"You. You aren't Hope."

Hope opened his eyes and looked his Dad in the face. "What?", Hope murmured incredulously. His father pulled Hope's hand towards him and examined at his brand. Hope's face drooped at his father's disgusted expression but he urged, "Dad-" "No. I'm not your father." Hope's eyes squinted from being filled with water and his entire face began to pinch up, "Fa-"

"I said I'm not your father you-monster!"

Hope cried out and his voice cracked, "You don't mean that! It's me!" "No, Hope is long gone.", Hope's father spat and turned away from Hope with a disdained expression. Hope reached out to grab his father's arm. His dad promptly turned and faced him. Hope's tone, expression, and grasp were desperate, "Don't do this to me. Don't leave me alone. Don't leave your only son-your only family alone...Don't leave me alone!" Hope's father gave him one long, hard look as Hope squinted his eyes shut out of shock and fear. From how Hope looked, it seemed like everything hung in the balance and that he would die from the answer. Hope opened his green pool eyes and pleaded with a gasp, "Please."

Hope's dad shoved himself away, leaving Hope's hand in the air behind him and a tear rolling down Hope's cheek.

"No!", Hope quietly yelled, desperately reaching out with his hand as far as the bars would let him. "Please, please, please!", Hope muttered as sobs began to take over his voice, "Don't!" Hope's father had his back turned and didn't listen. Hope rubbed his face into the bar to get closer, "Dad! Don't!" Water dripped down Hope's hand from his outstretched palm, water magic flowing down along with his tears.

Drip, drip, drip.

"Dad! Please don't!", Hope shrieked as a burst of water magic streamed out from his hand and splashed Hope's father's back. Hope's father quickly moved from the stream's way and yelled, "Get back monster!" The water began to drip from Hope's palm again as it slowed but his tears got faster. "Don't!", Hope shrieked again and his father quickly turned and smacked his hand. Hope cried out and recoiled his hand to his chest, backing away from the bars.

Fang swooped in as Hope curled into a bawling ball. "Shh shh.", she whispered to Hope while patting his shoulder, "He doesn't mean that." Hope cried out to say something but Fang couldn't tell what it was. Instead she picked the boy up again, being careful not to prick him. Hope coiled his arms around her neck and curled his face inwards. Fang hissed at Hope's dad's back then began to leave, chains dragging behind her.

As she began down the stairs again, she softly continued to shush Hope's crying. "Come on now, you're a tough kid. No need to cry.", she said, patting Hope's head. Hope swallowed hard and looked up, "Fang...I'm not strong. I don't have anything anymore." Fang's eyes twinkled, "Oh really now? What's that make me, Behemoth liver? Hm?" Hope didn't laugh, "You're just going to leave like the rest of them." Fang stopped and her tone became completely no-nonsense, "No. I won't. I promised." Hope blinked and Fang chuckled, "You promised too y'know. So don't just go backing out of your word now."

She opened the door to Hope's cell and re-chained him. Hope sat down and Fang wobbled down next to him, exhaling. "I'm not strong.", Hope muttered, staring at the floor with his bangs covering his eyes and his normal hand anchored on one knee.

Fang blinked as he continued without looking up, "When I was little, I got really sick. Dad was out at an invention faire and Mom was frantic. She knew she had to go searching for medicine or else I'd die. After that, I had gone to sleep, I guess it was from the sickness. When I woke up next, Dad was there alone and he was crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said that Mom was gone-that she wasn't coming back."

He paused then continued his voice cracking for a second, "She-she had died while she was looking for a cure for me. Dad said that he found me near death when he came back and had gone out and found it himself, learning Mom's fate along the way. I-I couldn't believe it."

He swallowed hard, "Dad gave up his job to stay home and take care of me. He began to make a profit by selling inventions and the whole town looked down on us. My Dad because he was a crazy inventor and me because...because of everything about me I guess. Everyone kept their distance from us and after what Rygdea said, it made sense. Even though my Dad didn't say anything, I knew he wasn't happy and was pretending. What just happened proved it." Hope sighed and his voice broke again, "Everyone gets hurt because of me."

Fang chuckled and pulled Hope into an affectionate shake with one arm, "On the contrary. Everyone has hope because of you." Hope let out a wry snort and pulled away. Fang turned his shoulder so he'd see how serious she was, "I'm serious. There are a bunch of other Cie'th like me who are hopeful because you're here." Hope spat, "Because you want to break the weak kid, I know." Fang shouted, "Listen Hope! Don't go selling yourself short. I know you're strong! I know you can fix this entire mess."

Hope didn't say anything as Fang exhaled, "I know you can save her."

Fang turned to the quiet Hope, "I'm Oerba Yun Fang. I come from the kingdom of Pulse." Hope looked up at her in confusion as he fumbled, "But we beat them at war during the monarchial times..." Fang quieted him as she said over him, "Yes you did. But you've figured out that this is the long lost castle of the Cocoon royal family by now right?" Hope nodded, remembering the story from his book well. Fang continued, "Yes well, my partner and I were Pulse fal'Cie l'Cie. During the war between our two bitter kingdoms, we were tasked with taking down the Cocoon royal family. And we were successful...but...we never crystallized and my partner still had her time running out. I wasn't about to let her go Cie'th and she and I...had a falling out and she went by herself to take down the princess. Then the curse was inflicted and I freaked out."

Fang exhaled and her voice became grave, "I would do anything for Vanille. I'd tear down the sky, kill thousands of Cie'th, defy the fal'Cie, even burn the entire world if it meant saving her." She exhaled again and almost hesitated over revealing the truth.

"So I became The Mistress' l'Cie. For Vanille."

Hope gasped and Fang chuckled. Her tone became very serious again as she continued, "Vanille had become a Cie'th Stone after the curse had accelerated her time tenfold to the final stage of Cie'th-dom. I knew that l'Cie were able to help free the poor Cie'th souls and I knew I had to become an active l'Cie to save her." Hope stared down at the floor in thought as she kept going, "The Mistress was surprised when I approached her about it but she agreed to make me a l'Cie. Apparently, Vanille was running away from her Focus of having to kill the Mistress because they had become friends." Fang exhaled, "She said that Vanille wouldn't go a day without thinking about me. I was never able to forget her either." Fang paused dreamily as she stared up at the ceiling, reminiscing about Vanille no doubt.

Hope took the chance to ask, "What was your Focus?" Fang turned back to him, "Right well...", Fang hesitated for a second, "Same as yours." Hope stared at the ground with sad eyes, "I see." Fang patted his shoulder, "But I didn't fail because of that." Hope looked up at her, "Why then?" Fang's eyes were cloudy and she couldn't make a sound even though her mouth was open. Hope begged, "Please." She looked down at his innocent expression. Pairing that with the pleading puppy face he was giving her...and those green eyes.

Vanille had green eyes.

Fang blinked as she saw Vanille flash before her with the same cute look in her green eyes and her playful energy along with her endearing face. Vanille smiled playfully, "Please Fang?" Fang blinked again and saw Hope lean to the side a little bit to get her attention.

She blinked again and fumbled, "Ah, well..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she said, "My time ran out too." Hope stayed silent in thought as Fang pushed the words forth, "The Mistress obviously willed that I would save Vanille...but I couldn't. I had grown close to the Mistress as well. And for some reason, Vanille's stone wouldn't communicate with me so that I could fulfill her Focus in the first place." Fang laughed, "Probably because I had fought with her and she never forgave me." Hope looked downcast as Fang let out a sigh that read she was wallowing in regret. "And so...", Fang raised her lanced hand into the air and gave Hope a look, "Here I am."

She lowered her hand and turned to Hope, "But you know, I believe it was fate that we were to meet. I've waited so long-everyone in this castle has. We were waiting for a l'Cie to come along that could help us finish our business. So that we could move on and leave all of our regrets behind. But no one was able to. No one was able to make a difference, even a slight one. However, I saw it in the Mistress' eyes. Something about her changed a little when she saw you. So I'm completely confident you can change everything." Fang chuckled and held up her 'pinky'.

"You promised after all."

Hope stared down emptily at the floor. "I'm a l'Cie right? I have to...I have to be strong.", he clasped his hands together and his eyes began to light up, "But I won't do it just for me. I'll do it for you and Vanille and..." Serah.

Hope looked up at Fang, "So what do you think I should do now?" Fang got up, "I was hoping you'd ask that." She stretched a little bit as she said, "Well, get up. We have somewhere to take you." Hope shot her a questioning look as she undid his chains again. "Don't worry, it's no where bad. I'm going to help you fix that hand of yours." Fang lowered her hand to Hope who got up, anchoring himself on her hand.

Fang then went to the door and flicked her head. Hope didn't move and Fang said, "Well?" Hope's eyes flicked down at his chains then up at Fang. Fang chuckled, "No need for that. How many times have we gone over this?" Fang held up her pinky. Hope smiled and did the same before they headed out.

Hope's chains rattled freely against the floor.