This chapter is set in the beginning of XIII-2 when they come out of crystal stasis.

Chapter 2/3.

I felt really weird suddenly... Kind of like I was being pulled out of my body. I could only think of one thing that'd be like this.

Am I... coming out of crystal stasis? This quickly? Really? Well, I guess Light's going to kill me now for what I just did.

When I could see again, I saw the kind of look Light gave Snow right before she punched him in the face. After a few moments of awkward silence, I heard someone speaking. "So you must be Hope. Hi." I looked around and saw Serah, Light's sister. Somehow getting my voice back, I introduced myself to her. I could still feel the trademark: "You are about to die." stare coming from Light's direction. "Serah? What is Light's first name? She never told me." I asked her. "Claire. Her first name is Claire." Serah told me, then she walked over to Snow. I felt Light grab my shoulder and then, somehow, I managed to wrestle her to the floor and then I ran away.

After what I judged as a half-hour of running, I doubled over, exhausted and gasping for breath in front of a wall that was 5 metres high... and then I looked over my shoulder and saw Claire running towards me with me, Lionheart in her hands. "I don't want to die!" I screamed at her. She actually stopped running when I said that. And then threw the Lionheart into the wall, about 2 metres up. Seeing my chance, I used it as a springboard to jump to the top and haul myself over. Relieved that I had got away for now, I stepped forward. And fell straight down. All I could do was close my eyes and start screaming. Then, I fell into darkness.

Light's POV...

"I don't want to die!" Did Hope really think that I would kill him, after everything that's happened? But then I was cut off from my thoughts when I heard Hope start screaming, but then he stopped abruptly a few seconds later. I knew something bad had happened but I didn't know what. So I did the only thing I could and ran back to Serah and the others to tell them what had happened...

2 Days Later.

"Where the hell am I?" I asked myself when I regained consciousness. I almost had a heart attack when a familiar voice said I was in hospital. "Claire?" I questioned. My answer was the noise of someone getting up and out of their chair. "Did you really think I was going to kill you?" she told me. "And before you ask, it's because you used to be a L'Cie that you healed this quickly."

"OK, that makes sense." As Claire walked away, I asked her out of curiosity. "What would you have done?" When she said it, there was a strange look in her eyes. I hadn't seen it before, so I decided to do as she asked. "If you follow me, I'll show you." I got up, dressed in my normal clothes and followed her to her velocycle. But I was cut short when, out of nowhere, Light turned around and kissed me.

So this is what Light was going to do.

"Claire?" "Yes, Hope?" I didn't wait to tell her this time. "I have a present for your 22nd birthday. Just letting you know."

As I said it, my thoughts drifted to the 10000 gil ring that was safe in my house in Bodhum. "Come on, Claire, let's go back to your place." I told her as we got on the velocycle, heading for our future together.