Author's Notes: Thank you for checking out my next story! This one has been sitting on my computer for years unfinished, but I wanted to post it for the longest. If you've ever read "The Arrangement", this one is similar. This is mainly rated T, but it will be M for chapters later on. For the readers who follow my HopexLight stories, there are still more to come that I would like to post!

"How did things end up this way…? The place I once called home had now become my prison. No longer was I able to leave freely. I see very few people and very few people are able to see me. This is my isolation and yet my refuge. I'm trapped in a floating castle in the sky. I was placed with a curse that I don't know how to get rid of or what's to become of me because of it. What destruction was I supposed to bring? What was I supposed to do with this power? I may not know until it happens. By then, I probably won't know until it's too late…"

Chapter 1: Break Free!

As night was casted over the skies, a few stars shined their light clearly. The sixteen-year-old lifted her head as she gazed up. She sat inside, on her window ceil, within the open window. A cool breeze entered in and slightly blew her pink hair aside from off her shoulder. Things were quiet around. Beyond her window, her eyes stretched beyond the grounds of her house across Eden. Even if she thought about going outside, she knew that she couldn't go far. The guards that were stationed around were under strict orders to keep watch over the premises. One step too far off of the grounds and they were under orders to bring her back. Her knees curled up toward her chest as her arms wrapped around them for comfort. She lowered her head onto her knees and buried her face within her skirt. She tried not to let the loneliness get to her, but the feeling couldn't help but surround her and close in. Was this to be her life from now on? That the only things she could see of the world was what was beyond her window? Even though the big house she lived in wasn't a castle, she still called it the 'castle in the sky'. It was above everything in Cocoon. She heard that if you gazed up from the land below, Eden seemed distance like a star. Still, she had no way to prove it was true since she never left Eden. For now, she would push all of those thoughts aside of wondering what was beyond this place and focus on what was ahead of her, but why was that so hard to accept? More than anything, all she wanted was her freedom...

Suddenly, she heard a faint, rattle sound that made her ear twitched. Slowly, she lifted her head. At first, she thought it was nothing, but wanted to check just in case. When her eyes traveled over, she wasn't sure how to react, whether to be stunned or confused. She was torn between the two. In the grass, near her window, she saw a small, red ball. It seemed very familiar to her and she knew that it wasn't there before, so where could it have come from? Her hand reached over and picked it up from the ground. She took time to observe it. Her mind couldn't tear away from the fact that it was recognizable even if it was generic.

Out of nowhere, she heard a high-pitched whistle. Her eyes lifted up with confusion as she stared out in the distance. There was nothing there, yet it sounded familiar as well. Unable to keep her curiosity at bay, she stepped down from her window. Her feet touched the soft grass below. She was cautious as she walked across the grounds and made sure that no one noticed her. Some feet away, she made it off of the grounds and stopped near the edge. The closer she got, the sooner the whistling sound had stopped. Curiously, she glanced off the edge below her. "Claire… It's been a long time." Her eyes widened as she was stunned. She couldn't believe who she saw clearly in front of her. There he was, with the familiar grin, his lively, green eyes, and soft, silver hair that glowed in the moonlight. He was riding on a hover cycle, floating in the air. It had been a long time since they've seen each other. She couldn't help but wonder why he was there now? The nineteen-year-old kept his smile on as he stared at her. "How have you been? It's been a while since we've last seen each other, a little over a year almost."

Claire's expression grew serious as she held onto her arms. "Exactly… What are you doing here Hope?" He grew surprised. He thought that she would be happy to see him. Claire's eyes traveled over to the side as she felt uneasy. "You need to go. Now." Surprise swelled more inside of him. This was not the warm welcome he expected. They used to be close, but now, she made it seemed as if she didn't want to see him again. His eyes drifted to the side hurt and disappointed. Claire glanced over and took notice of the face he made. She didn't mean to make him feel that way. She turned more toward him, being serious as she could. "You need to leave now. It's not safe for you to be here."

Hope became curious. A small part of him wondered what was going on. "How come?"

Claire frowned. "Why are you here?"

He was taken aback by her question. He thought the reason was obvious. "To see you of course."

Claire was surprised by his answer, but then relaxed her body. She needed to maintain a serious front. "Why do you want to see me? You don't have any reason to. What was arranged between us is over. You don't have any obligation to be here or to me."

Hope looked down, saddened. "I know that. What was arranged between us is over, but… that still doesn't change the fact that… I still wanted to." The surprise on her face became clear enough for him to see. Soon, her eyes lowered as she became uneasy. He was a little concerned, but then lifted his eyes to her again. "I couldn't really…stay away."

Claire's eyes lowered with her hands together in front of as they began to tense. "You should go…"

He was still somewhat concerned. "I thought that you would have been happy to see me again, but I guess… that's not the case." He closed his eyes, reluctant. "I'll do as you say. I'll go."

She watched as he turned away and got ready to take off. Letting her guard down, she began to get anxious. She didn't want him to think that she wasn't happy. It was just her confusion, surprise, and concern coming to the surface all at once. Before he left, he heard her voice call out to him. "Wait!" Words escaped from her. Her eyes didn't lift to meet his.

Curiously, he looked over. "Claire… is everything okay?" She didn't reply. She hadn't spoken to anyone about what she was going through. It didn't seem like it would make a difference nor did she want to place her feelings or burden on anyone else. Hope became more concerned. "Answer me. Is everything okay?"

"I can't talk here," she finally answered him.

Her words only made him more worried. "Come with me."

For a few seconds, her eyes widened. Hearing those words were like a door opening for her to walk through. Still, she knew the risks of leaving and couldn't do it. She relaxed her body and suppressed the urge to take his offer. "I can't."

He gave a confused look. "Why not?"

Her eyes traveled toward the side as she pressed her fist against her chest. "I'm not allowed to leave this place…ever."

Her words stunned him. "You're not allowed to leave?"

Even though she tried to hide it, some of her sadness seeped through. "Yes... There are soldiers watching my every move. I had to sneak out here just to see what was calling out to me."

With a question on his mind, he was afraid of what the answer would be. "Have you ever… been able to leave here?"

Claire shook her head with her eyes closed. "No. I'm under strict orders not to and the soldiers will not allow me to leave." She looked back to make sure no one was watching them. "I better go back before someone notices I'm missing."

Before she could walk away, she heard his voice. "Why…do you look sad?"

Claire turned back to him. She took a moment before she spoke. "I'm not."

Hope stared at her sincerely. "We've known each other for a long time. I can tell when you are. What is it? Is it being here? Do you feel trapped?" Claire remained silence. She wasn't ready to give him that answer. Hope hoped that she would tell him something. "You don't have to hide it. Remember what I said before we had to split? I told you that I would be there if you needed me." Her eyes traveled toward the side. More, it was became written on her face. Hope didn't want her to feel sad. Finally, an idea came into his head. He knew it was risky and that there was a possibly that she would say no because of the situation she was in, but he still wanted to make her sadness go away. "Come with me," he let out without holding back. Her eyes turned to him uneasy. He held out his hand. "Just for a night. Then I'll bring you right back."

She looked down. "I don't know. That would involve me having to sneak back in before anyone notices."

He gave a determined stare. "I'll have you back before anyone notices. Listen. No one wants to stay stuck in the same place forever. Remember years ago, when you would ask me all of those questions about what the world was like? Now is your chance. I promise that I'll have you back before anyone notices. Trust me." Claire stared at his hand. He was offering her something she wanted, even if it was just for a night. It was the freedom to get away from this place. When she didn't respond, Hope placed his hand back down as he thought that she wouldn't accept his offer. He wanted to help, but what else could he do? He breathed out with his eyes closed. "It's all right... I'm sorry that I pushed this." He smiled a little at her. He didn't want to leave, but figured it was best. "It was good to see you again… Claire."

She watched as he got ready to leave. More, the offer became tempting. She probably wouldn't get a chance like this again. Soon, he started riding off. Her eyes widened as she became anxious. She took off and ran along the edge. "Wait!" He looked back and stopped. She jumped off of the edge. A look of worried crossed his face once he saw her do so. Instantly, he reached out his hand to grab hers. She sat on the back of his bike behind him. He looked back at her as she looked serious. "Let's go. I don't have a lot of time."

"Does that mean you've decided to go with me?" She nodded. A rush of adrenaline had taken over her. The strict side of her wanted to obey what she was told, but this time, her need to be free from that place overwhelmed her restraint. While she didn't feel that she would regret it now, she took a chance on it. He flashed her a brief smile. "Hang on to me."

Instinctively listening, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He took off and headed down below. When she turned her head back, Eden became smaller in the distance. Finally, it was happening. Even she couldn't believe that she left for the first time. The wind that blew passed them felt cool to the touch. Yet, at the same time, it felt good. For once, in a long time, she felt a twinge of excitement in her stomach. She wondered what she would see that she had never seen before. She turned her head back forward. Pass the wild, waving, silver hair, she saw a little of Hope's face. There was a smile to his lips that hinted at a bit of excitement as well. Growing up, she never thought of him of being the bad boy type nor did he really show it. He didn't completely break her out of prison, although, it did kind of seem like it. He was always sweet toward her, so she knew that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart. Whenever she needed help, he was there as much as he could be. That was just how he always was. More, she took a moment to look at him. He hadn't changed much over the year that they weren't able to see each other.

"I was surprised to see that he came for me. I've known him for almost all of my life. Well… really all of my life, even for the parts I don't remember. I've known him ever since I was born..."

Flashback…

A mother smiled gently as she looked down at the newborn girl. Soon, two other people stepped into the room. Another woman, that carried a child in her arm, walked over to the new mother. She smiled as well. The woman lying in bed lifted her eyes to the woman carrying the two-year-old. She gave a tired smiled. "It's over finally… It's a girl." She turned her eyes to the sleeping child. "We've decided to name her Claire."

The woman, who stood nearby, smiled with relief. "A girl…" she breathed out and repeated.

Claire's mother smiled more. "That means that things will work out between Pulse and Cocoon just as we wished Nora. This way we can finally bring peace between the two worlds. The arrangement can finally begin."

Nora turned her eyes over to the two-year-old that she held in her arm. "Yes... Over time, as they grow up, Hope and Claire will learn to get along and bring everyone together."

Curiously, Hope stared toward Claire and her mother. Nora took notice and walked closer to the bed. She let Hope lean over and crawled onto the bed beside Claire's mother. As he sat on the front of his legs, he stared curiously at the bundle in her arms. Her mother let out a smile. "I'm sure that you and Claire will become good friends Hope.

Six years later…

The curious six-year-old, pink haired, girl looked up at the taller, eight-year-old boy. Her lips curved into a pout. "Come on Hope!"

Hope crossed his arms. "No."

She frowned. "You know... you're not that much older than me, so that's doesn't make me a little kid!"

Hope frowned at her. His eyes met with her glare. After a few seconds, it made him feel uneasy, so he shifted his eyes away. Getting upset, she baled her fists. "Just play with me!"

"Fine... Fine..." he moaned.

Instantly, her frown changed into a smile. "Good!" She grabbed onto his hand and pulled him along. They spent some time playing outside. When they got ready to go in, she looked over toward him. "See! Was that really so bad?"

A small smile curved on his lips as he looked at her. "Fine... You were right Claire."

Claire flashed a prideful smirk. "Well get used to saying that more!" Slightly, Hope shook his head with his eyes closed as he kept his grin on. What had he gotten himself into…?

Nine years later…

A red ball headed toward her, which she caught in the hand. The fifteen-year-old gave a dull stare toward the object. "This is boring..."

Lightly, she tossed the ball back toward her companion. After he caught the ball, the seventeen-year-old looked up with a little wonder. "What do you want to do then?"

Claire walked over to him. She reached into pocket and grabbed the boomerang that he had hidden within his jacket. Her eyes traced over the object. "You can fight with something like this?"

He looked over at the object in her hand. "Yes, if I wanted to."

She turned her back from him. "I haven't been able to carry something for myself, but I see the soldiers from PSICOM walk around with guns all the time." An idea crossed her mind to help ease her boredom. Her body turned away from his. "I wonder how far I can throw this." With a strong thrust of her arm, she threw the object as far she could. As he stood next to her, he was impressed by her strength. She managed to get a good distance throwing it. When it came back around, she caught it in her hand. It still had some force behind it when it connected. A smile appeared on her lips along with a sense of accomplishment at what she had done. "That actually wasn't bad."

Hope stepped over beside her. Interested, a challenge formed into his mind. "How about you hand it over to me? Let me see if I can get a better distance on it."

A smirk formed on Claire's lips. "You can try, but I don't think you'll get further than I will." Hope got ready to throw the boomerang. He placed one foot back behind the other. Claire crossed her arms in front of her. "Good luck." A determined look grew on his face. With how she did before, it was motivation that made him want to do better. With force, he threw the object forward. Claire was a little impressed with the distance he managed to get. It was close to what she got before, so it was hard to tell which one of them had reached further. Hope caught the boomerang in his hand. Like Claire, he wasn't sure who had done better. Another idea formed in Claire's mind. She stepped in beside Hope. "That wasn't bad, but let's see how you do on accuracy."

A small smile formed on Hope's face. "You can try too, if you want. I'll let you go first."

Claire stepped over and grabbed the boomerang from his hand. "All right." She pointed toward the red ball on the ground they were playing with earlier. "How about you toss that up and I'll see if I can hit it?"

A little concern crossed his face. "Are you trying to destroy my ball?"

Claire frowned a little as she thought that he was worried over nothing. "It'll be fine. Just throw it."

With a sigh, Hope grabbed it off the ground and stood in Claire's eyesight. He just hoped that she wouldn't destroy the toy that he brought with him. "Ready whenever you are."

A determined look grew on her face. She bent her arm back with the boomerang ready. When she felt ready, she yelled, "Now!" He threw the ball up as high as he could. Seconds after she threw the boomerang, it ended up going pass the ball and headed for the trees. Claire let out a moan once she realized that she had completely missed her target. The boomerang continued to fly and got stuck with in the leaves.

Hope lifted his eyes to the stuck boomerang as he placed his hand on his hip. "Well… I would say that was a complete miss and you got my boomerang stuck in a tree... Nice going Claire..."

Claire let out a frown as she baled her fist at her side. She didn't need his teasing. "Save it!" Trying to figure out a way she could get up there, she realized that the only way she could would be to climb the tree. It was too tall for her to reach.

Hope kept staring up. "How do you propose we get it back now?"

Claire stepped closer to him with her arms crossed. "I could get up there with your help."

Hope looked over with a slightly curious look. "How so?"

Claire kept her serious look on. "You could give me a boost by letting me on your back."

Hope blinked, surprised. "You can't be serious... I think you just want to ride on my back."

She suppressed the smile that was hidden behind her serious face. "What would be wrong with that?"

He breathed out. Behind that serious front, he believed that she just wanted to ride on his back. He closed his eyes. It was hard to resist a request from her. "Fine…"

"Just think. It will help you get stronger if you ever need to fight."

He smiled as he found the situation amusing, if he did find himself in it. At the same time, inside of him, it brought some unease. "If you say so." He kneeled down a little and allowed her to climb onto his back. While she did press some weight against him, she wasn't as heavy as he predicted. It felt fine for her to stay on his back. He walked toward the tree.

Claire looked down toward his face. "This isn't bad."

A smile escaped from his lips purposely. "You're right."

A smile appeared on her lips. "I said that a while back, that you would be saying that. I'm right even now." Hope breathed out jokingly. He didn't want to give her more of a reason to prove her right. As he walked, a thought formed in Claire's mind. It was something she wondered about for a while now. "Hey Hope?"

Without looking back, he answered her. "Yeah?" By the soft tone of her voice, he could tell it wasn't something that was just casually on her mind.

Her eyes lowered. She hadn't asked much about it before, but more over the years, she became overwhelmed with curiosity. She knew that, through his life, he was able to travel freely while she never left Eden. Without expressing it to anyone else, she secretly wanted to do the same. "The places you go… What are they like? What do you get to see? Are there any worth going to?"

Hope let out a grin. "Of course! There's this fun place that has this huge amusement park! They have rides, chocobos, and everything! There are places that have fireworks every year and other celebrations!"

Claire's eyes lowered, disappointed. By the excited tone in his voice, it seemed like what he witnessed was fun. "I see... That sounds like something worth seeing then..."

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go." At his immediate response, her eyes rose up surprised. There was a twinge in her heart that was hard to ignore. His words sounded like a promise. There was a warm, determined smile on his face. His eyes traveled back toward her as much as they could. "We'll go to those places so you can see how fun they are and then I'll take you to Pulse."

Her eyes traveled over to him curious. "I thought Pulse was a bad place."

Hope's eyes lowered a little. He wished that people wouldn't see it that way. "It's not as bad as everyone thinks. It's a little different from Cocoon, but still livable."

Claire went over Hope's words repeatedly in her head. She wanted to believe them, that one day she'll visit places where she could have fun. For now, she pushed the thoughts aside and focused on what they had to do. Her head lifted toward the tree. When they finally made it, he stopped. She reached up high and stretched her arm up as much as she could. Within a few seconds, she realized that it was too far away. "You need to put me up higher."

He struggled a little to stand up straight. "How?"

She climbed off of his back and stood in front of him. "Try lifting me up the other way."

He wasn't too sure about the idea. He felt it would be more of a struggle. "I don't know…" His eyes traveled over to the base of the tree. "Maybe I should just climb it."

She pointed up toward the boomerang that was stuck in the leaves. "Then you're going to have to climb up the branches too and I don't think they'll be able to support you."

He breathed out and realized that she had a point. The branches that extended from the tree were too thin. It seemed that her plan was the best unless he wanted to go through the trouble of finding something long enough to try and knock it down. His eyes returned to Claire who waited for his decision. He placed his hand on the side of his head. "Fine. We'll try it your way."

Claire stepped over toward him. He picked her up by her legs and boosted her up. She struggled to reach up. Her weight shifted back and forth to try and grab it at the right time. At the same time, it made him shift his own weight and caused him to step back. He didn't know how much longer that he could hold her up with her constantly moving. With one last push, she made her body jump up a little and grabbed the edge of the boomerang, clasping tightly onto it. "Got it!"

The strength he had slipped from his legs and arms. Before they knew it, they both headed toward the ground and landed on their backs. The fall they suffered only hurt for a few seconds. "Sorry…" the word slipped from his lips.

"You really have to get stronger," she told him. For a little longer, they lied against the cool grass. A light breeze blew passed them comfortably. She held up his retrieved object. "I got your boomerang back."

He rolled off of his back and came over her on his hands and knees. He grabbed the boomerang from her hand and tucked it back into the pocket in his jacket. "Thanks." Once he turned his attention fully back to her, his body froze unexpectedly for second. His green eyes were locked onto her blue ones. There was something about the way that she looked lying against the grass. The only words that came to mind were cute and innocent. Even with the arrangement between him and the pink haired girl he knew all of his life, she always seemed to be more of a friend that he wanted to spend time with, but now an unknown feeling crossed over him. When he reflected more over it, it became less foreign, as if he started to figure it out. Maybe this was a different kind of affection he felt toward her. A thought wandered through his mind once he focused more on her. She stared at him patiently waiting, but for what exactly? For him to move so that she could sit up or for him to move in? He felt unsure, although something inside of him urged him to at least try to move in. As tempted as he was, he decided that now wasn't the best time. A little upset with himself, he breathed out as he closed his eyes. Underneath him, she finally let go of the breath she held in. A secret wish became unfulfilled. A thought grew stronger in his mind that caused his eyes to grow more determined. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Surprise became written on her face. It took a few seconds, but she finally responded. "What do you mean?"

He sat down on the ground and allowed her to sit up. "A few times you asked me about the world outside of this place and what it's like. Do you really want to go one day?"

Her eyes traveled along the ground. Already she knew the answer in her mind, but did she really want to say it out loud? After debating and reaching what she wanted to say, her eyes met his serious ones. Through them, she could tell that he wanted her to be completely honest. For that, she wouldn't deny him what he wanted to know. "Yes. One day, I want to get out of here. Just once to see how things are below."

A faint smile curved his lips a little. "Then one day we will. We'll travel around the world if you want and we'll have fun." Her eyes lifted up to him, touched by his words. His smile made the words seem real.

In return, she gave a faint smirk. "I'll hold you to that."

His body began to relax. "Whenever you need me, I'll be there for you. No matter what."

More, a smile curved at her lips. It was nice to hear that. She nodded. "Same here." Hearing those words had made him happy as well...

As she gazed into the sky above, she could see the lit-up city of Eden in the distance. Her hands were pressed against the rock-solid ground behind her as she leaned back on her arms. For once, she got the chance to see it from another perspective and how small it really was. It seemed the rumors were true. Curiously, she turned her head toward her companion beside her who stared up as well. "What is this place?"

"These are the Vile Peaks," he replied.

A look of confusion became written on her face. "What made you bring me here?"

He knew that she wanted to see more of the world and there wasn't much around to show. The place was barren with mostly rocks around. "I would have taken you somewhere else, but this is the closest place to Eden. It's quiet and there's not really anything around. You won't have to worry about anyone discovering you're here."

She breathed out through her nose as she turned her head forward and looked toward the ground. She knew that he had a point. "I guess, despite where we were, Hope kept his promise to take me out of Eden. Still, I'm surprised. What happened that day, when I first heard those words he spoke to me, things didn't last long. Not after what happened next..."

Flashback…

The two continued to smile at each other as they sat on the patch of grass. As silence was between them, he began to dwell on his feelings that came to the surface. At that moment, things became a little clearer. The girl he grew up with for all these years, he started to see her more in a different light. He realized his feelings had shifted from caring about her like a friend to something more, or had they been there all along…? Her eyes traveled along on the ground. A question formed into her mind. Soon, her eyes lifted up to his. "I know it wasn't our choice, but…" She wasn't sure if she wanted to finish getting the words out. "…it was put upon us. The fate of whether two worlds can live in peace..." She turned her head toward the side away from him. "Still… do you think that this arrangement can work out between us?"

While she looked away, she was waited to hear his voice, some conformation that this was really the right thing to do. When she didn't hear anything, she figured that maybe he didn't think it was a good idea after all. Maybe all of the burden and pressure that had been put on them since birth was something they just had to get through. Suddenly, she felt something touch her hand. She lifted her eyes to see his gentle smile; a smile that graced his lips once he realized what she asked. "I think it will," he sounded optimistic. "At least…I hope it will." His answer surprised her a little. It sounded as if he really did want this to work. She was touched by what he said. His eyes searched hers before he had come to a decision. He scooted in closer to her. The tips of his fingers gently touched along her jaw line. His head tilted to the side as her cheek lightly touch his. Inches away, his lips parted as he moved closer to her. Her eyes lowered to a close along with his. This would be the moment that they would...

"Hope! Claire!" Hope and Claire turned their heads at the call of the familiar voice. Heading toward them was Hope's mother Nora. There was a concerned, but serious look on her face. "I need the two of you to come with me now!"

Hope stood up concerned. The tone of her voice sounded urgent. "What is it mom?"

Worry began to grow on her face. "We need to speak to both of you. This is important. It's something…that you both need to hear unfortunately."

Claire and Hope glanced at each other as they wondered what was going on. Even they started to get worried. As they followed Nora, they were led into a room where Hope's and Claire's fathers were and Claire's sister Serah waited as well. Both fathers had angry glares on their faces. After they heard the sudden decision, explained to both Hope and Claire, they were shocked. In disbelief, Hope stepped forward. "What?! The arrangement is over?!" He turned his attention to his father. "Why?!"

An upset look crossed the face of Bartholomew as he stared at Claire's father. "It seems that the Primarch has decided to dissolve our arrangement to bring Cocoon and Pulse to peace, which is a huge mistake!" he stressed as much as he could.

"Technically nothing was signed and there wasn't a wedding date set." Claire's father gave a stern glare. "We will have no need of Pulse's help."

"Just listen! The Academy could help-!" Bartholomew tried to plead with him.

Claire's father would hear nothing with it. He turned part way from her. "The soldiers will escort you out. We have said all that we need to be say."

Bartholomew pressed down on his teeth. He felt that he wouldn't listen to reason. Claire stepped in front of her father confused and concerned. "Why are you doing this? Shouldn't we listen to them?" Her father gave her a serious look.

Not ready to leave yet, Hope stepped forward, worried that this would be the end. "Claire?"

She turned as she looked worried. He tried to reach for her, but a soldier stepped in between them. His father looked serious. "Hope let's go."

He glanced back at his father. "We can't just leave!" The soldier pushed him further back.

For a second, she hesitated, but then she stepped forward. Soon, she felt a hand grab onto her shoulder. She turned her head back and saw her father with a stern look. "Let them go. You're not to see him again." Her eyes lowered toward the ground. Disappointment filled her. Someone she grew to care for had to leave her...

Her arms wrapped around her knees that were up to her chest as she thought back to that moment. "After I learned that the arrangement was over, it seemed that a new one had been put in its place, a better one in my father's opinion. Something that he thought was better for Cocoon… It also wasn't long, after the arrangement dissolved between him and I, that the curse appeared. Something that would change my life more than I thought it would." As Claire was lost in thought, Hope looked over at her and smiled a little. "Maybe next time, we could try some place else."

Claire searched his eyes, lost. "I still don't understand it. Why did you come up there to search of me?"

He smiled. "I told you. I wanted to see how you were over the year that we hadn't been able to see each other."

A part of her still didn't understand why, but she was a little concern. "You weren't allowed to come back. You could have gotten in a lot of trouble if you were seen."

Honestly, he was concerned too about taking the risk to see her, but something inside of him really wanted to. It was something that he couldn't let go of. She wasn't someone that he could just forget. He had to know that things were okay. "I was careful. I made sure that I wasn't seen."

A frown crossed over her lips to show that she was serious. "You shouldn't do this again. I don't want you to get caught."

He smiled to assure her not to worry. "I'll be all right." She breathed out a little. All she could do is warn him, but she couldn't stop him if that's what he wanted to do. Another thought crossed his mind, one that would ease her of her worry. "If I remember right…, someone has a birthday coming up in three days."

Hearing that surprised her. "You still remember that?"

Hope gave a slight nod. "Knowing you for all of those years, it's not something that can easily be forgotten."

She relaxed a little. "Yeah... I guess it is coming up soon."

"You don't sound that excited about it. Aren't you going to celebrate in some way?"

Her eyes drifted toward the side. For a few years, her birthdays hadn't been the big celebration that they used to be. She didn't expect much of a difference this year either. "Not really…"

The words she spoke disappointed him. She didn't seem happy about it at all. He turned his head forward. That was a time for her to be happy. Alongside that thought, another formed in his mind. It was something he knew he could do to make her day something to look forward to. "If that's the case, then I'll have a surprise for you on your birthday." Her head turned to him surprised. "But we'll have to do something like this again. We'll have to leave at night, so that way, no one can spot us."

Her eyebrow furrowed. "You want me to sneak out again?"

He let out a smile as he tilted his head toward her. "In order to carry out the surprise, yes. Do you think you can manage that?" Her eyes drifted toward the side. "I promise that it will be worth it."

Once again, the chance was tempting. Interest couldn't help but fill her mind at what he was planning. Now it was the decision of taking the risk or always wondering what could have been. When she came to a decision, she turned her head to him and spoke. "I'll see what I can do."

A smile formed on his lips. "I'll be waiting." As she stared at him, she reflected more on the past. She thought about the reasons that she didn't have parties like she used to have on her birthday. The last time she had a big celebration was when her mother was still alive. She could clearly remember the emotions she felt the day of her death. She comforted her sister as much as she could and promised to be stronger to look after her. As much as she tried to keep them to herself, she knew one person who didn't give up trying to help her cope with her grief. She thought about the day after the funnel…

Flashback..

As she sat on her bed in her room, she held her head down and avoided eye contact with the person behind her. "I told you that I'm fine," her voice sounded cold.

He turned his head back and looked upon her with compassion. "Are you really?" Her lips pressed together and kept them sealed shut. He knew this conversation would go around in circles with her denying that she was sad and him trying to get her to open up about how she felt. Instead, she decided not to answer him. His eyes drifted down. He wasn't sure how to help her. All he knew was that he wanted to. "It's all right to be sad you know. She was someone very close to you. You couldn't help what happened. Sometimes the body fails and can no longer sustain us."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" her voice turned harsh.

He looked back at her feeling uneasy. It seemed that he made things worse. He turned his head back forward. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

She closed her eyes tight. She knew that he couldn't see her face right now. "Just go Hope! I don't need you here feeling sorry for me...!"

He looked back a little surprised. "Is that what you think I'm here for?" She didn't answer. He reached over and grabbed her arm. "I'm not here to pity you at all."

Claire frowned, upset as she looked down. "That's what everyone else has been doing, so how is that any different than what you're doing?!"

He grew upset. "That is not what I'm doing! Just listen to me!" She struggled to take her arm out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go. Her pull forward as she pushed back. Their struggle of push and pull made them land on the bed face to face. She closed her eyes tight. She didn't mean to let the tears slip, but they ended up escaping from her eyes.

He closed his eyes as his nose lightly pressed against hers. "Listen. I would never do that to you. I wouldn't pity you. I admire that's you've been strong for this long, but you don't have to take this on all by yourself. It's okay to lean on someone for your pain if you want. It's not a burden. I know it hurts now, but you'll get through it, all right?" After a few minutes, she managed to calm herself down. What little sounds had left from her soon turned quiet. He placed his hand against her shoulder for comfort. Both of them kept their eyes closed. "It's all right," he spoke between them. For minutes, they lied in silence. Nothing else needed to be said at that moment. His nose nuzzled against hers, which she did the same. His eyes opened a little to see her lean closer toward his face. In return, he closed his eyes and proceeded forward with his lips closing in on hers. A sense of ease crossed over her as she could feel him close.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. She breathed out and backed away. As much as she didn't want the moment to get interrupted, she figured it was better to see who was at the door. He breathed out as well as his head dropped against the mattress with his eyes closed. As she walked toward the door, she wiped away the remaining water from her eyes to hide her emotions once more. After she was ready, she opened the door. Once she saw who it was, she was a little surprised. "Dad?"

When he looked inside, he spotted Hope sitting on her bed. A frown crossed his lips. Even though they were arranged to be, he still didn't like the idea of leaving her alone with a boy. "I just wanted to make sure that everything is all right."

She composed herself and looked serious. "Everything is fine."

"I just wanted to make sure." He was about to turn away, but then stopped halfway as another thought came to mind. He gave her a serious look. "Keep your door open." Afterwards, he turned and headed further down the hall.

She had an idea of why he told her to leave the door open. She watched as he walked further until he was out of sight. Afterwards, she closed the door and headed back to her bed where she sat in front of him. Her eyes drifted down toward the side. "I'm…sorry about how I reacted."

He shook his head. An understanding smile curved at his lips. "It's all right. I'm glad. It's not good to hold what you're feeling in." Her eyes lifted up toward his. She noticed the gentle smile he gave. Deciding to let her guard down one more time, she leaned forward with her eyes closed and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. There she could find comfort. A few seconds later, his arms wrapped around her. She could feel warmth surrounding her that she could bury herself in. She scooted in closer to him. His eyes lowered to a close as he leaned his head against her shoulder. Minutes later he leaned back, which she followed. Half of her body leaned against the chest. "Are you feeling better now?"

She lifted her eyes along with her head and pressed her chin against his chest. "A little I guess…" She didn't want to admit it, but letting her feelings out had helped a little.

He smiled for comfort. "It'll be okay. It just takes time." For a few more seconds, she stared at him until she placed her head down and leaned against his chest. In silence, she lied in comfort with him by her side...

Claire continued to watch Hope as he stared up into the sky. "Even through the tough times, Hope has always been there for me…Even now..." Deep down, she was grateful that he came back for her.

Thank you for reading! I hope that you'll follow along with the rest of the story! There's more to come!