A/N: Well, hello, Chapter Seven. Sorry about the last couple author's notes, I somehow managed to switch part of them into the other. Anyway, enjoy chapter 7...or don't, it's really up to you…
Warnings: Hope/Snow, fluff and angst
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine; I just twist them for Rain and my own entertainment. The setting is also not mine. In fact, just consider it all Square Enix's, just with my plot twisting mind effecting it.
They all knew that this was going to end in fighting, Snow's forgetfulness just set it off. Light didn't really mind and Fang seemed almost relieved. It was relatable; it's easier to fight when you know it's coming.
The Eidolons made it easy; focus on the big guys then find a way to Eden.
In the end, they simply destroyed the racetrack and moved on. What else was there to do?
Eventually, they made their way to Orphan.
From there, it seemed as though everything fell apart. The seeds of doubt were soon planted firmly into their hearts and grew into the vines of despair rather quickly, suffocating them.
How they'd gotten past it at all was a blur in Hope's mind. How had they survived the fall? How had Fang and Vanille managed to turn into crystal with only their will-power? Lastly, why were Snow and Hope the only ones left with Pulsian brands?
Everything made just as little sense to Snow. Especially when Serah seemed to come from absolutely nowhere.
She clung to his chest and he wasn't quite sure what to do. He looked over at Hope.
Oh, gods, Hope thought. Don't look at me like that. I don't know what it's supposed to mean, but please don't look at me like that… He couldn't place the look and didn't know what to think. Breaking eye-contact with Snow, he suddenly found the ground an interesting place to stare. He was thoroughly surprised at the words that came from Snow's mouth.
"Serah," he started, hesitantly, pushing her impossible grip off of his chest. He struggled to find the right words. Only, how could he? What would you say when faced with such a problem? He decided on something quick. Though he sometimes regretted it, he let his mouth follow his brain.
"Serah, I can't marry you," he said rather quickly. "I don't love you like that. And I know you don't love me, either, so don't look so surprised about my decision."
Snow was known for his bluntness. That didn't make it any less surprising to Hope and Serah.
The other two didn't seem too shocked though, barely contained smirks lighting their faces. "Took you long enough," Light said. "We thought you were never gonna say it," Sazh elaborated.
Serah looked thoroughly distressed by this point, however. "What do you mean, you can't marry me?!" she all but screamed.
Light's smirk dropped at this point. She loved her little sister and would always protect her, but she knew all too well where this was going. Serah needed to learn her lesson this time.
"Serah, don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you. The only reason you ever wanted Snow was because of Cloud, and that's just unfair, because you didn't love him either.
"I understand what you've been trying to do, Serah, protecting Snow is a good sign that you love him, but not like that, you are his friend and that's how it should have stayed. Poor Snow, however doesn't need protection in the form of disguise. Not to mention the way you went about it. You were like a middle school girl slipping a love letter into his locker and forgetting to add the 'no' box," Light finished up.
Snow somehow felt a weight lift from him. As if Light's confronting Serah had somehow made everything all better… Isn't that exactly what had happened, though? It did make everything better. With the way she went about it, it meant that she accepted him. He hadn't realized they'd ever met Cloud before though…
For just a moment, he decided not to care. With Hope suddenly in his arms, everything else seemed to melt into insignificance.
A/N: I re-wrote this nineteen times (not even kidding). I hope you enjoyed this, Rain, and other readers ^_^
I'm hoping to wrap this up in just a few more chapters and I might add an epilogue when I get there.
Sorry for the wait. Please leave me a review on how I can improve or what you liked ^_^