldn't bring himself to hate the blond. His mind kept bringing up images of the man, smiling warmly and sweetly at him. The man made his chest feel lighthearted and overwhelmed with happiness. Hope didn't know how to get out of this conundrum and it was becoming frustrating. He clenched his fingers around a pebble beside him.

"Why can't I hate you?" He screamed, standing up and throwing the small stone with all of his strength into the water.

"Hope?"

Hope's head snapped to the voice behind him and saw the pink-haired soldier, Lightning if he remembered correctly, looking intrigued at him. He stared with a twisted and frustrated expression at the woman and then his eyes turned to the people loitering in the street behind the woman. Some of them had stopped and looked at him also. He huffed and sat down on the sand, shifting his gaze back to sunset. He ignored the light footstep brushing against the sand, approaching him. The woman took a seat beside him.

"I haven't see you in days?" Lightning asked. The boy looked like he was swallowed in grief and anger. She had seen this face before. It was the same boy she met at Lake Bresha, completely broken, unconfident, and misdirected.

Hope didn't say anything. He wasn't in any joyous mood to talk. He wanted to be alone and there was nothing anybody could say to change the deep and discontent feeling surging through his veins. The woman, just like his father, probably also knew about his mother's fate and didn't tell him also.

"I'm here if you want to talk about anything?"

"I don't want to talk about it..." Hope mumbled, not really acknowledging the presence beside him.

"It's Snow, isn't it?" Lightning asked carefully. It was obvious something was bothering Hope and Bartholomew was right.

"You should've known?" Hope shot a glare at the woman who only gave him a muddled look.

"What did he do?"

"He told me what happened to mom. It was his fault," Hope said, clenching his teeth.

Lightning held back a sigh and rolling her eyes, but she ended shaking her head slightly in distress while not making the action so obvious. 'Not this headache again." Leave it Snow to rock the boat until it capsized. The man was sometime brainless in these situation sometimes.

"He put her in danger and because of that she is gone." Hope said, his voice raising. "And the thing I hate the most is that I am not mad at him... and I hate myself for that."

Lightning did a good job hiding a smile turning up on her lips. Even with the amnesia and those heart wretched emotions, it amazed her to no end that Hope could not stop loving Snow. It appeared that the bond and love that Snow and Hope shared ran much deeper than on the surface. "You shouldn't be mad at Snow." She said, giving a pitiful look to the horizon. "If there is anyone who should be mad at, it should be me."

"What do you mean?" Hope inquired curiously, his brow knitted together when he saw the forlorn look the woman's face.

"The moment I became a l'Cie, I lost everything; my family, my dreams, and my future. I couldn't accept that, so I fought back against the things that took them away," Lightning paused, shifting her gaze to the sky, reminiscing about the choices she made: the good and the bad. At the time, she was struggling with her own immaturity and darkness. "Fighting was the only thing that kept me moving forward and it prevented me from seeing the truth. I didn't trust anyone, not even my own sister," She shifted her gaze back to Hope. "And I dragged you down with me. I was turning you into a murder, taking your frustration and anger out from Snow. When I realized the truth, I was too late to save you. I couldn't gave you the hope to continue surviving, but that didn't stop Snow."

Hope blinked as his eyes searched around him while he pondered and digested over what the pink-haired soldier said for a moment ago. "So Snow save me..."

"In so many ways a person could save another," Lightning muttered which only causes a blush to appear on Hope's face.

"B-but my mom? He said it-"

"Hope," Lightning interrupted the teen. "Snow didn't kill your mother. It was the Sanctum."

"What?" Hope gave the woman a pair of disbelief eyes, his forehead wrinkled with confusion. His mind was then plagued with the image of guilty and grieving blond-haired man. He remembered that look as it had made his heart twist in pain. Snow admitted that he was responsible for his mother's death, and now the woman was telling him it was the Sanctum's fault. "I don't understand."

"The Purge was the Sanctum logic of eliminating threats from Pulse, but it really was only an excuse to kill many lives. It was simple mass murder. We all saw what the Purge truly was that day. Even your mother when they purged the city," Lightning took a moment, closing her eyes, remembering that dreaded place. "Snow fought back against the Sanctum. The other Purgees and your mother saw it as hope and that is why they fought back. Your mother died protecting Snow's cause. She died protecting you, to make sure you stay alive."

Hope only stared at the woman, trying to grasp everything he just heard before it sinks in. He then felt the anguish and anger dissipating from his body, replacing by a little warm fire engulfing his entire form. His mother died saving him! If what Lightning say was true, then Snow didn't kill his mother. "Then why Snow say that?" Hope asked, giving the female soldier a questionable look. It still didn't make sense why Snow said he was responsible for his mother's death.

"Half of it is because he's an idiot," Lightning said amused, a smile forming on her lips. "The other half is because he wasn't able to save her. She saved his life too."

"Snow's life?" Hope's face scrunched in confusion.

Lightning nodded. "She saved him. However afterward, there was a cross-fire and she died right before Snow's eyes. He couldn't do anything to save the woman who just save his life. That is why he will always take the blame for Nora's death."

Hope didn't know how he felt about that. His mother's death wasn't in vain. She died for him and the people of Cocoon. Then his heart tightened when he remembered the despair look on Snow's face as he was splashed with a bucket of cold water. Snow was hurting too. His mother's death had affected the man also. The blond was just as upset as he was over his mother's death. The guilt was still haunting the blond-haired man. A smile slowly crept on his face as he felt his heart unwinded.

"You can hate this world you live in, hate your life, but don't hate Snow..." Lightning muttered, before grumbling. "He can be reckless and rash sometimes, but he never hesitate with his decisions and always put himself in danger, even it meant taking extreme measures to protect the ones he loved. It's quite admirable. He's a nice and caring idiot."

Hope felt his heart fluttered with a warm and comforting sensation hearing the sincerity from the woman's lips. There was an upsurge, some ghost of emotions flowing through his body. "So... ummm... Snow and...I..." Hope stammered nervously, gulping down a nervous knot. He rubbed his right arm anxiously, feeling a rush of heat going to his cheeks.

Lightning raised an amused brow when she saw the blush dusted on the flustering teen's cheeks. She was about to open her mouth, but stopped when she discerned footsteps approaching them. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Lightning said openly before standing up, facing the blond.

Hope turned around and saw Snow standing a yard away from him and the woman. His heart jumped as a sudden wave of heat coursed through his body for some longing reason, finally seeing Snow for days. The blond was looking at him with those sad and remorse eyes, seeking for empathy. Lightning then leaned forward against him, breaking his eyes away from the blond. "But you sure can pick them." The soldier snickered quietly in his ears before walking towards the blond nonchalantly. Snow still had his attention on him as the woman walked passed the blond. A pair of soft and lonely sapphire eyes bored at his own eyes, never wavering.

"Hope..." Snow stopped himself, glancing away with a heartbroken expression.

Hope sighed, shaking his head. He repressed a smile forming on his face. 'He's an idiot alright.' The man probably had his brain wired wrong or something. He turned back to the ocean, taking a seat on the sand. A pair of heavy feet sauntered behind him before hesitantly taking a seat beside him. He kept his eyes peered over the golden ocean, ignoring the eyes looking at him while watching as the sun began to disappear into the horizon.

"I am-"

"Don't say it!" Hope said, quickly placing a finger on Snow's lips. He observed the blond's face, seeing the fatigue and stress dancing around those blue eyes. His eyes then turned to his finger on Snow's lips which he didn't know were there to begin with. He pulled back quickly, feeling a heat rising in his face. "Lightning told him what happened to my mother." Hope spoke, feeling the figure beside him turning rigid. "You don't have to apologize anymore. I understand now. The Purge. You. Everything." He locked eyes with Snow's. "We can't change the past no matter much he wished for it."

"Hope..." Snow swallowed hard, his eyes couldn't break away from the Hope's entrancing presence.

"Did my mom say anything to you?"

Snow nodded. "She asked to keep you safe."

"And you did that." Hope said, smiling warmly at the blond. It wasn't about his anger anymore. It was about Snow atoning for his sins. He then felt the figure beside him relaxed and unknotted, as a heavy burden just disappeared from the world.

Snow jumped slightly when he felt a small hand ghosted over his large hand. His eyes met Hope's who was blushing slightly, realizing then how close they were. Snow's throat constricted at the sight. Those giant green pools and pink, sweet lips were just begging to be devoured. He tried with all of his might to push his eyes away from the beautiful teen, feeling a rumble in his chest. His brain was so close from shutting down. It would be far too easy to kiss the young teen, with some added naughty moves, at the moment. His last shred of intelligence held him back sadly. "Thanks." Hope then said and Snow felt his heart soared when he felt Hope's fingers entwined in his.

"I'll never go back on that promise. I swear." Snow muttered, tightening his fingers around Hope's. He wanted then and there to tell Hope everything, about them. The words were stuck in his throat and not a single of one was able to escape his lips. The past few days had been emotionally wrecking enough. He didn't want to regain Hope's thrust just to suddenly lose it again. He just had to be patient and wait, hoping one day Hope's memories returned soon.

"I have been having some strange dreams recently." Hope uttered out of the blue.

"Nightmares?" Snow asked worriedly, but Hope only shook his head.

"It's still a big blur. I was somewhere inside of Pulse... I think. Lightning and the guy with the afro-haired were there also."

"Sazh?" Snow asked, gaining a nod from Hope.

"You were there too." Hope said, blushing slightly.

"Is there anything else?" Snow pushed further, swallowing a large lump trying to resist pouncing. Why did his lover have to be so sexy and adorable at the same time?

"Well..." Hope bit on his lower lip, his eyes softened. "There were two others. I don't see them anymore, but for some reason, I know they were there also. Something inside of me is telling me I should remember them, but I don't. It hurts and I don't understand."

"You probably thinking of Fang and Vanille." Snow said, seeing a spark of curiosity glittering in Hope's green orbs. Hope still didn't remember anything that happened three months ago, but Snow had to at least try something. He quickly stood up with his hands reach out. "C'mon. You wanna see them?"

Hope's brow knitted together. He watched with round eyes at the smirk on the blond's face and then to the hand. He felt his cheeks burning before hesitantly reaching out, placing his hand in Snow's large and welcoming hand. His heart beat wilding when the man gently pulled him on his feet before leading them back to the village. Snow was grinning brightly, never letting go of his hand and the teen found that he couldn't protest. However, he did push their entwined hands in Snow's coat pocket, unseen from the eyes of civilian around them. Hope allowed the blond to lead him through the village, his hands tightened around the warm and calloused hand inside the coat's pocket. They came up to his house before entering it. Hope was now confused. "Ummm... Snow?"

"Here." Snow said, walking up the stairs.

Hope blinked, bewildered as the man disappeared up the stairs. He heard some rummage in his room before reluctantly climbed up the stairway to his room. He found Snow searching through his bedroom drawer before crouching near the bed, looking for something underneath it. "What are you looking-"

"Found it!" Snow exclaimed cheerfully, finding the item between the mattresses.

Hope quickly appeared beside Snow, looking at the item in the blond's hand. It was a photo. He blinked, staring at the girl dressed in pink with bright red pigtail hair and adorned with bangles, and a young, bronzed-skinned woman in blue in the photograph. Obscurely, Hope felt something reverberate in his chest and then the two unknown faces which suddenly became visible in his head. "It's them." Hope said astounded.

"Do you want to meet them?" Snow asked, gaining a perplexed look from the teen.

To Be Continued...

A/N: This have been a very productive month so far. Let's hope I can keep it up :) We're approaching the end (about 70% completed so far, I think), so hold onto your seat because I don't know what's going to happen next :p I am switching the focus of the story to Snow/Hope for the next few chapters, which I think I didn't emphasize them much so far. We need more Snow/Hope, don't you think? Also I want to say thanks to those who reviews. U guys are my heart and soul, literally! *Sniff* *Sniff* If it wasn't for you guys, this story wouldn't be possible.

Please Reviews!